"They're pretty good."

To say that it was simply awkward between Howon and Myungsoo would be an understatement, when the two sat silently at a corner table in a coffee shop. Howon was browsing through the pictures in Myungsoo's camera — the one's he'd taken today, the younger hoped.

"Thanks." 

Myungsoo didn't know how to talk to Howon so he stayed quiet and took out his phone. He decided to send Sungjong an e-mail while they waited. With nothing better to tell the younger, he ended up writing lengthy paragraphs of text about the photography session just to have a reason to keep staring at his phone until Sunggyu returned.

The e-maile began with the reasons why he had to hang up so abruptly earlier, followed by an entire paragraph for a description of Sunggyu and how cool and smart he seemed just judging from the first 4 hours of knowing him. He did write a little about Howon, too. Then the rest were mostly complaints — that the session went on for two hours straight, and that it was a really hot day and how he'd liked to have spent it at home instead because the sun gave him a headache — but he didn't forget to add that it was all worth it in the end. Sunggyu had been a great support and being able to share his photographs with other people felt really good.

Sungjong would surely be surprised at that last part.

Myungsoo had nothing else to tell him because they already spoke four hours before, so even though he had finished writing the e-mail long before Sunggyu returned, he continued pretending to look busy with his phone for a while longer so that Howon wouldn't feel forced to talk to him.

"Here you go." Sunggyu placed a beverage in front of Myungsoo, startling him a little. "I forgot to ask you what you wanted so I just got you a regular iced coffee."

"You didn't have to..."

The older waved it off, "Consider it a thank you for hanging out with us today. I know it was random and a little too sudden."

"No. It's okay. I had fun."

Looking between the two guys, Myungsoo couldn't immediately see any obvious signs that they were dating. Howon didn't lift his gaze from Myungsoo's camera when Sunggyu sat down by his side, or react in any way when Sunggyu pushed the straw of his drink to Howon's lips. They weren't even holding each other's hands all the time or kissing or hugging. In other words, they were nothing like Myungsoo's two friends from his hometown, Dongwoo and Woohyun, who barely took any breaks from touching each other whenever they were together.

"Who is it?"

"Huh?" Myungsoo jumped again when he realised he was staring at Howon, whose gaze was thankfully still locked on his camera. Why is he looking through that for so long? he pondered to himself, but he didn't know how to ask for his camera back so he didn't.

He looked up again and found Sunggyu leaning over the table to see the caller ID on his buzzing phone. "Sungjong?" The older spoke the name with some familiarity. "You were on phone to him earlier right?"

"Yes."

"Hey, hey. Don't do that." Sunggyu shook his head with a grin when Myungsoo silenced the phone and slipped it in his pocket. "Let him know who's to blame for your abrupt hang-up earlier." Sunggyu knocked on his own chest and laughed about it.

Myungsoo wanted to tell him again that it was all right but the phone began buzzing again.

 

∞

 

"Are you having fun with your new friends?"

Myungsoo frowned at Sungjong's barely concealed hurt tone of voice. Thus he felt like he owed Sungjong an explanation for why he didn't answer sooner. "Sunggyu bought me iced coffee. I'm still waiting for Howon to return my camera, then I'll go home."

It must have sounded as if he was telling his mother he'd be a little late for dinner. Sungjong definitely noticed that because he started laughing, but said nothing.

"I take it Dongwoo and Woohyun are hogging your couch right about now and watching cheesy romance movies while cuddling."

"Do you feel better knowing we're both third-wheeling our friends right now?" A soft snort followed the question.

"Actually, I don't feel so much like I'm third-wheeling these two. They're not as sticky as the pair on your couch."

"Maybe you should get them drunk first. Then you'll see — Actually! No!" Sungjong exclaimed before Myungsoo could say anything. "Try and avoid that at all costs. Take it from me who feels like flipping the couch just to throw them off of it. I'll probably camp outside in the back garden tonight. They're so gross."

Myungsoo just chuckled lowly in the phone, nodding his head along to the younger's complaints, occasionally offering a couple of words to keep the conversation going.

He almost forgot about the two who were waiting for him inside.

When he returned to Sunggyu and Howon, he found the two leaning against one another, holding hands on Sunggyu's lap while Sunggyu's head was on the other's shoulder. It was the first time Myungsoo saw the two actually behaving like boyfriends so it threw him a little off.

He didn't want to interrupt them because they seemed to be in the middle of a somewhat serious and hushed conversation, but it had already been 28 minutes since he left the table to answer his phone so he sat down quietly and pretended to look at something on his phone again.

Sunggyu was the first to speak.

"Everything okay with Sungjong?"

Myungsoo looked up and nodded.

"You must miss him a lot."

He nodded again.

"Boyfriend?" Howon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." Myungsoo stammered a little too suddenly. "Best friend... the kind who were friends since we were in diapers actually. Our parents were friends since high school. I can't imagine us ever dating or anything like that. He's like a brother..."

He regretted saying anything from the moment the words rolled out of his mouth. Why did he feel such a desperate need to clear this up? Even Sunggyu started laughing quietly as he finally lifted his head from Howon's shoulder.

Myungsoo sighed, flustered. 

"Tell him to come visit you here?" Howon suggested suddenly, while finally pushing Myungsoo's camera back to him.

"I won't have to. He'll probably show up tomorrow bright and early demanding to meet you two..." 

Sunggyu smiled brightly and stood up. "Then we'll be ready for him. Bright and early."

Myungsoo stood up too and low-key watched how Sunggyu reached for Howon's hand before they made their way out of the shop while casually joking about just how early they'd have to be ready. Myungsoo had them convinced that Sungjong would show up at precisely 4:58 in the morning, together with the sunrise. 

On the way home he wondered how Sungjong would react to them.

Then he wondered if he'd even get to hang out with them again because the more he thought about it, without his camera, they wouldn't have had a reason to ask Myungsoo to hang out with them. They just needed a photographer to record Howon's first stubborn steps to acquiring a new skill and hobby – skateboarding.

What if that was all they wanted? Now that the first steps had been recorded...

Somehow those thoughts subsided when Sunggyu smiled when he looked at him. Then the thoughts disappeared completely when the older male grabbed his hand to cross the road together at the traffic lights.

It was just a simple gesture but it made Myungsoo happy nonetheless. 

 

∞

 

"What were you looking for earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

Sunggyu gave his boyfriend a suspecting stare, tipping his head just slightly to the side. There was nothing Howon could hide from him, and the younger hadn't exactly been subtle earlier when he browsed through Myungsoo's camera for at least an hour. 

Howon frowned. "I don't know what I was looking for. I thought..." He shook his head. "I thought they were good pictures so I just wanted to see more."

 

---

 

A/N: Sorry again about the slow updates! But thank you so much for reading! :)

Edit: Sorry for updating then hiding the chapter! I missed something there in the end.