1. The first time it happens is at dance practice. Junjin is soaked in sweat and warm with post-dance endorphins when Dongwan comes over and nudges his ankle with his shoe.

 

“Jin-ah.” Dongwan is gasping for air like a dying fish, and his hair seems shellacked to his forehead. “Could you get us some of those special drink things. From the fridge. Outside.”

 

It’s a typical request and Junjin doesn’t think twice about obeying, but then one second he’s in the dance studio, and the next he’s in front of the large fridge that houses their stash of energy drinks, juices, and cold brews. When he gets three different bottles out, he takes a step and suddenly he’s in front of Dongwan again, who screams the moment they’re face-to-face.

 

“What the !” Dongwan shouts.

 

Junjin doesn’t appreciate being yelled at, especially since he’s already made the effort to get the drinks, and different kinds at that. He shoves the small pile, cold and wet from condensation, into Dongwan’s open hands.

 

“You can get them yourself if you want something different,” he says snappishly, because their concert is two weeks away and he needs to review some of the steps for Your Wedding, which Minwoo decided on adding at the last minute. But Dongwan ignores his rising temper, the drinks now seeming to be the least of his concern.

 

“You disappeared, then reappeared again! How the did you do that?!”

 

“What?” Junjin asks, although he can perfectly recall the too-short trips to the fridge he had just made. He’s not sure why he’s not finding it weird. It’s convenient anyway.

 

“Do it again!” Dongwan commands, pushing his shoulders, and Junjin glares at him. But because 20 years has conditioned him to automatically obey his hyungs no matter how crazy they’re acting, he instinctively thinks of his house, internally reasoning that he needs to check on PoJack anyway. When he takes another step, the hardwood floor changes into carpet beneath his shoes and his two dogs yelp in surprise as he materializes in front of them as they’re relaxing on his couch.

 

Huh, Junjin thinks, and then takes a step back, the dance studio now a clear picture in his mind. This time when he reappears, Dongwan has his phone ready. He expertly weaves his arm away when Junjin swipes at his hand for him to stop.

 

“What’s going on?” Minwoo asks as he and Eric re-enter the studio, followed by Hyesung and Andy.

 

“Jinnie can teleport.” Dongwan smiles like a proud mother. “And I caught it on camera.”

 

“Oh?” Eric doesn’t even look up from his phone, obviously unimpressed.

 

“Really?” Hyesung grins, ready to take part in this game. “Jin-ah, could you get my cap from my car?”

 

Junjin wants to protest, but Hyesung’s request automatically makes him think of the interior of the white Maserati sitting in the company parking lot, and when he reappears in the dance studio again with the black SOX cap in hand, he glares at all his hyungs, who are now staring at him wide-eyed.

 

“Stop asking me to fetch stuff!” he complains, and pitches the cap to Hyesung, who catches it with one hand. Dongwan laughs, and Eric lets out a garbled squawk.

 

“The ?” Minwoo shouts, but Junjin has already teleported away to an empty practice studio at the other end of the building, Your Wedding playing on full blast from his phone speaker.

 

 

 

2. With just over a week to the concert, the discovery of his extra ability is relegated to the back burner, although Eric and Dongwan occasionally ‘test’ it by playing what they call ‘Jin Fetch’, which is basically them asking him to retrieve random items from within the office or company grounds, knowing he can never resist. By the tenth time that Eric has asked him (“the pack of tissues in the glove compartment of my manager’s car”), Junjin is ready to commit first-degree murder using a chopstick and a spare face towel, but it’s Hyesung who gets to their leader first.

 

“YAH!” Hyesung yells, just after the dancers have stepped out for break. His voice echoes like a canon in the empty room. “Fetch your own damn things! I swear I’m going to kick you to ing Pluto the next time you ask Jin to get your .”

 

Eric immediately looks cowed and this would have been fine, as Hyesung’s efforts have always been greatly appreciated by Junjin, but there’s one extra detail that they aren’t able to ignore.

 

“Uh, Hyesung hyung.” Junjin says, and Hyesung whips his head around.

 

“What?!”

 

“You’re…um…on fire. Like, literally.”

 

“WHAT?” His roar seems to stimulate the flames his arms and Junjin has to jump back before his sweatshirt catches fire. The sheets of song lyrics Hyesung is holding burns to ashes and cascades to the floor like black snow. When Hyesung yells again in surprise, his hand releases a fireball straight towards Eric, but then a purplish half-dome suddenly appears around their leader and absorbs it. Eric emerges unharmed, his eyes wide as saucers.

 

“WHOA,” he says, creating a purple ball of crackling something with his hands. Hyesung stares at him, equally dumbfounded. Fear of accidentally killing Eric has extinguished the fire that seconds ago had surrounded his entire body.  

 

“You made a force field!” Hyesung says, his tone almost accusing.

 

“You almost killed me!” Eric yells back, before an almost-manic grin takes over his expression. He looks almost giddy, which is a bizarre but very Eric reaction to a near-death experience. “But that was SO COOL!”

 

“What the hell even is happening?” Minwoo looks rightly pissed. “Hyesung, you’ll have to print your sheet lyrics again, you !”

 

“He keeps making Jin get stuff!” Hyesung shouts, then accidentally sets a music stand on fire. Minwoo yelps and tries to salvage the burning lyric book. It’s Dongwan’s, but he’s too busy cackling and taking pictures to care.

 

“So you’re now the Human Torch and Eric hyung is some weird limited version of Doctor Von Doom.” Andy has been watching the scene from a safe distance, a shocked expression on his face. Junjin sees as he turns to him. “And you?”

 

“Er…” He hated reading comics as a kid. He had actually preferred homework, but somehow he doesn’t want Andy to know this. “I…Apparate?”

 

Andy raises an eyebrow. “Wow.”

 

Eric is clapping his hands like an overexcited seal. “This will make for great Dragon Ball cosplays,” he says. He approaches Hyesung like how a snake charmer would approach a very pissed cobra. “Hyesung, come here…”

 

When Eric’s manager asks later why Eric’s shirt seems to have strange burn marks on the collar area none of them dare to answer.

 

 

 

3. They cancel dance practice the next day and force the entire staff to go on leave, under the guise of the six of them needing to rest before they do the next round of rehearsals. Junjin doesn’t even bother driving his car to the meeting they’ve set up. If anything, his power is the best one, and so he can’t help but look a little smug when he appears in the studio a split-second after he takes a step in his living room, Jackson snug in his arms.

 

“Just because you can teleport doesn’t mean you can bring your dog,” Andy frowns at him before gesturing to his outfit. “Or that you can show up in the same clothes you wore to bed.”

 

The maknae seems especially touchy, and Junjin has long learned that when Andy is in a mood, it’s better to just roll with the punches as they come. He ignores Andy’s remark and coos at Jackson, before unceremoniously dumping the dog on the maknae’s lap. Andy complains at first but pipes down eventually when Jackson starts nuzzling his head against his sweater, and Junjin grins to himself, pleased at his diplomatic prowess.

 

Hyesung and Eric appear at the same time, and Junjin doesn’t miss the fact Eric is carrying a small fire extinguisher in his hand.

 

“He got startled last night and nearly burned his sheets,” Eric grinned, obviously finding the notion of Hyesung being uncontrollably combustible hilarious. “He doesn’t know yet what will happen if he sneezes. Or farts.”

 

“I’m right here, wad.” Hyesung growls. “And when I do sneeze, I’ll make sure I’m facing you.”

 

“Or fart, don’t forget. I need to test my powers,” Eric replies cheerfully, just as Minwoo walks in, scowling at the word ‘powers’. He too has a fire extinguisher in hand, and Junjin makes note to do the same next time. Not for him though, because he can teleport away. But for Andy and…

 

“Where’s Dongwan hyung?” Junjin asks, glancing around. Dongwan is usually early because of the fact that he has to come from the godforsaken country. Usually he can be found loitering in the shadows plotting his next mountain trek or splayed on empty benches with his phone in hand, but this time, he isn’t there. “Minwoo hyung?”

 

“How should I know?” Minwoo says grouchily before taking a seat as far away from Hyesung as possible. “But he’d better be here soon or—”

 

“Heeheehee~”

 

They all nearly jump a foot in the air as Dongwan’s disembodied giggling fills the room. Minwoo yelps and accidentally sets his fire extinguisher off. It hits the empty space beside Hyesung and reveals a familiar silhouette, which quickly scampers off before it’s fully covered by suds.

 

“YAH!” comes Dongwan’s indignant voice. “Watch where you’re pointing that thing!”

 

He’s there, but not quite. Junjin gets goosebumps as he watches the faint outline of a well-curved nose bob and hover over Eric’s shoulder.

 

“Dongwan?!” Minwoo says, scooting away from the strange shape as it moves around the room, leaving soapy footprints on the hardwood. “Are you…are you a ghost?!”

 

“This is ing crazy.” Hyesung grumbles, eyeing the tracks as they circle around the studio. “You’d better be dead or I’m going to kill you myself, Kim Dongwan.”

 

“He’s invisible!” Andy exclaims as Dongwan runs circles around them in full speed, urging Jackson to growl and bark. Junjin has never wanted to punch something unseen so much his whole life.

 

“I woke up this morning and was like this!” Dongwan says, sounding delighted. “I could even board the train without paying but I had to stay in the compartment in between the cars so people wouldn’t get suspicious.”

 

Andy frowns. “That’s not fair.”

 

“How is any of this fair? We have a concert to do in a week!” Minwoo’s tone is bordering on hysteria. He gestures towards the room at large, his hands on his hips like an irate Napoleon. “Yah, Kim Dongwan, you’d better turn yourself visible in five seconds or you’ll be sorry you were ever born.”

 

“I would if I could…” Dongwan says, his voice just above Junjin’s head. Junjin feels an immense wave of satisfaction when he lifts his hand with the intention to hit and comes into contact with Dongwan’s jaw rather than empty air. “OW!”

 

“Whoops,” Junjin smirks, then raises his hand to give Andy a high-five. Andy is still pouting but does it anyway.

 

“You .” Dongwan whines, sounding and looking like a petulant phantom.

 

“You .” Minwoo growls. “Show yourself now so we can talk about this properly and figure out how we’re going to do the concert.”

 

“I can’t, I told you…” Junjin hears Dongwan say from Hyesung’s side of the room. Eric is suddenly frowning as his hands grasp at air.

 

“YAH, Kim Dongwan!” Their leader yells, jumping up. “Are you ?!”

 

Yep, definitely the most useful power, Junjin thinks as Eric’s statement and Dongwan’s silence causes a mini-explosion from Hyesung, and he manages to pull Andy, Jackson, and Minwoo out of harm’s way and into the nearest body of water he can think of.

 

…Kind of, he reconsiders, as they splash face-down into the cool banks of the Cheonggyecheon stream.

 

 

 

4. “This is so unfair,” Andy is grumbling as he’s towel-drying his hair in Junjin’s bathroom, thirty minutes after their narrow escape from death-by-fire-by-Jung Pilgyo.

 

“What is?” Junjin is standing beside him while holding a blow dryer on low against Jackson’s fur. Andy rarely shows his emotions in their true form because he thinks he’s the most mature out of all of them, and so has to rein in his temper. But Junjin knows the maknae is equally bad, if not the worst, at containing himself. For this instance, he volunteers to be the Andy bomb detonation squad.

 

“That you guys have superpowers. Among the six of us, I was the Marvel geek. Am.” He throws the towel down on the marble countertop. His hair is a fine, mahogany-colored mess and Junjin tries not to stare too long at the furious pink blotches on his cheeks.

 

“Maybe it’s something we ate,” he reasons, playing with Jackson’s paw to distract himself.

 

“Like what? Radioactive kimchi jiggae?”

 

Junjin shrugs. “Anything is possible with Hyesung hyung’s cooking.”

 

“But I ate the most then,” Andy whines, and Junjin realizes there’s no winning this.

 

“Maybe they’re saving the best for last.”

 

Andy sulks. “Or maybe I won’t get any at all. As usual. You guys get all the good stuff first.”

 

Something in him squirms at Andy’s tone and Junjin looks up, armed with a rebuttal, but his bathroom door slams open and reveals Minwoo, wearing a borrowed shirt over stained jeans from their earlier dunking, looking mildly harassed.

 

“Junjin,” he says, eyes so wide the whites in them are visible. “.”

 

And, much to his horror, Junjin quite literally does.

 

 

 

5. Minwoo’s powers may be the worst of all.

 

“Wait.” Eric says when they reconvene for a very late dinner at one of their old haunts. The ahjussi who owns the noodle shop has an outside eating area, and that’s where they park themselves in, not wanting to risk Hyesung bursting into flames again within an enclosed area. Dongwan’s hair still smells singed from that morning’s encounter. “What do you mean you made Junjin his pants?”

 

Junjin groans. He doesn’t want to discuss this again, especially since it was one of the most mortifying moments in his life. He throws a piece of radish kimchi at Minwoo’s direction and gets a kicked-puppy expression in return.

 

“Like, literally.” Minwoo is sitting on his hands, as though he’s afraid to move. “Like…I said his name, then that verb and…he did it.”

 

Dongwan, now fully-dressed and 100% visible, is scrolling through his phone. “Mind control. But like, not reading them. Just controlling them.” He slurps at his noodles noisily. Andy beside him, now the last one without a superpower, crosses his arms and kicks the table leg.

 

“You all ing ,” he says unhappily. Eric reaches over and pets his hair.

 

“Tell me to do something then.”

 

“Eric, fart.” Minwoo deadpans. When a loud tooting sounds almost immediately and the air suddenly reeks of rotten eggs, both Dongwan and Hyesung burst into shouts and laughter.

 

“Of all ing things, Lee Minwoo!”

 

“For God’s sakes—” Hyesung’s palms have balls of fire in them, but they’re burning low. His control seems to be better. Junjin is impressed. “You could have just asked him to jump three times or something less disgusting.”

 

Dongwan waves his arms. “Minwoo-yah, tell Eric to pay the bill.”

 

Eric is finding all of it hilarious. “This is great! Can we trade powers?”

 

“It’s not great,” Andy is fuming, and perhaps is a little drunk. “We have a concert to do. Minwoo hyung can’t be Kilgrave-ing his way through it.”

 

That reference, Junjin at least knew, and was about to say what it was when all the hyungs suddenly turn serious.

 

“Oh yeah.” Eric looks deflated. “How will we do the concert?” He looks at Minwoo. “Just sit it out. We’ll tell them you’re sick. Or in the army.”

 

“I’m a main vocal and dancer, .”

 

Dongwan turns to Hyesung, his eyes gleaming with an untold joke. “Hyesung-ah. Do you smell something burning?”

 

“ off.”

 

Junjin considers teleporting to bed or Canada when the hyungs escalate the conversation into an argument. Andy looks furious, either because no one knows what the hell is going on and they’re nowhere near to figuring out a solution to their dilemma, or because he’s the only normal one now in the group. Junjin moves his chair closer to him in a rare gesture of solidarity. The hyungs are giving him a headache.

 

“Let’s go home,” he offers.

 

“I brought my car.”

 

“I’ll drive.” Junjin pulls Andy up by the wrist. “Come on.”

 

 

 

6. He’s only had his powers for a couple of days but he’s been using it endlessly since then. The feeling of driving a car and actually controlling and seeing where you’re going is strangely liberating. Junjin hums one of his own songs as he steers the car through the darkened streets. Beside him, Andy is staring out the window.

 

“Why so glum, chum?” Junjin tries to lighten the mood, although he has to admit, Andy’s silence has upped his anxiety level. He has never really been able to connect with the maknae on the level he would actually like. “C’mon it’s no big deal.”

 

“I want a superpower.” Andy faces him, and there’s genuine sadness in his eyes. “I’m always being left behind by you guys.”

 

“That’s not true.” Junjin wants to look at him, but a car accident is not high on his list of priorities at the moment.

 

“Yes it is. I don’t want to be normal.”

 

“You’re a successful CEO and kpop idol and you’re only 37. How is that even normal?”

 

“But I can’t teleport, or burn stuff, or create force fields, or become invisible, or…” There’s a smile in his voice, “tell people to their pants.”

 

Junjin nearly crashes the car. “You said you’d never bring it up ever again!”

 

“Sorry.” Andy is laughing now. “But you have to admit, that was pretty funny.”

 

“Says you. Wait til I get Minwoo hyung to do you the same favor.”

 

“Sorry, Jin-ah,” The sound of his name on Andy’s tongue feels like the first warm day of spring, and Junjin is so startled he nearly slams on the brakes.  When Andy pats his knee for reassurance and keeps it there, he wonders if it’s possible that he trade in his newfound powers for a chance to freeze this moment. Or the powers to freeze moments. Or something like it.

 

 

 

7. For the next few days, he arranges to pick up Andy so they can drive to rehearsals together and then when it’s over, drop him off at home after.

 

“But you can teleport?!” Andy looks vaguely confused on the third day. “Why do you even bother to sit through traffic?”

 

“So?” Junjin hands him an extra iced Americano. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

 

Andy smirks as he buckles his seatbelt, one hand already clutching his drink in a death grip. “Having a superpower has made you philosophical, huh?”

 

“I just try to be a good person.”

 

“That’s a ing lie,” Andy says, but leans back in the passenger seat anyway, combing back his hair with his hands as he adjusts his sunglasses. “If you really wanted to be useful we could just teleport into the studio together.”

 

“And miss the 30 wonderful, peaceful minutes I can spend alone with you rather than with those crackheads we call hyungs?” Junjin means it as a joke, only he really doesn’t. Andy snorts.

 

“You’re right. This is much better.”

 

“You can pick the radio station this time.”

 

“Can we get drive-thru too?”

 

“Don’t push it.”

 

“ you,” Andy says, but he’s already smiling.

 

 

 

8. Slowly but surely they get the hang of their powers.

 

Eric can’t produce force fields unless danger is imminent, which makes him the best candidate to place beside Hyesung, whose dance position they’ve shuffled around so he’s given a relatively wide berth. Dongwan has to focus and think of certain things, like a mountain spring or a crowded sidewalk, before he can render himself invisible. Hyesung’s power follows his temper, and Minwoo has to state the name of whoever he’s commanding before they can actually follow, which saves them the effort of changing the lyrics to his parts at the last minute. Junjin…

 

“Jin-ah.” Eric shuffles to him in the middle of dance practice, standing so that they’re nearly only two inches apart. “Hey, I left my wallet at my apartment, on my coffee table. Please don’t tell Hyesung but do you think you could…?”

 

Junjin looks at him, blinks. They’re just about to run through the changed version of This Love, and he’s sweating like a motherer. “Hyung…”

 

“Please?” Eric presses his hands together. “I won’t ever ask again.”

 

Junjin knows he will so he rolls his eyes, but he obeys anyway. He excuses himself to go to the bathroom and locks the door. He thinks of the inside of Eric’s apartment and makes the first step. Then…nothing.

 

Huh. He thinks, but then is also mildly relieved. “It didn’t work,” he tells Eric when he returns and proceeds to continue with dance practice. He doesn’t think much of it until later, when Andy grabs his hand during break and whispers conspiratorially, “let’s go back to my house; I have ice cream and I don’t want to share” and it doesn’t even take half a second, and they’re right smack in the middle of Andy’s kitchen.

 

“Whoa!” Andy whoops. “YES, that’s what I’m talking about!”

 

Junjin brushes himself off. “You shouldn’t overthink having these powers.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“I like you.” Junjin flushes, then backtracks. “Normal, that is. You’re fine the way you are.”

 

He doesn’t see Andy’s reaction, but does see as he pulls out two tubs of Ben & Jerry’s from the freezer. Andy doesn’t seem to have heard. He tosses one of the tubs to Junjin. “If we brought this back the hyungs will have a field day, so let’s keep this a secret.”

 

Junjin pries the lid of Totally Baked off as Andy digs around a drawer for spoons, half-relieved he hadn’t been heard. “If we gain any weight and have heart attacks in the middle of this concert, I’m tattling on you.”

 

Andy hums: “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die~”

 

“What?” Junjin crinkles his nose, and hopes his expression is enough to hide the sudden rapid beating of his heart.

 

“It’s a song. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths.”

 

He exhales. “American.”

 

Andy smirks. “.”

 

They laugh and Junjin notices for the first time the soft creases around Andy’s eyes, the way he tucks his feet under him as he sits on the couch, and heart shape of his lips. Without quite thinking, he reaches over to touch them, but stops as he realizes he’s already encroached too much on Andy’s personal space.

 

“Um.” He says, staring into Andy’s eyes. They’re wide and coffee-colored and turns Junjin soft. He places a finger on his own lips. “You have…ice cream…on your face.”

 

Andy gives a low scoff, but doesn’t push him away. A small smile dances on his face. “Your superpower should be lying since you’re terrible at it.”

 

His breath carries the faint scent of Cherry Garcia and makes Junjin lightheaded.

 

“Jin-ah.”

 

“What?”

 

Andy looks at him, teeth worrying at his lower lip. “I like you too, you know.”

 

Junjin’s heart is starting to feel like it’s about to give way. “What?”

 

Then Andy grabs the front of his shirt, and tugs him closer, sealing their gap with a soft kiss.

 

 

 

9. Huh, Junjin thinks. He takes a step back and they tumble onto the tangled sheets of his bed, although his mind has stayed blissfully blank.

 

“I can show you what my superpower is in a sec.” Andy smirks, and pulls his shirt over his head.

 

Time stops and all Junjin can think of is yes yes yes.

 

 

 

10. The concert comes and goes without any major mishap, and nobody is none the wiser. At the post-concert meeting between the six of them, Andy strolls in, looking cheerful.

 

“Good morning, hyungs,” he greets. “Jin-ah.”

 

“You’re looking lively today,” Dongwan squints at him. He’s flickering in and out like a TV with bad reception because he keeps thinking of his upcoming trip to Everest.

 

Andy gives them the sweetest smile. “I got my powers today.”

 

The hyungs clap. “Manse!” Eric says, raising his arms.

 

“What is it?” Hyesung asks.

 

“Andy, demonstrate your power now.” Minwoo says in his Kilgrave voice.

 

“With pleasure,” Andy says and proceeds to lift the couch all four of the hyungs are sitting on with one hand before flipping it up and dropping them unceremoniously on the floor. Minwoo bounces off of Eric’s impromptu force field and Dongwan yelps as Hyesung caused part of the carpeting to catch fire.

 

“Whoops,” Andy says with a smirk.

 

Junjin teleports back to bed.

 

END

Author's Notes
Love it? Hate it? LOL I'M SORRY