Changbin wasn't necessarily angry. No, if anything, he was frustrated. Nobody had ever seen him be weak. He'd never allowed anyone to see it. He left the hideout so that nobody would see it, only to be caught on his hands and knees by his new partner. That made his head spin, because now, the taller boy obviously thought that he was weak. Didn't he? Changbin didn't think it was even a question that that needed to be asked. He knew that Felix thought of him as someone that was useless, pathetic, and weak; and he was so incredibly frustrated, because he couldn't deny that he was weak. He felt it, in every sense of the word, so how could he blame Felix for thinking the same? Changbin hadn't felt true emotions in a long while, so the rush of them that were flooding every vein in his body made him feel afraid. He'd always believed that it was much better to shut himself down, because you can't hurt the feelings that you don't have. Feeling everything at once the way that he was reminded him of all those years he spent feeling nothing but loneliness, despair, and constant sadness. He felt like he was back there yet again, and the feelings weren't something he was happy to experience.

His fingers unconsciously traced the fading scars that lined his arms. Due to those fading white lines, he constantly felt like a monster. It was hard for the raven haired boy to even look at his own reflection in the mirror. Those horrid marks were everywhere, not just his arms, and Changbin would never be able to escape them. They were a constant reminder of the past. The same past that ate away at Changbin's soul like a famished mouse, gnawing on whatever shreds of happiness he had left within him; if there was any at all. On the off chance that there was, he didn't figure that they'd be there for much longer. It wasn't as if he needed them anyway, though. Tugging down the sleeves of his shirt again, he pulled the blanket over his entire body, curling into a ball as he closed his eyes and attempted to fall asleep before he fell apart.

Out in the living room with the other members, Felix was laughing along with them. But, somehow, he didn't feel quite right about what had happened before. It scared him in a way. He'd never seen someone look so...Hopeless. He was well aware of the fact that Changbin clearly didn't want his help, but still, Felix couldn't help but to wonder about the shorter boy. He wondered why his eyes looked so completely and utterly lifeless, or why his hands were shaking wildly; even when he was yelling.

"So," Chan said, turning his gaze towards Felix, "when do you start your training?"

Felix tried to remember what Red had told him about that. She'd given him a long speech about a bunch of things, but not very many of them actually stuck. He was a little too focused on coming to terms with his powers, which was obviously no easy task. Even as he sat there, surrounded by others that were just like him, he found himself wondering when he was going to wake up in his own bed, the smell of freshly cooked bacon filling the house as his mother cooked a large weekend breakfast for the family downstairs.

"I think later today," Felix replied.

The Australian couldn't quite understand what the training was for. So, he decided to ask Seungmin. After all, the redhead would obviously have the answers he was looking for.

"So, what's the training for anyway?" He inquired.

"Just like an athlete has to constantly train in order to keep their skills and health at all time highs; we have to train in order to perfect our skills and better understand them," the redhead replied quickly.

"Do you all train too?"

The seven all boys all nodded their heads. Felix had just kind of wrongly assumed that he was the only one that had to do any sort of training because he was the newest member and he didn't have a clue how to really use his power.

"We'll always have to train. If we don't, things could go terribly wrong," Woojin commented.

Instantly picking up on the fact that Woojin's comment had confused Felix, Seungmin stepped in to clarify things.

"And, what he means by that, is that if we don't train, there's a chance our powers could take over our entire beings. We train to keep ourselves in control."

Red's words rang out in Felix's ears.

"You either have to learn to control your power, or you let it control you."

Nervousness pricked at the back of Felix's mind. Those words made him so, so afraid. What if he couldn't learn to control his powers properly? What if something bad happened because of him? What if he hurt someone because he wasn't able to control himself? Thoughts like that made him feel massively uneasy, and as he chewed on the left side of his lip in anxiousness, he found himself slumping his shoulders even lower than before.

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"I don't have all day to deal with this," Changbin hissed, grabbing Felix's hands.

"You have to trust yourself or you'll never learn," the older boy chastised the younger for, once again, failing to conjure up anything more than a pitiful spark.

"I'm sorry," Felix mumbled, hanging his head slightly.

The taller couldn't understand why Changbin was being so hard on him. After all, it was Felix's first time. However, the raven haired boy's patience was worn past thin, and by Felix's third failed attempt, he'd had enough. The shorter couldn't even understand why Red insisted on making him the one to train Felix anyway. Wasn't that her job?

"Cut him some slack, Changbin," Chan called from across the yard.

"Yeah, it's his first time! And he seems to be trying his best," Hyunjin noted.

Changbin ignored them.

"Close your eyes," the shorter boy said to Felix as he dropped his hands from his grip.

Though he wanted to ask why, Felix didn't bother to question it. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, and he began to think about how his power could one day completely control him if he didn't get his shit together very soon. Changbin went to stand behind the taller boy, roughly reaching around his body to grasp his wrists again.

"Take a breath," the older boy instructed.

Felix did as he was told, promptly sucking in air, filling his lungs with oxygen. Changbin's touch was rough, but in a way, the warmth that the raven haired boy gave off made Felix feel like he was in tune with both the real world and the world of his powers.

"Give it a try."

At his cue, Felix curved his hands around one another, creating a circular motion. Sparks ignited, taking form as the Australian focused all his energy into impressing the older boy with his powers.

"Keep going," Changbin whispered.

A flicker of light as a flame danced in Felix's pale, trembling fingers for the briefest of moments. The nascent fire played amid the palms of his hands like a child with a new toy, its flames leaping in excitement. The ball of fire that Felix had conjured up was small, and Changbin couldn't help but to question its power. He kept his fingers locked around the brunette's wrist, feeling the warmth of the flames as they swirled within Felix's hands. It was small, tiny even, but neither of the boys had any idea just how much capability that the small fireball held.

"Aim for the target across the yard," Changbin whispered in the younger's ear.

Felix was startled by the action, and a shiver went down his spine as he felt Changbin's breath caress the skin of his neck. He was close, his body pressing against the Australian's back. The sudden spread of goosebumps and the abrupt racing of his heart caused him to lose all his focus. And that lack of focus caused the fire to be completely put out. With an annoyed sigh, Changbin pulled away from Felix, frustrated thoughts swirling in his head. The raven haired boy was trying, he really was, but he just wasn't good with people; not at all. He didn't know how to help Felix control his power, and he was annoyed with Red for making him the one to train Felix. Changbin couldn't understand why she'd made him out of all the other members the one to train the newbie.

"That was better than the other three times," Changbin noted.

That was his version of a compliment, but the words were blunt and so was his tone of voice. Therefore, Felix couldn't really tell that the older boy was trying to be nice. In fact, the younger boy felt as if Changbin was making fun of him, -mocking him in a way.

"Good job, Felix!" Jeongin called to the brunette.

"Yeah, you're getting there!" Woojin smiled, giving the younger boy two thumbs up.

"Thanks," Felix called back weakly, though he was pretty certain that they were just trying to be kind to him.

"Let's do it again," Changbin said sternly, once again coming to stand behind the taller boy.

Without having to be told, Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With Changbin's fingers wrapped securely around his wrists, Felix made the circular motion with his hands, letting his powers flow through his fingertips. It was nothing but minuscule sparks for a few seconds, and while Changbin's hope dwindled, Felix's confidence grew. He knew that he had to impress Changbin if he wanted the older boy to like him. Currently, Felix felt like a burden to the Changbin. He felt as if the shorter boy really didn't care for him, and he wanted to change that. After all, they were partners, so Felix simply wanted to get along with the person he'd be sharing a room and a life with. With that in mind, Felix made a quick motion with his fingertips, causing the sparks to merge together within the palms of his hands to create a fireball that was slightly larger than the other one had been. Changbin was surprised by the suddenness, but his grip stayed firm as he watched the younger boy pour more and more energy into the palms of his hands.

"Aim for the target," Changbin said lightly.

With a quick breath in, Felix peeled his eyes open. He looked down at his hands, feeling pleased with himself. It wasn't anything that was incredibly miraculous, but it was definitely a start. Changbin's hands released their grip, and Felix pushed his arms outward, taking aim towards the metal target. He pulled his arms inward towards his chest, turning to the side slightly. Changbin watched with great intensity, realizing that Felix was trying his hardest. He wasn't content with that, just because his own best had never been good enough for anyone around him. He wanted Felix to go above and beyond, and he wouldn't be satisfied until he'd done it. The brunette quickly pushed his hands forward, sending the ball of fire shooting from his hands toward the metal target. The others, who were training on the other side of the yard, looked on, watching Felix's powers unfold before them. The burning sphere hurdled towards the metal target, quickly smashing into it. Felix watched as it split in two, one part spreading upward and vanishing into the air. However, the other half was sent downwards, crashing into and setting fire to the grass. He almost started to go into panic mode, but Changbin snapped his fingers beside his ear.

"Put it out," the older boy said calmly, not even a hint of worry evident in his tone.

Oh yeah, Felix remembered, I can do that.

He reached out again, bringing his hand upwards like he had in the early hours of the morning when he'd stopped the fire from reaching his house. Quickly, he flipped his wrist and pushed downward, snuffing out all the flames that were dancing along the blades of grass. Jeongin and Hyunjin both raced over towards the target to get a look at the charred grass. Jeongin, young, and amazingly impressed by the simplest of things, was incredibly impressed by Felix's show of power.

"Wow! That was the coolest thing ever!" He declared, leaving Hyunjin behind as he ran over to where Felix was standing.

He grabbed the older boy's hands, pulling them upward as he looked at them in shock. He moved his head downward, pulling Felix's hands upward as he examined them from below. The older boy couldn't help but to laugh at the younger's actions. Jeongin was the youngest of all the members, and he was just incredibly easy to get along with. Changbin, however, wasn't a fan of the boy at all. It wasn't because he thought he was too loud, or too happy all the time, or even because he thought he was too nice. While all of those things were true, it wasn't the reason Changbin wasn't necessarily the most taken with Jeongin. Truth be told, Changbin was envious of him. Not only was Jeongin from a very lovely family, he was also kind and considerate, as well as funny, charming, and likable. As everyone else, other than Changbin, was, Felix was incredibly entertained by the youngest member, and he loved his attitude. He just thought it was nice to be around someone so happy and content with the world around him.

"It was a step in the right direction," Changbin mumbled, taking some of the joy out of the situation.

Not that he inherently meant to. It was just something that happened because of his presence. He wasn't oblivious to the fact that he was a buzzkill, and after the way Jeongin had talked about him that morning, he was even more aware of it. Changbin was just the type of person who's personality didn't mesh well with others, and even after five years of being a member of Supernova and working with others, he still wasn't anywhere near good at it. However, Jeongin didn't let Changbin's comment get to him. The young boy had learned to let whatever Changbin said just roll off his back. There was no point in starting any arguments with him, and Jeongin didn't want to do that, either. In fact, Jeongin wanted to be friends with Changbin; if the older boy would allow it.

"You're a fast learner," Jisung commented.

"Yeah," Minho chimed in.

"It took me a long time to wrap my mind around my power. I was running myself in circles for weeks before I finally got the hang of it!"

"And he's not even kidding," Hyunjin noted.

"He really did run around the yard in circles. It was like watching a dog try and catch it's tail."

Everyone but Changbin bursted into laughter. He knew that it was supposed to be funny to him, but he'd simply forgotten how to laugh. He'd forgotten how to smile. He'd forgotten how to feel joy or be happy...So, even if he wanted to laugh along with the others, which he truly did deep down, he couldn't. He didn't know how.

"Let's get back to work," Changbin said to Felix, turning his back on the rest of the group.

The chatter died down and all the laughing stopped, and Changbin cringed at the silence that he knew he was responsible for creating.

"Actually, let's go inside and eat an early lunch. None of us had breakfast, and I'm starving," Woojin suggested.

"Yeah, me too," Chan admitted.

"Me three!" Jeongin added, bouncing on his feet slightly.

The seven of them began to walk towards the hideout. Felix was unsure of what to do. He was hungry, but he didn't want to make Changbin upset.

"You guys coming?" Hyunjin asked.

Felix mumbled an "um" to show his uncertainty, turning to look at Changbin. The older boy's hands were shoved into his pockets. He shrugged his shoulders.

"You can go if you're hungry. You'll be no good on an empty stomach anyway," the shorter boy stated bluntly.

Felix pursed his lips into a tight line for a moment or two.

"Aren't you gonna come? You must be hungry," he commented.

In response, the older boy shook his head.

"Not really. Just come back out whenever you're finished so we can keep working on your training," Changbin said blankly.

Though he was hesitant, he was also hungry, and he'd been through a lot that day.

"I'll eat quickly," Felix assured, turning on his heels to join the rest of the boys.

Changbin's eyes lingered on Felix, and it wasn't until the door closed and he was out of view that the raven haired boy turned his back to the hideout and raised two fingers, causing dead leaves to rise off the ground at his will. In a way, Changbin felt a bit distracted. He was good at honing in on his own skills and cutting himself off from the world. But, for some reason, worried eyes and soft skin were flashing through his mind, and for the life of him, he couldn't understand why.

Inside the kitchen, all eight of the boys were making their respective lunches. With two pieces of bread on his plate, Minho held up two containers of white condiments.

"Seungmin, what's the difference between mayonnaise and miracle whip?" He inquired, turning to look at the redhead.

"Mayonnaise, like miracle whip, is tangy. However, mayonnaise has no sweetness and no spice, whereas miracle whip has both. They both contain water, soy bean oil, salt, vinegar, and eggs. However, mayonnaise uses sugar, lemon juice concentrate, and calcium disodium edta, whereas miracle whip uses high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, paprika, mustard flour, and potassium sorbate," the redhead explained.

"So...One of them is sweet and spicy and has more ingredients?" Jisung stated, dumbing the redhead's words down for the rest of the group.

"In layman's terms, yes," Seungmin sighed, sinking his teeth into the leftover slice of pizza that he'd heated up in the microwave.

Glancing out the window, Felix noted that Changbin was training his telekinetic powers. He watched as the raven haired boy caused a small tornado of leaves just a few feet from himself.

"Does he ever eat with you guys?" Felix asked, pulling his eyes away from the window.

"Nope, never," Jeongin answered.

"I wish he would though. Maybe we'd get to know him a little better if he'd sit down at the table during dinner instead of taking his food to his room."

And as Felix bit into his sandwich, he couldn't help but to wonder why Changbin was so closed off. The other members seemed so kind, and they accepted Felix with open arms right away. The brunette was sure that they'd do the same for Changbin, so he just couldn't understand why the raven haired boy felt it necessary to constantly distance himself further and further away.

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