Trust

Oops, I Did It Again-

Gruffly, Jongho dodges San's hand. "Try that one more time and I'll flick your forehead. Also, I definitely won't make the same mistake you did, hyung."

"Mistake?", Mingi howls incredulously. "Dancing is not a mistake!"

"Oh my god." Within seconds, Jongho has leaned past Yunho and flicked Mingi's forehead, "and you need to calm down." Then he goes back to his pancakes, now cutting them into quarters.

Holding his forehead, Mingi whines loudly. San chuckles. "Stop acting, Minki."

Jongho huffs and shakes his hand out. "I should've flicked you, San, now that I think of it. For leaving us in the middle of this party."

San eyes Jongho's right hand cautiously. Jongho's flicks hurt, he knows that from experience, even though the last time he got one was before the semester holidays, more than three months ago. Jongho shifts in his seat- "Okay, okay", San hastily agrees, "I did, and I'm sorry. I, um, just wanted to... uh, take a look at the stars."

Mingi sighs, an exasperated look on his face. "Don't pretend, San. You were flirting so obviously while dancing it was kind of embarrassing to watch. Have you seen the guy again after the party? It looked kind of serious between the two of you."

San flinches a bit. "I didn't see him around after that. Why should I? So, okay... maybe I did flirt with him at the party... and maybe he came outside with me too. But, the stars... they were really beautiful that night. You know I like looking at the stars, especially when there's a cloudless night where-"

"San", Yunho interrupts him with the mixture of a groan and a giggle, "stop. Stop acting so innocent. You aren't."

Again, San flinches. He looks around to check if anybody is walking nearby their table - but no one is there. So he turns to meet Yunho's gaze openly. "I am. You know I am."

Yunho rolls his eyes. "I know that. But that's not what I meant. You go around flirting with everything that moves!"

San opens his mouth. "That's not true", he replies after several seconds. "You're exaggerating."

"Am I?" Yunho turns to Mingi and Jongho.

Both shake their head.

San sighs. "Only at parties", he finally gives in.

"Remember that time we went ice-skating?"

"I- That wasn't-"

"Or that time we were invited by our former neighbors to a Goodbye-buffet?"

"That was kinda like a party though-"

"Or that time", Jongho laughs, "when we just wanted to learn in the scientific library of this other university, but when San needed that one book and started walking back and forth just so-"

"I don't do it on purpose!"

San's outburst is met with silence. His three friends stare at him. "Sure you don't", Mingi finally says. "Wish I could pick up a girl like that, by not flirting on purpose."

Crossing his arms and shaking his head irritably, San leans back in his chair. They don't believe him – great, just great.

Okay, maybe it's been intentional a few times. Maybe he did style up for this Goodbye-buffet because he knew that this girl with the wavy red hair and the fascinating blue eyes would be there. Maybe he did walk past the desk of the young and good-looking librarian in training a couple times too often. Maybe he did fall on his butt on the ice next to this cute girl in the ice-skating hall on purpose.

Okay, so maybe he has been initiating flirts. But he didn't even put in that much effort – so could it really be called purposeful?

"Just hope that your new flatmate won't be a victim of your non-intentional flirting skills too", Jongho comments, chewing on a bite of his pancake. San hasn't even lined up for ordering any food so far, and while Jongho closes his eyes, enjoying the taste of his bean pancake, San's stomach grumbles.

"He won't. He wouldn't fall for it." San knows at least that for sure. "I like Wooyoung, he's nice, but he's also... kind of a fuckboy?" San thinks back to Yeosang's and Wooyoung's talk he overheard just a few days ago. About Wooyoung who, according to Yeosang, looked like shit, because he's just left someone else's bed. "Well, whatever he is, he's seeing someone at the moment."

"Ah, okay." Yunho shrugs. "Sounds safe enough – oh wait, is that him in the jeans jacket?"

Yep, that's Wooyoung who's just lined up behind the other students waiting for food. "Yeah, that's him", San answers, suddenly feeling apprehensive. "Why?"

"I want to get to know him for myself", Mingi says.

For a moment, San seriously doesn't know if he wants his friends to talk to Wooyoung. Then he tells himself, they're your friends. They won't embarrass you too badly, right?

And actually... the idea isn't too bad... They've had worse ones.

"You can come over to our flat soon if you like", San offers deliberately.

Disbelieving looks are the only response he gets.

Jongho is the first one to voice his thoughts: "You're being serious?"

"I guess so?" San shrugs. He kind of likes the prospect of his friends and Wooyoung sitting together at their kitchen table, now that he's seriously considering them getting to know each other, talking about whatever, laughing together... "I'm not saying that I trust you guys to behave completely un-embarrassing... but I guess you won't overdo it."

"You're right about that", Yunho chimes in.

San rolls his eyes. "Perfect. Thursday evening?"

"Yup. Tell Wooyoung we say Hi", Mingi tells him, and San snorts.

"I will." I won't. "But you'll meet him soon enough anyway. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get myself some food, I'm starving."

There are another few people already lined up behind Wooyoung, but San just stops directly next to him, making Wooyoung turn around, startled. "Oh, hey San."

"Hi." San throws him a grin. "I hope you don't mind me joining you? There are like, fifteen people behind you already again."

"No, come here." Wooyoung cracks a smile, taking a step sideways to make space for San too.

"Thanks." San squeezes in between the people in front of and behind them. Tugging on Wooyoung's arm, he makes sure that they don't get separated through their fellow students. Also, he needs to get Wooyoung's attention once again. "So... my friends are coming over on Thursday. D'you wanna hang out with us?"

"Thursday? I..." Wooyoung bites down on his lower lip, thinking. "Yeah, why not", he agrees after a few seconds, putting on a light-hearted tone. "I was going to meet up with this one, um... classmate... but I'll just tell him another day."

"Okay." San can't help the smile from spreading over his face – before he remembers something. "But", he puts his hand on Wooyoung's arm for emphasis, "please don't believe everything they tell you. They've got quite the amount of stories..."

"Such as?"

"I'm just a bit worried that they're gonna discredit me or repeat some stupid discussions we've had, like-" ... like how I'm allegedly flirting with everything that moves. San goes silent when he takes in the fact that his hand is still lying on Wooyoung's arm. That his thumb has started to draw little circles on the jeans fabric of Wooyoung's jacket. And how close he is leaning in to Wooyoung.

Oops.

"Nevermind." He quickly lets go of Wooyoung's arm. "Just don't believe everything they tell you."

Wooyoung laughs, the uncertainty on his face gone in a flash. "I never believe everything that people tell me."