CHEERLEADER, woosan

fourteen

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as wooyoung and san stroll into the ice cream parlour, the younger's arm hooked around the blond's waist, the bell of the shop chimes, making their entrance known. the inside of the shop is painted with mint greens and pastel pinks, with floral paintings hung up on the walls, causing san's eyes to widen in astonishment at how pretty the interior is.

wooyoung chuckles softly from besides him. "you like it here, darling?"

"a lot, yeah," san answers, then realising how packed the place is — it makes sense due to how high quality the shop seems to be, yet it only raises the boy's anxiety.

"i'm going to order now, sannie. you go find us a table to sit, okay?" before wooyoung is even finished with his sentence, san leans forward to grab onto one of his hands, a spark of panic flashing through his eyes. "unless... you don't want to?" wooyoung continues gently, despite being confused.

"youngie, can i, um, come with you to order? i-i don't really want to be alone..." san murmurs, chewing on his bottom lip.

"yeah, of course, i understand. whatever you'd like, yeah?" wooyoung strokes a strand of hair behind san's ear, before making sure, "mint chocolate, right, darling?"

san's lips manage to find a smile. "you know me well."

the pair then move to the end of the queue, and luckily for them there are only three other people in line, meaning they don't have to wait long. after the young man in front of them has collected his dessert, wooyoung, keeping san close to him, steps towards the counter, sending the cashier a polite smile.

"welcome, you two!" she greets, her uniform cutely matching the colour theme of the rest of the parlour. "my name is miyeon, what would you like to order today?"

"good afternoon, miyeon! we'd like to order two medium ice cream cups, one mint chocolate chip and one cherry jubilee please!" wooyoung replies, as the girl writes down their order onto a notepad.

miyeon then picks her head up, with a warm grin. "if that is all, you guys can find a table. your food will be ready shortly!"

"yes, that's all! thank you," wooyoung says, before walking to a free table at the very corner of the shop, san following his steps. he takes a seat, the blond sitting opposite him, and as wooyoung holds onto san's hand, he proceeds to rub small circles onto the back of it. "how are you feeling, darling?"

"mm, good." san's eyes wander around the parlour. "this place is beautiful. thank you for bringing me here, youngie."

"you're welcome, i'm really glad you like it. my parents brought me here a lot as a child, so being here, after what feels like, forever brings back loads of nice memories from back then..." wooyoung explains, smile never faltering.

"can you... tell me more about your childhood?" san asks out of curiosity. up until chanhee's parents adopted him, he's never really had a proper childhood — one that he can boast, or tell stories about like everyone around him does. and the memories san does have of his blood parents aren't exactly the nicest, being the reason he keeps them locked up at the very back of his mind for no one to ever hear of.

therefore, when wooyoung recalls certain events of his childhood from the top of his head — like the time where a cousin and him ran around an amusement park half-naked at the age of five, or that one time where he stole a super expensive video game and claimed it was an accident — san can't help but feel a sense happiness flutter around in his chest.

maybe he's meant to feel envious instead, but he doesn't, and in reality, it warms his heart that at least one of them could experience a childhood where they were loved and cared for.

"...how the fuck did you get into a police chase when you were seven?!" san shrieks, hand clasping his mouth as he attempts to lower the volume of his laughter.

"it wasn't my fault!" wooyoung tries to convince the latter, but all he does is shake his head in disbelief.

"um..." a waiter, aiming to gain the attention of his customers who're too caught up in their conversation, clears his throat. at this, wooyoung and san both lift their heads up to face him, expressions apologetic. "here — the ice creams you ordered. i hope you enjoy!"

"ah, we're sorry. thank you, though!" wooyoung returns, but he doubts the waiter even heard him, for he immediately walked off after a curt nod of his head.

"rude," san mumbles sourly.

wooyoung shrugs his shoulders. "it's fine, we kind of deserved it anyways."

san chuckles, unable to deny that fact, before digging into his dessert. whilst humming happily at the delightful taste he oh so loved, he could practically feel wooyoung's eyes burning into skin, without even having to look up at him. and at first, san doesn't think much about it, yet he soon grows confused.

"what is it, youngie?" san speaks up, subconsciously tilting his head to the side. "do i have something on my face or...?"

wooyoung shakes his head. "no, nothing like that, darling! you're good, don't worry." he assures, beaming. "it's just... i don't think happiness has ever looked as beautiful as it does on you."

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a/n: i have school in like four minutes so i can't proofread or else i'll be late, if you see any mistakes pls point them out thx. and to all you guys who've also started school recently, i hope your first few days have been good! <3