'Okay guys, good job. We'll leave class there. Don't forget to keep working on your last literature reviews, and keep working on your recitals. You're on the home stretch now~.'
'Thank you, Sonsaengnim,' came the eager voices of an audience of art majors, all already almost out the door, eager to get home. Having just had a two hour dance class, everyone descended the stairs and began filing out of the studio auditorium.
But in no rush to run home and work more on his essay, San took his time putting away his notes and retrieving his water bottle.
'Don't forget we have class again tomorrow!' called the teacher after his students, before he began to gather his own belongings. 'See you tomorrow, San,' he said, as he began to walk out past him towards the door.
San nodded, not having realised that he was the last student left. 'Thank you for class, Kyusunnim,' he replied kindly, bowing a little despite sitting down on the stage.
Left alone in the practice hall, he sighed. 'I don't wanna go home and study,' he complained to the space around him, closing his eyes and sighing.
'Then how about you come home with me, and do something else?'
San's eyes snapped open, turning around and swinging his legs off the edge of the stage to see who had spoken.
And there, standing against the wall in the audience, was Wooyoung, smiling up at him sweetly.
In jeans, his signature baby blue sweater and a coat that San was starting to suspect he had stolen from his brother, Wooyoung looked beautiful, and as he wandered up to stand before him, standing between his thighs, he lifted his arms up and rested them over his shoulders, smiling up at him. 'I watched you dance,' he said softly, eyes sparkling.
San felt surprise wash over him as he wrapped his arms around his waist. 'Really?'
'Ay, of course! I waved a few times, but you were so focussed you didn't even notice. In fact no one noticed to be honest.' He pouted like it had hurt his feelings.
And San felt awful. 'Aww kitten I'm sorry! I promise I would have waved a million times if I'd seen you.'
Wooyoung giggled, rolling his eyes. 'Once would have sufficed. Evidently zero sufficed as well,' he said, smirking.
Smiling down at him, San leant forward, wanting badly to press his lips against his...
But just in that moment, the door to the hall suddenly swung open, and as it spooked the both of them, San suddenly felt his chest tighten with anxiety as Kai walked in...
San felt his eyes widen as he'd been caught red handed, freezing, and Kai's eyes widened equally in shock.
And between the two, Wooyoung glanced between them. Apparently catching on, he slowly backed out of his arms, causing San's heart to ache.
'Uh, I just left my phone...' Kai said slowly, narrowing his eyes and glancing between the two.
Rubbing his neck awkwardly, San glanced down at Wooyoung who was biting his lip, looking guilty as though he'd done something wrong.
But he hadn't, and the intense urge to make him smile again was so great, that San couldn't take it any more. 'Woo babe, come here,' he whispered, reaching out a hand as his heart began to hammer in his chest from nerves.
Very slowly and very cautiously, Wooyoung eased back towards him, standing to his side this time, far less personally than before...
But taking a deep breath, San put his arm around his waist and pulled him against him, causing Wooyoung's eyes to widen into almost perfect circles. San gave him a small, comforting nod, before he bit the bullet, and looked up to face his friend.
'Hyung, I uh... Well, this is Wooyoung... My, um...'
Kai walked up, still looking between them. However after frowning a little, his eyes fell upon Wooyoung, seeming to scrutinise him for a second.
'I'll remember that face on my deathbed,' he finally said, poking his tongue into the inside of his cheek and wiping his lip with his thumb. 'Wooyoung,' he said as though he was trying the name upon his tongue. 'Figures.'
And Wooyoung's face washed over with a soft brushing of confusion. 'I- Okay? Do you know me?'
San cringed. 'You uh... You might have given him a lap dance when you were working at the club...' He bit back his jealousy at the memory of his perfect body, grinding on someone else...
Wooyoung bit into his lip, looking Kai up and down. 'You're welcome?'
Kai's lips pulled into an amused smirk as he shoved a hand in his pocket, running the other through his hair. 'Why, you're quite confident, aren't you?'
Wooyoung's eyes brushed over him, seemingly unfazed. 'I have been known to be, yes.' Glancing up at San, his eyes seemed to scream, what is going on?
Staring straight into Wooyoung's eyes, San forced the words from his lips. 'Kai... Wooyoung and I are... well... we're...'
Wooyoung broke the eye contact, letting his catlike smokey eyes fall upon his friend. 'Friends.'
'Who fuck, evidently,' Kai suddenly said, making San splutter.
Choking and coughing, he patted his own chest, reaching behind him to his bag and pulling out his water bottle to take a sip.
However as he glanced down, Wooyoung seemed unfazed. 'Man's got needs,' he short back smoothly, his voice full of a certain kind of seductive flair that San got the feeling was supposed to be intimidating . 'I'm sure you secretly would love to know all about what I could do for you.'
San choked. 'Okay, Woo, that's quite enough of that. You enjoy it too much.' He took a breath, melting a little as those catlike eyes glanced up at him like an adorable yet sassy kitten that had been told it was not allowed to play with its toy.
'Kai, he's my boyfriend.' Slipping down off of the stage, he wrapped his arm around Wooyoung's slim waist, pulling his body against him.
And feeling somewhat defeated, he looked up to his friend to deal with whatever the consequences might have been.
However evidently, there were none. Kai just shoved his other hand in his pocket as well and shrugged. 'I always thought you'd be into the sassy ones.'
San's eyes widened. 'What?' he choked, as he heard Wooyoung giggle a little beside him. He stifled it quickly, replacing it with an almost too serious expression.
Kai smirked. 'Just a vibe a guess. Nothing wrong with cheeky guys.'
San choked, and Wooyoung laughed, less inconspicuously this time.
'You knew?'
Kai shook his head. 'No. But I had a pretty blood strong suspicion when I saw you gawking at him in my fucking lap.' He shifted his glance to Wooyoung cautiously like he was somehow still suffering the effects of his attention.
And the blonde winked, bowing him a kiss that made San's eyes widen.
'Ya!' he scolded, and Wooyoung somehow seemed to shrink a little, retreating back apologetically, despite clearly having enjoyed making Kai uncomfortable.
At least, until suddenly, the penny dropped, and Wooyoung smacked San hard in the chest, making him cough and stagger back a little into the stage. 'Ya! You saw me working?!'
San cringed, gritting his teeth together a little. 'Uhh, yeahhh... about that...'
'Ya that was my workplace!'
'Well I didn't mean to see you! I just kinda by accident happened to kinda just accidentally... see you...'
Wooyoung rolled his magnificently beautiful eyes, before narrowing them at him. 'How is it you have watched me work promiscuously - I've even apparently been in his lap, and yet you won't let me do anything to you?! Do I have to drag you into that club for you to let me do anything else other than hold your hand?'
San's cheeks burned, hyper aware of Kai standing beside them. Laughing however, the elder just rolled his eyes at them, jumping up onto the stage. 'You two have your couple's spat while I find my phone,' he said, chuckling to himself as he walked away.
And as San glanced at Wooyoung, he saw just how much his smokey eyes were filled with enjoyment and playfulness. 'Woo babe, remind me to never underestimate your devilish degree of feline. You are beautifully cheeky.'
Wooyoung rolled his eyes and those dark lashes, before stepping close into his side, a tad more serious now. He ran his hand gently over his chest, his eyes full of apologetic glow as he put his lips to his ear. 'I thought you were out... I shouldn't have come over and hugged you and-... I'm sorry...'
San shook his head, giving him a smile and a comforting squeeze. 'I am out. I just could never bring myself to tell the guys...'
Just then, Kai emerged, jumping back down off of the stage and shoving his phone into his back pocket. 'Yeah why didn't you ever say anything?' he asked curiously, leaning against the stage as both he and Wooyoung both looked at San.
He cringed. 'I don't know... I guess there was just never a time, and then it got past the point where it was casual to say something, and before I knew it, it suddenly felt like it had become a secret...'
Wooyoung nudged him gently, and as he glanced down, he saw the soft, sad expression on his face. And it melted him.
'Bro you could have easily said something. The first six months we studied together, everyone thought you and your roommate were seeing each other anyways.'
San's eyes widened, as did Wooyoung's who suddenly laughed. 'Min?!' His lips pulled into a grandly amused smile. 'You and Min?'
Kai chuckled, as San internally died. 'I didn't know that...' he murmured, cringing. 'What the hell gave off that idea?'
'Oooh, no you don't,' Wooyoung suddenly said, turning and holding him at an arm's length. Those catlike, intelligent eyes were studying him, and San panicked as it suddenly felt like all of his secrets were out on display. 'Your voice sounds weird.'
Kai laughed. 'Oop. Whoops. Sorry San, I think I just outed you without even knowing.'
San's cheeks burned red. 'I have no idea what you both are on abou-'
Wooyoung suddenly started laughing. 'You're an awful liar. We are having a conversation when we get home,' he said, his beautiful lips pulling into a smirk.
And San felt defeated. 'Yeah yeah okay. Whatever. Mingi and I never dated,' he said, grabbing his bag from the stage and swinging it over his shoulder.
But as he glanced at Wooyoung, he could see those puckered lips pull into an oh, and as he swiped his tongue idly across them, he winked at him.
And San died.
'Okay no more talking about that. The past is the past. Whatever.' Leaving the hall, San noticed Wooyoung walking beside him, but he felt void without his arm tucked with his, and despite knowing that there was a possibility other people were still around that knew him and didn't know about him, San didn't care.
Reaching out, he tucked Wooyoung's arm with his, instantly feeling better the moment they were touching.
'Are you sure?' Wooyoung whispered, glancing around.
But San just nodded, smiling.
'San-ah,' Kai suddenly said, catching both of their attention.
Turning to his friend, he felt his chest jolt for a moment as he saw his serious face, concerning him for a moment.
But as he spoke, that all washed away. 'San, be yourself. Forget the boys. I can tell you now, I know for a fact you're not the only one in the group who didn't feel comfortable opening up... Graduate as yourself, and show the others that it's okay to be themselves... For what it's worth, I'm sorry I didn't make you feel like you could tell me...'
And San melted. 'Thanks man...' As his friend held out his hand, San gladly shook it, giving him a nod.
'All good.'
And with that, San noticed Wooyoung give Kai a small, tinkering wave, giggling a little as the older's eyes widened comically for a moment.
But after a short chuckle, he turned and headed in his own direction, leaving San and Wooyoung alone on campus.
And it was only then that the events of the past ten minutes began to sink in...
...
San was finally out.
And he had never felt more powerful - openly ready to take on the world, and anything it had to throw at him.
~~~