San waited outside of Wooyoung's classroom, texting Yunho and Mingi to pass the time. His last period class had gotten out a little early, so he thought he'd get the walking out of the way and be ready to go.
The bell rang eventually, and San stepped back as to allow the flood of students to run out of the door at their newfound freedom.
A familiar, dark haired boy exited the classroom. At the sight of him, San instantly reached out and grabbed his wrist.
Wooyoung turned, startled, but began to smile upon registering who it was.
"Hi," Wooyoung greeted quietly, letting San pull him towards him by his wrist.
"Hiii," San mimicked, a smile appearing that copied the one gracing the other's face. Wooyoung lightly nudged him, both giggly at the playful interaction.
All pleasantries put aside, the two took off to walk out of school, not wanting to waste any time lingering at the classroom.
The coffeeshop wasn't too far, a walk that one could make in 5 minutes if they put their mind to it. Wooyoung and San made it in ten, the pair choosing to stroll and chat along the way.
Eventually they arrived at the building, entering into a cafe filled with calm music and the scent of coffee grounds. San wandered off to go find a table while Wooyoung was sent up to order something.
San scanned the area, recognizing a few of the people in the cafe. Some seemed to be students from his school, although he didn't know their names.
He froze as his gaze landed upon one individual, a short haired girl who stood chatting with her friends, a cappuccino in her hand. She, San remembered, was the girl who had glared at San hugging Wooyoung a while back.
She turned at that moment, making direct eye contact with San. He promptly looked away, suddenly very interested in the woodgrain of the table he sat at.
After a short moment Wooyoung came strolling over, setting down two drinks as he took a seat across from San.
San, now finding himself antsy, reached across the table, grabbing Wooyoung's hand and lightly playing with his fingers.
"So, I was thinking..." Wooyoung said, diverting the other's attention. "I might not go back home tonight, after all," he mused, absentmindedly stirring his drink with the straw.
San blinked. "You wanna stay at my place?" he offered without a thought. Wooyoung visibly pondered the idea.
"I did promise I would last time," he replied, a smug smile appearing on his face. San nodded, calmly sipping his drink. He didn't want to seem too happy about that idea, though he really was.
Wooyoung now took San's hand in his own, squeezing it playfully.
San couldn't help but shake the feeling of being watched. Some part of him knew exactly who it was that was staring, and San made sure to avoid looking in the direction of that girl at all costs.
Something within him told him to stake his claim at that moment. He found himself leaning across the table, getting dangerously close to the other boy.
"Uh, San?" Wooyoung muttered, the elder boy gently grabbing him by the chin. San felt his confidence dwindle; once again he felt the urge to take a step and kiss the other, yet the public presence discouraged him.
"You're so cute," San whispered, instead. An embarrassed smile appeared on Wooyoung's face, the boy not expecting the comment.
"You're cuter," he teased in return, nearly giving San a heart attack. He couldn't put into words the sudden glee he felt at the response.
Wooyoung's phone began ringing, the boy glancing down to see who the caller was.
"My mom," Wooyoung said, now annoyed. He leaned forward, placing a small peck on the tip of San's nose.
"I'll be back," he said, grinning at the now flustered look on San's face.
He stood up, walking outside as he answered the phone call.
San sipped his drink quietly, simply daydreaming to pass the time. His mind drifted to many topics, from school to Wooyoung's parents to his own.
And then— the sound of someone taking the seat across from him. San jolted up to look at the person, startled.
"Choi San?" said the short haired girl, leaning with both elbows on the table. San felt chills. He didn't know why he got such bad vibes from the girl.
"...Yes?" he responded, watching as she nonchalantly played with a bracelet on her wrist, an air of confidence surrounding her actions.
"Looks like you and Jung Wooyoung are very... close. Am I right?" she said, a pretty smile on her face which didn't reach her eyes.
San froze for a moment, trying to figure out what direction she was heading in.
"Yeah? What about it?" he answered, his tone coming off a bit more defensive than he'd intended it to.
"Oh! Nothing, it's just..." she paused to glance around the room, as if searching for anyone listening.
"You know he's gay right?"
San stopped all of his thoughts, taking a moment to realize that he'd heard her correctly. He had no idea how to respond to that, aside from...
"Well, I would hope so?"
She blinked, taken a bit aback by the statement. "You'd hope... oh, wait-" she stopped herself, as if the puzzle pieces were just now connecting in her head.
As if a switch had been flipped, yet another smile appeared on her face; one that, unlike last time, seemed genuine.
She placed a hand on top of San's in a friendly way, as if about to give sage advice.
"Take care of him well, okay?" she said, the pretentious air about her suddenly having disappeared.
San looked at her, an expression mixed with confusion and concern on his face. "I... okay? I will??" he got out, the girl curtly nodding before standing up and skipping off back to her friend group.
San stared after her, wondering what the hell had just happened. No reason he could come up with as to explain her behavior made sense to him.
San merely sighed, deciding his questions could wait until later. The minutes flew by as he turned to watching some stupid videos on his phone.
Minutes passed before a certain dark haired boy came striding over, standing in front of San.
"You ready to go?" he said, the blonde looking up at him, a bit shaken. A look of relief became visible as he recognized Wooyoung.
"Yeah, I am," he said, standing up and shoving his phone into his pocket.
"What did your mom say?" San questioned, taking the opportunity to wrap an arm around Wooyoung's waist as they walked. Over his shoulder San thought he saw that girl, sending a somewhat warm smile towards the two. San still had no idea what it meant.
"Oh, not much. Just some crap about 'teaching me a lesson' when I get home," Wooyoung said, throwing in an incredulous laugh. "Reason number one why I'm not going home."
San shook his head. "Honestly, running away seems like a good idea," he mused, Wooyoung nodding in agreement.
A lighthearted conversation ensued, the pair beginning the journey to San's house. A recurring thought kept barging into San's mind, one that only worsened every time the younger boy laughed, smiled or even spoke to him.
San had been seriously considering a life with the other as his. He knew the other was somewhat aware of his feelings, yet nothing had been outright spoken yet. That fact somewhat worried him, especially the prospect of him not truly being able to call Wooyoung his own.
They made the rest of the trip there, in time, with many thoughts heavy on San's mind.
Thankfully, he knew exactly who to go to for advice.