+00 - w00san

you

29/1
Afternoon

I have a bestie, and he's the perfect friend. Too bad he's a little oblivious.

When Wooyoung awoke the next morning, he felt heavy, and with good reason. Yeosang had draped his entire arm over his stomach in his sleep. Even with what qualified as extra weight, he couldn't help but smile at how adorable Yeosang was.

His mind flickered back to the night before, when he'd recalled his first meeting with Yeosang.

"We're going to be best friends, Woo."

Now that he thought about it, he really wanted to change that, and by change he didn't mean bestest best friends.

Wooyoung may have developed a small crush on his roomie... Scratch that, he couldn't lie to himself. Wooyoung had developed the biggest crush on his bestie, and he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Mere seconds later, however, a single glance at his watch was all it took to spring him out of his daze.

The school was not too far away, granted they were staying in their dormitories after all, which gave Wooyoung an even better reason and motivation to not be late. What a joke they'd be if they stayed the closest yet arrived the last.

Nevertheless, their mad hurry paid off as they slipped into their seats an instant before the bell rang.

//

"You take too long to pack your things. I might be your bestie, but besties also have their own time to spend. I can't spend half a day waiting for you to stuff one measly textbook into your bag."

Yeosang huffed at his friend, who was fumbling with his things, hastily stuffing them into the backpack and failing miserably. The former had packed up within half a minute, only to wait an extra three thanks to Wooyoung.

"You know you can always go first, right? Besides, I gotta chuck some stuff in the locker first, I'll meet you at our usual table."

The slightly younger made a brushing movement toward the door, as though shooing an imaginary fly, gesturing the other to take his leave first.

With a pointed look, Yeosang shook his head and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Are you hiding something, Woo? You know you can tell me anything, right?"

Anything except this.

"I'm fine. Go, I really will meet you there. Not gonna take any detours."

"Wouldn't hold your word too much on that but okay."

"Haven't you known me long enough to know I'll be there?"

"I've known you long enough to not trust you 100%."

"Ah just go. See you."

Wooyoung lightly shoved his friend toward the door with a cheeky giggle, turning to resume his packing when the other was out of sight. At a drastically faster pace than before, he swept all his things into the backpack, heaved it onto his shoulder and strolled out the classroom.

On the way to his locker, Wooyoung couldn't help but notice several students sticking posters onto the bulletin boards of each class. Curiosity got the better of him, and he went to the nearest student, someone he recognised, to enquire.

"Hey shortie! What's these posters about?" He asked while snatching a sheet from the other's hand.

"Yah! I'm older than you. Stop it." He snatched the poster back and resumed his work.

"I just wanted to know what they're about," Wooyoung pouted, faux dejection upon being wrongly accused.

The older sighed, and an explanation followed. "It's about the Valentine's dance, since it's only two weeks away now."

That explained the pink and red hues and the immense number of hearts. It was a little too cheesy in Wooyoung's opinion, but the event itself was pretty fun.

"You planning on going this year?" He asked.

The other grinned. "I'm already invited. The school "hired" our unofficial garage band. It was actually Chan hyung who brought it up to the council. They agreed." He couldn't help himself from beaming with pride, and Wooyoung shared his enthusiasm.

"That's great, but I want the tea. So, was there any special someone that you were planning on taking?"

At that, his friend blushed.

"I was planning on going with Bokkie," he explained, "We've been together for a while and I thought I'd take the opportunity. But since I have a free pass, he'll be going with Jeongin since Hyunjin's on the decor commitee. Minho's coming with Seonghwa, but I doubt they're coming for each other specifically. That's all from me though, who are you planning to go with?"

"Probably with Sang, same as last year," he mumbled as Changbin frowned.

"Hey, is everything alright?"

"I need advice," he confessed. "I'm planning to ask Sang out, but I don't know how to, and I don't dare to. How did you and Lix get together?"

At that, Changbin's face contorted slightly, though it didn't seem negative, just thoughtful.

"It was..." He seemed to be looking for the right words, hesitating for a while before answering, "weird, for lack of a better term. I don't have another way to describe it. We didn't have the best first impression of each other. He thought I was mean, I thought he was stuck up, but those all turned out to be assumptions we made about each other. We judged each other by our appearances, and I like to think we've moved on from that."

Wooyoung nodded, acknowledging and agreeing with a single motion.

"We weren't really on talking terms either, but a week before Valentine's, he suddenly popped the question and asked if I'd go to the dance with him. I thought he meant it platonically, but when we were there, he confessed. I seriously don't know if it was because of the vibe or if he meant it, but we're still going strong after almost a year."

"It was probably sincere then. No one can last long with a baby like you." Wooyoung ruffled Changbin's hair before he left, the latter scowling at his retreating figure before his expression turned soft.

"Why do I always say too much around you... You can't keep pretending any longer."

//

As he made his way to his locker, Wooyoung recalled the events of last year's Valentine's dance.

He and Yeosang had gone together, pretending to be a couple to gain entry. They'd intended to part ways, doing what they'd each prefer to do, whether it be to dance or get drunk. In the end, they both ended up sitting together in the corner of the gym, having a long chat on things that didn't matter much, such as why dragons couldn't blow out their birthday candles and if unicorns were real (they both agreed that they existed).

They shared many laughs together that night, and even as they headed back to their dorm room together, were still chatting amicably. The conversation continued on into the night, not ceasing even as day broke.

Wooyoung was not one for staying up so late, and neither was Yeosang. But somehow, the combination of the duo just clicked.

It rolled as smoothly as clockwork, new topics appearing each time there was a lull, shared enthusiasm with common interests, intense joy when they cracked jokes, a comforting presence should the mood turn sensitive...

They were the puzzle pieces that completed each other's picture.

Maybe it had been a good day for Changbin, but it had also been a good day for Wooyoung too. It didn't hold much romance, but he had forged a formidable friendship that would last the test of time, a friendship so deep that he feared it would break if he confessed.

So, he kept all his feelings in.

He'd laugh with Yeosang every time either of them mentioned catching Hongjoong and Seonghwa doing unmentionable things in the bathroom that very night, but secretly, he also wished that could be him.

That could be him and Yeosang if he only dared voice out his thoughts.