san ran away again. it was almost like he had no choice at all since the beginning; he was destined to either run away or forced to suffer. it's okay, though, he constantly tells himself, because yunho will always be there to wait for him, embrace him with his bear hugs, and calm san down until he can sleep.
but not tonight. yunho was out with his parents celebrating their wedding anniversary, and although san knew how accommodating yunho's parents were, san still wouldn't want to ruin his best friend's birthday like that.
so san had nowhere to go. he was now sitting in a nearby park, which was coincidentally the park that he and wooyoung sat in after their fight with the basketball squad.
right, wooyoung.
san genuinely wished the younger wasn't doing anything important, or he'll start to feel guilty and this cycle will just worsen overtime. well, it wasn't like it was good anyway, but san just needed an escape. he just desperately needed an escape from his parents.
san scrambled to grab his phone out of his duffle bag (he always had his duffle bag under his bed since he runs away every week, so there really was no point if he repacks and repacks every single time), and dialled wooyoung's number, biting on his nails out of habit.
"sannie?" wooyoung's muffled voice came through. san's eyes widened. he was sleeping. wooyoung was sleeping, and san woke him up unnecessarily. san felt so bad that he was so close to ending the call and if wooyoung ever asked about it, he'll just say it's an accident. yeah, that's what's he's going to do.
just as san pulled his phone away slightly to press the 'end call' button, he heard wooyoung's voice again, "sannie, it's late. are you okay? 'cause i wanna make sure you're okay before i go to bed again."
there's the confirmation: wooyoung was sleeping before san woke him up. but hearing wooyoung's words and really processing it, san couldn't hold it back anymore. it was time for him to destroy his walls and let someone that's not yunho to come into his inner child.
"i-" san choked up on his tears, "woo, i'm so sorry."
san heard some shuffling on the other side. he could almost imagine wooyoung getting up, maybe turning on the light on his bedside table to wake himself up a tiny bit, and then he heard wooyoung again, "sannie, why are you apologising?"
san shook his head. no, wooyoung shouldn't know. he shouldn't, really, since it wasn't his problem. yunho's automatically concerned himself of san's problems because he knew san since birth, but wooyoung? wooyoung was just a poor boy that managed to stumble upon san during one volleyball practice. it was coincidental that the two met, unlike yunho and san, and therefore, wooyoung shouldn't be burdened with san's thoughts and struggles.
that was what san's head said.
however, san's heart was telling him to just tell wooyoung; wooyoung was understanding and kind, he wouldn't judge san at all and would do everything and anything he could in his power to help san. san knew that, and that almost made him even more reluctant to tell wooyoung about why he ran away, or the fact that he's not at home right now. what happens if wooyoung gets too attached? what if they break up, or they end at an ugly note? what will wooyoung do? what will san do if he gets to reliant on wooyoung?
there were too many questions that san didn't want the answers to.
"sannie, you there?" wooyoung's soft voice came through, breaking the horrible, self-depreciating line of thoughts in san's head. it calmed san down, grounded him and reminded him that, for once, he wasn't alone.
san wiped his nose with the back of his hand, "yeah, fuck. i'm so sorry for waking you up, woo. i-i didn't mean to."
wooyoung chuckled lightly, tugging a small smile on san's lips, "it's okay. why are you up?"
"i'm-" san stopped, reconsidering his options here, "i'm not at home."
there was a pause on the other end of the phone, and san bit on his nail harder, wincing when he realised he actually broke through the skin. blood was spilling slightly through the part he broke, san frowning at the feeling.
"where are you now? i'll come to you-"
"wooyoung! it's fine! jesus, it's freezing out here, don't come out for me. please." san pleaded. wooyoung paused for a moment again, making san wonder if he was just going to go back to sleep and pretend this never happened.
then even heavier shuffling was heard from the other side, "i am coming to you one way or another. you either tell me where you are now, or i'll ask yunho about it."
san grinned at how cute the younger was; yunho didn't even know where san was, nor did he know that san ran away again. oh, to be this innocent and cute. "i'm at the park you and i were after the fight." san paused for a while, "think you could bring an extra jacket out? i, uh, left mine at home."
a scoff was heard, "san! you gotta take care of yourself, even if you run away or sneak out or whatever. right, i'll be there in five, sannie."
san expected him to hang up, but he heard wooyoung breathing softly before a low "love you" was heard. san's grin widened, reaching up to his eyes and held onto him like a warm blanket, "i love you, too, woo."
then the line cut out. and san was left to the darkness again. there was no one around, which was understandable since it was 4am. san felt guilty about waking wooyoung up again, but it wasn't like he could call wooyoung and say everything's fine when it really wasn't.
true to his promise, wooyoung showed up five minutes later, panting slightly from the slight jog he did to get to san and when he saw san, he did not hesitate to come up to san and slap his shoulder lightly. "you asshole, here you go." wooyoung held out a jacket, san immediately putting it on as he only had a thin shirt beforehand. it was stupid, really, but when did san ever think better?
wooyoung glanced at san's duffel bag and asked, "you ran away from home?"
"yeah," san hummed. he looked up at his boyfriend and smiled, "you don't look sleepy for someone that got woken up ten minutes ago."
wooyoung rolled his eyes, taking a seat next to san and allowed san to take his hands in his, "well, i was woken up and was forced to come out into the december cold at 4am. i don't know about you, but i wouldn't be sleepy after being slapped by this temperature."
san's smile didn't falter. he pulled wooyoung towards him and kissed him so deeply wooyoung was off balance for a second. they were both smiling; there was something about this that just made the two of them warm, warmer than they'll ever be even in a room of heaters. their hearts were beating for each other, their hands entangled, their lips doing wonders, and their love dancing their little waltz, blessing the world with their sweetness and care towards the other.
at the moment, everything felt surreal, to the point where even if san was the anti-hero in his parents' eyes, the failure since he chose sports over academics, the i-wish-you-turned-out-different sibling, san felt special in wooyoung's arms, lips, hugs, love. knowing that wooyoung would do anything for san made san wanted to do the same for the younger.
they were so in love, it was so painfully obvious to everyone else around them. and they couldn't help but feel happy for them, because how often to you witness two soulmates falling in love with each other?
idk what happened halfway through
i am tired but i just had to squeeze
one chapter in before i sleep.
i will go sleep. talk ab ur day
in the comments<33
