taste of desire - woosan

45. reciprocated

san, just as clueless and confused as the others, walked ahead into the forest, completely unaware that wooyoung wasn't following them. it didn't strike san as strange because wooyoung was silent for the most part in group settings, so san assumed he was following quietly behind. it wasn't until san looked over his shoulder in hopes to catch a glance of wooyoung that he realized he wasn't there.

"guys, where's wooyoung?" san asked, stopping in his tracks, making everyone else stop as well. 

"what- he was just behind us" yeosang furrowed his eyebrows, his expression turning into a worried one as he looked behind him. 

"he couldn't have gone far, maybe he sat down somewhere?" seonghwa suggested. san blinked, how did he not notice? the thought of wooyoung alone in the forest unnerved san. wooyoung was a very well capable adult, but there were in a forest in the middle of nowhere with no service. plus, wooyoung had never hiked here before, he didn't know any of the paths or anything.

"i'll go look for him" san suddenly said, and yunho frowned at him. "i don't think we should separate. we're almost at the end anyway". san glared at yunho. sure, they were close, but seeing a view san had seen many times before was the last thing on his mind.

"are you kidding? i'm not leaving him out there" san retorted and turned around to head back the direction they came from. "wait, san" seonghwa grabbed onto his arm, stopping him, "will you be able to come back?".

san nodded, although he wasn't that confident. he had hiked here several times before, but he always seemed to get lost. "i'll be fine" he replied and removed seonghwa's arm before jogging back.

"wooyoung!" san stopped, resting his hands on his thighs as he caught his breath. he didn't know how long it has been since he began looking for wooyoung. he went in every directionn he could think of, even back to where they all were when they were arguing about which direction to take. no sign of wooyoung. to say san was panicking was an understatement, he was terrified. he couldn't help the guilt creeping into him. after all, he was the one who told wooyoung that he would take care of him.

there was no doubt that wooyoung wandered around, san just wished he payed more attention. if anything happened to wooyoung, san wouldn't know what he would do with himself. 

just as san was about to move on to continue searching, the rustling of leaves caught his attention. following the sound, he found wooyoung leaning against a tree with his head lowered onto his knees. san let out a sigh of relief and ran towards him.

"wooyoung!" san called out, catching wooyoung's attention. san's chest ached when wooyoung lifted his head up and he saw that wooyoung's face was wet with tears. san had never seen wooyoung cry before and it hurt, it hurt for san to see wooyoung anything but happy.

"are you okay?" san asked, concerned, as he began wiping the tears off wooyoung's face. wooyoung didn't say anything, he just looked at san and let him wipe the tears away.

"wooyoung?" san knitted his eyebrows together, why wasn't he saying anything? was he mad?

"are you hurt?" san asked, grabbbing wooyoung's arm and inspecting it for any cuts or bites but wooyoung pulled his arm away.

"i'm fine" wooyoung said so softly san almost didn't hear him. wooyoung reached his arms out and wrapped them around san's neck, causing san's eyes to widen in shock. 

"just hold me" wooyoung mumbled against san's shirt and san did just that. he wrapped one arm around wooyoung while the other caressed the back of wooyoung's head.

"i'm sorry. i'm so sorry" san said, feeling tears well up in his eyes. he didn't know why he felt like crying, he was just so worried about wooyoung. he never felt so deathly worried about someone and he didn't know what to do with it. he knew he liked wooyoung but what he was feeling was a lot more than like. it was starting to feel deeper, stronger. a feeling that san thought he'd felt before but it was different this time.

wooyoung pulled away and frowned, "for what?". san looked down, biting his lip. he felt guilty, really guilty and he couldn't bring himself to face wooyoung.

"i wasn't paying attention and i left you behind" san's voice broke while the tears that were bubbling rolled down his cheeks, "i don't know what i was thinking. fuck, i'm so sorry, wooyoung".

he felt wooyoung lift his face up, "san, stop. i'm fine" wooyoung frowned, noticing the tears on san's face, "are you crying?".

san quickly wiped his tears with the back of his hand and cleared his throat, "no. i think some dust got in my eyes or something" he chuckled awkardly. he didn't like to cry in front of others and he was also embarrassed. he shouldn't be the one crying anyways, he wasn't the one who was left stranded in a mysterious forest.

"do you want to keep going?" san asked, changing the subject, "or we can go back to the cabin if you want, i don't think we're that far from it".

wooyoung didn't say anything again, he just stared at san. but this was different from earlier, wooyoung looked at san like he was concerned.

"san" wooyoung started, "why were you crying?". san looked at wooyoung, "i wasn't crying. i told you, something got in my eye". san stood up, and reached his hand down at wooyoung, "let's go".

wooyoung grabbed onto san's hand, holding it tight so san couldn't walk, "i'm not blind, you know" wooyoung said and san frowned.

"wooyoung, we have to go. the sun's gonna set-"

"we have flashlights, don't we?" wooyoung interrupted, tightening his grip on san's hand, "and i'm not going anywhere with you until you answer me".

san looked at wooyoung stunned. it was so natural for wooyoung to not care or act like he didn't care. countless amounts of times san said and showed wooyoung how much he liked and cared for him, yet wooyoung never did that. wooyoung did kiss san and act all couple-like with him but san never really knew where they stood. what were they exactly? how did wooyoung feel about him? heck, how did san himself really feel about wooyoung?

"i was worried. terrified that something happened to you and i felt like it was all my fault because i didn't take care of you" san admitted, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

the firm grip wooyoung had on san loosened and wooyoung reached his hand out to cup san's cheek. they locked eyes and san found wooyoung leaning in closer and closer until their lips finally met.

san quite literally melted into the kiss, hugging wooyoung close. wooyoung's lips were warm and inviting, and san couldn't help but deepen the kiss, craving more of that closeness. he felt wooyoung's hand move from his cheek to the back of his neck, pulling him in closer.

if it were up to san, he would've stayed in this exact position. he could kiss wooyoung forever but wooyoung did eventually break the kiss he initiated and rested his forehead against san's.

as much as san loved the kiss and the fact that wooyoung was the one who started it, he was confused. he wasn't sure where it came from and why wooyoung did it all of a sudden.

"i think," wooyoung paused as he caught his breath. he pulled away and looked san in the eyes. san held his breath, anticipating what wooyoung was going to say. what he said was something san dreamed wooyoung would say but never expected it because wooyoung wasn't that expressive.

"i think i like you, san".