San absentmindedly tapped his fingers to the tune of a song on his mattress, feeling a bit of boredom set in.

The boy, at the current moment, was laying on his side, a soft comforter draped over him. His head lay on a fluffy pillow that he had pulled out of his closet, having forgotten he'd even owned it.

A surge of excitement ran through him as he heard his bathroom door creak open, spilling light into the otherwise mostly dark bedroom.

"Woo," San beckoned at the figure that appeared from the door, who had changed into some clothes suitable for sleeping. "Come here, baby," he called quietly, motioning towards himself.

He barely noticed the smug smile forming on Wooyoung's face as he shut the bathroom door, engulfing the room in darkness once more.

Within a few moments San felt the weight on his mattress shift, a soft creak accompanying the new presence. "Scoot over," Wooyoung whispered, kneeling on the mattress.

San obeyed, shifting more towards the side as he watched Wooyoung adjust himself to lay down. He grabbed the edge of San's large comforter, pulling over himself as well as he laid down on the pillow next to San's.

His eyes didn't take long to adjust to the dark, and he now became very aware of San lying across from him. He decided to use this to his advantage and shift a bit closer to the other boy, just because.

Surprise showed on his face as Wooyoung registered the feeling of a warm hand under the comforter slipping onto his waist. San teasingly squeezed his side, evoking a smile from the younger.

"You tired?" Wooyoung questioned, holding the gaze of the boy lying face to face with him. San gently shook his head, with that serving as his answer.

A few seconds passed, with the quiet tick of a clock marking each one.

"You wanna talk?" Wooyoung then suggested.

A nod from San. Wooyoung pursed his lips, trying to think of a conversation topic.
His face lit up as he thought of one.

"Did you know that Jongho knows Yunho?" he asked, deeming their friends to be an acceptable topic to start off with. San nodded yet again.

"Yunho's mentioned him before. Not sure how they know each other," San replied.

Wooyoung shrugged, or at least got as close as he could while lying down. "I think Jongho takes some advanced classes."

"Hm. Makes sense. We should get our friend groups together sometime," San offered, with Wooyoung clearly contemplating the idea.

"I've offered Seonghwa before but he said he doesn't want to third wheel us," Wooyoung admitted. San laughed quietly.

Wooyoung found himself hesitating as a certain topic popped into his mind. He found himself reaching up and placing his hand over San's, giving it a light squeeze.

"Hey, um, San..." he brought himself to say, his hesitance obvious to San. San raised an eyebrow at the tone, suggesting he was listening.

"I know you'd probably say no to this, but..." he started, speaking carefully as if calculating how to perfectly place each word. "Is it bad if I want us to be out at school? Like, I know people have probably noticed already, but..."

San blinked, comprehending what the younger was saying to him.

"You mean out as a couple?" he questioned. Wooyoung nodded curtly, with worry still swimming around in his expression.

"Yeah. I know we don't really hide it but it's not like we've told anyone besides our friends," Wooyoung continued. "You're not even out at school, right?"

San nodded, feeling a tiny pool of guilt form within him despite knowing he'd done nothing wrong. "I'm not, but..." he paused, mulling over his words, "I'm also not opposed to coming out. It probably wouldn't make much of a difference."

San wasn't lying about that fact. In all honesty, he'd never come out due to fear of repercussions; yet seeing how Wooyoung was treated despite being out gave him some hope.

"You sure? It's just that..." Wooyoung trailed off, before shaking his head. "Never mind. Not saying that out loud."

At this, San found a playful smile arising. "Hmm? What were you gonna say?"

"Nothing," Wooyoung said, a cute grin adorning his face. Now San definitely wouldn't take that for an answer.

He moved a bit closer to Wooyoung, struggling to adjust the heavy comforter and the pillow to accommodate his shift of location. Now, with his face a mere few inches from Wooyoung's, San focused on the slightly surprised expression of the other.

"Tell me," San urged, hoping the direct eye contact would intimidate the other boy enough to confess. Wooyoung only blinked.

"No," he said, keeping his expression blank. This was a war he was determined to win.

"Please?" San tried. Wooyoung avidly shook his head in response.

"Will you tell me if I kiss you?" San tried, hopeful.

"No."

"...Something more, then?"

Wooyoung held back a laugh at the suggestion, still shaking his head in denial. "More? You're crazy..."

"Then tell meeee," San whined, reaching to grab Wooyoung's arm and gently shaking it.

"Fine, fine!" Wooyoung giggled, getting the elder to calm down.

"Don't know why I'm saying this, but... I get kinda possessive, y'know? Not in general, just of like... you, I guess," Wooyoung admitted, avoiding making eye contact with San.

"And yet you call me jealous," San teased, sensing that Wooyoung was becoming a bit flustered.

"Hey! Listen, I can't help but point it out... it honestly makes me a little happy knowing you were," the younger replied, hinting at a sense of relatability in the comment.

"I was just gonna say that's kinda why I want to be out. You know, so I can actually tell people we're together," the younger continued, San nodding in understanding.

"You can. I'm fine with it," San replied, causing Wooyoung's eyes to widen a bit.

"Really? You're good with being out?" he reiterated, as if making sure San understood exactly what he was implying. San nodded avidly.

"Seriously. I kinda felt the same way when that girl asked me if you're dating anyone," San now admitted, remembering the urge to honestly answer her.

"You're right. 'He's taken' just doesn't have the same impact as 'he's mine,' huh," Wooyoung joked, with San gently shoving him a bit in return.

The pair mindlessly chatted about whatever topic came to mind, not noticing the minutes fly by. Neither even began to feel tired, by some miracle.

As all conversations do the closer it gets to 3 AM, the topics changed from the deeper side of the spectrum to the stranger side.

San stared at the rambling Wooyoung, who had cuddled up closer to him ages prior. San had his arms wrapped firmly around Wooyoung's shoulders, with the boy laying his head against San's chest.

"So theoretically, if I was a penguin... and YOU were a penguin... you know?" Wooyoung gestured with his hand, as if making a profound statement.

"Yeah I know exactly what you mean," San replied with a blatant sarcasm, although one of amusement.

"Shut upp! You know! Penguins. They're monogamous birds," Wooyoung informed as if giving a report. San gave him a look of questioning.

"Yeah, and?"

"If we were both penguins would you date me?"

"...Yes? Why would I not?" San replied in a half joking tone.

"Big mistake. Penguins mate for life," Wooyoung answered, in a sort of 'you'd be stuck with me' way.

"Yeah I know," was all San said, causing the younger to shut up instantly.

A thick silence fell over the room.

"...Did you know that when two anglerfish mate, one disintegrates and slowly fuses into the other until both fish become one? Those bitches dissolve."

"Wooyoung, what the fuck?"

"I'm just saying! Imagine you're an anglerfish and you bite your partner then BOOM. You fuse into one messed up being."

San shook his head in a faux disbelief. "I don't have to imagine, I think I already am one."

Wooyoung held back a laugh. "At least I wouldn't be the one dissolving," he commented, making San furrow his brows in confusion at the statement.

"The one who bites gets absorbed. I don't make the rules."

"When the hell have I bit you?" San argued. Wooyoung returned only with a look that said 'are you kidding me?'

"Say that to the marks on my stomach," Wooyoung spoke, causing San's demeanor to instantly shift into the territory of embarrassment.

"Hey!! That doesn't count," he tried to defend himself. "You've done that to me too!"

Wooyoung only shook his head. "I don't make the rules," he repeated, unrelenting.

"You know what... it's time for me to go to bed," San declared out of a mix of emotions, turning over so he was no longer looking at the other boy.

Wooyoung pouted at the now facing-away San. "Hey! It's too early, it's only like 2am," he whined. No reply came, with San only snuggling a bit into the blankets.

Wooyoung huffed, before shifting himself a bit closer to his boyfriend. He wrapped an arm around him, hugging him tightly from the back.

"Um, Woo," San said mostly out of surprise at the gesture. He received no response aside from now feeling Wooyoung nuzzle at the back of his neck.

"Hm?" Wooyoung hummed, now fully hugging San from behind. He played with the hem of San's loose shirt, as if needing something to occupy his attention.

"You really want me to stay up?" San questioned. Wooyoung only murmured in denial of that claim.

"Nah, nah. Sleep, it's fine," he said, simultaneously not ceasing in tapping out small patterns on San's stomach after he spoke.

San, obviously distracted by the movement, turned back over as to face Wooyoung. The younger who'd been hugging him became all too aware of how close their faces now were.

Before San had a chance to say anything, the younger simply reached out to pull his boyfriend in towards him. He got in a comfortable position cuddled up to San, with an arm and leg both securing the elder in his grip. San couldn't help but smile as the other nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

"Night, San," the boy said, with San moving an arm around to secure him in his hold.

San muttered a simple goodnight as he submitted to the warm embrace of both Wooyoung and sleep, feeling a wave of drowsiness wash over him.

The last thing San registered before his consciousness slipped was the soft rhythm of Wooyoung breathing against him.