There is mentions of anxiety/mental health in this chapter, as well as minor discussions about therapy, and non-explicit sexual content. Please do not read any further if these topics are sensitive to you.

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"Woo-"

A voice gently disturbs Wooyoung out of his incoherent stupor, eyes unable to open, a groggy hum leaving his lips as he feels too tired to be able to formulate a response.

"Hmm?"

"I've gotta go to class." San says softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed, hand settling over Wooyoung's covered hip.

"Already?" Wooyoung tiredly breathed out, stretching his arms out barely, too lazy to open his eyes still.

"Unfortunately. Fridays are my early days." San gently moves hair out of Wooyoung's face, even though his eyes were still closed. Wooyoung smiles at him sleepily, turning on his back slightly, finally blinking himself awake to look at San.

"What time will you be back?"

"Probably three." San frowns, running his hand along the side of Wooyoung's thigh. "It's a longer day."

"Time's it now?" Wooyoung glances at his phone, too tired to reach for it. San follows his gaze and grabs his phone for him, handing it over. "My god, it's only eight?"

"Yeah," San smiles at him. "You were dead asleep."

"I felt dead." Wooyoung scoffs, turning his phone back off and laying it down on his stomach. "I might go back to sleep, though. I'm still tired."

"Okay. I'll text you a bit later, then." San moves his hand to grab Wooyoung's, soothing his thumb and fingers overtop of Wooyoung's soft skin. Wooyoung smiles at him, leaning into his pillow.

"M'kay." Wooyoung feels as San intertwines their fingers, pulling his hand up, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. "Can you call me when you have a break?"

"Of course I will." San lowers their hands back down. "Remember the plan, yeah?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung hums.

"I trust you." San looks at him fondly, hoping that his words reach Wooyoung in the way he intended to. A mild bout of reassurance, something that would hopefully carry the younger throughout his day while he's away; anything to give him peace of mind. Wooyoung smiles at him, squeezing San's hand.

"Thank you."

San smiles back, leaning closer, giving him a quick kiss. "I love you."

"I love you." Wooyoung murmurs back, feeling San squeeze his hand in return before letting go and rising from the bed. Wooyoung watches him leave momentarily, turning back over to his side, allowing the darkness of their bedroom to cast over his senses. San leaves the room after, closing the door behind him as he goes.

Wooyoung was tired, still, making his will to chase after more sleep easy. His insomnia felt nearly nonexistent now, but only because he had found some sort of internal peace to soothe away his anxiety.

He was no longer stranded at sea, waiting for the inevitable monster to drag him beneath the surface, unable to escape the clutches of something so disastrous. He wasn't scared of the depths anymore, but rather understanding of them. He knew that at times he'd grow tired and that he might sink, but there would always be a reaching hand to help him. Rather than trying to survive choppy waves and monsters alone, he knew he needed to trust the hand reaching for him, grabbing a hold of it, accepting that it was okay to rely on someone else rather than himself. He didn't have to face the darkness alone, and he never would have to again.

Regardless of who was reaching out, Wooyoung would accept the help. The last two months had taught him a lot, making him realize that he wasn't a burden and that his problems didn't make him unloveable. His problems made him human, and that was more than okay. Unlearning how to stop being so incredibly hard on himself was a trial-and-error-like process, but with time, he slowly learned how to be at peace with himself.

There was no right and wrong way in healing, no matter how long it would take. Wooyoung knew that now. He was nearly there, especially after three long months spent unlearning bad behaviors and learning new ones, managing his anxiety and doing his best to stick to a routine, which he had found to be incredibly beneficial to him.

Wooyoung's mother had agreed to help him financially as needed, as long as Wooyoung stayed dedicated to therapy sessions and continued to better himself. He didn't have the energy to deposit into a new job at the moment, but once he found a sense of stability and could accept a new change into his life with open arms, he would seek out another job that would keep him calm and remain consistent.

Change was the one thing Wooyoung had feared the most, and his therapist had identified that rather quickly without Wooyoung needing to admit it. All of his anxiety stemmed from rapid change or too much change, which could always be resolved with a routine and familiarity.

San was quick to make a routine, sticking to it, helping Wooyoung adjust as they moved readily into their new home. A sense of excitement carried Wooyoung through their move, no matter how sad he had felt at leaving the one apartment he grew up in. Making their current apartment into a home rather than just a lived-in space occupied his thoughts for weeks, decorating every room with all the time in the world to waste. There was no rush, nor did he want to rush through any of it, asking San's opinion on everything, even though San easily agreed to every choice Wooyoung had made.

Now, three months later, the apartment finally felt like their home. Wooyoung took every change in stride, seeking reassurance when he needed it, and other times calling his mother, confiding in her when it all felt to be too much.

His mother remained close, calling or texting at least once a day when she was able, checking in on Wooyoung throughout his sobriety journey while also readily discussing Harry Potter any moment she could as she finally decided to read through the series rather than watch the films. Wooyoung was thrilled, to say the least. He had grown closer to his mother than he ever had been, and his relationship with Hyunsik was growing gradually, too.

But even as Wooyoung easily drifts back to sleep, he finds himself content and comfortable, sinking into a state of peace without worry. His mind is clear, and more importantly, he isn't afraid. He knows the apartment is empty besides himself currently, but he didn't care. He knew San would call him and text him if he needed him to, and the thought of that alone was extremely comforting.

All he wanted was San. Now, he felt like he had finally had all of him, and he had finally given all of himself to San.

Hours pass uneventfully. It was now the afternoon and Wooyoung was thoroughly absorbed into a new book he had started, pulling it free from his shelf of novels he hadn't read yet. This one was a horror book, filled to the brim with endless drama and lingering mystery, and he couldn't bring himself to put it down. But, it was close to San's break time and he was anticipating a call any minute now, so he kept his bookmark close, ready to abandon his book, but only because his boyfriend claimed a more important stake for his attention.

Surely enough, within minutes of thinking about it, San calls him.

"Sannie," Wooyoung says happily, placing his bookmark and closing his novel, setting it down on his lap.

"Hi, jagi. Doing okay?"

"I'm just fine. Started a new book, actually."

"Did you finish the one from yesterday?"

"No." Wooyoung laughs. "But this one kept staring at me from the shelf and I've been dying to read it."

"Whatever makes you happy." San hums. Wooyoung can hear him closing his car door through the phone, settling inside.

"Going somewhere on break?"

"Yeah, I'm hungry. I was gonna go to the cafe just around the corner from campus."

"I think you've told me about that before," Wooyoung's brows pinch in thought. "Is that the one that has boba tea?"

"Yeah," San laughs quietly. "I'm surprised you remember me saying that."

"Why?"

"Because I said that to you like, last year, I think. It was a while ago."

"I remember everything about you." Wooyoung teases, smiling.

"Mhm, I'm sure you do. You're a simp, Young'ah."

"As are you." Wooyoung nearly says in disbelief, as if San was trying to deny how weak and grossly in love they both were with one another.

"I'm not denying that. You know how much I love you."

"Obviously, jagi." Wooyoung leans back into the couch, rolling his eyes playfully to himself. "You know I love you loads, right?"

"Of course."

"Then don't question my simp-like behavior." Wooyoung smiles when he hears San laugh again, biting his lower lip.

"Fine, fine. But I wasn't questioning it. I was simply making an observation."

"Yeah, sure you were." Wooyoung looks down at his phone, only seeing that barely three minutes of the call had passed. "I miss you like crazy right now."

"I know. I miss you too. Only two more hours."

"I'll survive, I guess."

"Stop it."

"Are you excited to bowl tonight?"

"Really excited, actually. I was just texting Seonghwa about it. He's really looking forward to it."

"I'm excited to see everyone." Wooyoung smiles at the thought, his hand curled around his book protectively, careful to make sure it doesn't fall off of his lap.

"I think everyone looks forward to Fridays now."

"I know I do."

San hums in agreement. "Me too."

"Well, I'll let you go eat.. Just text me when you're on the way home."

"I will, don't worry. See you in a bit."

"Bye, jagi. I love you."

"I love you most."

The call disconnects, and Wooyoung leans his head all the way back, looking up at the ceiling with a dopey grin. His eyes close, cheeks slightly flushed with redness. He was so damn smitten for his boyfriend and it was kind of annoying. He's heard San say I love you countless times, but he still felt butterflies nearly every time he said it.

"Young'ah," San calls from the living space. "We gotta go. Are you ready?"

"Yeah!" Wooyoung hurries out of the bedroom, fixing his black tee by straightening it out. "Sorry. Got obsessive with my hair again."

"It's okay. Do you want me to drive or d'you wanna walk?"

"Can you drive? I don't wanna be too tired to walk back home."

"Yeah, yeah. I can drive." San smiles at him, turning around to head towards the front door. Wooyoung follows him, watching as he grabs his keys and begins to head out into the hallway, Wooyoung not too far behind. San locks the door and turns to face his partner, shoving his keys into his pocket momentarily, holding his hand out after. Wooyoung takes it, lacing their fingers together as they wander to the elevator, heading inside once it arrives.

Not too much later, they find themselves settling into San's car, listening to the engine hum as it starts. San adjusts his music and checks his mirrors, listening as Wooyoung buckles his seatbelt. San takes a breath, buckling his own, placing his car into reverse and backing out of his parking space, carefully watching his mirrors as he does so. Wooyoung checks his phone, scrolling through Instagram as he spots a post from Mingi. Wooyoung's eyes open wide, inspecting the post in its entirety. Mingi's hand was held in front of him, holding onto someone else's hand in a lax hold. Wooyoung could tell it was Mingi's hand based upon the rings and bracelets he was wearing, but the other hand wasn't completely clear. The photo was slightly blurry and taken at nighttime with a flash, so it made the mystery hand all that much more mysterious.

"San'ah?" Wooyoung asks quietly, zooming in on the picture with a focused gaze.

"Hm?"

"Mingi posted something odd on Instagram."

"Alright?" San glances over at Wooyoung before quickly looking away, focusing on driving instead.

"He's holding someone's hand." Wooyoung's brows furrowed in confusion. But, at a specific angle, Wooyoung's eyes can just barely make out that the hand looked like a male hand, rather than a feminine one. "Oh my god."

"What?" San reaches over, hand wrapping around Wooyoung's thigh, one hand on the wheel as he drives the short distance to the bowling alley.

"I think it's Yunho's hand."

"No way," San smiles. "Are you sure?"

"It's just an observation-" Wooyoung cuts himself off as he looks at the caption, jaw opening in shock. "Holy fucking shit!"

"What?!"

"His caption says 'It's always been you'."

"Oh my god. It is Yunho."

"I can't fucking believe it." Wooyoung nearly gasps. "I can't fucking believe it!"

"Don't ask them about it tonight." San says firmly. "Let's watch them and see what happens, alright? They'll tell us when they're ready to."

"But, they should know that we've seen the post, right?"

"Well, yes, but it was an anonymous confession of Mingi liking someone, no?"

"I guess so." Wooyoung leans back in his seat defeatedly with a huff.

"Let them tell us at their pace, Young'ah. We can't force them to tell us if they don't want to, especially if their relationship is new and on shaky grounds. We don't know what they talked about or went through the last couple of months."

"Fine." Wooyoung says dejectedly, but very obviously teasing. He knew San was right, and he wouldn't dare to pry, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief in knowing that his two friends were finally figuring themselves out.

After another minute of driving, San pulls into the bowling alley's parking lot, parking right next to Hongjoong's SUV. They head out and towards the main doors, Wooyoung grabbing onto San's hand and holding onto him tightly.

San opens the door, letting Wooyoung walk in ahead of him and following quickly behind, listening to the wooden door subtly shut behind them. The bowling alley was loud and slightly packed, but Wooyoung had expected as much. He squeezes San's hand, almost absentmindedly reminding himself that San was right next to him, letting his anxiety simmer into nothingness.

San slowly leads them through the entrance corridor, walking through an open doorway to allow the sight of bowling lanes to break into view. People were laughing and drinking, shouting at times, but not quite loud enough to overpower the sound of bowling balls slapping down on the lanes as they're thrown.

San searches the crowd of strangers for any sight of Seonghwa and Hongjoong, eventually coming across a table near the end of the alley, spotting Mingi and Seonghwa settled at a table together. San glances at Wooyoung, silently checking in, immediately relaxing when he realizes that he seemed perfectly okay.

"Woosan!" Yeosang half-shouts, raising a hand into the air. "You're late!"

"No we aren't!" Wooyoung rolls his eyes. "You're just early!"

San feels Wooyoung let go of his hand as he trudged off, rushing to embrace his best friend against his will. Yeosang whines and grumbles through it, and Wooyoung can't seem to contain his giggles.

"Are we really the last ones here?" San asks, looking at Mingi and Seonghwa.

"Yep." Seonghwa laughs. "And you two live the closest."

"What's your excuse?" Jongho butts in after approaching the table, eyeing San curiously.

"Woo was fixing his hair and I don't like rushing him," San faces Jongho, raising a brow, smiling nonetheless. "What are you insinuating?"

Jongho shrugs, holding up his hands. "You two barely keep your hands off of eachother. Who knows?"

"Okay, gross." Seonghwa rolls his eyes.

"Also, let us remind you how many times Seonghwa has walked in on you two fucking on the couch." Jongho admits with a devilish smirk, knowing fully well how San would react to that.

"We don't have to bring that up," San reaches to gently smack Jongho's shoulder with a playful smile. "That was past Woosan. We've changed."

"No we haven't." Wooyoung admits from the otherside of the table, his arms still slung around Yeosang.

San turns to look at Wooyoung, biting the interior of his cheek as he watches Wooyoung smile, laughing quietly. San knew that Wooyoung was just trying to rile him up, but he still played his game regardless. "Stop it, Young'ah."

"Anyway-" Seonghwa stands from his chair, pointing towards the monitors hung from the ceiling. "I've set the teams up. I had the intention of splitting the duos apart, to make it a bit interesting, yeah?"

"Right," San turns to look at the monitors, inspecting the teams curiously.

Hongjoong, San, Jongho and Mingi were on the lane to the left, while Seonghwa, Wooyoung, Yeosang and Yunho were on the lane to the right. It was obvious what Seonghwa's intentions had been, but San finds himself excited to see the results regardless.

After picking their bowling balls and getting their rental shoes, everyone begins to settle in around the nearby seats, making a small circle around the closest table, ready to observe everyone's bowling skills. Yeosang had already admitted to being terrible at bowling, but no one also claimed to be relatively great at it either.

"Okay!" Seonghwa says with a breath, clapping his hands together quietly. "Joong'ah, do you want to go first?"

"If you insist." Hongjoong smiles at his partner, rising from his seat that was sat next to Mingi, walking down towards the ball return, listening to the machine hum absently. Hongjoong grabs a blue bowling ball, carrying it with two hands until he gets to the wooden slats of the beginning of the lane, placing his fingers into the three holes before taking a breath. Everyone watches with intrigue, sitting on the edge of their seats, nearly vibrating from anticipation. The first ball would surely condemn their fate or secure their late victory, all depending on everyone's performance at the start.

Hongjoong moves towards the lane, swinging his arm and letting go of the ball, listening as the ball smacks audibly against the floor, gliding seamlessly towards the pins. Everyone watches, but then slowly starts laughing after as the ball curves just before the pins, and knocks down only one in total.

Hongjoong turns around, embarrassed and laughing, waiting at the machine for his ball to return. Seonghwa steps up after grabbing a hold of his purple ball, smiling at Hongjoong. He strides forwards, swinging his arm and letting go, watching as his ball slowly rolls down the left side of the lane. It nearly teeters on the edge of the gutter, leaning just enough to stay on the lane as it rolls into two pins.

Seonghwa turns around, nearly beaming, looking over at Hongjoong with a smirk. It was only two pins that he had scored, but the fact that he had hit any was enough to make him happy.

Hongjoong takes another shot, rolling his ball down the middle, knocking down six more pins, just barely missing the opportunity to score a spare. Seonghwa bowls again, and almost immediately rolls his ball into the gutter with a laugh. Hongjoong holds his arms open, welcoming Seonghwa into a hug, kissing the side of his head with a quiet mutter of 'I told you that you'd do fine'.

Wooyoung strides up next, hand finding an orange ball, wetting his lips tentatively, staring down the length of the lane as he looks to his left, spotting San watching him fondly. Wooyoung flushes, turning his gaze away, taking a breath and swinging his arm, letting go of his ball as it hurdles down the lane. The ball rolls down the middle, slightly turning to the left, just barely missing the center pin and colliding into another eight. Wooyoung turns, aghast, nearly shocked that he was even capable of bowling so well.

San rolls his eyes, looking at Wooyoung, watching as the younger sticks out his tongue teasingly. San, competitive as ever, approaches the lane and swings his arm, watching as the ball drops down to the center of the lane, curving to the right, only smacking into four pins. Wooyoung cackles, pointing at San with a shit-eating grin, listening to his own team laugh at him, too.

San didn't care if he lost or if he bowled a gutter every round. As long as Wooyoung was smiling like this, laughing and enjoying himself, San was happy as is.

Nine total frames go by in a blur. Wooyoung now sits next to San, laughing at Yeosang as he miserably fails his bowl again. San had his arm slung around Wooyoung's shoulders, trying to remain close, knowing Wooyoung found the closeness reassuring and comforting.

San's team was in the lead somehow, thanks to Mingi throwing three strikes in a row. San didn't care much, though, happy to just be surrounded by his friends without the pressure of alcohol or partying to obscure their senses.

Wooyoung was absently observing everyone, watching as Seonghwa and Hongjoong coddled one another, pretending to bicker and pick on one another, only to "make up" with kisses and hugs despite their growing laughter. In turn, he watches Yeosang linger around Jongho, and it's only then that he realizes that Jongho was doing his best to be publicly affectionate. Whether it was a hand on his thigh, an arm around his shoulders, Wooyoung could tell that Yeosang liked the affection, and had been slightly surprised by it. On the other hand, Yunho and Mingi seemed oddly close. There was nothing outright labeling them as anything other than friends, but Wooyoung had a feeling, a gut feeling rather, that they were up to something and were just hiding it.

The group to their left had inherently got louder in the last couple of minutes, but Wooyoung tried not to pay any mind to it, even if it slightly bothered him. The group was outlandishly drunk and having fun, openly making fun of one another and having a blast, so Wooyoung didn't want to be that guy and ruin their night. He could feel his anxiety screaming at him just barely, but he tried to remain calm, leaning into San's hold on him, doing his best to shut the noise out.

Wooyoung hadn't always been so fond of incredibly loud noises, but it's never overwhelmed him before. However, the group next door had made it a little hard to focus on his friends, knowing that there was alcohol involved in their loudness only made it that much more worrying.

"Jagi," San mutters, stirring Wooyoung's focus onto himself. "Did you hear me?"

"No, I'm sorry." Wooyoung blinks twice, refocusing himself, taking a moment to glance around before looking at San again. "What'd you say?"

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom really quick. Are you gonna be alright here?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Wooyoung smiles at him. "Thank you, though."

San smiles back, rising from his chair before calling to Yunho, beckoning to go with him to find the restrooms. Wooyoung focuses his gaze ahead again, watching Jongho bowl and Yeosang standing close, trying to find a mistake that he could make fun of. But, Jongho being purely himself, doesn't make a mistake and Yeosang playfully frowns.

The group to their left gets progressively louder as one of the members bowls a gutter ball, sending the group into a mass of chaos. Wooyoung turns his head to observe the group, eyeing the several open beer bottles and messy stack of napkins resting on top of a pizza box. He was fairly sure that nearly everyone in the group was beyond drunk, considering the way they were all nearly slurring their mumble of words and bowling half-assed.

The noise continues despite Wooyoung's wishes, but he turns his attention away, watching Yeosang bowl again, utterly failing a second time. Just as Yeosang returns to their half-circle of seats, the group next door yells again, and Wooyoung finally decides that he's had enough. Wooyoung turns around, spotting Seonghwa and rises from his seat.

"Hwa?" Wooyoung asks as he approaches, watching as Seonghwa turns his gaze away from Hongjoong to look up at him.

"What's up?"

"Can you come outside with me for a second?" Wooyoung slightly flinches when the group yells again, and Seonghwa turns to glance at the noise, now realizing what must've been wrong.

"Let's go." Seonghwa smiles at him reassuringly, grabbing his hand as he rises from his seat, quickly pulling Wooyoung back towards the front of the bowling alley and out of the main doors.

A brush of colder air hits Wooyoung's lungs, and he immediately feels relief. He takes a breath, closing his eyes, allowing the silence to fill the void.

"You okay?" Seonghwa asks worriedly, watching Wooyoung with a soft gaze.

"Yeah. I just needed a bit of air." Wooyoung opens his eyes, looking out at the parking lot ahead of him. "That group is just so damn loud and it was stressing me out a bit."

"I know. They're really drunk." Seonghwa half-smiles when he hears Wooyoung scoff. "Do you want me to go get Sannie?"

"No, no. I don't wanna worry him with this. I just needed a second to relax." Wooyoung reassures, turning around to completely face Seonghwa. A sudden wash of emotion rushes over Wooyoung, and the only thing he can think to do is reach forward and pull his friend into a hug, smiling when he feels Seonghwa hug him back almost instantly. "Thank you, Hwa. Thank you for always looking out for me."

"You don't have to thank me." Seonghwa says quietly. "I'm just glad that you're okay."

"I'm better now." Wooyoung hums. "Everything is a lot better and I think I'm finally happy."

"Really?" Seonghwa asks, his smile audibly heard from his tone.

"Yeah," Wooyoung laughs quietly, leaning away from the hug. "It's been a long few months to get here, but I think I'm there."

"That's all we could ever want for you." Seonghwa smiles fondly at him, taking a small breath after. "Feel okay enough to go back in?"

"Yeah. I'm okay now." Wooyoung feels Seonghwa grab his hand again, holding their palms together with a reaffirming squeeze.

"C'mon then. Let's bowl our final round, hm?" Seonghwa says happily, earning a quiet hum in agreement from Wooyoung.

They enter back into the building, turning to the right to head back towards their table as Wooyoung spots San standing with Hongjoong, quietly talking to one another as they watch Yunho and Mingi finish their turns. Seonghwa lets go of his hand, walking towards Hongjoong as he hugs him from behind, resting his head on his shoulder, humming contently at something Hongjoong must've said. San turns and spots Wooyoung, a smile fading over his lips as he takes a few steps closer, opening his arms to embrace his partner in a hug. Wooyoung accepts it, feeling immediate relief settle across his skin as he melts into San's chest.

"Everything okay?" San asks, pressing a kiss into his hair after.

"I'm fine." Wooyoung replies quietly, breathing him in.

"Joong said something to the clerks here, about the rowdy group. Is that what made you step out?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung sighs, leaning away from the hug slightly, turning his gaze as he hears Mingi start cackling at something Yunho must've done.

"We thought so." San also turns to look at Mingi, watching as he approaches Yunho with what seems to be an apologetic hug. "I wonder what's going on there-?"

"Shh. Let them be. It's just nice to have everyone back." Wooyoung leans back into the hug, resting his head against San's chest. San holds him tighter, humming contently, turning his gaze away to look down at Wooyoung.

"I agree." San rested his chin gently on Wooyoung's head, settled comfortably against him, not making any move to pull away. Wooyoung's hands run up and down San's back, soothing lines against his covered skin as he sighs, filled to the brim with contentment.

"I love you." Wooyoung mutters, smiling.

San tilts his head away, kissing into Wooyoung's hair again, voice quiet as he murmurs a response. "I love you."

The game ends in a fit of laughter and shock. Somehow, by a miracle, Yeosang manages to bowl a strike, sending their team four points over to win the match. Everyone spends an unknown amount of time laughing and chatting, slowly trickling out one by one until Yunho and Mingi were the only ones left with Wooyoung and San.

Wooyoung was sitting at the table, retying his converse back onto his feet as San returned their shoes, looking up as Yunho sat down next to him.

"Can I tell you something?" Yunho says quietly, earning Wooyoung's eyes immediately onto his own.

"Of course you can."

"Feel free to tell Sannie after we leave, but we're trying to tell everyone one pair at a time. Plus, you two kind of already know what's happening, and it's a lot less pressure this way, I think-"

Wooyoung is nearly sitting on the end of his seat, hoping for the confession of his destined friends ending up together finally.

"I'm rambling a bit, uhm. Anyways. . . I moved back in with Mingi, and we spent a lot of time talking and evaluating everything." Yunho glances around carefully, spotting Mingi currently busy with putting the bowling balls back on their designated racks. "He and I have agreed to try being in a relationship."

"I knew it!" Wooyoung gasps under his breath, watching Yunho smile with a flush coating his cheeks.

"Listen!" Yunho laughs quietly. "We've also agreed that if it doesn't work out, then we're okay with being just friends. There were too many feelings on my end to just ignore, and Mingi had been repressing everything he was feeling, so basically, we were just two idiots with a lot of feelings and not talking about any of it. Mingi is okay with our group knowing, I think he plans on calling Seonghwa tonight after we get home, but he doesn't want to flaunt our relationship everywhere."

"I get it." Wooyoung smiles at him. "I'm happy for you two. San's gonna be happy, too."

"Yunho'ah!" Mingi calls from the bowling ball racks. "Ready to go?"

Yunho smiles at Wooyoung, rising from his seat. "Thank you, Woo. Talk to you soon, 'kay?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung waves to him as he saunters off, leaning back down to tie his other shoe.

A few seconds later, Wooyoung rises from his seat, just in time to spot San walking towards him.

"Ready to go home?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung says, following San out of the bowling alley with a smile and a glimmer of something new within his gaze.

They settle into San's SUV, buckling their seat belts and closing their doors, but almost instantly, unable to contain himself, Wooyoung turns to face San with a beaming smile.

"Guess what?"

"Oh, god." San checks his mirrors as he speaks, backing his car out of its parking space. "I don't know. What?"

"Yunho and Mingi are together."

"No way." San laughs. "You're kidding, right?"

"Yunho told me."

"Did he really?"

"He did." Wooyoung sighs happily. "I can't believe it, either."

"I'm proud of both of them for figuring it out." San mentions quietly, shifting his SUV into drive. Wooyoung hums in agreement. "Did they tell anyone else yet?"

"Nope. We were the first to know, most likely because we kind of knew about everything going on to begin with."

"Ah." San nods, pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

Wooyoung reaches over the center of the car, planting his hand, palm up, on San's thigh. San smiles at him shamelessly, shifting his grip on the steering wheel to slot his right hand with Wooyoung's. He brings their hands up, kissing the back of Wooyoung's hand twice, feeling Wooyoung's thumb drag across his skin soothingly. San sets their joined hands back down on his lap, letting the silence hang over them comfortingly. Wooyoung leans into his seat, eyes gazing out of his passenger window, watching the world pass him by without thought.

"Come to bed." Wooyoung whines, laying down, pulling the blankets over his chest as he curls into a ball, watching San change his jeans into a pair of athletic shorts.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." San laughs, tossing his jeans over towards their laundry tote.

"C'mere." Wooyoung smiles at him gleefully, opening his blanket with his arm outstretched, beckoning his boyfriend to join him in the shared warmth of their bed. San rolls his eyes playfully, huddling in carefully, shuffling beneath the blanket and into Wooyoung's arms.

Wooyoung presses his face into San's chest, arms wrapped around his torso, threading a leg between San's, making content noises all the while. San wraps his arms around him too, gently placing a hand into his hair, his other hand dragging along Wooyoung's spine.

As much as San knew that he was an extreme comfort to Wooyoung, the same applied in the opposite fashion. San craved falling asleep while holding him, a sense of security coursing over him as he drifted off into a peaceful stupor, knowing that Wooyoung was right next to him. It didn't matter if they laid like this or with Wooyoung's back to his chest; San didn't care. As long as he could have him, he was more than relaxed to lay there for as long as Wooyoung had wanted.

Wooyoung leans away slightly, shuffling upwards, kissing San's neck and jaw. San lets a breath pass through his lungs, his hand absentmindedly threading into Wooyoung's hair tighter, just slightly, enough for Wooyoung to notice and graze his teeth across San's skin in retaliation.

"Woo-" San warns, shifting his legs slightly.

"What, Sannie?" Wooyoung feigns innocence, kissing his neck again.

"If you want something, you can just tell me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Wooyoung teases, gently biting the skin against San's jaw. San gasps quietly, the hand that was once soothing the skin along his spine now reaching to grab onto Wooyoung's hip, struggling to keep his composure.

"Young'ah-" San breathes, but Wooyoung continues to ignore him.

Wooyoung continues his slow, open-mouthed kisses, teeth grazing over his skin teasingly, kissing his faint bites afterwards as he strives to make San squirm. He knew San was impatient, but he was surprised at how much resolve he was having now, gripping onto his waist and his hair as if he didn't have the power to flip them over and pin him to the bed.

So, Wooyoung decides to lean up, careful not to hit San's jaw and to give San time to remove his hand from his hair, leaning over San's flushed face with a smirk. San was wrecked, more than he thought he'd be, looking up at him with red-tipped ears and lustful eyes. He was curious about what was to come, but Wooyoung's tongue was soaked in anticipation, intent laced into his eyes.

"Jagiya," San murmurs, looking up at him. "I know you. What do you need?"

"You." Wooyoung leans down, shifting to lean on his hands and knees, starting to hover over San. "All of you. Please."

San moves to lay on his back, allowing Wooyoung to have whatever control he wanted, smiling up at him adoringly. "Then have me."

Wooyoung connects their lips gently, allowing them the time to melt into one another with no rush. Wooyoung moves to sit down on San's lap, still leaned down and kissing into him, hands shifting to rest on San's shoulders. San held onto his hips, fingers curling over the hem of his joggers, slowly beginning to sink beneath to mess with the top lining of his boxers.

Wooyoung disconnects their lips, hands moving down San's chest to grab the edge of his tee, pulling it upwards until he pulls it off of him, San complying without argument. Wooyoung leans back down, pressing kiss after kiss to each of San's collarbones, then down the line of his abdomen, pulling his shorts down just barely to kiss and bite his hip bones. San groans breathily, fingers curling into Wooyoung's hips as he grips onto the band of Wooyoung's bottoms, slowly starting to pull them down and off of his waist.

"Jagi, please-" San breathes, nearly tugging impatiently at Wooyoung's joggers. Wooyoung smiles against his skin, leaving a blooming hickey on his waist.

"Let me take care of you." Wooyoung mumbles, glancing up to look at San through his lashes. "You've taken care of me for so long, and now I just wanna take care of you."

San whines just barely, and Wooyoung decides to give him what he wants. His hands travel down, curling around the hem of San's shorts and boxers as he tugs them down, leaning off of his upper thighs to rid his partner of his shorts. San is needily tugging at Wooyoung's bottoms, which Wooyoung smiles and gives in, helping San tug off his joggers and boxers too. Wooyoung sits back down comfortably on San's thighs, observing as San leans up right, chest to chest now, skin flushed and marked as he looks at Wooyoung with blown-out eyes.

Wooyoung's head tilts, smiling fondly, glancing down as he drags his hands featherlight up San's abdomen, all the way up to his collarbones. San's breath hitches, his own hands moving to start grabbing at the shirt Wooyoung was still wearing, needily tugging that over the male's head.

Completely rid of clothes, Wooyoung can feel his heart thumping against his chest. His heart is so full of love, tongue soaked in anticipation, skin coated in a light layer of goosebumps as he breathes in San's shared air, leaning closer, lips an inch apart.

San blindly reaches over to the bedside table, eyes lulling closed as he traps Wooyoung into another kiss, one that's slow and tentative; careful almost. After rutting around in the drawer, San tosses a bottle and packet down onto the bed next to him, hands returning to grip onto Wooyoung's waist. Wooyoung sucks San's lower lip into his mouth, placing it between his teeth and biting, letting go with a quiet huff as he aches to deepen the kiss. San gives in easily, sliding his tongue into familiar territory, feeling Wooyoung lean into him harder, quickly turning the kiss into a rushed connection, leaving them breathless against one another.

San sighs into the next kiss, hands gently pulling Wooyoung closer, hip to hip. Wooyoung accommodates easily, slinging his arms to wrap around San's neck, hips moving forwards and back, chasing the friction they both so desperately sought out.

Wooyoung disconnects his lips, moving to press kisses and gentle bites against San's jaw and his throat, threading a hand through San's hair and gripping it lightly. Wooyoung bites down on San's pulse, smirking when he hears a guttural noise leave San's tongue. San grabs the bottle, snapping open the lid, presumably coating his fingers, but Wooyoung can't be bothered to look. San grips his hips with his free hand, stopping Wooyoung's slow grind into him. Wooyoung's legs bend wider, kissing up San's jaw, breath stuttering when San presses two fingers into him.

Wooyoung leans forwards slightly, head tilting, pressing down into the crook of San's neck. His hands move to grip onto San's shoulders, nails lightly digging into his skin, nearly panting a mantra of please, please, please incoherently.

San uses his free hand to press two fingers beneath Wooyoung's chin, tilting his head back, threading backwards to rest into his hair and on the back of his neck, leaning forward to bite down onto his neck. Wooyoung whines, nails digging in deeper, back slightly arching, hips struggling to remain still. San presses a third into him carefully, waiting and stilling for a moment until Wooyoung pushes back onto his hand.

"So pretty, Jagi-" San coos in praise, kissing his cheek then the corner of his lips. "Such a pretty boy."

Wooyoung whines again, breath catching in his throat, chest heaving. San kisses down his jaw, down the line of his throat, stopping to bite his collarbone along the way as he holds Wooyoung's head still by the base of his neck. Wooyoung glances down just in time to watch as San looks up at him, and he nearly melts into a puddle. San raises back up, kissing him gently twice, pulling his hands free. Wooyoung listens to a subtle ripping noise rip through the room, chest settling for the moment, heart thudding in a wave of lust and passion, wanting nothing more than to have his boyfriend all to himself.

No one else could have him. Wooyoung was so devotedly his, completely; every shred of his heart given to San without thought. San was his, too without a shred of hesitation.

"Move back for me," San murmurs, and Wooyoung follows as he's told, hands still resting on San's shoulders. In a few seconds, Wooyoung watches San prep himself before he raises himself to his knees, wetting his lips with his tongue. San beckons him closer, wrapping an arm around the small of his back, the other resting just beneath one of Wooyoung's thighs. Wooyoung slowly sinks down, gasping in air, head tilting backwards in a rush then forwards again, brows slightly pinching, stilling for a moment. It was overwhelming, to say the least. His chest was heaving again, eyes screwed shut, listening to his own rapid breaths and San's choked groans. He settles all the way down, letting out a shaky noise, feeling San's arms wrap around him possessively.

San kisses his jaw, then his cheek, moving up to kiss his nose and his upper lip, pulling back slightly, trying to gauge Wooyoung's expression. "Okay?"

Wooyoung nods with a hum, fingers gripping into San's shoulder, letting a faint whine rip through his lungs as he experimentally grinds forwards. San's head tilts back just barely, a steady hand gripping onto Wooyoung's waist to encourage the grinding further.

Wooyoung moves as San desires, reaching a hand into San's hair, leaning forward enough to rest his forehead against San's. Their breaths mingle between them, colliding and hitching, warming the air briefly between them.

Wooyoung finds a comfortable rhythm, doing his best to keep pace, biting his tongue as his chest heaves, feeling himself slowly begin to dive closer to the edge. San's hips tilt upwards at every downward grind, meeting Wooyoung's hips, placing a hand on Wooyoung's right shoulder for the sake of balance.

San was barely coherent, stuck in a haze of limbo, feeling a chord tightly curl internally, waiting for the perfect moment to snap taut. His eyes open briefly, looking at Wooyoung, studying his features and body with an adoring gaze. He was sweating, just barely, hair messy and stuck to his forehead, eyes closed, mouth agape as he pants and whines versions of his name, brows slightly pinched in the middle as he did his best to concentrate.

"God, I love you," San breathes, moving up into him again with a snap of his hips, catching Wooyoung off-guard. Wooyoung lets a high-pitched groan roll past his lips, head tilting backwards, hands gripping onto San as they collectively near their familiar trip into the clouds. San knew Wooyoung liked to be praised, and he'd do anything to watch him fall apart right now.

"You're all mine," San kisses Wooyoung's jawline, murmuring words against his skin. "No one else can have you. You like being mine, don't you?"

Wooyoung nods with a whine, head tilting forward again. San chuckles against his skin, biting his skin, kissing it afterwards. "I'm all yours, baby. You can have me everyday. No one else ever can."

Wooyoung's grip in his hair tightens.

"You're always so good, jagi." San muses, leaning back to connect their lips feverishly, feeling himself near a plateau that seems unavoidable. Wooyoung gasps, hands moving to grab onto any part of San that he can manage, hips struggling to move as his peak nears. It's looming, and based upon how frantic Wooyoung had seemed, San knew he was dangerously close to his end. San bites down on Wooyoung's lip and tugs, lunging forward to kiss him again deeply, moving his own hips faster until Wooyoung's head tilts away, leaning down to press against his shoulder. His hands latch onto San's arms, squeezing for dear life, the chord within him breaking in half, sending a wave of euphoric bliss to tremble over his skin. San isn't far behind him, hands landing on Wooyoung's hips, keeping him still as he chases after his ending, biting Wooyoung's shoulder as he snaps his hips twice more, chest unable to stop heaving for several moments.

Wooyoung's head raises first, a small laugh tumbling from his lips as he watches San slowly raise his head to meet his gaze, smiling with his brow raised.

"What's so funny?"

"I don't know." Wooyoung smiles, humming contently. "I think I'm really tired and a bit fucked out."

"You're cute." San smiles at him, reaching a hand up to brush the hair away from his eyes.

"We've gotta shower now." Wooyoung says in a murmur.

"Oh, no." San sighs playfully. "What a shame. I have to shower with my boyfriend."

"C'mon, weirdo. Come shower with me." Wooyoung gently smacks his chest as he talks, smiling at him with a near-permanent flush to his cheeks.

"Anything you want." San promises, smiling back at him. "I'll do anything with you."

Morning light cascades gently into the bedroom, just barely peeking past haphazardly closed curtains, painting the end of the bed in a ray of warm sunlight. Wooyoung was curled into San's side, blanket tossed over their legs half-assed, sprawled out yet so close to one another, almost as if they subconsciously needed to remain nearby to their other half.

Wooyoung was awake, tracing featherlight hearts on San's bare chest, letting time pass in a haze as he waited for San to finally wake. He knew what he was feeling now, and he had been so sure of it the last couple of passing days. There was no doubt in his mind, and the only thing he wanted to do was to express it to the one person who meant the most to him and who vowed to never leave. San would remain the one forever consistent thing in his life, and Wooyoung was so incredibly blessed to have found someone so devoted to him and would continue to love him despite all of his fears and anxieties about the world.

"I feel you drawing hearts on me, jagi." San mumbles groggily, tilting his head slightly, pressing a kiss to Wooyoung's forehead.

"I w'na tell you something." Wooyoung mumbles back, leaning closer, hand stilling for the moment.

"I'm listening."

"The last week I've been feeling something new." Wooyoung's brows pinch as he talks, slightly in thought as he thinks about the last few days. "I thought I knew what feeling like this was before, but god was I wrong."

"What is it, jagi?"

"I'm truly, honestly, completely, over the moon happy right now." Wooyoung says with a smile, hand falling flat to land on San's chest. "I know I might have bad days and that I might be anxious or whatever, but this is the happiest I've felt in a long time."

"Baby," San turns over onto his side, facing Wooyoung, searching his gaze for anything. He believed him and he believed every word, but finally hearing Wooyoung say it meant everything.

"I'm happy because of Hwa and all of our friends, and I love them dearly, but I'm truly happiest because of you, Sannie." Wooyoung looks up at him, glancing away after a moment. "You didn't abandon me. You stayed with me through everything and loved me through it all. I don't think I would've known what it's like to feel like this without you."

San feels a hint of tears well up in his eyes, but he swallows them, listening devotedly.

"I really, really love you. You have my entire heart and my entire soul, Choi San. You have all of me and you always have. Thank you for taking a chance on me and staying consistent in my life, because I really don't know where I'd be without you."

San couldn't help the tears now, letting one slip past and roll down his cheek. Wooyoung catches sight of it, hand racing up to wipe it away with his thumb, smiling up at San as he rolls over, half-towering over him.

"I really, really love you too, and that's never going to change. You're mine, and I'm yours."

Wooyoung smiles at him happily, reaching a hand to rest behind San's neck and pulling him down, greeting him with a kiss. He sighs contently into the kiss, feeling like his heart was made to burst.

Now, Wooyoung knew where he belonged and where he was to remain. He had San forever and had finally found himself on a steadier, healthier path, no longer succumbing to his fears and his anxiety. He could live free of the burdens he carried for decades and enjoy their new apartment, finally starting his new life with San like he so desperately hoped he could.

San was his happy bliss, and Wooyoung was his, too.

♡◂⸻⸻▸ ✧༺♥༻∞ ◂⸻⸻▸♡

AN: Thank you for reading to the end. Sleepless!Woosan will always remain as a part of me, and I've come to love this story more than I've realized. Discussing a topic as sensitive as relapsing was not easy and should be taken seriously. There is always someone for you to talk to, regardless of what problem you may be facing <3
Please remember to vote for Comatose if you've enjoyed it. Your comments, shares and votes all encourage me to keep writing and to keep going.
Again, thank you for reading and for enjoying "Sleepless" as a series. I hope everyone finds comfort in knowing that Wooyoung freed himself of his burdens and found a way to start being happy for himself, rather than just for San. They're happy, as are all of their friends, settling into their new life in love-stricken bliss.