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⸻⸻ .·:*¨༺ ♛ ♡ ∞ ♡ ♛ ༻¨*:·. ⸻⸻

Wooyoung finds himself waiting outside the admissions office before the sun rises. He couldn't sleep, tossing and turning the entire night as he avoided dozing off, afraid that he would miss the opportunity to rewrite his tuition to place it under his own name. There was no way he could allow his parents to take everything he loved away from him, not now or ever again. Seonghwa never came back to the dorm that night, leaving Wooyoung alone and stuck in a haze of wondering what the fuck to do.

He only came up with one thought, and that was to transfer the owner of his tuition to place it under his name instead of his parents, leaving no room for them to cut him off. He didn't bother to tell San where he was going either, barely thinking about his plan only because it felt like it was the only thing left he could do to save his own ass. He was scared, terrified even; willing to do anything just for the sake of saving everything he grew to love. He didn't want to move across the city and back in with his unforgiving parents, especially not after cursing out his father on the phone just a few hours ago. So he sits outside of the building, back against the brick wall and chewing on his finger nails nervously, eyes bloodshot and cheeks stained with tears, rocking back and forth as he watches the sun slowly peek out beyond the horizon line.

He knows there's a chance that it won't work, but somewhere deeply rooted inside of him, he knows that it has to. The unknown does kill him inside, but somehow he tries to push it away and stow it deep down, swallowing his fear to find the light within his own darkness. It's very atypical of him to feel so hopeful in a truly fucked situation, but it was all he had. He had to cling to something, otherwise he might drift into nothingness. He holds onto the knowledge that he would do anything for San, even if it meant cursing out his parents again. That was somehow enough to keep him sane.

As the sun tips over and light finally shines down onto the Earth, Wooyoung finds himself tilting his head subconsciously, eyes lulling in an effort to chase after missing sleep. The moment the front doors click unlocked, Wooyoung's eyes snap back open, rising sleepily from his nestled confines of depression and anger, pushing open the doors with haste as he rushes to the counter frantically.

"I need to change the holder of my admission-" Wooyoung says as calmly as he can, anxiety settled on his tongue the moment the student working behind the desk eyes him cautiously.

"Okay. I just need your tuition number or tuition holder's name-"

"It's under my father. Jung Tae." Wooyoung bites his lip for a second, nervously chewing on the flesh. "I need to change it to my name."

"Okay, give me a second to look for it." The woman says softly, eyes still clearly tired from waking early to be present for this, and Wooyoung internally hates himself for making the poor girl deal with his bullshit this early. But he had no other choice. He had to do this now, before it was too late. "It looks like your file is in the process of being pulled from all programs. So, I can't-"

"It's what?!" Wooyoung is incredulous, eyes that were once tired now opening wide from shock as the girl beyond the counter looks at him, slightly startled.

"I'm sorry. I can't transfer anything under your name if there's nothing to transfer from."

"When-" Wooyoung collects himself, taking a shaky breath in through his nose. "When did this happen?"

"Before we closed last night, around five?"

"Jesus." Wooyoung sighs, moving away from the counter with a hand threading through unwashed hair. "Okay. Uhm, thank you. Sorry for wasting your time."

The woman nods her head at him before he turns around and moves to leave, heading back through the doors with dejection bleeding into his veins.

His dad beat him to it. Of course he did. He just wished he thought of this sooner, but now he was really screwed out of his chance to fix anything. God, he needed a fucking break. He would do anything to feel a sense of his peace again, praying for the situation to resolve itself.

But, he would be praying for a miracle, one that was sure to never grace his life. He stands hopelessly in the middle of the pathway, eyes gazing around at anything to distract his mind from the turmoil his life was evicting onto him. But nothing was working. He felt the tears coming, he knew a meltdown was ahead of him followed by some sort of rage painted towards his parents, yet he felt suddenly numb. The deeply rooted sadness settles into his stomach, rotating in a pit that he hardly can deter away, listening as the thoughts become consuming and slowly eat away at his sanity. There was nothing more he could do, and though he didn't want to admit it, he knew this was going to happen.

He reaches his hand into the pocket of his joggers, shakily reaching for his phone and unlocking it, swiping and swiping until he reaches San's name and dials the number without hesitation. It rings and rings, leaving Wooyoung to shift his weight between both feet, nervously biting his lip with fluttering eyes, blinking away the exhaustion that pulls at him.

"Young'ah? What's up? Why are you awake right now?"

"Sannie-" Wooyoung smiles for a moment, thankful that his doting boyfriend picked up his early morning call. "I'm so sorry to wake you up right now-"

"Are you crying?" San is incredibly perceptive and he hates him for it, noticing the smallest change in his tone the second it elevates one simple decibel. He was trying to keep himself collected, but his tone slipped his mind the moment he felt relief wash over his skin, and San must've noticed the change in his voice right away.

"N-No."

"Don't lie to me."

"Sannie," Wooyoung cracks immediately, biting his tongue for a second before the tears stream down his face quickly. He didn't want to cry right now, but his chest was aching and his heart was yearning for San's embrace; all he wanted was to be comforted. "He pulled me."

"Wait-" Wooyoung can hear San audibly sit upright in his bed, tossing away his blanket and rustling around for something. "He already pulled you from the college?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung sniffles, doing his best to keep his tears at bay. "There's nothing I can do."

"Young'ah, where are you at right now?"

"Admissions."

"I'm coming to get you."

"No, San'ah, you don't have to do that."

"I'm worried about you. Please don't go anywhere and wait for me."

"Okay." Wooyoung sighs, eyes gazing around for a place to sit and wait.

"I'm serious. Please sit. I'll be there soon."

"Soon? San'ah, it's almost a twenty minute walk-"

"I'm driving there. I'll only be a couple of minutes."

"You have a car?"

"How do you think I go to the gym every morning?"

"I thought you used the bus."

"You're cute, Woo. Please just stay there, okay? Watch for a black car."

"Okay." Wooyoung deadpans, waiting for San to end the call before he pulls the phone away from his ear.

The silence while he waited for San killed him. He found himself sitting against the wall again, back leaning into harsh, red bricks, hopeful that his boyfriend would hurry to come and rescue him.

His head tilts back against the building, staring up at the fading clouds, brightened by the rising sun. He wonders if the sky will cloud over, clinging to gray darkness the city had grown used to in recent weeks, straying away from summer weather and settling into autumn with falling leaves and rain. It was colder, but Wooyoung didn't notice. He was bundled up in one of San's hoodies that he did admittedly steal from him, while also wearing his favorite pair of black joggers that he barely bothered to change out of yesterday.

Before he can clamber into too many horrible thoughts, a black car comes strolling past, the hum of the engine catching Wooyoung's attention readily, stirring enough motivation for Wooyoung to rise from his settled post and trek towards the unfamiliar car.

The window rolls down and San appears on the other side, one hand on the steering wheel with eyes laced with concern all the same. Wooyoung swallows the urge to tell San not to worry, but something hitches in his throat before the words can even come.

"Did you sleep last night?" San asks as Wooyoung opens the car door, settling inside and listening to San roll the window back up.

"No." Wooyoung knows that he basically lied to San, avoiding talking to him before he left last night by showing him his back and pretending to be asleep, and he just hopes that the elder doesn't mention it.

"Do you want to go back to the dorm and try to sleep?"

"I don't know if I can." Wooyoung's head tilts down, voice slightly hitching as all of the feelings come rushing back without invitation.

"Hey," San coos, hand reaching over to catch Wooyoung's chin gently, turning his sad, reddened gaze towards him. "Don't cry, Young'ah."

Wooyoung searches his gaze, unsure of how to respond to him. Instead, he bites the interior of his cheek, letting a few tears slip past his lashes to curl down his jaw. San looks at him as if he was holding the world between his fingers, a loving stare engrossed between both males. Wooyoung doesn't know where he'd be without him, caught in a moment of wanting to spill his annoyingly persistent secret that is bundled tightly in his chest. But he holds it inside of him, finding the moment slightly inappropriate, head tilting slightly as he manages to curl a slight smile on his lips.

"See?" San quietly mumbles. "It's alright."

"Thank you for coming to get me." Wooyoung mutters, feeling San's hand shift to move behind his neck, fingers toying with the strands that dangle across the base of his hair.

"I will always do anything for you, okay?" San leans a bit closer, eyes looking down at Wooyoung's lips for a moment, then flicking back up to meet the younger's gaze.

There it was. The moment Wooyoung wanted. He could've said it right there, right then, but he refuses still, choosing to lean close and kiss San before he can mumble a confession within the seat of his boyfriend's car.

"Are you hungry?" San asks the moment they part, leaning back into his seat with his hand falling to Wooyoung's shoulder.

"Kind of." Wooyoung turns to sit in his seat properly, hands messing with the sleeves of San's hoodie.

"I'll swing by the cafeteria and grab us some pancakes. Do you wanna eat there or do you want to go back to your dorm?"

"Let's go back to the dorm. I don't really want to be around anyone but you right now."

"Whatever you want," San smiles, hand moving to shift his car into drive. "Anything for you, Young'ah."

Wooyoung flashes a smile at him, reaching a hand across the center of the car to rest on San's thigh. San smiles again the moment he feels Wooyoung's hand spread warmth over his skin, carefully driving away from the curb of the admissions building as they settle into a collective silence. Wooyoung enjoys the view as the scenery passes by the car's window, smiling to himself when he sees a dog pass by, enjoying its morning walk with its devoted owner. The leaves were in shades of red and yellow, dappling the sidewalk as they fell from hosting branches, each passing minute making more trees bare in preparation for an incoming winter. Wooyoung loves fall, hating snow more than anyone else he knows. But he finds so much comfort in the rain now, thinking back to memories of walking to the studio, nestled beneath an umbrella with San, laughing and slowly beginning to fall for the male he now calls his boyfriend. It's a memory he refused to ever forget.

Eventually, San pulls into the parking lot near the cafeteria, leaving Wooyoung to sit quietly in the passenger seat as he travels inside to purchase pancakes for the both of them, coming back almost two minutes later, two plastic containers in hand.

Wooyoung reaches over the driver's seat to open the door for his cheerful boyfriend, pushing it open the best he could as San starts to hand over the containers, letting Wooyoung settle them onto his lap protectively. San enters back into his car, restarting the engine and beginning to drive back towards Wooyoung's dorm, listening to the younger silently hum something to himself. San looks at him for a moment, finally understanding swirling emotions bundled in his chest. He knew what he was feeling; he was just waiting for the perfect moment.

Wooyoung and San are now sitting on Wooyoung's bed after eating their pancakes and dumping their garbage, leaning against the dorm's wall with their legs tangled, eyes scouring Twitter together on San's phone. Wooyoung's head was tilted down and resting against San's shoulder, eyes lulling every couple of minutes as he struggled to stay awake. San notices every time, but says nothing, holding out hope that the younger will just fall asleep and stop fighting it, but he knew that Wooyoung was facing some internal demons.

Ever since they had gotten home, Wooyoung didn't bother to talk about what had happened. Maybe he was internalizing everything, or maybe he was trying to ignore it the best he could, but San really couldn't bring himself to pry. It was a sensitive topic and he knew that Wooyoung was afraid of change. Their entire relationship was scary to him at first and San had spent the first few weeks of what was supposed to be newly found bliss consoling the male that he wasn't with him out of pity and that he actually liked him. Regardless of how many times he kissed the younger or sent him texts of pure adoration, Wooyoung always ran right back into his anxious thoughts.

San was always worried about him, more so than he ever has been. Wooyoung was finally on the rise, getting better day by day until he crashed again. San could tell that Wooyoung was sinking, but he wasn't sure how to save him this time. This really felt like the end, the final sinking ship in the game he got caught up in with his parents. He had no moves left, no where else to turn except back to them, and that seemed like their only motive. They wanted to take their son away from everything he loved to bring him right back, torture his mind and brainwash him into thinking it was their way or the highway, leaving no room for Wooyoung to think for himself. San wouldn't let it happen, he couldn't. Not when he felt the way he did.

"D'you think that's true?" Wooyoung mumbles. San's eyes blink back to reality, thumb pausing it's scrolling as he finally focuses back onto the post before them and reading the headline carefully. 'BTS is rumored to be making a comeback soon.'

"Mm, maybe." San sighs, thumb continuing to scroll as he loses interest in reading any further. "They're due to release another album. It's been like five months."

"I need something to look forward to." Wooyoung reaches his hand over to rest on San's toned stomach, tracing his fingers up and down the line of his abs. "Everything feels hopeless right now."

"Young'ah-" San shuts his phone off and drops it off to the side, turning his head to face Wooyoung, who actively chooses to avoid his gaze. "There's gotta be something more we can do. Do you want to call Hwa? He's gotta have something up his sleeve."

"I don't want to worry him with my bullshit anymore, San. I already have to tell him that I have to move my shit out and go back home to the two people I'm starting to hate." Wooyoung hates the admittance, but he no longer feels like he can deny the truth settled deep into his veins. He wanted to love them, he really, truly did. But this was the last straw.

"Do you mean that?" San blinks, trying to gauge Wooyoung's expression, but he remains nearly clueless as Wooyoung looks away from him.

"What part of it? Hating them or moving out?"

"Hating them." San leans his head down slightly, pressing his lips to Wooyoung's temple to kiss his skin gently. "I can't tell if you're joking or being serious."

"Oh no, San'ah." Wooyoung's gaze blinks downwards. "I hate them. I really fucking hate them."

"Woo-"

"No." Wooyoung's words bite more than he means for them to. "Maybe not forever and maybe only for today. But I hate them. They are trying to ruin my life and I just get to have no say in it."

"Breathe," San mumbles against Wooyoung's skin, feeling the younger's shoulders suddenly tense during his outburst with words tumbling from his lips thoughtlessly. "It's just you and me here, alright? They aren't here. They can't hurt you right now."

"They already did." Wooyoung's head tilts down, voice cracking into a whisper. San didn't have to look at him to know the sadness painting his face. He swings his arm to settle behind Wooyoung's middle back, pulling the younger into him with his body turning, his other arm swinging to engulf him into a hug. Wooyoung melts against him, biting his tongue to keep his tears at bay. He was done crying about this, he really was, but it was costing his mental health everything. San does his best to hold him and rock him gently, soothing his aching heart any way he could. Wooyoung loves him for it. He's only ever going to admit that to himself and no one else, hoping to find the courage one day to say it to him personally.

"Let's get your mind off of it, hmm? Let's go somewhere."

"Where?" Wooyoung asks quietly, feeling San press another kiss against his skin.

"Let me take you to your favorite spots." San smiles against him, hands gently soothing the skin they touch as his embrace continues to linger. "We can go to the studio, then we can go to a store in town, any place you want, then we can grab food or coffee, even ice cream if you wanted-"

"I wanna do stuff that you want to do, too." Wooyoung mumbles, but San shakes his head lightly.

"When are you ever going to learn that all I want to do is be with you?"

Wooyoung's face immediately flushes and he turns away, biting away the smile that his lips threaten to curl to. "You're cheesy."

"Is it too much cheese? Did I finally pass the cheese threshold for you?"

"No," Wooyoung giggles quietly, turning to face San finally, pressing a chaste kiss against the elder's jaw. "It's perfect, actually."

"Are you sure you don't want to take a nap first?" San asks, watching Wooyoung's eyes lull and search his face, reddened and bloodshot. He was still plenty tired, but now with nothing keeping him awake and no more fear lingering in his stomach, he finally concedes.

"Do you think I can for a bit? Or at least try?"

"Of course. Do you want me to put something on for noise? I can put on Harry Potter."

Wooyoung smiles sleepily at him, nodding with lidded eyes. "Yeah. Please."

"Okay." San kisses his forehead then leans away from him, turning his head around to glance at the stacked pillows behind him. "Come on."

San leans back into the pillows first and Wooyoung smiles at him, rolling his eyes playfully before giving in and laying down with him, back pressed against his chest warmly. San immediately pulls him closer (if there was any room left to pull against), taking in a long, relaxing breath into his lungs. Wooyoung reaches for the remote, handing it over to San who immediately takes it and turns on the television, leaving the younger to watch curiously. But before he knows it, his eyes are lulling shut and his breaths shallow out, leaning closer and closer to a state of desired peace.

San turns on the second Harry Potter movie, setting down the remote in the space between them carefully, already listening to Wooyoung's hollowed breaths as he tumbles into further sleep. San wraps a protective arm around his waist, eyes watching the movie as it begins playing, holding the younger tightly. He would let him sleep for as long as he wanted, mind busy with one of his favorite movies as he waits for Wooyoung to catch up on missed hours that he spent awake and worried about his future.

The movie ends and Wooyoung struggles to continue sleeping, San eventually drifting off to sleep too somewhere in the middle of the movie. The hazy silence draws Wooyoung's eyes to open, blinking awake as the sun shines brighter into his dorm, finally remembering the events of the previous hours that he'd spent crying and anxiously worrying. San is leaned against him, breathing deeply as his exhales greet the back of Wooyoung's neck. The added weight doesn't bother Wooyoung by any means, he finds it rather endearing, noticing that San was completely comfortable in his bed and resting against him. Given they had been dating nearly two months now, and sleeping with each other more than four times a week at this point, but never yet dipping into overly intimate relations. Wooyoung isn't completely sure why they hadn't slept with each other yet, but it most likely has something to do with his rollercoaster of a life.

Wooyoung was a physical person and he's come to terms with that as of late, loving San's hands on him whenever he could have them. San made him want to be more affectionate, he just made him want to be this new version of himself that he was learning to accept everyday. San was the only person he's ever kissed before, besides accidentally kissing Seonghwa on the cheek when he was drunk once a few months ago, so everything about this relationship felt new.

But as he rises from his bed, San grumbles in his sleep, eyes blinking awake to look up at the younger who was looking right back at him.

"How long did we sleep?" San asks, watching Wooyoung flick his gaze towards his clock.

"Like. . . almost three hours? It's nearly eleven."

"Do you still feel up to going out?" San watches Wooyoung smile and nod his head subtly, eyes searching San's face with a tired gaze.

"Mhm. Let's go to the studio first." Wooyoung bites down on his bottom lip as San sits upright, leaning closely to him with ruffled hair and slightly reddened cheeks.

"Do you have something in mind that you wanna work on?" San asks curiously, but Wooyoung shakes his head.

"No. I just wanna dance with you."

San hesitates for a moment, biting his tongue, jaw tight and eyes drifting towards his lips. "I want to watch you dance, Young'ah."

"Oh," Wooyoung smiles, inching closer, lips gracing over San's teasingly. "What do you wanna watch, San'ah?"

"Your hips," San tries to lean closer, but Wooyoung moves back with a smirk, eyes raking over the sleepy, drunken haze culminating within San's gaze that leads him to believe that he's casted over with a budding lust that stems from their warm, cuddled sleep.

"Anything more than that?" Wooyoung knows he's being overly flirty right now, teasing the elder with a low hum to his voice, but San was incredibly dizzying. He always smelled so good, and he always looked good, so to be only a few inches away from Wooyoung and begging to watch him dance, it was really fucking doing something to Wooyoung.

San was about to speak as Wooyoung juts forwards carefully, grabbing San's bottom lip with his teeth, sucking on the flesh filthily. Wooyoung can't believe the animalistic look that San's eyes move to, groaning a quiet fuck in response to the sudden pull of his lip into Wooyoung's mouth.

The minute Wooyoung lets go of San's lip, San races forward and connects their lips in a hungry, sloppy kiss, hand raising to rest on the side of Wooyoung's face. Wooyoung's hands grab for San's collar, tightening his grip around the fabric against his body, pulling the elder even closer.

San groans into his mouth, feeling Wooyoung smile against his pressing lips.

Even in Wooyoung's darkest day, San brings enough light to make his world seem brighter. Even in the most dreadful, terrifying storm, San is his lifeboat and his savior, waiting with open arms to bring him back to safety. No amount of overwhelming shadows deters San away, always bringing them closer instead of shoving them apart.

"San'ah-" Wooyoung breaks away to breathe, struggling to keep his emotions quiet as he settles back in for another kiss and parts once more. "I really-"

San is impatient, kissing the younger male again harder, his other hand gripping onto Wooyoung's hip tightly with seething pressure. Wooyoung wants to say it, but he can't when San is slotting their lips together and tastes intoxicating, so he puts his hands on San's shoulders and gently pushes him away, tilting his forehead forward to meet the elder's own.

"I gotta say something-" Wooyoung breathes, taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Take your time." San mumbles, a reassuring hand pressed against the back of Wooyoung's neck, stroking the skin with his fingers softly.

"I really, really-" Wooyoung can't get the words out. They're caught in his throat, stuck almost; they won't slip free of his tongue. He wants to say it, but the pressure to be honest feels like it's making him unable to breathe. "-wanna go to the studio."

San rolls his eyes at Wooyoung, smacking his chest gently with a grin pulled to his lips. "You could've just said so. Get your phone so we can go."

"Yeah," Wooyoung leans away, feeling guilt pool in his stomach. "Are we walking or are you gonna drive us in your fancy ass car?"

"I can drive," San mumbles, raising his brow curiously. "Do you like my car or something, Young'ah?"

"I don't know if I should tell you that." Wooyoung swings his legs over the edge, standing on his two feet once they make contact with the cold floor.

"Why not?"

"It might boost your ego." Wooyoung smirks at him before reaching for his phone, placing it into the depth of his pocket.

"Nah, I wanna know what you were going to say." San sits on the edge of the bed now, hands barely resting on the edge of the mattress as he looks up at Wooyoung with interest.

"Fine." Wooyoung heads towards the kitchenette, reaching for his shoes before he kneels down to tie the laces of his converse. "You look really hot sitting in the driver's seat."

"You're right," San smiles. "That did boost my ego."

"I knew it." Wooyoung laughs, rising back to stand the minute he finishes tying his shoes.

San walks towards the front door, kneeling down to put his own shoes on before rising to make eye contact with Wooyoung adoringly. "Ready?"

"Mhm."

"Let's go." San grabs Wooyoung's hand and leads him out of the dorm, turning the opposite direction once they reach the outside of the complex, making their way towards the parking lot instead of their usual route towards the studio. They enter the car, listening to the hum of the engine engulf the quiet as San turns his car on, hands moving to shift his car into reverse.

Once the car is rolling and moving towards the studio, San's hand finds Wooyoung's, holding it the entire drive there.

"I really need to work on this song I have stuck in my head," Wooyoung mentions lightly, opening the front doors to the studio, listening to San hum with interest.

"What is it?"

"More BTS. Are you surprised?"

"No," San chuckles, reaching for Wooyoung's hand as he protectively holds onto it, walking through the familiar hall as he listens to Wooyoung's laugh echo through the vacant building. But as they round the corner, San is surprised to see his dance professor eyeing the board for their usual studio. Wooyoung's tracks slow, almost just as confused as San was, but the moment the woman turns to look at the both of them, Wooyoung has a gut reaction to let go of San's hand.

"Ms. Lee." San tries to sound as formal as he could, but Wooyoung could hear the hesitance lingering in his words.

"Ah, San. It's nice to see you. Did you come to practice?"

"Yeah, actually."

"Well, the studio is yours. I was just marking down times for the week, so, don't mind me."

"Thank you," San tries walking ahead, but Wooyoung is stuck in his spot, glued to it almost. He knows her. He's seen San's dance professor twice before, but from far away and never face to face. But now that he's close and can hear her voice clearly, something sinks in the pit of his stomach the minute she turns to look at Wooyoung.

"Oh, by the way. . . Wooyoung, right?"

"Yes ma'am." Wooyoung forces a smile, watching San's eyes track from him and then back towards the professor.

"Your parents called. I'm sure you might recognize me, I've been friends with your mother for years. My name is Hana Lee. I used to come over all the time when you were younger."

The truth hits Wooyoung harder than an incoming speeding truck. Of course she was the one to see them at the studio all the time, giggling and holding hands, kissing at times and being closer than the 'just friends' lie he had spewed to his parents for the last month. Wooyoung didn't feel his jaw gape open as he stood there dumbfounded, trying his best to blink himself back to life as he thought through the traumatizing couple of hours he had endured because of her.

"W-What did they want to know?"

"Oh, well I told them that I saw you hanging out with San, who was the star student of my class. They sounded really excited for you, so I decided to keep them updated with your progress. I haven't gotten the chance to tell them that you got accepted into my class yet, but I'm sure they'd love to hear it."

She's so endearing. She's really trying to be nice to Wooyoung but all Wooyoung feels is rage. He bites back the words threatening to spill from tongue, closing his jaw and gritting his teeth, taking a moment to inhale a calming breath before settling on words that may've come out a bit more harsh than intended.

"They lied to you." Wooyoung sees San walking towards him out of the corner of his eye, so his gaze turns, smiling at him briefly. "It's okay, San'ah."

"Wooyoung, I've known them for a long time. I don't know if they would lie to me-"

"Can we go talk?" Wooyoung gently points towards the door. "Please."

"Sure," Hana fixes her longer black hair before turning behind her, walking towards the studio door and stepping inside, listening to the two males follow behind her quickly. Hana makes her way towards the computer desk, eyes flicking down in avoidance for a moment, nervously meeting Wooyoung's gaze the moment the younger male approaches.

"I'm sorry to spring all of this on you." Wooyoung firstly apologizes, hands anxiously grasping at one another as the truth comes spilling out. "They've been forcing me to become a doctor or a nurse or something similar for years. So they filled out an application for me to come to this college and I went willingly. I roomed alone and did my studies, but I refused to pick a major as an act of resistance. But I met one of my best friends here, so at the beginning of the semester I roomed with him and ended up meeting San by accident, and now he's-"

San turns to look at him, watching the younger's eyes tilt down towards his shoes, words hanging on the edge of his tongue. But he looks back up, hand reaching for San's immediately. "He's my boyfriend. Mom and dad would never approve, so I kept it a secret. I kept dancing a secret because I love it so much and I never wanted what I had to end. Choosing a medical career as a major would result in me moving dorms, moving closer to the medical facility and I-I couldn't get past the thought of leaving the two people who got me through the worst parts of my life behind."

"Wooyoung, I didn't know any of this-"

"I never expected you to. I didn't even know you were San's teacher, so when I went to watch his dance that he choreographed, I feel like shit knowing that I didn't recognize you. They lie to everyone, they just aren't good people, but they're my parents. I still fucking love them besides all of this, no matter how much I try to convince myself to just finally hate them for once." Wooyoung sighs, squeezing San's hand tight as he winces with realization. "I'm sorry for cursing."

"Nope, it's okay. It's completely warranted."

"They pulled me from the college yesterday evening. I tried to switch over my name to cover the tuition when I graduate this morning, but they beat me to it and pulled everything."

"I'm so sorry, Wooyoung. I really had no idea they didn't know about your dancing."

"It's okay. He's just trying to cheer me up by doing my favorite things, so that's why we came to dance."

"That's sweet of you, San. I'm sorry I'll never get the chance to see you in my class, Wooyoung."

"I'm sorry you had to meet me again like this." Wooyoung shakes his head, but Hana smiles at him.

"It was still nice to see you. Please come to my office down the hall if you ever need anything. Same goes for you, San." Hana makes her leave towards the door, but she stops the moment her hand meets the handle. "Wooyoung?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't give up dancing. Regardless of what your parents say or do. You're really talented, and I would hate for that talent to go to waste."

"Of course, ma'am." Wooyoung smiles at her as she leaves without another word. San lets go of Wooyoung's hand, raising both of his hands up to gently cup both sides of Wooyoung's jaw.

"Are you alright?"

"I will be." Wooyoung isn't sure how to respond at first, eyes searching San's gaze for anything that would provide an ounce of comfort. San smiles at him, smoothing the skin on his cheeks with his thumbs. Wooyoung's world was falling apart, and now realizing the source of his pain, he finds himself feeling numb again, unable to process fluttering emotions that are running rampant. But as he looks at San, he wonders why he's spent several hours torturing himself about being in love with him.

"Ready to focus on the music?"

"Yeah." Wooyoung pressed a quick kiss to his lips before moving to the center of the room, readily stretching his arms and legs while San searched for songs to queue for their stretches and warm up, mostly putting songs Wooyoung loved at the top of the list.

So, they spend an hour warming up and goofing around, passing jokes to one another before finally putting on the song in question, forcing the choreography out of Wooyoung's brain.

For you, I could pretend like I was happy when I was sad.

For you, I could pretend like I was strong when I was hurt.

I wish love was perfect as love itself,

I wish all my weaknesses could be hidden.

I grew a flower that can't be bloomed in a dream that can't come true.

San spends the first few seconds marking familiar moves, leaving Wooyoung to dance the beginning by himself, quietly muttering hits to himself as he keeps in tandem with the beat.

I'm so sick of this fake love, fake love, fake love.

I'm so sorry but it's fake love, fake love, fake love.

Sharp movements launch San into the groove with Wooyoung, keeping pace and structure with the younger as they dance together. Crouching and standing again, hips moving forward with the sharp locks of their arms to flow with the popular choreography from BTS. The lyrics fill San's mind as he listens, wondering about the sudden spur of Wooyoung's obsession with the song that was almost five years old, but something inside of him wonders if it has anything to do with his parents.

I wanna be a good man, just for you.

I gave the world, just for you.

I changed everything, just for you.

Wooyoung is moving with the dedicated part, San off standing to the side and catching his breath, watching the younger move with purpose and haste, avoiding his own gaze in the mirror as he dances. San hates that Wooyoung is in so much emotional pain, but he knows Wooyoung would never admit to it.

But I don't know me, who are you?

The forest just for us, you weren't there.

The route I took, I forgot.

I even became quite unsure of who I was.

Try babbling into the mirror, who the hell are you?

Wooyoung sings the song, mouthing it rather, almost with intent as he moves. San is leaning against the wall, hands on his knees and bent at the waist, watching every single step Wooyoung took with a breaking heart. He knew Wooyoung was using this to work through something personal, something San knew nothing about. Wooyoung probably wasn't intentionally lying to him, but all he wishes is for the younger to be honest. San never expected Wooyoung to spill his entire life and tell him every dark secret, but he just wants to help him. Seeing him like this, seeing him so desperate; San would do anything to take it all away.

The pre-chorus repeats and San joins back into the dance, performing the same moves again, watching the younger carefully with lingering eyes. But, as the chorus starts, San feels something change. It's not the atmosphere or the tension, but something about Wooyoung's aura feels lighter and built with purpose, lips muttering the words of the chorus without missing a beat.

Love you so bad, love you so bad.

Mold a pretty lie for you.

Love it's so mad, love it's so mad.

Trying to erase myself and make me your doll.

Their bodies swing past each other, rolling with the music as their gaze passes when they move, and Wooyoung can't help but feel like San is looking into him, not at him. It's pure, innocent; everything Wooyoung could've ever wanted. But he keeps dancing, moving away from San with the urge to be honest. San watches Wooyoung miss a step, nearly falling out of beat with the song, so he stops, taking a few breaths in through his parted lips as he watches the younger sway, then stumble again.

"Young'ah-" San calls out to him, but Wooyoung keeps going. Wooyoung is adamant on finishing the song, breathing through waves of oncoming emotions, swinging his hips and moving his feet carefully, cautiously trying to avoid messing up anymore.

"Wooyoung, please. Take a break." San tries to reach him again but is unsuccessful.

Wooyoung continues dancing, pushing himself into the chorus once more, dancing into the same moves from before, but this time, instead of stumbling or mumbling the lyrics to himself, he suddenly stops and stands in the center of the studio with his chest heaving. Long black hair dances in front of his gaze, forehead beading with sweat and eyes wandering away from the mirror, turning to look at San who was staring at him worriedly.

San leans away from the wall, blinking twice, unsure of what to say, taking a few steps towards Wooyoung as he watches the male's lower lip begin to quiver, and he ultimately begins to fall apart.

"Baby, why are you crying?" San walks forward, watching Wooyoung tilt his head down, fingers quickly wiping away his own tears. Wooyoung's head leans back upright, a smile pulled on his lips as he pliantly allows San to move strands of hair out of his eyes.

"Talk to me," San whispers. "Please."

Wooyoung searches his gaze, biting his bottom lip with a timid smile. Wooyoung looked tired. He was sweating, eyes slightly red from exhaustion, but he was smiling nonetheless. San was confused, waiting patiently for the younger to speak or say something, wondering what thought could've turned Wooyoung into a sobbing mess.

But Wooyoung looks at him, a slight glimmer to his eyes, teeth letting go of his lip with a quiet inhale before letting the words roll off his tongue. "I love you, Choi San."

San can't believe the words tumbling from Wooyoung's lips as he stands there, soaking in the truth of what seemed to be plaguing the younger's mind.

"I love you so fucking much. I'm so scared to lose you that it's killing me. I never knew how to tell you any of this and I felt selfish the whole time, especially when I'm leaving campus and I have to move across the city, but I had to get it off my chest. I had to tell you, I just had to. I'm sorry-"

"Wooyoung." San smiles at him, brows slightly furrowed as he looks at Wooyoung, silently pleading for the younger to relax. "Breathe."

Wooyoung nods at him subtly, taking a few breaths to relax his inflamed lungs, wiping away his remaining tears to dry his cheeks of unwanted wetness. San moves one more strand away from his face, tucking it behind his ear adoringly. "I love you, too."

"You love me?" Wooyoung's head tilts to the side, almost unable to convince himself of what he just heard.

"I do," San laughs at him, hands raising to rest on the back of Wooyoung's neck, a place he was getting awfully fond of. "I do love you."

"Chaos and all?"

"Yes," San leans in to kiss him chastely, nodding to reassure even further that Wooyoung's hearing was in fact working and he wasn't dreaming. "Chaos and all."

Wooyoung kisses him again, suddenly remembering the song that was blasting overhead. "Can we go to spot number two?"

"Already?"

"Yeah. I just wanna be with you. I want to enjoy as much time as I can with you."

"Stop it," San sighs. "The paperwork hasn't gone through yet. Let's call Hwa and see what we can do, hmm?"

"Okay." Wooyoung leans away, turning to walk towards the computer desk to pause the music and turn off the overhead speakers. San moves towards the front door, waiting for Wooyoung as he shuts the computer off and heads towards the light switches, flicking off all three before leaving into the hall with San right by his side.

"Hey, Woo-" San mutters, settled in Wooyoung's desk chair with an empty bowl of ramen sitting in front of him. "I gotta make a phone call quick. Do you mind if I go next door for a minute?"

"Go ahead." Wooyoung smiles at him from the open bathroom, putting his toothbrush back into its designated cup after turning off the faucet.

"I'll be quick. Put on a movie or something." San smiles at him before leaving towards the hall, closing the shared dorm door behind him quietly. He turns to the right, knocking on his own door for a change, waiting patiently for his isolated roommate to answer the door and move away from his desk. Sure enough, Hongjoong answers the door, eyes tired with black-framed glasses settled on his nose.

"What did you forget?" Hongjoong sighs, stepping aside to let San inside.

"I didn't forget anything. I just need to make a call that Woo can't listen to."

"That. . . sounds secretive." Hongjoong closes the door behind them, wandering back towards his desk that was surrounded by papers and music equipment, monitors alive and computer tower humming. San moves his gaze towards Seonghwa who was distracted by his Nintendo Switch, enthralled by some new game he must've bought within recent hours. San chooses not to bother the elder, sitting down on his own bed that he barely uses anymore.

"I'll be quick. I'll try to be quiet so I don't disturb your music producing magic."

"You give me too much credit, San'ah." Hongjoong smiles at him, sliding back into his desk chair, settling his headset back over his ears to indulge himself again before he was momentarily interrupted.

San looks down at his phone, hand slightly shaking as he dials a new number, one he saved in secret after looking through the campus website in search of one professor in particular.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Lee?"

"San? You know my office is closed right now, yes?"

"I'm so sorry to bug you right now, but I have something to confess to you."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"Wooyoung choreographed my dance for our project last month. I barely did any of it by myself. He had so much input and so much dedication in helping me learn it, and I didn't bother to stop him even when I knew I needed to do it myself."

"San, you know that I can lower your grade for that, right?"

"I understand. But I need to ask a favor of you, and I know it's incredibly selfish of me."

There's a brief silence that falls into the call, and San can't help but worry about Wooyoung and his future. He had to try. He had to have hope that this idea he came up with while waiting for Wooyoung to finish showering would be worth the shot in the dark. "I need to ask you to find a grant, or to find a scholarship that would keep Wooyoung here. He loves this place and he loves dancing. I've never met someone more passionate in my life. I-I can send you the video of my project dance again if you need it to convince someone to help, but I didn't choreograph any of it. Wooyoung did. He's my biggest inspiration and I don't think I could live with myself knowing I let him abandon everything he loves without fighting for it with him."

Another pause. San's heart tumbles in his throat, feeling the simmering urge to vomit the longer the call remains silent.

"Please." San begs quietly.

"I'll see what I can do. But please get some rest. It's late, okay? I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Thank you, Ms. Lee. Thank you." San smiles, hanging up the call with relief washing over his chest. His eyes raise to meet Seonghwa and Hongjoong's gaze staring holes into him, wide with shock and curiosity.

Seonghwa sits upright, his hand-held gaming device settled on his lap. He's incredulous, but surprisingly smiling as San looks right back at him, phone dropping to his thigh. "What the fuck did you just do?"