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⸻⸻ .·:*¨༺ ♛ ♡ ∞ ♡ ♛ ༻¨*:·. ⸻⸻

A week passes by the time Wooyoung realizes that he's grown comfortable in his sudden change in routine.

As much as he claimed to have hated San, Wooyoung spent an awfully long time thinking about how often their paths crossed. It wasn't unusual for Wooyoung to overthink details accompanying his day, but when they involved someone other than his roommate, Wooyoung couldn't help but notice the weird attachment he had to making sure he saw San at least once.

It was a Thursday when San and Wooyoung first met, stirring weird emotions between the two acquaintances, making their dynamic much harder to ignore.

On Friday, Wooyoung spent a lot of time trying to avoid San in their shared lecture hall, but it did very little to deter San away. San kept their conversations light and short, not giving Wooyoung much space to run off once the lights dimmed. Wooyoung wasn't exactly ignoring San, but he did his best to give short answers and soft hums of a response when San bothered him. Wooyoung avoided the dance studio that evening.

The weekend passes and Wooyoung decides to lock himself in his dorm, asking Seonghwa to bring him food when he leaves to grab food for himself. Seonghwa wasn't exactly one to refuse, especially if Wooyoung was paying.

On Monday, Wooyoung decides to take his AirPods to class with him, listening to music when San approaches. San takes notice and stays quiet, but the moment San looks a little bit disappointed, Wooyoung takes his left AirPod out and asks him about the weekend homework. San was soft spoken, but happy nonetheless, sharing his answers and discussing how bad he actually was at math to Wooyoung's surprise. San asks if Wooyoung was going to be at the studio later and Wooyoung almost says yes, but insists he has a test to study for.

On Tuesday, not much happens. The routine is the same and San seems a bit happier than normal, happy to see that Wooyoung was opening up a bit more, but just barely enough to reach a level beyond small talk.

Wednesday provides more comfort as Wooyoung finally agrees to meet with San at the studio where they dance for three hours. They share some laughs and work hard while also putting together some choreography for San's project, listening to various tracks of music they loved equally. Wooyoung sits at the desk as he watches San memorize his new choreography, and for a second he finds himself feeling warm. But the moment he snaps out of his love-stricken trance, he blames his increased body temperature on their intense dancing, putting his feelings down into the gutter.

Thursday brings heavy rain. Wooyoung is about to leave his dorm until he hears the room to the right open, followed by footsteps and quiet mumbles of conversation. Wooyoung isn't sure if it was San or Hongjoong leaving the dorm next door, but he hesitates on leaving for a second, that is until he hears a familiar laugh on the other side of his door.

Wooyoung opens the door, eyes rushing up to see San standing there, almost as if he was about to knock on the door himself.

"San?" Wooyoung raises his brow, looking at the familiar face staring right back at him.

"Sorry, Wooyoung. I was about to ask you if you wanted to grab something to eat on the way to class."

"It's raining, though." Wooyoung blinks a few times, but San smiles and raises his hand, showing Wooyoung the black umbrella resting in his grasp.

"I came prepared for that. Do you wanna go?"

"Only if you're buying." Wooyoung shrugs, stepping out of his door and closing it carelessly.

San watches for a second before pointing towards his door, curiosity lingering on his tongue. "Are you going to lock your door or-?"

"Seonghwa is still inside. He leaves ten minutes after me, so he'll lock up." Wooyoung starts walking down the hall, leaving San in front of his unlocked dorm door. "Let's go. Come on."

San follows like an obedient puppy, catching up quickly with fast-paced steps as he walks next to Wooyoung, suddenly feeling the awkward tension growing between them. Wooyoung didn't really notice, hands in the pocket of his hoodie as they headed towards the dorm's stairwell, but San found it incredibly hard to ignore.

"Have you done the math project yet?" Wooyoung asks softly, opening the door to step onto the landing of the stairs.

"No. Too occupied with my dance class." San closes the door behind them, beginning to walk down the stairs as a question lingers in the back of his throat.

"Before you even ask me, because I know you want to," Wooyoung turns to look at San, nearly void of expression and half a step ahead of him. "I will do the project with you."

"All of the sudden?"

"I can take the offer back," Wooyoung suggests and San laughs at him.

"No, no! I'm just asking. You told me no last week."

"Well, Seonghwa isn't taking the class and I don't really want to do it with anyone else because I hate most people, so."

"Admit it. You like me." San smiles and Wooyoung rolls his eyes.

"As if. I just hate you the least."

"I'll take it." San smiles, rounding the staircase landing to start down the next set of steps.

Wooyoung hates that he's smiling at San's oblivious remark, walking down the stairs a bit faster in hopes that San won't see the lingering smile on his lips.

As they break free of the building, rain continues to fall mercilessly from the sky, clashing into the ground with puddles crowding the side of the asphalt road and paved sidewalks. Wooyoung liked the rain, sometimes choosing to sit outside and relish in the sound of it, liking the quiet associated with the rain. Something about this weather helped Wooyoung think and relax, especially when thunder gently booms overhead and renders his body at ease.

San opens the umbrella and steps under it, huddling a little farther to the right as he makes room for Wooyoung, who flips the hood of his hoodie up preventatively and steps underneath.

"I didn't know it was going to rain," San says almost sadly, starting to walk down the sidewalk towards the cafeteria hall, Wooyoung following suit.

"Me either. But I like it." Wooyoung can feel San's gaze shift towards him suddenly, and he fights the urge to look right back at him.

"That suits you." San smiles, looking back ahead of him as they both listen to rain gently smack the nylon of the umbrella.

"Why do you think so?"

"People who are alone most of the time like the rain. It's almost like a comforting thing to them."

"How do you know?"

"I was that way before, actually. I was alone a lot in high school."

"I would've never guessed that. You're so open and bubbly-" Wooyoung starts as he listens to San scoff. "What?"

"Doesn't mean I don't have a past, Wooyoung. My childhood was anything but happy. As soon as I left my dad's house I chose to be happy and sought out to make friends."

Wooyoung's heart sinks. "So that's why you're so persistent?"

"A little. I've found that being alone doesn't do anything for me. I need people around me regardless of how sad I get."

"You and I are opposites then." Wooyoung shrugs, eyes shifting down to watch his shoes barely miss puddles forming on the sidewalk. "I can't stand being around people all the time. People have only let me down and hurt me, so I just decided to stop letting people in."

"So it's a self-preservation thing?"

"I guess so." Wooyoung sighs. "I've had no problems since I've done that."

"Then why are you friends with your roommate?"

"Seonghwa is different. He didn't really bother me at first like you did, but when I was having a hard time last semester, he was the only one that noticed and I decided to take a chance in talking with him."

San ignores the jokingly-personal dig in Wooyoung's response, finding more interest in Wooyoung's brain and how he's wired, head turning back towards his acquaintance with questions lingering in his eyes. "So it's really fortunate that you guys ended up rooming together then?"

"I put the request in at the end of last year. My parents pay for everything, so I forced them to pay for a single room so I could live alone at first, but, I guess I was tired of being alone all the time."

"You lived alone for a year?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you live like that?" Wooyoung doesn't understand what seems so impossible about living and doing everything alone on campus his freshman year, but San seems to think the task is hardly doable.

"I just barely left. I only left to go to class, eat and go to the studio."

"You really are some sort of hermit." San laughs to Wooyoung's dismay.

"Being a loner has its perks, okay? I don't have to rely on anyone, I only have to clean up after myself-"

"I get it, I get it. But, it seems like you're pretty close to Seonghwa?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, he's basically my best friend." Wooyoung smiles half-heartedly at the comment rolling from his tongue. "I'm sorry I'm so cold to you. I just can't convince myself to make time or room for others in my life sometimes."

"I get it. You have your boundaries. We're only acquaintances, remember?" San flirts lightly, his heart visible on his sleeve. "No strings attached."

"Right." Wooyoung felt guilty at the sound of San's statement, but he breaks away from his emotions once more and tries to focus on something else. "Are we heading to the studio again after class?"

"Yeah. If you'd like to. I've just gotta try to not fall asleep in lecture first."

"If you sleep, I'll sleep."

"It's supposed to be the opposite, y'know? You're supposed to cover for me and I'll cover for you?"

"No, no. That's what friends do. We're not there yet." Wooyoung corrects and San lets a subtle ah ring through while nodding his head.

"I want pancakes." Wooyoung suddenly adds lightly, listening to the rain slowly lighten the longer they walk.

"I don't know if we have time to eat pancakes right now?" San questions timidly, watching the cafeteria slowly come into view.

"We'll make time. Grab what you want, but I want some fucking pancakes."

"Okay," San smiles with a humbling sigh. "Whatever you want."

The lecture goes by smoothly. San doesn't end up falling asleep and Wooyoung still kind of promises to wake San up even if he did accidentally take a surprising nap. But, they stayed awake the entire class, taking down boring notes and talking about possible project ideas, which they could never really agree on to begin with.

Wooyoung and San leave their lecture and almost immediately head towards the studio, blocking out two hours on the board (as usual) for Room A. Their bags find their usual spot near the door, spending nearly half an hour stretching before now leaning against the computer desk, eyes scanning the monitor's screen for a familiar song to appear in the track list.

"Do you want BTS? EXO? Seventeen?" Wooyoung throws out the question to San, but San only hums a response. "You gotta tell me what you want."

Wooyoung normally was oddly specific about the songs he warmed up to, but for some reason, and one he didn't bother to understand, he lets San pick the song.

"Good Boy Gone Bad." San points to the monitor, listening to Wooyoung click on the title before moving away and heading towards the center of the room. The tone of an electric guitar rings through the speakers as Wooyoung rounds the edge of the desk and stands a bit behind San and to his left, listening to the music begin as they prepare to dance.

Woah-Woah, oh

Put that nail in the coffin over the word forever,

You completely changed me when I was fragile,

I spent hours in front of the mirror wanting to become you.

Scratching my face, swallowing my heart,

Woah-Woah, oh.

San and Wooyoung move fluidly, hitting every beat they come across as the dance unfolds. They're in sync as they watch themselves move in the mirror, arms raising and feet shuffling together as they listen to the song unfold.

You kept dumping me,

My tail wagged at you, that's my past.

I just killed me with all that stress.

I just don't care anymore.

Both males crouch down, heads leaning to the side in beat with the song before popping back up again with a body roll. Wooyoung slightly smiles as he rolls upright, hands moving to pop into separate movements that align with San's perfectly. But, as the pre-chorus starts, Wooyoung walks over to San, hand finding San's shoulder while walking in tandem, his back turned towards the mirror and head tilted downwards. He remains unaware of San's eyes trailing his back as they continue for the duration of the dance.

This broken feelings not too bad.

Woah-woah, woah-woah, oh.

Better than those pathetic days.

Watch, watch, gotta watch, watch me, yeah.

I just kill me, kill'n me

Wooyoung and San start to dance in sync again, eyes focused on themselves for a moment, but Wooyoung finds his gaze drifting. The chorus starts with fast-paced choreography, hands and feet moving without thought as he dances with San, but his eyes find it hard to stray away from his dance partner.

He could feel this swarming feeling settling in his stomach, one he wished to ignore but as he dances in line with San and feeling San touch him, Wooyoung can't help the pull he feels towards his acquaintance.

They finish the rest of the choreography, San ending up in center with Wooyoung to his left, heads tilted down with chests heaving. Wooyoung's lungs were screaming for air, forehead drowning in sweat as they stood there breathing silently for a moment before the song began to replay automatically through the overhead speakers.

"I'm fucking exhausted." San breathes, heading over to the computer to turn the music off.

Wooyoung takes the opportunity to sit down on the floor, pushing his long hair out of his face. "That was intense."

"Go again? Or do you want a break?"

"Let's breathe for a second you maniac." Wooyoung watches San smile at him, and god did he hate the reaction his heart had to his smile.

He felt like his entire chest did a backflip when San smiled at him, face covered by the usual black cap he always wore when dancing in the studio. Wooyoung could hardly ever tell where San's eyes landed when he wore the hat, but he was certain that it was never on him, regardless of how openly flirty San usually had been (though he'd be wrong).

San was always touchy and excitable during their unprofessional dance practices, hyping up Wooyoung when he practiced certain verses alone to memorize specific moves or routines. Wooyoung tried to do the same, but was a bit more mild with subtle flirting than San was.

"Do you need your water?" San points to Wooyoung's bag, and Wooyoung wordlessly nods as he breathes through his wave of exhaustion. San doesn't hesitate and grabs the bottle from the pocket of Wooyoung's bag, heading immediately back over to his tired dance partner.

"Here," San says softly as he approaches, holding Wooyoung's black water bottle in his hand.

"Thanks." Wooyoung breathlessly takes the bottle and pops the lid open, taking a long, cooling drink. San follows suit, a relieving sigh rolling through his lips after refreshing himself.

"Can I ask you something off topic?" Wooyoung looks up at San while closing his lid, watching San raise a brow towards him.

"Yeah?"

"Why were you alone a lot?" Wooyoung watches San's face almost fall pale as the question digs a little deeper than their level of friendship would allow. "I'm sorry if that's a bit heavy."

"It's okay, I was just picked on a lot," San avoids Wooyoung's gaze as the truth breaks through the air. "I was obsessed with plushies and figures a lot in school, and when people found out, my life was hell for a bit. The summer before my junior year, I decided to start working out and started bettering myself. But, I ended up distancing myself from any friends I had and just everyone in general, including my parents."

"I'm sorry you were treated that way."

"Kids are mean," San shrugs, sitting down next to Wooyoung. "I sure wasn't perfect either, but, the things they said and did to me really made me not want to interact with anyone."

"I know what you mean."

"I spent my last two years of highschool avoiding everyone. Of course my body shape changed and I gained a lot of muscle through working out, so I gained a lot of unwanted attention, but that didn't make me want any friends or anything."

"We're a lot more similar than I would've thought." Wooyoung adds lightly, watching San's expression light up timidly.

"Why did you choose to be so alone?" San presses gently and Wooyoung almost doesn't want to answer, fingers toying with the handle on his bottle. But he decides against it, teeth barely grazing past the skin on the interior of his cheek.

"My parents are really strict, so I never had time for anything." Wooyoung didn't really need to specify beyond that, but something in his gut made him want to. "I spent a lot of time studying and doing coursework, I just never had time to go out with anyone. I've never had a partner, barely ever had friends. . . I've just never had anyone but my parents."

"My dad was strict with me too, so I get it."

"My parents always made me feel like they never had time for me, y'know? It was strange growing up because I never knew what to expect. If I got good grades, I was met with praise and love, but the minute I failed a test, I was ignored, almost like I wasn't even there or never existed. Parental cold shoulder, I guess."

"So they're really strict, huh?"

"Very." Wooyoung looks back up towards San, almost regretting the words paining his stomach. After a couple seconds of silence and self-pity for unwanted feelings that he can no longer ignore, the words fall off of his tongue haphazardly. "I hate that I like talking to you."

"I don't know if I should be offended or not." San smiles and Wooyoung smiles in return.

"I just hate most people. I guess you're not most people."

"I definitely am not like most people." San chuckles lightly.

"That you are," Wooyoung stands from the floor, hand reaching for his water bottle as he walks towards the mirrors, setting the bottle down away from the center of the studio floor. San watches him and timidly follows suit, placing his bottle almost next to Wooyoung's, just a couple inches away. "Let's go again."

"Alright." San heads towards the computer, eyes searching the screen of the monitor as he looks for a song, but seems like he comes up empty-handed. His gaze lifts towards Wooyoung who was standing in the center of the room wordlessly as he waited, but as soon as he notices San looking at him, his brow raises questionably.

"What?"

"Pick something."

"Play something by BTS."

"Again?" San smiles, looking down at the monitor.

"You said to pick something, so I did!"

"Alright, fine." San looks back up for a second, smiling subtly. "Whatever you want, Wooyoung."

"Jung Wooyoung," Seonghwa scolds once Wooyoung enters back into the dorm, nearly twenty minutes late to their usual roommate dinner. "You're late young man."

"Sorry, hyung." Wooyoung closes the door behind him, tossing his bag onto the counter before bending down to untie his sneakers. "Got caught up with something."

"Was that something San?"

"No," Wooyoung lies through his teeth, trying to avoid the scorned motherly gaze of his roommate, but no matter how much he looked down at the floor, Seonghwa's eyes never left him.

"It's been a week." Seonghwa questions lightly. "What's going on with you?"

"I don't know. I don't hate him like I thought I would."

"Well," Seonghwa sighs. "That's good, I guess."

"He's good company and a great dancer, so I'm really learning a lot from him."

"Okay, but like what kind of company? What does good mean?" Seonghwa teases slightly.

"Hwa." Wooyoung rolls his eyes, lazily making his way towards his closet.

"He's cute, Woo. I know you aren't blind."

"I know he is, but where do I have time to manage a relationship with this guy when I've never even had one before? I have like three months before I have to pick a major and choose to please my parents or be disowned."

"Well," Seonghwa leans back on his bed, reaching for his phone as he feels it vibrate. "Sometimes having someone close to you can relieve stress."

"That's why I have you." Wooyoung grabs a fresh pair of lounging clothes and a towel before closing his closet door.

"What happens when I get a boyfriend?" Seonghwa throws out to just barely catch Wooyoung's attention. Wooyoung blinks at Seonghwa twice before looking away again, heading towards his bed to place his phone on its charger.

"As if." Wooyoung sighs and turns around. "You're never going to ask Hongjoong out."

"What if he asked me out already?" Wooyoung's eyes widen suddenly, nearly dropping the clothes shoved between his arm and his chest as he turns and looks at his roommate who was watching with a growing smile.

"Shut the fuck up."

"He asked me out."

"Shut the fuck up."

"I'm not kidding!" Seonghwa beams, watching Wooyoung's shock turn into a smile.

"How did you-?"

"We have a class together and have been sitting at the same desk together for the last few months. Small talk turned into conversation and that turned into texting-" Seonghwa cuts himself off as he feels his phone vibrate once more. "That's probably him, actually."

"I'm happy for you, hyung. Don't worry about me, though. I was a loner for a long time and if you leave to go mess around with him, I'll be okay."

"You have San now, though."

"I do, but he's not my boyfriend. We're barely even friends right now."

"I can see how you look when you talk about him." Seonghwa mentions subtly, gaze rising from his phone just as Wooyoung turns away, clothes in hand, heading towards the bathroom door. "It's okay to like him."

"I don't like him."

"Okay, okay." Seonghwa gives up, finally tapping his phone awake as he slides the screen open. "Go take a shower. You smell like the studio."

"Yeah, yeah." Wooyoung enters into the cold bathroom, closing the door behind him with a heavy exhale rolling through his lips. He hated when Seonghwa was right usually, but when Seonghwa was right about his own hidden feelings; it was a whole different world of hate.

Seonghwa was incredibly intune with human emotions and was really empathetic, but Wooyoung knew Seonghwa could read him like a book. Though they had only been living together for a short amount of time, it was enough time for Seonghwa to learn his habits and study his behavior, knowing well enough when Wooyoung was fond of something or someone.

However, Wooyoung is hardly ever fascinated by anyone other than himself, so the moment Seonghwa realizes that Wooyoung is spending more time outside of the dorm, he knew there was someone involved in his feelings and routine.

The steam from the shower catches Wooyoung in a moment of silence, heart hanging in the balance as he removes his clothes and closes himself in the shower, letting the warm water roll down his back. His mind has never been this hazy before, let alone this confused.

His eyes close as he leans back to let the water run through his messy ebony hair, a breath of relief following soon after. Wooyoung doesn't immediately start washing his hair and instead lets the water drown him for a moment, letting the silence calm his worried mind.

He's not used to this, this sudden wave of lingering feelings driving his priorities awry and making him wish he could spend more time at the studio than just two seemingly meaningless hours with San. He really doesn't know what these feelings stem from, given it's the first time he's ever had to deal with them.

But as the water trickles down his back and over his spine, he finds himself wanting San's touch there like it was when they were dancing. It should've been insignificant when they were dancing, feeling San's hand gently grace over his middle back and touching his shoulders. But something about the touch feels electric, something that sends chills to his neck and makes him part his lips in remembrance.

Wooyoung didn't like to be touched, but the more his hands wash his body and trail through his hair, the more of an urge he has to see San. He felt like he had a fever suddenly, so warm and flushed, unaware of the feelings coursing through his veins as he stood in the shower, watching the soap flush down the slotted drain.

Only when the water turns off and a towel greets his waist does the feeling subside, settling into his skin as he exits the tiled shower.

Seonghwa was still sitting on his bed by the time he exited the bathroom with damp hair and fresh clothes, placing his dirty clothes and towel into the laundry bag hanging by his closet. Seonghwa's focus was settled deep into his phone, fingers typing away at text messages as his phone vibrates every couple of seconds.

"Still hungry?" Wooyoung asks lightly as he approaches Seonghwa's bed, hand raking through his barely-wet hair.

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"I'll eat whatever, Hwa." Wooyoung watches as Seonghwa continues to text back, nearly oblivious to Wooyoung standing there and half-reading the message he was typing. "You better stop messaging Hongjoong before I leave without you."

"Funny you mention that," Seonghwa looks up at him, finally turning off his phone and setting it down on his lap. "I just invited him and San out to eat with us."

"No you didn't." Wooyoung at first doesn't believe him, but as Seonghwa remains silent and expressionless, Wooyoung feels fear settling into his stomach. "Please tell me you didn't."

"I did."

Knock, knock, knock.

"HYUNG!" Wooyoung whisper-yells, eyes turning towards the door as he hears voices on the other side.

"Sorry?" Seonghwa shrugs, reaching over the edge of his bed to grab his boots.

"Why wouldn't you ask me first?"

"Because I knew you'd say no. If I got them here before asking you, then you'd have no choice but to go because you'd feel bad."

Wooyoung watches Seonghwa with a scornful gaze, teeth biting the inside of his lip as he wonders what cruel world he lived in that would allow his best friend to set them up for what felt like a dreadful double date. "I hate you."

"You'll thank me later." Seonghwa grabs his other boot, lacing it up quickly before pushing himself off of the bed and heading towards the door. "Put your damn shoes on!"

"Oh for fucks sake-" Wooyoung leans down to the drawers under his bed, pulling out a pair of socks and reaching for his sneakers right as Seonghwa opens their dorm door, smiling as he spots their neighbors waiting for them outside. Wooyoung really wanted to kill him.

Wooyoung mumbles more threats under his breath before grabbing his phone and heading for the door, trying to act as chipper as possible once he greets their guests at the door begrudgingly. Seonghwa grabs his keys from the counter and steps into the hall, leaving Wooyoung to close the door.

"You smell good," San says subtly, watching Wooyoung step backwards as Seonghwa locks their door.

"Shut up." San scoffs at Wooyoung, noticing how timid he was now that he had been forced into a social setting outside of his comfortable shared dorm with other people than just Seonghwa.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa lead the group to the stairs, walking a couple paces ahead of Wooyoung and San as they open the stairwell door. San and Wooyoung are quiet for most of the trek down the stairs, only slightly scoffing at things they hear the couple ahead of them say until San can hardly stand the tense atmosphere radiating around them again.

"You seem nervous." San timidly remarks, leaving Wooyoung trapped in a bubble of momentary silence. "Are you okay?"

"I've never been out in a group before." Wooyoung finally replies, hands finding his pockets. "I'm not used to this."

"That's okay. There's nothing to be scared of."

"I know that. . . but I needed to talk to you anyways," Wooyoung shrugs.

"Oh?"
"I was gonna just save this for tomorrow, but, I'm kinda glad we can discuss this now."

San raises a brow timidly, walking in pace with Wooyoung down the stairs slowly. "Alright. What's up?"

"I don't think I want to be acquaintances with you anymore." Wooyoung turns to see the expression on San's face fall suddenly, a flash of sadness tinged in his eyes. "I'd rather just be friends with you."

"Really?" San suddenly lights back up, a smile pulling at the edges of his lips.

"Yeah." Wooyoung leans over to nudge San's shoulder with his own as they reach the landing of the first set of stairs. "I like your dumbass, alright?"

"How sweet of you." San beams, listening to the laughter that comes from Wooyoung's chest.

"I'm really glad you sat next to me last week." Wooyoung's honesty bleeds through his veins, and for some reason that he doesn't understand (not that he understood any of the feelings swirling in his stomach anyway), all he wants is to be close to San.

"I knew we'd be friends." San admits whole-heartedly, watching their friends ahead of them as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

"How so?"

San reaches the final step and stops, turning towards Wooyoung as he stops also. "I just had a feeling."

"God you're cheesy." Wooyoung rolls his eyes as he walks towards the open door Seonghwa was holding for him, listening to San laugh right behind him.

"You seem to like that about me though," San turns to look at him after closing the door behind them and Wooyoung shrugs again.

"I guess so. But, don't be too cheesy. I might get bored of you."

"What level of cheese is too much?"

Wooyoung continues walking behind the other couple, San not too far behind and on his left. "A moderate level of cheese. Like. . . grilled cheese?"

"So if it were mac n' cheese, you'd get rid of me?"

"Without a thought." Wooyoung smiles and San bites back the urge to laugh.

"Wow. You're cold."

"That's the loner in me." Wooyoung looks away from him, eyes watching Seonghwa as he starts to walk closer to Hongjoong. Wooyoung raises his brow, but chooses to leave his roommate alone for the time being. "Where are we even going?"

"Joong has been craving Korean barbeque." San admits lightly. "There's a place not too far from us. It's apparently really good."

"Oh, you wouldn't know?"

"No. Joong hangs out with Mingi and Yunho too much. I'm pretty sure that's where they hang out after smoking or some shit."

"Hongjoong is a stoner?" Wooyoung gasps softly, listening to San scoff in response.

"Barely. He only does it to relax after an exam."

"Mingi and Yunho though? Who are they?"

"Some football guys from the fraternity down the road from our dorm."

"Ah," Wooyoung nods, eyes looking away and towards San again. "Do you know them well?"

"Not well enough. Mingi and I get along pretty good. Yunho is just a goof." San smiles and Wooyoung does too, but very briefly.

"Do you hang out with your other friends often?"

"Not too much. When I can, I try to." San bites his tongue, words hanging on the balance of his lips. I want to hang out with you more than them.

"That's nice, though. I'm sure it's nice to have a group to do stuff with from time to time."

"Oh, Mr. Loner is giving me advice now?" San teases, watching Wooyoung roll his eyes playfully.

"I'm just saying. I can imagine it might feel nice to just dick around with some friends every once in a while."

"Why don't you join us one night?" San offers and Wooyoung winces when he first says it.

Wooyoung wasn't one for crowds or for new unfamiliar people, though he admittedly did want to hang out with San more, he really didn't want to be around new people.

"That might be pushing my boundaries, a bit." Wooyoung declines painfully, listening to San remain silent as they walk. "But-"

"But?"

"Why don't we hang out in my dorm, or something. Seonghwa can hang out with Joong in your guys' dorm, and you can come over and we can play something on my PlayStation."

"Do you have FIFA?" San excitedly asks and Wooyoung bites the urge to smile at him.

"Maybe."

"Then it's a date." San accidentally says, watching as the response catches both males incredibly off guard. They both stop in their tracks and look at one another awkwardly before looking away, hesitant to continue walking. "Not exactly what I meant. I'll use better words next time."

"Right." Wooyoung starts walking again, but very timidly, listening to San's footsteps also begin to continue. "But you're still going to come over?"

"For sure."

"Can you possibly bring over snacks?" Wooyoung feels a bit braver, a smile pulled at his lips.

"Whatever you want." San nudges him lightly with his hand and listens to his friend laugh quietly.

Wooyoung really could get used to that answer.