best of me | woosan (✓)

- four -

tw / mentions of abuse

a few days had passed since san and wooyoung had gone to the coffee shop together, and those days hadn't been pretty for either boy. san suffered at the hand of his father, the boy being beaten nearly every day, and wooyoung suffered from severe sleep deprivation, brought on by no longer being able to get to sleep at all. the younger was terrified of his nightmares, and wanted nothing more than to have one good night's sleep without a nightmare interrupting.

tonight was just another sleepless night, but wooyoung couldn't take it anymore. he thought a walk would be helpful, and when it wasn't, he felt defeated. he sat down on his bed upon getting back and sighed, then stared at san's contact in his phone. the two had been texting nonstop since their visit to the coffee shop, and wooyoung was already completely trusting of the other.

finally, wooyoung decided that he should just text san to find out if he was awake or not, and if he was, then he'd figure out what he wanted to do next.

wooyoung
are you awake??

within seconds, san responded, surprising wooyoung.

san
yeah, whats up, woo?

wooyoung's heart fluttered at san calling him by his nickname as he typed out his response, not fully thinking of what he was saying.

wooyoung
i can't sleep.. can i come over?

san
my parents would kill me if i
had someone over so late..
i can come over to yours tho
if you'd like??

wooyoung
it's okay, you don't have to..
don't you have class tomorrow
anyways??

san
woo, i'll come over, don't worry

wooyoung
thank you..

san
i'll be there in 10, i'm just going to
change real quick. send me your
location, okay??

wooyoung quickly sent his location, then put down his phone and looked out the window while he waited for san anxiously. all he wanted was a hug from his newfound friend.

not long after, wooyoung saw san walking up to his door and he rushed downstairs to greet him. when wooyoung opened the door though, he noticed san had a black eye.

"san... your eye..."

"shit..." san muttered. "don't worry about it, woo..."

"i can't just not worry about you, san. c'mon, come inside," wooyoung requested, taking san's hand and gently pulling him inside.

he shut the door and gently cupped san's cheeks, tilting his head to get a better look at his eye.

"how did this happen?"

"it's nothing... i promise."

"san, tell me how it happened..." wooyoung begged, his voice wavering.

san noticed the worry and sadness in wooyoung's voice and tried his best not to break down. he hugged wooyoung tightly, resting his head on his shoulder as he sighed.

"how'd it happen, san?"

"i-i'll tell you upstairs..."

wooyoung nodded and led san upstairs, then the two sat on wooyoung's bed.

"my parents don't usually drink, but when they do, my dad gets violent. he punched me.. he was mad i was home late and he had been drinking so he didn't think twice and punched me," san explained, lies falling off his tongue like he had been rehearsing this for years.

the story was half true. his parents didn't usually drink, however they were always violent.

"san..."

"i'm okay, wooyoung. it doesn't hurt that bad."

"okay... i'm trusting you."

san nodded and pulled wooyoung into a hug, secretly a bit thankful that the boy cared so much. wooyoung felt safe in san's arms, a feeling he hadn't felt in ages.

"i'm tired..." he mumbled.

"then lay down, i'll leave when you're asleep..."

"i can't fall asleep, san... i-i haven't slept in days."

san racked his brain for some way of helping the younger sleep, he couldn't bear to see wooyoung so frustrated and upset.

"what if i hold you? would that help at all?"

"i-if you want to... it might? i don't know..."

"we could talk for now if you're not sure, i just want you to get some sleep tonight..."

wooyoung nodded, then grabbed san's arm and pulled him to lay down beside him. san hissed in pain, but per usual tried to make it seem like it was nothing.

"san... take off your hoodie."

"i-i don't have anything under it..."

"san, i heard that. take off your hoodie, let me see the bruise..."

"but—"

"i'm serious! san, let me help you... please."

no one had ever directly asked san to let them help him. no one had ever cared that much, not even his friends (or so he thought). he secretly wanted help, but he also never wanted anyone worried about him.

he listened to wooyoung, and carefully took off his hoodie, immediately hiding his stomach with his arms. wooyoung gasped at the sight, seeing san's bare skin littered with bruises.

"you lied, san. these aren't all new, some of these are days old... your dad didn't just punch you. what really happened?"

"i can't tell you, woo... it's too soon."

"too soon?! san, if there's something going on at home, it's not too soon. i don't care how long i've known you, i want you safe."

"i'm okay. i promise you, if it gets really bad i'll tell you."

"no... you can't just promise that. i want you safe now. i don't want you to wait until it gets bad."

"i don't want you to get involved, woo. i want you safe too y'know..."

"but—"

"i'll stay here for a couple days if that makes you feel better..."

"it doesn't have to be just a couple days, san. we may not have known each other very long, but you can stay as long as you need to. your safety is important to me."

"i'll think about it, woo. let's just get you to sleep and after class tomorrow i'll go home, grab some stuff, and then come here."

"okay..."

san and wooyoung laid down after san put his hoodie back on, then he wrapped his arms around the younger and pulled him close. san began to trace shapes on wooyoung's side, allowing him to relax.

it wasn't long before wooyoung's breathing had slowed into a soft, steady pace, signaling to san he was asleep. for san, this moment with wooyoung was special.

he finally felt as though someone cared and that he could actually be loved.

-
it's gonna feel like they're moving really fast but i'm kind of going to skip through the beginning of their friendship a bit so that the juicier stuff comes quicker ;)