HAPPY ENDING | svt ✓

⁵⁴ : laughter

if awkward situations could be expressed as people, woozi and hoshi would be the prime example.

while the rest had left the mansion, the pair had stayed behind, not uttering a single word to one another despite sitting on the same couch.

hoshi had no idea what to say or even do with the boy near him and what made matters worse was the fact that he already knew he had no chance with him.

so instead, he stared at his own hands as though they were the most interesting shapes in the whole world.

dread crept up on him — was this what they were going to do for 2 hours while everyone else was out and about?

"what do you want to do?" woozi was the first to break the silence, sighing as he shifted closer to hoshi, the mad hatter instinctively moving away and bringing about another sigh from woozi. "i won't bite so why the hell are you moving away-"

"you hate me right?" hoshis' words came out unexpectedly, his voice a lot weaker than he would've wanted it to be.

it was a question that had been bugging him for a while. in fact, it had bothered him ever since the night of the dance when woozi had shown him kindness then the next moment completely acted as though he were a mere pest staring at him through the window.

he wanted to get over him but every time he tried, he just felt disappointed not only in woozi but in himself for giving up so easily.

"i mean, it's fine if you do! i don't really hold grudges but-"

"i'm sorry." for the first time in a while, hoshi met woozis' eyes, shocked upon hearing the two words he never would've expected him to say falling out of his mouth. "i don't hate you but i'm aware that i haven't been the nicest either."

hoshi could feel tears welling up in his eyes but he quickly looked up at the ceiling lights and stared straight into them in an attempt to get rid of said tears.

"i've just been feeling a lot of shit lately and also if you want to cry, you can — why try to stop it?" woozi commented, watching hoshi glare at the lights as a teardrop slid down his face. "you look like an idiot trying to suppress it."

"isn't this supposed to be an apology?" hoshi asked, letting out a small laugh as he wiped the tear from his face and looked back at woozi. "but thank you for trying to apologise in your own way."

woozi hummed in response, silence falling upon them once more. but this time, it felt a little bit more comfortable than before.

"hoshi," woozi started, hoshi watching the trees dance outside. "how does it feel to like someone?"

"you just know it really," hoshi said, smiling as a few birds flew past the window. "you find yourself wanting to spend time with that person a lot more than before. every time they look at you, you can't really help but feel all sorts of emotions. actually, when you like someone, i feel like your emotions somehow become a lot more heightened." hoshi faced woozi, his nose red from sniffling. "but you should know better than me — you're the one in a relationship."

woozi nodded slowly, uttering a soft agreement under his breath.

another pause occurred, hoshis' mind drifting off to what others may have been doing until something occurred to him.

"have you been feeling shit about your relationship with cheol lately?"

the expression on woozis' face showed him an answer as clear as day, as if the word 'yes' were painted on it in neon colours.

for someone who seemed to pride himself on being emotionless and uncaring, to hoshi, woozi seemed like a book waiting to be opened and understood.

and maybe, just maybe, he could be the one to truly read between the lines that was woozi.

"do you wanna talk about it?" woozi stared at him as though he had gone mad and perhaps he did — he was the next mad hatter after all. but mad or not, he still wanted to help him out in any way he could. "i mean, my mind might start forcing me to speak in riddlish soon but you can be sure i'm listening to whatever you have to say because my mind might be gibberish but my comprehension is still okay! i think?"

to his surprise, woozi laughed.

"you're really weird," woozi said, a smile tugging on his lips but hoshi could barely process what had just happened.

he couldn't believe it.

the first time he had heard woozi laugh was because of his own words and efforts and not that of others which was what he expected.

he expected to be a mere spectator, just watching him from a far and thinking that naturally, his feelings would disappear.

but he was the one who made him laugh with his own rambling.

"your laugh..." woozi tilted his head slightly. "you-you should do it more often."

"i don't listen to you shakespeare," woozi scoffed and yet, despite his words, he had broken out into a proper smile, his eyes crescent moons and his cheekbones lifted. "but maybe i'll take you up on that offer since we have time to spare. so, would you be my listening ear?"

hoshi nodded, ignoring how fast his heart was beating and how many words were flying through his head that could barely form a single coherent sentence.

the time that followed flew by in a blur, hoshi listening attentively throughout and smiling because he finally found some place for himself in woozis' story — even if it was just a minor role.

–––

vee talks!
update (1/2)
(yes it's double update time :p)

soonhoon (in this story) is a rly tricky pairing bc of woozis attitude (in this story) but his weird attitude will be better explained in the future (pls bear with me 🙏)

how's everyone doing?