Dulce Periculum

16. Sugary Gifts

Yunho made it back home in the evening and worked through a placement test Wooyoung handed him for his classes so they could estimate his knowledge so far (not that he had any) when the peeping sounds on the door told him someone was trying to come in. Just as he pushed back from the table, the door swung open and a man shouldered inside. He had a sports bag over a broad shoulder and cradled a box in his hands, trying to close the door simultaneously.

When Yunho appeared in the doorway, he was met with a dimpled grin.

"Hey there. Could you help me for a second?" He held out the box and Yunho grabbed it so he could come in. With a huff, his visitor kicked off his shoes and placed his bag on the floor.

He wore his black hair short and a healthy tan warmed the hue of his skin. His slanted eyes formed into crescents from the might of his grin. Over all, he looked like a very polite cat.

"Choi San, your new roommate. Sorry about the mess when you arrived. Wooyoung chewed my ear off," he winced, but Yunho shook his hand with a friendly grin.

"No worries, you had no idea I would show up. I'm Yunho."

Relieved Yunho wasn't stuck up despite his nerdy glasses, San beamed back at him.

"Born 99, right? We are the same age."

"Hell yeah," Yunho grinned before he moved aside so San could come in. He placed the mystery box on his table while San shrugged out of his varsity jacket. He was ripped, the shoulder to waist ratio meticulous, hard work. Though he was a good bit smaller than Yunho, he could probably throw his weight.

How lucky he seemed as nice as Wooyoung promised.

"I brought you cake as your little welcome party. I hope you like it, otherwise I can order some food for us," San explained with a nod at the box. When Yunho whirled around like a possessed man, San stifled a snicker in the cosy sweater he shrugged on to wear at home. A gym nut, through and through, but he looked like an even politer cat now.

Once he unwrapped the spoons that came with the cute chocolate cake, Yunho got them something to drink. He was already comfortable around San. Perched on the ground with each other, San was just as casual to greet him.

"Wooyoung told me about you and your struggle with Auresce. So sorry to hear what you had to go through. Hoping it only gets better from here on out." They toasted with spoonfuls of cake and Yunho tried the treat. Very sweet, so he would eat from it for several days, but it was delicious.

San also seemed satisfied.

"I'm glad Tenebra found me. It's a better experience already."

"Glad to hear it. Always ask me as well if you have esper-related troubles. We can also train together. Well, muscles. Our powers aren't very compatible."

Yunho sucked on his spoon and blinked at San through his fringe and his glasses.

"Wooyoung called you the S-rank esper most famed in Tenebra. What can you do?"

Though he looked smug at the compliment, his explanation was pretty wise.

"I can dissolve myself and the things around me into acid. Like bleach, think bleach."

Intrigued, Yunho thought back to what Auresce preferred. Acid sounded like a risk both to San and to his surroundings. Especially with such a high rank. Was he one of those people they shunned and tried to get rid of?

"The upside is that I can deal with pretty much all demons by dousing them until they are nothing but spots on the ground. The downside is that all of my bodily fluids are acidic, so I'm to be touched with caution."