flutedrum | woosan ✓

41

The quiet of the room was nearly suffocating. Wooyoung sat on one end of the couch, knees pulled to his chest, staring out the window. His thoughts were a tangled mess, emotions swirling endlessly, none of them making sense. The pain still lingered, the hurt still fresh, but he knew something had to change. He couldn't hold onto this anger forever.

San stood a few feet away, shifting awkwardly, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He had been trying for days to get Wooyoung to talk to him again, but Wooyoung had shut down after their explosive argument. San understood why. He'd messed up, big time. He could see it in Wooyoung's eyes every time he tried to approach him. But he couldn't let this stay broken—not when he still loved Wooyoung so much.

"Wooyoung," San's voice was quiet, almost hesitant. He took a step closer, watching as Wooyoung flinched slightly but didn't turn away. "Can we talk?"

Wooyoung's fingers tightened around the fabric of his sweatpants. His throat felt tight, his heart conflicted. "What is there to talk about, San?" he muttered, his voice tired. "We've said everything already."

San shook his head, his eyes softening with sadness. "No, we haven't. Not everything."

There was a long, painful pause. Wooyoung bit his lip, fighting back the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him again. He had been angry—furious, really. The betrayal of San's actions still cut deep. But beneath that anger, there was also a longing. He missed San. Missed what they had before everything fell apart.

San slowly moved to sit beside him, leaving enough space between them for Wooyoung to feel comfortable. "I know I hurt you," he began softly, his voice thick with regret. "And I'll never stop being sorry for that. I should have told you everything from the start... I should have trusted you."

Wooyoung finally turned his head to look at San, his eyes glassy. "Why didn't you, San? Why didn't you just...talk to me?"

San swallowed hard, guilt weighing heavily on him. "I was scared," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want you to get hurt by everything we were planning. I thought... I thought I was protecting you."

Wooyoung's brows furrowed, his frustration bubbling up again. "But you didn't protect me, San. You left me in the dark, and then everything just... collapsed. Do you know how that felt? Watching everything we worked for fall apart, and not even knowing why?"

San's chest tightened. He hated himself for putting Wooyoung through that. "I know," he said, his voice cracking. "And I'm so sorry. I didn't think about how much it would hurt you. I just... I thought I was doing the right thing."

Wooyoung exhaled shakily, his anger beginning to fade into something else—something softer, more vulnerable. He wanted to hold onto his anger, to use it as a shield, but the sadness in San's voice was breaking through.

"I miss you," Wooyoung whispered, his voice barely audible. "I miss us."

San's heart ached at the words. He reached out, hesitating for a moment before gently placing his hand over Wooyoung's. "I miss you too," he said softly. "Every day."

Wooyoung looked down at their hands, his fingers trembling slightly under San's touch. He wasn't ready to forgive everything—not yet—but maybe he could start. Maybe they could start.

"I don't know how to fix this," Wooyoung admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "But I don't want to lose you."

San squeezed his hand gently. "We'll take it one step at a time," he promised. "We'll figure it out together."

For the first time in days, Wooyoung allowed himself to relax, just a little. The anger hadn't disappeared completely, but it was no longer overwhelming him. He glanced at San, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. Maybe they could heal. Maybe they could find their way back to each other.

"Okay," Wooyoung murmured, his voice soft. "One step at a time."

San nodded, relief flooding through him. He wasn't expecting everything to be okay right away, but this was a start. And for now, that was enough.