begin again | woosan (✓)

- epilogue | part 2 -

[ one year later ]

it had nearly been a year since seonghwa and hongjoong had gotten married, meaning that it had also been almost a year since wooyoung and yeosang had moved in with their partners.

while the transition started out rough for wooyoung, living with san became something he couldn't imagine existing without. being able to have endless cuddles and love without one of them having to go to the other's house felt amazing, and for wooyoung, the constant love and affection meant fewer times being stuck in a bad mindset where he could be easily triggered.

san and wooyoung were laying on the couch, watching a movie with bada curled up next to them, carefully watching his human and monitoring for any signs of panic, especially considering the particularly rough panic attack the boy had a couple of days earlier.

nine months prior, bada had officially become a psychiatric service dog, and the timing of it all was perfect. san had been going to visit his family during a week that wooyoung couldn't take off at work, meaning he was home alone more often, especially when he got home around dinner time and the other couple in their household was eating out. being alone, although easier than it used to be, was still difficult for wooyoung, and often brought along a lot of anxious feelings. it was especially hard that week when there was so much stress weighing him down, making him vulnerable to panic attacks. thankfully, bada was by his side for it all, making the week slightly easier to handle.

"bada's watching you close," san whispered.

"it's because of my panic attack the other day..." wooyoung whispered in return, turning to face san instead of the screen.

the older paused the movie, bringing his attention to the boy in his arms.

"you're still anxious about it... still thinking about what could've caused it?"

"mhmm..."

"i have some thoughts on what it might be... but i wanna hear yours first. what do you think might have caused it?"

"um... stress build up from work? or maybe... well, i guess there could be an anniversary or something?"

"do you think it could be because it's almost the anniversary of when you moved in here? that you're processing that it's been a year since you last lived with hwa?"

"oh... yeah. i forgot about that. it does feel weird still, not living with hwa. but i guess i also feel a little guilty? for not missing it all the time?"

"that makes sense... you guys lived together for a long time, love. some people may think even a year later you should be caught up on missing how things used to be. but the fact that you've found comfort in living here? that's so important, woo. you're allowed to feel guilty and for things to feel a little weird, but it's also okay if you're not constantly missing it."

wooyoung only nodded, nuzzling into the crook of san's neck as his eyes welled with tears.

"i love you, woo... living with you is so special to me," san whispered.

"i love you..." wooyoung choked out, struggling to keep his tears at bay.

"it's okay if you need to let it out, lovebug. i'm right here with you, you're safe."

with that, wooyoung started crying, curling into san's embrace. the older stayed quiet, allowing for wooyoung to feel and process.

healing was a constant cycle for both boys, and san understood that. but he also understood that wooyoung's trauma required a lot of care to assist in healing, and while sometimes that meant just being someone to hold the boy and shower him with affection, it also meant affirming wooyoung and making sure he knew he was safe and sound.