Perfume • Woosan | Ateez

e i g h t

Take your  t i m e
Pull me  i n
Push me  o u t

• • •

SAN really wanted to know what exactly happened with the gray haired boys mother, but it wasn't the right time to ask any more questions. Wooyoung looked completely shattered in front of him. He was still crying, pulling his hair, which San urgently tried to stop with grabbing his hands and pulling them away from his head, and now mumbling words which didn't make much sense to him. When he started laughing again it was obvious that the boy in front of him had more alcohol, than San had thought. He couldn't do anything but sit on the bathroom floor, hold both of his hands tightly and wait until Wooyoung calmed down. When he finally did and almost fell asleep leaning against his chest, San took all of his strength together and carried the exhausted boy to his room.

He was lucky that it was not far from the bathroom to the old office of his grandfather, since San didn't have the power to carry Wooyoung much further. But he also wouldn't let anything happen to him, so leaving him somewhere uncomfortable wasn't an option. San carefully laid him down on the mattress he had personally gotten up in this room for him and then kneeled next to him, while his upper body was directly above his. Both of his hands were resting next to Wooyoung's head, which allowed him to stare directly down at him. San could see the tears drying on his cheeks, hear the now soft breaths he took and smell the sent of his sweet perfume, while taking in every detail of his face.

»San?«, the boy suddenly asked. A little smile made it's way up to the kneeling boy. It was nice hearing him say his name without it sounding rough or bound with anger. San could almost swear, that he never heard anyone say his name with so much affection and honesty before. Like his name meant so much more to the boy under him, then it just being his name. »Thank you«, Wooyoung whispered after a few seconds of silence. San was so shocked of the sudden outcome of this night, that he didn't know what to say anymore. He just softly rested his forehead against the others, which was much more of an answer, than a thousand words would've been anyways. At least he hoped that the other would understand what he wanted to tell him with this sweet gesture. San then started stroking through Wooyoung's hair and sat next to him, until he fell asleep for good.

He maybe slept four hours this night, but when he woke up because of Yeosang accidentally playing a video on his phone, San immediately got up from his bed wide awake. He instantly wanted to check on Wooyoung, so he rushed down the stairs and opened the door to the old office as quietly as he could. One part of him was doubting that he would still be in that room and expected him to be gone, but there he was, still laying on the mattress, looking more peacefully as ever. There was no pain or anger in his expression while sleeping and his chest was softly going up and down. San had the urge to kneel next to him and get his fingers lost in the gray, silky hair again. He wanted to be there when Wooyoung woke up, so he didn't feel alone again.

But he couldn't.

They were not the only ones in this house anymore and this situation would not easily be explainable for foster brothers, when somebody saw them. It was pure luck that he had closed and turned away from the door only a few seconds before Jongho stepped out of his room. »Good morning, hyung«, the younger boy said, while looking at him with tired eyes. His hair stood up in every direction and his face was a little bit puffy, which made him look even younger than he actually was. San gifted him with an honest smile, but turned back to the door behind him for a second nonetheless, before following his youngest brother down the stairs to the breakfast. 

San didn't eat much this morning and after he also didn't do anything, but sit on the beanbag in the living room and act like he was watching TV. He couldn't do anything but to think about Wooyoung, who was probably still sleeping upstairs. Alone. There was no way of getting in that room without being seen, since his brothers decided to not be just lazy on Sunday for once. Mingi and Yunho were working on some kind of robotic car in the kitchen, Jongho was helping Halmoni with hanging up more pictures in the hallway and Yeosang was sitting right behind him on their large couch. Hongjoong was the only one who wasn't in the way of him checking on Wooyoung, since he wasn't home and most likely at Seonghwa's place again.