𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚢 | 𝖼.𝗌 𝗑 𝗃.𝗐

t̸e̸n̸

6pm

wooyoung was currently sat inside san's car watching the street lights go past in a blur while wondering where on earth san was taking him.

just a few hours ago he'd had a call from yunho telling him to take some time off work, that he could handle it and would get mingi to come help out. this just made wooyoung feel even worse though. he did love being at the bookstore, surrounded by his favourite thing; his form of escape. but he didn't want to make work more difficult for yunho by being... him.

"where are we actually going, san?" wooyoung asked after they'd be driving for about twenty minutes.

"before I tell you, you have to remember that I'm trained and I know what I'm doing. you have to trust me"

"what are you talking about?" wooyoung asked, confused.

san stole a glance at him before he answered. "I want you to tell me where it happened"

wooyoung paused in fear. "I can't go there, san"

san indicated and pulled up on the side of the busy road before turning off the engine.

"listen, wooyoung. I wouldn't do this if I thought it was going to be bad for you. you need to get over what happened. I don't mean it in that way, but what I mean is; you need to move on from that chapter in your life in order to, well, live"

wooyoung hesitated again. he felt his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of having to re-live that horrible, horrible moment. "I don't think I can do it, san"

"you can wooyoung. I'm right here by your side. I've got you. now please, give me the address"

something in san's eyes convinced him that it really was going to be okay. nobody had ever been able to convince him of that before. so he decided to trust his instincts and give san the address.

as they neared the street where it had happened, wooyoung felt his palms become sweaty and his head spinning. he was getting flashbacks already as they got closer and closer.

"san..." wooyoung croaked.

"I'm here, woo. it's going to be okay, you'll see"

"I can't face it, san. I still can't face what I've done"

"you can, wooyoung, I prom-"

but at that moment wooyoung felt the vehicle swerve sharply to the side of the road and heard the screech of the breaks as san narrowly missed a man who had decided to chance it and cross in the busy traffic. san took a deep breath as he composed himself.

wooyoung froze before he began to feel angry. "what the fuck, san?! did you do that on purpose?"

san was calm as he replied. he hadn't planned this at all but it was perfect. it seemed almost like fate that this had happened. "no I didn't, wooyoung"

again, san indicated and found somewhere appropriate to pull up. when he stopped, he once again turned the key and turned to look at the frightened boy.

"calm down, wooyoung. it's okay" he reached out to touch the younger's hand. "I didn't plan that at all, we were just gonna come here and talk. I wouldn't do that to you" he explained, "but it's good that that happened when it did. now, I hope you can see, how easily these things can happen. if I hadn't seen that guy when I did it could have been a completely different story. you just simply were not as fortunate as me, but it's just how things happened. you are no worse of a person for what you did than I am for what just happened"

san squeezed wooyoung's hand tightly as he spoke. he could see wooyoung processing all this information and hoped it was going in.

"but... I took someone's life... a child"

"I could have taken that guy's life" san said matter-of-factly.

"but you didn't. that's the difference between us, san. and I didn't even pay for it"

san felt the anger rise as wooyoung spoke those words. "you've paid, wooyoung"

"what do you mean?"

"every scar, ever suicide attempt, that loser changbin hurting you, everytime you go home alone because you think that's what you deserve, every negative thought you've had about yourself. you've done your time"

wooyoung shook his head in disbelief. a tiny, tiny part of him thought that san maybe had some reasoning in what he said.

"you've done your time, wooyoung. five long years. now you can be free"

tears began to stream down wooyoung's face as he listened to the older. "can I...?" he whispered through the tears. "I want so much...to be happy... can I be?"

san pulled wooyoung into a tight hug in the front of the small car. "I'm gonna make sure you are" he spoke through the sound of wooyoung's whimpers.

"I...want...to...be...happy" wooyoung cried. san pulled away from the hug to help wipe wooyoung's tears away as he continued crying relentlessly.

"hush now, woo. you don't have to cry anymore" san soothed as he looked into wooyoung's beautiful dark eyes. and before he knew it, his lips met wooyoung's. his lips were soft and felt so good, despite being wet from his tears. they stayed connected for a few seconds before pulling apart.

"thank you, sannie"

"you're incredible, woo" san told him before he leaned forwards into another kiss. he had no idea where this came from but both boys apparently had had the same idea.

san couldn't deny that he cared very deeply for wooyoung and wooyoung couldn't deny that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about san since they first met.

"I'm going to take care of you from now on, woo"

"I'm so glad I met you"

san smiled brightly at this, despite the tears that were beginning to form in his own eyes.

"now come on, it's been a tough few days for you, let's get home"

-----

"will you stay again tonight?" wooyoung had asked as soon as they arrived back to his apartment.

"if you want me to"

wooyoung wanted to tell him to stay forever, but this was obviously a little forward. so instead he said, "yes please"

san's face softened into a smile that showed his dimples.

"it'd be my pleasure"