Floriculture.

by Somehowimherenow

Summary:

Wooyoung had almost forgotten what it felt like, to be young and in love.
He’d traded all of that in when he started really pursuing his career, drowning himself in the thing he loved to do instead of a person he thought he loved, full stop. There were days he’d thought he should probably put himself out there. Keep up with the ten different conversations he’d been picking at on a dating app, go out on an actual date instead of ghosting somebody simply because he didn’t see the point. But nobody had piqued his interest enough to drag him away from his work, because his work was his first, true love. It had been there for him through every highschool romance or college fling, had been there to inspire him through finals and bring color to the bland summers in between.
People had never been there for him as selflessly as he had always been for them. So after a while, he stopped trying to see why he should put his ink down and let somebody have his undivided attention. Allow somebody to waste his time and money, sap his emotional energy. And then that fucking gardener started smiling at him and it made his chest remember. Made him want to feel that feeling again.
San made everything in his body want.

Notes:

hi guys this fic is my baby please handle with care. it's not super well edited because im scared if i dont post it now i'll give up on it and i don't want to do that T-T

**cw// implied eating disorder- It's not explicitly talked about, but it's implied that wooyoung has some kind of an eating disorder in this fic.

Wooyoung was always curious, about him . 

That man that put so much care into tending to every single one of what seemed like hundreds of plants, outside the restaurant at which he worked. His landscaping often flowed off to the rest of the street, even spanning across it. To the left and right of that restaurant, he made sure it was vibrant green for as long as the season would allow. It was safe to say that that section of road, ever bustling and always lively, was the most well-tended part of town. Even after children ransacked his pansies and passersby snapped the ends off of his aloe, he still tried to make his flora look presentable, less sparse. He still managed to look so pleased, hidden there between the hibiscus and monstera.

Maybe Wooyoung was just interested in him because he spent most of the day staring out his dusty window, anyway. Nothing better to do than watch his mystery man wait tables through smudged sun glare and illuminated dust. He could probably clean the window, if he wanted to. Get himself a better view. He didn’t think that was a good idea, considering how long his little obsession had been brewing. He didn’t need to throw more kindling into the fire. For the last couple of months since he’d started working at his little shop, he’d been eyeing him. When he didn’t have appointments, he was watching, stylus idle in his hand as he watched him come out to water some of his plants or lead a group of clients to a table, menu boards tucked under his arm.

⋅❁⋅

“Stop daydreaming and finish that- Isn’t her appointment in like, thirty minutes?” Wooyoung felt a tap on the back of his head, blinking a few times before looking up at the shop owner. Park Seonghwa, not a spot of ink on him, but his husband -

“I’m sure he’s got it almost finished, anyway.” Hongjoong circled around Wooyoung’s booth, fresh ink on his arm covered with some Tegaderm Seonghwa had just applied a few hours ago. Hongjoong was Seonghwa’s number one test dummy, covered in all different types of tattoos. Different styles, colors, fonts, designs. A jagged puzzle of experiments and yet, he was always happy to let Seonghwa do whatever he wanted. Not like the man ever did a bad job- Seonghwa was a phenomenal artist with a huge range of styles that he was more than talented with.

“I do have a finished one… I was mostly just messing around with this one…” Wooyoung looked down at his tablet and furrowed his brow, tapping it to remove a few of his last pen strokes before holding it up for the both of them to look at. 

“...She’ll love that.” Seonghwa smiled, finally leaving him be to finish with his very obvious window shopping . “We’re going over there for lunch, later. You could join us.” He grinned and leaned into Wooyoung’s field of view, snickering when he was waved off by the younger.

“No, thanks. I packed lunch.” Wooyoung grumbled and looked back down, double tapping his screen before turning it off, letting his head fall back, eyes shut. 

“Crackers and pepper jack is not lunch but I’ll allow it.” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and made his way back to his own chair, where his client had been taking a break but seemed ready to continue. Wooyoung felt his neck crack before lifting his head back up, just about flying backwards off his chair when that man was standing right in front of his window. 

“ Jesus -” Wooyoung scrambled to not fall on his ass before getting to his feet, somehow managing to not bash his head off the floor or a dividing wall. The man waved, an apologetic look on his face as he bent to finish clipping the dead leaves off of the hydrangeas that were housed right underneath his window. 

And of course, Wooyoung stole the opportunity to stare at him up close. He held his stylus in hand and tablet up as if he were in the middle of doing any kind of work, when in reality his eyes were locked on the peek of ink blooming from underneath the man's shirt. He leaned a little, trying to make out what it was. He knew he’d had tattoos, he’d seen enough before on his arms and the back of his neck- Even if he never so much as stepped foot in their shop, with them being directly across the street. 

He was a little jealous.

A tap on the window sent him reeling back, and the man was grinning at him, stifling his amusement into a modest smile before holding up a piece of paper, a page in his little notepad he probably used to write down orders in. Wooyoung felt his heart shake, just a little. Just enough to warm his cheeks and make him sit up a little straighter. 

sorry - 

   whats your name ? 

Wooyoung blinked at it a few times, watching the guys casual confidence turn to nervousness the longer he didn’t do anything in response. Why was he asking this question now ? Why didn’t he just come inside? The door was like, three feet to the left-

wooyoung

   whats yours ? ?

Wooyoung had opened a new page in his digital notepad before scribbling on it and turning it around. He double checked the size of his chicken scratch to make sure it could be seen, slipping his fingers over the screen to make it a little bigger. The man grinned again and flipped to a new page, scribbling something before holding it up to the glass again.

san

He’d scribbled a rough drawing of two mountain peaks next to his name and Wooyoung fought a laugh, finding that horrifically endearing and he remembered why he rarely ever cleaned his windows. He found the man incredibly attractive and his crush was getting worse by the second.

what are you doing over here ? ? 

Wooyoung watched San ponder that question for a moment before flipping his page again, tip of his tongue poked out between his lips as he thought of what to write back. Wooyoung noted the amount of people leaving the restaurant behind him and assumed there must have been a rush of people clearing out, so maybe he had some downtime. He pressed his paper to the glass again. 

finding out the name of the 

    guy thats always staring at me

                  ;)

Wooyoung’s jaw dropped and he looked down to furiously start scribbling, erasing his own words about three times before he looked up again, and San was laughing, a new page flipped and pressed to his dirty glass. It was his phone number. Wooyoung blinked at it, leaning up to snap a picture of it on his phone rather than scribble it down on his tablet and possibly accidentally lose it forever. Then he erased his words and wrote down something else, flipping the tablet back around.

dont expect my number back

     i dont just give that out you know

San laughed again and Wooyoung wanted to melt into the floor. He could hardly hear it through the glass but he knew it was pretty, from what he could hear- Something genuine that lived in his chest and slipped out unchecked. That was something Wooyoung had observed about this San. He was almost always happy, grinning, laughing. Pleased, when he was tending to his plants. He held his book up again. 

Good :)

Oh . Wooyoung watched him stuff his book back into his pocket and wave, turning to look both ways before jogging back across the street. Somebody was yelling to him from the restaurant doorway, looking over him at Wooyoung with a curious expression and that made him turn abruptly in his seat. He stared down at his phone, hardly hearing the bell above the door ring that signified someone's entry. He was too engulfed in the photo of San’s phone number to properly greet his client until she was standing right in front of him. 

“Hey! Sorry- Let’s get started.”

⋅❁⋅

San recognized the two men sitting in his section at lunch. They came often, but usually got something to go or sat at the bar, which was not his area- That was all Mingi. Best friend, pain in the ass, coworker, bartender. But having those two seated in his section on today of all days only heightened his anxiety. Were they upset he’d distracted one of their workers? Did Wooyoung complain to them about him? Were they sick of him tending to their flowers out front?

“Here you are-” San had carried out both of their dishes and the bottle of wine they’d requested, sliding their plates in front of them with a pleasant smile before setting two glasses down. He uncorked the wine and poured it for them, quiet for a moment before his brain had the bright idea to speak up. “Just you two? Is anyone else joining you?” San asked, looking between them, watching both of them shake their heads. 

“We can’t get the other two out here to save their lives. They’d rather finish their appointments and starve than take real breaks.” Seonghwa huffed, sipping his wine with a little smile at the taste. San was aware of one other artist that worked in their shop. It was a smaller place, so only four people working there made sense. He’d seen the occasional apprentice come and go, but nothing since Wooyoung started... Or maybe, he’d been too enthralled to notice anybody else.

“Yeosang sometimes gets food delivery, though.” Hongjoong piped up, and Seonghwa nodded, spinning some noodles onto his fork. 

“That’s right- It’s almost always Chick-fil-A, or something worse .” Seonghwa scrunched his nose up. San looked up at Wooyoung’s window, watching him tattoo some girls lower back, her shirt clipped up to her mid-back. 

“What about Wooyoung?” San asked, staring, missing Seonghwa and Hongjoong eyeing each other before cracking mischievous little smiles. 

“He packs a lunch, sometimes… Why do you ask?” Hongjoong was picking at his bread but was mostly intrigued by San’s blatant staring. They’d both seen him flirting with Wooyoung in the window, even Seonghwa’s client getting in on the drama as they all watched San push his phone number up to the window and Wooyoung take its photo. They were well aware of why San was asking about him. 

“I just- Do you know what he likes ?” San asked, tripping over his words a little, finding it hard to pick out exactly what he wanted to ask so he didn’t sound too creepy, but both of them snort-laughed at him anyway, making him turn a little red. 

“In a meal, or in men ?” Hongjoong asked, jumping when Seonghwa tried to kick him but ended up whacking his foot off the table, rattling every dish between them. He tried to hide the agony in his expression while San floundered with that information. In men? Were they onto him? Mocking him? Was Wooyoung into men or were they fucking around-

“Food -” San croaked, and Hongjoong snickered at both of them, washing down his grin with a sip of wine. 

“I wish I could tell you- I don’t think he’s all that picky, though. No cucumbers… Hates bell peppers.” Hongjoong answered, and San nodded to them before hurrying off, disappearing into the building, away from the outdoor seating area. Then he hurried to the kitchen, hoping he could beg Yunho to cook him two to-go meals in the middle of their lunch rush. 

Luckily, he agreed.

⋅❁⋅

“So he just… gave you free food?” Wooyoung eyed his boss, who had handed him and Yeosang the takeout boxes San had given them, free of charge. Seonghwa nodded and pushed the container at him, Yeosang’s already in the microwave for when he finished with his client. Wooyoung had just finished up, still peeling his gloves off, half messy in his workstation but he took the container anyway, setting it on a less cluttered surface. 

“He’s probably trying to bring in more customers. Don’t read too much into it.” Hongjoong passed by and waved his hand at them, stacking a few magazines at the front desk. Seonghwa turned and raised his hand back in an attempt to threaten a smack, but Hongjoong just giggled at him and went about his work. 

“He was asking what kind of food you liked. We couldn’t very well tell him crackers , so we just said you weren’t picky.” Seonghwa backed off, waving as Wooyoung stared at him before turning to his mess, and the to-go container. It did smell pretty good…

He finished his tidying, cleaning all his tools before putting them away. He was already done for the day, deciding he’d stick around for a few more hours in case there were any walk-ins. But Tuesdays were always pretty slow anyway so he didn’t really keep his hopes up. Once he’d washed his hands, he returned to his booth and it was just him and his to-go container, staring each other down until he decided to pop it open and see what it was all about. He stared at it for a second while he found his seat, popping the plastic wrapper off of the utensils he’d been given. 

“Why’d he give us free steak?” He grumbled, poking at the admittedly delicious looking hunk of meat sitting beside a modest portion of some kind of pasta dish.

“You got steak?” Yeosang’s green little head popped up over the side of their very low dividers, just enough for his eyes, but he held up a half eaten sandwich over the side for Wooyoung to see. “I got a fried chicken sandwich- It’s actually really good.” Yeosang sounded overjoyed, bringing the sandwich back down and Wooyoung heard him take a bite. He chuckled at his friend and watched him disappear. “Tell me if it’s good!” He called, and Wooyoung looked back down at his food, cutting into the extremely tender meat with his knife. And then he took a bite, leaning back before kicking his feet a little. 

“It’s good. ” Wooyoung grinned, stabbing the entire hunk of meat before bringing it up to his face to take a chomp out of it. He was so engulfed in his meal he didn’t even notice Yeosang looking over at him again. 

“Don’t choke .” He chuckled, and as if on cue, Wooyoung coughed, setting his meat down to have a coughing fit and try not to pass out. Once he was successful in not passing away, he slumped back in his chair, deciding to cut off smaller pieces like a civilized human to stuff in his mouth. 

The pasta was equally as delicious, but he only let himself have a few bites, tucking the rest away for later so he didn’t overeat and make himself sick. He had to mentally fight himself to leave it in the mini fridge, but he gave in, washing his hands before returning to his work station. He noted the restaurant across the street was slowing down again, and San was back outside tending to his plants, half on his phone but Wooyoung supposed that was what he did on his breaks, too. Took care of the greenery that seemed to depend solely on him. Then he tucked his phone away and looked over at Wooyoung’s window, and Wooyoung froze and San froze, two deers in each other's headlights. He broke his pink-cheeked stare, rushing back inside. And then Wooyoung had a realization.

Was he waiting for a text?

⋅❁⋅

It took him a lot of nerve, working up the guts to message San after he finally entered his number into his phone contacts. He’d put two little mountain emoji’s on either side of his name, staring at the little text box as he tried to figure out what to write. He struggled for about twenty minutes before he got an idea, leaning forward to wipe some of the dust off the bottom of his window. He ended up having to get some cleaner and take care of the whole damn thing, making the view much less smudgy, greatly cutting the golden-hour glare. Then he finally got to snap his picture, the backs of the hydrangea that San had tended to a few hours ago. He sent it, followed by a very simple ‘ its wooyoung’ . He got an answer almost immediately. 

did you like it ?

Wooyoung smiled to himself and leaned back, looking across the street to see if he could spot him, but he had no such luck. He must have been inside, for once. Then Wooyoung glanced around his own shop, making sure nobody was spying on him, pushing his back to the wall so nobody could look over his shoulder. It wasn’t that he’d get in trouble for being on his phone- He just didn’t need to hear anybody taunting him for being shit at flirting- Or even just texting in general. He responded with a simple ‘yes’ , then followed it up with a heart emoji, because he apparently liked giving himself little heart attacks. He’d meant to put a smiley face, but an orange heart was beside it on his recently used list and he’d tapped the buttons too fast to realize before it was already marked as seen . And then San didn’t respond.

Wooyoung liked to think he was cool, collected, calm. Level headed. Didn’t get obsessive easily. He surely didn’t care that San had left him on seen . For almost an hour.

⋅❁⋅

“Alright, but it’s orange . What does orange mean?” San had set his phone down in the middle of the bar, three other sets of eyes looking down at it, all wracking their brains over what that meant. Why this guy would send San a heart on the second text .

“Maybe it was just that good?” Yunho offered, brow furrowing as he stared at the extremely short text exchange that had all four grown men stumped.

“ Clearly he’s interested.” Jonho pointed out, mindlessly wiping down glasses as Mingi mindlessly washed them. 

“In what? The meat? Or the man ?” Mingi asked, brows raised, extremely invested because he’d been rooting for San to make a move on the tattoo guy for weeks. San had been obsessed with him since he’d appeared in that storefront window, making extra trips outside, taking on the responsibility of the entire outside seating area on his own just to be able to see him.

“Both, I hope!” San sputtered, rubbing his face, exasperated because it had been fourty-five minutes and he still had no idea what to fucking write back. Then Yunho smacked his hand on the table, brows shot up under his bangs. 

“Ask if he wants dessert! Ask what dessert he likes.” He rushed out, and San snatched the phone up, juggling it for a second before typing in a hasty message. He sent it and put the phone back down, everyone staring at it as the message sent. “Dessert has two s’s.” Yunho chuckled, and San slumped, his forehead hitting the bar.

“Why dessert?” Mingi asked, finishing the last glass before moving to help Jongho dry them all. 

“Because it could be a legitimate question, or it could be taken as flirty.” Jongho smirked and wiggled his brows, all of them scoffing at him before the phone buzzed again and everyone stiffened, crowding in to read the response. 

i like sweet things ;)

“ He winked! ” Jongho jammed his finger toward the phone, everyone making their own noises of excitement as San hurried to snatch the phone back up and struggle all over again. “It was totally flirty. He’s flirting. A heart, and then a wink? ” Jongjo scoffed, looking down at his glass collection. “That’s a hundred percent flirting.” He muttered, and Yunho chewed his lip, watching San struggle. 

“What would you know? You haven’t dated since highschool.” Mingi shouldered the younger man, making him roll his eyes at the low blow.

“...See if he’ll come have something. I’ll make whatever. And- Take your break, you can sit with him.” Yunho looked even more giddy than San did, tossing his towel over his shoulder, all of them turning to look busy as their boss passed by. He was completely ignoring all of them, but they acted like they were busy anyway. Then San pulled his phone forward to type his question, sweating from his palms as he hit send . 

⋅❁⋅

The damn winky face was an accident, too. Wooyoung felt anxiety in every limb as he bounced on his toes, waiting for traffic to clear. It was a busier hour, by the time he finally decided to head across the street to San’s workplace. He’d told him what time he could head over and he still felt nervous, like he was intruding. He found himself at the front steps before he even realized he’d crossed the road, hands stuffed in the pockets of his zip-up hoodie. He bounced on his toes again before stepping up to the door, pushing it open.

“ Welcome to- ” 

Both of them froze. It was a little dramatic, considering they’d planned this and both of them had been expecting to see the other- But it still felt a little surreal. San had been watching Wooyoung from a safe distance since he’d sat in that chair and started working there, in the tattoo shop across the street. He’d watched him laugh with his clients and coworkers, watched him hard at work, hunched in the same position for hours. Watched as frustrated tears welled in his eyes when something didn’t work out, watched him throw balls of paper against the window like they’d offended him. And Wooyoung had watched San just as much- Stared at his pleasant smile and the casual way he managed to make conversation with every table, no matter who was sitting at it. Watched him hide away in the corner on his breaks, tucked between creeping ivy and a few spider plants. Wooyoung even had a number of sketches of him, buried deep in the folders of his digital art program. They’d both watched, for longer than the other knew. And they both felt the same amount of guilt, embarrassment over being an admirer. Though neither one of them knew they weren’t alone, in that fact. 

“It’s you.” San finally broke the weird ice between them and Wooyoung smiled, stepping up to the little podium that housed a cup of used crayons and a few piles of worn menus. Wooyoung had only ever heard his voice muffled through the glass, and it sounded even sweeter in high definition.

“It’s me.” Wooyoung grinned, and San felt his palms start to sweat, rubbing them on the legs of his jeans behind the podium before he stepped out, nodding for him to follow. “Thank you for lunch, by the way.” Wooyoung leaned up to say, San far too nervous to look behind him before turning, holding an arm out to a small booth almost in the center of the restaurant.

“I’m glad you liked it- The chef was happy to hear it, too.” San grinned, letting Wooyoung slide into his booth before pushing the dessert menu in front of him, and Wooyoung perked up, tugging it closer to look over the options. 

“Way better than anything I could ever make.” Wooyoung muttered, brows raising as he spotted something that piqued his interest, pointing at it as he slid the menu back towards San. “Mint chocolate cheesecake? Is that for real?” Wooyoung grinned, and San nodded, picking the menu back up. 

“That what you want?” San asked, a little chuckle in his tone because Wooyoung seemed a little too excited- But it was adorable all the same, the way he’d bounced a little in his seat as he took the menu from him. Wooyoung nodded, leaning forward to kick his feet a little before San smiled and backed up. “Be right back, then. You want a drink or anything?” San questioned, tucking the menu under his arm and Wooyoung stared at him for a second before shrugging. 

“Sprite?” He’d hesitated because he’d just noticed how broad San’s shoulders were. He’d always thought they were, but being up close to him- His apron was tied tightly around his waist, which was incredibly tiny and Wooyoung had never seen someone quite like him. Everything about him was pretty and perfect. His face was sharp and soft all at the same time- Even though he’d drawn him, stared at him, watched him- He didn’t notice it until he was within arms length and he gripped the front of his hoodie just to keep himself from reaching out. 

“I’ll be back, then.” San smiled and turned away, heading over to the bar to lean and tell the bartender what he’d asked for. There was some heated whispering, followed by San taking a set of glasses from him before turning back to Wooyoung, a nervous smile on his face as he made his way back over. “It looks like I’ve been forced on break, so- Can I sit?” San asked, placing Wooyoung’s cup down, waiting for his permission to seat himself with him.

“Absolutely not .” Wooyoung huffed, and San felt all the color leave his face instantly. “Oh my god, I’m kidding!” Wooyoung giggled, breaking instantly before gesturing across from him, tapping on the table a few times. San huffed when he sat down, pushing his cup in front of him as he tried to get himself together because that was terrifying . Rejection, even as a joke, was terrifying- Though he found himself chuckling anyway, taking a sip of the water Mingi had made him take. “Bad joke.” Wooyoung chuckled, leaning forward, sipping through his straw as he watched San’s color come back. He felt a little bad for freaking him out- But something about it was endearing, somehow. The way he’d even bothered to ask if he could sit with him, as if this wasn’t a meeting set up between them. He noticed a few petals peeking out from under San’s sleeve, spilling onto his hand and Wooyoung nodded at it. “You’ve got a lot of tattoos, and yet you never come to our shop.” Wooyoung raised a brow and watched San sweat a little again. “Should I be offended?”  He grinned, and San pushed his cup away, swallowing hard on his mouthful of water. 

“ No ! No, I just haven’t gotten anything new in a while.” San pulled his sleeve up a little, exposing what looked to be an abstract rendition of some different kinds of flowers, no color, just partially faded ink and Wooyoung wanted to fix all of it. It desperately needed new life and he perked up a little, reaching out to take his arm and pull it closer. San let him, feeling his whole body prickle with heat as Wooyoung traced his thumb over his skin, pressing and stretching and inspecting and it felt a lot more intimate than it actually was. “... how long have you been tattooing for?” San asked, voice quiet so he didn’t disturb Wooyoung's investigation. Because for as awkward as it was, he’d have let him trace those trained fingers over him all day if he wanted to. 

“A few years… I only just came here because Seonghwa got back in contact with me. We went to college together- I had no idea they had their own shop until he reached out.” Wooyoung rambled as he moved higher up his arm, pushing his sleeve up over his elbow. He’d found some script he couldn’t even read, so faded and worn it made him frown. He clicked his tongue and backed off, letting San’s arm go. 

“What?” San asked, a nervous smile on his face because Wooyoung looked unhappy and he wasn’t sure why. Were his tattoos ugly?

“Nothing- Do you like ‘em?” Wooyoung asked, flipping his pleased expression back on because he picked up on his nervousness and Wooyoung didn’t want him feeling bad. He also wasn’t about to blurt out that his tattoos desperately needed a rework if San was happy with how they looked.

“I mean- Yeah. I can’t really read this one anymore, though…” San poked at his skin and pouted a little, firing an arrow right through Wooyoung’s chest. He had to lean back to stop himself from squeaking over how cute that man could be. 

“What’d… What was it? What did it say?” Wooyoung asked, leaning forward again once he regained his composure. 

“It’s from a song. Real original, I know.” San scoffed, as if the idea was a dumb one and Wooyoung furrowed his brow, reaching out to pull at the skin under the smudgy letters. 

“If it means something to you, it doesn’t matter if it’s original .” Wooyoung murmured, and San stared up at him, then looked back down at their fingers beside each other, faded script nestled between them. 

“Until you bloom, like a spring flower.” San spoke softly, and Wooyoung smiled, sliding his thumb over it. He could see it, now that he’d said it. It still didn’t change the fact that it was horribly distorted 

“Well, if you ever want to fix it, I’ll give you a really good deal. As a thank you.” Wooyoung looked up and met San’s gaze, both of them staring for a while until plates were set down in front of them and they broke apart like kids that had been caught doing something bad. 

“Yeah, I- Maybe I’ll take you up on that…” The man that had brought their food just smiled at the both of them before moving away, hurrying back behind the bar with two other workers. San stared them down, eyeing his three friends to make them go away - Mingi stayed posted where he was, the other two scurrying into the kitchen to look at him through the little kitchen window.

“ Maybe? What, you don’t trust my skills?” Wooyoung chuckled, cheesecake already shoved in his mouth and San smiled, picking at his chocolate cake with anxiety clawing at his gut. 

“Fine- Definitely . I definitely will take you up on that.” San huffed, smiling as he looked up and saw Wooyoung playing with a mint leaf. 

“ Good .”

⋅❁⋅

It took almost two weeks, but San and Wooyoung had moved from casual texting to Wooyoung seeing good morning! flash across his phone screen around ten o’clock every morning. It was always just before San walked up to the restaurant for his shift and right after Wooyoung had just gotten himself settled for the day. They talked about everything and nothing, sending each other random photos throughout the day, from bad little drawings on napkins and whiteboards in the restaurant's kitchen to finished tattoos Wooyoung wanted to show off to him. 

“You’ve been talking to the plant boy ?” Hongjoong approached Wooyoung with a grin, leaning over his short little divider as he worked on tattooing a teddy bear on some girl's ankle. 

“Yes- Will you get out of here? I don’t need you distracting me.” Wooyoung huffed, sitting back for a moment to let his client look over his work so far and relax her leg.

“I was just curious … Sheesh.” Hongjoong instead stepped up to the window, squinting out across the rainy street to try and see the man in question, but it looked like all the tables had been pulled in due to the weather. 

“It’s not like it’s anything serious, anyway. We’re just talking, as friends. ” Wooyoung huffed, and his client gave him a look, one that made him crack a smile. “Seriously!” He chuckled, and she rolled her eyes, kicking her ankle back up onto the stool it had been propped up on.

“Men love to play the ‘ just friends ’ card.” She watched Wooyoung lean back down. “Next thing you know, you’re fucking in the back of his Prius and you’re definitely not just friends.” She huffed, and Wooyoung had to sit back to try and hold in his laugh, Hongjoong busting out laughing before turning to head to his own booth. 

“Are you speaking from experience?” Wooyoung choked out his question because it was still way too funny, and She nodded, looking over her shoulder at the steamed up window, swiping a hand through the humidity to clear it away. 

“See? My boyfriend's car is right there.” She pointed to a little white Prius and Wooyoung finally cackled, hiding his eyes with his forearm. “The Prius rizz is undeniable .” She chuckled, and Wooyoung laughed even harder, tears in his eyes as he finally dropped his arm, trying to regain his composure enough to get back to the damn teddy bear he was tattooing. 

⋅❁⋅

After another week of increasingly less casual texting, Wooyoung had to agree that the just friends thing was a crock of shit and he really actually liked this guy. It didn’t feel like a one sided crush, anymore. It had also rained all week, so Wooyoung wasn’t able to see San at all, not even for him to tend to his plants because he really couldn’t do much outside unless he wanted to get soaked. On a whim, Wooyoung decided he’d take a real lunch break and skipped across pothole puddles just to go see him. He popped the restaurant door open, hurrying to close it behind him and keep the downpour out. He tried to shake the rain off his hoodie, wiggling a little in front of the podium while he waited for someone to approach.

“ Oh -” He looked up, pushing his wet bangs out of his face to see San, standing in front of him with a takeout bag and an umbrella. “What’re you…” 

“I was going to get some lunch- What are you doing? Deliveries?” Wooyoung asked, looking down at the bag, realizing San wasn’t in his usual apron, looking a lot more casual than he usually did. He was wearing a nicer looking t-shirt tucked into unmarred jeans, everything form-fitting and Wooyoung wanted to eat him up.

“I… was actually gonna bring you something to eat.” San chuckled, nerves on his tone but Wooyoung’s smile grew and quelled any underlying anxieties he had. “I thought we could eat together, if you weren’t busy.” Wooyoung backed up a few feet and let San step closer. 

“...We can eat back at the shop, then.” Wooyoung nodded, reaching to take the bag from him before leaning on the door to push it open.
“Is that okay…?” San asked, and Wooyoung smiled, stepping out without an answer, forcing San to open his umbrella in a rush and hurry up beside him. 

“If it wasn’t okay, I wouldn’t offer.” Wooyoung smiled up at him and San felt like everything else faded off, just a little. Like the rain wasn’t as heavy and the cars driving in front of them weren’t as loud. It was just a little brighter, the way Wooyoung’s smile saturated all the color that had been washed out by the weather. 

He followed him across the street, letting Wooyoung pull the door open and allow him in. It was another slow day, so there weren’t even any clients in the building. Hongjoong had gone for the day, leaving Seonghwa to finish up some bookkeeping and Yeosang really just sticking around to nap on the couch by some of the front windows. With the music still playing over the speakers, Seonghwa hadn’t heard them and didn’t even look up from his desk, Wooyoung hurrying to tug San through the front seating area to his own space, dragging a chair along with him. 

“Here-” Wooyoung pushed some of his mess away, clearing a little table off, magazines falling into the corner of his workspace as he moved the table between the two chairs, plopping down in the smaller one so San could have his comfier one. He turned off the overhead light, the dull sunlight plenty bright enough for them. 

“I could have just sat on the floor-” San chuckled, but Wooyoung was batting at his hands.

“Shh- You brought me free food. The least I can do is get you a chair.” Wooyoung chuckled, his tone a little hushed but it was mostly because Yeosang was sleeping on the other side of the divider behind him. San didn’t put up much of a fight, letting Wooyoung pull their takeout containers out and set them between them. San pushed one toward him and opened his own, watching to make sure Wooyoung took a bite before he took a bite of his own. 

Their conversation was hushed but their smiles never faded, and that was the start of many lunch dates. Whether San brought something over or Wooyoung beat him to it and met him across the road, they ate lunch together almost every day they both worked. And Wooyoung made sure everybody knew not to bother them, because he really did not want to be embarrassed in front of his crush by a nosy ass coworker. 

Thankfully, they were all pretty respectful. Their distant spying couldn’t really be seen as an interruption, anyway.

⋅❁⋅

Another week, and finally the rain had stopped. 

San had actually arrived long before Wooyoung had, so when he finally did make his way up to the shop, there were already plant trimmings all over the sidewalk, spilling out of a tiny trash can he must have been using to try and keep all of his plants under control. The humidity and the rain had caused them all to get a little wild, and San had dirt smudged on his cheek when Wooyoung walked up the sidewalk toward him. He’d already made his way to their hydrangeas- Or maybe he’d known Wooyoung was coming, so he wanted to be there when he arrived. Either way, his smile was bright and everything about it made Wooyoung feel wanted. Made him feel like San had been looking forward to him and that was something Wooyoung could hardly stomach- The way San looked at him like some kind of excited puppy. 

“Hard at work, I see.” Wooyoung leaned up to him, watching San wipe his dirty hands on his apron before grabbing for a little bundle of flowers, plucking it to hand off to him. And Wooyoung took it, eyes a little wide as he looked down at it, because he didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t recall ever being given flowers before. “...Are you giving me my own flowers?” Wooyoung giggled, and San looked a little pale, realizing he had in fact handed him his own hydrangeas. 

“I- Uh . I guess-” San sputtered, tripping over his words because he’d done it without thinking, he really just wanted to give Wooyoung something pretty and he should have brought him something from his own side of the road- 

“ I’m kidding .” Wooyoung grinned, leaning up to push a kiss to his cheek and again, they both found themselves frozen. Kind of like the first time they met, formally. Wooyoung plopped back down to the heels of his feet and held tight to the stem of his flowers, and San stared down at the bundle in his hands. They were both terrifyingly quiet for a little too long. “Sorry, I didn’t-” San turned, and Wooyoung felt a pit grow in his stomach as he rushed away from him, across the street. “ Fuck .” Wooyoung breathed, gripping his flowers a little too tightly as he watched him go. 

He’d ruined it .

And then he watched him flit frantically from one plant to another, from two buildings down and back again, plucking different flowers from their pots. Pansies, daisies, large, fully bloomed dahlias, a few sprigs of lavender, all gathered in a nervous fist. Then he disappeared inside his restaurant, returning a few minutes later, and Wooyoung realized he’d tied them all together. He looked both ways before crossing back over. San’s eyes were wide and stuck to the boy holding the hydrangea bloom.

“I found this.” San blurted out, hopping back up onto the sidewalk, red in the face and Wooyoung stared at it, then up at San, who really looked like he’d just run a fucking race with how heavy he was breathing, the amount of sweat gathered on his forehead. He was nervous, and it was so endearing. 

“...You found this?” Wooyoung smiled, carefully tucking his own flower into the center of the bouquet before San handed it to him, giving a curt little nod. Wooyoung chuckled a little, chewing his cheek as he looked down over the blooms San had picked for him before looking back up. “I think you mean you stole them.” Wooyoung teased, and San's smile was small, nodding again and Wooyoung laughed at him a little more confidently. 

“Tried to pick the prettiest ones, for you.” San murmured, and Wooyoung’s eyes fluttered a little, looking down again, feeling butterflies burst to life behind his ribs. “...They’re not… Prettier than you, though.” San fought to get his words out and Wooyoung wanted to melt, ooze down into the cracks in the pavement and maybe grow into a sidewalk bloom pretty enough to capture the attention of Choi San . 

“ Yeah ?” Was all he could say, smiling back up at him, watching San’s little nod once again. He felt his own happiness bubble up in his chest, pouring out as a laugh as he pulled the flowers up to cover his flushed face. 

“ Don’t hide- ” San chuckled, reaching to push Wooyoung’s arm down gently, exposing his face and the beautiful blush that fell over the high points in his face. They were stuck again, San staring at him through the tops of the flowers he’d given him, Wooyoung trying not to let his heart explode in his chest as it thundered and tried to get his attention. San pushed his arm down more, shuffling a little closer. “...can I kiss you?” San’s request was soft but Wooyoung nodded immediately, eager, and San closed the gap between them. 

His lips landed at the corner of his mouth because of how nervous he was, but he corrected himself quickly and Wooyoung moved the flowers to the side, making sure they weren’t crushed when he pushed his free hand up over San’s shoulder. The kiss didn’t go anywhere other than surface level smooching, but both of them looked frazzled afterward nonetheless, Wooyoung worrying his lip between his teeth as San backed off a little awkwardly. His smile was wide and he was flushed up to his ears, watching Wooyoung hide behind his flowers again. 

“...You better get inside, before you’re late.” San murmured, and Wooyoung turned hurriedly, waving a little as he pushed the door to the shop open and rushed inside- As if he wouldn’t be seeing him on the other side of the glass, anyway. 

He made a big show of putting the bouquet in water, finding a large, hefty mug that had formerly housed pens to put his gift in. He set it on the ledge of the window, barely peeking up over the hydrangeas and San smiled at him, finishing up his weeding and pruning with a big, obvious grin as Wooyoung did fuck-all to prepare for the day. 

When Seonghwa came in later and questioned why he was all chipper, he admitted with excitement that somebody had kissed him. He didn’t even need to elaborate on who, because everybody in that damn shop knew it was only a matter of time. And he wasn’t the least bit embarrassed, either. Not with the way San always smiled at him from across the street. 

⋅❁⋅

Soon after their little kiss, San finally asked Wooyoung if he’d fix up his tattoo for him. They’d arranged for San to meet him after his shift was over. And even though the shop would be closed by then, Seonghwa had permitted him to use it as long as he promised to lock up afterward and ‘not make a mess ’. 

“Do you want any color, or anything?” Wooyoung had already had everything set up before San even got in the shop, everything aside from filling any ink cups because he wasn’t about to waste it if San changed his mind, or something. The other man shook his head and plopped down when Wooyoung offered the seat to him. “Really? I can’t fix these, then?” Wooyoung smiled and wiped an alcohol pad over his arm, across the faded script, then down, across muddled flowers. San smiled and watched him, looking over as he grabbed for a disposable razor and slid it over the letters he was focusing on. 

“...If you want to, you can. I don’t know how much that costs, though…” San chewed his lip and watched Wooyoung shift down, shaving a larger patch on his arm because he was absolutely fixing the rest of them up, if he was allowed. 

“I’m not charging you, so don’t worry about it.” Wooyoung muttered, grabbing another alcohol pad to swipe over more of his skin and shave the rest of it. San wanted to pull back, but he knew better than to jerk around with a razor sliding over his skin. 

“You can’t- I have money, that’s a lot to do for free, Wooyoung.” San insisted, brows knit together as Wooyoung finished up his prep work and slid his hand across his skin. Then he looked up, the bright light from the lamp above his head dilating his pupils pinpoint, eyes golden honey and San wanted to kiss him again. 

“You’ve been feeding me for free for weeks , San. I’m just… paying you back.” Wooyoung smiled, watching San stare at him before he leaned up, feeling that same urge to kiss him but letting himself act on it. “I need the practice, anyway.” He murmured against San’s lips, leaving him with a quick peck on the mouth before sitting back down. 

“...fine.” San’s voice was a raspy whisper and he’d have been embarrassed by his meekness if it were anyone else. But Wooyoung's smile was soft as he leaned over to get some ink ready. 

“So, color?” Wooyoung asked, and San looked at the rainbow of shades in the drawer he’d rolled out. He nodded, leaning over to see. 

“Whatever you think would look nice.” San mumbled, and Wooyoung grinned, picking out different purple hues, deep blue tones, greens that could rival the range he tended to every day. There was a little rainbow of ink lined up nicely, once Wooyoung was done. Then he turned, clapping his hands together.

“I love a good coloring book.” 

⋅❁⋅

San stayed quiet, for a lot of the beginning. When Wooyoung was carefully reworking the letters by his elbow, giving fresh lines to the faded lyric that had been sitting on San’s skin for almost a decade. He’d never been good at taking care of his tattoos, never kept them moisturized or bothered with sunblock. He’d picked at the healing scabs once they got too itchy, too, which would explain why they already looked so faded. Wooyoung was quiet, too, because he usually tried not to talk his clients ears off if they didn’t seem the type. And San was dead silent, staring at the ink as it popped through his skin. It was already pitch black outside by the time Wooyoung had finished his script. 

“It’s a little irritated, but-” Wooyoung cleaned it up for him, wiping the ink away as best he could before sliding a swab of petroleum over the area. “What do you think?” Wooyoung asked, setting his tattoo gun down to give himself a break. He absolutely intended to clean up his flowers, but assumed San would also want a bit of a break in between. He looked down at this arm, trying to avoid touching it even if he wanted to, then smiled up at Wooyoung with a pleased look on his face. 

“I can read it.” He grinned, and Wooyoung chuckled, tugging his gloves off. 

“I should hope so.” He teased, and San put his arm back down where Wooyoung had had it. “You’re ready?” Wooyoung asked, scooting closer, and San just blinked at him. “We can take a break, you know.” Wooyoung giggled and San shrugged, watching him get a fresh pair of gloves again. “You’re not hungry…? Thirsty? Wanna walk around?” Wooyoung asked, but San shook his head and Wooyoung squished his cheek to his shoulder in a huff. “Why are you so cute? Hm?” He asked, and San felt his face heat, hesitating before he reached up to brush his finger over Wooyoung’s cheek. 

“Am I?” San chuckled, straining a little to look down at him, but Wooyoung nodded, leaning up to peck his cheek and back off rather quickly. But San caught him by the nape, turning to pull him close again. His forehead bumped the lamp as he pushed a kiss to his lips. Wooyoung’s new gloves were lost to the floor, his whole body giving up instantly when San pulled him in. He reached to push the lamp up and away, rolling himself closer, careful of the wires and San’s fresh ink. 

“ Careful… ” Wooyoung whispered against urgent lips, a little noise escaping his throat when San deepened the kiss into something less modest. He felt tongue press against his teeth and he let him intrude, leaning up a little more, halfway out of his own seat just to keep up with San’s desperate pulling. His hands found purchase in the shoulder of his t-shirt and his other arm, the one that had a hold on him and San only backed off when Wooyoung let out another tiny little sound. 

“ Sorry -” San breathed, but Wooyoung had gotten up, sending the little table rolling away that had been supporting San’s arm. His head felt hot and his heart was in his throat, pushing kisses to his lips, knocking San’s head back against the headrest of his chair before he stopped himself. San had to look up at him, because Wooyoung had moved so much to stand over him, hands digging into the material of his t-shirt and San did his best to keep his ink out of harm's way. “C’mere-” San urged, maneuvering the other man to sit in his lap, Wooyoung’s hands sliding up to cup his cheeks. Everything smelled sterile but it still smelled like him , everything earthy and verdant, with humidity trapped between them to make them sweat. 

San let himself get hungrier, take more, pulling on Wooyoung’s waist to get him closer, impossibly closer because he needed to be squished against him or the world would end, he was sure of it. The chair had somehow popped back a few clicks, and he assumed it must have been Wooyoung’s doing, leaning them back so he could push his chest to San’s and rest his forearm beside his head on the leather of the headrest. The hands on his thighs were hesitant at the start but invasive after a while, pulling at his jeans just to grip something and keep himself grounded. 

The kiss itself was a mangled mess, if either of them had to think critically about it. Their breathing and pace were completely mismatched and San’s tongue was more rude than Wooyoung could have ever expected. His gardener had never been anything but polite, cautious, kind- But Wooyoung had found himself bitten more than once, making him whine almost inaudibly in his throat each time. He felt drool on his chin and knew this was one of those kisses where he’d need to wipe his face afterward. One of those messy ones that he hadn’t experienced since highschool because guys didn’t care to kiss like that, anymore. They’d rather Wooyoung have his mouth busy in other places. 

“ Sorry - Sorry.” San finally pushed him back, sliding the back of his hand over his mouth, other hand splayed on Wooyoung’s chest to keep him at arm's length. He blinked hard a few times before really looking up at Wooyoung, noting the bright red tone to his cheeks, the spit shining on his lower lip before he swiped it away. His hair was all a mess before he pushed it back frantically, brushing it with his fingers. 

“ Sorry .” Wooyoung echoed back his apology, but he felt himself smiling, and San mirrored it instantly. He shook his head a little before climbing off of him, popping San’s chair back into place before turning to find himself a new pair of gloves and an alcohol wipe. He turned back around and met San’s eye, stopping because he wasn’t sure he’d ever been looked at like that, before. An expression so soft, so full of admiration and desire that he felt himself burning even at this distance. “Stop it, before I make you keep your eyes closed.” Wooyoung warned, sliding his gloves back on, finding his seat and his askew table before rearranging San’s arm back where he needed it to be. 

“What, you gonna blindfold me?” 

“I just might have to .” 

⋅❁⋅

The coloring and reworking of Choi San’s tattoos went on with Wooyoung having to stop occasionally to laugh because San apparently had a knack for getting him to giggle uncontrollably. They traded stories, mostly. San told him all about the guys he was friends with at his restaurant, how all of them had been friends before actually working there. Wooyoung rambled for a while about how much he loved his work, and San listened with that same adoring look on his face that made Wooyoung's stomach do flips every time he glanced at him. The conversation pivoted to flowers, and which ones San liked the most. That question had turned into why he even took care of all those plants in the first place. 

“My mom used to do it.” San smiled, watching Wooyoung rub fuschia into his skin. He swiped it away and leaned back in, coating bare petals with rich color. “I followed her around when I was little, she ran a little greenhouse around here for a while. I learned a lot, there… Most of these plants are hers, actually.” San nodded, looking up out the window. The streetlights had long since kicked on, yellow pouring over the periwinkle puffs of hydrangea that sat outside Wooyoung's window. “Your hydrangeas are from her.” Wooyoung halted for a moment and swiped over his work, looking over his shoulder at the flowers that had at some point blended themselves into the background of his everyday life. All of San’s plants had. He’d only started paying real attention to them once he and San had started speaking. 

“Does she not run the shop anymore?” Wooyoung questioned, looking over his array of color, a rainbow splattered all over tissues before he decided on another color, cleaning his needle in a little cup of water. 

“Naw, she sold it a while ago. It’s vacant now, though.” San muttered, watching pink bleed into the water and bubble around the tip before Wooyoung pulled it back out, wiping his gun down. 

“You should buy it again.” Wooyoung spoke plainly, chewing his lip before deciding on a cerulean tint, bringing the color back to San’s forearm to shade in what he had decided must have been a pansy, once upon a time. San stared at him for a while, at the swirl of his needle as blue pooled over his arm before Wooyoung wiped it again. 

“I’ve thought about it.” San nodded, letting his head fall back, but he kept his eyes trained on Wooyoung’s needle. “I can’t leave my friends, though…” San muttered, knowing how dumb it sounded when Wooyoung’s needle stopped buzzing and he squinted up at him. 

“...Why do your friends even work at that restaurant?” Wooyoung questioned, and San shrugged.

“Yunho likes cooking… Mingi… I dunno. Jongho likes the tips.” San shrugged, and Wooyoung huffed, looking back down, stretching the skin out underneath his hand. “We all just kinda work there, I guess. None of us have any fucking clue what to do with our degrees, and our boss pays pretty well, considering.” San was trying to justify it, but he was mostly trying to convince himself. He’d been thinking about buying back that decrepit greenhouse for a few years, but it was too unstable and he desperately did not want to ask for help, from anybody.

“I’ll bet if you left, they’d follow you.” Wooyoung nodded, brows raised as he dug his needle back in and moved on to another flower. “Working at a greenhouse with your best friends? Sounds like a dream, honestly.” Wooyoung scoffed, leaning back a little to straighten his back out, and San nodded, meeting his eye for a second before he looked back down. 

“You’re probably right.” San trailed off, letting Wooyoung get back into his work, almost forgetting about the conversation as he blended colors and fixed up his lines. 

⋅❁⋅

It was midnight, by the time Wooyoung finally put down his tattoo gun. He let out a loud, exasperated groan, leaning to crack his back with a sickening pop and San worried over him for half a second. But he was bending over again to find some wrap, turning back to the poor man in his chair once he’d found what he was looking for. 

“You sat so well for me.” Wooyoung praised, voice low and raspy because he was fighting off a yawn but it ended up coming anyway. San tried not to let his half asleep brain go anywhere with that praise, but he found it hard, his heart racing a little anyways. He’d gotten very sleepy, at some point, but didn’t want to interrupt Wooyoung’s work so he’d just tried to blink his way through it. Wooyoung cleaned him up as best he could before covering his flowers in Tegaderm. He cut a separate shape out for the words, patting over it gently and San just watched him, finding himself a little more drained than he felt he should have been. “We could make this a regular thing, if you want me to fix more of your ink.” Wooyoung offered, making sure everything was covered properly before tugging his gloves off. 

“You’re too nice to me.” San smiled up at him, his sleepy face making Wooyoung want to ball him up and stuff him in his pocket to take home. 

“I think I’m just nice enough.” Wooyoung chuckled, tapping his finger on his nose before he turned to start cleaning up the mess of ink he was left with. He gathered everything up but found San had gotten up, moving to stand beside him. 

“Can I help?” San asked, and Wooyoung shook his head, nodding back for him to sit down.

“I got it.” Wooyoung smiled, but San didn’t move and Wooyoung looked up at him, balls of inked paper towel in his fists. 

“Lemme help.” San insisted, and Wooyoung sighed, bumping a box of latex gloves with his elbow. 

“Wash your hands and put those on.” Wooyoung watched San wander back toward the bathroom, washing his hands obediently before coming back. He moved on to the gloves, wiggling his fingers through the latex before looking back up at Wooyoung for direction. He bumped a bottle of cleaner and a roll of fresh paper towels with his elbow. “Spray the chair down. And the little table where your arm was.” He grinned, letting San do something minimal but helpful because he looked like a lost puppy when Wooyoung tried to tell him no. He moved to find a trash can and dump all his supplies in it, then returned to San finishing up his task. He smiled up at him when he was done, shaking the bottle of sanitizer at him. “ Good boy. Listens real well, too.” Wooyoung teased, watching something change on San’s face, but he opted to ignore it because he wasn’t even really certain what that look was. Maybe he was just that tired. 

“...Is there something else I can do?” San worked up the courage and energy to ask while Wooyoung got his station set up for the morning, figuring if he did it now, he could sleep in a little. 

“Do you want to wrap those wires up for me, honey? There’s no needle in the gun, you won’t poke yourself.” Wooyoung nodded to a knot of wires on the floor and San plopped down, honey , careful with his arm as he worked to unplug all the wires and untangle them, he called him honey . “Thank you.” Wooyoung smiled down at him, watching him wrap and tie all his wires for him, and he realized he’d spent more time staring than he’d actually been doing anything useful. Once San was done, he held the tattoo gun up and Wooyoung took it, putting it back where it belonged. He stepped forward to pat San’s head, fingers ruffling his hair and he absolutely did not miss the pink growing rapidly over his cheeks. 

“Thank you. ” San spoke up to him, looking down at his arm momentarily before looking back up, eyelids fluttering when Wooyoung threaded his fingers through his hair again. He sighed heavily through his nose and Wooyoung had a small realization, chewing his lip a little. He gripped gently into the top of his hair and San’s eyes fell half lidded, his cheek plopping onto Wooyoung’s thigh from where he knelt on the floor. Sleepy San was turning out to be more dangerous than he’d bargained for.

“I’ll tattoo you any time, Sannie. You sat still, you didn’t complain, you let me do whatever I wanted-” Wooyoung watched San melt. Just barely, but he could tell whatever his soft praises were doing to him, they were doing a number on him. If Wooyoung didn’t know any better, he’d have thought San was drunk with the way he was looking at him, euphoric, unfocused... “ The perfect boy, all for me .” Wooyoung leaned down to whisper to him, and San’s eyes fluttered closed. At some point, he’d wrapped his arms around his leg and gripped his jeans, resting there before peeking his eyes open again and Wooyoung was still petting him, waiting for him to decide to get to his feet on his own.

“ Mnn .” San finally got up, grumbling as he stood up and met Wooyoung’s gaze with a smile, small and sleepy but Wooyoung had expected that. 

“I’m gonna walk you home. Or drive you. You’ll fall asleep behind the wheel if I don’t.” Wooyoung chuckled, and San shook his head, brow furrowing.

“I’ll be fine-” He tried, but Wooyoung smushed a finger to his lips, stopping him in his tracks before gathering his things. 

“No, you’re fatigued and it’d be irresponsible of me as your artist and your boyfriend to let you leave like this on your own.” Wooyoung chuckled, and San stared at him, watching him buzz around the building, making sure all the lights were off and his things were gathered. 

“ Boyfriend ?” San finally spoke up and Wooyoung froze, blinking a few times to recall exactly what he’d said. He also couldn’t read the way San was looking at him. “...you wanna be my boyfriend?” San’s face cracked into a little grin and he felt the tightness in his chest loosen up. 

“Do you think I make out with every client I find attractive? And in my goddamn chair ? Which, I’m super not supposed to do, by the way.” Wooyoung scoffed, trying to play it off like his heart wasn’t rocketing around in his chest but it was . “Of course I wanna be your boyfriend . Now let’s go .” Wooyoung batted at San’s hand until he took it, lacing their fingers together. He made a big deal of it too, looking down between them, pulling on Wooyoung’s arm to angle it just right. 

“Okay.” San nodded, looking up from their laced fingers at his new boyfriend . 

“Okay what? ” Wooyoung scoffed, and San noticed the nervousness in his face, making him grin a little before he pulled him forward toward the door. 

“ Okay , you can be my boyfriend.” 

“Oh, I can , can I?”

“Yes, please.”

⋅❁⋅

Wooyoung had almost forgotten what it felt like, to be young and in love. 

He’d traded all of that in when he started really pursuing his career, drowning himself in the thing he loved to do instead of a person he thought he loved, full stop. There were days he’d thought he should probably put himself out there. Keep up with the ten different conversations he’d been picking at on a dating app, go out on an actual date instead of ghosting somebody simply because he didn’t see the point. But nobody had piqued his interest enough to drag him away from his work, because his work was his first, true love. It had been there for him through every highschool romance or college fling, had been there to inspire him through finals and bring color to the bland summers in between.

People had never been there for him as selflessly as he had always been for them. So after a while, he stopped trying to see why he should put his ink down and let somebody have his undivided attention. Allow somebody to waste his time and money, sap his emotional energy. And then that fucking gardener started smiling at him and it made his chest remember. Made him want to feel that feeling again.

San made everything in his body want. His fingers always itching to reach out and touch him, even when he was in the middle of a final draft for a client and San was across the street doing his own job. His knee would shake toward the end of the day, and he stopped having the patience to sit around and wait for walk-ins. He was so ready to leave after his final scheduled appointments, he’d let Yeosang or the new apprentice handle the walk-ins instead. His feet bounced off the pavement between their two buildings as often as they could, because he wanted to be near San so badly. He wanted to glue himself to that man in an unhealthy way. Luckily for him he knew how unhealthy this obsession was, but he didn’t really care- He may have lost control of himself, a little bit. But no matter how much he bugged him, San didn’t mind his presence, didn’t ever seem to tire of him.

And San really didn’t mind. 

Wooyoung was sunlight wrapped in a pretty little package and San found himself following him like a sunflower, always looking forward to his light. He could feel it when he walked through the door to his restaurant, somehow. Felt warmth on his back and turned around and Wooyoung was there, every time. The artist had started escaping his window seat just to come and see San, even if he couldn’t take a break and spend it with him. He’d sit there and keep Mingi company at the bar while San waited all his tables and kissed him every time he passed him by. He’d trace his fingers over the tattoo at the nape of his neck, when Wooyoung had fallen asleep at the bar and Mingi was too kind to wake him. 

He felt a little crazy, how happy it made him that Wooyoung wanted to be around him. They’d both gotten a little too busy for their lunch every day, but Wooyoung still found time to sit in his restaurant and keep him company from a distance, even if it was the middle of a rush. They may not have had as much spare time for each other as of late, but they still felt each other more deeply and closely than they could ever say about anybody else. San had never had somebody be there, just for him, every single day. Not like Wooyoung was. 

Until he wasn’t. 

San hadn’t panicked, at first, because Wooyoung had slept in before and hadn’t seen his goodmorning text until he was sprinting into the tattoo shop, late for an appointment. San let it slide for one day, thinking maybe he’d taken a day off, lost his phone- But the next day was a busy Friday and Wooyoung simply didn’t show again, didn’t open any of his messages and San had stared at the storefront for an hour before he decided he should probably go inside and ask about him. The bell rang over his head as he entered and made him flinch, and Hongjoong’s apologetic tone put San even more on edge, watching him hand a few hundred dollars to some very angry man before he stormed past San and hurried out the door. San stiffened a little, unable to really read Hongjoong’s expression as he sifted through some cash, but the air in the room was thick and everybody was a little too quiet. He spared a glance at Wooyoung’s workspace, untouched and perfectly organized, just how he always left it.

“ Where is your boyfriend?” Hongjoong finally spoke up, looking up at San with an irritated expression. It only faded once he saw how worried San looked. “You can’t get ahold of him either?” Hongjoong asked, glancing over as Seonghwa waited for his phone to ring, then hung it up with a huff. 

“...No, I was hoping somebody here had heard from him.” San spoke up, and he watched Seonghwa shake his head. He glanced at the apprentice, who shook her head nervously, then at Yeosang. He was looking at something on his own phone set beside him, a tight lipped expression on his face as he went back to his tattoo. 

“He’s missed two clients today, and three yesterday- This isn’t like him at all.” Yeosang spoke up, because he could tell the other two artists were irritated with his friend, but he also knew that they knew Wooyoung wasn’t the kind of guy to just flake . He was a responsible guy who needed money to survive just like the rest of them so he always showed up, even if he ended up being a little late, sometimes. 

“Have you gone to his place to check on him?” Seonghwa asked, and San didn’t answer but realized after a beat of awkward silence that he was looking over the rim of his glasses at San . He’d expected the question to have been directed at anybody else in the room. He was a little quiet when he did speak up. 

“...I’ve never been to his place.” San felt embarrassed just saying that. They’d been dating publicly for weeks and he’d never been to Wooyoung’s home? Even the apprentice looked a little shocked.
“...Oh. Uh, I’ll go, then-” Hongjoong was already picking up his keys but San shook his head, untying his apron in a hurry. 

“I’ll go. Where is it?” San asked, and Hongjoong looked at him like he had three heads. He didn’t even have his address? It wasn’t that he’d been avoiding it, or that Wooyoung had ever tried to keep him away- The opportunity just… never came up. Especially not in the last few weeks, with both of them up to their eyeballs in work.

“Uh… Okay. So, you know that new apartment complex, down by the drugstore?” Hongjoong pointed to the left, so San nodded and looked to the left, out the window and down the street. It was pretty busy out there, and he knew he was going to get shit for leaving in the middle of his shift. But he also realized pretty quickly that he didn’t really care. “It’s on the fifth floor, fifth apartment...” Hongjoong leaned down to scrawl on a sticky note, 505 Crescent apts, 1117. “That’s the code to get in- He gave it to me for emergencies, and I suppose this would qualify as one of those.” Hongjoong let San take the note and he put his hands on his hips, watching San look down at the writing before he leaned and took a few steps backwards. 

“Call the shop if somethings wrong, we’ll answer.” Seonghwa got up to watch him head through the doors, bell clanging behind him. They all just watched in silence as he jogged away down the street, until Hongjoong finally spoke up, exasperated. 

“Where are you, Jung Wooyoung?” 

⋅❁⋅

Everything hurt. Everything hurt, everything was too loud, but it was also somehow so quiet that his ears were ringing and it just never seemed to stop. He’d turned off his air conditioner at some point because its fan had rattled his brain, so he was also way too hot, boiling almost. It was too stuffy and he was too dizzy to get up and open a window. 

Wooyoung had been laying motionless in his bed for what felt like hours. He’d gone to bed with a headache and a chill and woken up like this. He couldn’t even be sure of the time, phone dead and he couldn’t locate his charger without puking - He’d tried it, ended up in the bathroom twice. Lost his guts even when there was nothing left, so he’d slunk back to his bed and decided he could definitely just sleep whatever this was off. He didn’t know if he was sick, or if it was some kind of killer mutant migraine- He’d taken some tylenol, but he had no water, no food to wash it down with because he physically couldn’t get himself to his kitchen. Not that he had much food in there, anyway. 

He was angry, when he could feel anything other than sick . Angry at himself , because he recognized the sun was high enough in the sky that he’d definitely missed San’s goodmorning text. He never missed a goodmorning text. He’d probably think he was ignoring him.

At some point, Wooyoung managed to crawl his way into his kitchen and fill a cup with tap water, sliding to the floor while he tried to chug it. He then realized what a mistake he’d made by sitting down, because there wasn’t a chance in hell he could claw his way back up to his feet. No way. He tried , really he did. His limbs felt gummy and he had no strength left in his core, even for throwing up, though he did somehow lose all the water he’d just swallowed to the floor beside him. His body wouldn’t let him do anything. So he just dozed off there. 

He wasn’t even sure when or how he’d slunk his way to the middle of the kitchen, pressed against some cabinets on the floor, lying on his side. All he knew was that the tile felt really nice on his fevered skin and he was sure he’d start feeling better soon. He had three appointments today he could not miss. Thinking about work made his stomach churn and he tried to blur everything out of his brain just to stop the dry heaving. 

  ⋅❁⋅

San ran all the way to Wooyoung’s apartment, because he didn’t have time to go get his truck and he was far too worried about him to think clearly or double back. It wasn’t very far anyway, so when he got there he sprinted right for the elevators, scaring some poor old woman as she tried to smack the door close buttons to block him out. He smiled kindly at her, covered in a gross layer of sweat and she stared at him before looking away, making San feel guilty for no reason at all. He tapped the button for the fifth floor and waited, nodding to the old woman when she got out, then watched the little number above the door increase from two to five. He shouldered his way out of the door, looking around before deciding which direction was correct, then made his way down the hall, stopping in front of 505 . He punched a few numbers into the keypad and the lock clicked, allowing him to turn the handle and push the door open. 

“Youngie?” San called, voice echoing through the dark apartment, blackout curtains drawn tightly, barely letting any light in. He made a face and flicked the lights on, stepping inside, spotting nothing but a couch and a very familiar looking zip-up hoodie thrown over the back, red and black in color so he knew he was at least in the right place. “Wooyoung-ah, are you in here?” San called, wandering himself down a hallway, pushing a door open, and he saw Wooyoung’s phone on the floor beside a very disheveled looking bed. He bent to pick it up, trying to click it on but it was definitely dead, which explained why he hadn’t been picking up anyone's calls. He was kind enough to find the wire stationed right next to his bed and plug it in, turning out of the room to continue his search. He was trying not to let himself panic, because Wooyoung hadn’t answered him and if he was in here , he was either sleeping or dead and San really did not want to find him dead -

“. ..lights off… ” San stiffened up and whipped around, looking down the long hallway back to where he’d came, and he wasn’t sure how the fuck he’d walked right by him- He was curled up half naked in the middle of the floor, hands pressed tightly over his eyes and San felt his whole world grind to a searing halt. 

“ Wooyoung -” San hurried over to him, trying to pick him up but Wooyoung just whined, pushing on him and he mumbled something else about the lights. He was pushing so hard on his eyes San worried he’d hurt himself. “Young-ah, look at me-” San worried, pulling on his arm but Wooyoung sobbed and he stopped.

“...lights off, please-” Wooyoung managed to breathe out, and San hesitated but got up, hurrying over to the lightswitch he’d flicked when he came in to turn them off, leaving them in the dark once again. He heard Wooyoung sigh heavily and his body thump against the ground, San trying his best to get his vision to adjust.

“Youngie, what happened ?” San whispered, hoping he was loud enough that he heard him. He finally made his way back over to him, finding him trying his hardest to sit up but to no avail. “ Stop-” San hurried to scoop him up, feeling the sweat clinging to him even though it wasn’t even all that hot in his apartment. Sure it was warm, but he was warm to the touch and San slipped his knuckles over his forehead. “Baby, you’re burning -” San worried, feeling him rumble with a little hum, fingers pulling weakly at his shirt. 

“How’d you get here…?” Wooyoung asked, weakly but casually and San wanted to shake him. He was clearly sick. He wished he’d called, let him know something was wrong instead of suffering on his own. 

“You haven’t been to work in two days and Hongjoong gave me your address- Why didn’t you call?” San found the nerve to gently scold him somehow, even while gathering his limp little body into his arms to move him off the damn floor. He moved back toward what he assumed was Wooyoung’s bedroom.

“I’s jus at work yesterday - talked to you last- ” Wooyoung’s whole body shook and he managed to topple out of San’s arms, scrambling into the bathroom like some kind of creature while San struggled to understand where he’d gotten that burst of strength from. He flinched and looked away when he heard him heaving, assuming Wooyoung wouldn’t be pleased if San stared him down while he puked . He only turned back around when he heard him sigh, his limbs thudding onto the floor again and San hurried to gather him back up. 

“That’s it, I’m taking you to the hospital .” San huffed, ignoring Wooyoung’s noises of protest and weak pushes to his arms. 

“ I don’t have insurance- ” Wooyoung whined, and San stopped, leaning back to look at him.

“Seonghwa doesn’t offer insurance?” San asked, as if he was in any state to answer the question. 

“...He does , I jus’ haven’ figured it-” He tried to finish a sentence, but he was turning back toward the toilet again and San looked away, keeping an arm wrapped around his clammy torso to stop him from collapsing. “ It’s just a migraine -” His voice was a whimper and San wanted to just fix it.  

“This is more than a migraine , Youngie. You have a fever, too. And you sound all congested…” San huffed, letting Wooyoung slump against him when he didn’t manage to puke anything up again. “I really think a hospital -” He felt Wooyoung shake his head ever so slightly, fingers pressing gently into his arm. “I feel like I shouldn’t listen to you.” San looked down over him, the shake in his limbs and the sweat on his arms and he sighed, careful as he lifted him up again. “I’ll put you in your bed, okay?” San spoke up, feeling him nod against his chest. Maybe talking was what had been causing his nausea, because the silence was sudden and that was the best explanation. He moved him across the hall to his bed, pushing his blankets out of the way before settling him down against the mattress. “I won’t make you go to the hospital, but you have to eat . I’ll make you something.” San kept his voice low, because it really did seem like Wooyoung had a migraine, based on his aversion to light, and sound, and speaking . Anything seemed to hurt him, really. 

He tucked his curtains tight and made his way out, googling the tattoo shop phone number to call and let them know Wooyoung was alright. It rang a few times while he turned the kitchen lights on and threw a towel over what he hoped was just water but was probably a failed attempt at hydration. Hongjoong finally picked up the phone and San waited for him to go through the entire how may I help you spiel before filling him in. He opened the fridge door in the middle of his explanation and stopped, staring at a whole lot of nothing . There were condiments, of course, because condiments were apparently all a human needed for survival. 

“ What ?” He heard over the line, and San sighed, shutting the door. He popped the freezer open, happy to see a few ancient looking, frost covered microwave meals because at least that was something.  

“Nothing, apparently he doesn’t eat food in here.” San grumbled, pulling a cabinet open. Dishes. Another cabinet, tin foil, plastic wrap, and ziplock bags. Another cabinet housed pots and pans and another had a singular half empty container of vinegar and what looked like a half eaten roll of crackers. “Hongjoong, what has he been eating ?” San stopped, letting his arm fall to his side before he broke his own heart again, opening another cabinet to find it empty, a few spices pushed to the back. 

“He’s been eating with you- He stopped packing food when you started having lunch with him. ” Hongjoong sounded really sure of himself, like there was no way it was a lie. 

“That’s a lie . I haven’t had the time-” San pushed another barren cabinet open and didn’t bother closing it, turning on his heel to go back to the dish cabinet and fill one of the reusable water bottles he’d seen there. “There’s nothing here- He also thinks it’s fucking Thursday so clearly he hasn’t eaten in days.” San felt himself getting angry but tried to stuff it down, grabbing some ice from the tray in the freezer before filling the bottle he’d gotten with tap water. 

“...I’ll send groceries over.” Seonghwa had somehow made his way into the conversation. “Just meet them in the lobby when I text you.” His voice sounded a little more distant, like he was on speaker phone, maybe. San screwed the lid on the bottle and grabbed an ice pack he’d seen, pulling a towel out of the closet on the way back to Wooyoung’s room. 

“...Thanks. I’ll probably run to the drugstore and pick some stuff up. He needs to eat like- Yesterday. Literally.” San grumbled, hearing a sigh on the other end of the line. 

“Oh- Your friends came in here and asked about you, they sounded worried so I told them you were checking on Wooyoung.” San sat carefully on the edge of Wooyoung’s bed, wrapping the ice pack in the towel before pushing it under the back of his neck. 

“...I’ll call them. Thank you.” San whispered, knowing Wooyoung would stir if he got too loud. He seemed to be sleeping, for the moment. 

“No, thank you . He’s not the best at remembering to take care of himself. He works too much...” Hongjoong trailed off, sounding a little guilty- probably for how irritated he’d been at Wooyoung earlier when in reality he felt like he should have checked on him himself. 

“Yeah, sounds like him.” San eyed over his boyfriend and said his quiet goodbyes to Hongjoong, setting his phone down beside Wooyoung’s. He pushed the bottom of the cold bottle over his forehead, brows furrowed in worry because he suddenly felt like he had no clue what was going on. He’d always eaten just fine when he was in front of San, he’d never seemed to shy away from the meals he brought him. Sure he never finished them, but- he’d eaten them, at least… 

He felt guilt gnaw at his heart because he hadn’t made any time for him. Maybe it was his fault .

⋅❁⋅

Consciousness for Wooyoung was a fleeting thing. He peeked his eyes open, humming at the feeling of something cold on his cheek and behind his head, but he was cozy, warm underneath a few heavy blankets and he let sleep tug at him again. The next time he peeked his eyes open he could barely make out San’s figure in the corner of his room, and the time after that he felt light streaming over his face and whined because who opened his curtains . 

“Youngie, sit up.” San’s voice cracked through the pain in his head and Wooyoung realized he was already going through the motions of sitting up, scooting himself somehow against his headboard and shivering when his back pressed against the freezing wood. He smelled something that made his stomach churn, but he swallowed hard to try and hold down the water he’d so bravely ingested a few hours earlier. “You have to eat this, okay? Even just a little. It’ll help.” San’s tone was so sweet and Wooyoung figured he could do anything for him, if he really tried for it. 

He kept his eyes squeezed shut for another few seconds before looking down at the plate in his hands. Nothing but a few slices of toasted bread and he felt relieved, watching one lift up in front of him and make its way to his mouth. San smiled when he took a bite, pulling the toast away while he chewed, then swallowed, then opened his mouth again like some kind of baby bird and San was grinning at him. 

“Hungry?” San asked, letting Wooyoung take the toast from him, only taking it back when he started inhaling it a little too quickly. “Woah, slow down there, kirby.” San teased him in a whisper and watched Wooyoung’s face falter a little. “Don’t inhale it, you’ll choke.” San chuckled, letting him take another bite after he swallowed and waited a good few seconds. He finished off one piece and San picked up the other, holding it out to him, but Wooyoung had his eyes squeezed together tightly. “...Too much?” San bent to look at him and Wooyoung hummed an affirmative. “Okay.” San put the plate down and turned to pick up a bottle of pills, waiting until Wooyoung peeked an eye open at him to speak. “You can take this if you eat that other piece.” San offered, watching his poor little boyfriend go through the five stages of grief before opening his mouth again. But San smiled anyway, pushing a toasted corner into his mouth for him to take a big bite of. Clearly, he was still hungry, and San felt a little guilty using medication to coax him into finishing a meal. But if it worked, he supposed it didn’t make him a complete villain. 

⋅❁⋅

Wooyoung started feeling a bit better a few hours after his toast and tylenol. San had been able to leave him for a little while, getting Mingi to bring him some of Yunho’s soup and his truck, so he could drive if he needed to. He also was thankful, because Mingi had brought it upon himself to call Jongho in and get him to cover San’s shift last minute so he didn’t get in trouble. 

Not that he really cared- He’d been plotting his greenhouse takeover ever since Wooyoung brought it up to him a few weeks ago. He was getting close to being able to purchase it, talking to the bank and the town hall, which was part of the reason he’d become a bit busier, leaving him with no time to bring Wooyoung lunches. He still felt guilty, but he didn’t dare talk about it. Not with Wooyoung, not with Mingi, not with anyone. His petty guilt was his own issue to shoulder, and he’d just have to make up for it on his own. 

“Well, I’m glad your new boyfriend isn’t dead . That’d be a real bummer.” Mingi sighed, handing San’s keys over to him after he parked his truck in the complex’s parking lot. 

“...uh, yeah. Anyway .” San chuckled, holding the delivery bag in his hands as Mingi looked up the side of the building, then back down at San. “Tell Jongho he doesn’t have to cover my shifts, if he doesn’t want to.” San nodded, smiling a little but Mingi looked confused. “I’m quitting soon, anyway.” He admitted, and Mingi dropped his arms, pulling his sunglasses off. “ ...And I’ll need staff, if anyone’s interested.” He felt his grin growing and Mingi made a face at him. “I’ll tell you guys about it later. I’m gonna get back upstairs, though.” San smiled, watching Mingi gape at him before he turned away.

“ What does that mean?!” He heard Mingi finally ask as the doors closed, but he wanted to get back to Wooyoung, so he hurried back into the elevator. And he was right to want to get back to him quickly, because when he opened the door back up, Wooyoung had pushed a curtain open and was eating bread right out of a bag, crumbs all over the counter. 

“You little raccoon-” San chuckled, watching him drop his crust to turn around like he’d been caught. “There’s fruit and all kinds of other stuff in the fridge, you don’t need to eat plain bread .” San laughed, moving over to him to slide the soup across the counter. It caught Wooyoung’s eye, but he just turned to swallow whatever he’d had in his mouth and tie the bread back up. 

“Where’d it all come from?” Wooyoung finally asked, looking down at a gatorade when San traded him for the bag of bread. 

“Seonghwa. He said it’s part of your insurance payment .” San scoffed, side eyeing Wooyoung as he pushed his thumbs over the wrapper on the bottle. 

“...I’ll figure the health insurance thing out.” Wooyoung sighed, waiting for San to see his invisible struggle, letting him take the bottle back and crack it open for him before he took a sip. 

“Good. He said he’ll cover whatever you pick, so pick a good one.” San smiled and moved to grab a bowl, turning back around to see Wooyoung with his eyes squeezed tight. “What?” He stopped, watching him push the gatorade against his forehead for a second before he opened his eyes again, setting it down. “Head hurt?” He asked softly, continuing to get some soup together for him. 

“Yeah.” Wooyoung croaked, eyes cracked open as he watched whatever he was doing. He poured some of the soup into a bowl and pushed it toward him, sliding a spoon across the table. “Can I take something?” He asked, staring down the soup before looking up at San, who already had a handful of pills waiting for him. 

“Eat that, then yes.” San smiled, watching the disappointment on his face but Wooyoung picked up the spoon anyway. 

“I just ate all that bread, though...” He felt San push his bangs back, something he hadn’t even bothered to do himself, and he instantly felt gross when he remembered he probably looked like shit . Every one of his brain functions and thoughts halted to make room for the terrible realization that he was being perceived like this. By his boyfriend.

“Eat half, then. You can have the rest later, when you’re hungry again.” San nodded, helping him over to the couch. “Instead of eating bread like some kind of wild human.” San chuckled and Wooyoung nodded, looking down at the bowl when San set it on the coffee table in front of him. “Will you be fine for a little bit? I’m gonna run to my place and grab some stuff.” San watched Wooyoung nod, then leaned to kiss the top of his head. “You should probably shower, too. Now that your fever broke and you won’t be all sweaty anymore.” San smiled but Wooyoung didn’t look at him and just nodded again. He waited for him to leave, waited to hear the door click closed before getting to his feet. 

He hurried to the bathroom, refusing to look at himself because he was sure he still looked like shit and knew if he saw himself, it’d just make everything worse. It was like he could feel a layer of disgusting all over himself that he needed desperately to peel off. If he could just wash himself, do his hair, get dressed- He could take something, too, eat the soup later. 

That’d be fine.

⋅❁⋅

San returned with an overnight bag, deciding he’d be staying until Wooyoung was back up and running on his own. He felt bad, not asking Wooyoung if it was alright, but honestly he’d only gained coherency a few hours ago and San wasn’t about to leave him alone, anyway. He knocked before typing the code into Wooyoung’s apartment door, letting himself in before turning to shut and lock the door. 

“I brought you treats .” San called, referring to the bag of pastries Yunho had forced upon him when he stopped in to check up on his friends. He was surprised to see the lights on, but that must have been a good sign, meaning Wooyoung’s head was feeling better. He dropped his bag by the door and kicked his shoes off, making his way over to where he’d left Wooyoung- And he was still there. “What are you all dressed up for…?” San chuckled, noting he’d showered and changed, a nice sweater hiked up over a pair of jeans. His tummy was exposed, the sweater having slipped up probably whenever he’d laid down.He was on his side, seemingly sleeping, knees tucked tight to his chest. His soup was untouched and San felt his heart sink a little. “ Young-ah. ” San leaned to shake his shoulder, careful not to jostle him too much. He peeked his eyes open and sat up, hurrying to grab for the spoon in front of him on impulse and San sighed, taking the bowl away. 

“I’m eating that -” Wooyoung huffed, blinking himself back into consciousness but San popped the bowl into the microwave and hit a few buttons. 

“It’s cold now.” San watched Wooyoung get a hold of himself and turn, watching him over the couch while he got his food ready for him. He brought it back, settling the warmed bowl in front of him and Wooyoung smiled, looking down at it. San settled next to him, waiting for him to eat but he just fidgeted with the metal in his hands.

“...will you eat with me?” Wooyoung asked, and San leaned back, sliding his hands over the tops of his knees. 

“I already-” He started to tell him he’d already eaten, because he had been forced to take a cheeseburger with him and ate it on the drive back. But something in Wooyoung’s face shut him up. The anxious look in his eye didn’t make sense bit it made him nod. “Yeah. Yeah , wait for me.” He got up, trying to figure out exactly what he was going to eat but recalled the pastries he was going to give Wooyoung. He brought the bag back over and set it on the table, pulling a scone out of the bag. He took a bite and Wooyoung did too, and the knot in his chest loosened up. “Good?” San asked, watching Wooyoung pick the bowl up so he didn’t have to keep leaning over. He nodded, and San smiled again, leaning back onto the couch along with him. “Yunho will be very happy to hear it.” San praised, and Wooyoung smiled around his mouthful, tucking his hair behind his ear before taking another bite. 

San made sure Wooyoung didn’t have to eat alone, after that. 

⋅❁⋅

Hongjoong and Seonghwa refused when Wooyoung tried to come back to work by Sunday- San had told him as much but drove him down to the shop anyway, letting him trudge back to his truck with the most kicked puppy look on his face. 

“Honey, you still have a headache. Maybe take another few days.” San pulled off down the road and side eyed his little greenhouse, the for sale sign taken off the front door. He’d removed it himself earlier that morning.

“I’m fine, though- I can take stuff for it. Normal people work through migraines.” Wooyoung grumbled but he knew what San was saying was right . 

“Just because they do doesn’t mean they should. If they’re lucky they have bosses that understand and let them take breaks . And you need a break , Young-ah.” San scolded him and reached to flip the sun visor down for him. He didn’t bother arguing back, just let San take him back home, let him lead him back up to his apartment and let him hit the code to open his door. 

“You don’t have to stay, though. I can get myself around, at least.” Wooyoung tried, but San shrugged and shut the door behind them, lowering the lights a little when Wooyoung’s squint hadn’t relaxed. 

“Well, I want to stay-” San started, but Wooyoung smacked his butt to get his attention, making him stop and stare at him. 

“You have work . You can’t keep staying. I’m not even sick anymore. I just have a dumb little headache .” Wooyoung was scolding him, now, and that behavior was a pretty good sign. San smirked and turned toward the kitchen, deciding on what he wanted to make them for lunch. “I mean it. You can stay over, but you won’t miss any more work because of me.” Wooyoung followed behind him, eyeing whatever it was he was doing. 

“Fine, I’ll go back tomorrow. But I’m confiscating your tablet. You’ll work and make your head worse. I’ll drop it off with Hongjoong so you can’t get your grubby little-” San looked over at him and Wooyoung rolled his eyes, turning on his heel with a little bit of a wobble to his step as he snatched his tablet up and tried to rush off to his room in rebellion.  “ Hey !” San dropped the sandwich he was making and chased after him, cutting him off easily, snatching the tablet away to hold it over his head. But Wooyoung was giggling at him like he’d expected it and San sighed, chewing his lip in a little smile. “Stop it. You’re gonna hurt yourself and then I’ll have to just stay here .” San threatened, but Wooyoung kept smiling, finally feeling like himself again as he pushed his arms around San’s middle. San reached to set his tablet down on the counter and wrap his arms around him in return, letting Wooyoung rest his cheek on his shoulder. 

“ Thank you. ” Wooyoung whispered, and San smiled, pushing a sideways kiss to his cheek. 

“ Don’t mention it. ” He whispered back, swaying a little, enjoying the dimly lit quiet they’d fallen into.

⋅❁⋅

Wooyoung’s apartment was suspiciously more green by the time San left it. He’d brought back random plants, sneaking them in to decorate the bare spaces in Wooyoung’s apartment. He’d drilled little hooks into the ceiling and insisted he’d definitely get his safety deposit back. He’d also told him the plants by his windows would keep him company, when he left. Wooyoung’s lack of decor had been one of the stranger things about his home. It was pretty barren; Including the state that the cabinets had been in when he arrived, his walls were empty, and his living room had consisted of a couch, a table, and an entertainment stand with a modest little TV on it. His bedroom was bland and mostly decorated with clothes, nothing hanging on its walls, no brightly patterned blankets to brighten it up. For an artist's home, it didn’t feel very Wooyoung, but he’d learned he’d only just moved in when he started working at Seonghwa’s shop- So he’d just had no time to decorate it, really.

He wondered if that was why Wooyoung had never invited him over. He’d never made it his home.

It was Friday again, by the time San finally took his toothbrush home. Wooyoung had been given the okay from Seonghwa to come back to work and he’d felt his heart break a little when San parked his car and his backpack was nestled between them, not tucked into the corner of Wooyoung's living room anymore. He waved goodbye to him in front of the hydrangeas, because San insisted on walking him all the way to the door. He left him with a kiss, and Wooyoung didn’t let him leave until he was pushing him off, both of them pink in the face and a little too giddy for ten in the morning on a public sidewalk. 

He plopped himself back down in his seat, looking around at the dust on his table, sighing a little bit at the stress he knew he’d caused everybody else. His phone buzzed, so he pulled it from his pocket to check it, San’s name on his screen just above a little goodmorning!  

He also realized how much better he felt, plopping his phone down to start his work back up. Head felt better, stomach didn’t hurt, heart felt lighter- He was grateful he didn’t have any appointments, mostly just some draft work to do, because his head admittedly still hurt a tiny bit and he didn’t want to push it too hard. He put on the goofy looking glasses he’d ordered off of amazon that were apparently supposed to help with eye strain, because he was an old man now that needed that . He was already so wrapped up in his work he didn’t notice when Hongjoong came in, leaning over his dividers to peek in at him and watch him work. 

“Those are cute.” He spoke up and Wooyoung looked up at him, pushing the glasses up with a little huff. 

“Yeah, don’t lie.” He grumbled, setting his tablet aside to greet him properly, getting up from his seat. “I’m so sorry for the trouble I caused you guys. San told me about the rude angry guy.” Wooyoung bowed his head and looked back up to see Hongjoong waving him off, eyes rolling because he really could care less about Wooyoung’s shitty clients. 

“I’m just glad you’re alright, that’s all.” Hongjoong gave him a pitied look and Wooyoung nodded, shifting awkwardly. “San seems like a pretty good guy.” He smirked, cracking into a smile when Wooyoung nodded again, pink in his cheeks. “Has he been nice to you? You can tell me if I need to beat him up, or something.” He was grinning, making Wooyoung smile and plop back down in his seat. 

“Are you kidding? I had to force him to go back to work. He’s been cooking all my meals, driving me all over…” Wooyoung trailed off, gathering his tablet back up. He glanced over his shoulder across the street, wincing a little at the pain in his head but he forgot all about it when he saw San guiding a couple outside, gesturing for them to sit at a table near the front. 

“Sounds like he really cares about you, Youngie.” Hongjoong smiled, tugging an envelope from his pocket. “Be nice to him, don’t tease him too much.” He chuckled, and Wooyoung rolled his eyes to look at him. 

“ You’re one to talk.” He scoffed, and Hongjoong tossed the envelope on his chair. It landed with a hefty thud and Wooyoung stared down at it. 

“Your tips. Don’t refuse to take it, either, because I’ll pawn it off on him and he’ll get all sweaty about it.” Hongjoong threatened, watching Wooyoung pick the envelope up and look inside. 

“This is-” He stared at the bills all stacked up, at least a few hundred dollars. 

“We all split your clients up, if they didn’t mind a swap.” Hongjoong leaned back, stretching a little. “Better for you than rescheduling them all for next week, I think.” Hongjoong nodded and Wooyoung smiled, slumping a little because he’d already been panicking over how he was going to make rent with all those days he’d been out. He was sure he could make it up if he took a bunch of walk-ins for the month, not that he really wanted to stick around late every day. But it looked like he’d be just fine off tips alone. 

“You guys are the best.” Wooyoung smiled, chewing his cheek as he stuffed the envelope into his bag and picked his work back up. Hongjoong patted the divider before leaving him be, moving over to his own workstation. What Hongjoong didn’t tell him was that he had piled his own tips in there as well, because he felt so guilty for not checking up on Wooyoung the first day he hadn’t shown up. It was the only thing he could think to do, aside from picking up his clients all week and installing a thick set of blinds on their front windows. 

“Oh, you’ve got a fridge in there, now!” Hongjoong called, and Wooyoung made a face, spinning around before he spotted the mini fridge that had been in the breakroom sitting beside his drawers. “We got a new one, and nobody else wanted it- So, you’re stuck with it.” Hongjoong grinned at him before disappearing behind a wall, getting to his own work. Wooyoung scoffed and pulled the door open, noting it was stocked with water and drinks already and he wondered who he could hold accountable for this onslaught of affection- But Yeosang was eyeballing him over the wall and Wooyoung squinted at him until he disappeared. 

“Did you do this?” Wooyoung chuckled, grabbing for a water bottle because he was actually thirsty. He cracked it open and took a sip, watching a little drawing pop up over the side of his wall. It was the little character Yeosang loved to doodle everywhere, smiling at him with a tiny little ‘yep’ next to the flower on his head. “Well- Thank you, Yeosangie.” Wooyoung smiled and watched the drawing disappear, another one replacing it after a moment, a little heart over its head. Wooyoung stifled his laugh and turned to get back to his work, kicking his feet up on the window ledge. 

“ I’m glad you’re back, Youngie.”

⋅❁⋅

Wooyoung’s apartment really was a little too empty. The gifted plants helped, but… It felt wrong, after San left. He’d tried to tough it out, going almost two weeks of feeling homesick in his own home . But it didn’t get any better, that lonely pit in his stomach that spread through each of his limbs and weighed him down. It didn’t matter if he’d just come from a date with San, if he’d seen him earlier that day, or if he was on the phone with him. 

He’d known his obsession was unhealthy, he’d called it from the start. That didn’t mean he’d stop feeding into it. 

“ Please sleep over?” Wooyoung threw his best pout face on, knees tucked into his chest at the bar as Mingi and San closed up for the night. Yunho had been in the kitchen for the majority of the time, only emerging to bring Wooyoung the leftover fried chicken he’d have to throw out if nobody claimed it.

“I can’t tonight, I have something I have to finish and I can’t move it…” San pouted right back, leaning forward on his elbows, ignoring Mingi lining dishes up in front of him, trying to get him to work instead of making pouty faces at his boyfriend. 

“Is it something I can help with…?” Wooyoung leaned closer, pout deepening, but San wasn’t about to give up. 

“No, honey. After tonight, it’ll be done, though. Hopefully .” San pecked him on the nose and grabbed the dishes, moving away toward the kitchen. 

“ Why can’t you tell me what it is?” Wooyoung whined, popping his feet down to get up, but he didn’t follow after him, just walked toward the kitchen door so he could see San through the little window. 

“ Because I don’t want to jinx it!” San looked back at him, hands plunged in warm water and watched Wooyoung’s dramatic pout turn into what could possibly be actual sadness. 

“I’m not a jinx . You could just tell me, all that superstitious shit is made up anyway.” Wooyoung grumbled, kicking a loose napkin before picking it up, leaning over the bar to throw it away. He moved toward his bag, which he’d tucked neatly on a chair so it wouldn’t be in their way, grabbing its strap to hoist over his shoulder. 

“Are you outta here?” Mingi asked, wiping his hands on his apron as he followed behind him. He was debating heading out, sad that San couldn’t come back with him and guilty for even pressuring him to do so- So he just nodded, because explaining all that to Mingi would take more time than it would be worth. “I’ll lock it behind you.” He smiled, moving behind Wooyoung toward the entryway, unlocking the bolt so he could slip out. 

“See you later, Mangi.” Wooyoung hopped down the steps, looking back over his shoulder  as Mingi waved and flicked the lock again behind him. He was kind enough to wait for Wooyoung to move out of sight before returning to his work. But a sudden clatter had Wooyoung turning back around, San’s soapy hands slipping on the bolt before he unlocked it again, hurrying down the steps behind him. He’d only gotten a few yards, so he stopped and turned, grumpy face softening when San got closer. 

“You’re not a jinx, that’s not what I meant.” San huffed, looking down at his hands before trying to fling the water off, pushing his palms and knuckles over the more clean spot on his apron. “I want to come with you, I really do. Promise .” San watched Wooyoung slump a little, because both of them were mature enough to know they couldn’t be together all the time . San had a life that didn’t include Wooyoung in every single second, just like Wooyoung had his own things he needed to do by himself. 

He just wanted to be selfish, sometimes. 

“What if I come over after?” San asked, and Wooyoung perked up, brows raising a little and he nodded. “It might be really late, but… I’ll just let myself in, if you’re asleep.” San smiled at the way he brightened- Invisible to anybody else but San because he could practically feel it when Wooyoung was down, or hiding something. He’d gotten really good at being able to tell. 

“I’ll wait up.” Wooyoung smiled and shifted closer, letting San push damp hands around to his back and pull him close. “I’m sorry if I sound like some kind of brat- I just miss you, that’s all.” Wooyoung turned his face up when San pushed tight kisses to his neck, his smile growing into an unsuppressable giggle.

“I miss you too, you know.” San spoke against his neck, muffled by soft skin before he nipped at him and gained himself a little smack on the arm. “Oh, what, I can’t even have a little bite?” San grinned, arms locking around him as Wooyoung’s giggle got louder and his teeth moved across his neck with no real purpose other than to bite . “Just a little nibble? Hm?” San felt weak hands on his shoulders, trailing a series of bites up the side of his throat. 

“ Sannah, stop- please- ” The noise Wooyoung let out between his laughter caught both of them off guard. It was a plea for San to stop it but it was something more than breathy begging, bordering on a moan. San loosened his grip and let him go, taking a step back when Wooyoung slid a hand over the red spots on his neck and quickly fixed his hair. He cleared his throat and tried not to combust, giving his boyfriend a little wave. San returned the little goodbye and turned on his heel, heading back to the restaurant. “You’ll really come tonight?” Wooyoung called, gripping the strap of his bag a little too tightly. 

“ I promise. ”

⋅❁⋅

Wooyoung was so giddy, getting his apartment ready for San to come over. He assumed they’d do very little besides sleep , since it was already ten o’clock at night and San still hadn’t arrived. But he cleaned his house anyway, making sure everything was spotless, since he’d been neglecting it for a while. His room had been a mess, his living room acting as a laundry pit, his kitchen back to being a little too barren again- He’d stopped and bought groceries just to keep San from scolding him for it. By the time most everything was clean, Wooyoung would be lying if he said he wasn’t sleepy. But he tried to keep himself awake with junk television, curled up on his couch to wait for his boyfriend. He definitely wouldn’t fall asleep.

“Young-ah.” He heard San’s voice, then a light push on his shoulder, eyes peeking open to see San grinning down at him and San was already there-

“ Mnn -” Wooyoung blinked a few times, assuming he’d only dozed off for a few minutes but his clock let him know it was well past midnight. “What’d you do?” Wooyoung asked, his question phrased poorly but San got the gist of what he was asking. 

“I can tell you what I was up to, now.” San seemed really happy, the more Wooyoung looked at him. He had a backpack on and a folder in his hand, wiggling it around excitedly while Wooyoung tried to blink himself awake. “It went well.” San circled around the couch, brushing his hand through Wooyoung’s hair as he sat down. He sat up and adjusted his clothes, pulling his sweater down as he slid back to make room for him.

“Mm, what is this?” Wooyoung reached to take it but San held it up out of reach, watching him slump with a little amused smile. “I’m not coordinated enough to wrestle you for that, right now.” Wooyoung pouted with a tiny smile, so San brought it back down between them and opened the folder. He didn’t bother saying anything, just let Wooyoung take a look at its contents. He reached to flip through some very legal looking paperwork, squinting to read it and one of them was the deed to a piece of property and Wooyoung suddenly realized exactly what he was looking at. “ You bought it? ” He gasped, flipping through more papers, stopping to look at some property photos of San’s greenhouse .

“Yeah, you told me to.” San teased, smirking at him, watching Wooyoung finger his way through the documents, stopping again when he got to some blueprints. It was property lines and all sorts of boring shit, but Wooyoung looked so interested, so happy . 

“ I’m so proud of you!” Wooyoung chuckled, looking back up at his boyfriend just to catch him smiling back at him. His face had softened at Wooyoung’s words, because he’d been expecting something like; ‘I’m happy for you!’ or ‘That’s great!’ or even ‘That’s a really big financial decision.’ . Wooyoung saying he was proud of him made his heart feel funny, a squeezing feeling that made its way to his throat and trapped whatever words he’d been planning to say. “Really- You didn’t even tell me about this- You must have done so much work for this-” Wooyoung turned and took the folder, pulling different papers out just to try and read them. The sleepiness had left him, only to be replaced by excitement, thumbing over San’s signature at the bottom of one of the pages. “You did all this by yourself?” Wooyoung turned to look at him again, San’s head rested on the back of his couch.

“Yeah.” Was all he managed, because Wooyoung was proud of him . He didn’t know why he wanted to cry over it- Maybe it was the late hour, lack of sleep. 

“Sannie.” Wooyoung closed the folder, reaching to set it down on his coffee table before turning to face him. He crossed his legs up on the couch and scooted as close as he could, watching San shift into the same position he’d taken. Their knees bumped each other and Wooyoung reached up to cup his cheeks. “You’re so fucking cool , Choi San.” Wooyoung really did admire him. San worked harder than a lot of people he’d ever known, he did so much for everybody else, so much for him . It was about time he did something for himself.

“You think so?” San asked, smiling, letting Wooyoung look at him like he’d hung the moon because his praise felt too good to hide from. For once, he didn’t feel the urge to bury his accomplishments in modesty. Say something like ‘oh, it wasn’t very hard’ because it had been . It’d been incredibly hard.

He’d had to wrestle the price of the place down before he’d been able to officially buy it, but the seller had been nice enough to hold up any other sales while San got his shit together. That was a couple weeks ago, but he’d also had to harass the bank to get back to him about his loan- He’d finished a two hour long meeting with said bank before showing up to Wooyoung’s place, and before that he’d had to race across town after his shift ended and meet with some guy from the city. 

Not to mention the cleaning . He’d been spending every waking moment he could helping the owner clean the place up, replacing glass panels and water damaged furniture so it’d be ready when he did buy it. San made sure to tell Wooyoung all about his hard work, too. Excited, giddy, relieved - He felt like he was floating, the way Wooyoung’s eyes held so much pride for him.

“So when can you open it?” Wooyoung had made his way into San’s lap somehow, straddling his lap just to watch him as he told him everything he’d been doing in secret for the last month or so. He didn’t know how San had managed something like that.

“I’m quitting my job first thing in the morning, so soon, I hope. I told Mingi and Jongho to come, too.” San settled back into the couch and Wooyoung leaned away a little, playing with the hem of San’s shirt. 

“...What about Yunho?” Wooyoung worried, and San nodded, so he looked at him, a little confused. 

“He’s been on board since I told him it had a decent sized kitchen.” San smiled, thumbs running lazily over Wooyoung’s thighs, just under the hem of his shorts. “You know those little pastries I brought you, when you were sick?” San asked, and Wooyoung nodded, kind of getting an idea of where things were going. 

“Can you have a bakery and a greenhouse together…?” Wooyoung questioned, and San nodded. 

“The greenhouse is only part of the building.” San explained, and Wooyoung recalled seeing the exterior a handful of times. “Yunho’s going to run himself a little bakery, and he’s been waiting to ask Mingi and Jongho to help him out. He just didn’t want to get anyones hopes up before I finalized everything.” Wooyoung smiled and leaned forward, squishing San’s cheeks a little aggressively because he really was so happy for him. 

“If I can help, I will.” Wooyoung leaned back, letting his poor face go and San nodded at his offer. “Whatever you need, like painting, or cleaning, or part time help or something-”

“I’ll take you up on that, I’m sure.” San cut him off with a pleased grin, feeling Wooyoung’s hands slide up to play with his hair- He knew he probably looked a mess, rushed through a work shift, driven all over town, jogged from the back of the parking lot to Wooyoung’s apartment because he was so excited to tell him- But Wooyoung still leaned to kiss his forehead, thumbs brushing his temples. 

“You still smell like fried chicken.” Wooyoung whispered, a little giggle on his lips as San pushed him back and grinned at him.

“Well I had to run right over here since somebody so desperately wanted to see me.” He chuckled, and Wooyoung climbed off of him, reaching to take his hand.

“Go wash up- I’ll give you some clothes to change into.” Wooyoung pulled him up and walked toward the hallway with him, letting San lag behind a little before letting him go. He just stood there with a big dumb smile on his face and Wooyoung pushed on his arm, giggling, trying to get him to get in the shower. “ Go! ” He chuckled, finally getting him to close the door behind him. 

The water flicked on before he turned to find something for his boyfriend to change into. Luckily, he’d stolen a pair or two of San’s sweatpants, so he folded them up and put them in front of the door for him, along with a shirt he hoped would be ignored. Wooyoung had still yet to see the majority of San’s tattoo’s. The ink that curled up under his collar and spilled from under his t-shirts, hidden from him simply because it felt too invasive to ask. He’d been curious, but he’d been too sick to ask before and hadn’t found the right time to do so since. He rummaged around in his hall closet for some extra blankets, the ones San had been using when he’d stayed over. He glanced back at his couch again, since San had only ever slept on the pull out, then he looked toward his own bedroom. He put the blankets back, wondering what San would prefer- To sleep by himself or finally share a bed with Wooyoung. 

He thought maybe he’d test his luck, shutting the closet while he waited for San to finish his shower. 

“You used all my body wash, babe.” San grumbled, playful, but he was still a little grumpy about it. Wooyoung had drained the entire travel sized soap San had forgotten, getting a little greedy with San’s scent because he’d missed him so much. He just shrugged, not bothering to dodge San when he wrapped his arms around him to squish him into a hug. 

“ You’re the one that left it behind-” San squeezed him tighter and he squirmed. “Okay! I’ll get you some more, sheesh .” He chuckled, backing up, shuffling them into his bedroom to plop onto his bed. San caught himself with a knee on the comforter, smiling down at his sweet little boyfriend as he grinned back. “I really am proud of you. I’m so happy you’re doing this for yourself. The street plants will miss you, but… You need to do something for yourself, for once.” Wooyoung let his cheek rest in San’s palm, letting him hold the weight of his head for a moment before reaching to take his hand. And then San knelt down, settling on the floor in front of Wooyoung’s knees to lean against them. 

Wooyoung tried not to be rude and stare at the pattern that curved over his shoulder, curls of ink sprawling down one side of his chest. He couldn’t see the back, but he was sure he could get to that, at some point. What he could make out, though, looked much more traditional than what he’d been expecting. Clouds- Lots of clouds in front of geometric patterns he couldn’t make out, and that shifted into greenery the further down his arm it went. He recognized the parts he’d recolored himself, of course. But the clouds -

“I’m happy, too.” San nodded, picking a little at the lint on his sweatpants. “Nervous, but-” He started, but Wooyoung’s focus snapped back to the man underneath all the tattoos and pushed his hand over his mouth, squinting down at him. 

“ You’re gonna do great .” He reassured, and San just stared up at him, waiting for Wooyoung to pull his hand away. His eyelids drooped a little when he slipped his fingers from his lips to his hair, scratching gently over the dampness of his scalp. “I’ll miss seeing you across the street every day, but I’ll just have to move my chair to the other side of the building so I can see the corner of your building.” Wooyoung chuckled, knowing he wasn’t even going very far, but the thought still made him a little sad. He felt that homesick pit in his stomach again, only momentarily, but he tried to shake it off. 

“I’ll come out and wave to you.” San grinned, watching Wooyoung’s face soften a little, and he rested his cheek on his knee. “I’ll pick you up and take you home every day, too.” San murmured, and Wooyoung had to look away, smiling into the middle distance because he was just too sweet . He felt his heart in his throat, his stomach filling up with butterflies as San turned more, sitting between his knees. “And you can come over for lunch- Yunho can still cook for you.” San watched his shoulders shake in a quiet laugh, so he rose up a little, palms sliding over his thighs to move them apart and make room for himself. Wooyoung finally looked at him again, surprise on his face but San was kissing him before he could even say a word. 

He felt caution in Wooyoung’s hands as he pushed them over his shoulders, slipping down a bit to his biceps where he finally squeezed and held on. San’s own hands had moved again, one splaying over the wrinkled blankets, the other tight to the small of his back to keep him from scooting away. San wasn’t shy with his tongue, either, invading his mouth to make him whine just like he had in his chair. He wasn’t sure how he’d done it so casually, but he found himself kneeling on the bed, Wooyoung’s legs draped over his thighs, and he really had to hold him up at the strange angle he’d moved them to. 

“San- Mm- I’m gonna fall -” Wooyoung mumbled between kisses, squeaking when San pulled under his knees to slide him fully into his lap. He was able to pull his heels up onto the edge of the bedframe to feel some bit of stability, hugging his neck to secure his new position. 

“Won’t let you fall .” San halted his kiss to rush out a whisper and Wooyoung felt his heart burst, letting San kiss him as deep and as messy as he wanted. He tensed a little when he felt fingers slip under the hem of his shorts, mostly by accident because San had been trying to keep him close. 

“ Ah-Mnn…” The noise Wooyoung made against his tongue made San hyper aware of every part of his body and where he was touching him. He dug his fingers into the meat of his thigh, winning himself another small little gasp and he felt high with it. He wanted more of it, his other hand slipping up under the hem of Wooyoung’s sweater, just a bit. His fingers dug into more plush skin, gripping his side, finally getting Wooyoung’s breath to hitch. He pulled back, looking up at his partner with a heavy lidded gaze and Wooyoung wanted to hide from him. 

“ Young-ah, you make the prettiest sounds.” He whispered, and Wooyoung felt his temperature rise, sweat clinging wherever San was touching him, which felt like all over. “...are you loud?” San questioned, and Wooyoung’s brain fizzled out. San’s hands had been sliding higher the entire time he spoke, one pushing his shorts up, the other pushing his sweater to his mid back.

“...What do you mean -” His voice was much more shaky than it should have been. San’s fingers retreated a little, but his grip only got tighter. 

“ When you have sex. Are you loud ?” San had no real idea where the fuck that cocky tone and question had come from, but the way Wooyoung’s body trembled sapped any self conscious thoughts before they manifested. 

“I- Why would I tell you that? ” Wooyoung stammered, and San blinked at him, watching a little smile tug at the corners of his lips. “ Figure it out yourself. ” He whispered, letting out another gasping breath when the man beneath him surged forward and bit the softness between his neck and jaw. “Nn- Easy- ” Wooyoung slipped a little, his ass sliding off of San’s lap and onto the bed- He tried to readjust himself before he realized San had done it on purpose. He stared wide eyed as he got up off the bed, bending to push Wooyoung’s knees up, forcing him onto his back, sending him sliding up further onto the bed. “Hey-” He flipped himself to sit up but San pushed him back down, and his hands were so gentle Wooyoung decided he’d let them do whatever they so pleased. He pulled on his thigh and got him to roll over, and Wooyoung had never felt so light before. San was really just pushing him around however he wanted, pulling him, yanking his hips back, tugging his shorts to the side -

“I’ll be honest, I’ve only ever slept with girls before, and that was like, a year ago-” San admitted, and Wooyoung tried to reel his brain back in so he had a chance at comprehending what he was saying. “So don’t let me do something to hurt you, okay?” He felt fingers hook under the middle of his shorts- The part that covered everything- and twist them to hold them out of the way. He was lucky they were made from some loose, stretchy material but he still pulled them to their limit.

“ You can’t just put it in-” Wooyoung rushed out, because he wasn’t sure what San was doing, his head too full of cotton to think about looking behind him. 

“I know that much .” San huffed, and Wooyoung felt thumbs dig into the meat of his ass and spread him apart. 

“San- ” Wooyoung tried to get himself together and get up to his hands, but he only made it to his elbows, hands tearing at his blankets. 

“I was gonna have you sit on my face , but-” Oh, jesus christ. “I wasn’t sure how that’d work, and I already have you like this- ” He heard and felt San spit on his hole, making his whole body jolt. 

“ San, that’s- You don’t-” Wooyoung knew he’d been fighting a losing battle since he’d let San start kissing him. 

He pushed his face into his blankets with a cut off gasp when he felt tongue press against him, thanking whatever god that was watching him be debauched like this that he’d remembered to shower before San had come over. He sucked on his lower lip when he spat on him again and forced his tongue inside, Wooyoung way too fucking tense, but far too nervous to do anything about it. 

“San it’s not like eating pussy it’s really no -” Wooyoung jolted when San brought his palm down over his ass, grabbing him with a rough smack to pull him open further and Wooyoung decided he’d just shut the fuck up. San groaned against his skin and that quieted his protests for good, allowing him to rock back onto his tongue a little and he finally let out a shaky sigh. 

His self conscious thoughts had left with a second smack over his ass. San pushed him by his hips and angled him forward, forcing his body to bow down to the blankets. Wooyoung slipped from his elbows to his chest again, arms over his head as he knotted his fingers in the sheets. San was tongue fucking him within an inch of his life and he’d never experienced that before. Another smack over his ass surprised him and he was suddenly very aware of his own dick straining against his shorts, pulled tight and trapped with the tight grip San had on them. And then he let him go, backing off with another audible spit against his hole. He was certain the sound he made in response was loud enough to slip through the walls and bother his neighbors.

“Stay.” San’s voice was low and Wooyoung had no choice but to listen, brainless, tingly all over. He came right back, but Wooyoung leaned up and looked back when he heard plastic crinkling. 

“You brought condoms ?” Wooyoung whispered his question, watching San push the front of his sweatpants down with a nod. He looked away at first, because that felt like the polite thing to do but then he remembered San’s tongue had been all over him a few moments ago so he let himself look. And whine. And sit back and turn around completely because he was just so pretty . 

“Lay back d-” San still had his thumbs hooked in the band of his pants when Wooyoung kissed him to cut him off. He pulled back, licking the fresh mint off his lips and he realized San had done more than just collect a condom and some lube when he’d left him braindead in bed. 

“Lemme play with it, first.” Wooyoung murmured, bold out of nowhere and it was finally San’s turn to be at a loss for words. Wooyoung scooted backwards before slipping off the bed, adjusting his poor stretched out shorts before tugging on the leg of San’s sweatpants.

“Youngie you don’t have to do that.” San’s words and his body were at a loss for each other because while he was protesting, he moved right where Wooyoung wanted him, standing by the side of the bed while Wooyoung rose up on his knees below him. 

“You don’t get to eat me out and then just do whatever you want. I get a turn, damn it.” Wooyoung pulled on his sweatpants a little more and got them down to his ankles, letting San kick them away. He was fully naked, after that.

“ Okay , okay-” San huffed, reaching to thread his hands through Wooyoung’s hair. And then his boyfriend blinked up at him, past the very obvious erection between them, up to San’s flushed face. 

“Hands off.” He nodded, and San jerked his hands behind his back instantly. “I’ll tap you right here-” Wooyoung patted his thigh with two fingers. “-when you can touch me. Okay?” San stared down at him with the most confused, turned on expression he’d probably ever displayed, but he nodded anyway. Girls had always asked him to hold their hair, or pull it, or- “Good boy. ” Wooyoung praised him as he grabbed a headband from his bedside table, using it to push his bangs back before leaning forward. 

“Oh .” San felt dumb. Not stupid dumb. Dumb, head empty, no thoughts dumb. He blinked, eyelids heavy, watching Wooyoung’s tongue press flat against the underside at the base of his cock. “ Okay .” He breathed out a shaky affirmative, his own fingers digging into his skin as he held his hands behind his back and tried not to touch. He’d be good, he could do that. Wooyoung’s tongue dragged up his length, and he halted for a moment just to kiss it. Then more tongue, and another kiss, and more tongue and San let out a deep breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. 

“...Bad?” Wooyoung looked up at him from under his lashes, hands splayed over the fronts of his thighs and San shook his head quickly. 

“No! Fuck, no. ” He realized his hands had made their way back around, hovering over Wooyoung’s head. He gripped them together and brought them to cover his face so he could try and get his brain back. He moved them over his forehead and looked back down, just in time to watch Wooyoung press his tongue flat against his tip, licking up the little bit of precome that had gathered there, much to San’s embarrassment. 

He went back to his teasing, and San wasn’t sure why he liked it so much. He could probably come just from Wooyoung’s kisses, wet and open mouthed over the tip, over a vein, all over him . His hips twitched when he slipped his lips over the tip, resisting the urge to push forward. Then he bobbed his head a few times and slipped all the way down, nose pressed tight against dark hair before he pulled back, only to push forward again and San’s hands gripped the back of his own neck, jaw dropped open in a groan that made Wooyoung’s eyes roll up to look at him again. That was a mistake. 

“You’re so- Fuck. ” San’s fingers dug into his palms because he’d dropped his hands again, wanting so badly to hold his cheek, hold his hair, anything. “I wanna touch you-” San blurted out, and Wooyoung couldn’t hold in his bratty comebacks, pulling back and all the way off. San stared at the opaque drool that connected his lips to the head of his cock and watched in embarrassment when his dick twitched right in front of him. 

“I know you do .” Wooyoung licked his lips, watching San’s hands tremble a little before he pushed them hurriedly behind his back again. “Good listening.” Wooyoung was loving this. San had reduced him to a puddle earlier, so this casual revenge was one hundred percent warranted, in his opinion. 

San rolled his head back with an impatient groan before he looked back down, watching Wooyoung take him back into his mouth. But he didn’t push all the way down again, just tiny little jerks of his head over the tip of his cock and then some, and San got brave enough to buck his hips- He was shocked when Wooyoung let him, then let him do it again, holding his head still to let San fuck into his mouth how he wanted. It wasn’t perfect, nowhere near as skilled and controlled as Wooyoung had been, but he felt him choke on it a few times and that was enough to make him pick up his pace. But Wooyoung backed off almost as soon as he’d started, chewing his lip as San struggled to stop the rude snap of his hips. 

“ Young-ah, please-” San whined, barely hearing himself but Wooyoung tapped the side of his thigh with two fingers. It took San a second to remember what exactly that meant but when he did, he hurried to knock his headband off and bury his fist in his hair. He wrapped his other hand around himself and he brought Wooyoung’s head forward, rubbing the wet tip of his dick against tight lips and let out another heavy sigh. “ Wooyoung.” He had to close his eyes for a second to keep it together, because the visual had caught up with him and Wooyoung looked so ruined . He looked at him again, at his spit slick chin, precome stuck to his lips and San had had enough of the teasing. “ Open .” He breathed, and Wooyoung did, tongue out over his teeth and San groaned when he slipped all the way to the back of his throat. 

Wooyoung let his eyes fall closed when San took over, focusing on not gagging when he fucked into his throat and kept a death grip on his hair. He forced his hips forward and held his head still, suffocating him and Wooyoung peeked his wet eyes open, fingers digging lightly into his thighs. But he was surprised when San suddenly let him go, pulling him back carefully before he dropped to his knees with him. And then San kissed him, and everything felt so soft again. 

“ Sorry- You’re just really… Mm.” San tried to find words for him, but Wooyoung just giggled, backing up abruptly to cough into his hand, eyes watering a little. “Did I hurt you?” San worried, his palm heavy as it slid over Wooyoung’s cheek, thumb brushing under his eye, fingers buried in the hair behind his ear.

“No, course not.” Wooyoung smiled, lips red from the use and San sighed, pulling him up carefully. “You coulda kept going, you know.”

“Get back on the bed, I’m not about to ruin this by falling for your tricks .” San chuckled, and Wooyoung wrinkled his nose in a giggle, crawling back onto his bed. 

“My tricks ?” He pushed on the hem of his shorts to try and remove them but San snatched his wrist and pushed it away, so he got the hint that maybe San wanted to ruin his favorite fucking pajama shorts. Wooyoung decided he would absolutely let him. He felt the bed dip behind him and he looked over his shoulder, catching sight of him rolling a condom down over himself. He fisted himself a few times, loud and wet and then Wooyoung felt him yank on his shorts again. “They’ll rip- Ah!” San had slipped his slick fingers over Wooyoung’s hole without warning, making him face forward and behave himself. His breath caught in his throat when they pressed inside and he caught himself on his hands on the bed, still up on his knees, but San yanked up on his shorts and he had no fucking clue what he wanted him to do, jerking forward a little. 

“ Lay down, baby.” San cooed at him and he did, hands slipping over the sheets until he was hugging a pillow, face squished against the material. San’s fingers were rude and rough but at least he was trying , kind of ruining Wooyoung’s composure with the harsh curve of his fingers. 

“That’s- Be gentle-” Wooyoung tried, lifting his head a little, making San slow his pace. He added a second finger and suddenly he was all gentle, smooth motions and Wooyoung thought maybe he’d been getting a little revenge of his own- He really hadn’t, though. San had not one single clue what he was doing. He’d never even fingered himself, let alone another guy. 

“That’s good… right?” San questioned, pulling his fingers out carefully, and Wooyoung nodded, getting himself back up onto his hands, palms pressed into the pillow. 

“I guess , just- Please be careful, at first- After that you can be as rough as you want...” Wooyoung slurred a little, trying to move with how San was moving him, guiding him by the harsh grip on his shorts and a hand on his hip. 

“I’ll try.” San muttered, having to let his hip go to take hold of his cock, lifting his hips up to push himself inside. “There…” Wooyoung whined at him but let him continue, gripping the pillow below him as he arched his back and tried to let San fit himself inside. 

“You’re too much .” Wooyoung gasped and leaned back, fingers leaving the pillow when San’s hand made its way to his shoulder to pull him back. He was already sliding his fingers over his own stomach before he was even flush against his hips. “Oh my god- ” He whimpered and San let his shoulder go, sliding his hand around to feel whatever it was Wooyoung was losing his mind over. 

“Does it hurt?” San whispered, rocking his hips carefully, but Wooyoung shook his head, both of their fingers pushing over the bulge from San’s dick inside him. Holy shit.

“S’perfect- just move- ” Wooyoung urged him, bouncing his hips a little and San had to dig his fingers into his hip to stop him. “- please .” Wooyoung corrected himself with a little politeness but San didn’t care much about it, yanking his shorts, hearing the fabric tear a little before he bounced him off his hips and quieted him for good. 

“You have the tightest fucking- Shit.” San bucked into him and got a little worried when he didn’t hear him whine, cry, moan, breathe , anything- Then he gasped, and San could hear the shake in his chest. “ I got you, honey. ” San hissed, looking down between them, watching Wooyoung fall forward onto one hand but the other stayed tight to his tummy just to feel him. He didn’t even care about the cloth suffocating his own dick, damp with his own precome- He did spare a second to palm himself and pull on the waistband, realizing it was digging into him enough to leave an angry red mark. 

“ Mnn- Sannah, wait- ” He dropped both hands to the pillow and San’s hips rolled to a halt, deep inside him and Wooyoung’s eyes rolled in his head before he could remember what he’d needed. “Need these off- It’s hurting.” He pushed on his shorts again and his earlier assumption about San wanting to ruin his favorite shorts had been correct. He heard the fabric tear before he realized what was happening, then another sick ripping sound and he watched the shredded fabric get thrown to the floor. “ I liked those- ” He whined, and San slipped a hand around to his front, fisting his cock for him and Wooyoung forgot all about the shorts. What shorts? San let him go and felt over the red marks over his waist where his waistband had dug in. 

“ Sorry , Young-ah. I’ll get you new ones, promise.” San whispered, drawing his hips back without warning and his pace picked right back up. He gripped his hips that time, keeping him close, letting Wooyoung struggle to hold himself up. He was babbling nonsense, sobbing out pleasured little noises as he slipped further and further forward. San gripped his shoulder, forcing him to arch his back again. “Come on, sit up for me- Good .” The angle felt better, that way, and he was sure Wooyoung felt it too because he reached back to grab the back of his hand where it held his hip tight. 

“I- Touch me again .” Wooyoung breathed out his request but San caught it, cutting off a tiny little ‘please’ when he wrapped his fist around his neglected cock again. San pumped his fist for him as he bounced him off his hips, not really expecting the intense response he received. “ Mnn! M’gonna come, Sa-nnn- ” He grit his praises through tight breath and San felt his heart squeeze in his chest, hearing his name called out like that. Every noise he made was pretty, from choking on his dick, to breathy noises in the shape of San’s name- All of it was almost overwhelming.

“So you are loud, huh…?” San muttered, mostly to himself because Wooyoung was gone, thighs starting to shake, stars behind his eyes as they rolled to a close when he made a sticky mess of San’s fist. His hands kneaded the pillow beneath him uselessly and he made a mess of that too, cum streaking cotton and he didn’t have the capacity left to feel gross about it. He didn’t have a chance to relax or come down, San letting his cock go but still fucking into him with the same rough pace. The overstimulation just made him grit his teeth, arching himself back against his chest, reaching behind him to grip San’s hair and tug- He gained himself a surprising little growl. 

“ Shhh, come on.” Wooyoung cooed at him, making San’s hips stutter, brows knit together as Wooyoung started fucking himself back, the sound of his hips smacking into him only getting louder. “So close , huh?” He whispered, and San weakened, just a little bit. His pace slowed, he matched Wooyoungs, and he nodded into his neck. He felt feather light fingers on his hips as Wooyoung reached back, letting his hair go in exchange for urging touches. San pushed on Wooyoung’s back a little and raised his hips, the change in angle making Wooyoung’s eyes go a little bleary. “ -bet you wish it was me and not that stupid fucking condom you’re ruining-” Wooyoung hissed, San yanking him back a final time before he did ruin the condom. He dropped his jaw, gasping out shaky groans, stuttering along with his hips as he shot his load into latex. His grinding hips made Wooyoung tighten around him, jerking himself quickly just to sneak a second orgasm he hadn’t even felt building. It almost hurt, but on the other hand it felt so right . Wooyoung felt his thighs quivering, tired from holding himself up and pushing himself to the edge all over again. “ Fuck, so good. ” His head hung and San let his mind blank, taking everything he needed before slowing his pace to a stuttering halt.

“ God, Youngie.” San let out a tight breath and let his hips twitch against him before pulling out, careful, slow, enjoying every whiny sound Wooyoung made in protest. He didn’t let him go, though, as badly as Wooyoung wanted to just lay down- He wrapped his arms around his waist, holding him tight against his chest so he could push lazy, nipping kisses all along his shoulder and neck. “...so pretty… ” San’s voice was a low rumble and it made Wooyoung’s heart flutter, shaky hands resting over his forearms just to hold onto something. He angled his head, rolling it when San moved across the tattoo at his neck and made his way to the other side. 

It got to the point where he was just gnawing at him, mindless biting, nipping, tugging his skin to make it red and taste the sweat he’d been the cause of. When Wooyoung remembered how heavy his eyelids were, he leaned back, sitting down in his lap to let his legs relax.

“If you’re hungry I just bought snacks .” Wooyoung murmured, San finally leaving him with another bite, then a kiss over top of it before he let him go. 

“Mm… Not hungry. Do gotta piss, though.” San grumbled, and Wooyoung tapped his leg, waving his hand toward the bathroom.

“ Not in my bed- ” Wooyoung tapped him some more until he got up. 

“I wasn’t planning on that! ” San laughed in disbelief, snapping the condom off as he made his way across the hall to the bathroom. 

“Yeah, well, some people are into that. I’ll never make that mistake again.” Wooyoung kicked his cummy pillow off the bed like it was the pillow's fault it got ruined. San came back to the bedroom after he was done, standing in the doorway with a look of great concern on his face. 

“Uh… Again ?” San questioned, spotting his pants on the floor to gather them up and start pulling them on. “Has there been… a piss incident before?”

“...Okay, so I tattooed a guy in my apartment, once- And then we, you know. After.” Wooyoung explained, yawning halfway through his story. “Then he pissed in my bed because he thought I’d be into it- I didn’t even have a mattress protector- ” Wooyoung rolled to his side, looking awfully pitiful but at least he had a sweater on. San looked down at him, then down further at the mattress. “ Not this one! I made him buy me a fucking new one.” San climbed over him, plopping on his side to pull him up against his chest. 

“Well… that was nice of him.” San chuckled, letting Wooyoung pull his arm around his stomach.

“By that, I mean I stole all the cash out of his wallet and threw it out the window. He thought he just forgot it at home and I kicked his ass out.” Wooyoung felt more kisses on his neck, felt San stretching the neck of his sweater out even more than he already had. “You know, I’m not one to kink shame, but you can’t just -” 

“Can’t just piss in somebody's bed without discussing it first.” San nodded, and Wooyoung rolled, impossibly close to San, looking up at him from the strange angle.

“Exactly. So I really didn’t know if you were gonna just- ” Wooyoung watched San wrinkle his nose.

“I would not just piss in your bed, do you think I’m an idiot?” San chuckled, and Wooyoung kicked his feet, lazily punching San’s arm but he was mostly just bumping him with his fist. “Okay, okay. No more piss talk.” San huffed, feeling Wooyoung settle again. And then he rolled away, getting up off the bed with a wince. “Where are you going?” San asked, watching him wobble across the hall. 

“... Now I have to piss.” Wooyoung yanked the bathroom door closed on San’s laughter, leaving the other man to cackle alone in his overtired, post orgasm brain fog. He did make himself useful, however, investigating the blankets to make sure there wasn’t some mess that might sneak up on them later. Wooyoung’s pillow was really the only casualty, so San dug around for a shirt instead, glancing up at Wooyoung when he made his way back in. 

“Oh, I’m sorry…” San pouted, arms stuffed through the holes of his t-shirt before he stuffed his head through. He was staring at the red marks on Wooyoung’s waist, where his shorts had rubbed him a little raw from San’s rough handling. 

“Take that off- ” Wooyoung didn’t actually care about the marks- He was more concerned with finally getting a look at San’s ink. San made a face and pulled his shirt off, getting a little stuck but pulling it back down over his arms like he’d asked. 

“Could have said please.” San huffed and covered his chest with his hands, making Wooyoung stifle a laugh as he made his way to the bed. 

“I just wanted to see these.” He climbed forward on the bed, hem of his sweater hanging low on his hips, managing to cover everything but he was still pantsless- San was the only one affected, apparently. He kept his eyes up, watching Wooyoung look down over his chest, fingers brushing the ink over his pectoral. 

“Oh- You haven’t seen these, right…?” San looked down at his fingers, delicate and tracing. Wooyoung nodded, sliding onto his lap just to get a better look. “Don’t you want some pants -”

“These are much cleaner than the ones I fixed.” Wooyoung pressed his thumb into his muscle, following the curve of one of his clouds. He’d never seen such beautiful grayscale watercolor work before- Even Seonghwa wasn’t this good. Wooyoung could only ever hope to be, someday. “These had to have cost a fortune.” Wooyoung palmed his chest and looked up at him, blinking a few times at how red he was. 

“Yeah- Yeah, they would have- I got a good deal, though...” San mumbled out a pitiful explanation because Wooyoung was touching his chest and he felt like he was losing his mind a little. He never realized how sensitive that would be- Getting the tattoo there hadn’t even really been that bad, but Wooyoung’s palm sliding over his skin was like lava, slow rolling, burning everything in its wake.

“And then- The pointillism too. And these highlights, here-” Wooyoung leaned back, thumbing over his nipple on accident to follow a row of scales that he realized was a serpent of some kind. “I wanna see the back, too.” Wooyoung got up on his knees and leaned over him, following the trail over his shoulder. San wrapped an arm around his waist and squished his cheek to his chest, one of his hands sliding over his own chest because it still felt like it was tingling. “Are these butterflies?” Wooyoung traced his fingers across his shoulder, down his back.

“Yeah. There should be a tiger back there, too. Unless it got up and walked away.” San muttered, muffled in the knit covering Wooyoung’s body. Wooyoung traced it, leaning over him to finger over its claws, noting the way a mountain range somehow incorporated itself across his lats. It seemed like a menagerie of things, but all of it tied together in a beautiful scene and Wooyoung couldn’t stop staring. 

“Can you turn? I want to see.” Wooyoung sat back down and looked over San’s face again, noting he was just as red as before. “Is this too much?” Wooyoung backed off a little because the last thing he wanted to do was make San uncomfortable- But he really was just interested in his ink. 

“No, it’s- It’s fine. I’ll turn, here.” San wriggled out from underneath Wooyoung’s bare lower half and turned, sitting cross legged on the bed while Wooyoung got to watch his muscles shift. He’d always thought San’s body proportions were of the gods- He felt even more right just looking at his waist, the build of his muscles up to his shoulders. He couldn’t help but slide his palms over his waist, little bits of ink spilling over but he kept his mind out of the gutter for the most part. 

“Man… Who did these?” Wooyoung questioned, the tiger looking a lot more fierce than it had looked upside down. 

“Some guy, back in my hometown. I forget his name.” San heard Wooyoung sigh and looked back at him, his expression full of disappointment and San chuckled at him. “What?” 

“I was hoping you’d know so I could look them up…” He pouted, tracing the trail of butterflies back up over his shoulder, then leaned against his back. He slid his hands back down over his chest and San jolted a little. Wooyoung pushed his cheek to San’s, glancing down to where his hands were stationed at the top of his chest. 

“It’s getting late, Young-ah.” San muttered, leaning back a little, glancing down at Wooyoung’s hands. His eyelids fluttered as they traveled further down, and he jolted when Wooyoung pinched his nipples and he was definitely not looking at his tattoos anymore . 

“They’re so pretty, though.” Wooyoung pouted, slumping down a little, mouth pressed against San’s neck to kiss him there. 

“Yeah, he did a pretty good job.” San breathed, his hands gripping the blankets underneath him, watching Wooyoung’s hands slip past his nipples to the underside of his chest, kneading the pillowy muscle there. 

“I meant your tits .” He heard the grin in Wooyoung’s tone and grabbed his wrists, pushing him off so he could scramble away. 

“ Wooyoung! ” San scoffed, watching Wooyoung laugh and sat back down on his heels, reaching out for San to beckon him back. “No, you’re gonna keep fondling me.” San smacked his hand away and Wooyoung giggled again, pulling his sleeves over his hands. 

“I won’t- This time.” Wooyoung winked at him and San scoffed again, scooting to the far side of the bed. “What, are you jealous because you didn’t get to see mine?” San rolled his eyes, watching Wooyoung scoot closer. Then he got up on his knees again and pulled his sweater up just over his ribs. There was some script there and San was tracing his fingers over it before he knew it, making Wooyoung hum. 

“You don’t really have very many, huh…?” San muttered, a little lost before Wooyoung pushed his sweater back down, bumping San’s hand along with it. “Why is that?” San asked, watching Wooyoung kick his legs out and roll down onto his side, head hitting the pillow. 

“Mm… It’s kind of dumb.” Wooyoung reached up for San’s cheek, guiding him down, getting him to lay beside him. “I’m worried whoever does it won't do a good job.” He chuckled, and San made a face, because Wooyoung looked a little annoyed with himself. “Like Seonghwa or Hongjoong, I trust them-” Wooyoung shrugged, letting San push an arm under his head. “But I haven’t gotten around to asking them, yet. I only got here a few months ago.” San nodded, because really, that did make sense. He knew how much of a perfectionist Wooyoung was when it came to his work. He’d probably go insane if there was a mistake on his own body, permanently . 

“Well… What would you get?” San felt Wooyoung tracing his chest again, trying to ignore how warm it made him feel. He had his cheek pressed to San’s bicep, giving him a perfect view of the clouds and geometrics that shaped his chest. 

“Hmm.” He had a library of things he’d always wanted. He wasn’t sure where he’d even start. “There were some butterflies I wanted- I’m not copying you, I swear.” Wooyoung giggled and San breathed out a little amused laugh, halting when Wooyoung flicked his thumb over his nipple and that was definitely intentional. “There’s this cool space thing I designed a while ago, I never gave it to anyone because I want it for myself.” He smiled, his face inching forward, and San felt his cheek slide dangerously close to his chest. 

“Wooyoung-ah.” San warned, sighing when Wooyoung’s hand slid away, down to his stomach. 

“What’s the matter?” Wooyoung’s voice was so innocent . San hadn’t realized how much of a tease his boyfriend was- Mostly because the most intimacy they’d gotten to were heated kisses and wandering hands, until tonight. 

“ Stop that .” San whispered, watching him trace over the defined muscles on his stomach. 

“You really want me to?” Wooyoung asked, and San didn’t say another word, because he couldn’t lie, but he also couldn’t tell the truth. He couldn’t do much of anything, Wooyoung’s breath fanning over his chest while his fingers cut across his abdomen, against the band of his sweatpants and up the hollowed v that peeked up over the material. He pressed a kiss to the side of his chest and San’s breath caught in his throat. “I’ll stop, then.” Wooyoung pulled his hand away and San snatched his wrist, making the younger man grin. “What?” 

“You don’t have to stop anything.” San grumbled, and Wooyoung looked up at him, cheeky little smile on his face. 

“Didn’t get enough earlier, huh?” Wooyoung whispered, sliding his hand back down when San let him go. 

“You’re the one whose-” He palmed right over San’s dick, already hard in his pants and he made a strangled noise in his throat. “- touching me .” He finished, hips rocking up involuntarily into his hand and San felt so shy . 

“I didn’t mean to do this, for the record.” Wooyoung kissed his jaw and looked back down, kissing at his chest again, just beside his nipple. 

“I don’t believe that.” San scoffed, Wooyoung’s palm still pressing against his pants. 

“Well, not at first-” Wooyoung’s hand moved up his length and back down again, feeling San’s fingers dig into his side when he did so. “Now I am, though.” He gripped him tight, everything , squeezing his balls and he watched his abdomen tense, stomach curling when his hips rocked into his palm again. 

“Have you always been this dirty ?” San scoffed, head hitting the pillow when Wooyoung mouthed over his nipple. “ Wooyoung -” San breathed out his name like a desperate plea. 

“ Sannie .” Wooyoung teased him, echoed his name back to him before biting the underside of his chest and San’s hips bucked up. “Should I take it out, you think?” Wooyoung murmured against damp skin, licking up over his nipple, biting where he stopped near the middle of his chest. 

“ Yeah .” San gasped and looked down again, watching Wooyoung’s hand slip under his sweatpants, disappearing but he felt his hand wrap around him and everything felt so hot . His skin where he was pressed to him, his breath against his chest, the softness of his palm. 

“I could just make you cum in your pants, that’d be kinda hot.” Wooyoung mumbled, but San tapped his side a few times, whining when Wooyoung’s hand slipped off him and smoothed over his thigh, then he pulled it back out.

“Do not , I like these pants.” San pouted, and Wooyoung stopped, looking up at him with an unreadable expression. 

“I had pants I liked, once.” He grumbled, and San remembered the shorts he’d ripped . 

“Oh, come on-” San huffed but watched Wooyoung hook his thumb into the waistband. 

“I’m kidding . Your dick’s too pretty to hide, anyway.” Wooyoung pushed the material down and San lifted his hips so he could push it further down. “I mean look- ” Wooyoung whined, smearing his thumb over the head, the stickiness there, letting it hit his abdomen as he brought his thumb to his mouth. 

“ Dirty. ” San felt his head spin a little, Wooyoung’s hand sliding down over his stomach again, until he had the base of his cock in his fist again and San bucked his hips up again. 

“Yeah, I’m the dirty one. Panty ripper .” Wooyoung huffed, tongue pressing flat over his nipple before kissing it, and San smacked his bare thigh, making him yelp against him. Hot. 

“They weren’t panties-” San tried, but Wooyoung moved his fist and he lost his train of thought. 

“Bet you’d have liked that more, huh?” Wooyoung teased, kissing the side of his chest, fist moving ever so slowly, twisting a little to stroke him better. 

“Nn- Yeah…” San admitted, watching his hand, rocking his hips into him and Wooyoung leaned up. 

“You wanna see me in panties , but I’m the dirty one?” Wooyoung teased, sucking over his nipple again and San whined, high in his throat. That was a new noise. Wooyoung backed off, looking down at him. San’s face was red, brows knit together and oh so desperate. “Sannah… You really do? Wanna see me in some panties?” He grinned, watching San nod, eyes rolling when he bucked his hips and Wooyoung tightened his fist just right.

“ I do - You’d look so pretty, you know?” San tried to explain himself, but Wooyoung rolled away from him and he sat up, letting out a heavy breath as he watched him move away. “Is- Is that weird? I’m sorry if it’s weird, you can forget it-” San sputtered, worried, watching Wooyoung move to a set of drawers against the wall. “...What are you doing?” Wooyoung ignored his questions, up on his tiptoes to dig around in the highest drawer, but he finally pulled out what he was looking for. 

“You want my sweater on? Or off?” Wooyoung pulled on the material, then turned, leaning to step into the material he’d pulled out. 

“ Why do you have those- ” San’s mouth was dry, throat hoarse as he watched Wooyoung slide lilac colored lace up over his thighs. 

“ On or off? ” Wooyoung adjusted himself and San blinked a few times, wondering how the fuck they’d gotten to round two already. He’d stared at his ass for a little too long before Wooyoung turned, looking at him expectantly. 

“...Off- I’ll take it off, you…” San watched Wooyoung climb back over the bed, crawling towards him, stalking him with those pretty eyes . 

“You’ll take it off for me?” Wooyoung smirked and climbed into his lap, watching San’s wide eyed wonder as his hands fell heavy over his thighs. He couldn’t touch the lace, not yet.

“Mm, I will.” San moved a little slowly, but soon enough he was pushing the sweater over his head, Wooyoung helping him get it up before dropping it beside them. He let his hands wander, palms over his chest, tugging him close enough to get a mouth on his nipple and Wooyoung giggled, gripping the back of his hair. 

“Am I still the dirty one?” Wooyoung asked, arching his chest forward when San’s palms slid up his back, holding him close. “Or has it been you all along?” He mumbled, smiling down at him as his tongue flicked out over his nipple, then he nipped at it, covering it with a kiss when Wooyoung’s body jolted forward. 

“ It’s still you .” San muttered, making Wooyoung smile even more. He moved to the other side of his chest, then his hands started to travel further down and Wooyoung lifted his hips. 

“But Sannah-” Wooyoung put his best pout face on when San looked up at him, finally breaking his mouth away. The shine of spit on his lips was incredibly endearing. “I put these panties on because you told me to.” He whispered, and San’s face got redder, more embarrassed, so he looked down between them. 

“ You- ” San wanted to argue, wanted to fight back but his fingers slipped over the lace and it was softer than he imagined it would be. Almost as soft as the skin of his hips where it sat.

“ You said it’d be pretty .” Wooyoung watched him pinch the fabric, pulling to snap it and he was almost embarrassed over the way his hips twitched. “Is it?” San slipped a thumb under the hem, breathing a little more heavily than he’d realized. “ Sannah .” Wooyoung got him to look up, San looking at him with hearts in his eyes. “Is it pretty?” He asked, and San swallowed hard. 

“ So pretty .” He answered back, voice a hoarse whisper, and Wooyoung smiled, pushing back on San’s shoulders to get him to lie back again. 

“Isn’t it soft, too?” Wooyoung asked, inching forward a little and San nodded. 

“ So soft. ” He mumbled, hands never leaving his hips, the fabric bunched under his palms. Wooyoung reached to pull one of San’s hands around, watching the man stare dumbly as he moved his palm over the obvious bulge in the lace. The material was incredibly thin, so of course it was sticky with precome and San’s head plopped back when Wooyoung rocked his hips into his waiting palm. 

“ Mmm-” Wooyoung chewed his cheek, letting San palm him, grip him, press his thumb through the precome and smear it around, lace turning from lilac to purple where he did so. “ Enough- ” Wooyoung pushed his hand away and moved forward a little more. San didn’t even care, just pushed his thumbs under the material, watching it stretch and snap, watching the way it folded into the crease of the fat at his hip when he sat-

“ Ohshit -” San tried to sit up a little, leaning on his elbow to watch Wooyoung rock his hips back, grinding against his shaft, the material of the lace dragging along his length. All Wooyoung was doing was grinding, but he already had San panting as he watched him. He kept his ass tight against him and leaned back, hands resting on San’s thighs to brace himself. 

“Does it feel good ?” Wooyoung asked, knowing the answer because he could feel the precome slicking up the lace and San nodded frantically. 

“ So good .” He’d kept a firm grip on Wooyoung’s hip, absolutely lost staring at the way his dick disappeared, then poked back out, leaking, making his stomach shine. 

“ You’re making a mess. ” Wooyoung lifted his hips up and showed off the lace, sticky, darkened , and San felt his composure crumble. 

“Still so pretty , though…” San reached back to pull the back of the panties just above his ass, making everything tighten up and Wooyoung whined. “Can you… uh . Turn-” San pushed on his hips and Wooyoung moved how he wanted him, flipping his position so he was leaning forward, hands on San’s knees. “ Jesus .” San pulled down on his hips and Wooyoung let him, biting his lip in a grin as he went back to the grinding he’d been doing. San pulled the panties up higher and Wooyoung let out a harsh breath, thighs shaking. 

“Didn’t take you for a pervert .” Wooyoung was still smiling, looking back at him. His eyes were glued to his ass, his hands starting to yank him back a little more harshly, and Wooyoung was very glad he’d had these panties on hand, that he’d even remembered he’d had them.

“ Wooyoungie , lemme put it in.” San whined at him as he rocked his hips to meet Wooyoung’s grind, head rolling back as he picked up his pace. 

“Get a condom, you animal. ” Wooyoung heard him whine again, then that whine turned into an annoyed growl but he halted his hips anyway. “I’ll go get it.” He scoffed, climbing up off him, snapping the bottom of the panties to adjust them since San had so rudely yanked them up his ass. “They in your bag?” He asked, and San just nodded, still staring, and Wooyoung watched his cock jump as he walked away. He came back quickly, handing the package over to his boyfriend to let him deal with it. His hands were shaking, and Wooyoung almost felt bad for him. “We can go get tested, so we don’t need those.” Wooyoung raised a brow as he climbed back over him, facing him again. San almost dropped the condom when he said that, but rolled it down over himself hurriedly, pulling on wooyoung’s thigh. 

“‘Kay.” San nodded, and Wooyoung giggled, lifting his hips up. 

“You may not rip these.” San nodded, and Wooyoung pulled the panties over, reaching back to feel San already pressed against his hole. 

“‘ Kay .” San mumbled, still staring down between them, and Wooyoung found it adorable, now needy he seemed for it. He kind of regretted waiting so long to have sex with him, but it also made it worth it, in a way. Wooyoung felt him catch on his rim but slid his hips forward, making San whine when he didn’t get to slip inside. 

“Oops .” He smiled and San looked so desperate . He did it again, teased him and slipped away and the sounds he made. Irritated whimpers he wasn’t even sure San realized he was making. “ Sannah , just put it in. ” Wooyoung teased, biting his cheek, and San whimpered, bucking his hips up to try again and Wooyoung slipped away again , making little tears well in San’s eyes. “My poor Sannie.” He leaned down, kissing his cheek, grinding his hips back. “You can’t fit it?” He murmured, and San let out a choked off whine. “Should I do it for you?” He asked in a whisper against his ear, and San’s head hit the pillow again, his hands landing on Wooyoung’s hips after a few seconds. “What should you say?” Wooyoung cocked his head, kissing at San’s cheek, then down to the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t speak up, just panted at him uselessly. “I should just give it to you, huh?” Wooyoung leaned back, reaching his hands behind him, one to hold the panties to the side, the other to stroke San a few times. “Since you’ve been working so hard? I think you deserve it.” Wooyoung rambled, rocking back against the condom. “Do you think you deserve it?” He watched San nod frantically. “I think you’re right .” He forced the tip inside and rocked back, head lolling back as he ground his hips down and San bucked up into him. He didn’t even stop him, because his own dirty talk reminded him that San really did deserve it- He’d been so proud of himself when he showed up with that little folder, and Wooyoung almost regretted the teasing. Almost . 

“ Baby -” San choked on his breath as Wooyoung fully seated himself, bringing his arms back in front of him to brace his palms on his stomach. 

“I meant it before, when I said you’re so cool , Sannah.” Wooyoung let out a shaky breath before bouncing his hips a few times, watching San’s eyes go unfocused just a little- But he bucked his hips up again and caught Wooyoung by surprise, forcing an unchecked moan out of him. He let San fuck him off his hips before taking the pace back, one of his hands splaying over the tattoos on San’s chest. “And such a sweet boyfriend , too-” Wooyoung felt a little weak, but he kept the pace even if his thighs burned. 

San was already seeing stars, hands shaking where he held him and he just tried to tighten his grip so Wooyoung couldn’t tell how fucked out he was. The way he moved was so skilled, just like his hands had always been- He rode his cock like he was made to do it, making San dig his heels into the bed so he could meet him halfway. 

“ Ah! San-” Wooyoung slipped, San’s thrusting apparently threw him off so he fell forward, and San could see on his face how good he was making him feel. As if he’d forgotten all his resolve, all of his false cockiness, he leaned and hugged San’s neck, gasping against it. “ Fuck me harder, please .” Wooyoung’s request was on a desperate moan and forced San to dig his heels in more, no chance he’d deny him what he’d asked for. He held his hips down with a death grip above the lace and fucked up into him, bed creaking underneath them. 

“ Sit up -” San helped him lean back, mostly because the angle wasn’t the best, but San also felt like being selfish. And Wooyoung was absolutely letting him, letting him take what he wanted. His thighs were shaking but he sat back, like San had asked him to. It was helpful that San had slowed his pace just a little, just enough to keep Wooyoung from falling forward again. “ Touch yourself .” He panted, and Wooyoung whined, trying to hold himself upright still as he moved his hand and started to push the lace down. “Leave that.” San nodded, and Wooyoung was confused for a moment, but the request made sense after a few seconds. 

“I can’t?” Wooyoung whimpered, but San shook his head, bucking his hips harshly and he watched Wooyoung’s eyes roll in his head while he tried to gain some kind of composure. 

“Want you to make a mess in those panties, honey.” He felt himself grin and picked his pace back up, watching Wooyoung’s hand shake over the lace. He palmed over the sticky, damp spot in the front, where the sensitive head of his cock was trapped and he gasped, body shaking. “ Oh fuck .” San watched him arch back, mouth falling open in a whiny moan as he rubbed himself through the lace, then went silent when his cum seeped through the fabric, making a mess of his fingers and San couldn’t hold back, after that. “ Pretty little mess- ” He rocked his hips in deep , watching Wooyoung’s cum roll down the lace as his own shot into his condom for the second time that night. The way Wooyoung tightened around him as he came only made everything more intense, his own hips jerking until he forced himself to stop, settling to a halt against the mattress. But poor Wooyoung…

“Mnn-” He had tears on his cheeks, letting San take over. He peeled the sticky lace away, pulling it down to free his cock. “Messy, messy messy- ” He babbled, body shaking when San fisted him, watched his head fall back as he squeezed the last drop of cum from him. “ Ah! Ah- Nnn- San!” Wooyoung finally grabbed his wrist, panting, stopping his stroking. He finally let him go but he couldn’t even fully relax, still sitting flush against San’s hips. He tried to pull off, but San pushed him back down, making him cry out and he felt a little mean. 

“Slow down , Young-ah.” San whispered, and Wooyoung shook, fists balled up tight where they rested on San’s abdomen. He brought his hand up, Wooyoung’s cum on his fingers and palm. “Clean your mess, honey.” San nodded, voice so gentle but the request was so vulgar it made Wooyoung moan. He took the hand San offered him, holding his wrist in both of his hands, blinking tears away before he stuck his tongue out to clean his own mess . San enjoyed it a little too much, fucking his fingers over his tongue when Wooyoung put them in his mouth, feeling him rock his hips involuntarily and bite down on his knuckles when the sensation was too much. He gasped around San’s fingers, forcing his hips down suddenly and his body shook again. “ Greedy .” San felt him spasm around his cock, moaning around his thumb, cum dripping onto San’s stomach as he came a second time. His eyes were half lidded and unfocused, and San let him ride it out, tongue lazily dragging over his palm. 

“Clean .” Wooyoung whispered against his hand, but still gripped his wrist for dear life because he was too sensitive to think to do anything at all, without direction. Just pushed lazy kisses into his palm and waited for wherever San wanted him next. 

“Lift your hips, Youngie.” San nodded, taking his hand away much to Wooyoung’s displeasure. He tried to do as he was told but San did the majority of the work, lifting him off, feeling him shiver as he set him down on his side. He watched Wooyoung squirm, pushing at the hem of his panties pathetically, but everything felt like fire on his skin. 

“Please get these off-” He whined, more tears welling in his eyes so San moved hurriedly, pulling them down off his legs to toss them away. Once they were off, Wooyoung looked a lot more relaxed, but he still had tears on his lashes and San leaned to kiss his cheek, wiping the other with his thumb. 

“Are you okay?” San whispered, leaning closely over him, watching his tense expression relax a little more. He nodded, and San nodded back, leaning to kiss his nose. He still looked uncomfortable, for some reason, and San couldn’t understand why. “What is it, honey?” He leaned back to look him over, and Wooyoung shook his head, eyes squeezing shut, pushing himself into San enough that the other man laid back, letting him crawl over his chest. It took him a while, but he finally spoke up. 

“...didn’t think you were like that.” Was all he said, and San made a face, leaning to try and look at him. 

“I… I’m sorry, was that too much?” San worried, trying to pull him up so he could see his expression. But Wooyoung kissed him, tears- and cum- still salting his lips and San felt so confused . He pulled away and rested his head back down on San’s chest with a heavy, tired thud.

“ It was perfect. ” He admitted, and San stared at him. “Never been treated like that before.” Wooyoung whispered, voice sounding dreamy and far away but San ran a hand over his hair, feeling him cuddle in tighter. Wooyoung’s brain was still full of fireworks, San’s sweet voice bouncing around in his head. 

“...yeah? You mean rough, like that?” San kept his voice soft and Wooyoung nodded. 

“Any of it. You wanted me so bad .” He sighed, and San felt his cheeks warm but he smiled, brows knit together as Wooyoung forced his face against his neck. “Needed me.” He mumbled, and San nodded.

“Always need you, Young-ah.” He felt Wooyoung push closer, tangling their legs together. Wooyoung just hummed in response, his energy sapped, hand sliding up San’s neck to cup his cheek. “...Do you need to wash up, or anything?” San whispered, and Wooyoung whined, shaking his head in defiance because he did not want to get up. “You probably should-” Wooyoung cut him off with a very dramatic groan and San chuckled, letting him continue to hide and avoid the inevitable.

“Just like, five minutes, then I’ll go shower.” Wooyoung mumbled, legs still feeling jelly-like and weak. They both knew damn well that was a lie, but San nodded anyway.

“Five minutes.” He traced his forehead, his hairline, down the slope of his nose. San watched him, for some unhealthy amount of time, before he finally realized he’d fallen asleep. 

And then he kept watching him, eyes heavy, heart full to bursting because he’d have never taken the leap he had on his own, buying back his moms business. He’d needed a push for a long time- And something about Wooyoung telling him he should just go for it was the push he’d needed. 

Something about Wooyoung was the push he’d needed. He’d always, always been an independent kind of man. Loved his family, friends, plants, pets- But Wooyoung changed his whole point of view. He needed him- Maybe it was scary, at first. But he looked over his sleepy face, cheeks pink, lips kiss bitten and red. He was well aware that Wooyoung felt like he needed him. He figured it’d be okay, if San needed him back. 

⋅❁⋅

San’s greenhouse slash bakery was just about ready in a couple weeks time. He’d worked day and night on it, and Wooyoung had helped whenever he could, along with the other three boys from the restaurant- Now proud employees of San’s new business.

“You should probably cut your apartment lease.” Wooyoung called, paint on his cheek from where he was sat cross legged on a step ladder. He had a dirty, messy paint pallet in his hand but his artwork was far from messy . All clean lines and bright illustrations, a smattering of flowers across the entire side wall of Yunho’s bakery. He turned, looking back at San as he worked on putting up a set of nice curtains. And San looked back at him, smiling at the words above his head. 

Until you bloom, like a spring flower.

Same words on his arm, the ones Wooyoung had fixed for him, framed nicely above his head and he let his curtains go, letting them billow to the floor behind them. He pulled his phone out, flipping the camera on before Wooyoung turned back around, face covered. 

“Youngah .” San grinned, watching Wooyoung try to decide if he wanted to be seen with his hair a mess, paint on his cheeks. He was dressed in some of the dingiest clothes he owned as well, holes all in his shirt, paint on his pants. But he sighed, deciding to turn around for him, shy little smile on his face before he saw the face San was making- Cheeks puffed out, nose wrinkled and Wooyoung cackled , grin growing wide as he struggled not to fall back on his chair. San took a burst shot of photos and put his phone away, smiling over at him normally after his ploy to get Wooyoung to smile for real had worked perfectly. 

“You did that on purpose!” Wooyoung giggled, setting his paint pallet down, wandering over to his boyfriend, brush extended like some kind of weapon.

“Now- This shirt is brand new-” San held his hands up and backed off, but Wooyoung was still stalking forward. 

“You still owe me a pair of shorts, don’t you?” Wooyoung grinned, and San’s brows rose. “Well- This can be payback.” He lunged and swiped chartreuse across the front of San’s shirt, stopping when he did so because he kind of thought San would have dodged. 

“... That’s it-” San reached for his brush but Wooyoung jumped back, squealing as he rushed toward the kitchen area, where Yunho and Mingi had disappeared a while ago to fix something. 

“I wouldn’t go in there-” Jongho popped up from behind the counter but he was too slow, Wooyoung busting through the doors. San slammed into his back as he stopped short and somehow he caught Wooyoung before he sent him flying, but his brush wasn’t so lucky. 

“...In the kitchen?!” San watched Wooyoung’s paintbrush clatter to the floor at Mingi and Yunho’s feet, Yunho’s belt undone, hips pushing Mingi against the stainless steel counter. Mingi’s bare chest had a yellow-green paint splatter across the front and Wooyoung tried desperately not to laugh. 

“... Well get- Get out!” San had never seen Yunho so red before, so he yanked Wooyoung back and pushed the door closed, snorting before they were even out of earshot. Wooyoung was a lost cause, cackling with tears in his eyes, stumbling behind San as he walked him out of the front doors and out onto the sidewalk where they could cackle in peace. 

Wooyoung tried to push the tears from his eyes but he simply couldn’t stop laughing, San equally as stuck in a fit of giggles simply because Wooyoung laughing like that made him want to laugh. They ended up making it to the curb at some point, plopping down side by side along the side of the road. San leaned his head on Wooyoung’s shoulder, and Wooyoung slung his arm around him, turning his head to kiss his hair. 

“I’m still proud of you, even if your employees are fucking in the kitchen.” Wooyoung grinned, and San snorted again, smacking his leg playfully. 

“Nobody had their dicks out.” He huffed, and Wooyoung shrugged, squishing his cheek against San’s head. 

“I dunno, coulda been at the angle we were standing.” Wooyoung chuckled, and San rolled his eyes, sliding an arm around his back. 

“Should we go back and ask?” Wooyoung cackled again and looked down at him in disbelief. 

“ Absolutely not!”  

“How will we know for sure?!”

“I guess it’ll be a mystery.

“Guess so.” 

They sat like that, for a little while. The streetlights had flicked on, and Jongho must have turned on the giant sign above the door, lighting up the name of San’s new business for the entire street to see. Opening day was tomorrow , so basically everything was finished and ready to go. The sign had been custom made and it had taken them almost a full day to hang the damn thing up. 

“Are you going to come over here, tomorrow?” San asked, turning his face up, nose pressed to tanned skin as the streetlights flooded fluorescence over the both of them. 

“Mm. I have a couple clients, but I can make it before we open. I’ll come help you.” Wooyoung smiled and let himself enjoy the little kisses San was leaving on his throat. 

“You don’t have to do that, baby.” San mumbled, but Wooyoung shook his head. 

“I want to. And, hey- You ignored me earlier.” Wooyoung huffed, and San backed off, making a face at him. “I told you you should cut your apartment lease. Get out early, it’ll save you money.” Wooyoung kicked his feet out, kicking his heels against the pavement. 

“...And where would I sleep, hm?” San chuckled, leaning over on his hand, his ass a little sore from sitting on the bumpy sidewalk. Wooyoung just stared at him, then rolled his eyes and looked up at the sky, the moon halfway up in its endless blue already. 

“With me. In my apartment. Which could become our apartment.” Wooyoung rolled his eyes over to San and saw him smiling, then he shrugged, leaning back just like Wooyoung was. He tapped his boot against Wooyoung's ankle, then looked up at the light above them. “It’s empty in there, anyway. I need you, or it feels empty .” Wooyoung ignored San’s look, because he knew if he paid it any attention, it’d make his heart hurt. “Don’t feel obligated, but-” 

“I will.”  

“You will?” San nodded, and Wooyoung smiled over at him, shifting to lean his head on San’s shoulder, a reversal of their earlier position. “Sounds good, then. You never sleep at your own place, anyway.” Wooyoung teased, feeling San bump his shoulder against him. Then he leaned up, tugging his phone out again. “Oh, not another one-” 

“ Last one .” San grinned, holding his camera up to get them both in frame, the light of the sign behind them bright enough that they couldn’t even really be seen in the photo- But San took the photo anyway, because he wanted to keep this moment locked away forever.

“Fine. Last one.” Wooyoung smiled, bumping his cheek into San’s to wink at the screen, as if the camera was even picking up his expression. It was mostly the gold-white light behind them, covered in creeping vine San had carefully wrapped around its letters, keeping the plant safe while decorating his sign in the best way. 

“Real last one.” San turned his head quickly and caught Wooyoung off guard, planting a kiss to his cheek that made him giggle, the words above their head going blurry because San had moved the camera when he dove in for a kiss. But the word could still be read, motion blur be damned, centered between them, albeit a little crooked in the frame. 

Floriculture. 

Notes:

twt: gh0st6unny - i post wips and post about ateez all day lets be friends

this fic is the first long one shot i wrote and wasnt sure where to end it, so i had to kind of force myself to pick an end point. maybe i'll write more? I'm not sure where the story would go, but maybe!

** keep in mind for the ED bits i've pulled from my own experiences so pls dont get mad if it's not textbook or something.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of one shot, one kill ONE SHOTS <3