#please consider commissioning my dear friend!! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fallingdownhell · 1 year

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https://at.tumblr.com/fallingdownhell/sumeru-men-when-your-sisterbest-friend-tries-to/nwf4h3unm1ah

Could I request this ⬆️ but with Ayato, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe, Zhongli? Also, reader actually steps up and nearly goes apeshit with the "friend".

No angst, please!

Alright, alright, I heard you loud and clear. I'm trying my best for readers part, but I can't promise anything.

Also, this escalated quite a bit... hope none of you mind the length of this thing. I just don't know how to keep things short and simple

Characters included: Ayato, Kaeya, Diluc, Childe, Zhongli

Content: Gender neutral reader; she/her pronouns for your best friend; she tries to convince them to dump reader; some cursing; slightly suggestive on Ayato's part; not proof read yet!

Word count: 7.9k words

As always, thank you for requesting and hope you enjoy!

Ayato

I feel like Ayato is a man who would get into a relationship for one of two reasons

Number one would be it being a political type of thing, where the relationship and potential marriage would greatly benefit the Yashiro commission

Or he would not even consider the commission and just date you purely because he fell instantly in love with you and really just wants to court you

but regardless of what the reason might be, he would be loyal to you under any circumstances

he knows that there are many people out there who want to be on his good side, some of them even after his wealth and status

and yet, he would fight off anyone who would dare court him while being in a relationship with you

in that aspect, he learned a great deal from Thoma, so you better be grateful to him

It was a typical slow, mentally draining day for Ayato as the Yashiro commissioner yet again. Many people come to him with their problems, expecting him to magically have the solutions for them at the ready. It's not like he is some kind of know-it-all magician, capable of solving every little issue in this world. Yet people obviously believe him to be exactly that.

Honestly, it's exhausting most of the time. It was quite common for him to work late into the night, like it happened today again. When he finally leaned back a bit to stretch his sore back, he heard a soft knock on his office door. Knowing who would await him at the other side, he mumbled a soft "come in".

You slid the door open, revealing the form of your boyfriend to you. Instantly noticing his tired expression, you went to his side, gently holding his face in your hands.

"You have been working too much", you say after a long while of each of you staring into the others eyes.

You hear a low chuckle from him as he closes his eyes, and leans more into your touch. Having yearned for it the entire day and now finally being able to enjoy it again was one of the best feelings in the world to Ayato.

"You're right, my dear. As you are so often. How about we retreat for today?"

You were inclined to accept his offer, but just as you were about to do so, you remembered one other crucial detail.

"We can, after you eat something. You haven't done that today, have you?"

And as if to betray him, his stomach made a low rumbling sound just as Ayato was about to tell you a little white lie, that it wasn't so bad. Instead, he looked away from you as you giggled at the perfect timing.

"See? Now, you clean up here while I go and get you some light snack. Let's meet in our room, okay?"

He agrees and you gave him a quick kiss to the tip of his nose as a parting gift, before you made your way out of the room, silently, as to not disturb the other servants and residents from their slumber.

Ayato looks after you and as you're out the door, begins to make quick work of his tasks. It's not much to do anyways. Just pack away his writing utensils, stack and organize a few stray documents that he will worry about the next day.

While in the middle of doing this, he heard a soft knock on the door again. Ayato wonderd to himself why you would need to knock when you agreed to meet back at your room. And also, you two should be the only ones awake at this hour anyways.

Still, he answeres the knock with a simple "Yes?". Instead of an answer, the door to his office slid open again, but this time revealing a different figure to him.

He recognized her, a servant of the Yashiro Commission and also a dear friend to you. Though, he did wonder why she was awake at this hour as well.

"Do you need something?", he asked her as she just stood there, not saying a word.

"I... saw that the light was still on and just wanted to check on you, Lord Kamisato. It's getting quite late. Are you alright?"

"I see. I appreciate your concern, but I am quite alright. I'll be retiring for the night shortly."

After he said that, her eyes seemed to light up, but she quickly tried to hide it.

"O-oh, is that so?", she quielty mumbled as she took a few steps into the room, towards Ayato. He eyed her suspiciously, but refrained from saying or doing anything. She stopped in her tracks when she was standing only a few inches away from him.

"Do you want me to keep you company for the night?", she whispered, trying to sound seductive while she put one of her hands on Ayato's chest and looked up at him through her lashes.

In response to that, Ayato quickly snatched her wrist, holding her in a tight grip. Although, she seemed to interpret that gesture the wrong way, as a smile krept up her lips.

"Oh? That eager, Lord Kamisato?"

"You do know that I have a spouse, right?", he said firmly, still holding her wrist tightly.

"Oh please. As if someone as boring as (name) could ever please a man like you. You can admit it, you know. I can see that they are not enough for you. You can have so much more fun with me.", she purred at him, now putting her other hand on his chest.

It made Ayato want to throw up. Every fiber of his body was repulsed by this woman, her words and her actions. He just wanted to deal with this situation as quickly as possible, to get away from her and return to the comfort of your arms. He didn't care if he came across as rude, he did not care for her feelings. After all, she did just insult you in front of him, and he would not stand for that.

So, Ayato finally let go of her hand and took a step back to gain some distance between them. However, that didn't seem to appease her, as she was quick to follow him, that wicked smile still present on her lips. In that case, he had to resort to words as his weapon of choice against this woman.

"Stop this nonsense right now. I have no idea where you got the impression that I am the slightest bit interested in you, but that assumption is just wrong. Plus, I am not the type of man to just go behind my partners back like that."

"Aww, come on. Don't be such a killjoy. Plus, they don't have to know. I won't say anything if you don't~"

"Well, I already know. How about that?", you suddenly chime in, both Ayato and the woman jumping a bit at the sudden sound of your voice behind them. You were leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed in front of you and a dark expression on your face, directed at the person you thought to be a friend of yours.

"I was wondering what took you so long, dear. If I had known you were trying to fend off some filthy pest, I would have come to your rescue sooner.", you continued as neither of them said anything at your entrance. Your words and expression briefly becoming warmer as they were directed towards your lover, but quickly turning dark again when you turned back to the woman in front of you.

You waited a few more seconds, waiting for her to come up with some kind of excuse or something, but nothing came. So, you sighed, pushing yourself off the doorframe and slowly approaching the two of them.

"Glad that I finally got to see your true character. I always thought something was off about you, but still, I never would have taken you for one of those people." Your tone was low and dark, as you came to a halt in front of her.

"Now, you better screw off before I loose the last bit of my temper. And you better never approach any of us again, you hear me, bitch?"

You spat the last few words at her and she quickly ran out of the room, leaving you and Ayato behind. You looked after her for a few more seconds, before a deep sigh finally left your lungs and you turned around to your boyfriend, who was looking at you with a smirk on his lips.

"What?"

"Oh nothing... But, I have to admit, you're cute when you're jealous, (name)."

"Pffft, please. Me? Jealous? Of her? When I'm the one already dating you and having you all to myself?", you laughed, slowly beginning to relax again.

And Ayato still smirked as he began to lean down towards you. "True, I do belong to you. But maybe, it's time you lay claim on me again for everyone else to see as well.", he mumbled before he pulled you into a passionate kiss, a promise for the night in front of you..

Kaeya

Kaeya is a flirt, you and everyone else is very much aware of that fact

though when in a relationship, he would tone down that side of his personality. It's not completely gone, but compared to before it's like you're looking at an entirely different person

but you don't dislike this teasing and flirty side of him. It's part of his charm after all. So long as it's always directed at you and no one else..

Most people would believe Kaeya is more the type to play around than to actually bind himself to another. They also don't believe him to be a loyal person

Well, those people couldn't be farther from the truth. Because of his past, Kaeya is afraid of letting people close to him again. So if you were to manage to do just that and gain his trust.. you best believe that he will never let you go again, no matter what might be thrown his way

The music that was playing in the background of the tavern was as loud as usual. Kaeya was used to it at this point, the comfort of the Angel's Share being as trusted of a companion as the sword by his side.

It was a routine by now that he would swing by the tavern after his duties as a knight had been dealt with for the day. Usually, he would sit at the counter with either Venti or Rosaria to keep him company, sometimes even both at the same time. Those instances were always sure to escalate, so he was kinda glad it didn't happen too often.

Today however, neither of his usual companions were available, so he was doomed to sit at the counter all by himself. But that was quite alright, since he didn't plan on drinking that much anyways. After all, he was merely here to pass time waiting on you to finish your work, so he could take you on the date he promised to take you on today after you both were free.

But since he was done much sooner than you were, he had some time to kill, and the tavern was the first thing that came to his mind. So, he went to your place of work, to let you know that he would meet you there once you were done.

As Kaeya downed his second drink of the evening, he pointed for Charles, the barkeeper, to get him another one, while listening to the music some bard was playing. He was standing next to the entrance and Kaeya had to admit, that his music was rather good. It was a cheery, easygoing melody that went well with the laughter all across the tavern.

It seemed to be one of the bussier nights for the staff of the Angel's Share, seeing as the tavern was packed full of people, some of them already quite intoxicated even though it was still a fairly early evening.

Still, the loud atmosphere was relaxing to Kaeya and he only stopped looking around himself when his next drink was handed to him. Thanking Charles with a nod, Kaeya grabbed the mug and downed a few more sips, when he suddenly got a well-known feeling..

The feeling of being watched.

He tried scanning around the interior of the tavern again without looking conspicuous, but couldn't detect anyone who seemed to be watchful of him.

When the feeling subsided again, Kaeya also began to relax again. He hadn't realized how on edge he became just from that, so he let out a deep exhale. It did make him feel a bit better, but only for a few seconds, before he felt a presence now occupying the free stool next to him.

He turned his head towards that person, cautious of he he might find, when he recognized the figure to be your best friend.

Now, normally, any other person would relax upon seeing a familiar face, but not Kaeya. Not in this situation.

He always had a suspicion, that she was into him. She never made any advances towards him, but that could have been because you were always there with him. Kaeya had never been alone with her until now. And with the way she was eyeing him up and down while smirking at him, he was inclined to think that his suspicion was, indeed, correct.

"Well, would you look at that. What's the cavalry captain of the knights doing here, in this tavern, all by himself?", she began to speak. It was easy for Kaeya to detect the slight slur in her voice, indicating that she already had quite a few drinks already.

Still, he decided to play nice with her and entertain the both of them for the time being. Maybe some company wouldn't be so bad and he did still harber some hope that his assumption could be wrong after all.

"Enjoying a drink, obviously. What else would one be doing at a tavern?", he answered, the usual polite smile returning to his face. To everyone else, it might come across as sincere, but you now know that there was a difference. For a real, sincere smile coming from Kaeya was quite a rarity. But, the woman across him didn't know that, so she happily induldged in the conversation.

"Obviously, I know that. But, why all alone? I never see you without a certain someone accompanying you." Her words carried a distinct amount of poison in them when mentioning you. It didn't sit right with Kaeya at all.

"Oh, I'm actually waiting on them to finish their work. I promised them a date so that't where I'm taking them."

At the mention, her smile dropped and the look on her face changed to an annoyed one. "Seriously? God, Kaeya! When are you finally gonna dump her?!", she snapped at him, standing up from her stool so she could stand in front of him, mere inches away from him.

"Excuse me?", was all Kaeya was able to say, trying to lean back as much as possible to create space between them, but she didn't care for that. Instead, she got even closer, dangerously so, and Kaeya was beyond uncomfortable with the situation.

"You heard me. I wanted you since I first laid my eyes on you, but you never acknowledged me. And as soon as (name) comes along, you're all over them and completely ignore me!

I hate them so much! When are you finally gonna realize that I would be so much better for you? Just dump their lazy ass, they're never gonna be something big anyway. Come to my side, Kaeya!" As she said all that, she simultaneously began to claw on his clothes. Kaeya tried to push her away, but it seems that people were right when they said that drunk people seem to gain some kind of unexplainable strength.

"Are you out of your mind? NO! Now get off of me!", he yelled instead, still trying to get himself free. But she ignored it, instead reaching behind his neck and pushing his head down, trying to force a kiss onto him.

"AHH!", she yelled not even a second later, both in surprise and pain as her head got pulled back by her hair suddenly. She managed to pull herself free and both her and Kaeya were surprised to see you standing there, now putting yourself between the woman and your boyfriend. A furious look on your face, you seemed like you were about to loose your temper.

"He already said no, you bitch. You're really going so far as to assault someone because you don't get it your way? That's a new low, even for you." Your voice was ice cold and Kaeya shivered a bit from it, but he also had to admit that he did like this protective side of you. It was something he didn't get to see very often.

"I was just trying to safe him from your pityful grasp. He deserves someone better!"

"You mean, someone better like you? Come on, don't make me laugh. Who in their right mind would want a dirty street rat like you?", you lauged at her as she looked at you with shock. "Now fuck off before I completely loose myself."

That last sentence from you came out completely serious and cold, both her and Kaeya knew that you would not hesitate another second to fight her off if you had to. With one last, longing look at the man behind you, she grabbed her stuff and ran out the tavern door, leaving the two of you behind.

You let out a loud sigh as she was finally gone, turning around to Kaeya. "Are you okay?", you asked him, worry now written all over your face.

He smirked a bit, slipping out of his stool so he now stood in front of you, leaning down so he could put a hand to your cheek. "I am.", he whispered, leaning down to plant a soft kiss to your forehead. "Thanks for fending her off. That was really sexy."

You rolled your eyes at that, but didn't say anything against it. Instead, you pulled Kaeya in for a soft, sweet kiss. Both of you smiled before you finally made your way out of the tavern and to where Kaeya promised to take you.

Diluc

Oh boy.. I really love Diluc, but let's be honest here.. he has a lot of issues, that would directly pass over to the relationship, if he ever were to enter one

abandonment issues, trust issues, self worth.. Diluc has a lot of struggles

he makes sure to let you know beforehand, so you can back out of it if it's too much for you to handle. He won't go into any details, but he gets his point across

Now, if you decide to stay with him and help him work through all this, he would be head over heels in love with you. For someone to know everything about him, including his bad sides, and still deciding to stay with him?

He honestly never thought this would happen to him. Which is why he's all the more glad that you stayed and proved him wrong

It was the late afternoon and Diluc was still in the process of getting himself ready and presentable.

Today was the day of your one year anniversary and he had promised to take you on a cute little stargazing picnic. He had been looking forward to this day the entire week, trying to finish as much of his work as early as possible, so that nothing would come in the way today.

He checked his outfit over one more time in the mirror, looking for any holes or other form of dirt, but couldn't find anything. Then, he moved on to his hair, trying to tie it into a high ponytail. He knew that you loved it when he wore his hair like that, and he didn't mind it either way, so why not.

After all, Diluc wanted to spoil you today. Although technically this day is for the both of you, he just couldn't help but want to make it all about you. Because, after all, you were the one who chose to stay with him. To love him and show him that it was okay for him to love you as well.

It took some time, and he is still nowhere near a perfect partner for you, but he is trying. And you always tell him that him trying is more than enough for you and that you couldn't and would never ask anything more than that from him.

Diluc was so glad that you stumbled your way into his life. It may sound cliché, but he truly has no idea where he would be in life if you weren't there by his side to help guide him in the right direction.

Dare he even say, it was also thanks to you and your effort, that he is now slowly starting to reconcile with Kaeya. Their relationship was still rocky after years and years of miscommunication and suppressed feelings, but it was slowly starting to pick up and move into a... better direction, for lack of a better word.

He had so much to thank you for, and he swore to pay you back for it every day of his life that he got to spend with you. You would forever be the best thing to happen in his life, and he didn't care how down bad that sounded.

As he was finally done with preparations, and giving himself one last glance through the mirror, a soft knock on the door brought him out of his head and back into reality. Confusion written over his face even more, as Adelinde opened the door and walked a few steps into the room.

"My apologies, Master Diluc, but it would seem that you have a visitor. I informed her of the bad timing and to come back another time, but she insisted. I directed her towards your study room, she is waiting for you in there.", she informed him, her head lightly bowed down.

"Thank you, Adelinde. I will deal with them shortly.", Diluc answered, though obviously annoyed at the situation.

Why today? And why now?

All he wanted was for you and him to spend a nice evening together. And now someone wasn't even going to allow him that? Not if he had a say in it. He would just go in there and deal with the visitor swiftly, then make his way to Mondstadt, where he promised to pick you up.

Once he made sure that he was presentable so he wouldn't have to return to his room again, he went out and closed the door behind him. He walked quickly, having a goal already in his mind, so he wanted this situation to be over as soon as possible.

He gave to quick knocks to the door of his study room, to inform the person inside of his arrival, before opening the door and stepping inside.

Upon his entry, a woman who until now had been sitting in one of the comfortable armchairs stood up, facing his way. It took Diluc a moment, but he soon recognized the figure as a close friend of yours. He saw her from time to time, but he never had much to do with her, they never had an extended talk or conversation, so Diluc had no idea why she was here now and what she could want from him.

"You came..", she said, like she couldn't actually believe it.

"It would be quite rude of me to just leave a guest and not greet them, wouldn't it? So, please, state your business with me. And, not to sound rude, but please make it quick. I have somewhere important to be in a bit."

"That's why I'm here..", she mumbled quietly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!", she exclaimed, a little startled. Trying to mask her nervousness with a chuckle, she began to play with her hair while looking everywhere else but at the man standing in front of her.

A good minute passed without her saying anything else and Diluc was growing more and more annoyed with her. Was she just here to waste his time?

"Look, if you have nothing to discuss with me, then-!"

"No! I- I mean, I do have something to discuss. I just.. don't know where to start..", she got quiet near the end again, making it hard for Diluc to understand her, but he did.

"If this will require more time, I have to ask you to move it to another day. I really don't have the time right now.", Diluc simply replied, already kind of mad at her that he wasted more time here than he had to. He turned around and was about to leave, when the woman behind him spoke up again.

"I like you!", she yelled, which caused Diluc to halt in his steps and turn to look at her, a bewildered look on his face.

"What did you say?"

"I like you, Diluc. I have for a long time. But I never had the courage to tell you and then (name) got in the picture. Honestly, I hated them the moment you and them got together.

They took you from me! It should be me by your side, not them! I deserve you so much more than some pesky lowlife like them!", she still yelled, but was now slowly moving towards Diluc.

The man, still surprised by what was happening right now, didn't move away, and she apparently took that as a sign to continue on her little rant.

"I know you think that you love them, but trust me, you don't. You may feel like that now, but I am the one meant for you. I can make you so much happier than you could ever think. Just give me a chance, Diluc.", she pleaded as she arrived in front of him.

She extended an arm, about to lay her hand on his shoulder, when he suddenly caught her wrist mid air. His grip was tight, and the look he threw at her full of disgust. She flinched a bit as she saw that, but still tried to stand her ground.

"Listen closely", Diluc said, his tone hard and cold, as he looked into her eyes, unforgiving. "(Name) will forever be the only one for me. No one else could ever hope to come close to what they mean to me. Especially not you. The fact that you came here, to berate and talk bad about someone who thinks of you as their friend, trying to steal their lover away. And for what? Some silly illusion you created in your head?

My top priority will always be (name). No one will ever come inbetween me and them, no matter what you might say or come up with."

He quickly let go of her wrist now, like her skin was suddenly made out of some kind of acid and it burned him on the touch. The look of disgust still evident on Diluc's face, as he took a step back towards the door.

"Now, please excuse me but I have a date to go on with my lovely parnter. And just to be perfectly clear, I would advise you to stay away from them and me from now on. And if I were to catch wind of you putting out rumors about them, I will not hesitate to act against you."

With that being his parting words, Diluc left the study room and made his way down to the main hall, where Adelinde was waiting down by the stairs.

"Please escort our guest out of the mansion as soon as possible. And make sure to let the other staff know that she is not welcome back here anymore.", Diluc informed Adelinde, who bowed her head in understanding.

"As you wish, Master Diluc. I wish you a pleasant night.", she said, before making her way up the stairs.

After that, Diluc left the mansion and made his way back to the city of Mondstadt. He appreciated the walk, as he was able to clear his head a bit before he would see you again, which was just what he needed after that encounter.

Once he arrived and saw you waiting for him by the fountain, all the negative emotions within him washed away again, his heart feeling at peace.

He greeted you with a soft kiss, which you reciprocated. He took you with him to Windrise, where the two of you would have your picnic. On the way there, he told you all about what had happened just about a few hours prior to your reunion.

It was fair to say that you considered the friendship with her to be over and you thanked Diluc over and over again for defending you, while also apologizing to him that he had to deal with that in the first place. But not to worry, because you made it more than up with the cuddles he got from you afterwards.

Childe

Childe is a family person through and through

Like, they have the final say wether his relationship whit you would last or not. Not in the sense of approval, more like if you get along with his parents and siblings

If they like you and you also get along with them well, he would be over the moon

also has a pretty high rank thanks to his position as a fatui harbinger, so people know not to mess with either of you, unless they want to be punished

Childe, I think, is actually one of the most loyal Genshin boys

He would stop at absolutely nothing to ensure your safety and to make you feel loved. The only way he would allow this relationship to end, is if either one of you would be to fall out of love with the other. But, at least for his part, that probably won't ever happen

Since his return to Snezshnaya a few days ago, Childe has been stuck in his office at the fatui headquarters. It was required of him to finalize his reports on his latest missions, which meant for him to sit in his office the entire day, write paper after paper, then return home in the evening, only to resume the process the next day.

It has been tiring for him. He never would have thought that dealing with paperwork could be this tiring. No wonder the higher ranking harbingers all have some kind of sectretary who do that work for them.

In fact, Childe has been so tired out from writing these reports, that he didn't get any proper training in these days. Instead, he always returned right back home to your side, almost always falling on top of you on the couch. If it weren't for you keeping him somewhat coherent, he would instantly pass out on the couch, not to be woken up until the next morning. You gently kept him awake long enough for him to take a shower and eat dinner with you, before you both went to bed together, where Childe hugged you even closer to him.

It has become some kind of new routine at this point and although you didn't mind it all that much, you clearly saw how exhausted your boyfriend was from all this. Even more so since he wasn't able to pursue his usual stress relief with the training.

You could clearly see how tired he still was, sitting next to you eating his breakfast, his eyes looking almost blank and lifeless. It made your heart ache at the sight.

"So.. do you know how much longer it'll take until you've finished all the reports?", you cautiously asked, not wanting to stress him out even more in the early morning hours.

"At least a few more days..", Childe quietly answered, the weariness clearly evident.

You thought about what you could do to make him feel a little better, at least, when an idea sparked in your head.

"Well, I can't really help you with your work, but, if you want to, I could bring you lunch today. Your mom taught me how to make your favourite."

At that, his eyes visibly brightened up as he looked at you. "Really? When did that happen?"

"While you were out on your mission in Liyue. I had some time on my hand and I thought it would be a nice surprise but I didn't get around to making it yet.", you answered, glad that such a simple thing was able to cheer your boyfriend right back up.

He got up and engulfed you in a big hug, placing little kisses all over your face. "Thank you, (name). I love you so much."

You giggled as you guys spend the rest of your morning together before it was time for Childe to leave again.

...

His mood this day was by far better than the days before, and his underlings had no idea wether that was a good thing or if their impending doom was approaching them.

But as more hours went by and nothing drastic had happened yet, they decided that it had to be something good.

Childe was constantly humming in his office, the writing part was getting much easier now that he got a hang of it. The occaissonal troop came into his office every now and then, awaiting for new orders from him.

He dealt with them every time before resuming his reports until one particular group came to him. He knew one of the members better than the others, namely because it just so happened that she was a friend of yours, who joined the ranks of the fatui a few weeks ago.

She got assigned under Childe, but they haven't really been working together yet, as shortly after he was sent out to his mission on Liyue, which took him a few weeks to finally complete. And since then, he had been locked up here.

Anyway, back to the present. The leader of that small group gave a quick report to Childe, informing him of their accomplishments. The harbinger only nodded, listening to them.

"Alright, sounds good. For now, I want you guys to go to the training grounds. Improve on your strenghts and get rid of your weaknesses. This will be your task for the following week. After that time, you will face me in battle again, to assess your progress.

That would be all.", he said to dismiss them. They all hurriedly made their way out of the room, except for one member of the group. The woman stood still in front of Childe, and it took him a moment to realize that she was still standing there.

"Hmm? Was there something else you needed?"

"Well.. I have a bit of a personal question, if you would allow it, Lord Harbinger.", she answered respectfully, bowing her head at him a bit.

Childe thought it over for a second, but didn't think anything bad of her request, so he allowed her to ask her question.

"Thank you. It's about (name)", she said and the mention of your name both set him on edge and also brought a small smile to his face. You just had that effect on him every time, even after months of dating already.

"What is it that you see in them? Why are you with them? I just don't understand it."

"What about it don't you understand?", Childe asked, bewildered as he sensed the obvious hostility she seemed to harbour when talking about you.

"I mean, they're just so boring and bland. I don't get what you see in them. Surely they can't be enough to satisfy you. You could have anyone else, you have so many better options. Why them?"

After her little rant was over, Childe stood up from his place behind his desk, walked around in front of it, and leaned against the table, crossing his arms in front of him.

"And let me guess.. you think you would be better suited for me than them, am I right?"

She nodded as she took a step forward, towards him, but one ice cold glare from Childe let her freeze in place. But she got her composure back quickly, returning his gaze.

"I do.", she stated, holding her chin up high, trying to look more confident than she currently felt.

Childe continued to look at her a few more seconds, before averting his eyes and sighing in disappointment.

"I think I've heard enough. Just so you know, you could never be enough for me. (Name) is more than enough, they are the perfect match for me. And I'm most definitely not about to give up on that for some random chick that decides to throw herself at me.

Anything you want to add, (name)?"

The last sentence was said a bit louder by Childe, knowing that you had been standing outside the door and listening in on the conversation. Upon mentioning you, you entered the room and by the surprised look on the womans face, she didn't realize that you were actually present.

"Not really, I think you already made yourself perfectly clear.", you said, your look at her as cold as Childe's was.

"We're over. Can't believe I ever was friends with someone like you.", was the only thing you felt like adding to the situation, before the woman ran out of the room without another word, feeling utterly humiliated.

You and Childe both looked after her, before looking at each other. Then you guys burst out into laughter at how ridiculous this entire situation was.

After you had calmed down again, you guys shared the food that you made for him in his office, you sitting on his lap since he wouldn't allow you to sit anywhere else. It was safe to say that Childe acted a bit more clingy with you for the next few days.

Zhongli

It has been quite some time since Zhongli's last relationship and even though he has an understanding of the principles, the more intimate details of it are kind of lost on him

have some patience with him and teach him the ropes of it again and you will be rewarded with one of the most loving and caring partners one could ever wish for

he also tends to be a little bit on the jealous side, but he means no harm in it. He knows you're more than capable of standing up for yourself, but he can't help it. He is your partner after all, it's only natural he wants to protect you

Also a very loyal man. If he chooses a partner, he stays with them through all the good and bad times until the bitter end. Whatever form that end will take..

Zhongli let out a heavy sigh as he was finally done with his work for the day. Who knew that the work of a consultant could be this demanding?

Hu Tao had him staying late for the past two weeks, since, as she said, work had been piling up and she needed all the help she could get.

While you were understanding of the situation, not minding him coming home later to help out his boss, Zhongli did mind it very much.

Because now, work kept getting in the way of his quality time with you. While he was stuck here, he could be home with you, snuggling up on the couch, or out on a date with you.

Come to think of it, it had been quite some time since you two last went on one. Perhaps he should take you out to Wanwen Bookhouse again, with a nice dinner afterwards at Liuli Pavilion. That sounded like a good idea.

Still thinking about this, and possible other locations where he could take you to, he continued to tidy up his workplace, so that he could finally leave as soon as he was done with that.

Hu Tao had already left earlier today, claiming she would be gone for some type of commission and left him the keys to lock the place up after he was done for the day.

Once he was done cleaning up, he went outside and locked the door, putting the keys into his pocket to keep them safe. He would return them to Hu Tao again once his well deserved weekend would be over. Oh, how he longed to spend those blessed days enveloped in your arms, hoping you would never let go of him again.

Gazing up at the sky, he noticed that it was still quite early. He still did some overtime, but he did get off earlier today than the days prior. So, Zhongli decided on the spot to surprise you with some of your favourite food.

He went over to Wanmin Restaurant, which coincidentaly was also on the way to your shared house, to pick up something to eat for the both of you.

Upon approaching the vendor, Chef Mao immediatly recogniced the man.

"Ah, Mister Zhongli! Good evening! The usual?", he asked in a cheery tone, to which Zhongli agreed to.

While waiting for his food to be done, he took place on one of the stools outside the building, looking around the streets. It wasn't quite as busy as it was during the day, but there were still fairly many people out and about, doing their business.

"Hey! Zhongli!", a voice greeted behind him, so the man turned around to see a dear friend of yours approaching him and taking place next to him on an empty stool.

Zhongli gave her a gentle smile, not minding her presence at all. Maybe some company would be good for the time he had to keep waiting for the food to be done.

"Good evening. What brings you here on this fine day?", he asks her, trying to engage in some small talk with her.

"Oh, nothing much. I was just out for a walk when I saw you sitting here all alone.", she smiled, leaning a bit closer to him. Zhongli noticed this, but didn't think anything of it, which is also why he didn't say anything about it.

"Ah, yes. I am merely waiting for it to be done cooking, so that I can surprise (name) with it at home. I have been working late for the past two weeks so I hope she will accept this small piece of apology."

Upon mentioning your name, he noticed how her expression turned a bit sour, but it was gone so quickly the next second that he thought he just imagined it.

"Is that so..", she mused, seeming to be lost deep in thought.

After that, the conversation died out and a sort of uncomfortable silence fell between Zhongli and your friend. Not knowing what to best do in this kind of situation, he just remained silent, still patiently waiting.

A few more minutes passed and finally, Chef Mao came to Zhongli again, this time with two containers of food in his hands.

"Here you go. Sorry it took so long, busy day today."

"Not a problem.", Zhongli reassured him as he handed the man his money. He was about to say his goodbyes to your friend, when she suddenly grabbed him by the arm.

"Wait!", she said, suddenly having a form of urgency to her voice that made him halt.

"Yes? What is it?"

"I... I want you to break up with (name)!", she exclaimed, shocking Zhongli with her words. Why would he say such a thing.

The confusion obviously written all over his face, the woman sighed as she got even closer to him.

"I am in love with you, Zhongli. And I want to be with you. I don't care if I start out as just a side chick for you, so long as you break up with them and choose me in the long run.

Trust me, you'll see for yourself just how inferior (name) is to me in every aspect of life. Bet they aren't even any good in bed. I know you're not satisfied with them, so why not enjoy yourself with a little fun on the side?"

Zhongli couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew how much you trusted her, so for her to betray that trust you put in her so easily, it made his heart ache for you. But it also made him furious. How dare she talk about you like that in front of him? You were everything to him, and you were definitely more than enough.

Anger slowly krept its way up inside him, being more and more evident in the way his gaze turned cold and his hands tightly gripped the containers he was holding.

But before he could let his anger out on that woman, he heard an all too familiar voice call his name. "Zhongli!"

There you were standind, a few feet away from them and slowly walking over to your boyfriend.

"Hey (name)!", the woman cheerfully said, putting on a seemingly perfect act in front of you, being all nice and friendly again, like she wasn't just trying to steal Zhongli away from you.

"What a surprise to see you here. We were just talking about-!"

"About how you want to be the side piece of my boyfriend? Yeah, I heard that.", you said in a very matter-of-fact way, it caught her completely off guard.

"Huh?", was all she was able to get out, a look of bewilderment present on her face. You, however, have heard enough and you were done with her.

So, you only rolled your eyes at her, before lowering your voice, trying to sound as intimidating as you could. "Listen here, you bitch. He is taken. You had all the time and chances before I met him, and now, he is mine.

So back the fuck off before I go off on your fake ass face."

Panic now written all over her face, she took a few steps back. "You wouldn't.. You're crazy!"

"Oh, but I would.", you growled, taking a step forward, which finally caused her to turn around and run away from the two of you.

Relieved, you let out a sigh and turned around to your boyfriend, who had witnessed the entire scene.

"Sorry you had to deal with that.", you apologized sheepishly, gaze now turned to the ground.

"Don't apologize, my dear. After all, I should be the one apologizing to you, since you just lost a friend because of me. But, I do want to say, I hope you know that I would never choose someone else over you."

"I know that.", you nodded as you looked up at him, offering him a warm and loving smile. Ahh, how he had missed that smile the entire day. He just had to lean down and give you a soft kiss, which you very gladly reciprocated.

1K notes · View notes

atiny-piratequeen · 5 months

Text

𝓕𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓦𝓪𝔂 𝓗𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓒𝓱. 𝟑 (𝓟𝓽.𝟏)

𓆩⟡𓆪Summary: Wooyoung is a culinary student and he and two of his best friends have been brought along to Namhae to learn and study the farmers out in the countryside and disconnect a bit. Reluctant at first, he just wishes he could've been back in the city and close to his long-time crush Yeosang. Things change when he lays his eyes on the dimpled country boy staying with them that show them around and teach them more about Namhae's way of life, all with a spine-tingling Satoori.

Maybe things aren't so bad out here in the sticks, after all.

𓆩⟡𓆪Pairing: WooSan + Endgame WooSanSang

𓆩⟡𓆪Genres/Aus: Non-Idolverse, Fluff, Romance, Humor, Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Fish Out Of Water Tropes, Au, Mutual Pining, Country Boy San, Culinary Student Wooyoung, Poly Endgame

𓆩⟡𓆪Tws: Swearing, Miscommunications, Jealousy, Mentions of Homophobia, Light Instances of Unwanted Advances (from non mcs)

𓆩⟡𓆪Sws: Wet Dreams, Threesomes, Blowjobs, Handjobs, Risky Sex, Biting, Scenting, Hair Pulling, Praise Kink, Creampie, Cock Sharing, Dirty Talk, Bareback Sex, Riding, Doggystyle, Cum Swallowing

𓆩⟡𓆪Rating: Explicit/Mature (18+)

𓆩⟡𓆪WC: 21k

𓆩⟡𓆪A/n: This is the first of two parts of the final chapter of @schone-lie's commission! Thank you so much my dear and Thank you everyone who has enjoyed this little series. Tumblr did not like that the original document for this was 37k words long. I had to split it up into two parts, but the archive link has the entire chapter all in one. I worked very hard on this, especially given the wait between posting so...If you like it, please make sure to reblog it as well, so that other folks may see my works come across their respective dashes, too. Have a good time zone~

𓆩⟡𓆪AO3| Taglist Form (Please make sure your urls are updated and able to actually be tagged) | Commission Sheet𓆩⟡𓆪

𓆩⟡𓆪Network Ping- @kwritersworld | @kdiarynet | @k-vanity | @cultofdionysusnet𓆩⟡𓆪

𓆩⟡𓆪©atiny-piratequeen. do not repost, translate, or use my works𓆩⟡𓆪

Chapter 2 Chapter 3 (Pt. 2)

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Yeosang snapped out of his daze when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back, smiling at Yeji as she quietly observed him. She and the others had returned a few days ago, clearly enjoying their time reunited with their significant others, if the fresh marks on her neck were anything to go by.

He forced a smile and opened his mouth and she narrowed her gaze suspiciously. He caught the look and lowered his shoulders, rubbing his neck.

“It hurts like a bitch. But it's alright. That’s just how things are. As long as Woo is still in my life, that’s all I care about.”

Her eyes softened and she gently rubbed his back, frowning.

“Do you think…?” He began a sentence and then paused, brows furrowing. Did he want to know the answer? She waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts and his words before he ran a hand through his hair, pushing his bangs back before they fell back into place.

“Do you think he’s happy?” He questioned quietly, thumbing the book in his hands. She looked at him, her heartbreaking gently as she took in the expression on his face.

He…really loved Wooyoung. Just, not enough to put their friendship at risk and potentially lose him forever.

She considered not answering him, but instead, she gently nodded, rubbing his back when she saw him take a shaky breath before exhaling.

“Good. He deserves it.” He squared his shoulders and picked up the other books on the table before them, turning away from him. Yeji’s eyes followed him as he began to walk down the aisle of the bookstore he part-timed in on days he didn’t have school or his training classes.

“He comes home in a month. What will you do then?” She inquired. Yeosang gently slid the books back into their places and turned to her, a soft smile stretching across his lips. His eyes didn’t mirror them, but she didn’t call him on it this time.

“I’ll do what I always do. No matter what, I’m always going to love him and he will always be my best friend as long as he still wants to be. I don’t need to do anything unnecessary to jeopardize that.” His words hung in the air between them before he rolled his neck and found other ways to busy himself.

Yeji sighed and began helping him out, cracking jokes here and there until she could see him smile.

《☆》★《☆》★《☆》★《☆》★《☆》

When San stepped foot into his home that day, he noticed a distinct lack of his favorite (and only) three siblings running up to greet him. He frowned, his shirt splotched in dirt and sweat from the day. It had rained before and he’d taken a fall or two while out in the field.

That's beside the point, though.

“Gahyeon? Eric? Jongho?” He called into the home and heard the sound of screaming and the pitter-patter of feet rushing toward him.

Gahyeon appeared first, her face flushed as she stormed into his space with her hands on her hips.

“Oppa! Wooyoung can’t leave! He has to stay and marry you!” She huffed. San blinked and looked over her shoulder, finding Wooyoung kneeling, cooing to Eric and Jongho as both toddlers threw tantrums.

“If you go away, Hyung is gonna get sad!” Eric protested. Jongho sniffled and held out the chunky dragon plushie in his hands.

“I-I’ll give you Mingi, please don’t go? Hyung doesn’t go to the city, he’s gonna get sad and cry.” His hands shook as Wooyoung gently pet his head, brows pulled up.

“I’m sorry, Jongho. I have to go home but that’s not for another month. I can’t take Mingi from you.” He gently declined. Jongho’s lip wobbled and he held up his plushie higher.

“Take Mingi. And stay, please.” He tried again. Wooyoung looked distraught until a calloused, yet gentle hand landed on his shoulder, drawing the eyes of the two boys.

“That’s not nice, boys. You can’t force someone to do something like that.” He gently scolded before meeting Wooyoung’s eyes.

He looked torn.

San chuckled, kneeling beside him and kissing his nose until he scrunched it up.

“Just trust your big brother, it’s going to be okay.” San reassured. Wooyoung blinked at him before something seemed to click in his brain, his lips parting as an excited look sparked in his eyes.

Gahyeon looked between them before turning to her brothers and smiling.

“Okay, Oppa said it’s going to be okay and Oppa doesn’t lie. We have to find Mama and Papa and see if they wanna watch Pororo with us!” She pointed proudly down the hall and her brothers perked. Eric bounded down the hall and Jongho trailed slightly behind him before looking back at the men, hugging his stuffed animal close to his chest.

“I think…I think Hyungs look happy and should stay together…yeah.” He nodded and toddled down the hall, his bare feet slapping against the tile as his bangs bounced with every step.

Wooyoung watched them go, his shoulders relaxing before he glanced at San. The slightly older man hummed before putting his hands on his knees and pushing himself up to stand.

“Wanna go on a walk?” He inquired. Wooyoung looked at his hand as he extended and nodded, rising to his feet and following San.

They walked in silence for a while, though neither of them seemed like they were in a rush to break it. Wooyoung glanced to his left and reached to hold San’s hand, smiling when he felt his fingers lace between his without hesitation.

By the time they finished walking, San had led him to a railing that overlooked the lower level of the village. Night had begun to fall. San leaned on the railing, the wind sweeping his bangs as Wooyoung stood beside him, staring out at the town.

“I wanted to clear my head.”

Wooyoung looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

“Did the little ones upset you?”

“Not at all. I knew the night you asked me, I’d happily leave this place behind for you.”

Wooyoung’s lips parted in shock. San smiled softly, a fond half-lidded look in his eyes.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been up here.”

It seemed like a change of the subject, but Wooyoung liked to think he’d gotten very good at reading San’s body language during their time together, so instead of addressing the first part of their interaction, he put his hand at the small of San’s back, gently rubbing.

Waiting.

San exhaled after a long beat of silence.

“When I was rejected at the festival by the boy I had a crush on, he told me to meet him here a few days later. I never skipped school or anything because of it, but he made a point to slip a note in my desk and ask me to meet him here.” San, rolled his shoulders before standing straighter, his eyes staring out but not focused on anything in particular.

“He told me I was a freak. Asked me why wasn’t I ashamed. A man with another man? What was wrong with me? He told me I didn’t belong here in Namhae.”

Wooyoung’s fingers tensed along his back and San let out a humorless chuckle.

"Ever since that day, this hasn’t felt like home. Once I step foot out of Chae-noona and GD-hyung’s home, I’m an alien alone in a foreign planet.” He drummed his fingers against the pole of the railing and then turned to Wooyoung. He slowly pivoted on his heel, turning his back on Namhae and instead facing Wooyoung completely, holding his hands in his own.

“Then you all came. And I wasn’t looked at weirdly, even after you found out about me.” he continued. Wooyoung didn’t interrupt him, gently rubbing his knuckles as he talked.

Of course, he wouldn’t treat him differently. None of them would. They understood the hardships well.

“When you asked me if I’d come to the city with you with that bet, I already knew my answer. Wooyoung,"

San pressed their heads together, staring into his eyes. Wooyoung let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I think anywhere you are will feel like home to me. If the offer is still on the table, can I live with you back in the city?"

Wooyoung smiled, kissing San as if he was the only person in the world. San smiled and held him close, unbothered by being out and in the open.

Wooyoung laughed in disbelief when they pulled away from one another, wiping his eyes of tears he wasn’t aware he’d shed.

“Of course, the offer is on. Are you sure ? I won’t take any offense if you decide to wait for a bit longer or-”

“Wooyoung. I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

San put their heads together, gently rubbing Wooyoung’s cheeks and tilting his head. Wooyoung held his gaze and then pulled him in for a hug, pressing a prolonged kiss to his cheek, right on his dimple.

“You have no idea how giddy I feel right now. I feel like I’m in one of those romance novels or something.” He sniffled. San kissed his head and held him close, tucking him in his arms.

“I think I have an idea. I feel the same.” He whispered into his hair. He looked down at the village as the streetlights turned on and the sun began to set. His apprehension was gone and the fear he had of the great unknown of the city was replaced with an excitement that shook him to his very core.

“I think we should celebrate,” San suggested, holding Wooyoung’s hand without a care in the world as they slowly made their way back to the house. Wooyoung nodded with his head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand.

“How about we make that dish your grandparents used to make? I memorized the recipe and taste when you made it for me.” He offered back. San smiled at him and nodded, unlocking and opening the door.

Three, small heads peeked around the doorframe of the kitchen and three sets of boba-shaped eyes locked onto the two and the honeymoon-worthy smiles on their faces.

“Operation: ‘ Get Wooyoungie Oppa to marry Sannie Oppa’ is a success,” Gahyeon whispered. Eric squinted, tilting his head.

“But they don’t gots the ring like Eomma and Appa do.” He muttered back. Jongho squeezed his dragon plushie and gathered his courage, waddling out of his not-so-subtle hiding place and heading over to the two men as they toed off their shoes.

“-I’ll mince the garlic and you can start prepping the breadcrumbs-Oh hi Jjongie.” San smiled down at his brother and Jongho looked at the two of them with wide eyes full of wonder.

“....Hi hyung.” He wanted to say more, but found his voice failing.

San knew his siblings well, and bent down, picking Jongho up before kissing his cheek.

“Wooyoung-ah is going to be here in Namhae for a few more weeks, Jjongie. Will you help us pack when its time for us to go back to the city?” He inquired. Jongho looked at him, almost seemed upset for a moment before he blinked.

“Us? Both of you?”

San simply smiled, bouncing the toddler on his hip.

“I don’t wanna make Mingi sad, right?” He grinned.

Realization crossed Jongho, Eric, and Gahyeon’s faces, and instantly all three children burst into tears.

Chaerin came running at the sound of her babies crying, stopping short when she found the trio tightly holding onto both San and Wooyoung, bouncing excitedly.

“Will you let us visit? Can we come over?” Jongho questioned excitedly, talking even though San tried to wipe the tears from his cherub cheeks.

“Are you gonna get a race car bed? Do they make race car beds for big kids like you hyungs? WAIT! Hyung!!!! Do you have a race car in the city?!” Eric gasped, pointing at Wooyoung and catching the Oreo-haired man off guard.

Gahyeon twirled and bounced around them, her ponytail swinging as she hummed the infamous fanfare for marriage ceremonies.

“Oppa’s gonna get married~ Oppa’s marrying Oppa~ Oppa’s marrying Oppa, and I’m gonna bring flow-ers!” She sung to the beat. Cherin’s shoulders relaxed as she looked over at the men, finding San and Wooyoung smiling from ear to ear as they humored the energetic children.

“I guess their night walk went well.” her husband’s voice came from behind her as Jiyong placed a hand at the small of her back. She crossed her arms and watched them a bit longer.

“I guess it did. It’s about time he got the hell out of Namhae.” She nodded in approval, looking over to Wooyoung.

“I just hope wherever he goes, he’s happy. He won’t be too far from us, anyway. C’mon, my little rascals. You need to tell us what you three want to be for Halloween so we can start buying the fabric.” She turned and pulled him away, letting the new couple entertain the excited children.

After dinner and washing up, San and Wooyoung found themselves curled up on the couch in the living room. Jongho, Eric, and Gahyeon slept soundly sprawled out in their laps while Changbin watched the screen with rapt attention. Yeonjun played a game on his phone, the screen illuminating his face as his half lidded gaze looked it from top to bottom.

San looked at Wooyoung out of the corner of his vision, his gaze softening as he took in the city man’s kind gaze. He ran his hand through Gahyeon’s hair, adjusted Eric’s arm so he wouldn’t hurt it with his position, and pressed Jongho’s dragon plushie into his arms before he settled himself.

In the calmness of the living room, San felt a smile come to his face.

He’d known he’d made the right decision.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

August 30th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Okay, do you have all of your things? We can go back and check the house and-”

“Noona-”

“What about your new bank card? Do you have your new bank card? Ji, did you give him his card? He can’t buy anything without-”

“Noona-”

“Oh wait, hold on, I have a basket with some goodies coming, let me just double-check the address-”

“Mom!”

Chaerin paused in her fretting, looking at her eldest ‘son’ as he stood before her, his bookbag tossed over his shoulder and a teary smile on his face. She bit her lip and stood straight, collecting herself as she met San’s gaze.

“I’m going to be okay, Noo-mom. Mom . We don’t live too far from here. If I need anything or missed anything, I’ll call. Besides, it’s not like I'm going anywhere drastically different. I’m going to help out in the restaurant with Kibum hyung.”

Chaerin cupped his face and smiled softly.

“You know, that’s the first time you haven't corrected yourself when you’ve called me Mom. Not Noona, not Miss Chae. Mom.”

San blushed and kissed her cheek, patting her hands.

“You’ve been nothing less than that since you took me in. It’s long overdue.” He whispered as she fixed his magenta bangs.

“Go on. You still have a lot of unpacking to do.” She shooed him off, hugging herself as he waved and jogged back to the car waiting for him on the curb.

Wooyoung bent down until she could see him, sending her a million-dollar smile as he waved at her.

“I’ll take care of him, Noona!”

“You better, if you don’t want my foot up your ass, Jung Wooyoung!”

Wooyoung laughed nervously as San got in the car, taking his hand in his as the Namhae native waved one last time. Wooyoung pulled off, rubbing San’s knuckles as he drove, unable to wipe the smile off of his face.

“I called everyone over to help us unpack. Did you want to stop off and get breakfast first?” Wooyoung inquired after twenty minutes of navigating through the city traffic. San looked around the city with eyes filled with wonder.

“....Maybe some other time. I think it would be nice for me to meet up with everyone and thank them properly for welcoming me….Oh, unless I should get gifts. Hell, I didn’t even think of that-” San began to fret as Wooyoung laughed, turning down a street and watching him out of the corner of his vision.

“I don’t think that’s usually the order of operations, my love. You can give them thank you gifts after you’re settled in.” He told him. San pursed his lips, leg bouncing.

“Are you sure? I want to make a good first impression with the lot of them.” He sighed, sitting back and watching the houses as Wooyoung drove past them.

“What’s not to love about you? Plus, everyone’s heard nice things about you from me and the others already, there’s no need to be worried. You have met most of them already.” Wooyoung cheerily told him. San smiled and rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants.

Right, he hadn’t done anything to make anyone dislike him.

He had a nagging, persistent feeling like he had forgotten something, though.

It was replaced with an overarching sense of anxiety when he noticed Wooyoung pulling into a home where several cars had already been lined up outside of.

The front door opened before he could even put the car in park and a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

Yeji smiled from ear to ear as she locked eyes with the men.

“You were late, so we helped ourselves inside!” she answered the unasked question and put her hands on her hips, looking over at the two of them with a smile on her face.

San stepped out first, his hair lightened over the past month to a soft bubble gum pink.

“Sorry, my mom was fretting and-”

“Oh, don’t apologize. We all know what it’s like to leave the nest the first time. I hope Chaerin-noona is doing well.” Changbin said from the door, stepping out into the warm August sun with the others.

Wooyoung popped his head out of the car, scanning the group before some sort of realization hit him and his smile slightly faltered.

“Where’s Yeosang?” He inquired. Soobin and Yeonjun exchanged a look before Yeonjun piped up, crossing his arms.

“He said things were a bit backed up with the training, so he wouldn’t be able to make it today. Something about there being an influx of new training classes for him to lead and another trainer being on maternity leave.” He told them, shrugging. Yeji sighed quietly, but didn’t say a word.

San couldn’t see Wooyoung’s face, exactly, but he was certain the news wasn’t very favorable to him given the subtle change in his tone when he replied with a simple; ‘Oh, really? That’s too bad, then.’

Chan came around the side of the car and greeted San with a fist bump as he popped open the trunk to Wooyoung’s car.

“We’ve already unloaded the desk and the dressers from the moving van that came by earlier. You don’t have very many items, do you?” He questioned, changing the subject and picking up two suitcases in an instant. San barely had the time to offer help before Chan was marching up the driveway.

“I didn’t wanna take up too much space in Woo’s home. Namhae doesn’t really have a shopping district like this place where you can get all kinds of things and I don’t have like, a huge wardrobe of clothes and such.” San admitted, waiting for Wooyoung to exit the car before the two of them grabbed the last few armfuls of boxes and headed inside.

“It’s your home too, now. I say the first big paycheck you get from working in the restaurant, we go on a big shopping spree for you.” Wooyoung grinned, the bounce back in his voice and step as he lead the way back inside. San laughed, happy the hiccup in his mood didn’t persist longer than a few moments.

“I’m not sure about that, but for now let’s just get settled in. I wanna make everyone a big, hearty Namhae dinner as a thank you for helpin us out.” San muttered. The moment he stepped into the home, the scent of cooking food hit him full force.

“Oh please, did you think we were gonna let you come home on an empty stomach? You can cook some other time. Get settled in, take some time to yourselves and go put your clothes away.” Yeonjun pointed to the stairs and San smiled, taking one of suitcases out of Chan’s arms, while Wooyoung grabbed the other.

When San first stepped foot into what was to be his and Wooyoung’s new shared room, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

It was so overwhelmingly Wooyoung that he needed a moment to let it sink in.

He was here. This was his home.

Wooyoung rustled about behind him for a few seconds before he felt his arms wrap around his frame, his breath fanning over the back of San’s neck.

He shuddered and leaned against Wooyoung, playing with his hands where they stayed around his waist.

“You did it.” Wooyoung whispered, his lips making the hair at the nape of San’s neck stand on end. San simply purred in response, squeezing Wooyoung’s hands.

“We did it. I wouldn’t have made that step without you.” He admitted, turning in Wooyoung’s arms and draping his arms over his neck. Wooyoung smiled, looking up at nothing in particular.

“I know, I am pretty damn convincing, aren’t I?” He teased. San rolled his eyes and kissed him, bringing the room into a comfortable stillness.

When they broke from each other, Wooyoung ran his hands lower, lightly squeezing his ass.

“We could make the room more ours, if you were feeling daring.” He smiled lazily and San felt heat rise to the tips of his ears.

“Your friends are all downstairs.”

“ Our friends can busy themselves, they do it all the time. Is that a no? Because we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

San looked at the door behind him for a moment before looking back at Wooyoung.

“Nothing that’s too much, I don’t want them knowing.” He cleared his throat and Wooyoung sent him a devilish smile.

“It’s fine. I can find a way to keep you quiet.”

Wooyoung was nothing if not a man of his word.

That’s how San found his head hanging upside down from the edge of the bed, his mouth occupied with Wooyoung’s cock as he slowly rolled his hips. Despite the occasional gag when Wooyoung hit the back of his throat, San was proud of the fact he could take him completely, his arms woven around Wooyoung’s thighs.

Wooyoung’s hands had been splayed across his own thighs, kneading and massaging as he placed contrasting kitten licks and kisses to San’s cock, smiling at the near-desperate way his boyfriend lifted his hips in anticipation.

“You gotta be still~” Wooyoung whispered along his heated skin, licking up a pearl of precum that beaded at the head of San’s cock.

San whined in frustration below him, but swallowed sharply when he felt himself being enveloped with the heat of Wooyoung’s mouth.

Predictably, his hips kicked up at the sudden change, but Wooyoung pushed down on his thighs, surprisingly stronger than before thanks to his time helping out on the farm.

San’s eyes fluttered, trying to keep his noises down as Wooyoung bobbed his head, his hands trailing up San’s thighs as he worked his hips, gradually thrusting faster into San’s mouth.

‘Oh so he can thrust but I can’t?’ San pouted mentally, though his cock throbbed at the treatment, squeezing Wooyoung’s thighs in encouragement.

Wooyoung smirked around his cock, tilting his head and deepthroating him without a single gag, moaning and purring around San.

The muffled moan that had brought forward made Wooyoung lift his head, laughing softly as he stroked San’s cock.

“You gotta keep it down, my love. Who knows who could hear us if you can’t.” He purred. San had half a mind to half-heartedly pinch his thigh at the teasing, but he heard a cap open somewhere between his legs and perked.

“Remember, Sannie. Keep it down for me.” Wooyoung urged, squiring lube into his hand and licking up the length of San’s cock once more. San’s thighs flexed when he felt Wooyoung swallow him down once more, cool fingers rolling against his rim teasingly.

San would be lying if he said the action didn’t make his heart rate increase.

He was the quieter of the two of them, that much was for sure, but the looming possibility of them being found out, even if it was just through the door, made him excited in a way he couldn’t describe.

San was convinced this city boy currently using his mouth and playing with his ass and cock had corrupted him in more ways than one, but there was honestly no place in the world he’d rather be than right here in this moment.

The pink haired man gently moved his roughened hands up to Wooyoung’s ass, encouraging him to thrust faster as his legs subtly inched further apart, welcoming his fingers deeper.

He was met with a purr of approval and Wooyoung curling his fingers ever so slightly inside of him. San swallowed sharply, eyes rolling back as Wooyoung began massaging his prostate with two persistent fingers.

“M-mmfnn- mmnnn-”

Wooyoung held himself down on San’s cock, letting him buck his hips freely as he alternated his fingers between stretching him and toying with his prostate. He was careful not to put his full weight on San as he felt himself getting closer to his climax.

The two came only a minute or so apart from one another, and Wooyoung was careful when he pulled away, immediately kneeling to check on San as the man panted, a dazed expression on his face.

“You alright, baby?” Wooyoung inquired, helping him right himself from the upside-down position. San nodded, drool making a mess of his lips. Wooyoung grinned and placed a messy kiss to his lips before pressing their foreheads together.

“ Welcome home. ” He purred. San smiled at him, opening his mouth to respond before a voice startled both of them.

“HEY! YOU TWO BETTER NOT BE FUCKIN WHILE WE’RE HERE! THE FOOD’S DONE, GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE!” Yeonjun called up to them from the bottom of the staircase.

San blushed and haphazardly wiped his messy face with his own shirt while Wooyoung stomped to the door, opening it and calling down to him.

“NO ONE IS FUCKING, WE SAID WE’RE GONNA PUT SOME STUFF AWAY.”

“IT’S BEEN AN HOUR, ASSHOLE.”

“DON’T RUSH US, JACKASS.”

The two bickered and San laughed behind his hand.

Yeah, he was certainly in his new home.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

September 1st

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“San moved into the house yesterday, by the way.” Chan brought up casually. The sound of feet running on a belt beside him continued, pounding away.

“Is that so? That’s good. Glad it went well.”

“Wooyoung was looking for you.” He continued, eyes watching carefully.

He was met with nothing more than the sound of those feet on the treadmill, running. He sighed softly, watching Yeosang run beside him.

“Yeji said something about you having more classes?””

“Something like that.” Was the brisk response, followed by the beeping of the treadmill being turned up a few more speeds.

“We’re all trying to set up a big dinner or something soon.” He carefully brought up. Yeosang kept his gaze fixed on the wall across from them in the gym, bangs bouncing as he ran. It took him much longer than usual to give him a response.

“I’m really busy. It may be better to go ahead without me for a bit.”

Ah, so that was what was going on.

“Yeosang, are you avoiding going anywhere near Wooyoung?”

Yeosang cut him a glance before looking forward again.

“I just need some time to collect myself. It’s not fair to him or his boyfriend to have me be…like this around them”

Chan sent him a sympathetic look. It had been over a month but the news of Wooyoung not only finding a boyfriend in Namhae for his studies and then bringing said man home to live with had clearly hurt Yeosang more than he originally let on.

“Do you want some company? I can set up something, just us, Yeji, and Binnie?”

Yeosang shook his head, sweat rolling down his brow as he carefully turned the treadmill down, slowing to a stop, putting his hand on his hips as he panted harshly.

“There’s no need to do that. You guys go, have fun. I’m going to be busy with work, anyway.” He sent Chan a smile that was as fake as they came, walking past him after he’d hopped off of the machine.

Chan watched him go and sighed, lips pursed.

He hated seeing his friend like this, but he had no idea where to start. Heartbreak was one of the trickiest things to heal from.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

September 13th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

San had expected working in the kitchen in Kibum’s restaurant to be one of the most daunting things he’d ever have to do.

After all, a fancy restaurant full of students who spent their college years to get here, now having some country bumpkin come along and encroach on their territory? He thought he’d get eaten alive-

Instead, he was adored as soon as he’d walked through the door.

“San, can you accompany Jiwoo outside? This is for table number three and there’s a full party.”

“One of the waiters called out, San, do you mind helping on the floor?”

“San, do you have any suggestions for a new menu option? We’re workshopping a rotation of some dishes to change things up.”

San wasn’t a religious man, but in these moments, he couldn’t help but to feel blessed. He’d found somewhere he’d fitten in and was not only useful, but able to still be who he wanted to be.

“Hey,” Wooyoung snuck a kiss as he passed him, an armful of freshly washed vegetables in his possession before he rushed to the other side of the kitchen to prep them.

All of this, while working alongside the man he loved. What else could he ask for? What else could he need?

The cool September air helped him clear his head as he walked, pushing a cart of supplies toward the restaurant.

“I should visit mom and tell her about things once we’re done today.” He mused before he heard the sound of wheels on concrete.

They're going…rather fast, huh?

He turned his head to the right, blinking as he watched a man come skateboarding down the block with a giant dog on a leash in front of him.

San was startled. The dog looked huge , like a bear. Without thinking, he pushed the cart faster and swiveled it off to the side, eyes wide as he watched the dog barrel towards him.

“Yunho, heel.”

The dog stopped in an instant, sitting politely with his tongue out, staring at San from beneath a mass of hair as the man on the skateboarding man skid to a halt just shy of colliding with the cart.

San held his chest, looking at the man in surprise.

Oh, he was…well, he was rather attractive , wasn't he?

San felt a panic rise in his chest at the passing thought, unable to speak first. Thankfully, the man did it first

“Are you okay?” he inquired, glancing back and forth between him and the giant bear of a dog looking at him curiously.

At least, he thought he was. He couldn’t exactly see his eyes.

“I’m fine. Sorry about that. Normally there aren’t many people out on this street so late at night. Did anything fall? Are you alright?” the man inquired, looking at the cart San had yanked aside. San looked down, swearing when he saw he’d flung off some of the delicate items sitting at the very top of the cart off with his hurried movements.

“Shit, Kibum-hyung is gonna be pissed.” He ran a hand through his freshly dyed black hair. There was a small look of surprise on the other man’s face before he cleared his throat and knelt down to pick up some of the ingredients. San looked at his side profile, watching as he sighed quietly.

“I’ll go and apologize properly. We were being reckless.” he ignored the confused and concerned noises coming from San’s lips, looking at the dog and offering his skateboard.

“Yunho, hold.”

Yunho took the board carefully in his mouth, standing and following the man as he walked towards the restaurant. San frowned and gathered his bearings, following him from a decent distance so he didn’t accidentally hit the man or the dog.

Something about him was oddly familiar.

“Excuse me, you don’t have to do that, I was the one who dropped it.”

“I was the one that startled you. I’m responsible for this, too. I’ll just apologize so you don’t get in trouble.”

San began chattering in a panic, but the man with the fluffy black hair didn’t respond to him, knocking on the back door of the restaurant. San pursed his lips. He hadn’t gotten much of a look at the man’s face, maybe he was a worker he had yet to meet? He was awfully familiar, though.

“Hm? San, are you back-Yeosang?” Wooyoung looked up in surprise and San felt that last puzzle piece click into place.

So that’s what was so familiar.

“I knocked over some of these. Ask Hyung to send me the bill, it’s not San’s fault it fell.” He told Wooyoung. The slightly shorter man narrowed his eyes at him, pointing a finger in his direction.

“Where the hell have you been?” He completely ignored the sentence, huffing at him. Yeosang looked at Yunho, seemingly giving him a command with a gesture of his hand before he stepped inside and placed the destroyed ingredients on the floor. Yunho patiently waited outside, sitting politely with his tail wagging to and fro.

Wooyoung followed Yeosang’s every step with his eyes until finally, the older man spoke.

“Working.” Was the simple response. Wooyoung narrowed his gaze.

“Every day for nearly two weeks since I’ve come home?”

“Yes.”

“Yah! Kang Yeosang, are you out of your damn mind?!”

The two bickered, with Yeosang’s voice calm while Wooyoung wore his displeasure on his sleeve. San glanced back and forth between them, unsure if he could (or should) interrupt their squabbling.

“You could’ve stopped by and said hi or something once you got off!”

At that, Yeosang finally broke eye contact, pressing his lips together before he sighed.

“.....You’re right, I’m sorry. I figured I would be bothering you so late.”

Wooyoung’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he took a look at the man, gasping and cupping his cheeks, yanking him down. Yeosang hardly blinked, though a small, tired smile came to his face.

He was used to Wooyoung’s over the top fretting.

“Your eyes have bags under them, are you not sleeping?!”

“I’m fine, Wooyoung.”

“You are not, I’m gonna kick your ass, you’re gonna make yourself sick again. Do I have to come over and take care of you again like last time?” Wooyoung half-heartedly glared into his eyes. There was something…sad in Yeosang’s eyes for a moment before he gently took Wooyoung’s hands off his face. He gently set them at his side and sent Wooyoung a tired smile.

“I appreciate you. But it’s alright. It’s a busy patch at work and then once it passes, I can take a vacation or something.”

Wooyoung furrowed his brow in worry. Yeosang never did so unless someone forced him to. The man was practically allergic to taking time off. Finally, San found his voice from beside them.

“How about you come over for dinner?”

Both of them turned their heads over to look at him, Yeosang met his eyes and then glanced away, all while Wooyoung’s eyes lit up as he perked.

“That’s a great idea!” Wooyoung cheered, hooking an arm into a startled Yeosang’s.

That’s how they ended up here, hours later, with Yunho pressed against Yeosang’s side, licking his jowels as he waited for Wooyoung to fish out the extra bowl he kept in his house for the hound’s visits.

San came up to them, softly smiling at the man he’d only heard about through the others. Yeosang turned his gaze from Wooyoung and looked at him as San bowed slightly in greeting.

“Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name’s Choi San.”

Yeosang bowed back, running his hand through the fur at the top of Yunho’s head to busy at least one of his subtly shaking hands.

“Kang Yeosang. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

There was a silence that hung in the air, something unsaid hanging in the air after the end of the sentence and San wondered if he’d left a bad impression on the man.

If so, he didn’t mean to! From what San could gather, Yeosang is Wooyoung’s closest friend, and the two had been attached at the hip since elementary school. The whole reason Wooyoung had moved into this particular city was to keep close to Yeosang, after all.

San reckoned this was around the moment some people would try to size up the ‘competition’ or something of the sort. Yeosang was Wooyoung’s first love, San knew this well.

And here he is, standing in front of his current love and boyfriend.

San still felt this odd, mystified feeling looking at the quiet dog trainer. It was familiar, yet foreign, and San combed through himself to see if he could pin down exactly what that emotion was.

“I got it!” Wooyoung cheered, startling him out of his thoughts as he victoriously knelt on the counter. At some point, while they were talking, he must have jumped up onto it to reach a dog bowl with Yunho’s name engraved on it. He wobbled ever so slightly as he attempted to move into a more neutral position.

San startled, jerking to attention.

“Wooyoung, get down!” He moved towards him as Wooyoung tried to dismount himself but Yeosang let out an exasperated sigh and picked him clean up, holding him bridal style with an unimpressed look on his face.

"Now, if you crack your ass on the floor and I laugh at you, I'm in the wrong, hm?"

Wooyoung seemed perfectly comfortable, deadweighting in Yeosang’s arms.

"You wouldn't do that~"

"I absolutely would. After making sure your stupid ass isn't concussed or sitting on the floor in a dead roach position."

Yeosang put him down and then moved around him to set up the bowls for a patiently waiting Yunho. Wooyoung made his way over to San, leaning into his space and startling him into focusing his gaze back on Wooyoung instead.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, sending him a curious look. San glanced at Yeosang as the trainer stepped into the next room to set up and then nodded once.

"Yeah."

Wooyoung caught the glance, though, and the smile on his face flickered.

"Oh…I'm sorry. Am I being too much? I'm always this clingy with Yeosang but I…I guess it's not really appropriate-"

San shook his head and put his hand on Wooyoung’s forearm.

"I'm not bothered. I'm actually really happy you were able to see him. He's your best friend, he's important to you."

Wooyoung slow blinked in surprise, his lips parted. Eventually, he let out a small laugh and wrapped his arms around San, kissing him once as the country-born man wrapped his arms around him instinctively.

"You'd be 100% valid if it did bother you. Not everyone is comfortable with that kind of stuff with their partners and other people…be it friendly or flirty. Are you sure? I wouldn't be upset if you told me you weren't comfortable with it." Wooyoung whispered. San sent him a kind smile. He truly did not mind.

"I don't lie to the folks I love," San told him, tenderly massaging his hips. Wooyoung smiled and stole another kiss from him before both of them shifted away from each other in a flustered hurry as Yeosang came back in the kitchen to wash his hands.

"Sorry-" San began to apologize, but Yeosang shrugged, sending him a small smile.

"It's your house. I'm gonna sit in the living room with Yunho and stay out of the way of you two so you can cook in peace.” Yeosang excused himself without conflict, moving to sit on the couch while Wooyoung rolled his sleeves up.

“C’mon, San. I know exactly what we should make.”

In the living room, Yeosang let his head thump onto the back of the couch, a deep exhale pushing past his lips as he tried to calm the chaotic storm of emotions in his mind.

Seeing Wooyoung was good. He couldn’t keep avoiding him. Yeosang missed him dearly and he felt like a bold-faced liar for telling Yeji he wouldn’t change how he was acting towards his best friend.

But at the same time…Yeosang wasn’t sure he liked the tightness in his chest every time he saw the tender look in Wooyoung’s eyes when they landed on San. He’d felt punched in the gut when he walked in on them kissing. Maybe he wasn’t ready to be around Wooyoung and San yet.

And that was the other piece to the equation. San.

The country boy who had stolen everyone’s hearts with a dimpled smile and a purred satoori.

Yeosang had ignored all the times the pink haired man had been staring at him when he thought neither he or Wooyoung were paying attention. Yeosang had good senses for things like that, especially when being in charge of mischievous dogs when training and preteens trying to sneak into the section of the book store that held the adult reading material.

Even when he wasn’t looking back, Yeosang knew the feeling of being stared at well.

Which begged the question, why?

San had no doubt heard about him while Wooyoung was away. Yeosang’s first thought was that he was being sized up or something of the sort and San took offense to Wooyoung’s particular brand of…clingy affection.

But that didn’t seem to be the case. He’d caught San’s gaze softening several times during Wooyoung and Yeosang’s (many) playful bickering bouts throughout the evening, and if Yeosang didn’t know better, he could have sworn he’d seen San let out more than a few sighs of relief when he seemingly realized the two of them were not, in fact, at each other’s throats for real.

So, why?

Yeosang hadn’t realized his leg was bouncing until a warm mass of fur set itself directly in his lap. He laughed and looked down, running his hand through Yunho’s fur as the mastiff cuddled close to him, clearly resisting the urge to jump on the couch for the full cuddle, if the way his back legs kept shifting were anything to go by.

Yeosang smiled. Yunho always knew when he wasn’t doing to well mentally or emotionally.

The trainer moved himself to the floor, accepting a few kisses from Yunho as the giant canine shifted to make room, seemingly happy with the development. Yeosang nuzzled Yunho’s abdomen, eyes closing as he enjoyed the comfort from his canine best friend.

Resting his eyes, that’s all he was doing.

Idly, he wondered if he would have an easier time with all of this if San was someone he could hate. If he was ugly, if his personality was rude, if he was overly vain, something.

Instead, Yeosang was left with this heavy feeling in his chest and the reluctant realization that Wooyoung’s boyfriend, at least from what he could tell right now, was a good match for him.

Resting…just resting. That’s all. His eyes, resting.

Wooyoung poked his head into the living room an hour later, a hand on his hip and an amused smile on his face as he watched Yeosang. The slightly older man was fast asleep on the floor, with Yunho sitting as still as a statue with his head resting beside Yeosang’s, occasionally lifting up to give his owner a small, grooming lick to his face or his hair.

Wooyoung made his way over, kneeling down after grabbing a blanket that was on the couch.

“You’re not getting enough rest, stupid-” He muttered under his breath as he covered Yeosang up. Yunho lifted his head to sniff Wooyoung’s hand before relaxing, giving him a small lick to his knuckles before closing his eyes. Wooyoung laughed and kissed the top of the dog’s head.

“You be a good pillow for my stubborn ass friend, okay?” He whispered into his fur.

Yeosang stirred slightly, but Wooyoung only pet his head, fingers running through deep conditioned silken locks.

“And you settle down. It’s not time for you to wake up yet.” He scolded the unconscious man and Yeosang ended up relaxing his muscles, the momentary furrow of his brow evening out. Wooyoung lingered for a moment or two longer than he had intended before he finally moved away from Yeosang to finish cooking with San.

They woke him up once they were done, with all three men seating themselves on the couch, watching a comedy to go along with their meal.

“It’s delicious.” Yeosang quietly complimented, eating his chicken with an impressed hum. Wooyoung smiled from ear to ear, settled between the two of them.

“Thank you~ We took back some of the garlic we harvested back in Namhae and San helped me tweak the sauce. I think it tastes a lot better.” He smiled while San shyly rubbed his neck with his clean hand.

“It’s not really much of a change, yours was great already.”

Yeosang glanced at him over the top of Wooyoung’s head.

“....but it does have more of a lingering aftertaste now. I’ve eaten plenty of Wooyoung’s food in our years together. The garlic chicken is always my favorite. I do like your addition to it. Good job.” He complimented with a small approving nod.

San felt a flicker of heat settle in his cheeks as he bashfully nodded and looked away.

“No problem.”

“Yeosang~ Praise me more too” Wooyoung teased, earning him an elbow to the ribs and a half-hearted ‘ nevermind, I take it back ’ from his best friend.

The two bickered for a bit more before settling into a comfortable near silence, only interrupted by chewing and the occasional sip of someone’s drink.

San felt his eyelids getting heavy, and apparently, he wasn’t the only one. Wooyoung’s head had made its way to his shoulder, and he’d cuddled in almost instantly, falling asleep minutes after San put an arm around him.

Yeosang stood, collecting the plates and cups before San could sleepily protest. Yunho followed him into the kitchen, and San could pick up the sound of the dog trainer washing dishes inside.

He finished minutes later, strolling into the living room again and taking the same blanket Wooyoung had draped over him and setting it over San’s shoulders and part of Wooyoung’s body.

San perked ever so slightly, feeling soft fingers brush over his bicep with the motion. He lifted his head, watching as Yeosang hooked his leash back into the loop of Yunho’s harness.

“You’re leaving…?” He drowsily inquired. Yeosang glanced over his shoulder at San, his eyes drifting down to Wooyoung for a moment, and then looking back into the country man’s eyes.

“Yeah. I appreciate you making dinner for me. I’ll lock the door after myself, so don’t worry. You two should move somewhere more comfortable to sleep so you don’t hurt your necks, by the way….whenever you want.” Yeosang nodded and began making his way to the front of the house.

San called out to him as he was sliding his shoes on.

“Come back soon! You’re always welcome.”

He missed the way Yeosang’s jaw tightened, his fingers lacing his shoes a bit tighter than he’d needed them to be.

“Thanks. Have a good night, San.”

Yeosang left quietly, and San looked to his side. Wooyoung had been undisturbed by the movements and talking above his head, completely content with his cheek squished against San’s chest.

San kissed his head softly and shifted, picking him up and carrying him to their bed. Wooyoung shifted deeper into his arms the moment he laid him down and San smiled softly, finally letting sleep pull him under, as well.

Yeosang rode his skateboard down the block with Yunho easily pacing him with long gallops. The wind blew his hair across his forehead and the chill of the night shocked him awake, seeping into his bones through the light jacket he was wearing.

“Come back soon! You’re always welcome.”

Yeosang sighed as he rolled down the block.

Why couldn’t that Namhae guy have been an asshole? Everything would have been so much easier.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

September 15th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Okay~ So we’re both off today and I think I’m gonna take you out for a shopping spree.”

San squinted at Wooyoung from across the room, fresh, dark red circles littering his neck and chest as Wooyoung began preening in the mirror.

They’d had…a very long and energetic night that carried into the early morning. San was normally the very first to rise out of the two of them, a circadian rhythm carried over from years of early rising to farm.

However , today was different. Today San was tired.

“I’m goin’ back ta sleep.” San grumbled, closing his eyes and letting his head thump back onto the pillow that smelled like a mixture of him and Wooyoung’s preferred colognes.

Wooyoung glanced at him before smiling devilishly.

“Aw~ Is my handsome baby tired?”

“Wooyoung, you made me cum three times and edged me between the second and third time. Yes, yes I am tired.” San grumbled. As muffled as his voice was from the pillow, Wooyoung heard him loud and clear, laughing as he walked up, kissing his shoulder.

“I’ll treat you to coffee~”

San didn’t move for a moment before finally lifting his head, eyes half-heartedly narrowed at him.

“Bribery.”

“It absolutely is. I’ll even throw in some kisses if you hurry.”

“You’ll kiss me anyway.”

“Of course I will.”

San rolled his eyes and got up, kissing Wooyoung’s nose before he set off to get dressed. He appeared half an hour later with a pair of comfortable jeans and an overgrown hoodie, a pair of glasses settled on his nose as he watched Wooyoung rush back and forth.

“Too cold for this…this is faded…. is that a tear? ” Wooyoung muttered under his breath, rummaging through his clothes. San arched a brow and stood, making his way over and extending an arm, catching Wooyoung around the waist one of the times he moved to rush by.

“Just wear something comfortable. You look good no matter what.” He lightly scolded. Wooyoung paused for a moment before seemingly recalibrating, dipping back into the closet and emerging moments later with his pair of comfy jeans, accompanied with a low cut v-neck sweater that showed off his own marks he’d gotten from San in return last night.

“Thank you, darling. C’mon, we gotta get there early. There’s this place I want to take you to specifically.”

San tilted his head, his curiosity peaked, but didn’t ask. He liked surprises, and if the look on Wooyoung’s face was anything to go by, he probably wouldn’t get any answers even if he did ask.

They headed out together, and San realized this had been his first time getting to walk through and window shop in the heart of the city since they came here.

They’d moved and he practically spent all of his time settling into his new job and new home.

Everything here was so… big . It was kind of overwhelming at first. Crowds of people so dense he’d had to constantly shift to and fro beside Wooyoung so he didn’t bump into anyone hustling by to get to their jobs.

Wooyoung laced his fingers into San’s, sticking his hand in his boyfriend’s hoodie pocket and pressing himself close to him.

The tension San hadn’t noticed gathered in his shoulders melted away in an instant. He smiled, running his fingers over Wooyoung’s knuckles.

“So, we’re heading to the mall?”

Wooyoung smiled.

“After somewhere else.”

There it is. San knew Wooyoung had something else under his sleeve. He squeezed his hand and chuckled quietly.

“I’m already up and about. Take me wherever ya want.”

Wooyoung smiled triumphantly and continued pulling him along, making idle conversation about the ins and outs of their kitchen and the upcoming plans for some changes as the holidays began to roll in.

San listened with rapt attention, curious to try some of the food Wooyoung had mentioned. The telltale rumble in his stomach as they stepped into a building reminded him that he hadn’t eaten yet, either.

Before he could voice this, he realized they’d stepped into a building with giant, sprawling murals of aquatic animals, hand painted just behind a smiling and waving team behind the counter in front of them.

San’s lips parted.

An aquarium?

Wooyoung let his hand go long enough to practically skip over to the woman at the middle register, leaning on the counter.

“Two tickets, please. I’d like to include the Orca Diner package, too.”

The woman smiled kindly and nodded, her hands flying over the keyboard in front of her. San appeared beside Wooyoung, looking at the giant sea turtle panting behind her on the wall. Wooyoung pressed his hips back, settling down when he felt San’s solid form behind him.

“You’ve never been to an aquarium, right? I wanted to surprise you. It's early on a weekday, so we don’t have to worry about a big crowd just yet.” Wooyoung explained, smiling as he handed his card over to the worker.

San felt his gaze soften, his hand subtly rubbing his hip.

“No, never. Thank you, Woo. I’m excited.”

Wooyoung looked pleased, taking the card and the two wristbands they were given. He fastened the clasp on San’s wrist before letting his boyfriend put his on. Once done, he led the way down the left hall, a bounce in his step San found absolutely adorable.

“The Orca Diner has such good food and the package I paid for has a special view. I’ve always wanted to go on a date here.” He mused, flashing his wristband at the worker stationed outside. He checked the design on the bands and then guided them to a room.

When he opened the door, San felt his jaw drop.

The room’s ceiling and wall was all glass, and as they settled at their table, they watched as schools of fish and even a lemon shark swam past them. San looked up, the blue of the aquarium water making his face light up as he watched the animals in wonder.

Wooyoung propped his head on his palm, watching San with a smile. He felt warmth bloom in his chest as his boyfriend placed his palm on the cool glass, his eyes darting left and right, up and down, unable to focus on just one creature, smiling so wide it made his dimples pop.

Wooyoung felt his heart flutter, pride welled in his chest.

San had worked hard, he had only wanted to treat his beloved. He was glad it had worked out this way and San was enchanted by the beauty around them.

They both ordered themselves a hearty breakfast meal, and finally San tore his gaze away from the glass to look at Wooyoung.

“Did you plan this date?”

Wooyoung’s lips curled upwards proudly.

“Of course I did.”

San smiled softly and leaned over, kissing him softly.

“Thank you. I’ve never seen anything like this.” San sounded as if he was in a dream, casting glances back at the fish as they swam by, paying them no mind as they went about their aquatic day.

Wooyoung smiled. He’d always wanted to go on an aquarium date. As weird as it may sound, he often found himself getting design and decorative ideas when looking at the more outlandish and flamboyant animals their world had to offer. He found peace going to places like this in his free time-and he’d been here several times, knew this place to be a rehabilitation center for wildlife release, as well-and he’d breathed a sigh of relief knowing San also was enjoying himself.

They’d gotten their food and ate while making light conversation. Wooyoung told him between bites where he’d like to take them in the aquarium. San leaned over, eyes twinkling excitedly as he listened to Wooyoung with rapt attention.

“-and then we finish off with the seals. Seals are my favorite, next to the otters.” He told him triumphantly. San smiled and kissed his nose, setting his chopsticks aside.

“Sounds like a good plan. I’ll follow ya. We should take pictures, I think Mom, Dad, and the little ones would love to see.”

Wooyoung smiled and nodded, standing and heading out after he’d finished paying. The two walked hand and hand through the aquarium, walking nearly in sync as they took in the sheer size of the facility.

Wooyoung always found places like this to feel so much bigger inside than out.

San couldn’t hold back his quiet, amazed ‘woahs’ and ‘wahs’ as he looked around, taking time to read nearly every informational plaque on the animals they happened to pass by.

“Oh, they’re so smooth, seriously, come feel this, Woo!” San gasped as he ran his fingers over the back of a baby ray in the handpool. Wooyoung couldn’t hide the sheer joyous smile on his face as he obliged his boyfriend, running his fingers gently and politely over the ray as it swam past him.

The two took pictures of nearly everything, taking turns on taking pictures of the animals, then each other near the animals, and then them together with the glass walls of the aquarium behind them for a stunning backdrop.

By the time they’d reached the seals, both of them had sore cheeks from the smiles and laughter. They watched as a trainer explained the story of the one-eyed seal they’d had in a particular tank, her rescue and recovery story, all while the excited mammal hobbled about beside her, eagerly patting her own belly and waiting for a fish she was so generously rewarded between the trainer joyously explaining everything.

San looked down at his arms, full of souvenirs and plushies from the aquarium by the time the duo popped out of the facility. Wooyoung grinned and opened the bookbag he’d purchased inside, taking his time to arrange every purchase they made nearly inside before he zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder, sending San a fox-like smile.

“You look so cute, I never would have thought you’d like whale sharks so much.”

“They’re pretty!” San pouted, following him down the block. Wooyoung snickered to himself before he nudged him.

“Don’t get too comfortable, my love. We still have all the other shopping to do.” he reminded him before hooking his arm under San’s and taking off running, both of them speeding off towards the subway.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

October 12th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

-“Your brother’s birthday is coming up.”

San looked up from the basket of laundry he was folding. He had one of Eric’s race car hoodies in his hands as he peered over it at Chaerin.

“Do you have any big plans? Are we going to do another pumpkin patch thing or go to a petting zoo?” He inquired with a smile, folding Gahyeon’s dress next. Chaerin stirred her food on the stove thoughtfully before she turned to look at him over her shoulder.

“He wants to spend it with you…and Wooyoung. The others, too. He says you all are his ‘bestest friends’.” She hummed. San’s gaze softened as he glanced into the next room, finding his three siblings sleeping together under a blanket Jiyong had sewn for them.

She added a sprinkle of spice to her mix, the chopsticks occasionally tapping along the sides of the pan.

“Eric started kindergarten and we found a daycare that will accept Gahyeon and Jongho, but Jongho is worried about making friends, so he wanted you all to come over. Feel free to tell them to bring their partners, just all of you bare in mind he’s a bit of a sensitive boy.”

San smiled and nodded, finishing up his cleaning before he dried his hands and got to work sending a mass text to all of his friends.

At the very least, he and Wooyoung would be there, he just hoped the others would come along with them.-

“Thanks again for letting us come over, Noona!”

Well, this went…better than expected.

Chaerin put her hands on her hips, watching as Wooyoung and San’s friends filtered into the home, each in pajamas and holding some kind of snack.

Jongho held her hand, his eyes lightening up as he saw everyone setting down snacks and at least one present each.

There were people there he didn’t know, but the comfy pajamas Chaerin had instructed them all to wear for the party helped.

Wooyoung smiled and knelt down, opening his arms.

“Is that my birthday boy? Happy birthday, Jongho!”

Jongho smiled and rushed out, throwing his arms around Wooyoung’s neck and smiling as he peeked over his shoulder.

“Hi..I’m J-Jongho.” He quietly introduced himself, hiding moments later as the other adults smiled at him.

“Hi Jongho! I’m Yeji!”

“Happy birthday, sweetheart. My name is Chris, but you can call me Chan, if you want.”

They went down the line, introducing themselves and handing off high 5s and gentle ruffle’s of Jongho’s hair while passing off their gifts.

San stood off to the side, taking the gifts and smiling from ear to ear while Gahyeon and Eric balanced on his hips.

The very last person to arrive was Yeosang, who stayed close to the door, talking with Jiyong while the others were giving their greetings.

Once Jiyong smiled and nodded, pointing behind him, San saw what they were talking about.

Yunho was with him, a sleeping hat on his head and a set of fluffy dog booties on each of his paws. All three of the children locked eyes on the massive canine and Yeosang stopped, making a motion with his hand and having Yunho do the same.

“Sorry we’re late. This is Yunho and my name is Yeosang. Happy birthday, friend.” Yeosang smiled softly. Yunho’s tail wagged, a bag held in his teeth.

Wooyoung looked at Jongho, checking for any signs of fear. Yunho was bigger than him by a significant amount, after all.

Instead of apprehension or even tears, he found Jongho wiggling trying to climb down, and as soon as he did, he toddled over to Yunho and Yeosang.

Chaerin watched like a hawk, her body tense, while both Eric and Gahyeon wiggled free of San’s grip, coming over to the dog, as well.

Yeosang kept an eye on the situation, kneeling once they got close. Before he got the chance to inform them of how to greet dogs, Jongho looked up at him, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Can…can I pet the doggie, Yeosangie-hyung?”

Gahyeon nodded eagerly, looking from him to Yunho and then back again.

“Is it okay? He’s so pretty!”

Eric was practically vibrating.

“And big!”

Yeosang felt his heart melt. What a good set of kids.

“Yes. How you greet a dog is like this-”His voice was tender as he instructed the children, his hair pulled back into a low, fluffy ponytail while some of his bangs framed his face just right.

Wooyoung couldn’t take his eyes off of him.

San wasn’t much different, watching as Jongho reached his hand out. Yunho sniffed his cherub fingers and set the bag in his mouth down, lowering his head and licking at the birthday boy’s arm while he and his siblings began to gently pet his head and ears.

“Well, that’s settled. Everyone is here so we can actually get this party started!” Chaerin beamed, moving to pour cups of soda for the lot of them while her starry-eyed children asked Yeosang a million and one questions while sending loving glances at Yunho. The canine was patient, calmly giving dog kisses and cuddled whenever the children called to him or offered their hands again for sniffing.

“Here, let me help, Unnie!” Yeji offered. Wooyoung was in the kitchen in an instant, grabbing some plates so he could help pass snacks.

Chaerin smiled and began directing the younger adults while San walked over to Yeosang.

“You can set up a water bowl and food bowl over here. We have sliding doors that lead outside, so if he needs to go on a walk, it can be close…thank you for coming.” He smiled and bowed to him and Yeosang rubbed his neck, noticing San had approached him without Wooyoung at his side.

Part of him was still expecting the man to pull him aside and show him a different side of himself regarding Yeosang and Wooyoung’s closeness.

There was nothing of the sort, and instead, San extended his hand to Yunho, voice kind and eyes soft.

“Hey there, Yuyu. Thank you for coming, too. My siblings seem to love you already.” He beamed. Yunho happily licked his hand and walked closer, nuzzling him to entice him to scratch his neck.

It worked, and Yeosang felt some of the tension he was holding onto relax as he moved to set up Yunho’s little corner by the back door while San scratched his throat and eventually his stomach when the large dog flopped over to the side.

From across the room, Chan watched the two interact subtly, his arm around Changbin’s waist. There didn’t seem to be any conflict, and the man was pleasantly surprised at that.

“Oppa?”

Chan blinked into focus and looked down, finding Gahyeon staring up at him with wide eyes of wonder. He tilted his head and bent down to her eye level, smiling at her.

“Yes?”

“Is Binnie Oppa your boyfriend?” she inquired. Chan laughed, the sound rich and soft as he nodded.

San’s head perked as he looked back to the kitchen, brows furrowing. Usually, his siblings minded their manners when it came to prying into an adult’s life, but they were still kids, at the end of the day, and sometimes they lacked a filter all the same.

“Gahyeonnie, let’s not get all in othe folks’ business-”

“Isn’t Yejie Unnie also your girlfriend? I saw you two smooch.”

Chan blinked owlishly while Changbin choked on his drink above them. Somewhere behind them, a howl of a laugh came from Yeonjun and Yeji snickered behind her hand, more amused than anything, while Chaerin was less than pleased.

“ Lee Gahyeon! You do not ask people that!”

Gahyeon pouted and Yeji smiled.

“It's okay, Unnie. That’s why we let you know before we came. Chan and Changbin are both my boyfriends, Gahyeon.”

Gahyeon looked up at them, lips parted before they began to shimmer.

“You can do that?! Woah!”

Chaerin scolded her daughter, apologizing profusely to the trio while Wooyoung handed Eric his juice and some of his snacks. Eric thanked him and whispered.

“Would you date someone else with our big brother?” He inquired. Wooyoung’s lips parted in surprise and despite himself, his eyes instantly landed on Yeosang, who was looking towards the kitchen due to the chaos.

Eric stared at him for a moment, tilting his head as he noticed Wooyoung’s lack of a response. He went to ask again, when he suddenly felt a ruffle to his head.

By the grace of some higher power, Jiyong appeared, steering his son away with a gentle scolding tone. Wooyoung’s shoulders relaxed a bit, and he immediately moved to busy himself with setting up the game console in the living room, unaware of the curious eyes following him.

San’s, Yeosang’s.

Once the two older children got a stern talking to regarding ‘boundaries’, the group migrated to the living room, eager to play the party games Wooyoung and San helped prepare on Jongho’s behalf.

Said birthday boy sat beside Yunho and Wooyoung, big eyes focused on the screen while some of the others took their turn customizing their karts.

“Do you wanna race, or do you wanna watch, baby bear?” Wooyoung inquired. Jongho looked up at him, one of his hands petting Yunho in repetitive, short motions.

“I’m not so good at it…” He murmured. Wooyoung smiled and picked him up, setting him in his lap and scooting closer to Yunho so Jongho could still reach him for pets.

“Your Hyung is gonna win every single match for you, so go ahead and customize our kart!”

Jongho looked at the controller and smiled, gently taking it and fumbling around to get the kart the way he wanted, uncaring of stats.

Wooyoung smiled softly and looked on the other side of Yunho, at Yeosang watching the screen while everyone got settled. He’d already gotten his kart ready in the meantime.

“Thank you for coming, Sangie. I know you’ve been busy with work, so I really appreciate you and YuYu stopping by.” He smiled. Yeosang looked at him and sent him a quiet smile that made his heart flip.

“I see why you insisted so much. They’re sweet kids.” He looked over at Yunho, seeing his companion so comfortable in the environment that he’d closed his eyes, his head on Jongho and Wooyoung’s thigh as he enjoyed the attention.

“And I think Yunho has made some new friends today, too.” he chuckled. Yunho’s tail wagged subtly, an indication he wasn’t actually asleep, and that drew a laugh from Soobin’s lips as he walked by with some trash to discard of.

“This is the best birthday ever.” Jongho muttered, looking at Yunho and kissing his head, between the eyebrow-like markings there. Yunho’s tongue swiped out for the briefest of moments, licking his own nose before he settled back in.

Yeosang’s eyes softened even more, feeling warm and fuzzy at the gentle interaction.

“I’m glad.”

The rest of the night went off without a hitch. Jongho, surprisingly warmed up to all of the new faces fairly quickly, thanking and hugging everyone when he got to open his gifts.

By the time 9pm rolled around, San had two out of three of his siblings unconscious and dangling from his arms, sleeping without a care in the world. He moved to grab Jongho, bur a different hand eclipsed his vision, and he watched as Yeosang came to pick up the birthday boy himself.

“Oh- you can put him on my back, I’m used to carrying these three around all the time.”

Yeosang shook his head.

“I can help out. Besides, all that weight on your back isn't good for you. Just tell me where to go.”

San sent him a grateful look as he told him to follow him down the left hall. It wasn’t a far walk to get them where they needed to be, and the gentle, off-beat sound behind him told San that Yunho was close in tow.

Yeosang helped him open the door to Eric and Gahyeon’s rooms, respectively, standing aside as San tucked them in, giving gentle kisses to their heads and placing their favorite plushie in each of their arms.

“Jongho’s room is across the hall.” San informed him, moving to close Gahyeon’s door and then opening Jongho’s moments later. Yeosang followed his lead, setting Jongho in bed and tucking him in. San handed over Jongho’s favorite dragon plushie and kissed his head, slightly leaning over Yeosang to do so.

The older man didn’t move a muscle, simply glancing up, his breath fanning over San’s neck momentarily as the man tucked his sibling in and then moved away, sending him an honest smile.

“Again, thank you so much for coming. I hope you got to unwind and enjoy yourself.” He sent Yeosang a dimpled smile and beckoned for him to follow him back out.

The two walked in a comfortable silence, joining the others as they helped pack up the leftovers, distributing it in plates to take home and some getting stored away in Chaerin and Jiyong’s fridge.

“You all have my thanks. My babies are going to have to learn how to make friends their own ages, but for now, It's nice to see my family grow.” Jiyong put a hand on his hip as he looked over all of the people in his home.

“As a thanks, you all are invited to a Halloween party I’m throwing later in the month.”

Wooyoung nearly tripped over himself, he spun so fast, eyes lighting up.

“Wait, really?! Is it like, some really fancy, high-end costume party?!”

Chaerin snorted quietly and Jiyong hummed, shrugging a shoulder.

“I suppose it can be considered as such. But its more of a gathering between friends, so think nothing of who else might be there and have fun as you would at any other party.” He instructed, smiling softly as he saw San and the others chatter amongst each other.

“You have some time to think about it. If you’d like to come, just let San or Wooyoung know to tell me and I’ll update the headcount I have.”

They were met with a collection of eager nods from most of the group. Yeosang didn’t respond verbally, using the guise of packing up Yunho’s bowls as an excuse.

It's not that he didn’t want to go and be with his friends, he swore he wasn’t some sort of antisocial person.

He just-

Healing was taking it’s sweet time. He was truly grappling with being able to wrap his head around his own emotions.

That’s what happens when you spend entirely too much time hiding from them, suppressing them, even.

But it was fine, Halloween was on a weekday this year, so he could just make up some excuse, say he had work or picked up a shift from someone and-

“Yeo, are you going?”

If you were wondering, no , Yeosang did not squeak when Wooyoung appeared at his side. He simply…exhaled in a particular manner, that’s it.

Seriously.

Regardless of his status as a squeak toy, Yeosang glanced at his friend, finding Wooyoung crouching, petting Yunho as he held his gaze. The trainer flushed slightly, biting the side of his tongue to remind himself to keep his calm.

Wooyoung was Wooyoung. He was always this close to him. He always looked him in the eyes when they spoke.

Why is keeping his cool such a struggle nowadays?

“I don’t know if I can, I probably have a class and-”

“Can’t Jungkook or Hyunjae take over the class? Just this once? I wanna wear matching costumes!”

Yeosang blinked at him. Once, twice, Yunho’s bowl dangling uselessly in his fingers as he stared at the energetic man, listening as he listed off different outfits they could do.

“Angels…? Hm. Sirens! No, we don’t have enough time for a good quality one and those scales are a bitch to do makeup wise…pirates?...Oh, might workshop that a bit-”

Yeosang watched Wooyoung’s brain take off running down the block, firing off suggestions left and right. Yunho had made himself comfortable, his chin settled on Wooyoung’s thigh.

At some point, a well-worked hand settled on Wooyoung’s shoulder and San appeared, smiling softly down at the two.

“How about some kind of modern animal thing? We can use somethin’ in our closets and just need to worry about the, uh, ears and tail, I guess.” He offered, seemingly trying to save Yeosang from Wooyoung’s active imagination.

Wooyoung perked and stood to his full height, grinning like mad, pointing at each of them.

“Rabbit, Fox, Cat!”

Yeosang blinked.

“Why do I have to be a rabbit? It's the smallest out of the three of those and I’m not even the shortest here.” Wooyoung sent him a devious look.

“Because you’d look cute in bunny ears?”

Yeosang stared at him, jaw slack, and his brows only twitched in interest when he saw San look in his direction, nodding quietly, lips twisted as if envisioning the sight.

Whatever that weird flutter in his stomach was just now needed to stop immediately.

“Well too bad. I want to be the cat if this is what we’re doing.” He cut in, trying to get some of the control back in the situation he was quickly careening towards. Wooyoung pouted, clearly, he’d wanted that one.

“How about you be the fox, Woo? I know you were probably going to make me the cat, but I can be the rabbit. Cats and foxes are super close, anyway, I’m sure ya won’t have to tweak your vision too much, right?”

Two sets of eyes turned to San, then to the top of his pastel pink head, and whether they noticed or not, both of them nodded in unison, clearly agreeing with the idea of a set of rabbit ears situated atop the country man’s head.

Yeosang cleared his throat, cheeks flushed, and stood to his height.

“Right, should I go looking for what this ‘outfit’ should be or should I leave it to you?” He inquired. Wooyoung’s eyes lit up and a devious smile came to his face.

“Leave it to me, just tell me your clothing sizes.”

Oh goodness, this wasn’t going to be a simple closet fit, was it?

San, as if reading his mind, sent Yeosang a sympathetic smile, letting out a small amused huff as Wooyoung began rattling off about matching and not being ‘basic bitches’.

Yeosang cleared his throat and made his way to the door, taking his skateboard out of Yunho’s mouth and zipping up his coat.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it then. I’m headed out. Thank you again for inviting me, it was nice to be able to hang out with everyone and Jongho looked like he had a lot of fun today too.” He bowed and was met with a collection of goodbyes and waves.

“Hey, call me when you get home, alright? So I know you’re back safe.” Wooyoung called to him one last time, standing a few feet from the door as Yeosang laced his shoes up.

“I’ll text you as soon as I’m home.”

Wooyoung narrowed his eyes at him half-heartedly.

“ Call me when you’re home so I know you’re safe.”

Yeosang had half a mind to be a little shit and repeat himself, too, but instead, he settled for putting a hand on his hip and nodding.

“Yes, yes. Anything else, darling?”

It slipped, honest. The two of them used terms of endearment with one another all the time before…Wooyoung came back from the summer and it truly was a slip of the tongue-

“I love you, darling. Bye.” Wooyoung met him halfway, grinning once again, his body language a bit looser. San smiled from his side, waving without a care at him.

“Goodnight, get home safe.”

Yeosang cleared his throat and nodded, muttering a quick ‘you too’ before he disappeared into the night with Yunho.

Chaerin and Jiyong watched on from the kitchen island, eventually exchanging a look with one another.

“....do you think they know yet?” She mused to her husband. He snorted, leaning against her.

“Those three goofballs? No, not at all. Why do you think I pulled a Halloween party out of my ass?” He muttered into her ear. She snickered and watched Wooyoung and San move back to the rest of their friends, exchanging hugs and plans to set up upcoming hangouts.

“Think it’ll work?” She inquired, brow arched. Jiyong shrugged.

“Dunno. That’s up to them.”

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

October 18th

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“My love, do you want to plan a picnic sometime?” Wooyoung inquired as he rolled up rice balls. San looked up from the small mason jars he had lined up on the counter, blinking owlishly.

“Where did that come from?”

“Well, you haven’t really gotten to sit down and relax at all since you’ve moved in and I feel bad. We immediately threw you into the hustle and bustle of work instead of letting you relax and explore…” Wooyoung trailed off, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. San smiled at him.

“Is it that much different from when you all came to Namhae? The very next day, you were out in the fields with Hyung and I. Besides, I’m used to keeping busy like this. My only off time was when I was home with my family. We have been relaxing when we’re here. And there was the aquarium date! That was fun!” He reminded him, humored by the pout that settled on Wooyoung’s face, clearly not thinking it was enough.

“Well, it’s not exciting if it’s just the same as Namhae!” He huffed. San arched a brow at him, pouring drinks into the mason jars.

“Then we can set up a date night. How about next weekend? We have a long weekend because of our schedule.”

Wooyoung perked and nodded, smiling from ear to ear, a bounce in his step as he began packing away the rice balls he’d made.

In front of the two, lay a spread of lunch boxes for their friends. San had come up with the idea after seeing how tired Yeosang was the other day and worrying about their other friends in their circle.

After adding a side of veggies and protein and letting Wooyoung customize each little box with a small ‘mascot’ made from the ingredients he used, the two were off for the day, making light conversation as they decided to walk through the city.

“First is Soobin and Chan, they’re the closest. If we’re lucky, we can catch Changbin working out at the gym. He’s not working until later tonight.” Wooyoung brought a finger to his chin as he worked out their game plan. San simply adjusted his grip on the box that held the mason jars, worried he’d drop them.

The two made light idle chat as they walked, eventually making their way to a spacious fitness gym just a few blocks out of the heart of the city.

The receptionist looked up, her eyes brightening as they landed on the duo.

“Oh, Wooyoung~ Good Morning! I don’t think I’ve met you, love. What’s your name?” she smiled at San, leaning on the counter and seemingly sizing him up. The dimpled man blinked in surprise.

“Oh, good morning, Miss. My name is San-”

“He’s my boyfriend, Noona.”

Her smile fell immediately and she sent Wooyoung a flat look.

“What did I tell you about coming in here with ‘off-limits’ cuties? First Yeosang, now him. What’s a girl to do?”

Wooyoung smiled casually, shrugging a shoulder. He seemed to take no offense, though San perked at the ‘off limits’ comment.

Of course, Wooyoung was in love with Yeosang, after all.

“So, does this mean I can bag Yeosang now that you have this cutie for a boyfriend?” She whispered, though San heard her clear as day. She hadn’t been trying hard to keep her volume down.

Wooyoung rolled his eyes half-heartedly.

“Not a chance in hell. Anyway, we’re going to find Chan and Soobin, byeeee.” Wooyoung beckoned San with the tilt of his jaw and San fell in step with him, catching the receptionist huffing playfully under her breath.

“Oh, so you get TWO boyfriends? Life is unfair-”

San blushed and looked over at Wooyoung.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen ya get snippy with anyone like that in regards to me before.”

Wooyoung hummed, leading him down a hall.

“You’re hot, I can’t let just anyone think they have a chance with you.” He puffed his chest out proudly, grinning when he saw San blush down to his ears before glancing away.

“Wooyoung? San? What are you two doing here?”

The pair looked up as Soobin jogged down the hall to greet them, covered in a light sheen of sweat, though San felt like the man’s kind smile made him glow even more.

“Just one of the handsome men we wanted to see~ Sannie and I made lunches for everyone since we were off anyway, so we figured we’d make sure our lovely best friends are eating properly.” Wooyoung explained, fishing into the large tote he had brought along and handing Soobin a pastel blue bento box. Soobin looked touched, peeking inside and smiling at the bunny Wooyoung had made out of the food inside the box.

“That’s so sweet…thank you both so much. I’ll go grab Chan and Changbin. They only just started their arm and chest workouts, but it’s in Chan’s private room, so I won’t be interrupting too much, I think.” He mused. Wooyoung scoffed half-heartedly and nudged San.

“What did I say? I told you Changbin would probably be here. Yeji not being here means she’s working at the bookstore, so we’ll go there after we make sure her other two-thirds are eating.”

San watched Wooyoung march forward with a soft smile on his face. He really had a way of taking charge in a myriad of situations, and this was no different. San could tell he felt back at home in his own skin since they were back in the city, though.

Wooyoung was, by no means, a quiet man, but being back in the hustle and bustle of the city only made the man bloom fully into what he assumed was his full nature. San needed a bit longer to adjust to his surroundings, and found himself being a quiet observer more often than naught.

Soobin glanced over at the man and gently pat his back, turning up the watts on his smile when San turned his attention back to him.

“How are things doing? Are you adjusting well? We didn’t get to talk much at Jongho’s party about life.” He sent him a genuine smile to ease San, as if reading the man’s wandering thoughts. San flushed and nodded, smiling at him.

“I am. Everyone is so kind. I just hope I’ve left a good impression on everyone.” He adjusted his grip on the box nervously and Soobin looked down the hall to where Wooyoung had poked his head in.

The man had clearly caught Chan and Changbin giving each other ‘reward kisses’, if the teasing was anything to go by as they approached.

“I don’t think you have to try too hard at all. You’re a very likeable and down-to-earth guy, San. I’m excited to spend more time with you and everyone else. Has everyone been welcoming you in well?” He inquired. San nodded.

“Yeah, everyone’s been so kind. I’m looking forward to the party. Wooyoung’s been working hard on his, my, and Yeosang’s costumes.”

Soobin’s smile faltered ever so slightly, seemingly waiting to see if he had a bad experience with the somewhat elusive dog trainer. When San only met his worried gaze with a curious one of his own, Soobin blinked.

Once, twice, then he relaxed his shoulders.

“Oh, is that so? Things are going well?”

San had gotten good at reading people. Soobin was trying to feel out if there was any tension between the two men. Understandable, given the circumstances, but San’s expression didn’t sour in the slightest.

“Yeah, he’s been over a couple of times for Wooyoung to take measurements before he and I get kicked out of Wooyoung’s, and I quote; ‘creative room.’” He laughed softly, though there was a fondness in his voice that caught Soobin off guard.

Yeosang was not, by any means, a disrespectful or confrontational man, so the lot of them didn’t expect him to throw a fit when he was with San, but it was still a surprise to know he had made such an impression on the man who was with Wooyoung.

They all knew how Yeosang felt about their energetic friend.

“Well then, I’m really glad everything is going well for you! If you need anything, please let me know. Of course, friends get free passes to the gym, just let Chan or I know when you’re coming.” Soobin told him before looking into the room.

“I appreciate the bento box, but do you have to be so obnoxious? We were in the middle of working out.” Changbin huffed, standing with his arms crossed. Wooyoung looked back at him like the cat that ate the canary.

“Of course. If no one else is going to give you shit, who will? I wanna know what workout you two are doing that involves so many kisses in the gym~” He teased, yelping and dodging the slap Changbin aimed at his arm.

Chan stood beside the two with a small, patient smile on his face, seemingly more than used to the shenanigans of the two. He looked up when he saw San and Soobin and made his way over to the two while Changbin and Wooyoung bickered.

“Thank you so much for the lunch. It came at the perfect time. I didn’t bring one today because we were running late this morning and I almost called Yeji to ask her if she could stop by with some on her break. I appreciate it.” He bowed to San and took the mason jars San had offered with a subtle lift of the box and a smile.

“Of course. It’s nothin’ too crazy, but I hope it’s at least filling until lunchtime.”

Chan smiled at him and finally cast a look over his shoulder when Wooyoung let out an unruly shriek.

“Alright, that’s enough, you two. Changbin, my love, let him out of the headlock and give me your box so I can put it in the fridge in my office.” Chan scolded. Immediately, the two of them froze, looking at Chan like a pair of deer in headlights before they pouted and pulled away from each other.

“ Anyway, thank you. Both of you. I’ll pay you back next time I have time.” Changbin smiled as Wooyoung fixed his hair and stood to his full height.

“Asshole, do you know how long it takes me to do my hair?” He muttered playfully before picking up the tote.

“Don’t mention it. We’re gonna go head to Yeji now. Have a good day, tell us if you like it. I tried some new things with San’s advice, so I need the feedback.” Wooyoung fixed the men with a stare until they all agreed with either nods or half-hearted ‘yeah yeahs’ (courtesy of Changbin).

Satisfied, Wooyoung stepped out of the room, kissing San’s dimple before he headed down the hall.

“C’mon baby. We need to make sure all of our lovely friends eat. Where would they be without us?” He lamented dramatically. Soobin laughed, Changbin rolled his eyes, and Chan watched the trio leave with a hand on his hip.

The two engaged in light conversation until they came across a cozy-looking bookshop with an hourglass depicted on the blade sign outside of it. Wooyoung smiled and stepped up faster, opening the door and smiling flirtatiously at San.

“After you, my love~” He winked, his chest puffing up proudly at the flustered way San cleared his throat and hustled in.

Immediately, he’s met with the scent of cinnamon sugar and vanilla.

The bookshop appears bigger on the inside, and as much as everyone has told him it was ‘small’, San was still blown away at how many different sections there were to walk through and he almost didn’t hear Yeji come over to them.

“Good morning, Binnie and Chan told me you were coming. You two got here fast, though!”

San and Wooyoung looked over, finding Yeji jogging over to them, peeling some gloves off of her hands.

“It wasn’t too far but uh-what are you doing?” San blinked owlishly as he watched her take off her apron, which had been speckled with all kinda of color smears.

“I was doing some demos for our upcoming arts and crafts day. We’re going to make some spoopy soap for Halloween and give out candy to anyone who stops by in costume.” She grinned, hands on her hips as she watched Wooyoung rummage around before handing her a bento.

“Here’s lunch!”

“Thank you~ You two are like, a pair of house-husband saviors~” She smiled and moved to a counter, glancing over at San when she saw him looking around in interest.

“Go ahead, baby boy. Look around my little shop. Let me know if you wanna check anything out.” She grinned and waved the curious man off. San smiled and nodded in thanks, moving to walk through rows upon rows of colorful books.

There were a few people littered around here and there, but given the time of day, there wasn’t a high concentration of people in the area that would make things claustrophobic.

He ran his fingers over book covers, spotting several books with beautifully crafted covers that drew his attention.

Some of them were a bit larger in size- ’That one Against the Tide thing on the table has like 3 volumes and the small paper sign says its not done?’- while some were significantly smaller. San glanced over to see Wooyoung and Yeji leaning on a counter, talking and laughing as she ate her bento.

San didn’t want to disturb them and interrupt them speaking, so instead, he plucked the closest book he could find, missing the fact he’d wandered into the section of the shop with the more explicit works.

He’d found a spot on a nearby cat-shaped bean bag on the floor and settled in, opening his book.

He was unsure how many minutes had passed, his eyes combing through the pages. He found himself engrossed in the story, though he found a bit early on that he’d grabbed not only a book from the queer adult section, but that it had also contained very vivid material on the inside.

-”Tilt your head up, I want you to look me in the eyes, Hyunjin.”

Minho is met with a slow smile stretching across his love’s ruby-red lips, the lipstick smeared at the corner. Hyunjin obliges, purring as Minho crossed the room, running his fingers through Hyunjin’s silken hair.

Then, his eyes drift down to Jisung, spent and panting, still buried deep inside of Hyunjin, the evidence of their lovemaking making a mess between their legs.

A smile stretches across Minho’s face as he leaned close, stealing a kiss from Hyunjin before he caressed Jisung, kissing him too and reveling in the man’s soft moan as he pressed Hyunjin flush against him in an attempt to feel them both.

“There’s no need to rush,” Minho chuckled, moving to settle himself in a chair just beyond their bed’s reach.

“I'd like to…savor it a bit more. Every beat of your heart, every thrum of excitement in your blood. I can taste it from here. I'm enjoying the show. Continue. I'll join when I'm ready for a bite.”-

San stared at the page slack-jawed and beet red.

Two vampires and their human lover. All of them, sharing kisses and whispers of love, standing by each other in a love story that had been…oddly domestic despite the vampiric nature of two-thirds of the main characters.

Maybe throuples like this are more common than San could have guessed…

"Whacha reading?"

San jolted and nearly hurled the book, clutching his chest with wide eyes as he looked at a mischievous Wooyoung. His boyfriend nearly cackled behind him, covering his mouth to keep himself from laughing as San gave him a half-hearted shove, standing up.

"Don't do that!" He huffed, glaring at Wooyoung. His boyfriend put his hands on his hips, proud of himself.

"Yeji and I are all done babe. We just need to drop Yeosang’s off since Yeonjun is out of town."

San glanced down at the book in his hands and cleared his throat.

"Gimmie a second. I'm gonna, uh I'm gonna buy this real quick." He shuffled along while Wooyoung hummed and moved to peruse the books himself.

"No problem, call me when you're ready, my love."

San nodded and headed off to Yeji, sheepishly putting the book in front of her. She smiled at him, glancing down at the book before humming, her brows going up just a margin.

San felt his cheeks darken even more.

"This is a pretty good series. This is the second one, though. I recommend you read the first one before you continue this. It makes their relationship feel more impactful.” She advised, smiling sweetly at San as she scanned the book regardless of his decision. He shifted from one foot to the other, worrying his lip between his teeth for a moment before he moved back to the section of the bookstore he had been in, coming back once he found the aforementioned first book.

Yeji smiled and added that one, applying an employee discount before she put them in a paper bag with a cat on the front of it.

“If you have any questions on the book or…anything similar, let me know.” She added the last part in a whisper, glancing at Wooyoung before looking at San once again.

“I- N-no it’s nothing like that. I-”

“San, I’m not assuming anything. I’m just saying…if you ever want coffee and to talk about some books, I’m your girl.” She beamed and tilted her head, smiling at him.

San looked at the bag and cleared his throat, nodding.

“Right..thank you, Yeji.” He bowed and headed back to Wooyoung, finding him pursuing the manga. He perked and smiled at San, adjusting his grip on the tote with the last bento and mason jar.

“Got everything you wanted?” He inquired. San nodded, kissing his head as they stepped out of the shop, a melodic chime following them as they went.

They had to walk significantly farther to get to the dog training facility, and San could tell it was after lunch despite their efforts to deliver the food and drink to their friends by the noon hour. The streets, while still bustling in their own right, had less suited men and women rushing to and from food shops, and San had enough room to walk side by side Wooyoung comfortably without worrying about accidentally brushing into anyone.

They still kept their hands unlinked, just in case they needed to maneuver apart as a wayward office worker or a teenager in a hurry came darting down the middle of the sidewalk, but overall, this time of day proved to be more flexible than their earlier runs.

When they finally got to the dog training facility, San could hear a cacophony of barking and yipping coming from beyond a set of heavy, tinted doors.

Wooyoung took the lead, checking first before pushing the door in, making sure no dogs were trying to make any great escapes the moment he did so. Once the coast was clear, he guided San all the way in, and the two walked up to a man and woman standing by the front. The man smiled jovially at them, his piercings shimmering in the light while the petite woman at his side rubbed her belly.

Ah, she must be the one that was heading off to her maternity leave soon.

“Kookie-hyung~ Jennie-noona~” Wooyoung practically sang, smiling ear to ear at the two. Jennie smiled back before glancing at San curiously.

“I can’t ever get you to visit with a dog, but instead, you bring a new friend?” She teased. San blushed and bowed,

“My name is San. I’m his boyfriend.”

Both her and ‘Kookie’s’ eyebrows shot up. They exchanged a look with one another before some kind of silent realization dawned on them, if the small ‘ah’s they let out was anything to go by.

San fidgeted. If Yeosang worked here and they had that kind of reaction, clearly they’d heard of him in some capacity.

“Are you looking for Yeosang? He’s started a class but Jungkook-ah can bring you to the sidelines. Just try not to distract the dogs, okay? He gets really upset when his classes are interrupted.” She advised them. Jungkook nodded and kissed her head before beckoning both men to follow him down the hall.

“Thank you, sorry for intruding.” San humbly apologized while Wooyoung waved, puffing his chest out.

“Bah, don’t worry! Yeo Yeo has a nasty habit of not eating properly when I’m not cooking for him, so we’re doing him a big favor.”

Jungkook only smiled, listening to the two before stopping outside a room with a fox painted on the door.

“Alrighty. Follow my lead, keep your voices a bit down if you can, and try not to distract him, I can see he’s already started in there.” He instructed, guiding them into a room that had a big, circular area in the center with turf. The area outside of it had raised walls so (most) dogs couldn’t get out with ease, and as asked, the two of them silently filed into the area where there were seats, opting not to stand too close to the walls, for fear they’d become a distraction for what was assumed to be a beginner class.

They were far enough that they believed they could eat their own lunches, despite the lateness, so they began rustling about as quietly as they could to eat as they watched Yeosang’s class. Once they were settled, Jungkook left them to their own devices and they watched on as Yeosang scanned the group in front of him.

His long, fluffy hair was secured under a cap and his tanktop was tucked into his pants as Yunho stood dutifully at his side. He looked more like a military drill sergeant than what San had expected a dog trainer to look like.

It was quite…quite an impressive look, if he was being honest.

“When you are here, it is not just the dogs that will be trained. You yourselves, as their owners and companions, will be training alongside them. That is the most important thing here. During my classes, you and your dogs are equals , and I will train you both as such. A dog can be as well-behaved and wonderful as can be, but the moment they are put around reckless people, gradually, over time, that behavior switches. It changes. And it does not take much of a dogs bad behavior before society deems them a risk and I'm sure you all know what happens then." The black-haired man made a gun motion with his hand and Yunho immediately flopped onto his back, tongue out as he stayed still, playing dead,

Yeosang strolled past the dog before he patted his own thigh, giving him a treat as Yunho immediately rolled back onto his paws and appeared at his side.

“The best thing that can prevent a dog biting or fighting incident is proper training of both the owners and their canines. And that’s why you all are with me.”

San watched, chewing quietly as Yeosang walked back and forth past his class. He could see some people listening with rapt attention-he was one of them-while others rolled their eyes, surely thinking the trainer was "over dramatic".

Wooyoung took a sip from his mason jar, leaning on San as he spoke quietly.

"Yeosang really loves dogs. Training is his passion. It pisses me off that some of them think this is a game." He muttered. San chewed thoughtfully and watched as Yunho sat dutifully in the same spot, despite all of the dogs and people in the training ring.

At one point, the giant dog’s eyes move towards them, there is a subtle wag to his tail, but he remains unmoving.

The two watch while whispering, not wanting to disturb the dogs or their owners. Yeosang’s face remains calm, yet authoritative as he trains, never raising his voice over a certain volume, every movement and instruction precise and to the point.

San found himself unable to tear his eyes off of him. Wooyoung is the same.

“Today’s lesson is over. Report cards will be sent out by the end of the day for the lesson’s progress, along with ‘homework’. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions between now and our next lesson.”

Wooyoung finally stood as the group began to filter out, leashing up their dogs and dispersing while talking amongst themselves. San is right behind him, though both of them hang back as one of the trainees walked up to Yeosang, smiling handsomely at him.

“I really appreciate your lesson, Yeosang-nim~ With your help, Coco and I will be just as impressive as you and Yunho in no time.” He grinned, holding a pomeranian under his arm. Yeosang glanced and then crossed his arm.

“Remember my lesson about the detriments of carrying your dogs unless necessary, Lee-nim. You do not want to give Coco a complex by always carrying her just because she is small.”

Lee nodded, though he didn’t seem too interested in what Yeosang was saying, rather, his eyes subtly combing over his face, and chest, and even darting down to admire his abs once he stood back up after setting Coco down.

San pursed his lips, a small nagging in the back of his mind as he watched the two.

Agitation.

“You’re the best teacher I’ve seen in this place, Sang-nim. Could I ask you out for dinner as a thanks?” He inquired, his eyebrows going up flirtatiously.

Yeosang blinked, the calm expression on his face shifting ever so slightly to one of surprise before suddenly Wooyoung tossed an arm over Yeosang’s shoulder, dangling off of the man’s side and smiling with a tilt to his head.

“Sorry! We have some food for Yeosangie already. Dinner too, we’ve already made plans for him.”

Yeosang looked at him, his face didn’t betray the confusion he felt, and Wooyoung was grateful, his eyes never leaving Lee’s face.

He could see the way the shorter man’s eyes narrowed subtly before he sniffed, wiping his nose.

“Oh, next time, then, Sangie-nim .” His voice dripped in the untold challenge, and then he turned and headed out of the training ring, his Pomeranian following at his side with hurried footsteps.

Wooyoung didn’t take his eyes off of him until he was out of view, muttering in displeasure.

“I don’t like him.”

“Since when did we have dinner plans?” Yeosang inquired, the neutral expression of his face changing into a more casual, expressive one now that he wasn’t teaching.

“Since just now because that guy is a creep. I mean, who asks out their tutor?” Wooyoung began rambling, never moving from his spot leaning on Yeosang. The slightly older man let him speak, calmly watching him with a smile on his face until San moved closer, drawing his attention.

He held up the box Wooyoung had left behind when he moved to his side, looking Yeosang in the eyes and smiling softly.

“You must be hungry. We made bento boxes for everyone. Even Yunho.” He offered, keeping his hand extended.

Yeosang looked at it for a beat longer than the others had, but then he took it, smiling softly.

“I see. That’s sweet of you. I appreciate it. Yunho-” Yeosang made a motion with his hand, and in a flash, Yunho’s massive form appeared, licking at both Wooyoung and San’s hand before sitting in front of his owner.

Yeosang gently moved away from Wooyoung, making sure he did not lose his balance before he crouched down to set up the food they had made for the canine first.

Wooyoung bent down, petting Yunho and cooing to him, eyes half-lidded.

“Yeah, Yuyu. That guy is stinky, anyway, you don’t want him taking your papa out to dinner either, do you?” He talked to the animal as if he were human. Yunho blinked at him, head tilting before he licked Wooyoung’s hand, as if that were the response to a command he hadn’t quite learned yet.

Yeosang-and San-glanced at him at the comment, yet neither said a word.

"I appreciate you for making a bento for me and including Yunho. Thank you, both of you." Yeosang bowed slightly, sitting with his legs crossed on the ground beside Yunho as he inspected the bento, a genuine, big smile coming to his face when he saw the small character they'd made out of the bento's contents, the floral-themed 'Hethetmon' staring back at him.

Wooyoung smiled triumphantly and watched as Yeosang ate.

"I knew you'd be more focused on training your classes than eating properly-again-so we put extra in yours."

Yeosang chewed thoughtfully, humming.

"I guess I did forget."

San frowned and put a hand on his hip, looking at the man in disapproval.

"You can't forget things like that, Yeosang-ah. Your health is important. Please take care of yourself."

Yeosang’s gaze shifted to him, calm, yet doe-like and for a second, San could swear he felt a sound akin to a fax machine struggling to work in his brain.

He and Wooyoung have such pretty eyes.

San panicked, tripping over his own words as he quickly added; "Besides, who's going to take care of Yunho when you get sick?"

Yeosang hummed quietly before nodding, petting the canine as he finished his dog-safe bento.

"Probably Soobin."

Wooyoung let out a scandalized gasp.

"You didn't even hesitate! What about me!?"

"Wooyoung, I don't trust you with my plants , I damn sure aren't trusting you with my dog."

Wooyoung clung to his chest, falling to his knees dramatically.

"See that, San? We make him a beautiful lunch, and he wounds me! Blasphemy! Gimme back my damn food, then!"

Yeosang smiled, and it reached his eyes, a spark of mischief in it as he started eating noticeably faster. Wooyoung narrowed his gaze and lunged at him half-heartedly, though he tumbled a bit too far forward, falling on top of Yeosang and nearly knocking the food out of his hand as he moved to catch him.

The two lay on each other in an awkward heap. Wooyoung went beet red to his ears, his face entirely too close to Yeosang’s as he tried to gather his bearings.

What San had believed to be Yeosang’s "normal" deadpan calm around Wooyoung’s shenanigans was broken in an instant, his face dark red as he stared at him, mouth agape.

The two stared at each other like deer in headlights, and San was certain neither of them were actually breathing .

Hell, he didn't know if he was.

But he recovered first-naturally, he wasn't directly involved, after all-and he spoke first.

"Are you two okay?"

Wooyoung swallowed thickly, sitting up and clearing his throat.

“Y-yeah- sorry I didn’t mean to knock you over-”

Yeosang cleared his throat, sitting up and speaking quietly.

“I’m okay…don’t worry.” He muttered, eating with his head down. Wooyoung bit his lip and looked at San with an almost sheepish expression.

“We’ll go on ahead. I’ll make a big dinner. You can stop by if you have time. Okay?” he offered, pausing to wait for an answer. He got a small nod in response, as Yeosang found his gaze transfixed on the meal in his slightly shaking hand.

Wooyoung laced his fingers in with San’s, and the countryman couldn’t help but to notice the small amount of clamminess to them.

San waved goodbye, pulling him outside.

The two walked in silence until they got home.

Wooyoung came to a stop before they got to the door, his eyebrows pulled up. San looked back at him.

“Wooyoung?”

“I’m…sorry.”

San felt the heaviness in his tone and turned his full attention towards him.

“Why?”

“I…God, I’m such a horrible boyfriend, aren’t I? It looks like I’m throwing myself at him and I…I swear I’m not trying to be disrespectful to you, I love you, I just-I have these habits that die hard and around Yeosang I-”

“-you still love him.”

Wooyoung’s fingers twitched in San’s grip. He didn’t meet his gaze, but San could see the storm settling on his face. He didn’t deny the statement, and while his gaze was fixed on the ground, tears welled up in his eyes.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I’m such a shitty boyfriend.”

San pursed his lips and gently twisted his hand out of Wooyoung’s grip. Wooyoung took the action as a rejection and slumped his shoulders.

San didn’t want the miscommunication to escalate, so he wrapped his arms around Wooyoung, pulling him into a strong hug.

“Please answer me honestly. Do you love me?”

“Of course I do! I-”

San pushed forward.

“Do you love Yeosang, still?”

“.....”

“Wooyoung, I need you to be honest with me. I have never told you a lie since we met, just answer me.”

“...yes.”

San caressed his cheeks as he sobbed, holding his wrists. Wooyoung looked torn up as he stood in front of him, hiccuping as tears ran down his cheek. The empathetic part of San felt his own eyes water at seeing him like this.

The other part, felt relief.

San kissed the top of his head.

“So, what’s wrong with that?”

Wooyoung nearly didn’t hear him. Between his hiccups and sobs, San’s calm voice was nearly drowned out.

“W-what?”

“So what, you love him. You also love me. And I have never doubted that from the day you told me for the first time.”

Wooyoung looked at him, still crying, though he’d been shocked out of saying anything further. San ran his thumb over his eyes, humming quietly.

“A…aren’t you mad?”

“Wooyoung, I have had a lot of time to think about this since we got here, hell, since you told me back in Namhae. And you know what? No. I’m not. It’s not such a scary concept, you loving him as well. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

Wooyoung’s eyes flooded with tears as he squeezed San tight, sobbing into his shoulder as they stood in the doorway of their home.

He felt selfish, he felt anxious, he felt like he was stabbing his love in the back.

And yet, those few words, they calmed the chaotic waters of his mind, a lifted weight from his chest.

Wooyoung loved San. He loved Yeosang. He’d convinced himself long ago that he’d never get to truly share his love with Yeosang as deeply as it ran, but this alone, brought him solace.

San ran his hands through Wooyoung’s hair, kissing him softly.

His boyfriend was plenty overwhelmed right now.

San didn’t feel it appropriate to mention the other thing tumbling around in his mind.

That he also felt a subtle pull he’d felt before.

With the boy he’d invited to the festival, with Wooyoung.

Now, with Yeosang.

The undeniable tug at his heart; yearning.

Instead, he guided Wooyoung into their home, the chill of the October air reminding them that they were, in fact, still outside. He brought him over to the couch, sitting him down and pulling him into his arms once more, just rocking with the man and letting him cry.

Wooyoung ended up laying in his arms, the energy expelled from his episode leaving him asleep in San's embrace, cheeks still red. San carried him upstairs, tucking him into bed with a kiss to his head before he sighed and moved downstairs to cook on his own.

He made a quick stir fry, thankful for all the cooks he had in his immediate circle that he got to study from. San was sure he wouldn't be able to do half the technical things he'd learned to do from them on his own.

San headed back upstairs once he was finished, casting a small glance over his shoulder at the front door.

Yeosang hadn't stopped by.

San pushed back the sadness he felt and instead focused on not tripping with him and Wooyoung’s food on the platter the two of them bought for their home.

Wooyoung perked when he entered the room, the scent waking him in an instant.

"San…? Oh- shit, I fell asleep? I was supposed to help, I'm sorry!”

“Shh, it's not much but it should be enough to get a full, happy belly,” San told him, handing him his plate first. Wooyoung tiredly ate, for once not filling the silence with any animated talking or anything of the sort.

San didn't press him on it, eating just as quietly and cleaning up shortly afterwards.

When he came back to the room for the second time, he found Wooyoung dozing, looking at him with half-lidded eyes. He reached for him, making a small noise as San laced their fingers together and climbed into bed with him.

He stared at San for a while, his blinks getting noticeably longer as his breathing began to even out.

"I love you." He tiredly muttered, finally closing his eyes to rest for the night. San kissed his head and held him close.

"I love you too." San chuckled softly and nosed his hair, just listening to his heartbeat and breathing.

They stayed like that until San felt his own eyes getting heavy, and soon he, too, fell asleep.

Despite the high-strung emotions of the evening, he found that his mind wasn’t quite done running amok.

╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗

. . . . .

╚══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╝

“Show me your face, beautiful.”

San moved closer to the bed, cupping Wooyoung’s face lovingly. Wooyoung looked up, lips stained ruby red.

They’re smudged, right in the corner.

Bite marks trail down his neck, and he leans into San’s hand, keening as he kisses his palm. There’s melted love shining in his eyes as he sat up higher on his knees to kiss him. San caressed him, pulling him flush against his bigger body, making sure he felt how excited he’d become in the time they’d spent in there.

Then, another voice.

“Starting without me? You’re really spoiling him.”

San cracked his eyes open, exhaling sharply when his eyes locked onto another’s, a chin suddenly resting on Wooyoung’s shoulder.

“Yeosang,” he breathed, eyeing the man with an undeniable want rumbling in his voice. Yeosang smiled, a calm devilish vibe to counter Wooyoung’s needy squirming and panting between them.

His lips were swollen from kisses, a telltale smear of red on them.

It went without question where they came from, as he got his answer to the unasked statement moments later when Wooyoung turned his head, his neck bared as he kissed him.

It was needy, near desperate, and San felt himself throbbing with need, grinding on Wooyoung’s thigh. Wooyoung moaned into his kiss, flexing his thigh one moment and pressing his ass back the next.

Yeosang broke the kiss and pushed him forward just enough to press him flush against San, catching the slightly younger man’s attention before he pulled him in for a kiss, capturing his lips with the same hunger he did Wooyoung’s.

San felt a spark run up and down his body. His hips jerk and he buck as Wooyoung teased his nipples with his thumbs, mouthing at his neck and creating more ruby-red smears.

He was melting. San felt like he was going to slip through the sheets in a puddle, especially when they switched positions, and suddenly he was in the middle, with both Wooyoung and Yeosang grinding and humping his thighs.

“Sorry for the mess~” Wooyoung half-heartedly apologized, leaving a glistening trail of precum on San’s thigh as he hugged his waist. San opened his mouth to respond, but was met with the sound of his own jerky moan as Yeosang wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking him.

“Oh, I’m not. I’m going to make sure you make an even bigger one.” he promised, looking him in the eyes. San gasped and bucked into his hand before whimpering when his chin was grabbed by the man.

His hair was down, fluffy and wild as he looked him in the eyes.

“Hang on a bit longer, darling. After all, we have to keep you nice and hard for our Woo-ya, don’t we?” He purred into his ear, nipping his lobe as San nearly came in his hand. Wooyoung keened in excitement beside them, trading kisses between both of their chests before he moved to their lips, hovering over them both.

San wondered what it would feel like to share a kiss. It probably would be messy between the three of them.

He wanted it. Found himself leaning in for it.

He’s so close-

“Sannie?”

San jolted, eyes opening in an instant before he hissed and shut them, feeling the sunlight stream directly into them. He groaned and opened them back once he’d raised his arm, squinting to find Wooyoung peering up at him.

His eyes were still puffy from crying, and his face a bit swollen, but San was happy to see he’d gotten some color back to his cheeks.

“Good morning.” San groggily muttered. Wooyoung glanced down between them without saying a word before he looked up at him once more, slow blinking.

“I bet it is. Did you sleep well?”

It took San a moment to realize what he meant. He got his answer mere moments later when he felt the telltale throbbing between his legs as Wooyoung raised his thigh between them.

He went beet red and Wooyoung smiled softly, kissing his nose.

“Do you need a hand? Is it okay if I help?” He inquired. There was a hesitation in his tone that made San sober up from his flushed state for a moment. Wooyoung had certainly been worried still, and it was to be expected.

San didn’t like all the apprehension his boyfriend was beginning to feel around him, however.

Instead, he cupped his face, looking into his eyes. The same ones that always looked at him so full of bold love and mischievous energies now held a worried edge to them as Wooyoung put his hand over San’s, waiting.

“I don’t want to do anything like that while you’re worried about me being mad at you. If we do anything intimate, it should be because we both want to feel good, not because you feel you have to or need to.”

Wooyoung’s lips parted as if he was going to protest the notion before he stopped, thought about it, and nodded. He seemed to think about it in earnest before he scooted closer to San, kissing him gently.

“I want to.”

San fixed him in place with a heated, half-lidded stare, before he pulled him into his lap, stealing a kiss and squeezing Wooyoung’s ass until there was no space left between the two of them.

Wooyoung’s arms wrapped lazily around his shoulders, kissing him with a slow, almost methodical pace. San didn’t mind, nor did he rush, sighing into the kiss and leaning against the headboard. The two of them messily pushed their pajama pants down, haphazardly discarding it elsewhere in the bed.

With freedom of movement now, Wooyoung placed his palm on San’s chest, lightly raking his nails down his pectoral as he kissed down his neck, rolling his slender hips down. He could feel San’s cock smearing precum over his own and a thrum of excitement ran up and down his spine when he chanced a glance up, finding San leveling him with his signature feline narrowed gaze. His jaw locked ever so slightly as big, calloused hands cupped his ass to pull him flush against him once more and control their pace and movement.

Wooyoung held his gaze, though he felt the heat creep up his neck as San tilted his chin up ever so slightly, eyes combing over his frame before landing back on his face, lips quirking ever so slightly at the shiver the simple motion caused in his boyfriend.

“When you look at me like that, I lose my train of thought.”

“I’m more than happy to take over, then. You can sit back and let me do it.”

Simple, it was so simple, yet those words made Wooyoung shudder even more as he licked suddenly dry lips. He rolled them until San was on top, his hair splayed around on the pillow like a silken halo.

San kissed down his neck and torso, pushing his thighs apart and making him hold them open as he fished around for the lube in their nightstand. He made a mental note they needed to buy more later before he coated his fingers, teasing his rim as he nipped his pelvis.

“You're trembling in anticipation.”

Wooyoung looked away, cheeks strawberry-tinted as he fumbled in his attempt to catch his breath. San smiled and got in his face, turning his face so he met his eyes.

“Don’t look away.”

Wooyoung shuddered and rolled his tongue over the inside of his cheek. Neither man said anything and eventually, Wooyoung tilted his head up, lips brushing over San’s jaw.

“I won’t, then.”

He didn’t keep his voice down the second time around, moaning as San meticulously stretched him open, leaving love bites and kisses all over his shoulders and neck.

San stopped when Wooyoung’s hand flew down to his wrist, gripping tight as he shuddered, meeting his eyes as he panted.

“I can’t- I’ll cum-”

San smiled, rewarding him with a kiss, slicking himself up.

Wooyoung wiggled in impatient anticipation beneath him, eventually wrapping his arms around his neck as he felt San finally press against him, both of his palms pressed at either side of his head. Wooyoung nearly bit back the moan of delight that tumbled out of his mouth as San pressed into him. His mouth fell open instead, a moan of wanton abandon rumbling out of his throat as he rolled his hips down, urging San deeper.

The slightly older man fisted the sheets near his head, hips rolling down with slow, practiced motions. He’d knew Wooyoung’s body better than his own in this regard in the very short time they’d had together.

The wicked little devil on his shoulder reminded him of flashes of his dream, a certain dog trainer’s hands running up and down his body as he thrusted into Wooyoung.

Maybe it was heat of the moment, maybe it was the fog of his somewhat sleep-riddled brain, but San found himself slipping up as Wooyoung moaned for him.

“San~ San, faster, please -”

“So fucking pretty for us- ”

Wooyoung looked up at him, blinking in confusion before he choked on a moan as San’s cock curved just right.

“W-what-”

San felt his cheeks growing hot, but he bit his lip, leaning down so Wooyoung’s couldn’t see his face-hypocritical, he knew, but he worried if he held his gaze, he’d falter in his words.

He already slipped, might as well continue letting his thoughts freefall.

“Do you want to know what my dream was about?” He growled, sucking at a yet-to-be-marked part of Wooyoung’s neck. He whimpered and gasped, trying to look at him. San sped up instead, distracting him with every pleasurable brush to his prostate.

“S-San-? Fuck! Wait fuck, I c-can’t think straight if you’re-fucking hitting it so much, shit -”

San slowed to a stop, growling and swearing underneath his breath as he looked at Wooyoung. The young chef panted, eyes glazed over and slightly frustrated at the loss. He looked up at San, searching his eyes.

“What did you d-dream about that was so good you’re bringing it up now?” He huffed, partially teasing him and partially urging him to take the hint and keep thrusting. His hand moved up to cup San’s cheek and instead, he felt him wrap his fingers around his wrist, kissing his palm as he looked into his eyes.

“Yeosang was there. The way he touched both of us was addicting.”

Wooyoung’s eyes widened, his lips parting as he clenched slightly. San’s eyes narrowed as he ran his teeth over his palm.

“You clenched. Does it turn you on that I had that kind of dream? With both of you in it?”

Wooyoung shuddered, searching San’s face for any signs of dishonesty. Naturally, there were none, and San took the time to resume thrusting, keeping his pace deep and slow so Wooyoung could hear everything he had to say.

“I never…mm, minded you liking him so much but I can see why you do. You two have good chemistry, darling.”

Wooyoung’s fingers flexed along his cheek, his other weaving into his hair as the words made his cheeks darken San’s satoori bounced around his head like a hymn, and Wooyoung felt his mind swirl, a spark of hope and desire in the muddied thoughts.

“Do you think you’d try to hide your moans more or less if he was here too, touching you with me? Do you think you’d try and talk back to him while you kiss, only to crumble mid-way because my cock feels too good and you can’t focus?”

“San, oh my god- ” Wooyoung clenched again, tugging San’s hair to ground himself as San suddenly sped up, growling in need. The bed rocked below them, the headboard hitting the wall at an off-tempo pace as San’s hands ran all up and down Wooyoung’s body.

“Keep moanin’. You sound so pretty like that, baby. You’ll drive us crazy.”

Wooyoung clenched tighter, closing his eyes. The room had begun the spin from how hot he was, his thighs shaking as he listened to San purr his fantasy out to him.

It made him throb, his cock red and hard as a rock against his abdomen as he imagined Yeosang’s soft fingers all over his body, contrasting with San’s rough work-worn ones.

Wooyoung looked up at him, eyes begging, though all that fell from his lips were disjointed and desperate pleas for more.

“S-San-! San I c-can’t, I-I need to cum, please, please- ”Wooyoung’s voice was airy and desperate as his eyes rolled back, the lube making a slick mess between his cheeks. San laced their fingers together and kissed him, claiming every inch of his mouth as he rocked forward, hell-bent on making him fall apart first.

“D-Do you think Yeosang would go wild listening to you moan like this? Mm?”

That seemed to do it for Wooyoung, and he threw his head back with a shaky gasp and moan, thick spurts of cum making a mess of both his and San’s abdomens. San kissed him, languidly mapping out every part of Wooyoung’s mouth as he came inside, purring sweet nothings against his lips.

It took the two longer than usual to come down from the adrenaline of their lovemaking, but when they did, Wooyoung pulled back first, looking up at San with flushed cheeks and a curious slow blink.

“So that was…something.”

San cleared his throat and blushed, looking back down at him. While a moment ago he spoke with a deep satoori purr and a seductive smile, now he was speaking airily and softly as the reality of their encounter sunk in.

“I think I like Yeosang too.”

Wooyoung blinked at him, lips parting.

“...wait that wasn’t just you teasing me?”

San flushed darker and hid his face in Wooyoung’s shoulder, muttering incoherently. Wooyoung combed his fingers through pastel pink locks and kissed San’s jaw, his heart fluttering.

“How about we get cleaned up? We can talk about it when you’re ready…?” He left the sentence open-ended and waited for a moment, smiling and laughing quietly at the small nod that followed a few moments later.

“Breakfast first?” San muttered. Wooyoung laughed, his eyes crinkling with joy.

“Breakfast first.”

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T a g l i s t

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