"FREEDOM!"

One week. One. Whole. Week. That was how long they were forced to spend together. So what happened in those final few days of lockdown? Well...

Jongho was locked outside by Seonghwa after he broke the sink, releasing an entire waterfall into the kitchen, which he was later forced to fix after Mingi found him shivering in the rain for twenty minutes.

An entire day was dedicated to Mario Kart, with Yunho winning nearly every round, ultimately resulting in an official chart being made in the form of a pyramid. The top was labelled 'Mario Kart King' with Yunho's face next to it and 'The rat who couldn't stay on the damn track ' where Hongjoong's face sat, no matter how salty the blueberry was about it.

Wooyoung, San, Mingi and Hongjoong were tasked with cooking for one night... enough said.

In terms of less interesting events, after their fight, Wooyoung and Jongho unofficially switched rooms or at least stopped sleeping together. Wooyoung had moved into San's bed, basically kicking Yeosang out where he found solace in Jongho's, even if they weren't dozing with one another at night.

Seonghwa was banished to the couch, seemingly indefinitely, only allowed in his room if Hongjoong wasn't already there. Even then Hongjoong took the extra step in locking the door if he so much as went to the bathroom, leaving the older student to fend for himself.

The only ones not amid turmoil were Mingi and Yunho, who only seemed to grow more fond of each other as the days carried on. Both a blessing and a curse but unless it was Hongjoong or Jongho, none of the others paid their newly found romance any mind. A miracle as they felt no need to pester them for details but a hex in the fact that they also didn't care to respect their privacy when the two were alone.

All in all, everyone couldn't wait to get out of that wretched building

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The last person Wooyoung expected to ever spend his time with again was San. Neither of them had any classes due to the campus being an absolute wreck from the storm.

They sat across from each other at Café Mist. The usual buzz of the building had died down, at least for the day, as more students were focused on catching up on lost assignments rather than enjoying a hot latte. The establishment was rather barren as a result, leaving only the two ex-lovers and a few stragglers as its inhabitants.

As much as Wooyoung would have rather been with Jongho, it was clear the brunette wasn't going to be speaking to him for a while.

"Don't get so hung up on him, Woo." Said San, a smug look on his face after seeing the dissatisfaction of the other with his friend. "You know he's not worth your time."

"And what? You are?" It was San's idea to go out and Wooyoung only came along for a free coffee. So he took the extra liberty of ignoring almost all of his advances by staring at his phone.

San rolled his eyes at this childish behaviour, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. "If you don't want to see me, why are you here?"

"To get a free drink, duh." His attitude clearly wasn't appreciated by the older, which Wooyoung was well aware of. After all, all his actions were deliberate. Did he get a kick out of irritating his ex, seeing him angry and red in the face? Of course. In fact, he lived for it.

San, however, knew this. He was well aware of Wooyoung's efforts to upset him and wouldn't play into them. "Jesus fucking christ, Wooyoung." Or, at least he'd try not to play into them. "I'm trying to be nice here but you're making it so difficult!" But goddamn was Wooyoung hard to be around when he was in a bad mood.

"That's what I'm here for, love." The younger sent him a cheeky grin, only serving to annoy San further. Not because it made him angry, but because he couldn't stay mad at him. He loved seeing Wooyoung smile and he would forever be weak to his charms. Even if that smile was at his expense. Just for that, he would bear it, for now. At least until he could get Wooyoung to warm up to him again once he was done being defensive.

The pleasant small talk between the two came to an end when their barista bounced over to them, a familiar blunette that brought a bright smile to Wooyoung's face. "Hello stranger," He said to Yeonjun who chuckled.

"I didn't think I'd see you on my first shift here! So sorry I forgot to call you but since you're here I can tell you all about-" San cleared his throat, catching the other boy off guard and causing him to apologise for his rude behaviour. "My bad. Hi, I'm-"

"The barista. Your job is to get us our drinks and nothing else. Get to it."

"Ah... right, sorry." He wasn't sure what he had done to make San so upset on their first meeting but apologised regardless. Something that made Wooyoung clench his fists. "What would you like then?"

"A moment to ourselves please," Said the lavender-haired. The tension between the two students as they glared one another down was palpable. They were so immersed in this little staring contest that they didn't notice that Yeonjun had scurried away. "What the fuck is your problem, Choi?"

"What do you mean? He's here to get us coffee, not talk you up." If they weren't in a public space, Wooyoung swore he would have punched him square in the jaw. The most he could settle for was clenching his fists angrily on the table.

"He's just a friend." He stated firmly. The maintained eye contact was something he knew San hated. If he glanced away for even a second, he would be conceding defeat and the last thing he'd allow himself to do is lose to this man.

"You said the same thing about Jongho, and look where that-"

"SAN!" He finally shouted, earning not only San's undivided attention but the eyes of everyone else in the café. Even with the way people whispered and the older student had been startled, Wooyoung remained irked, hardly making an effort to calm himself. "You haven't changed. You're still the same possessive asshole from high school."

"What do you mean I shouldn't spend time with them? San, they're my friends." San sighed and pulled the younger boy closer. He sat him on his lap and ran his hand through his soft blonde locks whilst he shook his head.

"No Wooyoung, they're not. All they ever do is flirt with you and tease you. Haven't you noticed?"

"Well yeah but I kinda like it." His giggles weren't appreciated by his boyfriend, his soft grip on his hips quickly turned painful. Wooyoung winced and looked to San to stop but he didn't budge.

"I don't want people fantasising about what's mine."

He didn't take it seriously back then. In fact, he thought it was cute that San wanted him for himself. As time went on, however, he grew weary of this possessive attitude and nowadays, it only served to sour his mood. "Wooyoung, people can't just change."

"Then explain how you got worse."

Clearly, these years apart hadn't changed him. Still, San couldn't get it through his thick skull that Wooyoung wouldn't entertain him any longer as he continued by frantically saying, "Wooyoung, stop. You know I've always cared. I just did it to protect you!"

"Then why did you cheat on me!" San paused, his lips zipped shut. Was he not expecting him to ask such a question? How? It had been on Wooyoung's mind ever since the incident two years ago. "No, really. How can you say you care about me then pull something like that? Do you really think I'm that stupid-"

"It was Yeosang's idea."

"Bullshit..." He spat. There was no way on Earth he'd believe that. Yes, Yeosang took his boyfriend but there was no way he would have ever initiated it. "You can't expect me to believe that!"

"Just listen, will you!" Reluctantly, Wooyoung shut his mouth. With his arms crossed, he let San get on with it, his gaze stuck in a frown. "I didn't want to but... after our fight about the coach I was just so upset. There were so many rumours about you and him, even some of the cheerleaders. It felt like everywhere I turned, it seemed like someone new was saying they had slept with you." It made Wooyoung's stomach twist, the idea of so many people saying they had been intimate when it couldn't be further from the truth. "I confided in Yeosang since he was in a similar position and he said he'd 'help me feel better' and things just escalated from there... I never meant to hurt you Wooyoung... please believe me."

He bit his bottom lip in contemplation. Should he believe him? San seemed so genuine, something Wooyoung didn't see very often, at least not like this. "But... Why didn't you just tell me that before?" He asked cautiously, eyes softening as he lowered his defences.

"I was embarrassed and scared that you wouldn't believe me," His gaze had averted for the first time since their conversation had begun. "He's your best friend, right? I don't know why you would choose his side over mine."

"Shut up already," Wooyoung laid his head on his hand, releasing an irritated sigh. "He's not my best friend anymore so I have no reason to believe him." He had no reason to believe San either yet... He took the pinkett's hand, rubbing his knuckle with a small grin as he spoke. "You're still an asshole, San..."

He called him by his name. Hearing that alone was enough to make San grin. A smile that Wooyoung returned.

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When Jongho had asked Yunho to lunch that day, he was pretty shocked. It wasn't that he didn't like the younger boy, it was just a little unexpected given how he had suddenly appeared outside of his dance studio after class.

In all fairness, he wasn't Jongho's first choice for a day out either but his options were limited.

He didn't know anyone on campus; Hongjoong could only be around other people for so long before he checked out and decided to hurt your feelings, which Jongho respected; Seonghwa was an asshole who probably didn't know the first thing about empathy; Mingi had ghosted the entire house for only god knows why; He and Wooyoung weren't on the best of terms, and the walking burdens on society that were Yeosang and San were simply out of the question.

Leaving Yunho as his only option for companionship.

"Something on your mind, Jongho?" He asked, right before taking a sip of the strawberry smoothie he had ordered. The two males sat outside a juice bar in the park. It was a nice enough day considering the bizarre weather they had experienced, so they figured this would be a good place to sit and chat.

Jongho twiddled his thumbs as he glanced away from the pinkette. He had never been very good at expressing his emotions so why he thought this was a good idea, he would never know. "W-Well... I..." Just seconds in and he was already at a loss for words. "I'm sorry, this was a bad idea. I didn't mean to bother you."

Yunho could tell he was getting ready to stand and quickly took hold of his wrist. "Hold on," He said, keeping the younger boy in place with his scarily strong grip. "You can talk to me, Jongho. I know we're not best friends or anything but I'm still here to listen."

Although he hesitated, Jongho remained seated and gave him a nod. Thankfully, Yunho released him and took another sip from his drink while he waited for him to collect his thoughts. He wouldn't press too much since he knew being pushy would only make him more reluctant to speak.

"It's just that things have been weird around the house. I had a fight with Wooyoung," Yeah no shit. Even a blind person could see that the two were having troubles. The moment their eyes met, the pettiness on both sides was clear from passive-aggressive side glances and vexatious comments thrown from both parties. Only for them to turn around and become incredibly remorseful as soon as the other one had gone away. Sort of like now... "So I've been spending more time with Yeosang but I feel... clingy."

"Clingy?" Yunho repeated just as he took yet another sip from his smoothie. From his perspective, Jongho seemed anything but clingy. He'd even go as far as to say the boy seemed repulsed by Yeosang at times. Even now that they were roommates, the hatred he had for him didn't seem to dwindle. So he was interested to see what he meant by that.

"I still feel like I need him." Yunho didn't know all the details of their relationship or what it used to be. All he knew was that Yeosang cheated on Jongho with San and possibly done a bit more based on how Wooyoung treated him. So to hear him say that was strange but he'd listen anyway. "It's weird but at times, I still wait for him to jump into bed with me and cuddle like we used to. Or for a good morning or good night text. Even a kiss on the cheek. All things he does with San..."

"Oooh," Said the pinkette as he leaned back in his chair. "So you're jealous."

The younger boy twiddled his thumbs as his head lowered. "Maybe..." He said back in a small voice. "But I shouldn't be. What is there to be jealous of? Yeosang isn't even that great of a guy! He's such an asshole." At that, Yunho raised his brow and took his cup in his hand, feeling a rant coming on. "He leaves the shower door open all the time, he's not that affectionate, he's way too sexual and his entire diet consists of chicken and soda yet he still manages to stay so small! If anything, San is doing me a favour by dating him."

"Mhm."

"He's just such a-"

"Douchebag."

"But I still-"

"Like him?" Jongho finally looked back at Yunho, faced with the older's small smile and watched him shake his head. He felt silly for sounding so predictable as his cheeks began to grow red in embarrassment. Yunho, however, merely chuckled. "Choi, I'm best friends with Hongjoong. You're not the only person I've listened to rant about this kind of thing."

Ah yes. He reminisced on the many, many... MANY times Hongjoong had called him at ungodly hours to complain about his relationship status. What good memories. "So what you're saying is-"

"Don't think about him too much." What kind of advice was that? "Trust me. If you pay him no mind, you'll save yourself the strife." Oh yeah, and if you have cancer, just stop it. Jongho left that conversation unsatisfied with its outcome. Yunho was great, he really was. Just not very helpful.

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All day. He was working when he left and he was working when he got back. When Yunho set his bag by his bed, he was disappointed to find that Mingi was still sitting on his mattress, typing at his laptop and muttering incoherent words under his breath. His eyes were bloodshot, clearly from lack of sleep. Between school, work and whatever the hell he was doing, Yunho was sure the redhead was beyond exhausted. "I refuse to have another Hongjoong in this house..."

The older student tapped his peer's head, a look of worry lacing his face when he stood over him. "Oh! Yunho, how was class?" At least he was still smiling.

"It was fine," He said with a shrug. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Just swarmed with homework." Yunho couldn't help but raise his brow at that and scanned his surroundings. Music notes littered his bed along with every device you could use to play a song. Seems he was telling the truth this time. Not wanting to distract him, Yunho sent him a grin and left him to get back to work.

An hour went by and he still hadn't left his room. In that time, members of the house came and went. Hongjoong ran through, worrying about a missing sheet of music, Wooyoung had come in to grab a project he had forgotten, or rather, purposely left; and Yeosang stopped by for lunch and a quick chat. Even after all of that Mingi still hadn't left his room.

Finally, he had enough of waiting and marched to their room to have him explain. Only for the door to open as soon as he had gotten up as Mingi had gone to the bathroom.

He had been inside for hours now. Most of that time was taken up by writing but now he really had homework to work on. Now he understood why Hongjoong was always so sleep deprived. Well... no he didn't. This was terrible and the sooner he was done with this case, the better.

A nap sounded like a good plan so after washing his hands, the orange-haired walked back to his room. Yet he was startled when he was suddenly pushed against the wall, arms pulled behind his back in a sturdy grip. "Didn't you miss me, princess?"

He could practically hear Yunho's smirk and was unamused as he scoffed. "I'm not in the mood, Yunho..." His attempts to wiggle out of the older's grasp proved to be futile, Yunho only clasped his hands tighter and chuckled.

The pinkette proceeded to grind his hips against Mingi's, his smirk growing at the light groan it earned. Finally, he released the boy only to flip him around, back slammed back against the wall in a way that made him grimace. "You will be, soon enough." He whispered just before leaning in to kiss his neck.

Mingi's hands reached for the taller's hips, roughly guiding the rhythm, neck craning to offer him more access. "Why do you always provoke me, baby boy?"

Yunho giggled and shrugged at him. "Let me treat you, princess, please? You're so tense..." Gripping his shoulders, he kneaded at the knots beneath them with a small pout on his lips. He wanted him to relax, to be by his side again. Mingi couldn't do that if he was too busy wasting his time on that stupid case or homework.

There was barely any consideration when Mingi nodded his head and he eagerly pulled Yunho off to their shared room. There was a bright smile on the older boy's face that faded into a dark smirk when he slowly shut the doors. "Finally, I can make you mine."