The lunchroom couldn't have been too close for San to walk to.
The boy wished he could have some time to gather himself before having to face Wooyoung, at lunch, but alas he reached the space quicker than expected.

San crept into the lunchroom, glancing around in search of the other boy.

_
New Message!
Wooyoung☺️🧡:
Lmao I can see you standing in the doorway you dork
Turn around
_

San whipped around, coming face to face with the person who had sent the text.

"Hey," Wooyoung said, San murmuring a "hi" back.

San, internally, felt incredibly shaky, despite being perfectly okay. He didn't know what was wrong. Actually, didn't Wooyoung seem more confident? When San had first met him, he was panicked, and acted more reserved... now San was the one feeling jittery.

"You coming?" Wooyoung questioned, gesturing for San to follow him into the lunchroom.

"Oh! Yeah yeah I am," San switched on his confidence, shoving the nervous feeling deep within himself. He would just have to act like he felt fine.

Wooyoung, with San following close behind, made his way through the increasingly crowded cafeteria to a table at the far corner.

"I usually sit here alone when I have to study, but this will do," Wooyoung commented as he set his bags on the table, gesturing for San to do the same.
Wooyoung sat down and began digging through one of the bags, San carefully sitting next to him.

"Here," Wooyoung said, offering a ziploc bag with a cinnamon roll and a brownie in it to the other.

"Yess," San whispered, pumped at the sight of the delicious pastries. Wooyoung, hearing it, held back a smile.

"So, where do you usually sit?" Wooyoung asked, attempting to initiate a conversation.

San, mid-bite of a cinnamon roll, signaled for Wooyoung to wait as he finished chewing. Wooyoung rolled his eyes at the action, smiling.

"You see over to the left of the entrance?" San pointed, Wooyoung's gaze following that direction. "The table where those two guys are talking," he said, watching his friends Yunho and Mingi animatedly chat about something.

"Mingi..." Wooyoung muttered, seemingly thinking about something.

"You know him?" San raised an eyebrow, unaware that the two had ever spoken. He hadn't seen Wooyoung Message Mingi, so how would they know each other?

"Oh, no, just heard his name around," Wooyoung brushed it off. "You know where I normally sit?"

San shook his head. Now that he thought about it, he'd never seen the other in the lunchroom before.

"We usually hang out in classrooms. That way we can mess around and draw shit on the boards," Wooyoung explained, San grinning at the thought.

"That's smart..." he trailed off, feeling the topic dying slowly.

"So, is your hair dyed black right now or is it natural?" San recalled their earlier conversation.

Wooyoung thought for a moment.
"Who knows? It's grown since then but I couldn't tell you where the dye ends and roots start... my hair is naturally black too, y'know."

"Well I'd assume so," San spoke in a 'well yeah' tone. "Did the bleaching damage it? That's my main concern," he mused, still trying to push the conversation ahead.

"Hmm, I don't think so?" Wooyoung replied nonchalantly, reaching up and feeling his own hair for a moment.

San, as if his body had disconnected from his brain, found himself cautiously lifting his hand towards Wooyoung's face.

"You mind if I...?" he trailed off, his hand suspended in the air giving a clear meaning to the sentence.

Wooyoung, a bit startled now, shook his head. "No, it's fine!" he got out, San giving a small smile at the comment.

San ran his fingers gently through Wooyoung's hair, close to the bangs. He noticed Wooyoung stiffen a bit when San's hand brushed his face, and for some unknown reason this gave San a small rush of adrenaline.

San pulled away, yet noticed Wooyoung's hair and bangs a bit messed up from what he'd done.

"Hah sorry, I'll fix that," San said, more confidently reaching up and lightly brushing Wooyoung's hair to the side, fixing it casually.

"Ah, thanks," Wooyoung muttered, looking off to the side as he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

A calm chatter eventually arose between the two of them, the topics changing by the second. Somehow, despite a dull awkwardness left over, the two settled into a comfortable pace of talking. For reasons neither knew, both seemed to feel overwhelmingly comfortable with the other, despite not knowing each other that well.

"Hey, what class did you have before this?" Wooyoung inquired.

"Oh, just a kind of study hall. I was in the library," San answered, taking a bite out of a brownie.

Wooyoung nodded, as if San's statement had confirmed something. San didn't bother asking.

"I have independent study. You should visit me sometime," Wooyoung joked.

San nodded. "I'll consider it," he replied, sharing Wooyoung's light smile.

"You better bring me coffee," Wooyoung demanded, San raising his eyebrows at the comment.

"At that time?? You want me to hold it all of first period???"

"I believe you can do it," Wooyoung responsed, San shaking his head in an amused disbelief.

Wooyoung's phone began to ring. Wooyoung glanced at the caller ID, sighed, and immediately declined.

San opened his mouth to say something, but Wooyoung shot him a look that told him not to ask.

"Is Physics the only class we have together?" Wooyoung brought up instead.

"I mean, we may take physics, but we do have.... chemistry..." San tried joking, Wooyoung immediately groaning at the words he couldn't believe he was hearing.

"Really? That joke?" Wooyoung said, almost laughing at how bad the attempt was.

San held up his hands in defense. "Hey! I tried!"

Wooyoung, channeling the spirit of a disappointed mother, put his hand on San's shoulder.
"Son, you're going to have to try a lot harder than that," he spoke, refraining from cracking up in giggles.

San smiled, yet found himself too distracted to laugh by the feeling of Wooyoung's hand gripping his shoulder, the pressure of it calming him and startling him at the same time.

A small silence arose, Wooyoung realizing quickly what he was doing.

"Ah, sorry... I'm used to doing that to my friends—"

"Oh, no! I'm fine with it don't worry, go ahead honestly," San encouraged, mentally cursing at how Wooyoung had noticed his shift in demeanor.

"You sure? I don't want to bother you..." Wooyoung trailed off, seeing the sweet smile San was giving him.

"You're too polite. Disrespect me a little," San replied, playfully tapping Wooyoung on the nose.

Wooyoung, after displaying a mix of surprise and wariness, slowly developed an evil smirk. "You'll regret saying that."

San raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? Try me."

Before San could even process what had happened, Wooyoung's hands were on his neck, as if to choke him. San, wildly startled, reached up and grabbed Wooyoung's wrists on instinct.

"AHAha I was joking!! I'm sorry," Wooyoung broke out laughing as he felt the tight grip San had on his wrists.

"Holy shit I said DISRESPECT me, not fucking KILL ME," San rambled, still visibly shook from the experience.

Wooyoung, still giggly, tried to calm himself down. San, despite his shaken feeling, found a smile rising on his face as he saw the other boy laugh.

San thought he must be going crazy.

"I'll get you for this," San waved a finger as if scolding a child. "You better watch your back, Jung Wooyoung."

Wooyoung raised his eyebrows, smiling as if to challenge the statement.

The sound of a phone ringing erupted yet again. Wooyoung, suddenly pissed off, turned to his phone with murderous intent.

Yet... this time the ringing belonged to San's.

"Yes?" San picked up his phone without even looking at the caller. Wooyoung didn't know whether to admire that or question it.

"I won't be there. Why? I'm uhh,,, talking to a teacher," San lied.

His expression shifted into embarrassment as he whipped around to look behind him.
"Shit," he whispered, standing up and gathering his stuff.

"Wooyoung, we're leaving," San announced, the younger giving him a confused look yet beginning to pack up anyway.

"We? Why??"

"My friend called to ask why I was ditching them at lunch... told him
I was talking to a teacher and this man said 'Oh but isn't that you across the cafeteria?'"

Wooyoung held back a laugh. "I guess I'm a teacher now?"

"Shhh," San said as Wooyoung finished gathering his stuff, ushering him out the other door of the cafeteria.

San felt a buzzing in his pocket as the two speed walked down the hallway.

He ignored it. Mingi could wait. His priority, right now, was Wooyoung.