- wooyoung
i'm gonna run away

- wooyoung
follow me

San rubbed his eyes to get rid of the sleep coating them. He'd just woken up solely to get a glass of water since it was the middle of the night on a Saturday, only for Wooyoung's text messages to stop him in his tracks.

- san
u okay?

- wooyoung
no

San's lips pulled into a frown.

- san
why?

- wooyoung
six words: people that gave birth to me

- san
oh

- wooyoung
so, i'm running away

- san
do you even have the money to?

- wooyoung
no, i'm only in my pjs
but still
i want to leave
and ur coming w me

- san
you dont even know where i live

- wooyoung
then let's meet

San sat up. By now, all sleep had been wiped off from him.

- san
its 12 am

- wooyoung
horizon diner, its open
dont tell anyone

- wooyoung
and no questions

Luckily, San had already passed by that diner a couple of times before whenever he'd gone out with Seonghwa, but that didn't mean he wanted to leave the house to go meet Wooyoung at freaking midnight. The guy didn't even want him telling anyone of his whereabouts, which meant that he couldn't say anything to Seonghwa.

You idiot. Why are you even listening to him anyway? San's mind argued, but he'd already begun to pull out the nearest hoodie, which was a peach coloured one, over his head. San didn't feel comfortable leaving the house at this hour, but he told himself that it wouldn't take long, and that Seonghwa was asleep anyways. He didn't want to disturb his cousin, since the man already worried too much to begin with.

And besides, this was Wooyoung he was talking about. This confusing, yet frighteningly irresistible guy that had managed to weave his way into San's dreary life so quickly.

Since Wooyoung had mentioned he hadn't brought any money along, San shoved a couple of spare change into his pockets, just in case Wooyoung felt like getting anything.

In under five minutes, he'd already locked the door, quietly walking down the lit street. He kept his gaze low, shifting past the minimal amount of people loitering around the area. He checked his phone, quickening his steps when he saw the time.

12:10 am.

Spotting the Horizon diner a few feet away, San marched towards the doors and entered, adjusting his eyes to the place's low lighting.

Only a handful of people were there, which was both a good and bad thing. Good in the sense that he'd be able to spot Wooyoung more easily, bad in the sense that the sparse amount of people only heightened his nerves.

His phone buzzed, and he took it out.

- wooyoung
turn to the left
m not that hard to spot

San did as Wooyoung asked, seeing the other boy at the far left side of the diner, his form hunched over his table. San released the breath he'd been holding.

He walked over to Wooyoung, sliding into the seat across from him. It took a second to realize why Wooyoung had chosen a relatively dark place to run to.

Dark spots that looked like bruises littered his face, especially around the jaw area, and his eyes were empty with dark shadows underlining them.

"Wooyoung..." San whispered.

"You look good in peach," Wooyoung chose to reply. San didn't even have the time to get all flustered over his compliment. The image of the other's bruised features etched itself into his mind, filling it until he could think of nothing else. And for some reason, all he could feel was guilt.

"Wooyoung, what happened?" San asked.

"No questions," Wooyoung's tone was stubborn. "That's what I said."

"I want to know what happened," San pressed. The guilt he felt had started to turn into anger. "Who the fuck did this to you? Your parents?"

Wooyoung fiddled around with the menu, long lashes fanning his cheeks. Even with the marks on his face, he still looked so heart-stoppingly beautiful. That only made San feel a lot more angry about the situation the boy was in. He didn't deserve to get beaten up, he didn't deserve it at all.

"Woo," the nickname slipped out of San's mouth before he could stop it, and it made the other smile. But the smile lacked all emotion.

"Cute nickname."

"I...I wish you'd talk to me," San begged. "You called me out here for a reason, right?"

"I came because I wanted to fucking see you," Wooyoung finally looked up, but not at San. Instead, he blinked up at the neon lights that shone through the area, his eyes similar to a dark, reflective sea. "I just wanted to be around someone who didn't make me feel like I shouldn't fucking exist." His gaze finally met the other boy's own. "I wanted you to talk to me, because maybe, maybe you'd make me feel alright."

Donned in his pyjamas, Wooyoung looked like a little kid. He sniffed. "I don't like crying..."

San gulped, Wooyoung's words had gotten to him. He shifted closer, hating how lost the other boy seemed. "I hate crying too... But, it's not a bad thing to let it out once in a while." He felt like such a hypocrite uttering these words, but he just wanted -- no, needed Wooyoung to be okay again.

"Crying sucks."

"I know..."

Wooyoung hid the bottom half of his face with his sleeve. "Bet I look like a mess right now."

"No," San began, "you look great."

"Thanks for the sarcasm. Really appreciate it." Wooyoung's chuckle was heavy with hidden emotions.

"I mean it, though." Just, shut up. Shut up, San. Stop talking.

A tear slid down Wooyoung's cheek, and, acting on plain impulse, San reached out and wiped it off with his thumb.

After he realized what he just did, he quickly dropped his hand, wanting to dig a huge hole in the ground just for himself.

Wooyoung, on the other hand, just smiled. "Thank you."

San nodded, playing with his drawstrings. "You aren't calling me names anymore."

"What," the black haired male flashed a crooked smirk, even when his eyes still looked hollow. "You liked it when I called you mean names? Did you have a thing for them, or something?"

San cleared his throat. "You can call me anything you want. I...I don't care as long as it makes you happy."

Wooyoung groaned, raking his fingers down his hair. "Hey, Choi, can you stop being so goddamn cheesy for once?" He sounded exasperated, but his smile never left. In fact, it looked more real now. "Makes me feel like a jerk in comparison."

"You aren't a jerk."

"I am, and that's why I'm still gonna order you around to make myself happy," Wooyoung admitted.

San's eyes met his, his stomach twisting and turning when the other boy grinned at him. San couldn't resist smiling as well, even if his was much smaller in comparison.

"Well, what do you want me to do for you?" He asked.

And that was how Choi San -- a boy who'd been nothing more than a shell moulded for destruction under Fate's cruel snare -- had ended up giving Jung Wooyoung -- the boy who made him just forget -- a piggyback ride down the sidewalk in the middle of the freaking night.

"Aren't you going home soon?" San had asked him at one point.

Wooyoung's head just laid on the boy's back, his fingers tapping over his skin. He was so warm, and that discovery had San's ears burning to oblivion.

"Nah. I'm in too much of a good mood right now."

And, San couldn't disagree with him.

* * *

a/n: thoughts?