Chapter Text
Wednesday, December 1
As soon as San stepped a foot outside the car, a gust of cold wind slapped him in the face. He closed the door and took a few steps forward to admire the view, snow reaching the middle of his shins.
The sun was up and the sky couldn’t be bluer, but San was already regretting putting the heating on for so long during their trip. Now they were all going to die from the sudden change in temperature.
“We’re so going to die here,” Wooyoung said as Yunho handed him his suitcase from the trunk. “I don’t really mind though, the first wish on my life list is checked now.”
“It’s my first one too, but I’m not planning on dying yet,” Hongjoong scoffed, walking toward them with a bag bigger than him on his back.
He had barely finished his sentence when he slipped and crashed into Jongho’s arms, swearing loudly.
“Sorry to tell you that, but you'll probably be the first to die,” Jongho teased, helping Hongjoong find his balance.
With pink cheeks, Hongjoong discreetly thanked their youngest friend, then went on his way. He walked a bit farther so he wouldn’t disturb the others still busy emptying the cars, huffing when he walked past San and Wooyoung.
It took them a few more minutes, but the work was eventually done, both cars empty, and locked. Their guide, a friend of Yunho’s uncle and the village’s handyman, had joined their small group in the meantime, and was now leading them toward their cabins.
The snow cracked under their shoes as they followed him. San wasn’t used to walking on such thick layers of snow, and it probably showed. He stumbled twice, cursed way too many times for Seonghwa’s liking, but mostly, he hoped they would be able to unpack soon, so he could trade his sneakers for a pair of warm boots. He wasn’t really planning on losing his toes today.
To his relief, the snow had been packed around the chalets. San’s only challenge now was to stay balanced and not faceplant… just like Hongjoong seemed to be doing. He crashed to the ground and disappeared under his bag while Wooyoung burst out laughing next to him. Seonghwa was the only one nice enough to help him up. As long as their friend wasn’t hurt…
San shrugged. Still, he stopped to wait for him, making use of that small break to look around.
He counted seven cabins. The path they were walking on split into two parts. The first one stayed flat and led toward three chalets. The other was inclined, but flattened a few meters away, where four cabins were lined up. From his current position, San guessed around ten meters separated each cabin, and excitement started to bubble his chest when he realized he was going to live in one of those for the next four weeks.
“You’re our only visitors this month so don’t worry about any noise complaint,” Yunho’s uncle’s friend explained – San should really ask for his name. “You’re far enough from the rest of the village, and honestly, we don’t really care.”
He pointed toward the nearest cabins down the slope.
“These two are yours, as well as this one,” he said, nodding toward the first chalet on the flat path. Then, he gestured toward the steep slope separating the two paths, covered by a thick layer of snow. “I know the shortcut looks tempting but believe me, it’s not worth it.”
San made a great job avoiding Seonghwa’s really pointed look he knew was sent his way.
“I’ll let you unpack. Don’t hesitate to call me if you ever need anything, Yunho has my number.”
He offered them a friendly smile and left after making sure no one had any questions.
Three rounds of rock paper scissors later, San was finally setting his bags on a dry floor and closing the front door of a chalet behind him.
His chalet.
The one he shared with Wooyoung.
The chalets had enough room to accommodate four people, which meant renting only two would have been enough for their group. Yunho and Seonghwa had quickly objected, and insisted they should pay for three. They had drawn straws to determine the roommates, and San had ended up with Wooyoung.
The game was rigged.
Wooyoung had been, and still was the only one unaware of it, and San didn’t know if he should hate his friends for constantly plotting behind his back, or love them for trying to help.
“Oh my god, it’s so tiny!”
Wooyoung squealed, dropping his bags and running to the first room on his left. He slipped inside and came out the next instant, only to disappear into the next room just as fast.
San scoffed, amused by his best friend’s enthusiasm. He didn’t want to push the unpacking task aside for too long, but visiting their cabin was a must. He took off his jacket and looked around.
True to Wooyoung’s words, the place was tiny. San barely managed to walk past their belongings without stepping on anything, the empty spaces between their bags and suitcases too cramped for his feet. He decided to walk on the sofa pushed against the wall on his right instead. It was brownish and looked comfortable enough, but it was so small San was certain even Wooyoung wouldn’t be able to lie on it properly.
Pushed against the other wall, on San’s left, was a simple chest of drawers and a pretty painting of the chalets set on an easel.
In front of him were a table, six chairs, and the kitchen. The counter was set on the wall opposite the front door, with a sink, a small fridge, two hot plates, a microwave and a mini oven. Three shelves were attached to the wall above the counter, kitchen utensils Wooyoung would no doubt claim as his own soon placed on top of them.
San counted three rooms on the right side of the cabin – the bathroom, a separate room for the toilet, and a bedroom.
“This room is definitely not supposed to contain a double bed.” Wooyoung giggled, his tour coming to an end there. “It barely has any space left to walk.”
He proved his point by walking around the bed, or at least trying to. The bed did take most of the space. The lighting was pleasing, though, and the window looked out on the front part of their chalet, which meant they would be able to spy on their friends from there – if said friends ever came out of their own cabins.
“How are the other rooms?” San asked, but walked toward the left side of the place without waiting for an answer anyway.
Wooyoung shrugged. “Minuscule. And cold.”
“They’re all cold.”
“But these ones look cold.”
San rolled his eyes, entering the first one and –well, yeah. Alright. It certainly didn’t look as cozy as the double bed one.
The window overlooked the front side of the cabin too, but somehow, everything seemed darker here. There was only one bed, a simple one, and the room was smaller than the other one. Just enough space for a wardrobe, a bedside table, and to walk without bumping into everything.
The adjacent room was the exact same, the view wasn’t as good, though. Like the window in the kitchen, it looked out over a thick forest of pines, preventing the sunlight from filtering through the branches.
San felt himself smiling as he joined Wooyoung back into the main room, on the sofa.
“I still can’t believe this is happening,” he said, taking a seat next to his best friend.
Wooyoung gave him his prettiest smile.
“I know, right? We’ve been planning this for so long…” He sighed, lowering his head until it rested on San’s shoulder. San tried to ignore his heart pathetically fluttering. “Was it your first wish too?”
“My second one.”
“Huh?” Wooyoung abruptly sat up to look at San. His eyebrows flew so high they disappeared under his messy fringe. “What’s your first wish then?”
“I won’t tell you.”
The eyebrows dropped and Wooyoung's expression slowly turned into a frown. He stared at San for a moment, a long one, his gaze moving from an eye to the other, searching. San didn’t move.
Eventually, Wooyoung sighed and stood up to walk toward his biggest suitcase.
“Fine, keep your secrets,” he mumbled, pushing several bags away to create some space. “You’ll tell me anyway.”
San mentally snorted.
Sure, he was usually unable to keep any secret from Wooyoung, either his or his friends’. But this one, he had kept it in for so long already, he knew he would never spill it accidentally.
No, he was definitely not going to tell Wooyoung his first wish was to be his boyfriend by the end of their trip.
It was a stupid wish. One San was constantly trying to forget but could never get out of his head. Not with Wooyoung so close to him all the time, always smiling, always so bright, so nice, so beautiful, and so easily taking over his heart.
Falling in love with his best friend was the dumbest thing San had ever done.
But he would never regret it.
“So,” San cleared his throat, pushing his sappy thoughts aside. “How are we sleeping?”
Wooyoung snorted. “Is that even a question?” He looked up from his open suitcase and met San’s confused gaze. “Did you pack any sheets?”
“We needed to pack sheets?”
“It’s not a hotel, Sannie.” Wooyoung shook his head, chuckling to himself. He took a white sheet out of a pile of clothes and walked toward the double bed bedroom. “It’s a location. You need to bring your own stuff.” Creaking sounds followed, then a colorful swear word. San guessed Wooyoung was making the bed. “You’re a handful, you know that ? You’re lucky I also packed towels for you. What would you even do without me?”
Curl up and cry, San thought just as Wooyoung came back into view. He put a hand on his hip and gave San a look – the ‘I’m disappointed but also quite fond’ one. He let out a dramatic sigh.
“There’s no way I’m letting you sleep in one of these ridiculous bedrooms and not using you as a personal human heater. We’re sharing a bed.”
“W-We’re what ?”
San’s heart did a back flip. Maybe even three. It floated somewhere in his chest for a bit, before it dropped back into place, just in time for San to see Wooyoung’s face falling.
“Well, I mean…” Wooyoung looked away. “Unless you don’t want to? Sorry, I’m not trying to force you, I just thought–”
“It’s fine!” Wooyoung jolted at San’s outburst, and San himself winced. He might have been a bit too eager and loud. Wooyoung’s sad expression was nowhere to be seen anymore, though, so who cared? Definitely not San. “It’s more than fine, Youngie. Plus, we both know I need to hug something to sleep, so…”
San could already feel warmth climbing along the back of his neck, and his heart pounding against his ribcage.
Sharing a bed was fine, they had done it plenty of times before. They had started living together five years ago and had their own bedrooms, but Wooyoung ended in San’s bed more often than not. San was used to sharing a bed with his best friend.
Officially doing it though? And for four weeks?
San wasn’t sure why, but the thought itself made the top of his fingers sting in delight.
Wooyoung looked down at their clothes again, a discreet grin lingering on his lips.
“Okay then.”
San couldn’t help but smile too.
–
Half an hour later, they were already bickering.
Wooyoung had entrusted San with their clothes’ unpacking while he took care of their toiletries, and apparently – or ‘as usual’, Wooyoung would say – San wasn’t doing his job properly enough.
“I told you to put our clothes on the bed.” Wooyoung sighed, snatching the pile of pants from San’s hands and setting it on the tiny bed of the first room. San let him do so, but his best friend’s attitude made his nerves itch. He frowned.
“There are shelves, Wooyoung. They’re made for that.”
“They’re minuscule and we have two empty beds. It’ll be more convenient that way.”
“It’ll look messy.”
“Yeah, because you can’t fold clothes properly.”
“Fine, do it then.”
“I am San, are you blind ?”
San clasped his lips shut. This conversation was better off there. They fought often enough for him to know silent was always the wiser choice in these situations.
Any other day, San would probably affirm he loved their bickering, but it wasn’t as fun at the moment. San was annoyed and slightly hurt. Wooyoung was fuming too, his annoyance noticeable in the way he kept messing up as he continued to fold their clothes, and his twitchy gestures.
He wasn’t too pissed though, San could tell. Wooyoung wasn’t meeting his eyes anymore. He was embarrassed.
Five long minutes passed, and San didn’t budge. He watched Wooyoung work, perfectly folding their clothes and placing them on the bed, in six different piles. Neat and practical.
“It was… not that bad,” Wooyoung muttered, almost shyly. “Your previous work, I mean.”
It was pretty bad, San knew it, but he also knew Wooyoung was simply trying to make peace. San hastened to take the bait.
“Putting our clothes on the mattress is a good idea,” he said, no doubt looking as sheepish as he felt. “It’s more practical. And it looks nice.”
Wooyoung looked up then, and San met his eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, none of them saying anything, but not needing to. Eventually, they both broke into a smile. Wooyoung chuckled and San’s cheeks naturally warmed up.
“Alright, come help me ? It’ll be faster.”
San’s smile widened and he rushed to join Wooyoung on the mattress with a new pile of clothes, ready to create the best folds of his life.