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"Hey, San."
"Hi, Sangie!"
Yeosang smiles as he sits down opposite San at the library table.
"I need a favour," Yeosang says and San looks at him, tilting his head to the side. Yeosang was always the one who was helping others out and never the one asking for favours or help so it must be something important.
"What can I do for you, Mr Kang?" San asks as he rests his palms on the table.
"Well Mr Choi, as you are aware, Valentine's Day is fast approaching."
"And you want me to be your date? Wow! I am flattered!"
"No, not quite," Yeosang says and San pouts. He may have been joking but he gets a stinging pain in his heart at Yeosang’s denial. "There is someone I want to give homemade chocolates to this year but you know my cooking skills."
"Ah yes, the infamous fluffy egg," San says as he nods sagely.
"So I would really appreciate it if I can use you as a taste tester."
"So…like a guinea pig?" San asks.
"I'm not experimenting on you!" Yeosang says, sounding flustered and San can see the tips of his ears turning red.
San laughs before waving the older one off.
“I’m kidding, Sangie. I will be happy to help,” San says with a bright smile, deciding to push away the stinging pain slowly eating away at him. “Who’s the lucky person anyway? Do I know them?” San asks in what he hopes is a teasing tone, rather than sounding jealous like he really was.
Did San have an obvious crush on his best friend’s best friend?
Yes.
Did everyone except for the oblivious Yeosang know?
Yes.
But will he stand in the way of Yeosang, maybe being happy with someone else?
No.
“Thank you, San-ah. I have a batch with me that I made yesterday,” Yeosang says with a small smile, his soft cheeks were slightly pink and San had to grip the edge of the table to stop himself from jumping on the older one and kissing his cheek like he often did. He has to remind himself that he will have to tone his physical affection down now as Yeosang was getting ready to confess to someone else.
Yeosang places a small box on the table and gently slides it over to San.
"I have to go now, I still have another lecture to get to, will you try them and let me know what you think later?" Yeosang asks as he stands up and smiles. San simply nods and waves at Yoesang as he leaves.
Once Yeosang is out of sight, San sighs and places his head on the table before letting out another sigh.
"Well done San, helping out your crush with his crush," San says to himself before he bangs his head on the table several times.
"Save your last two brain cells, don't lose them by banging your head on the table."
"Wooyoung! I am an idiot!"
And so San proceeds to explain to Wooyoung what had just happened.
"So let me see if I got it straight. You have agreed to taste test Yeosang’s homemade chocolates despite knowing that he doesn’t have a single talent for cooking or baking?" Wooyoung says with a look of apprehension.
San nods, head still on the table.
"And to add to all that, you have the most obvious crush on Yeosang."
San nods again.
"Oh Sannie, you fool and your poor stomach," Wooyoung says as he pats San’s head. San just whines, his head remaining on the table while Wooyoung gives him a sympathetic look. "Are those the chocolates?" Wooyoung asks, eyeing the small box.
"Yeah…wanna try one?"
"I love you, I love Yeosangie but I don't love either of you that much to put my stomach through that. You're on your own, bro," Wooyoung says with a snicker.
San sighs before he finally lifts his head from the table and opens the box.
There sitting in the box are five dainty but weirdly shaped pieces of chocolate. San can picture Yeosang with his hand tremors piping melted chocolate into silicone moulds late in the night.
"Yuck! Put your heart eyes away!" Wooyoung says playfully as he smacks San’s head.
"Yah!" San swats at Wooyoung with a pout.
"Just try the chocolate! It doesn't look too…bad," Wooyoing trails off.
"I'm kind of impressed," San says as he picks up a piece and slowly puts it in his mouth.
He didn't spit it out immediately which was a feat for Yeosang. It's a little crunchy for chocolate but also chewy in some parts and oh, it's burned. How did Yeosang manage that?
"It's not as bad as I thought it would be," San says after swallowing.
"You must be joking."
"No, try one," San says as he nudges the box to Wooyoung.
Wooyoung gives the chocolate a dubious look before he shakes his head.
"Nah, not happening. I'm not falling for it," Wooyoung says and San just rolls his eyes before taking another piece of chocolate and popping it in his mouth.
This one is a little chewier and the burnt taste is more bearable, San finds.
"If you come crying to me later about the damage it did to your stomach, I will laugh at you," Wooyoung says with a snicker.
"Maybe you should be more encouraging and supportive of your best friend's cooking rather than putting him down," San deadpans.
"If you think his cooking skills are salvageable, you help him improve and woo whoever his crush is."
"...Good point."
Despite agreeing with Wooyoung, he still decides to give Yeosang his honest opinion on his chocolates, which is how he ends up with Yeosang in this dorm room with another batch.
Yeosang has a wide hopeful smile on his face as they sit on San’s bunk. He takes a silent minute or so to stew in his jealousy. Who had made Yeosang want to do his best to make homemade chocolates? Who was going to be the lucky person to get those chocolates and a confession?
"San-ah…I'm not forcing you to do this, am I?" Yeosang asks with a worried look. He looks like a kicked puppy and San feels guilty.
Yeosang had sad doe eyes and a small pout on his face. It makes San want to gather Yeosang in his arms and just hug him.
"No, not at all. I want to help, Sangie," San says instead of giving in to his desire.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I want to help. Hell, I will even help you make the trials so you can get them perfect,” San says, honestly but there is a pain I'm his chest that reminds him that he wants to be the one who Yeosang yearns for.
"Thank you, San-ah. I appreciate it," Yeosang says with a smile and San swears he can hear the heavens open up. Yeosang was beautiful. Never in his life has San ever met anyone as pretty, sweet, funny and kind as Yeosang.
One smile from Yeosang was all San needed to brighten the worst of his days.
And that smile is also the reason San is about to try some oddly shaped chocolates for the second time. Yeosang watching him with big doe eyes doesn't help the situation. He gulps before he picks up a piece. He examines it for a few seconds before he thinks.
A fuck this, it can’t be worse than last time.
He pops it into his mouth and chews it slowly. The texture is much better this time and it seems like nothing had burned and San is kind of surprised.
"Yeosangie…this is…kinda good."
"Really?" Yeosang asks with the most hopeful look in his eyes, a smile playing upon his lips.
If San could just reach over and pull him in for a kiss, he knows it would be the most perfect thing ever. He just knows that Yeosang’s lips would be soft and fit so perfectly–
"San-ah?"
San shakes his head before he nods furiously.
"Yes! It's much better than last time…I think maybe just a little too bitter but that's a personal taste thing," San says, he wasn't a dark chocolate person. "I think I would want more milk chocolate," San adds.
"That’s good to know, thank you, Sannie," Yeosang says and San thinks he is going to have an aneurysm. That smile will be the death of him and now he has to think about how he is going to have to cope with Yeosang smiling like that at someone else.
"And maybe you can get some cute moulds, rather than just the circles…maybe some cute cat ones would work perfectly!" San says as an afterthought. The circle moulds or whatever Yeosang was using weren't working very well.
"That’s a cute idea, thank you Sannie."
He sees Yeosang off with a smile but on the inside, he is spiralling down.
He doesn't want to watch Yeosang in love. He just knows that Yeosang would look stunning and San would fall for Yeosang so hard he would never be able to recover.
San ends up throwing himself on his bunk and laying face down until his dorm mate, Yunho got back.
Yunho takes pity on San and lets him cuddle up next to him, watching bad romcoms and eating ice cream out of the tub. Yunho says all of this is supposed to help but he still falls asleep with a head full of Yeosang and his smiles.
And you bet he ate all the bitter homemade chocolates from Yeosang.
Fortunately or unfortunately for San, Yeosang doesn’t ask him to taste test any more homemade chocolates. Yeosang has disappeared or is avoiding San. Either way, San is left confused. He tries not to think too deeply about it. If anything was wrong Yeosang would come to talk to him so he was probably just busy with something.
Probably busy making sure that homemade chocolates were perfect for his secret crush.
San is extra pouty and a little moodier than normal as he walks around the campus going from lecture to lecture. He drags his feet a little while walking, stops suddenly and kicks a rock or stomps his feet. He knows he is acting like a child and it's just a silly crush but he couldn’t help it, especially when he hadn’t been getting his daily dose of Yeosang.
Wooyoung tells him that he had been kicked out of their small dorm kitchen and Yeosang has been barely getting out, even for his lectures. That makes San feel a little better, knowing he wasn't being ignored but that didn't stop him from missing Yeosang.
Eventually, the dreaded day arrives and their campus of filled with couples exchanging gifts, and others taking the leap and confessing. San just pouts as he tries to ignore them as he goes about his day. He briefly wonders about Yeosang. He wonders if he succeeded in making the most perfect homemade chocolates and if his confession was accepted.
Of course, it was accepted, anyone would be a fool to reject Yeosang.
He looks at the single rose he was carrying around. Yunho had given it to him and when San joked that he was being confessed to, Yunho had laughed and said it was just in case he needed it for a certain someone.
But now carrying it around the campus, he felt like a fool.
San sighs as he finally sits down in the library. He will just give the rose back to Yunho. He had no use for it seeing as he couldn’t find Yeosang anywhere and even if he did he has probably already confessed to his secret crush.
"San-ah."
San turns around and sees Yeosangn standing there with a nervous smile.
"Hey, it's been a while," San says, unable to stop the wide smile on his face. He had missed Yeosang.
"Yes, sorry I disappeared like that," he says as he sits down opposite San again. It feels like deja vu.
Yeosang looks good, he is dressed in one of his favourite hoodies, with his cute sweater paws.
And were the tips of his ears red? San wants to reach over and hug him but he must behave.
"Are you okay? Did everything go okay with your crush?" San asks, shoving all his jealousy and insecurities away. He just wants Yeosang to be happy. He would eventually get over his silly crush.
"I don't know, I haven't done it yet…" Yeosang trails off as he looks down at his shoes.
"Come on, Sangie. You can do it, you have worked so hard."
Yeosang lifts his head and smiles at San.
"Thanks for believing in me and helping, San-ah…" Yeosang says before he reaches into a paper bag he was holding. He takes out a small box, wrapped in pretty purple paper and a ribbon on it. "For you," Yeosang says and gives it to San.
San gives him a confused look before taking the box.
"Do you want me to taste these too?" San asks as he guesses these are more of Yeosang’s homemade chocolates.
Yeosang shakes his head.
"No, I made them, especially for you," Yeosang says, head once again looking down at his shoes as he fiddles with his fingers.
"For helping you?"
"J– just open it please," Yeosang stuttered out, sounding a little frustrated.
San looks at Yeosang and wants to coo over how cute he looks frustrated but decides he should do as he was told. He pulls at the ribbon and then rips the purple wrapping paper. His heart skips a beat at the realisation that Yeosang chose purple wrapping paper probably because it's San's favourite colour. He is now smiling to himself as he takes the lid off the box.
He lets out a gasp as he reveals 5 pieces of chocolates in the shape of chibi cats. They look adorable, with big eyes and small whiskers.
San couldn’t help but let out a loud aw as he brought the box closer to his face. The more he looked at them the more cute details he spotted, like how their ears were rounded at the tips and they looked like they were smiling.
"Yeosang…they look so cute!" San practically screams and if he wasn’t holding the box of chocolates, he would have thrown himself on Yeosang and hugged him and kissed him.
Yeosang was blushing now as he looks at San. San wants to jump over the table and hug him but the older seems a little skittish right now and decides against it.
"So are they friendship chocolates or leftovers from the ones you made your crush?" San asks in a teasing tone, making Yeosang’s little pink cheeks turn red.
"Neither actually…"
"Huh?"
"Who's the rose for?" Yeosang asks instead of clarifying what the chocolates in front of San meant…and did he sound a little jealous?
"Oh, it's from Yunho," San says.
"Ah…you two are always so close," Yeosang says before looking down again.
Okay, he sounds jealous and he is now avoiding his gaze. It feels like all the pieces click in place.
Oh.
San is such a fool.
"So the chocolates?" San asks.
"Oh yes, sorry. As I said they are not friendship chocolates and I made them, especially for you for Valentine's Day, San-ah."
San's heart starts pounding against his chest as he feels a small bit of hope.
"What kind of chocolates are these then, Sangie?" San prods and Yeosang pouts, he still isn't looking at San but that just gives him more confidence.
Yeosang mumbles something under his breath.
"Sorry? Didn't quite catch that," San says in a teasing tone and Yeosang takes a deep breath before he finally looks up at San.
Has San mentioned how pretty Yeosang is?
His eyes had always held the stars and San thinks there is something else in them today.
"They are confession chocolates, San-ah…I'm sorry I tricked you but I didn't know how else to find out exactly what kind of chocolates you would like," Yeosang says.
San's heart does a little flip in his chest. Yeosang was confessing to him.
"So then…"
"Yes, Sannie. The person I wanted to give romantic chocolates to this Valentine's Day was you."
San is left speechless, his heart doing 100 beats per second as he watches Yeosang.
"I know it’s sudden and out of nowhere but I wanted to let you know," Yeosang says sounding nervous. "You are always there for me and have always been my comfort place when the world demands too much,” Yeosang sounds a bit more confident now and all San can do is smile.
"And I want to let you know that just because you accept the chocolates, I will not take it as you accepting my confession– "
"But why wouldn't I accept your confession?" San cuts him off, smile dropping from his face.
Yeosang gives him a confused look.
"Cause you aren't interested and you have a rose from Yunho?"
San laughs.
Yeosang just looks even more confused.
"Yeosang, I accept these cute chocolates happily," San says as he picks up a piece and without any hesitation puts it in his mouth. He no longer cares if it will taste bad. They are from Yeosang and he is happy to ingest any amount of badly made homemade chocolates if they are from Yeosang.
Much to San’s delight, they are perfect.
He hums in satisfaction and Yeosang looks so happy. San hopes to make him happier.
"And I will also happily accept your confession."
"What?"
"I have feelings for you too, Sangie. You're you, how could I not fall for you?" San says with the biggest dimpled smile and he hears Yeosang gasp.
"Really? Do you mean it?"
"Of course, you are so amazing and so kind. You say I'm your comfort place but you don't realise how much comfort you give me even with just a smile. It was so easy to fall for you…so Kang Yeosang, will you be my valentine?" San asks as he picks up the rose and offers it to him.
"I thought this was from Yunho?"
"It is…but he gave it to me so I can give it to someone I like," San says before he stands up from his chair. Yeosang looks at him with wide eyes as he makes his way around the table to his side.
San snaps the long steam before he tucks the single rose behind Yeosang’s ear.
"Perfect."
Yeosang's cheek turn red once again as he looks up at San. San can’t help but want to remember this image of Yeosang forever. The one San had been yearning for wanted him back and there was nothing in the world that could compare to this moment.
"I'm gonna kiss you now," San declared and Yeosang just nods.
And as San had suspected, Yeosang's lips are indeed very soft and fit perfectly against his. San gently cradles Yeosang’s face, feeling like he was holding the whole world in his hands while kissing him.
BONUS:
"Yeosang, please! I wanna go to bed!" Wooyoung whined.
It was way past midnight and Yeosang was still in the small kitchen trying to get the chocolates perfect.
"Just a bit more Woo, my love life depends on these," Yeosang says as he takes the finished chocolates out of the cat moulds.
"But Yeosangie!"
"No buts! You are kicking me out of OUR dorm so YOU can get “alone time” with Hongjoong so you can sacrifice some sleep to try chocolates!"
"DON'T SAY IT OUT LOUD!"
"Oh yeah, 'cause no one else can hear the way you beg for Hongjoong through these thin ass walls. Now stop whining and more tasting," Yeosang grumbles as he gives his best friend a plate of chocolates.
"I thought you got San to taste these, why am I suddenly doing it instead– oh!"
"Don't say it!"
"Oh my god! I am so blind!"
"Jung Wooyoung, I am warning you!"
"You have a crush on San!"
It takes all of Yeosang’s strength to stop Wooyoung from running to his phone and telling San. It may have also taken a little bribery but that’s between two best friends.