San came home to his shared apartment with his boyfriend, Wooyoung and made his way through the empty living area to the bedroom. “Hey babe. I’m home.” he called out.

“In the kitchen.” Wooyoung’s muffled reply came not long after. San smiled fondly, wondering why Wooyoung was still trying his hand at the cooking thing considering how awful he was at it. San really wanted to tell Wooyoung the truth and maybe encourage him to give up, but that would crush him and crushing Wooyoung’s enthusiasm could be equated to trampling over a puppy.

Quietly enduring wasn’t nearly as hard for San because he had a bigger task of keeping their brutally honest friend Yeosang from tasting Wooyoung’s cooking. 

“I’ll change quickly then join you.” San yelled back

“okay.”

In the bedroom, San put his work stuff away, freshened up and slid into more comfortable attire consisting of sweat pants, a t-shirt and socks.

After he deemed himself ready for a great movie night, cuddling and stolen kisses with his boyfriend, San stepped out of the bedroom. As he crossed into the living room, Wooyoung emerged from the kitchen, wearing a big smile which fell the moment he lay his eyes on San.

Wooyoung gasped in horror and froze.

“what?” San asked, coming to a halt too

pointing frantically at San, Wooyoung just gaped. “San, what is it?”

San still didn’t understand what Wooyoung was on about, but he got over his initial fright and walked over to Wooyoung, asking. “what do you mean? What are you pointing at?”

“Your hair.” Wooyoung whispered, gaze fixed on his boyfriend’s hair.

 For a few seconds San was confused, but then realisation hit him and he smiled, calming down. “Oh that. Yeah I got a haircut.”

“My beautiful locks.”

“Wooyoung, calm down. I’m pretty sure your beautiful locks are growing just fine out of your own sculp.” San chortled as he leaned in and kissed his boyfriend softly on the lips. “Don’t I look great? I thought a change would do me some good.”

“without saying anything to me?” Wooyoung asked incredulously. He looked all sorts of hurt and scandalised.

Giving his boyfriend an odd look, “why would I talk to you about getting a haircut?” San asked

“Because I loved your hair the way it was. I could run my fingers through it and stuff.”

“I’m sure you still can, Woo. It’s not that short.”

“yeah, but you looked so y with the long bangs covering your eyes.”

San was speechless for a moment, taking a moment to understand what the hell was actually going on. He noticed the deep frown was etched between Wooyoung’s thick eyes, the narrowed eyes and lips pulled thin ; Wooyoung was angry alright. About what though, San wondered? Surely it couldn’t be about a mere haircut. 

“Calm down, Woo. It’s not a big deal.”
“If you’d talked to me about this you’d know its’ a big deal to me.” Wooyoung snapped and the response grazed San’s nerves. Coming home, he had expected compliments and smiles, not this ridiculous attack.

“Excuse me if it didn’t occur to me that I’m supposed to ask my boyfriend’s permission to get a damn haircut.”

Wooyoung shook his head in disappointment. “If you refuse to see it then this conversation is not necessary.”

San sighed and took a step closer to his boyfriend, “Woo this is crazy and you know it. I came home to eat with you and then cuddle up in front of the TV. I’d like it if we put this silly argument behind us and got on with our lives.”

“I wanted that too, but not anymore.” with that, Wooyoung went past San and walked away to the bedroom, ignoring San’s calls.

San was left standing there gaping and scoffing in disbelief. “What the hell just happened?”

***

The next day in the late morning, San got a call from his Hongjoong hyung.

“Hey, San. Is Wooyoung okay?”

San frowned, tucking an arm under his chest. “Yeah. Why?”

“I need his help with Seonghwa hyung.”

“What kind of help? Are you still hitting on him?”

“Yes and nothing seems to be working.”

“Hyung, you tried like one thing.”

“Two things.” Hongjoong hastily corrected as if two was a much bigger number than one.

San impatiently rolled his eyes, “Look, you can start by cleaning up a bit. Your place is a pit and Seonghwa hyung seems like a clean freak.”

“See now you are just mean. That’s why I want to talk to Wooyoung.”

San scoffed, lifting his eyebrows in offence like Hongjoong could see him. “You think Woo will be kinder than I am?”

Hongjoong didn’t reply right away and when he finally did, his voice gentled a bit, a clear transformation from desperate and love sick friend to caring big brother. “You sound crankier than usual. Is something wrong?”

San took a moment to calm down as well and then said, “Woo and I had a fight. Maybe that’s why you can’t reach him on his phone. He is….” San trailed off in search of an appropriate word to describe the state his boyfriend had been in since the day before. “…..sulking.” it wasn’t the best, but for now it was the only word within reachable distance in his mind.

“what happened?”

San sighed regrettably. Sure he thought Wooyoung was being silly and selfish, but that was no soothing balm for the ache swelling in his chest. he absolutely hated fighting with Wooyoung. Last night they hadn’t Wooyoung gotten to do anything fun together. Hell they hadn’t Wooyoung kissed or cuddled in bed.

This morning, Wooyoung completely ignored San at breakfast, and left him out of their “special” Saturday breakfast that Wooyoung made for them every morning since they moved in together over a year ago. “San? Are you there?” Hongjoong’s voice pierced through the receiver and effectively cut off San’s train of thought.

“Yeah. sorry.” he paused for a few beats to recollect his thoughts and recall the question that had sent him into his monologue. “I got a haircut and now Wooyoung is mad that I did so without asking him.” San scoffed. “Silly, right?  Like I need his permission to do whatever the hell I want with my hair?”

Suddenly Hongjoong’s reply wasn’t instantaneous. An uncomfortable silence stretched on the phone until San harrumphed.  “Well what do you think hyung?”

“To be honest….I don’t think Wooyoung is going off on nothing.”

“What!” the word alone managed to express how offended San was.

“Before you get upset with me, think for a second. How would you feel if Wooyoung changed something about himself?”

“I’d be a grown up about it. I hated it when he died his hair that stupid purple colour, but I didn’t say anything.”

“Okay, Mr. Mature, tell me something you love about Wooyoung.”

“Easy, his lips.”

“Try again. Something a bit mutable.”

San took a deep breath and really contemplated the question. “Alright I love his fashion sense. He always looks cool and suave.” the corners of his lips turned up in a small smile. It was a quality about his boyfriend that San never got tired of gushing about. “I also like that we can play games together.”

“good. now think of how you would feel if Wooyoung decided to change his style entirely or if he decided to stop playing games. That would affect your feelings towards him, right? So imagine if he did all that without talking to you about it first?”

“That’s ridiculous. I got a haircut, Hongjoong, not a nose job.”

“It’s still a change and change isn’t all that easy for everyone. The word compromise means bringing yourself to a level where you understand your partner’s grievance even if you feel the issue seems so trivial that it barely makes sense to you.”

San’s eyebrows rose, stunned that his best friend had such good relationship insights. There was no way San could deny the sense in Hongjoong’ advice. 

“You just happen to know all that?”

“What can I say? Spending time with Seonghwa hyung is teaching me stuff.” mild amusement laced Hongjoong’s tone when he said that. “he is very smart and mature.”

“Obviously, considering I’ve never heard you talk like this.”

“Hey I know stuff as a person too.” Hongjoong sounded mildly offended now.

“Right.” San grinned.

“You are just being mean because you and your other half are fighting. You should fix things.”

“That’s true.” San couldn’t argue the fact. All he wanted was to fix this mess and go back to fooling around with his boyfriend.  “Okay maybe I’d hate it if my Woo changed all of a sudden.” San finally admitted. “So what do I do now?”

“Talk to him. It’s possible he is upset about something else or maybe he is really just upset that you went and changed the way you look without telling him. As silly as that sounds to you, it’s a big deal for him and you have to understand that. That’s just how relationships are. It’s no longer about just you and what you want.”

A wave of realisation hit San and he groaned in agony at how stupid he’d been the past few hours not realising this on his own.

“You are a good friend, Hongjoong hyung. Thank you. ”It was something San had always known, but seldom said, but he sure hoped his friend knew how awesome he was.

“Sure thing. Just apologise already and make Wooyoung happy again so that he can answer his damn phone on and give me some help.”

San laughed at that; “I’m on it.” he promised both his hyung and himself

******

Wooyoung was perched on his side of the bed, leaning against the headboard and glaring at the phone screen in his hands when San got to their shared bedroom. Despite the tension swirling between them, he’d find the sight quite amusing, especially because Wooyoung looks nothing like the confident and king of iness he can be in front of other people. Right now he is just grumpy and looking really cute hugging one of San’s plushies in his arms. It was sort of gratifying for San that he was the only one who got to see this side of Wooyoung.

Wordlessly he grabbed Wooyoung’s phone and tossed it somewhere on the bed

“I was using that.” Wooyoung said.

San ignored him and sat down at the edge of the bed beside Wooyoung’s legs. “Can we talk please?” he said imploringly.

Wooyoung’s gaze slid to San’s hair and he huffed, crossing his arms and looking away with a huge pout. “No thanks.”

“Oh come on don’t be a big baby.” San half scolded, half teased all in good humour. “It’s cute, but right now I really need to talk to you.”

After a moment, Wooyoung sighed and met San’s gaze. “I’m still mad at you.”

“I know and finally I get why.”

Wooyoung’s eyebrows rose. “You do?” he eyed his boyfriend with disbelief and suspicion.

“I do. Hongjoong hyung called and he helped me understand why you are so upset. Woo, I sort of knew how much you liked my bangs, so I should have said something before going and getting a haircut and I’m so sorry.”

Visibly considering the apology Wooyoung worried his lower lip between his teeth and looked down at his fumbling hands. “Maybe the haircut isn’t the issue. It’s the change behind it that scared me. Today it’s a haircut, tomorrow it’s something else. I like the way we are and I guess I freaked out thinking that someday certain things will change.” he lifted his gaze again. “I overreacted a bit and I’m sorry too.”

San saw the fear and anguish in Wooyoung’s eyes, and it shredded his heart to pieces. He hated seeing his ever bubbly and noisy boyfriend so heavy hearted. Taking Wooyoung’s face between his palms, San gently and oh so lovingly caressed the smooth pale cheeks with his thumbs. “Change is scary. I get it, but there was no thought of change behind the haircut. I promise. I was bored out of my mind at work while playing with a stray lock of my hair and suddenly I was like ‘hey my hair is too long’, and here we are. we are fine, baby. I like how we are too, and nothing is going to change that.”

“Do you mean that?” Wooyoung’s eyes looked painfully open and vulnerable. San’s heart broke some more.

“Of course I do. I love you so much and I’m sorry I aroused fears in you. I let my hair grow back if you liked it that much.”

“I love you too.” Wooyoung finally smiled. “Yes please grow your hair back. You look so y when it’s curly and stuff.”

San leaned up and kissed Wooyoung on lips, slow, tender and sweet. He felt his heart soar at the love and promise imbued in the kiss.

In the next moment, they broke into chuckles ridiculous they were being getting all emotional and cheesy over an argument that started with a haircut.

“Hongjoong hyung needs your help with Seonghwa hyung. he said he’s been trying to call you.”

“Is he still doing an embarrassing job of hitting on Seonghwa hyung?”

“I think so.”

“It’ll have to wait. I’m busy with you right now.” Wooyoung grinned and San mirrored the expression.

“he sounded desperate. I wouldn’t be surprised if he drove over here this afternoon to harass us.”

“Then we better get to making up before that happens.”

“I like that idea, but we owe him since he helped me understand you better.”

“San, I’ll confess to Seonghwa hyung on Hongjoong hyung’s behalf if I have to, but right now I need you to shut up and focus on me.”

While San laughed at how ridiculous that sounded, Wooyoung put aside the plushie he was holding and opens his arms wide, wearing a huge grin. “Come here my San.” He invited.

San immediately accepted the invitation and shifted to go and settle beside Wooyoung, half lying on top of him. Wooyoung wrapped both San up in his arms, entangling their legs. He buried his nose in San’s hair and took a deep breath while San nuzzled deeper in the crook of Wooyoung’s neck. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too.”

Bringing one hand up to card his fingers through San’s hair, “I’ll find a way to work with this for now.” Wooyoung whispered.

“You are so .” San chuckled, shaking his head.

Wooyoung didn’t bother arguing the fact.