Work Text:
1.
Something about midterms sucks harder than finals. At least with finals, Yohan can have a rough idea of how much time he needs to take out of taekwondo training in the second half of the semester and reserve it for revision. Midterms creep up on you quietly and poke you on the sides out of nowhere like it's cute and does not make your heart plummet to the ground.
Want to know what else creeps up on Yohan in similar fashion? Lee Hangyul.
"This shit is hard," Hangyul sighs for the 23rd time that night. Yohan is keeping count. "I should've never taken advanced stats," he ponders, whining. "Why did you make me take advanced stats?"
Yohan gives him a pointed look. "I suggested you take advanced stats," corrects him.
"Tomato, to-ma-to." Hangyul is yawning now. Yohan uses his own hand to cover the other's mouth. "You know I listen to you."
"More seriously than you need to, most times."
Hangyul pouts. "Make my major life decisions for me, Yohan. Like," he pauses, looking up at Yohan’s ceiling. "What should I eat for brunch?"
"These practice questions, Gyul," Yohan barks. "You should eat these practice questions for breakfast." It's almost 3 in the morning, and honestly, Yohan is on autopilot, going through the questions robotically knowing he will need to revisit them in the morning to fully understand why he answered the way he did. He was never good at studying past midnight, which is why Hangyul is here. "You don't even deserve brunch," he adds.
This is how they operate: Yohan makes sure they don’t lose their athletic scholarship, Hangyul makes sure Yohan eats and drinks on time to be able to do that. A few hours ago, before midnight struck, Hangyul had sauntered into Yohan’s dorm room with a strawberry milk six-pack—this is something they’ve learned through experience too, which is that Yohan on coffee past 7PM is just absolutely psychotic even Hangyul doesn’t know what to do with him—and Yohan had thought it was incredibly hilarious given the contrast between Hangyul’s all-black outfit and the pink goods, so he'd whipped out his phone and uploaded a picture of it to his Instagram Story with the text, on wednesdays he wears pink (just not on his body) .
(He forgot to tag Hangyul but opted against reuploading because it’s not like people wouldn’t know it’s Hangyul, right?)
Yohan steals a glance at his phone to see Thursday written on the screen, and decides to take a social media break. Loading open the app, he notices the 1 unread reply to his earlier post.
byngchn
ohoho
is that gyul
r u guys like, official
Yohan narrows his eyebrows, takes a look at Hangyul who’s already snoring on his carpet, and types a response.
yo______han
what
byngchn
arent u
wait omg
sry i thought u were together >.<
Yohan chokes on his milk.
yo______han
that’s the funniest joke i’ve ever heard, hyung
And it is, because something about Hangyul makes Yohan want to simultaneously stay close and forget about further possibilities. It’s easier this way, when midterms are complicated enough as it is.
2.
There are fairly few places where you wouldn’t find Hangyul next to Yohan, one being Yohan’s main Physics building where he does most of his practicums, because the rooms require a specific student card that Hangyul, a Psychology and Dance double major, doesn’t have. (Hangyul had asked Yohan several times if he could pretend he'd lost his so he could ask for another and give it to Hangyul. Yohan was so scandalised he didn't talk to Hangyul for a whole weekend. Yohan would never admit he had a gloomy Sunday.)
“Yohan,” he hears someone call his name. “Yohan!” Louder this time.
Yohan takes his earphones off and looks for the source of voice. Yuvin is walking towards him with what looks like a chicken sandwich in hand.
"Here," says Yuvin, offering the food to him.
Yohan narrows his brows. "For me?"
Yuvin shakes his head. “Met your boyfriend outside the building," he says casually. "He told me to give you this."
It's Yohan's turn to shake his head frantically. “No, no, he's not," he stutters, coughing. Why's it suddenly hot in here? "He's not my boyfriend."
He’s met with a cold stare. “Huh,” Yuvin muses. “That was some good acting,” he says before walking away, leaving Yohan shaken and making wild hand gestures as he tries to figure out who Yuvin meant.
3.
Even though the two of them are comparable in physical fitness, Yohan’s tendency to consume coffee on an empty stomach has so far led to a higher count of visits to the doctor's than Hangyul has on his tally. They already have a standard operating procedure for this: Hangyul will bother Yuvin relentlessly to make sure Yohan can catch up with the lab reports while Yohan himself is too sick to function or to remember anything other than the soup Hangyul reheated for him the night before.
A sick Hangyul, on the other hand, is a confusing arrangement that always leads to Yohan reevaluating his level of independence. Does it make sense to keep skipping breakfast without Hangyul getting his morning kimbap for him? The answer should be no. But there goes his second coffee of the day anyway.
Today is the second day Hangyul has not been able to get out of bed because of stomach flu. Being a self-proclaimed Best Best Friend™, Yohan takes it upon himself to walk to the Psychology building and ask around for notes from Hangyul’s classmates. After several embarrassing encounters with Hangyul’s friends, a certain Kim Sihun tells him he’s willing to lend Yohan his notes until the day after tomorrow. Delighted, Yohan goes to the library, photocopies and compiles all the pages, and proceeds to drop them off at Hangyul’s place.
When he arrives, Hangyul makes a guttural sound from under the blanket as a way to say thanks, and is back asleep, unmoving, in minutes.
Back on campus ground, Yohan realises he may have, at some point, mentioned having done the same thing last year when Hangyul got food poisoning to their circle of friends, because when he bumps into Seungyoun, the latter asks, “Did you just get back from Hangyul’s?”
“Uh, yes,” Yohan replies, taken aback.
“To drop off his notes?”
“Sihun’s notes that I copied for him, actually, yes.”
“You had Sihun’s notes?” Seungyoun asks again, bewildered. “Do you even know Sihun?”
“Of course I do!” Yohan doesn’t mean to sound defensive. “I met him accidentally and I recognised him from Hangyul’s pictures, so I asked if I could borrow his notes.”
Seungyoun tsks, but there’s endearment in his eyes. “Dude, that’s so sweet,” he says, tapping his chin. “My boyfriend wouldn’t do that.”
“What,” seems to be Yohan’s automatic response to most things, these days.
“What you’re doing for your boyfriend,” Seungyoun explains, so sure of himself, “it’s cute.”
Frankly, Yohan has run out of ideas on how to communicate this better. “He’s not my boyfriend, hyung.”
Seungyoun, that sweet evil personified, just smiles. “I have to go,” he says unapologetic. “See you later!”
Once again, Yohan is left wondering when people around him started getting the wrong signals.
4.
It’s not Junho’s fault.
Earlier, Hangyul stepped out of Yohan’s room clad in boxers (his) and a lousy t-shirt (Yohan’s, because Hangyul had spilled ramen broth on his the previous night), hair messy and eyes just a bit glossy from sleep. At the same time, Junho was walking towards Yohan’s door.
“Um.” Junho is panicking visibly, like he’s stumbled upon new territory and is forced to make a split-second decision whether to charge or hide.
“You look like you’re about to pee yourself,” Hangyul says matter-of-factly. “Did you need anything?”
“Uh, this is awkward.”
Hangyul doesn’t get it. “What’s awkward?”
Junho is bowing now, palms waving apologetic gestures. “Sorry for walking in on you like this,” he mumbles, eyes not leaving the carpet. “I was just going to ask Yohan-hyung if he’s finished going over my Chemistry essay, but if you guys are busy- it’s fine- really- I’ll come by later,” he explains in one breath.
Hangyul continues to stare blankly before he realises what’s happening. “Ah.” Don’t blame him, he’s not a morning person. “Yohan’s awake, and you didn’t disturb anything, please,” he tries to clarify. “If you should know, I fell asleep on Yohan’s carpet.”
At this, Junho silently searches Hangyul’s expression, hands folded behind his back as he walks backwards. “You don’t have to explain yourself, hyung, it’s totally fine, I’ll come by later,” he says, which Hangyul takes as goodbye.
“Hey,” Hangyul whisper-shouts at Junho who’s making a hurried run along the corridor, “sorry!”
+1.
"Yohan and I have an announcement to make," says Hangyul, one hand entwined with Yohan's under the table. They’re at Seungyoun’s friendsgiving dinner, which is an appropriate venue to announce any kind of life updates, but still, Yohan wants to die. “We’re dating.”
Someone’s spoon clatters to the floor (Byungchan’s), another chokes on a rice cake (Seungwoo), while Seungyoun chuckles and cocks his head to the side. “How do we know this isn’t a joke?”
“April fools' is still months away,” Wooseok tacks on.
Hangyul’s mouth hangs open. “Can’t any of you trust a friend?” he asks, almost crying. Yohan is tugging at his sleeve; a plea to stop.
“Can Yohan say it, then?” Seungyoun challenges, because he knows he’s hit it right where the ego is.
Hangyul turns his head to give Yohan a wistful look. “Oh my god,” Yohan closes his eyes and groans quietly. The things he does (and will continue doing) for his boyfriend. “We, uh,” he starts, “became official, I think.”
“You think?” Hangyul shrieks at the same time as Seungyoun wheezes, “He thinks!”
Next to Seungyoun, Seungwoo lets out a giant belly laugh. “I think you guys have to practice saying it together.”
Seungyoun is laughing, too. “See! That was a better joke!”
Hangyul grits his teeth. Yohan pats him on the back, like a good boyfriend would.