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Hoseok knew it was cliché of him to crush on the nerdy boy with a pretty voice and a sweet smile. He knew it, but he couldn't stop himself. However, his story was slightly different from the cliché stories he knew and, though he wouldn't admit it, loved. Kihyun was far more difficult.
Twenty-seven times, he'd tried (and failed) to ask the boy out. The first ten, he'd merely chickened out, fleeing the second he announced his presence. He'd later scolded himself, asking what kind of bad boy ran away with his tail between his legs purely because a pretty guy ran his finger between his reddened lips. Hoseok later thought about how much he'd love to be the one to bite Kihyun's lips red like that.
By the twenty-seventh rejection, Hoseok was exasperated. "I'm not rejecting you because I dislike you, per se, it's just..." Kihyun had told him, cheeks red and glasses sliding down his nose, making Hoseok want nothing more than to lean over and push them up, to cool Kihyun's warm cheeks with his cold hands.
His twenty-eighth attempt was the one, he knew it. He could feel it. His plan was (almost) foolproof. He'd strutted into the classroom, easily spotting Kihyun on the bottom row, nose buried in several textbooks. Hoseok walked to his side, lightly knocking on the wood just beside Kihyun's arm to gain his attention. Wide, innocent eyes met Hoseok's, nearly causing him to sputter. He would never live it down if he were to cup Kihyun's cheeks between his hands, cooing about how endearing he was.
Gathering his composure, Hoseok made a gesture to ask Kihyun out for food, acting as if he brought a set of chopsticks to his lips. Kihyun shook his head in a polite decline, just as Hoseok expected. He stepped in front of Kihyun, carefully moving his books aside as he smiled down at him. "Hey, Kihyunnie, how about a bet?"
"What kind of bet?" Kihyun asked with squinted eyes, lips pursed as he looked up at Hoseok. The older was far too excited for this to have any outcome in Kihyun's favor. He placed his pencil against the desk, focusing his attention completely on Hoseok.
"Well, we have an arm wrestling match. If I win, I get to take you out on one date and you can either hate me forever or whatever you'd like. Maybe force me to leave you alone for the rest of your life," Hoseok suggested, raising his arms overhead to stretch.
"I don't exactly like my condition of winning. What makes you think I'd never want to talk to you?" Kihyun pointed out, a frown on his face. Hoseok grinned then, bringing a sinking feeling in Kihyun's stomach. That feeling only grew when Hoseok began to shrug off his jacket, showing off muscles that the leather usually hid, a smirk now on his lips.
"Well," Hoseok started, lips pursing in an attempt to hide his smirk, "I don't exactly see you winning, you see." He draped his jacket over Kihyun's textbooks, hands sprawled out on the desk.
"So, it's rigged," Kihyun countered, watching Hoseok's movements with fox-like eyes. He could see the fabric of his shirt stretching over his muscles as they shifted, a sweet smile overtaking Hoseok's lips as he heard Kihyun's words.
"Well, I wouldn't say rigged, per se," Hoseok called out, words almost mimicking those Kihyun had used before (the twenty-seventh rejection, to be precise. Yesterday, to be even more precise). "They're just... in my favor." He gave a soft chuckle once the words escaped his lips, slowly kneeling on the other side of the desk until his elbow rested against it, hand open in offering. "Are you in?
Kihyun felt nervous, considering the difference in their frames. He was rather thin, with barely enough strength to lift his friend Jooheon off the ground at times (it often took a great deal of straining). Yet here Hoseok was, in all his weightlifting glory, with his hand outstretched and ready. Besides losing his dignity, Kihyun saw little as a downside. "I'm in," he finally said, bringing his arm up to mimic Hoseok's as he clasped their hands. (Kihyun would never admit the small tingle that skittered over his skin, nor how pleased he was about how well their hands fit together).
Hoseok's eyes remained focused on Kihyun's, a small tendril of delight running up his spine at the fact that he was holding Kihyun's hand. He was holding Kihyun's hand, albeit in a way that was less intimate and more along the lines of potentially bone-crushing for the skinnier male. But details were details, and all that mattered was the fact that he was holding the hand of his object of infatuation. "Are you ready?"
Nearly missing the countdown, Kihyun quickly tensed his arm, seeing Hoseok's bicept flex. He hadn't noticed when Hoseok had shrugged his sleeve up over his shoulder, putting his entire bicep on display. Could Kihyun count it as cheating? His eyes were more focused on Hoseok's tensed muscles than the actual fight, making him blink several times to shake the Hoseok-induced haze he had been in, forcing away the awe he'd felt. When he finally focused, he was already losing. It was obvious Hoseok was using little of his own strength, while Kihyun himself was using every ounce he had. His chin had wrinkled like a walnut, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed as he fought to push back. With a loud yelp, his hand finally connected with the cold wood of the desk. He had most definitely lost.
A soft victorious cheer left Hoseok's lips as he grinned, hand still holding Kihyun's. He brought their hands up just to hold Kihyun's hands in each of his, cradling, looking at him with hope in his eyes. "So, did I win a date with the cutest boy I've ever seen?"
Nodding slowly, Kihyun was unable to stop the smile from spreading on his lips. The smile on Hoseok's face and his celebratory dance was definitely more of a win than the arm wrestling match would've ever been.
Years later, Hoseok would ask Kihyun why he'd rejected him twenty-seven times. "Twenty-seven times!" He would reiterate, exasperation overtaking him once more as he relived each rejection. Kihyun only smiled in return, patting down Hoseok's messy hair. "Honestly? It was really cute to see you walk away with determination in your eyes. The first time was a complete accident. I'd meant to say yes, but, you know. Plus, it was technically seventeen times, considering you ran away. Yes, I saw you run." Hoseok started to counter, but he was quickly silenced by the reflection of light on Kihyun's ring finger. "Well," he started, voice proud, "I didn't run away when you walked down the aisle."