Work Text:
"Old-school romance is a flavor both Libra and Capricorn enjoy, and being couple suits you. But they both tend to bottle up their emotions. If you can both acknowledge problems and face them, you can make it work."
K and Hanbin are totally opposite yet they balance out each other differently. ♡
i:
"W-wait! Wait!" Hanbin gripped his bag tighter, full of textbooks and modules– which is heavy as fuck, he checks if the zipper is open while Jaebeom is running a bit far from him. "Ah! Hey! We're not late, we're here already Hubi!" Jaebeom told him, his block mate from the same History class Hanbin's been attending, drags him to a place which he doesn't like. At all. Gaming cafe. Stupid gaming cafe.
"S-stop gripping my wrist Beom, wait! What are we doing here?" He tries his best to calm down but he can't help but to roll his eyes since Jaebeom didn't tell him anything about going to this place. It's full of students who probably didn't attend school just to waste their time and play– it's loud, so fucking loud and chaotic, it's obviously not a place to study or even finish an awful introduction to their research paper. It is crowded, and the students' glares at him, like he should go home and probably just study for tomorrow's exam or something.
Hanbin looks around while he covers himself with his huge bulgy bag like he's gonna go camping or something. "Just wait here Hubi, I'll play for an hour and we'll finish the research paper later. Okay?" Jaebeom gives two thumbs up to Hanbin while the smaller guy gasped and furrow his brows.
"What?!" He wants to say no, or just shout at Jaebeom, or be hysterical about it but he has no choice now. He’s stuck with him and he won't agree to do the research paper alone. "...fine. Fine. Just please finish faster!" Hanbin's probably out of his mind to stay here, he agrees and wait for his research partner whose eyes is now glued to the monitor.
I'll just tell him I'll come back or just do the paper alone... but Jaebeom quickly wears the headphones already, and their game is about to start. Ugh, it's only one hour Hanbin, then you're off to this place. Hang in there.
Hanbin sprint carelessly towards outside the gaming cafe and thinks if buying his favorite banana ice cream will help him to feel better, or maybe eating ramyeon near his apartment or– but then he accidentally bumped into group of students, specifically this guy who wears a different uniform who has an apple cut hair and a bit muscular than him.
His school stuff shattered on the floor. The fucking zipper. "O-oh. Oh, I'm sorry!" Hanbin immediately apologize to the bigger guy, he quickly gets his textbooks and pens to put inside his bag. "What the f–. Really now?!" He flinched, listening to a deep voice, the mix of murmurs and gasps, also an awful playlist of the cafe. What a day.
"Why did you bring those textbooks in this place?! What an idiot." And his friends laughed. Hanbin didn't talkback nor look at him again, he quickly stands up. Who cares anyway?
Hanbin looks away, walking towards the exit but someone else grips his hand– just a right light press, a comforting one. "What did you say?" The guy's voice doesn't hint a bit of anger, it is calming but Hanbin notice a slight warning– but not to him.
He wears the same uniform as Hanbin's too, he notice even though the uniform is unbuttoned since Hanbin can still see the familiar school patch. "You better understand that some people don't really care if they don't fit in, he doesn't need to be– especially at place like this. Quit on my team then, or apologize..."
Is he complimenting me or telling me that I am slightly stupid? The taller guy with a sharp jawline and foxy eyes lets go of his wrist. "... but K! The game will start in few minutes. What are we gonna do now?" The other girl asks him in panic. "You can't do this to him!" She insisted.
K sighed. "I thought you guys were smart but I can do whatever I want, especially when he isn't a good teammate at all. There's a reason why he is just a backup, and yet he calls someone idiot? Ha. The audacity." Hanbin pursed his lips while K slightly brushes his longer black hair.
"But Boss..." The smaller muscular guy walks slightly forward to Hanbin and glares at him and pursed his lips. "Fine! I'm sorry." The commotion doesn't cause an interruption at all since most of them are drawn by playing especially Jaebeom and Hanbin can vividly hear the music in their headphones, obviously the music is tearing their eardrums apart.
"I changed my mind, you're not in my team anymore." Hanbin slowly slides back to leave and probably run, go home or something. What the hell is happening, why don't they just fucking stop? He can't really, really imagine himself being here all day and watch them being clowns to each other. "Where are you going?" K fixed Hanbin's uniform and checks if there's any stain, dirt, wrinkles as well in his long sleeves and pants. "Well, I– I need to get out of here. I-I have stuff to d–"
"Can't you even say 'thank you' to me?" What did he do now? He's just being a bully and acts superior just because he has minions or something. "Ah! T-thank you!" Hanbin bowed to him just like in dramas or something, ha, funny. K didn't say anything now, but he pulls an empty gaming chair and ordered Hanbin to sit there.
K with his wrinkly uniform, slightly messy hair and ears pierced, pulls a gaming chair and grabs Hanbin's bag and aggresively puts it in his lap. He snaps his fingers and finally puts the headphones. "Everyone, I know we will win. We can do this!" It does looks like a serious event but Hanbin is still confuse as fuck. "Don't just stand there. Sit here. Will you?" Before Hanbin ask K another question, K puts back his headphones and told him, "Watch first Hanbin-ah, and we'll talk later. Okay?" Hanbin don't understand what is happening, at all. But he finally decides to stay still, maybe watch for a while 'til it gets entertaining.
"Oh god, K! We're close to winning! What prize do you want later?" the other girl's voice is quite aggresive yet there's a hint of flirting. "Stop it, we're not that close. Focus and shut up, will you?" The girl didn't answer but her face was full of dismayed to K's response.
It lasted only 45 minutes and Hanbin notice that they were all smiling in victory, with of course being boastful with the tone of their voices because of their win. This is quite fun and refreshing. He thinks. From watching them building their teamwork while cursing at each other, it's convincing.
Hanbin stood up and timingly everyone is hugging and mobbinh each other without knowing that he’s in the middle of circle already. The smaller guy with fluffy black hair didn't even have the chance to get out quickly because of their strength and fucking screams– but not even a little longer, Hanbin felt a support, helping him not to be crushed and even touched by anyone.
"Ya! Ya!" everyone stopped by K's deep voice, and that helps Hanbin to catch his breath once again. "Stop it already! Our gaming skills is still far– so damn far to win that tournament! What is wrong–" the crowd looks at the two– Hanbin gripping the taller guy's waist and K supporting Hanbin's back and the other hand touching his hair. K and Hanbin hugging tightly and they both giggle in awkwardness, the crew starts to sound like an awful sound of windpipe teasing them. Hanbin can still feel the support and knowingly, it was his arms. It is K's arms. Hanbin slowly lingers to a long comforting hug, his built is muscular than him even if he's wearing a long sleeves and chains, he smells a lot like mint and ocean, it is delightful.
K is hugging Hanbin so tightly now but Hanbin is now reaching, slowly for his bag. Hanbin cleared his throat and K quickly removes his arms and pretends to fix his uniform. They both turn away from each other, doesn't want to talk about the attention they made. At all.
"We're done for today Hanbin-ah, s-so where do you wanna go now?" He's whispering, doesn't want others to hear them. Hanbin looks at him, confuse as fuck, thinking if K's talking to others and not him. Hanbin looks at him, and he realize that, this is the first time, finally, he looks closely to K, slightly tip-toeing to face him.
K could be that well-known gamer in their school thay everyone is talking about, but he don't know a single thing about him. But Hanbin is not dumb to not realize that this K, is quite famous. Hanbin knows only one thing– that is not to play around in his studies. Especially he's already in senior year of his Marketing college course. But now he knows another thing, that truly, this place K's property. His eyes are so beautiful, so fucking beautiful, not the same sparkly eyes Hanbin has you can easily drawn into his deep stares.
Hanbin notice that he took so long to answer and before he even open my mouth to complain about this day– K quickly grabs him towards the exit, and they are borh running away. Away from that gaming cafe which Hanbin dislikes so much, but not anymore. "Wait! Wait!" Hanbin stop for a bit and sat at the floor. He is gasping for air and he thinks that K didn't even care about him being tired at all? Sucks to have a shorter limbs, he thinks.
"We're just only running for 10 minutes, why can't you keep up?" K slightly gasping for breath walks towards Hanbin.
"What?! Y-you're the one who drags me away from them! If it’s not for you then I'm probably at home doing my research p–"
"Then you would be crying now because that fucking asshole wants to touch you?!" Hanbin gasps and furrows his brows, he wants to spit curses at him but he left speechless.
K let a deep sigh and aggresively massaging his nape. "I am hearing stories of him okay? And that sucks because he is on my team! And knowing that he wanna do it again– especially to you. Makes me realize that stories are definitely true and I'm dumb for that to notice so fucking late. Didn't you see how he stares at you?!" What a fucking day. This is their first encounter yet he thinks that K is being cocky and an ass! But now, Hanbin is still left speechless because few hours ago, they're both strangers to each other but now, Hanbin is just thankful that K tries his best to protect him. He starts to think that he is an angel or something.
"I... I–Iam sorry. And t-thank you... really. Should I call you 'Boss' starting today or?" Hanbin said, almost a whisper.
"No, K is fine. I like it." K said, putting his hands to his pocket. And he slightly smirks.
—
"So what do you think about the game earlier?" K asks Hannin and he felt a bit of butterflies flying in his stomach because he knows, he knows that he enjoys it so much. Especially when K starts to boss everyone around and just listening to other team's disappointment and curses? It's unforgettable. "Hmm. T'was good I guess?" Hanbin releases a fake laugh and K notice that the smaller guy starts gripping his bag once again.
Hanbin starts to thinks that it's not important now whether you know only one thing to survive, or even to reach that specific dream. He tries to follow a system all throughout the years, the same system that he thinks won't distract him from anything. But now he's here, walking to familiar street, almost dawn and not even feeling guilty about that research paper he and Jaebeom is suppose to finish today. Hanbin knows that he don't deserve this break after all. He said, 'Fuck distractions.' even if this guy with him right now is the best being one.
And K is just there, walking beside Hanbin. He has thoughts in his mind too, that whenever he's playing games, all of those vanish bit by bit. And that's better. He don't claim he's the best one out there but he don't care, at all. He made a promise to himself that whatever shit life throw at him, he will fight and he will be back even if it's not yet his time. He said, 'Fuck school.' even if the guy he likes, for so long, loves studying so fucking much.
Both of them stops to appreciate the beautiful sunset with a mix hue of dark orange, light pink, and baby blue. It is fucking delightful. K slowly leans forward and Hanbin felt his lips touches K's. Hanbin thinks that maybe K's lips is crusty as hell but it isn't at all. It is soft, so fucking soft with a right amount of wetness and pressure. Hanbin really wants to push K away but there's already hands that supporting Hanbin's waist. And his huge heavy ass backpack helps K to lock his hands more and now, Hanbin can't get out of his touch.
Hanbin's heart skipped a beat and he knows his eyes are literally blinking few times because he's so fucking surprised. K's eyes are close and his lashes are reaching Hanbin's even if it's shorter than him, Hanbin finally closes his eyes and starts to be drawn in their kiss. This kiss is soft, so soft, warm enough to think that it doesn't matter whether you know one thing or a lot in between– what's more important now is K and Hanbin are somewhere out there having a great time in their lives. Alone. Together.
Hanbin pulls first, but still K's hands clings to him. "Well, now at least I'm not a loser in your eyes. Am I right Hanbin-ah?" Hanbin felt that his face is slightly red. He literally blushed. "W-what? K... that ain't it... I-" K held Hanbin's hand and starts to walk now. A bit slower.
"Well to be honest, I was supposed to confess to you in next few months. B-but don't know that of course..." K laughs at himself and his fingers intertwines with Hanbin's. "...after the tournament. The gaming tournament. Well, maybe because I don't want you to look at me like I'm such a total dick or loser. Or even my hobbies or skills is just nonsense." K slowly looks down and let a deept sigh. "L-look at you Hanbin-ah, you're our university's pride. You've been carrying that 'Ace Badge' within you ever since. I'm way way out of your league, I know that. And I'm just y'know, spending almost 12 hours to play." And he held Hanbin's hand tighter. Hanbin clings tighter too and finally leans his head to his built.
"No... Anyone who would snap the shit out of someone who would dare to touch and hurt me. That's the guy I like too, K." K stops walking and fix Hanbin's hair instead.
"Now that's the sound I love whenever someone calls me by my name. The sound of your voice." Hanbin notice that K blushs a bit too, and K is quick to peck Hanbin's forehead to hide it.
"Are we dating now?" Hanbin asks directly and K laughed. "Wow, I didn't know you're this aggresive." Hanbin rolls his eyes and K hugs the smaller guy again.
"Who would expect that I would choose you out of all these games, anyway?" K giggles and Hanbin looks away since he's face it turning a bit red. What a fine day.
K is walking confidently towards Hanbin's apartment.
"Ya! How did you know this place?!" K smiled and drags Hanbin inside.
And Hanbin knows it wouldn't hurt a little choosing this cocky gamer taller dude over his unfinished research paper.