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I.
“Oh my god, I‘m fucking in love with you.”
His blunt mouth is something that Cale has been grateful to have in all the years he’s lived. It’s something akin to a sword and a shield at the same time for him because of all the times that it saved him from many, many annoying occasions. But right now, Cale just wants to sew it shut, never to be open for an eternity.
“Huh?” Choi Han chokes and looks at him slowly, probably processing what he just heard, a disgusted expression quickly finding its way to his stupid face.
In hindsight, Cale should’ve expected this reaction, but that still didn’t stop him from getting irked. “Don’t look at me like that, bastard!”
“Then don’t say disgusting words while I’m about to eat.” Choi Han scowls at him. “Seriously, this is how you repay me for bringing your lunchbox? Which by the way, you forgot?”
“I didn’t fucking ask you to!” Cale’s face reddens from embarrassment and annoyance. Not anger, which shows just how much their relationship improved because just half a year ago, he would’ve already started insulting the ravenette the moment his eyes landed on him, sometimes even mixed with kicks (and while he still does, minus the kicks, he doesn’t mean it anymore). He wouldn’t even be here, willingly sitting beside him to eat with him.
(But, that still doesn't mean they’re done navigating through their new, more profound…er, well, relationship?)
And now here he is, unsure if he just got rejected right after he realized that he’s somehow in love with his neighbor who also happened to be the person he used to despise the most. All because of his damned mouth that he can’t control. And probably because the Universe hayes hims.
“So?”
“What now?” Choi han says exasperated.
“You didn’t just reject me, did you?”
Choi han just stares at him incredulously as Cale stares back with arms crossed and a stubborn face, conveying that they won’t get anywhere until he answers. Choi Han deters his gaze first, an annoyed sigh escaping him. “Sorry, but you’re really not my type. Besides, who would even have the patience to date you in the first place?”
Cale just stills for a second before yelling, “Plenty, you fucker!” coming out a bit more harsh than usual. He stands up and turns right away to leave a dumbfounded Choi Han behind, but not before shouting, “Unlike you, I’m fucking rich and handsome!”
Cale scoffs as soon as he’s alone somewhere, kicking the can that was conveniently lying in the ground.
Choi Han treated it like a complete joke, treated him like a joke. And although he didn’t have any means to confess as soon as he realized his feelings, it still hurt like a bitch.
He huffs.
………
…well, thinking about it now, he can see why Choi Han would think he was just messing around with him. But still, that asshole should’ve known that he would never joke about this!
“Aagh! So annoying!” This just lights the competitive part of him. “I’ll show you, you stupid bastard! I’ll show you, Choi fucking Han, how serious my love for you is!”
If someone else was watching him, they would think Cale was plotting to have someone assassinated.
II.
“Lark!” Rosalyn called out, a bit relieved to see someone she recognizes.
“Ah, Noona!” Lark flicks his gaze towards her, smiling immediately as soon as his eyes land on her. “Can I do something for you?”
Rosalyn smiles back at him fondly. “No, I just have to ask you something.”
“Ask away! I’ll tell you everything I know!”
She shakes her head at his enthusiasm. “Have you seen Choi Han? I just have a favor I have to ask him.”
“Ah…” Lark looks conflicted and Rosalyn furrows his brows in worry. “What’s wrong?”
“I didn’t see him but…” Lark hesitates before saying, “I heard the others saying that he got in trouble for running around the school while shouting like—like a madman.”
“I…are you sure that’s Choi Han?”
“Oh right, they mentioned something weird too, that a certain trash was taken away with him.”
A look of understanding dawns on Rosalyn. “Oh. Mm, that makes a lot more sense.”
Alver forces the corner of his lips to curl up as he faces the people who have been causing him headaches since the very start of the year.
He was suspicious (and glad, definitely mostly glad) as to why he hadn’t heard anything from them for the past months but he should’ve known something was bound to happen. “I do wonder if you two know why someone, ah no, why multiple people, the students and teachers alike, were complaining to me about two students chasing each other around the school and causing havoc?”
The only responses Alver gets is a glare from the redhead (but that’s just Cale being Cale) and a guilty, sheepish look from Choi Han before looking away.
Alver sighs as he rubs his temples, not ready for the upcoming migraine he’s sure he will get after he’s done dealing with… whatever this is.
He reads the report in his hand again, not believing it when he first got it, but looking at the two again, or rather the new atmosphere between the two, he supposes it’s alright to be relieved. It’s nice, his mind supplies for him. At least now he doesn’t have to worry about getting complaints from people that get caught when the two try to genuinely kill each other.
“So?” Alver slightly leans back, pleased that he got their attention, absentmindedly tapping a pen on the clipboard he’s holding. “Why was Choi Han chasing Cale?”
A lie.
A “what?!” and a snort answers his question. Obviously, Alver knows why Choi Han is looking at him as if Alver just accused him of all the crimes in the world while Cale just sits there, resembling a spoiled, amused child. He already knows what happened, he just wants them to explain why it happened. And he will get his explanation.
“Am I wrong?” Alver tilts his head, feigning innocence.
“Yes!” Choi Han seethes, and while he would normally be more respectful towards him, everything just seems to be thrown out of the window when it comes to Cale, so Alver understands. “This lunatic,” Choi Han points a finger towards the redhead. “was the one that was chasing me! Not the other way around!”
“Hah! Did you just call me a lunatic?”
“You chased me around the school while shouting something that’s meant to torment me! What are you if not a lunatic?!”
“Torment you?! I was confessing my love to you! And who the fuck runs away after a confession!”
“Who wouldn’t run away after receiving a confession from the likes of you?!”
“Why you little—“
Alver claps, stunning them a bit, completely interrupting their little moment. He continues to stare at them wryly, already feeling the throb of his approaching headache. “…you mean to tell me you two ended up here because… Cale confessed which led to Choi Han running away and,” He pointedly looks at Cale, “you chasing him while screaming and I quote ‘Come back here, you bastard. I said I fucking love you.’” he dryly finishes, the questioning tone slowly ebbing away at the end.
The perpetrators only blink at him. Alver’s eye twitches, forcibly pushing down the urge to walk away when he hears Cale not-so-quietly whisper to Choi Han, “The fucking president just cursed right?” as Choi Han dumbly nods in response.
He truly doesn’t know if the two really hate each other or is just putting an act to mess with the people around them.
“Why?” Alver breathes out, just wanting to finish this whole ordeal. “Why did you guys do that?” he impatiently elaborates when the two only offered him confused looks.
“Huh?” Cale just glares at him, using an angry tone (then again, when is Cale not angry?) with a hint of genuine bewilderment. “What do you mean why? It’s obviously because I’m in love with this dog.”
“Look, I’m telling you this right now, but this ‘I’m in love with you’ strategy to mess with me is not working!”
“Ugh! I’m telling you the truth! Or Is your feeble brain only able to understand barbaric things?”
“As if! Just admit that you can’t think of anything original to mess with me so you resorted to this pathetic attempt of yours.”
Alver did not run for student council president to deal with this shit.
III.
Cale stares at his phone, the black screen reflecting his image. He huffs after a while, feeling a bit pathetic while he closes his eyes.
It’s been a month since the last time he attempted to convey his feelings towards Choi Han. He figured that after the whole fiasco that ended them up with the blond prince, a normal confession wouldn’t work. So he did what everyone would’ve done if they were in his place. Which is to confess in every way possible.
He tried doing love letters, singing songs, writing poems, banners, secret messages, whatever! He’d done everything he possibly could. And the result? Fucking zero!
That asshole paid absolutely no attention to each attempt he made.
He remembers when that underclassman that Choi Han was so fond of—Luck? Lark? whatever—asked him why he still keeps confessing when he knows he’ll only get rejected. He vaguely remembers his response, a scoff and an eye roll.
Of course he knows. He knows that he’ll get rejected. But that’s only because that bastard is playing hard to get, he reasons. He’ll stop when Choi Han finally gets tired, either by getting actually rejected or by Choi Han accepting his feelings and telling him he feels the same. It’s just a means of whether he’ll be too busy avoiding the ravenette or too busy punching his pillows in giddy.
He hopes it’s the latter.
(But what if he’s just desperate? What if all this time, Choi Han had been serious with his rejections and he was just deluding himself into thinking otherwise? What—what if Choi Han actually doesn’t want anything to do with him? He wouldn’t be surprised, most people definitely don’t.)
Sometimes, his mind wanders, he wouldn’t even be in this situation if they had continued being each other’s most hated person and yet, he couldn’t really bring himself to regret the change.
His eyes snap when he hears his phone ding.
Dumb Dog sent a message.
Cale blinks, irritated at how his heart immediately started to beat faster, getting even more irritated when he finds himself not minding it too much. It’s strange. A strange feeling that, once again, he wouldn’t mind getting used to.
(He finds himself not minding anything as long as he’s involved actually.)
Dumb Dog: [Hey]
Choi Han had been away for the holidays with his family to visit his mother’s side of the family. Therefore, even though his house is quite literally next to his, he still wouldn’t be able to see him.
And perhaps Choi Han noticed that he would rather die than admit his mood plummeted down when he found out he wouldn’t be able to spend his holidays with the person he wants to, the older teases him before promising that he would reach out to him via phone while he’s away.
Cale stares at his phone, except this time it’s not a black screen that greets him. His phone makes a sound again.
Dumb Dog: [Are you busy?]
Cale stops the smile threatening to show in his face.
Cale: [yeah]
He’s not. But over his dead body he’ll ever admit he was actually waiting all this time for him to reach out.
Dumb Dog is typing…
Cale: [so, don’t you think you should be grateful? i’m even willing to waste my time on a street dog like you]
Old habits die hard.
Cale winces when he sees Choi Han stop typing. But then a new message pops up.
Dumb Dog: [Yeah, right. What could a good for nothing young master possibly even be busy about?]
Cale lets out a small sound, something that’s meant to be a laugh. His shoulder deflates, relief seeping in his system even though the situation is so weird since they don’t really go out in their way to chat or call each other. This is probably also one of the things he’ll be getting used to again.
(Just like how he got used to eating lunch with someone. Just like how he got used to not being alone anymore. Just like how he got used to Choi Han.)
Cale: [fuck u]
They continue to chat idly, just wanting to catch up with each other before Cale finally decides to ask what he's been dying to know. A question his stupid self forgot to ask before Choi Han went away.
Cale: [when are you coming home?]
Cale sends, stopping himself from chucking his phone and burrowing his face in embarrassment.
Dumb Dog: [What’s this?]
Dumb Dog: [Do you miss me already?]
A small disbelieved laugh escapes his mouth.
Cale: [i hope you fucking die]
And although he’s very straightforward when he says he’s in love with Choi Han (courtesy of his mouth, because what use is it if he hides it when he already blurted it out), he’s the type to bury his emotions and what he is feeling. But maybe it’s because he’s too high with the euphoria that’s floating him up above cloud nine right now, goddamnit, he types again.
Cale: [maybe]
His face flushes when Choi Han just leaves his message on read, ready to type a more hostile message to bury the shame but just as he was about to send it, his phone rings. His screen changes and his phone rings again and again.
Instinctively, Cale’s fingers move to click the accept button.
“Cale.”
And just like that all the restlessness and anxiety he’s been bottling up in a bubble pops.
“Cale?”
“Mhm,” he answers and fuck, he’s so mortified when he realizes just how much he misses that stupid voice of his.
“Hm?” Cale’s eyes narrow, almost tempted to end the call when he hears that teasing tone. “Did you turn into an incoherent blushing mess just from hearing my voice?”
This is also one of the things why he regrets confessing: Choi Han using it as a leverage to tease him even though the asshole firmly believes all of his love confessions were fake.
“I’m hanging up.” he threatens and if not for that tiny concern he picked up, he would’ve already done it without any warning.
Of course, Choi Han knows he’s not serious because he laughs. Choi Han laughs and Cale gets swept up again as if he's tied to a witch’s soul-sucking spell, time passing with them talking about just anything until they run out of topics to talk about. They don't hang up, satisfied with just listening to each other’s synchronized breathing.
Cale makes the first move to talk again, staring at his ceiling with his phone beside his ear. “Choi Han,”
“Yeah?”
Silence passes them again but Choi Han is patient as ever, relishing the serene moment just as he is.
“I really love you…” Cale whispers softly. It’s meant to be a complaint but the original purpose disappears when it’s a lot more soft than he intended. “that it’s getting so damn annoying.”
…
Cale blinks, “Choi Han?” he calls when he receives silence instead of the blunt rejection he’s usually given. He hovers around to look at his phone.
“…did that bastard just hang up on me?”
IV.
“You’re such a pain in the ass!” Choi Han hisses, helping Cale balance himself.
“Shuddup!” Cale slurs, swinging his arm over Choi Han’s neck to assist himself, hand holding a bottle of alcohol.
Choi Han wrinkles his nose in response while adjusting to better support his drunken state. “You stink too.”
“You smell like dog shit everyday but you don’t ever hear me complaining.” Choi Han seems to ignore his remark in favor of headbutting him sideways, ousting a hiss from him even though the action served little to no pain to him.
“Why’d you even get drunk?” the ravenette asks in annoyance, pausing for a bit as if he just got shot with a realization that made him look more piqued. “See what’s happening! I’m acting as if you being drunk is normal! You’re not even legal to drink yet!”
“Does it matter?” Cale opts to answer his question, letting the words Choi Han spoke at the end go through one ear to another. He’s not even that drunk, just a tiny bit tipsy. He internally pats himself for actually drinking so much that he managed to outdo his massive alcohol tolerance. Really, what a feat.
“You almost fell down the stairs!”
“Exactly, almost. I didn’t.” a dramatic pause happens before he could even think about it. “Instead, I fell for you.”
Okay… maybe he is a little bit more than tipsy for him to actually spit some cringey bullshit pick up line, cheeks now flushing for a different reason.
And because he was basically using Choi Han as nothing but a beanpole for support, he can practically feel the tiniest of winces that drips off him. Not the reaction he expected: face glowing in mischief, ready to tease Cale or even disgust on his face for the corny words immediately scratched off just by how much unpleasantry radiated in that flinch.
Cale didn’t even know that was possible.
He stops his tracks in tandem with Choi Han to glance at him and—
Oh.
Those onyx eyes could really make the most potent liquor a run for its money. Cale might just get the same effects of alcohol poisoning just from how intoxicating it is.
“…how unfortunate, then. I’m sure you would have preferred otherwise.”
“…what?”
Cale is faced with a smile. Not the same smiles that made his heart begrudgingly flutter, just a smile so pitiful to look at. One that’s so foreign on Choi Han’s face that—the realization forces itself to crash down on him, suffocating him along with disbelief and red.
“You—!“
“Cale?! Wait, no!”
The supposedly insignificant night ends with words unspoken and barf filling Choi Han’s shoes.
V plus I.
Choi Han feels sweat slide down his temple. He can’t help it, despite the room—Cale’s room—being cooled, the way the redhead continues to look down at him with such intensity in his eyes, seated at the end of his bed with legs and arms crossed while he’s forced to sit primly on the beanbag in front of the bed makes him feel suffocated, afraid that any wrong move would make the bomb that is Cale explode.
Mrs. Henituse had kindly gone her way to invite him to their dinner, he couldn’t just deny her regardless of the fact that Cale had been obviously ignoring him for the past week. The thought that maybe he could finally ask what was going on was immediately crushed by the awkward atmosphere that descended upon the dining table, with Mr. Henituse trying to lift up the mood and Bassen sending a suspicious look at him, being the protective brother he is, when he sensed Cale’s mood towards him.
He thought that someone, Cale, would kick him out, so being invited to his room as usual when he comes here for dinner definitely threw him off guard.
Deciding that he had enough of this, he finally opens his mouth but then, Cale narrows his eyes at him, the glare making him unconsciously gulp when normally he wouldn’t even be fazed by it. Not this time, not when he feels like he was the one who did wrong. Cale really didn’t fail to make him feel like he’s utter shit for—I don't even know what I did!
“You.”
“Yes…!?” he accidentally squeaks out, flushing in complete embarrassment. He instinctively gets ready for the redhead to make fun of him, but instead, what comes is, “I like you.”
Choi Han’s breath stutters, blinking before feeling himself deflate, annoyance taking over. He gets ignored for one week and the perpetrator decides to break that by this silly joke that’s been going around for what? A month now?
“Are you seriously—“
“No, I love you, Choi Han.” The next words Choi Han wants to say gets stuck in his throat without any explanation as to why. “Now, are you going to fucking tell me you feel the same way or not?“
Silence reigns over them for a second.
“…alright.” Cale says, voice slightly wavering before standing up. “Just fucking reject me already so we can forget all of this ever happened.”
No, what?
Choi Han is very confused and yet, in spite of that, his eyes widens, immediately grabbing Cale’s hand as if his life depended on it and god, it sure does feel like it. He doesn’t know why he gets the feeling that if he lets go now, the very thing that makes him feel alive would slip away from his hand, literally. And Choi Han can’t really afford that now, can he?
“What—?! Let go of me!” Cale struggles against his grip, resolved in not letting his face show but Choi Han had already caught it. Tears. There are tears in those eyes that hold so much fire, so much life, it makes Choi Han’s throat tighten.
He’d been afraid that all those sugary words were all just bait to lure him out. The image of Cale sneering at him with mocking words kept appearing in his mind, making him retract when he’s about to bite. And really, his first impression of Cale and his infamous background hadn’t really helped.
Oh, god. He’s in deep trouble. And a fool. The fact that remembering the first time he met Cale leaves him with such giddiness instead of unpleasant feelings makes him want to tear his heart out just to stop how fast it is beating right now.
………he really is a fool, for him to only realize it now.
“I…” Choi Han looks up, his face no doubt showing vulnerability but he has no time to think about that. “I don’t want to let go though.”
He watches Cale whip his head so fast, getting a clear look at the tears stinging his eyes, fury and something else embedded in it. Out of reflex, he lets go of the wrist in his hand just right before Cale swings his arm hard, probably an attempt to get out of his grip and because his hold was no longer on the redhead, the swing makes him stumble.
The next moments happen so fast, Choi Han can’t even process how Cale ended up falling on top of him, face buried in his chest when just a second ago he was trying to catch him. “Cale? Are you alright? You didn’t sprain your ankle, did you?”
“I hate you.”
Choi Han stills. “I—“ Sigh. “I know.”
“I hate you so much.” Choi Han feels Cale punch his chest, the croaked voice reaching his ear. Somehow, the redhead’s words hurts a thousand times more than the punch. “I hate you, I hate you, I fucking hate you so much!”
The redhead finally lifts his head and—wow. Cale looks absolutely ethereal, it leaves Choi Han completely enthralled. He itches to wipe those tears, and so he does just that (even though he feels like an ass for thinking that it suited him; clear liquid flowing down his pale complexion that complements those red locks rivaling Snow White’s poisoned apple).
He almost completely forgets the situation he’s in if not for the loathe in the eyes looking at him, piling over the entrancement, relief and love. He wants to ignore the fear that’s there too, fear that this is all just a dream. The fear that also resides in him.
“How dare you play with my feelings, you jerk!”
Choi Han wants to say he didn’t mean to but instead of that, he says, “I’m sorry.” Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, he still had hurt Cale.
Cale falters but still continues, voice just over a whisper now. “I hate you…” The younger’s head falls back again on his chest. “But most of all, I hate myself for feeling happy because of the stupid words you probably don’t even mean.”
Choi Han can’t really fault him for thinking like that. So he assures him, in the best way possible that they say, actions speak louder than words.
The redhead stiffens in his hold before melting into his touch as their lips pressed against each other. His hand travels from Cale’s cheek to his hair, gliding through the fiery hair, deepening the kiss.
They probably shouldn’t be doing this here where Cale’s family resides, but Choi Han doesn’t really care to give a damn when he’s finally getting a taste of the lips he caught himself staring at multiple times whenever he zones out.
Cale oddly tastes like wine, which the redhead probably sneaked in during dinner. He almost decides to fuck it all when Cale tries to catch his lips again when they pull back, a sigh of pleasure and disappointment leaving the other after almost passing out from the lack of oxygen.
“Ah, did I just steal your first kiss?” Choi Han lets himself smile, looking at the dazed look in the carnelian eyes snap back to normal, a red tint surfacing to match Cale’s hair.
“Shut up, you idiot—!”
Choi Han pulls him back for another kiss, and he may be delirious but this one is definitely better than the first one. “Here, you can take it back.”
Cale punches out a laugh out of him as he watches the blush turn furious.
The younger waits for him to stop laughing before replying with a slight pout. “You really are an idiot.” Cale leans again, mouth hovering above his. He whispers, “I didn’t want it back, you know.” and for the third time today, Choi Han almost loses his mind.
“I’m gonna put you through hell first before you even dare to call me your boyfriend.”
An amused sigh escapes him. “A bit disappointing but I guess that’s fair.” Choi Han laughs off the head bump Cale gives his chin.
Cale looks up at him from below him, inside his arms, a small smile gracing his face. “I love you.”
Truly, Choi Han is such a lucky guy. Cheekily, he replies, “I love you even more, future boyfriend.”
And true to his words, Alver and the rest of their friends were just an inch away from planning Choi Han’s funeral before Cale finally felt satisfied.