Archive of Our Own

Hao looks at all the boxes littering his apartment. In any other time and day, he would be annoyed that these eye-sores were taking his precious, wonderful living space. But today is not one of those days. “You sure do have a lot of stuff, Binnie.”

Hanbin pouts as he moves another box into the apartment. “I know, I'm sorry. It'll be better once we unpack.”

Hao smiles back at his boyfriend. “It's ok. At least this means you're actually moving in.”

It was a long awaited day for the pair, because as they found out, saying that they want to move in together and actually doing it are 2 different tasks. When Hanbin agreed to move in with Hao, it led to a game of what they like to call “Apartment Musical Chair,” which went as follows:

For Hanbin to move in, Hao’s cousin, Ricky, would have to move out. And for Hanbin to completely be ok about leaving Taerae with the rent, someone else would have to move in, preferably Taerae’s boyfriend. When they first started planning, Ricky was thinking about moving in with his boyfriend, Gyuvin, but was too scared to ask the question (which Hao promptly made fun of him for). When he eventually did ask, and Gyuvin agreed, Hanbin was working it into Taerae’s and Matthew’s mind that they should live together, which was easier said than done because as Taerae put it, “We’ll see each other every waking moment of every day and I don’t know if I’m ready for that right now;” a sentiment that Matthew surprisingly shared (despite both of them being together longer than Hao and Hanbin).

After some long conversations (and some influence from Hanbin), they finally decided that they were ready, which leads to today. “I’m glad it all worked out,” Hanbin says, beaming at his boyfriend.

“Me too. Besides,” Hao starts as he moves closer to Hanbin. “I like watching my big, strong boyfriend carry a bunch of heavy boxes.”

Hao watches as Hanbin's cheeks grow more red at the comment. “You…You can’t just say stuff like that while I have heavy things in my hand! I’ll drop them.”

Hao smirks as he gently grabs the box from Hanbin, sets it down on the floor next to them, and says, “Maybe we can just…leave the boxes here then for a while.”

Hao examines Hanbin’s face, taking in all the details. From his red cheeks to his long eyelashes, Hanbin is just about the prettiest person that Hao has ever seen. And as time moves, something pulls the pair closer…and closer…and closer…until-

Beep. Beep.

The pair look down at Hanbin's communicator and Hao groans. “You know I’m starting to really hate that thing.”

Hanbin sighs and presses the button on his communicator. “What’s going on?”

“Venosect attack on the other side of the city,” Taerae says on the other side of the line. “The others are already on their way.”

“On it,” Hanbin responds. He looks at Hao, disappointed that they can’t continue what they started. He kisses Hao on the cheek, saying, “I’m sorry, baby.”

Hao huffs in defeat. “I get it. But when you come back, you’re unpacking everything by yourself.”

“But this is so much stuff,” Hanbin whines.

“Well, you’re the red ranger. I’m sure a bunch of boxes isn’t going to hurt you.”

Hanbin rolls his eyes in response. “Fine.”

“Be careful.”

Hanbin gives Hao a small smile. “I will.” With a press of a button, Hanbin teleported out of the room, leaving Hao by himself. And despite earlier demands, Hao helps unbox everything. It’s the least he can do when his boyfriend is out saving the city as the red ranger.

--------

Hao remembers the first day he met Hanbin. He had just gotten a noise complaint the night before for practicing too loud, and was trying to find open practice rooms for rent near a local University. To his misfortune, every single arts student in the city were either last minute practicing for their finals, or recording their final exams to hand in right before the 11:59 pm deadline. He remembered days when he was studying all night for his finals. Though now, instead of feeling nostalgic, he feels annoyance because these finals are what’s keeping him from practicing his audition pieces.

After an hour of unsuccessful searching, he tries one last place that was recommended to him by his cousin. It was an arts academy, just down the road from where Hao lived. As Ricky described it, it was 2 floors, with one dance studio on each floor, and a few practice rooms scattered next to it for lessons or personal rental use. If Hao was lucky, he could find an open one there.

When he walked through the front door, he was greeted by the sight of the dance studio on the bottom floor. He turned to the front desk in front of the studio, but to his disappointment, saw that the office was empty. ‘Just my day,’ he thought to himself. He then turned his attention to the man in the studio, who looked like he was filming something. ‘Maybe he could help me.’

As Hao was about to step in the studio to interrupt the man, there was something about him that drew Hao in instantly. He was moving too much for Hao to get a clear view of him, but something about his rosy cheeks and his slightly messy hair, paired with his absolutely breathtaking dancing seemed to pique Hao’s interest. He quietly knocks on the door, waiting for the other person to respond. “Matthew, I promise I’m almost done-“

“’Oh I’m sorry,” Hao replied, realizing that the other man was not aware of his presence. “I didn’t realize you were in the middle of filming something.”

The other man turned, which was the first time Hao was able to get a look at him. He was more breathtaking than Hao could ever imagine. Along with his natural red blush and dark hair, he had the most gorgeous eyes and his slightly unzipped sweater exposed his collarbone, and the tattoo painted on his skin. “Oh, uh, it’s perfectly ok,” the other man stuttered.

“I was just looking for a practice room. I have an audition coming up and I heard there were empty practice rooms here?”

“Yeah, down the hall. Though, a lot of students are either practicing for their final exams or recording them, so I don’t know how much luck you’ll have.”

Hao chuckled. “I guess it’s back to my apartment, then.”

The other man cleared his throat before saying, “I could…let you know if there is an open practice room sometime this week? If you want to write down your number I can check the availability when I’m done and give you times that are available in the next week so you can reserve it?”

Hao raised his eyebrow. Even though the man seemed to be trustworthy, he still didn’t know him whatsoever. “How do I know you aren’t a creepy stalker just trying to get my information.”

“Ok, that’s fair. I actually work here as a dance instructor and my friend is supposed to be working the welcome desk but it looks like he’s on break. My name’s Hanbin, by the way.”

“Nice name,” Hao responds, smiling. “I’m Hao.”

“So, what do you say, Hao? Do you trust me enough with your phone number?”

Hao thought for a moment before answering, “Guess giving my number to a cute stranger couldn’t hurt.” Hao quickly pulled out oa piece of paper and pen from his bag and wrote down his number on the paper. He handed it to Hanbin and said, “Don’t forget to text.”

“I won’t,” Hanbin replied, smiling at Hao.

“See you around, Hanbin.” Hao practically felt himself running out of there, heart beating out of his chest. His only thought when leaving was, ‘Did I just call him cute?’

--------

Usually when Hanbin went off to fulfill his ranger duties, Hao would wait patiently at home to make sure Hanbin in fact did get home safely. However, due to the stress and exhaustion of moving in, Hao felt his eyelids getting heavy, lulling him into a rare nap in his bed. The thing that wakes him up from his slumber is a pair of lips on his forehead. His eyes flutter open, and as his eyes focus, Hanbin’s image in front of him gets clearer. “What time is it?” He asks, stretching to wake himself up.

“It’s around 5,” Hanbin replies, smiling. He pats Hao’s head as he continues. “My poor baby, you must’ve been exhausted from unpacking everything by yourself.”

“Hey, I’m still older than you,” Hao says, swatting Hanbin’s hand away. “And for your information, I just didn’t like the fact that our home had a bunch of boxes in it, so I cleaned up a little.”

“You didn’t have to do that. I would’ve helped.”

Hao fixes the loose strands of Hair on Hanbin’s face as he says, “My wonderful hero-of-a-boyfriend is out saving the planet and I’m just gonna leave the house a mess? That just makes me look like a bad boyfriend.”

“You could never be a bad boyfriend in my eyes,” Hanbin whispers. “Now, let me cook you some dinner because I’m guessing you didn’t have anything to eat today.”

“That’s not true!” Hao thinks for a moment before continuing, “I had a bag of chips.”

“That’s not food.”

“Well it was all we had.”

Hanbin chuckles. “Alright, Alright. Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and I’ll make both of us dinner.”

Hanbin drags Hao up from the bed and leads him into the kitchen, where groceries sit on the dining table. He looks at Hanbin and asks, “Did you buy this?”

“Like I said, I wanted to make you dinner. Consider this an apology for interrupting earlier.”

Hao doesn't make eye contact with Hanbin, but instead plays with his shirt as he says, “There are…other ways to make it up to me.”

Hanbin gently tilts Hao’s head up so that they can look each other in the eye. “We can do whatever you want later. Right now I need you to eat so that you’ll have the energy.”

Hao rolls his eyes. “Fine. But the food better be good.”

“I’ll try to make it gourmet level for you.”

Hao goes to the dining table and takes a seat, watching Hanbin as he starts to cook. He smiles to himself as his boyfriend makes dinner for the both of them. Hanbin would always do these simple things for him, and Hao always found himself thankful for having those small acts of service in his life.

--------

When their first date came around, Hao wasn’t expecting much from Hanbin. They had been talking for a few weeks at the time, and Hanbin was the first one to ask Hao on a date. Hao agreed, but knowing his luck with previous relationships, he knew to keep his expectations low, no matter how sweet Hanbin seemed over text.

Hao waited in front of his apartment building until he saw Hanbin's car pull up in the parking lot. He saw Hanbin walk out of his car and made a realization that this was the first time he had seen him in person after their first meeting. Then, Hao thought Hanbin was handsome, but now, Hanbin was drop dead gorgeous. His outfit wasn’t anything significant: a plaid patterned gray blazer and matching pants with black, v-neck undershirt that exposed his tattoos. His hair was done in a way that made it look slightly messy, but still intentional. Hao, on the other hand, was wearing a black faux-leather blazer with gray accents and black pants, with a tight-fitted undershirt that properly extenuated his body. “You look great,” Hao said while walking over to Hanbin.

“So do you,” Hanbin replied, smiling. “Are you ready?”

“You never really told me where we were going,” Hao said.

“Just…somewhere.” Hanbin held open the passenger door for Hao. “Don’t you trust me?”

Hao shrugs. “We’ll see.” He got into the car, and once Hanbin was situated in the drivers seat, they were off.

“So, how was your audition? I didn’t really get to ask after the first time we met,” Hanbin asked.

“Oh, I think it went well,” Hao responded. “They told me they’d get back to me in a week or two.”

“What was it for?”

“A local quartet was looking for another violinist. Thought it would be another good way to get money because they get paid for their performances.”

“Oh, you perform for a living?”

Hao shakes his head. “I’m a violin teacher. The university has a community program for the arts, so I teach high school students there. I’m also a coach for some of the student quartets there.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you were a teacher too. We’re kind of similar.”

Hao chuckled. “Yeah, I guess.” After being in the car for about 40 minutes, they arrived at a small café, on the outskirts of the city. “Where are we?” Hao asked.

“Well, this is a café owned by my family,” Hanbin replied. “I wanted to prepare something special for our first date.”

Hao looked confused, but stepped out of the car once Hanbin opened the door for him. He followed Hanbin, somewhat weary that he took Hao to an unfamiliar place. ‘Maybe I should’ve given Ricky my location,’ he thought to himself. “Are you gonna tell me where you’re taking me?”

“It’s in the back, in our outdoor area.”

Hao followed Hanbin to the back of the building and was greeted by the beautiful sight of the area. It was decorated with lights along the ralings, as well as hanging lights from above. There were also flowers that were woven in with the lights, and on the table there was a bouquet of flowers, waiting for them. “Did you set this up?”

Hanbin nodded. “I asked my mom if I could use the cafe for our date, so she blocked off this section from the customers and I spent the morning setting it up. I also prepared the food, and it’s in the kitchen.”

“We could’ve gone to a fancy restaurant, you know. You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know, but we’re both in the city a lot, and it’s nice to have dinner outside. Besides, look at the sky.”

Hao raised an eyebrow, but still looked up at the sky, and to him the view was breathtaking. The light pollution in the city made it hard to see any stars, even during a clear night. Here, though, the night sky was beautiful. The stars scattered across the sky, and full moon shone brightly in the dark. He had forgotten what a clear night sky should look like. It reminded him of his hometown. “The sky is so beautiful.”

“I really hoped you would like all this,” Hanbin said. “Sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Hao turned to Hanbin. “Why did you do this?”

Hanbin paused for a moment, thinking of his next words. “I go all in with whatever I do. I also don’t really go on dates unless I see that there’s a future for us, so I wanna show them that I’m serious, even on the first date.”

“And you could see a future for us? Only with a few weeks of talking?”

“At least, I can hope,” Hanbin replied. “Is this too much? I’m sorry, sometimes-“

“No, it’s just…my partners never did anything like this for me, even when they were with me for months, even years. It’s sweet.”

“Well, it’s their loss. They were lucky. They should have cherished you more.”

Hao’s eyes widened hearing Hanbin say that. Before he could even think about it, his body moved first, hugging Hanbin. “This is all perfect,” He whispered.

Hanbin smiled and pulled away. “Well, get settled and take in the view. I’m gonna get the food out.”

Hao nodded and sat down, watching Hanbin walk into the building. As he took in the environment around him, he thought to himself,  ‘Maybe…this time will be different.’

--------

As Hao stirs awake, he realizes the body that had kept him warm the night before was nowhere to be found. He sits up and stretches, looking at the clock on the nightstand beside him. He sees the clock reading 8:00, and slowly starts getting himself out of bed. As he becomes more aware of his surroundings, he notices a faint heavenly smell coming from what he deduces is the kitchen. He gets up, puts his pajama pants on, and walks out of his room and into the kitchen, where he finds Hanbin cooking breakfast. When Hanbin sees Hao, he pouts, saying, “I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed.”

“Well, I woke up because my boyfriend decided to leave me alone in bed in the morning,” Hao replies, chuckling. “You didn’t have to make breakfast. Aren’t you going to be late for training?”

“Our training starts at 9, and I can just teleport there after getting dressed. Also, is there a guarantee that if I didn’t make breakfast, you would go out to get something before work?”

“I was-“

“A can of monster doesn’t count.”

Hao thinks for a moment before answering. “You know what, you’re right.”

“Thought so. Now, the coffee I brewed for you is on the table. Go sit and I’ll bring over a plate for you.”

Hao does as he’s told, and sits at the table where a cup of coffee was waiting for him. He takes a sip, and considers himself lucky that amongst all the things Hanbin is, a licensed barista is one of them. Soon, a plate of food is set in front of him, and Hanbin joins him at the table with his own cup of coffee and food. “Thank you for making all this…and dinner yesterday.”

“It’s our first day here together. I wanted to make sure we at least had one home cooked meal before we start ordering out every day,” Hanbin says.

Hao laughs. The pair enjoy breakfast together, talking about their plans for the day. While today is a training day for Hanbin, he also has a student at the end of the day who asked for a private lesson from him to prepare for his own college entrance audition. Not unlike Hanbin, Hao also had multiple students today who asked for extra lessons to better prepare for their college entrance auditions. He agreed to make extra time for them, as long as their parents were willing to pay for the extra lessons.

When both finish their plates, Hao takes them to the sink and washes them, making sure that Hanbin didn’t also have to do the dishes along with making breakfast. They both get ready for their respective days. Hanbin puts on sweats and gets his training bag ready with sparring gear while Hao decides to wear a slightly oversized cardigan with jeans and fills his bag with sheet music and notes. Once the clock hits 8:55, Hanbin kisses Hao on the cheek and says, “I will see you later tonight when I get home.”

Hao smiles and says, “Love you.”

“Love you too.” Hao then watches as Hanbin teleports away to his training day. Though this routine is something new for him, he can’t wait until he starts getting used to a daily morning schedule. More importantly: he loves that now he can see Hanbin before and after work every day. It makes everything feel lighter, and lets him look forward to something at the end of the day.

When he arrives at his studio at around 9:50, he sees one of his students outside, already waiting for Hao to arrive. “Hana! How long have you been waiting?”

“Like 20 minutes,” His student, Hana, replies. “I started tuning before you showed up.”

“Great, that gives us more time to work on your pieces. Let me open the door and let you in,” Hao says.

“Do you think our lesson’s gonna get interrupted again?”

Hao sighs. Unfortunately for him, it was a semi-normal occurrence to stop his lessons due to a monster attack. Though university walls were somewhat secure, there was a protocol made when the monster attacks first started. It mostly consisted of locking their door and stopping any lessons until the threat had passed, which could be anywhere from a few minutes to a whole hour. Due to this, he had a lot of make up lessons on his books along with influx of high school seniors trying to get more lessons for college preparation. “Hopefully not. Now, let’s go in and start your lesson.”

--------

It wasn’t hard for Hao to figure out that Hanbin was a ranger. Sure, he didn’t realize it at first, but when he did, everything just fell into place.

They had been going out on dates for about 2 months, and Hao had asked Hanbin to be his boyfriend a few nights before the monster attacks started. After Hao was able to get to safety, he tried texting Hanbin to make sure he was alright, but Hanbin hadn’t responded until later. He felt relief wash over him when he saw the text. Though he questioned where Hanbin was, he decided that it was more important that Hanbin wasn’t hurt in all the commotion.

After the second monster attack is when he heard about the rangers. They had made their existence public, and though Hao was thankful that there were people here to protect the city, his main priority was, once again, to find Hanbin and make sure he was safe. Hanbin had told him after that he wasn’t in the area, so he didn’t know there was a monster attack until after he got back. Though it seemed suspicious, Hao again didn’t question the luck and was happy that his precious boyfriend was safe.

Then there were the dates. Before the attacks, Hanbin would always do something special for Hao. Though these measures weren’t as extravagant as their first date, it was still special to Hao. It showed Hao that Hanbin was different from the other guys he had been with before. It made Hao trust Hanbin. But then, when the monster attacks started, the times when they were together shortened, and to Hao, Hanbin seemed more…distant. This wasn’t all Hanbin’s fault. Hao had gotten more students at the time and was also trying to balance his schedule with his relationship, so he understood to an extent. But there was something…off. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but he knew that Hanbin was hiding something from him.

Then, the fateful day happened. Hao was walking to a café for one of their dates, excited to see Hanbin after a busy week. Suddenly, a peaceful walk across the city turned into panic in an instant, as Parashades suddenly swarmed the area. He tried running, getting away, but it was too crowded. There was fire coming from all directions, and debris started to fill the area. Everyone was running away, including Hao, until he tripped and fell on one piece of debris. Before he could even think of getting up,  a Parashade was in front of him. He could see it was about to swing, so he closed his eyes and tried to block it with his hands, but nothing happened. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the red ranger, standing where the Parashade stood. He turned to Hao and held out his hand, asking, “Are you ok?”

Hao nodded as the red ranger helped him up. “Thank you.”

Something about the red ranger felt…familiar. Everything from his voice to his mannerisms: to Hao he didn’t seem like a stranger. Which is why when the red ranger suddenly snaked his arm around Hao’s waist, Hao didn’t feel the need to jump. “Of course,” The red ranger said. “I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

“Thanks but…umm…” Hao looked down at his waist, feeling the hold get tighter.

The red ranger’s eyes followed, and once there was an understanding of what was going on, he quickly moved away, shocked by his own actions. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

“No! No, it’s fine I just…..I have a boyfriend,” Hao replied. When Hao started thinking more, he came to a realization. “Wait, my boyfriend…he was supposed to meet me here and I don’t see him.”

“We’ll find him. Just text him to let him know you’re safe and to meet at another location.”

Hao nodded and said, “Please just…make sure he’s ok.” Hao then ran, leaving the red ranger to the army of monsters.

When he first got to the café, his first thought was texting Hanbin to make sure Hanbin was ok. He sent several messages, telling him where he was, and letting him know that he was safe. However, as the adrenaline started to wear off and Hao could think more clearly, he started piecing together his own observations.

One: Hanbin wasn’t in Hao’s vicinity when the attacks occurred. If he wasn’t part of the attack, why was it taking him so long to answer his messages? And this wasn’t the only time that after a monster attack, his messages had come later with some excuse as to why he couldn’t respond right away.

Two: The rangers were evacuating people in that area. Hao was running in the direction that Hanbin would have been coming from, so more likely than not he would have at least seen a glimpse of Hanbin in the crowd. However, Hanbin was nowhere to be found, even now.

Three: The red ranger. The voice, his mannerisms; everything seemed so familiar. There was a level of familiarity…comfort…relief that Hao felt from the red ranger when he was safe. And how the red ranger held his waist…that was out of reflex: a reflex from familiarity he had with Hao.

Hao whispered to himself while piecing the information together, “He’s the red ranger.” At first, the mind that had just finished calming itself began to race, trying to process the conclusion he made. Is this what Hanbin was hiding? Why didn’t Hanbin tell him? Why would Hanbin put himself in danger like that?

But then he thinks back to not even a half an hour ago, when the red rang- Hanbin, stood in front of an army ready to protect him. He stood tall with so much confidence. And everyone has talked about the skill of the red ranger: how capable he was, how strong he was, how brave he was. His mind eased again, thinking of all the successes the rangers had in the past few weeks. And though Hanbin didn’t tell him about his other life, he probably had his reasons. Now thinking back, this was everything he admired Hanbin. He was strong, kind, and compassionate, and Hao could see that more and more as he got to know him. He was a genuinely good person: one Hao hadn't met in a long time. And that's when another realization hit him like a truck: He was in love with Hanbin. Even though they had only been dating for not that long, the warmth he would feel spread across his body whenever Hanbin did something for him, and the thought of Hanbin risking his life to save others made him sure that everything he was feeling towards Hanbin was love.

That's why when he saw Hanbin walk in the café, Hao immediately ran to Hanbin and wrapped his arms around him. “Thank god you're alright.”

“Yeah, the rangers saved me,” Hanbin replied, hugging Hao back. “I'm glad you're ok, too.”

Hao knew that Hanbin was lying, but it didn't even matter to him anymore. “The red ranger saved me,” Hao said, giving himself some distance from Hanbin to look at him. The man in front of him right now was the one who saved him and saved the city once again. If he didn't say this now, he might never get the chance to. “I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you because…”

“Because?”

Hao took a deep breath and said, “ Because if something did happen to you, and I didn't get a chance to tell you that I love you, then I don't think I would've forgiven myself.”

“Hanbin's eyes widened. “You…love me?”

Hao quickly thought of an excuse before continuing on. “I was going to tell you today on our date. I had a plan and everything but all this happened and-"

Suddenly Hao felt Hanbin's lips on his. When they separated, Hao felt the lingering feeling of the sweet, yet short kiss. “I love you, too. And I'm so grateful the red ranger was able to save you.”

“Me too. Now, come on. Let's go back to my apartment and spend the day together, alright? I had other stuff planned but…I think we've had a pretty eventful day as it is.”

Hanbin nodded, and they both walk hand-in-hand out the café. All Hao could feel was joy. He loved Hanbin, and Hanbin loved him back. ‘Thank you for saving me...in more ways than one.’

--------

Luckily for Hao, his day goes by without too many issues. Except for some of his students who were (severely) underprepared for their lessons, there were no attacks or cancellations, and Hao finally catches up on all the make-ups he owes his students. He carefully packs his violin in its case, puts his sheet music in his bag, and checks around the room to make sure he doesn’t leave anything before he leaves. When he walks out, he texts Hanbin.

To: Bing Bing <3

Are you done with training for the day?

From: Bing Bing <3

Yea just finished practice with Yujinie

ill be home in 30 min.

To: Bing Bing <3

im buying dinner

dont you dare try to fight me on this i see you typing sung hanbin

From: Bing Bing <3

:( fine

love you cant wait to see you at home

Home. The word still makes Hao’s heart flutter. Though Hanbin just moved in the day before, the idea that his apartment is slowly becoming their home is something that fills him with a joy he hasn’t felt in a long time. For him, Hanbin was everything he’s ever wanted, and just like how Hanbin protects the world, he’ll do anything to protect their home.

He quickly picks up some chicken from a local store on the way home and makes his way back to his apartment with a lightness to his step he hasn’t felt in a long time. Usually, after a long day of students, he goes home and gets ready for bed, foregoing dinner most days. But because of Hanbin, he has something to look forward to.

However, like most moments of happiness in his life, this quickly gets interrupted when he sees a familiar face standing in the lobby of his apartment building. It’s a face that he’ll never forget: someone who has shaped him into the person he is today, but not for the better. “Hyunwoo?”

The man, Hyunwoo, smiles when he sees Hao. “Hi.”

--------

Hao’s conversation with Gyuvin still sticks with him.

There was one day when Gyuvin had asked Hao to meet him for lunch. This was rare for the pair. It’s not that Hao doesn’t like seeing the younger: quite the opposite. He wishes that he had more time to meet with Gyuvin because he adores the younger male, and he appreciates the love he gives to Ricky. However, Gyuvin was still a university student, like his cousin, and was extremely busy with school work that all the spare time he did have went to Ricky. The only time Hao sees Gyuvin was when Gyuvin visited his apartment to hang out with Ricky. Though he was curious about why Gyuvin asked to meet him, he was still happy to meet with Gyuvin.

When Hao entered the café, he didn’t see Gyuvin, so he ordered his own food and drink and waited for Gyuvin to come in. The moment he sat down, he saw the familiar, brown haired boy walk through the doors of the café, looking for Hao. “Gyuvin!” Hao said, waving his hands.

Gyuvin turned to the direction of Hao’s voice, and smiled, waving back. After getting his own food, he sat in the seat across from Hao, still smiling. “How are you?”

“Busy, but ok,” Hao replied. “What about you? How are classes?”

“They could be better, but I’m surviving.”

Hao noticed that though Gyuvin was smiling, he was tapping his foot rapidly and fidgeting with his fingers. “Gyuvin, are you ok? What did you want to talk to me about?”

“I don’t know how to tell ask you this without sounding stupid,” Gyuvin replied, looking down at the table..

“Gyuvin, I teach high schoolers. Trust me when I say I’ve heard it all.”

The moment Hao takes a bite of his food, Gyuvin quickly says, “I think your cousin is cheating on me.”

That makes Hao choke on his sandwich. “What?”

“See, even you think it’s ridiculous.”

When Hao recovers, he looks at Gyuvin and asked, “Why do you think he’s cheating on you?”

“He’s been a lot more distant lately. There’s something he’s hiding from me, and I don’t know what. I think he also has a secret phone? I hear a ringer that isn’t his own phone and I don’t know why he would have another phone and not tell me.”

Hao’s familiar with the sound Gyuvin was talking about. The communicator that he would occasionally hear from the rangers: it was something that Hanbin also tried to hide from him. “Ok, what exactly makes you think he’s cheating on you? Like do you actually feel like he would cheat on you?”

“I don’t know!” Gyuvin said. “We used to tell each other everything. Now he’s hiding things from me and…it makes me scared. That’s why I wanted to ask you cause he’s your cousin and…”

“And what happened to me before with Hyunwoo?”

Gyuvin stayed silent for a moment. “I wanted to ask you how you knew.”

Hao didn’t like thinking about that time. Usually, he wouldn’t even talk about it unless he really needed to, but Gyuvin had been there when it happened. He and Ricky took good care of Hao when it happened, so he knew Gyuvin wasn’t coming from a malicious place. “Well, first I don’t think he would tell me if he were cheating on you, not that I think he would ever do that. That kid is too sweet for his own good and he’s been in love with you since high school so no I don’t think he’s cheating on you.

“And with Hyunwoo, it wasn’t just that he was keeping secrets from me. That was a big part of it, but it was also the fact that I felt like after a certain point he was pulling away. And I get that we keep things to ourselves sometimes, but I could feel this was different. He stopped spending time with me as much, and when he was on his phone all the time. He would get so angry if I even went near him when he was on his phone. He was a different person from when I first met him.  I wanted to trust him but…there was something wrong. Everything in my logical mind was telling me there was something wrong.I didn’t want to believe it, but when I got that text from the person he was cheating on me with…I wasn’t surprised. I was disappointed in myself for not bringing it up earlier, but I loved him.  I was ready to move in with him after I graduated. I thought we could work out whatever problems we had but…some problems are too big to work out with words, I guess.”

“And with Hanbin? Do you feel like he tells you everything?”

Hao scoffs. “I know for a fact there are things he doesn’t tell me. But the trust with him I feel is so much more than what I felt with Hyunwoo because he’s shown me that he cares and that he loves me, through and through, despite whatever he’s hiding from me. Unlike Hyunwoo who, quite literally, fell out of love with me but was too much of a coward to tell me.” He looks at Gyuvin and said, “Now, knowing all of this, do you think that Ricky is cheating on you?”

Gyuvin sighed. “No. I can’t even imagine it. I just…don’t like the fact that he’s hiding things from you.”

“With Hanbin, I learned that sometimes if they don’t tell us, then it’s not for us to know right now. Maybe they’ll tell us in the far future. But it’s important to communicate and trust each other. Do you trust Ricky?”

“With my life.”

“That’s good,” Hao said. In the back of Hao’s mind, he finished the thought. ‘Because he would give his to try and protect you.’

“I’ll talk to him,” Gyuvin replied.

“Good. And don’t get me wrong: I don’t care if he’s my cousin . If he so much as makes you cry I will hurt him.”

Gyuvin laughed. “Thanks Hao.”

“You’re welcome. Now let’s eat.”

Hao thought about this conversation for a long time. Before, he would question whether or not he would have reacted differently if he didn’t already know what Hanbin was hiding. But the more he thought about it, the more he was sure that he could trust Hanbin, no matter what. That was the effect of Hanbin’s love, and Hao couldn’t be more thankful that he was the one to receive it.

--------

Hao almost drops the bag with his dinner upon seeing Hyunwoo. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I um…wanted to see you,” Hyunwoo replied.

“Well you saw me,” Hao deadpans. “Now you can leave.”

Hao tries to walk past his Hyunwoo, but Hyunwoo grabs his wrist, saying, “Wait. Can we please talk?”

“No,” Hao bluntly says.

“I know I fucked up-“

“That’s a severe understatement,” Hao interjects.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“So you thought cheating on me was the answer?”

The pair stayed silent before Hyunwoo sighs as he releases Hao’s hand. “I didn’t know how to tell you there was someone else.”

“So you decide that sleeping with someone else without telling me was your best idea?”

“I would’ve hurt you.”

“No,” Hao says, his voice full of venom. “You were a coward. The only person you cared about was yourself, so don’t come to me acting like you feel sorry for what you did. Especially when you’re 2 years too late.”

“It’s never too late,” Hyunwoo replies. “We were in love and I was stupid and young and yes, I’ll admit I was a coward.”

“It wasn’t just that.” Hao takes a moment to collect himself before continuing. “You berated me for even questioning where you were. And you had the audacity to question my love for you. I was walking on eggshells every day when I was with you but I still put in the effort to try and make our relationship work. All you did was go to another person and make empty promises about breaking up with me.”

“Hao, I-“

“What’s going on here?” A person said at the doorway of the building.

The pair both turn their heads to see Hanbin, standing in the doorway. “Hanbin,” Hao says, voice slightly shaking.

“Hi baby, are you ok?” Hanbin replies, going towards him to check on him. “And who’s this?”

“This is Hyunwoo,” Hao whispers.

“I’m his ex,” Hyunwoo says, flashing a fake smile to Hanbin.

Hanbin returns the smile with a smile that was not only more fake, but somewhat sinister. “I’m Hanbin, his boyfriend.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you,” Hyunwoo replies. “I just wanted to talk to Hao.”

“And he clearly doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I can talk to him whenever I want. He loves-“

“Loved,” Hanbin interrupts. “Past tense. 2 years in the past, if I remember correctly.”

“I still want to talk to him.”

Hanbin shrugs. “Sorry, not everyone gets what they want. Now, if you don’t leave him alone in the next 5 seconds, and if I catch you anywhere near him, I will call the police.”

“What? Too scared to do something yourself?”

Hanbin scoffs as he looks at Hyunwoo straight in the eye. “No, I’m scared I won’t be able to stop once I start. Now, this is the last time before I stop being nice: leave.”

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes, but turns and walks out the door anyway. Hanbin looks at his boyfriend, his soft smile reappearing. “I’m sorry I should’ve gotten here sooner.”

Hao shakes his head. “Let’s just go upstairs.”

Hanbin nods, and they both walk into the elevator. When the door closes, Hao looks at Hanbin and says, “Did you really mean it? That you would hurt him?”

Hanbin snorts. “No. Hurting civilians goes against my job, remember? Just wanted to scare him a little.”

“I would say it worked,” Hao murmurs.

Hanbin turns his body to Hao and says, “Hey, what’s wrongs?”

As the elevator door opens, Hao walks out silently with Hanbin following right behind him. When they reach the apartment after walking in silence, Hao turns to Hanbin when he door behind them. He quietly brings his arms around Hanbin and says, “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Hanbin whispers.

“I didn't know he would show up. I haven't talked to him since we broke up. I even blocked-"

“Hao, him showing up isn't your fault,” Hanbin interjects. “But are you ok? I know you don't like thinking about him.”

Hao could feel tears forming in his eyes, but prevented them from falling. “I thought I was done with him.”

Hao could feel Hanbin return his hug as he whispers, “You are. You didn't know he would randomly show up. Don't blame yourself.”

Hao savors Hanbin's touch. He slightly pulls away and looks at Hanbin, smiling. “I’m so happy I found you.”

Hanbin smiles back and kisses Hao's cheek slightly. “So am I. Now, let's have dinner. I think we're both hungry.”

Hao nods and releases Hanbin, walking towards the dining table to put down the box of chicken he had been holding the entire time. He breathes easier, knowing Hanbin is there with him no matter what.

--------

The night that Hanbin revealed his identity was one that Hao would never forget. One moment, they were on the couch, savoring each other with kisses. The next, there were screams coming from outside the window.

The pair pulled away from each other, with Hanbin saying, “Do you hear that?”

Hao listened closely before answering, “Yeah, it sounds like screaming.”

“Stay here.” Hao watched as Hanbin walks to the window. He takes a look at the street, and Hao could feel the worry radiating off of Hanbin.

Suddenly, Hao heard the screaming stop. Concerned, Hao asked, “What's going on, Hanbin?”

Hanbin promptly closed the window and locked it, as if he was making sure nothing could get in. “It's nothing,” Hanbin replied, slightly panicked. “Let's just stay here, ok?”

Hao could hear the panic in Hanbin's voice. And right after, he could here the alarm that came from Hanbin's watch. He knew that Hanbin had to go, and he had to be the one to push him. “Hanbin-"

“Everything's alright if you just stay in here-"

“Hanbin-"

“And nothing's gonna hurt you because-"

“Hanbin!” Hao interrupted, holding onto Hanbin before he could continue rambling. “Your watch.”

Hao watched as Hanbin's eyes widened and looked down. He finally noticed that his watch was ringing, but was still reluctant to answer it. “It's probably Taerae or something.”

Hao sighed, and gently grabbed Hanbin's arms. He lifted his arm and positions Hanbin's wrist closer to his mouth. “It's ok. Answer it.”

“Hao?”

Hao took a deep breath and said nothing. The silence was still as loud as it could ever be. Nothing needed to be said, but both knew what Hao was trying to say. After a beat of silence. Hao kissed Hanbin's knuckle before saying, “You should answer it.”

Hanbin just stared at Hao. Usually, Hanbin was easy to read. This expression, however, was one of confusion, amazement, and something else Hao couldn't decipher. He wordlessly presses the button on his wristwatch, and Hao heard a familiar voice coming from the other side: None other than Park Gunwook. “Hanbin, there are a bunch of Parashades in your area right now. The smoke that's covering the area is making people fall on the ground once they inhale it. I'm really sorry for interupting your date but-"

“I'm on my way,” Hanbin intejected, still not breaking eye contact with Hao. When Hanbin puts his watch down, he said, “How did you know?”

Hao shook his head. “We'll talk later. Now go. And please, be careful.”

Hanbin nodded, and without saying another word, he turned and walked towards the door. For the first time, Hao saw the sword appearing in Hanbin's hands: a sword that was recognizable to everyone in the city. All Hao could do was watch, thinking to himself,  ‘I trust you, but please come back to me safe, my hero.’

--------

About a week after the whole Hyunwoo debacle (and explaining to their security to not let Hyunwoo near the apartment building), Hao feels more assured. He was still cautious, but luckily Hyunwoo hadn't made another appearance in his life for the time being. He was also glad that Hanbin took the time out of his routine to walk Hao whenever he could so that Hao wouldn't be alone. He also made it a routine to pick up Hao from the university and walk back to the apartment together. Hao was grateful that Hanbin took these extra measures, especially because Hanbin was also still getting used to living in the new apartment and his new routine.

The one thing that Hao had to get used to, though, was Hanbin coming home with scratches and bruises from fights the rangers had gotten into. There were only 2 so far, including the one that happened earlier today, but Hao realizes that this is going to be somewhat of a common occurrence that he’ll have to get used to. Which leads to today, with Hao sitting on the couch, facing Hanbin and wiping the scratch on Hanbin's cheek with an alcohol wipe from a first aid kit that’s open and sitting on the table next to them. Every time Hao tries to wipe the cut, Hanbin winces in pain. Hao huffs in frustration. “Can you please stay still? I'm trying to help you.”

“But it hurts,” Hanbin whines.

“It's going to hurt more if it gets infected. Now, stay still.” Hao holds Hanbin down to the best of his ability with one hand, and continues wiping his cheek with the other.

Still wincing in pain, Hanbin says, “You don't have to do this, you know.”

Hao sighs, looking at him. “You take care of the city. I take care of you. I think that's a fair trade.”

Hanbin chuckles and plants a small kiss on Hao's lips. “What would I do without you?”

Hao smiles at Hanbin. “I should be saying that. Now, will you please let me finish patching you up?” Hanbin nods and Hao continues for a little bit more until he decides the cut is clean enough. He puts a bandage on the cut and says, “There. That should be all set.”

“Thank you.”

Hao looks at Hanbin and says, “Does this usually happen? I mean don't you have your helmet on most of the time?”

Hanbin shakes his head. “The armor usually protects us well, but there's something…different about the latest attacks.”

Hao tilts his head. “Different, how?”

Hanbin shrugs. “It's just a feeling. Like they're getting more powerful.”

Hao can't help but worry after hearing that from Hanbin. “What does that mean for you?”

Hanbin looks at Hao, understanding what Hao is feeling in that moment. He takes Hao's hand and says, “That just means we have to train harder. Come up with new strategies.”

“Still.”

“Everything will be fine, Hao. I know this is all really hard, but I promise I’ll be ok and I'll come back home to you everyday and lay in bed with you until you fall asleep; Do you trust me?”

There was a moment of silence between them before Hao smiles softly, answering, “More than you could ever know.”

--------

Hao remembers the one fight that kept him up at night. Hao had been on the other side of the city, but was following news coverage of it. The footage of the fight had replayed in Hao's head, even after it had finished. To the normal eye, it was a normal fight. The rangers were able to fight off the monsters, and everyone could go about their normal night. But to Hao, something wasn't right. Hanbin's movements were more sloppy, he was getting hit more, and he seemed unfocused. Not just him, though, the other members as well. There was something wrong, and Hao didn't know what.

The thought of something being wrong with Hanbin after the fight kept him up for hours. He didn't know what to do. He wanted to hear Hanbin's voice so much: he wanted to know that everything was ok. But he also didn't want to call Hanbin. In his own head, he thought it would hae been too suspicious for him to continuously call Hanbin whenever an attack happened. Besides, Hanbin usually made the call first. And if Hanbin was ok, Hao trusted that he would be hearing from him soon.

Hao sat in his bed for hours, waiting for Hanbin to call. His eyes became heavier and heavier, and by 3am, he almost did fall asleep until he heard his phone ring. He slowly picked it up and said into the phone, “Hello?”

“Hi, baby,” Hanbin said softly on the other side.

Internally, Hao sighed in relief. Hanbin sounded safe and ok, albeit a little tired. “Binnie are you ok? It's 3 am,” Hao replied, pretending to have been woken up from the phone call.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I just…wanted to hear your voice.”

Hao sighed, smiling to himself. “You miss me that much?” He joked.

“Of course. We don't see each other a lot, and I want to make sure that you're alright with all these Venosect attacks going on.”

There was a moment of silence between them before Hao said, “I'm ok, Hanbin. I promse.”

“Good.”

“Now, can I go back to sleep? I love you, but I have students in the morning, and they're not gonna like it if their teacher is grumpy"

Hanbin chuckled on the other side. “Of course. I love you too. Good night.”

“Good night,” Hao said before hanging up the call. He sighed in relief, feeling his body relax knowing that Hanbin was alright. He knew that Hanbin was capable: everyone in the city knew how capable the rangers were. But still, it was nice to hear that Hanbin was ok. It was nice to hear Hanbin's soothing, soft voice and feel the worry melt away. Hao was able to sleep peacefully that night.

--------

The pair lay on their shared bed with only a blanket covering their bodies. Hao rests his head on Hanbin's chest as Hanbin carefully strokes Hao's hair. The rhythm of Hanbin's heartbeat slowly began to lull Hao to sleep. It was these moments that Hao cherished the most: the ones where they both sit in peaceful silence, being aware of each other's affection for one another. It was a level of intimacy that Hao could only dream of before he met Hanbin.

“Hanbin,” Hao says, quietly. “I have a question.”

“Hm?” Hanbin hums.

“Do you ever regret it? Taking on this much responsibility?”

Hanbin thinks for a moment before answering. “Do I sometimes wish my life was easier? Yes. Do I wish that these monsters never showed up in the first place? Yeah. But do I regret any thing that’s happened? No, I don’t.”

Hao hums. “So you would choose it again?”

Hao could practically hear the smile grow on Hanbin’s face. “In a heartbeat.”

Hao stays silent for a moment before asking another question. “If it were between saving me or the world, who would you pick?”

Hao can feel Hanbin’s body freeze as he finishes the question. “Why are you asking?”

Hao shrugs. “Just curious.”

Hao lifts himself up and supports his body with one arm to turn and face Hanbin. Hanbin looks at him and says, “Didn’t you say you trust me?”

Hao nods. “I do. I trust you because I know you’re a good person, Hanbin. A better person than I will ever be. You’re kind, you’re sweet, and you’re so selfless. And I know that that sword chose you for a reason, and its stayed until today.”

Hao watches as Hanbin bites his lip nervously. “So you already know the answer?”

Hao smiles. “Of course. And the world will thank you, even if I’m not there to.”

“Don’t say that,” Hanbin whispers. “I swore to protect the world but you…you’re my world, Hao.”

Hao gently kisses Hanbin and says, “Then protect the world, Hanbin.”

It was nights like these…conversations like these that reassured Hao that Hanbin was the one person for him. Hao considers himself to be one of the luckiest people in the world. He never would have imagined that he would end up with someone like Hanbin, yet here he was. And he couldn’t be happier.

 --------

Epilogue

The pair wake up to the sound of Hanbin’s communicator going off. Both Hanbin and Hao groan, hearing the sound. “It’s 8 in the morning what could possibly have happened?” Hao says.

Hanbin sighs and picks up the communicator. “Hello?”

“Hanbin,” They hear Ricky say on the other side. “Is Hao with you?”

The pair look at each other with confusion. “Uhh, yeah. Why?”

“Hyunwoo’s missing,” Ricky replies. “I know you both had a run in with him a week ago and I wanted to let you know?”

“Ok but why is that ranger business?”

“Because the way we found out is by tracking traces of that corrupted energy from the heart. We’re finding traces of it everywhere and it leads us to apartments that look like they’ve been ransacked.”

“Meaning?” Hao asked cautiously.

“Something’s wrong,” Hanbin says. “Usually the Parashades would handle things like this in a large group. Not one bye one.”

“I think they’re targetting people now, Hanbin. And whoever or whatever is doing this…they’re dangerous.”

--------

Somewhere in a dark room, underneath the ground, 2 creatures stand in front of the computer, carefully analyzing the results.

“The parasite is almost complete. We almost have full control of the host, Toxera.”

A bug like creature smiles, delighted to hear the news. ‘Perfect. After we have full control of him, the rangers won’t stand a chance. And they’ll have no idea that someone…so close to them would betray them like that.”

The other creature cackles. “They’ll get a taste of their on medicine.”

Toxera smirks. “Yes. They’ve beaten all our creations. Let’s see how they handle another ranger.”

And somewhere else, a sword appears next to someone and they examine it, claiming what is rightfully theirs.