Work Text:
For Sung Hanbin, it was already a daily routine to wake up to messages from his best friend. Every day, as soon as he opened his cell phone, the notifications from Zhang Hao - who loved waking up early - would quickly drop, but today was special.
After almost two years of torture, the Korean had finally decided to declare. Well, he'd already tried but.....but Hao was too new to Korea to understand what that little tag with Sung's name on his high school uniform meant, so he was going to try again, but this time in college. Anyway, it's not important.
His friend decided to send a photo of his Halloween costume to Hanbin. There was a themed party to celebrate the date and it was obvious that not only the two of them but the whole group of friends - including those who weren't yet university students - had to go. And Zhang Hao had to go like the incredible, handsome man he is.
In addition to the many messages talking about how uncomfortable the costume shoes were (from the photo they really didn't look like they were made to hold someone up all night) or how he saw the Korean viewing his messages and not replying, there was the image.
A red blouse with wide, exquisite sleeves, something almost romantic. A subtle black vest with some silver accessories that made it stand out above the burgundy red. To top it off, he wore baggy black shorts and stockings, also black, to just below the knee.
He understood that vampires convey an image of class and elegance, but if the boy already felt almost faint at what he was going to do tonight, imagine with a Zhang Hao dressed like that. My God, he felt like he was going to freak out.
He totally ignored Hao's messages to do what any young adult does these days in a panic - open twitter on his private account - not so private because Gyuvin had discovered it, told Gunwook who in turn had told Yujin and now the three of them were following him there.
His mild outburst ended with Gunwook replying to his posts and Zhang Hao's account asking who the younger man was talking to. Keeping an account private when you're part of a group of nine friends who were, almost, born together is too complex a mission. He has more important things to do.
This means that he has to answer Hao using excuses like "I thought you were going to show me your make-up and I was waiting for the photo, you always do that:("
The other quickly retorted by claiming that Sung hadn't even shown him his costume and made a little drama about how he felt betrayed - it's all for the greater good - and in the middle of this the conversation went to how they should dress up as Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian next Halloween.
Hanbin was going to be the first because supposedly white looked good on him. The Korean agreed without typing it on his keyboard. The Chinese man in the black and red clothes was pure magic - ironically he was dressed like that today.
The younger man also took the opportunity to clarify to his hyung that they wouldn't be seeing each other because he had things to do with Gyuvin - the greater good - and that would make them late. And this also resulted in Sung melting down with a simple phrase said in a message:
"But I want to enjoy the rest of the night with you"
He knows that this is a normal thing to say to friends, especially two people as close as Sung Hanbin and Zhang, but he can't help but feel his heart pounding harder than usual.
And there he goes freaking out on Twitter once again.....
—-----
- I can't believe you didn't bring your cell phone, you're young, but at least be responsible - Hanbin was speeding towards Gyuvin while they were in a cab.
The younger man had simply left the device at home out of sheer distraction, he knew that if it was a normal day Hanbin wouldn't have called or said anything, he might even have helped him if he needed something small, but the older man was nervous and Sung Hanbin is a difficult person to deal with.
- I won't need it Binnie, there are nine of us, anything I can do I'll ask one of the boys - he'd barely finished speaking and already got the answer.
- What if one of us sends you a message and you don't realize it because you don't have it?
- They're texting you now and you don't even realize it with it by your side - he pointed to the screen of his cell phone lighting up in a photo of the sunset.
- It's the group - he read the messages while Gyuvin remained quiet, waiting for an explanation of what was going on. - Hao and Jiwoong are together but lost, Gunwook saw them but hid and is laughing at them - he sighed - Ricky and Yujin are by the drinks with Yuqi from psychology, Taerae has just arrived and is going to meet Ji and Matthew hasn't arrived yet.
He looked at the younger man waiting for an explanation of what to write, they both didn't know why, it just came out naturally.
- Write that we haven't arrived yet and that I left my cell phone at home - Hanbin typed - Oh, and give me this. - and had his cell phone snatched out of his hands.
When he got it back, he could read the message: "Good evening friends, I really liked your position Gunwook - Gyuvin"
Only Gyuvin could praise a Gunwook making fun of Zhang Hao and Jiwoong.
Hanbin took the opportunity to explain to the rest of the group that he and Kim had things to do before the party and Gyuvin took the chance to steal the other's cell phone a few more times, which resulted in a mild argument after the youngest let it slip that they were going to talk about Hanbin's personal things.
In the end, he was able to breathe a sigh of relief because the other seven friends had found each other and were reassured by the idea of the two of them arriving later.
However, Gyuvin's reckless message had led to a worried Hao, who immediately sent a message asking if the boy was all right and that he was always there when he needed him.
Hanbin deflected this by saying that he understood and that he didn't even want to tell Gyuvin, he'd just found out - which wasn't a lie - and that he'd tell the Chinese guy later - which wasn't a lie either, if everything went well tonight.
Maybe it was to cheer up the Korean, but Hao couldn't not mention the fact that Jiwoong was trying to flirt with a younger guy from the biology faculty - Hanbin's class.
He could only laugh at that, for sure Jihyun would complain to Hanbin and ask him how he was still friends with that kind of person in the next class.
He continued the rest of the way calmly and agreed on the right plan with Gyuvin.
—-----
Sung Hanbin wished he had arrived at the party earlier and seen Jiwoong doing everything he could to flirt with Jihyun, at least then he would have been less nervous. He also felt he could get away from the Chinese guy he could see from a safe distance.
Don't take it personally.
Hanbin and Hao had been friends since childhood and without even knowing it. When he was younger, the Korean gave a little flower to a first-grade boy because he was crying in the playground corner. Years later, they remembered this and discovered that Zhang was actually rehearsing for a play he had to do that weekend. A flower killed for no purpose, sad.
No purpose that day because when they remembered they laughed and formed a new bond between the two that was impossible to break.
The fact that this bond exists makes Hanbin much more sure of what he's going to do tonight. He knows that if he's rejected he'll always get the same attention and an attempt to get things back to normal, but on the other hand he knows that he himself would be annoyed. And what's more, it's simply strange that his best friend of the same gender simply declares himself to him, because no matter how much time passes Hanbin will always be insecure about his sexuality. He's trying to improve that with his therapist if that makes my readers any happier!
By the way, it was Zhang Hao who awakened (in a very wrong way) Hanbin from his denial phase.
He doesn't know when his feelings for Hao began to deepen, after all he was always a person who touched others too much.
Sung needed hugs and hugging other people, kisses on the cheek and kissing others, hand-holding and any other physical contact, and he received these from Hao without hesitation. And Hao didn't complain when it was him doing it.
Perhaps it was these touches that had gotten him into this strange snowball, or perhaps it was the fact that the boy was simply passionate.
Zhang Hao was talented, sweet, cute, empathetic, a counselor, handsome (very handsome, the most handsome), and every other compliment on his tongue.
A short list that Hanbin mentally wrote down last year:
1.Hao made him feel energized with his energy.
2. the world needed Hao to multiply many times over!
3. Hao's smile was his morning sunshine, when he smiled with his eyes there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
4) Hao wasn't afraid to be himself and that was incredible in every way.
5. it was amazing how much love and honesty he conveyed
6. looking at the boy made him look for more and more minutes
and a few more items….
The important thing was that the Korean was madly in love with the other man and couldn't hide it any longer. Gyuvin, Gunwook and Yujin had already found out and talked to him about it. The other members of the friend group? He suspected that they all knew, they just didn't dare to talk.
Apart from the three youngest, the others maintained that it was only that person's problem.
It was because Gyuvin had found out that Sung Hanbin was here today. Wearing a white suit with silver details and an extremely elaborate mask, as well as makeup to make his lips look bigger.
I quote Kim Gyuvin's exact words about the plan:
"Every year they do that trick of turning off the lights for the Halloween prank, then you kiss him, thank you (but he'll recognize me - SH) Put on a mask, I don't know, that's actually a really cool idea, let's do it Hanbin!!! "
And here they are, waiting for the lights to go down or waiting for Hanbin to have a seizure and fall to the side in an infinite sigh. (He's a bit paranoid too).
- "Hanbin, I swear I'm on your side, but if you don't hold still with that leg, I'll kick you," Gyuvin said, snapping the other out of his deep and rather idiotic thoughts. The older man hadn't even realized that his leg was swinging excessively, hitting the foot of Kim's chair and causing the boy to sway slightly.
- Sorry. - He said it too quickly and immediately stopped still, all of which drew a sigh from his friend and made him get up from his chair and put his hands on Hanbin's shoulders, the way those drawings do when they're going to shake each other until little stars come out of their brains.
- Dude, relax, the lights will be off, you're wearing a mask and you'll be too close to him, which means your vision will blur - Sung looked confused, he didn't understand how being too close could help the Chinese man not identify him - It's scientifically proven!
The way Gyuvin put his index finger up while speaking with a smug air made the older man let out a short laugh (as much as he didn't believe Gyuvin's scientific articles, he had once talked about the consequences of watching Dragon Ball only to discover that they had been written by Taerae on a random blog).
- Everything's going to be fine, just breathe because it's going to be one o'clock in the morning in three minutes. - one o'clock and zero minutes in the morning: exactly the time when the lights go down.
- shit, shit, shit, shit - the tone of the swearing began to sound louder and more desperate and as much as the older man was freaking out Kim laughed, Hanbin usually judged them every time a random swear word escaped.
He started tapping his leg again, now knocking over the chair since Gyuvin hadn't sat back down yet.
- Now I'm going to be serious hyung - Hanbin looked at him, raising an eyebrow - Zhang Hao really, really likes you, whether in a romantic sense or not, he'll understand you one hundred percent. What's more, if you want my humble opinion, he'll match you before you even feel anything. And no one will realize it's you, everything will be fine, the worst that can happen is that he doesn't even accept the kiss. Now you're going to act like the twenty-two-year-old man you are and stop being afraid of your big high school crush, because we passed high school a long time ago. Act like the great extrovert who finds it easy to make friends, kiss that man, without fear, and be happy for at least the next few years.
And just in time. The lights go down after Gyuvin's speech.
The Halloween prank is always the same, "monsters" running everywhere. Which would be much cooler if the students chosen for the costumes really wanted to be there and hadn't been forced, the poor things barely had the energy to run. That's why they all went in zombie costumes.
In other words, Hanbin had a safe environment and a reasonable amount of time.
However, he was almost lifted up and forcibly pushed forward.
But Zhang Hao was alone, the boy was near a table full of sweets. Sung bet that he went to get something while everyone was dancing and didn't warn any of them, Hao only disappeared sometimes.
Somehow the fact that the Chinese boy was alone gave him some confidence (perhaps Gyuvin's speech had also influenced him, especially the part he interpreted as him not acting like a 22-year-old man).
He walked up to the boy in pure darkness and, thanks to some unknown god, didn't trip over the tablecloth on the drinks table.
The last few steps were extremely slow, Zhang Hao's back frightening him. Yes, his back, don't judge him.
To put an end to the Korean's suffering, the other man turned to him before he had to call out to him. He was already thinking about whether to tap him on the shoulder, say his name, run away and a few other options.
Hao said nothing, but Sung almost sighed with relief. For him, that was an indication that he hadn't been recognized!
The younger man placed his hand, as lightly and warmly as he knew how, between the other man's jaw and neck. He was almost trembling, and he thinks that's what drew a muffled laugh from the Chinese man.
Hanbin waited a moment, Zhang Hao nodded slightly. Green light. Hanbin's mind was going to short-circuit if he didn't move forward at that precise moment.
With this motivation, he moved forward, taking the last step without moving his feet in the slightest.
The lips touching was enough for Hanbin to feel all his senses relaxing as if, somehow, his body was used to it, perhaps in their past lives this had happened millions of times, or perhaps it was happening at this very moment in some parallel universe.
And feeling the other prolong the touch while putting his arm around his waist and his hand lightly resting on the small of his back woke his body from its serenity, but at the same time he wasn't nervous. Something between happiness and excitement coursed through Sung Hanbin's normally regulated veins. Was it the short circuit? He needs to stop thinking now.
And stopping thinking is the right choice. Enjoying the other man's lips, the small embarrassed touches he was giving himself, the less embarrassed touches of the taller man that would have tickled him in a normal moment but now made him smile and every time he smiled he felt the other man's muscles easing and his mouth tilting upwards too.
Even though his eyes were closed, Hanbin knew that this was a scene worthy of a movie.
After all this and an intense smile, Sung ran back to where Gyuvin was. The younger man was playing a little game on Hanbin's cell phone and he wondered when he had left it there, but it didn't matter, he was ecstatic.
- Kim Gyuvin, you're a genius. - said smiling, picking up the other costume he had reserved, just so Hao wouldn't recognize him, risks could still happen and should be avoided.
—-----
- Ask them where they are in the group!
- Do you really think they're going to be on their fucking cell phones in the middle of a party?
- Taerae always has the notifications on and it's so loud, he lives like an old man - the two ingenious friends were looking for the rest of their group, after all they were going to spend the party with them from now on. Hanbin had already changed and relaxed his nerves, in his head everything was fine and no one knew he was the guy in the mask.
Gyuvin even made a joke of calling him the Masked King as soon as he had finished changing.
And just as the youngest said Taerae was the first to respond to Hanbin in the group they had to talk to. Apparently they were sitting on some of the many tables with chairs around - except for Matthew, who somehow still had the energy to keep dancing.
After the Korean's almost calming message, Ricky and Yujin appeared as anxiety told them that Zhang Hao had disappeared. "He went out with his cell phone in his hand. Kind of crazy," Yujin said.
And the fact that Hao replied shortly afterwards saying that he needed to sort some things out but Sung would know where he was didn't calm him down either.
Even so, the Korean didn't think about the possibility of the other knowing about him being behind the mask. Everything had been planned very carefully, right? Right! He needn't be afraid.
They headed for a Dracula painting on a random wall, after all, the table underneath was full of familiar faces.
However, before they could say hello to their friends, Hanbin's cell phone lit up again, showing a notification from "soulmate:( 💓"
"Hanbin? I didn't think you'd disappear now"
Yes, he was very nervous, very nervous indeed.
Me
I didn't disappear?
I was looking for you especially
I'm going near the other boys
Soulmate:(💓
:(
Me
???
Soulmate:(💓
You make a fool of yourself binnie...
Or don't you know what happened?
Now even I'm ashamed to say it:(
Me
I’m nervous?!
I didn't do anything, did I?:((((((((
Soulmate:(💓
These sad faces make me feel sorry for you plss.
But you did Hanbin...
You just disappeared after giving me something I'd been waiting for all my life.
Me
?????
You're mysterious Hao
That's not normal
Soulmate:(💓
So you really thought a mask that barely covers your nose would be able to hide you from ME?
Cute :)
- Kim Gyuvin I hate you more than anything in the world - Hanbin practically shouted, getting louder and louder and making Gyuvin cringe as the rest of the table laughed out loud.
- Hao hyung always misses the best moments as best he can? - Gunwook asked, receiving a disapproving and tired look from Sung.
- I'll put it on Twitter, don't worry - Taerae said, looking into Hanbin's still frightened eyes.
- hyung - Yujin called out to the clearly angry boy - they're sending you messages. - How the hell did he never notice his cell phone screen lighting up with notifications?
After three messages from Hao asking Hanbin to answer him soon, he started receiving different texts.
"I'm just a poor boy who wants to kiss you again and be the happiest man in the world"
Hanbin felt like screaming
"Will you grant me this wish? Do you want to hear the truth, my favorite coward?"
Hanbin can almost see the scream in his throat.
"I love you very much Sung Hanbin, I've always loved you very much. That little flower was the best thing I've ever received in my life. I'm in love with every gesture or habit of yours, as strange as it sounds to say this out of the blue today after a kiss, but my high school years were spent admiring how caring and dedicated you were to everyone around you. You make me believe that the world has no evil in it and I love that. I can't see myself without you so please come to me because now you know I'm on the outside. Through the back door"
Hanbin screamed, my God he screamed so loud. But fuck, nobody cares, who cares? He wanted to shout even more.
- Are you okay, man? - Jiwoong started to say, but the other man had already gotten up and was almost sprinting to the back door.
As he made his way outside, he answered his favorite boy's messages. After all, he had a big green alert in his head.
Me
Fuck
Oh, shit
I don't know what to say
Soulmate:(💓
Maybe one more kiss?
Me
Stop being thirsty Zhang Hao
Soulmate:(💓
For you?
Never.
Me
NSJCJWJXJAKKXKS
I LOVE YOU
I'M GONNA FREAK OUTNJXJSJXKE
IF I COME OUT JUMPING WILL YOU KILL ME?
Soulmate:(💓
LOL?
No??
But I still want the kiss
Me
Yes sir!
Hanbin finally arrived outside and saw a Chinese man with a cell phone in his hand smiling at him after slowly looking at him. He went back to writing on his cell phone and the Korean felt it vibrate in his hand.
Soulmate:(💓
wait….
You've even changed your costume
How hard did you work?
Me
Stop, I genuinely thought it would work out
:(
Soulmate:(💓
And it didn't?
I'm here now.
As he replied and read the messages, Sung continued to move forward, more and more slowly. It wasn't nervousness that held him back, but the desire to carry on like this forever, the desire to make the first declaration of a young love remain marked. He wanted it for that moment, he wanted it for him and Zhang Hao.
Me
With that in mind...
Soulmate:(💓
And you'd look better with the other one, you know?
Not that it's ugly, you're Sung Hanbin, my love.
But I've already told you that white looks beautiful on you.
Me
I love you omg
Soulmate:(💓
Two steps away.
Me
Put the phone down.
- Put your phone down - Hao said, taking the cell phone from the other man's hand and putting them both in his pocket. Hanbin didn't have time to wonder how two cell phones could fit in one pocket.
Sung approached this time without the slightest fear or desire to make the moment last even longer - that time could be saved for the next act.
After all, their lips touching in the most romantic way in the world was worth a lot more than their gazes being exchanged with intensity and amusement - at least, at that moment it was worth a lot more.
And my God, those lips are so wonderful. As well as being soft and perfectly sculpted to fit the Korean's, they made him feel sensations that he seriously believes not even the heaviest of drugs could make him feel. Was that passion?
No, that was love. Pure love. And Hanbin felt it when Zhang Hao's hand placed itself on his neck, caressing it soothingly with his thumb as they explored the sensations in each other's mouths.
Hanbin felt the other smile in the middle of it all and pull away slightly, leaving him in pure confusion.
- Did you apply something to enlarge your lips? - the Chinese man laughed when he saw the other man's ears easily and quickly turning an extremely red color - Do that more often, my love.
And he quickly brought his lips and his feelings back together. They wouldn't be leaving any time soon; from now on, Sung Hanbin and Zhang Hao's relationship would be one of stolen kisses, meaningful hugs and practically clasped hands.
They were both so looking forward to it that it was even funny.
But who cares? They were something now.