Chapter Text
It was the final week of exams, the last week before Christmas, and Hao was starting to think that he might not make it through the year without committing manslaughter after all.
How many years would he get? Two? Five? If they ever caught him, that is, but if he hid the body well and acted a fool, maybe he’d get away with it. Or would that fall under premeditated murder, risking even more years if busted? And if he did go to prison, would he be forced to work out every day? Oh, he’d hate that. He’d hate it even more if there was no heating system, Hao needed at least 23 degrees Celsius for him to feel comfortable (any hopes for being toasty were thrown out the window, he knew he did not have the means to go to a luxurious prison). Would they provide any source of entertainment, at the very least? Any safety measures? Were the soaps actually solid and should he live with the fear of dropping them?
He was spiraling. The longer Hao heard that damned Gummy Bear song, the more ways his pretty head would come up with to end the life of his beloved roommate, who had still not turned off his alarm, not even after ten whole minutes of his phone ringing again, and again, and again. Maybe dearest Quanrui had done him the favour of passing already, saving Hao of all the trouble, and that was why he hadn’t turned off the alarm yet. Hao knew that wasn’t the case, though - he had been dealing with this for the past two years.
“Shen Quanrui, will you please wake up already!?” Hao’s voice boomed through the cramped room, somehow louder than the alarm; and just in case it wasn’t enough to wake his friend, he also made a point of throwing his pillow across the small space between their beds, straight for the other man’s head. A groan was heard then, the first sign of life (Hao wasn’t sure whether to be glad or not that his friend had made it through the night), and after a few moments of hearing multiple light thuds and taps against dull surfaces, the song finally stopped. At last. Peace.
“How rude.”
Wrong. No peace was to be had when Quanrui had to get ready for an early exam, when his whole morning routine was not only long and tedious, with more hours spent on skincare than on dressing up, but the man had no regard for silence, either. There he was, already talking, sweet lovely Quanrui, sitting up in bed with his stupid hair falling perfectly into place, even after removing the powder pink soft cotton Victoria’s Secret sleeping mask he used to cover his eyes.
“Rude?” Hao scoffed at his roommate, “It took you ten whole minutes to turn off your alarm. Ten!” His voice stayed loud, even if it was six in the morning on what was supposed to be an otherwise peaceful Wednesday, and he may be waking their neighbours - if there were any neighbours left to disturb, after everyone on their floor must have already been subjugated by Quanrui’s awful alarm choice.
“You’re getting worse, Rui. Can you at least change the song?”
“Nope,” came the simple response, ending with a soft pop of his lips. “I’ve had this one for years, puts me in a good mood.”
Oh, and Quanrui sure was in a good mood. He got out of bed with unrivalled grace, a spring in his step and a hum on his lips as he made his way to the bathroom, ready to wash up and give Hao a concert that he never bought tickets for. He didn’t get it. The alarm barely ever worked, Rui had long learned how to tune it out, and calling it ‘annoying’ did not even begin to cover just how the song made Hao feel, so the ‘good mood’ Quanrui spoke so highly of made no sense to him. But he digressed. With a whine, loud and high-pitched, Hao curled under his blanket to try and drown out his roommate’s singing and the sound of running water, now grumpy and pillow-less. At least he still had a few hours till his own exam.
Ten minutes.
The number seemed to haunt him today. His exam would start in ten minutes and Hao was still running down the hallways, hair dishevelled, not a gram of makeup on his face, and the shoelaces of his boots undone. A disgrace. Hao was never seen outside his place looking anything less than perfect, but while Rui woke up flawless, he actually had to gussy up a bit more than that - when he had the time and if his entire morning was not disrupted by a stupid roommate and a stupid song. He had managed to fall back asleep, eventually, but with no set alarm and only his internal body clock to trust, a mistake he now swore not to repeat.
“Shit– shit, fuck, shit–”
A string of whispered curses slipped from Hao’s lips as he ran, pushing past other students, hoping that he wouldn't trip over his own shoelaces, and praying that Quanrui was not having a good day. This was his fault, all of it, and he was going to make it up to Hao, one way or another.
“Fuck– Sorry!” Hao bumped into another student hard enough to make him drop his textbook, but he had no time to stop, barely any time to look back, and he could only hope that he would still be let into the exam hall. Two minutes. His phone read exactly two minutes to the start of the exam, but luckily, he had only one final corner to turn. He was going to make it.
Two hours, one exam, and thousands of dead neurons later, Hao plopped himself down at a table in the quaint little café he and his friends liked to frequent. It was located just outside of campus, small and hidden enough for it not to be too popular, with warm lights shining over wooden tabletops and cream coloured couches. This café also happened to have some of the best roast they had tried and since they consumed the devil’s bitter juice on the regular, used it as replacement for water during exam season even, it had to be of the highest quality.
“Will one of you please switch roommates with me?” Hao whined as soon as he had sat down.
“Absolutely not,” muttered Yujin, without even looking up from his phone, ever the disinterested one.
“Sorry, hyung,” Gunwook followed suit, kind enough to flash an apologetic smile his way and actually sound genuinely regretful.
“For the tenth time, no,” Taerae spoke up next, dismissive and bored. He had been subjected to this topic one too many times already.
“I’m literally sitting right here.”
Quanrui scoffed at his friends, at how not a single one of them seemed willing, let alone eager, to live with him - but he wasn’t all too offended. Did he know his behaviour and habits were bothersome? So he’d been told. Did he actually care? Well, he definitely did not care enough to change them, not when they were a core part of his being (at least that’s what he vehemently believed). Besides, he would have never asked his friends to change their habits, so why should he? They simply had to live with it.
“I almost missed my exam because of you,” Hao threw a glare at his roommate, filled with wrath and a craving for destruction, but they all knew better than that. Hao was, virtually speaking, harmless. He had one too many violent thoughts, there was no doubt about it, and daily urges to wring people’s necks (starting with Quanrui), but he would never act on them. As much as he liked to pretend that he was a cold and mean bastard, whining and complaining at any given moment, he was ultimately… soft. Even if he refused to admit it.
“No, you almost missed your exam because you’re irresponsible,” Rui bit back, lips tugged into a warm smile, one that was born out of the man’s inability to feel remorse. It was that exact mentality that drove Hao insane. Before he could respond though and risk starting an all too common argument with Quanrui, one in which only Hao would get mad while his friend enjoyed every single second of it, Gunwook was quick to push a drink in front of Hao to diffuse the situation, successfully so.
“You’re an angel,” Hao gasped as his hands immediately curled around the mug. Warm to the touch, the scent of coffee made all stress dissipate from his body, the whipped cream on top calling to him, and he instantly recognised the drink for what it was: a hazelnut latte. His favourite.
“Rui hyung bought it,” Yujin chimed in, still not bothering to look up from the small device in his hand.
Of course he had. Maybe Quanrui did not exactly feel remorse and he definitely did not do anything to change his behaviour, but he did know one thing - how to appease Hao. It was why they were still best friends, growing up joined at the hip and deciding to go to university in Seoul together as well, they had stayed best friends despite their contradicting lifestyles. They made it work.
He did not thank Rui, though, not verbally. Instead, he only briefly narrowed his eyes at his friend, as if still deciding whether this coffee was enough to make up for his crimes, but he supposed he’d have to wait for the exam results to truly make a choice. If Hao passed, then he was off the hook; if he failed, then Rui could start counting his days. For now, however, the manslaughtering had been postponed.
“Hold on.” Hao had just managed to take a sip of his drink.
All banter aside, Taerae's answer to his roommate exchange request now resurfaced to the frontline of his thoughts. The dismissive tone was nothing new and if it had been any other day, Hao would have ignored his words, too, but now they rang through his head in circles: ‘For the tenth time, no’. There it was again, that cursed number, the one that had been haunting him since the early morning.
“Why ten?” he asked out loud.
Taerae was visibly confused. The poor man had probably not even said it on purpose, his own words long forgotten by now, judging by how he stared at Hao as if he had grown a second head.
“Ten what?”
“You said ten,” Hao quickly continued, his brows furrowed and his tongue quickly swiping over his lip to get rid of any lingering whipped cream. “Whatever, I just… I keep seeing it today. Isn't that, like, an angel number or something?”
He knew close to nothing about spirituality. He always dismissed Taerae when he brought up their zodiac signs or whenever the boys asked for tarot readings from him. He just did not believe any of it, did not even see the fun in it, but if anyone had an explanation for Hao spotting the number everywhere, then it was Taerae. Might as well entertain him for once.
“Wow, you? Asking about angel numbers? Are you finally having your awakening?” Taerae gasped, eyes wide and lips tugged into an exaggerated smile.
“Shut up and just tell me what it means before I change my mind.”
“Which one is it, shut up or tell you?” Yujin spoke up, making everyone around the table - except Hao - snicker.
“You, shut up. Taerae, tell me,” Hao grumbled. He loved Yujin to bits, he really did, but gosh did Taerae’s younger brother have a smart mouth on him.
“It usually means completion,” Taerae sighed, bringing his elbows up to rest them on the table. “Abundance, fortune, prosperity - it’s a good omen,” he added, but his voice trailed off, not sounding entirely confident.
“But?” Hao egged him on. He tried not to show concern, or any type of reaction for that matter. He was merely asking Taerae for fun, it wasn’t as if he believed in any of it.
“No buts,” Taerae shrugged. “Completion just also means the start of a new chapter.”
Hao wasn’t sure whether to relax or not. Even as he turned his gaze back onto his coffee, staring at the whipped cream on top slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the warm liquid as if it would give him the answers he sought, there was this looming feeling of dread that swallowed him whole, inch by inch. He never really liked change all that much. In fact, it terrified him.
“Maybe your spirit guides finally decided to step in since you’re so hopeless.” Count on Quanrui to take a jab at him this time, one that had Hao hissing and lightly kicking the man’s shin under the table, his eyes now narrowed at him.
“You’re on thin ice, Shen Quanrui,” he threatened, without any true malice behind his words. Judging by the laughter that erupted around the table and the eye roll he received from none other than his roommate, not a single one of his friends believed him. Harmless, as always - and hopeless now, too, it seemed.
“I just sat my last exam… And the year is ending, so of course it’s completion,” Hao sighed, finding the quickest, most logical answer.
As expected, Taerae provided no true insight with his spirituality - and even if he had, Hao wouldn’t have believed him anyway. Not that Taerae cared or needed Hao’s approval in the slightest. All he did was shrug in response to Hao’s words, before their conversation drifted elsewhere. They began talking about their plans for the winter holidays, how they had all decided to skip out on their families this time around and spend both Christmas and New Year's Eve together, for the first time, with a promise to see their parents for Lunar New Year instead. They rented out a cabin, giddy at the idea of hiding in the mountains for a week to eat and drink to their hearts’ content, just the five of them.
“Oh, right, I invited more people.”
Or not.
“I’m sorry, you what?” Hao blinked in disbelief at the culprit. Manslaughter was officially back on the agenda.
“I asked Gyuvin what plans he had for the holidays and he said none. So, I said he could join us,” Quanrui shrugged, as nonchalant as ever, but the tips of his ears betrayed him. He was blushing.
“Oh my fucking God, you invited your crush,” Hao groaned.
“Does that mean you’ll get a New Year’s kiss, hyung?” Gunwook sat up, his excitement seeping through, eyes wide and brows raised. If one squinted hard enough, they could almost see a tail wagging around him, too.
“No! Yes? I don’t know, maybe,” Rui was quick to hide behind his own mug, but the flush on his cheeks would not go unnoticed. Especially not by Hao, who knew him far better than he wished he had at this point.
“You’re betraying us,” he closed his eyes, sighing out in an all too dramatic manner.
“I agree, this is betrayal,” Taerae nodded solemnly, while Yujin, for the first time since Hao had arrived, finally put his phone away.
“Just Gyuvin?”
“Well, no…” Quanrui trailed off, his gaze shifty as he eyed everyone around the table, before he remembered who he was: a man with no scruples.
“He asked if he could bring a couple of friends. I said yes - and before you complain! I think they’re single, so maybe some of you,” he paused, a long finger stretched to point around the table, “will also get a New Year’s kiss.”
“Don’t act like you did this for us!” Hao was the first to complain.
“I forgive your betrayal.” Taerae had switched up so fast Hao wasn't sure he had heard correctly, but Yujin's laughter confirmed it. He was surrounded by traitors.
“Wow…” Hao scoffed yet again, staring first at Taerae, then back at Quanrui in disbelief. “Is loyalty dead?” he tried, looking clearly exasperated. No one seemed to care much, though, or at least they weren’t as bothered as Hao, judging by the way every single one of them was laughing without holding back.
He knew that there was nothing he could say to change Quanrui’s mind, no matter how hard he tried, not when he had already asked Gyuvin to join. As much as Hao wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with his friends only, a holiday that he otherwise did not even celebrate, he wasn’t one to retract invitations, whether they were made by himself or not. He simply had to suck it up and hope Gyuvin and his friends weren't as insufferable as his own group was behaving at this very moment.
“So, how many friends is he bringing along then?” He relented with a sigh, slowly accepting his fate.
“Three.”
“Three?!” His voice raised to a high pitched squeal, eyes widening, while laughter erupted around the table again. It was as if they enjoyed seeing Hao suffer.
“Guess we’ll need more alcohol then,” Gunwook muttered.
More alcohol, more food, and more prayers for Quanrui because, at the rate he was going, Hao may not let him see the next year at all.
It's a day before New Year’s Eve and the cars are overflowing with luggage. Did they pack too much? Maybe, but Hao never even attempted to be a light packer, it just wasn't in his nature - neither was it in Quanrui's. This wasn't about their own personal belongings, though, but more so about the ridiculous amounts of food and drinks they had crammed into the cooler bags that Gunwook was now struggling to organise in the trunks of their cars (he had always been the best at tetris and puzzles).
“No, no, put that one on top,” Yujin chimed in, actually focusing for once and proving to be useful by helping Gunwook. The youngest's excitement was palpable, and when the one guy in the group that was usually unbothered by anything, his emotions never fluctuating, was actually getting hyped up for something, then everyone else was feeling irreversibly giddy, too.
Except for Hao. It wasn't that the man did not feel excited - he had waited months for this trip - but until he made sure they actually had packed every single thing they needed, he would not rest. It was why he kept counting the bags, making sure that everyone's luggage was stored in, that they had brought all the necessities and then some, that they had not forgotten any of the food, or the soft drinks, or the alcohol. He was stressing out and if anyone could tell, then it was Quanrui.
“Hao, chill,” the words were soft, quiet despite the ruckus around him. It was almost as if Quanrui truly did not wish to draw more attention to them and keep their conversation private, strangely enough. “It will be fine, I promise,” he continued, hands coming down to rest upon Hao's shoulders to give them a brief squeeze, a light massage. His friend would always get stressed rather easily and Rui knew how that translated into his body, into tense shoulders and aching joints, and that was the last thing Hao needed before a long drive to their destination.
“I just want to make sure we don't forget anything,” Hao muttered, teeth worrying at his lower lip. He was restless, he knew as much, Taerae had clocked him from the moment he laid eyes on his furrowed brows and clenched jaw in the early morning, but no one really knew how to help him diffuse his stress, not entirely.
“We can always text the guys if we suddenly remember anything else.”
Hao supposed Quanrui was right. The others would only arrive later in the evening, so that was a decent backup plan, but he did not want one, he did not wish to rely on strangers, no matter how highly Quanrui spoke of them, no matter how decent they had seemed in the groupchat they made prior to the trip. Four guys, four new people Hao had never met before, four strangers Hao wasn't sure he'd even like at all, but he was willing to try. For Quanrui and his stupid little crush.
“Alright, we're all set!” Gunwook's voice interrupted his train of thought, and with a final pat to his shoulders, Quanrui also stepped away from him. Well, this was it, he supposed. The trip they had been planning for months was finally happening, but aside from the addition of a few new people, everything else should go smoothly and according to plan. Surely.
Hao sighed, finally relenting as he walked around one of their two vehicles to get in the passenger seat next to Quanrui and be his designated co-pilot, the way it's always been. As he strapped in, Rui did a final check of all the bags occupying the backseat, just to make sure nothing would shift and fall during the drive, before bringing his attention to the most important task of all: the playlist for the road.
“I can't believe it's finally happening,” Quanrui breathed out, his soft voice betraying his disbelief as he selected the playlist they had carefully curated for this very drive.
“It doesn't feel real,” Hao agreed, words just as whispered and filled with shock.
A moment of silence followed, one in which the two best friends turned their heads to face each other, to stare for a moment - and then break out into huge, blinding smiles. It was real. The shouts of excitement that followed suit could be heard from both cars, loud and borderline obnoxious even as they drove out of the parking lot, and they had only ceased once the cold got to them and everyone sadly had to roll up their windows.
The resort was even better than they expected. Of course, it looked stunning on the website when they had found it, but photos could always be deceiving, altered just right to rope in more and more customers. This time, though, the photos did not do it justice. Maybe their excitement was to blame, the fact that this was their first trip with the whole group, away in the mountains for the holidays, but they were surrounded by a winter wonderland with snowy peaks and clear skies, Christmas lights decorating the two-story villa before them. They were away from the better part of society, left to their own devices, yet free to be as loud and as wild as they could possibly muster. Yes, everything was perfect, so beautiful that even Hao had managed to relax, to loosen up, and not let himself be affected even by the thought of more people arriving soon. Nothing and no one could take away his happiness, he wouldn’t let them.
Unpacking went fairly quickly and once they had safely tucked everything away, the boys gathered all together in the kitchen for the first meal of their trip, one that Gunwook had offered to prepare, aided by Taerae. Quanrui was far too tired after the drive to even attempt standing in front of the stove, Yujin would rarely ever offer, and as for Hao, well, they’d all rather not let him near any raw food. No, the latter was better off just eating, not cooking.
“Is there anything else you guys need?” Quanrui’s voice cut through the low background noise, the music playing from the speakers mixing in with the sizzling sounds of food cooking atop the stove and with the boys’ muffled voices as they chatted away.
A few suggestions were thrown here and there, mentions of snacks they craved or ingredients for what they had suddenly planned on cooking later in the day, with only Hao remaining quiet for the most part. No, he already had everything he wanted or needed, he had been planning for a long time, after all - but perhaps there was one snack he could go for, despite the cold weather.
“Can you tell them to get ice cream, too? Doesn’t matter what kind,” he turned to face Quanrui from where he sat in the kitchen, his upper body mostly draped over the small table before him. He only received a nod in response, as he noted Quanrui’s thumbs quickly moving across the screen, most likely passing all their requests onto the others. Hao’s phone did not light up, though, so the texts were not sent in the groupchat, which could really only mean one thing.
“Talking to Gyuvin?” Hao teased, a lazy smile curling on his lips. He hadn’t spoken too loudly, but the name alone had been enough to get Yujin’s attention, at the very least, while Gunwook and Taerae were still mostly absorbed in their own conversation, busying themselves over the stove.
“You two have grown closer since the invite, haven’t you?” The youngest did not waste any time in pulling his chair closer, lips stretching into a coy grin while his eyes, playfully narrowed and as piercing as ever, pinned Quanrui down. There truly was no escaping Yujin, not his jabs and teases, nor his scrutinising eyes and infiltrating behaviour.
“I guess,” Quanrui tried to sound dismissive, shrugging but not looking up from his phone. Hao and Yujin exchanged a knowing look.
“Oh, you’re so hooking up on this trip,” Hao snickered. He loved teasing his best friend, sure, but beyond all that, he was actually deeply, genuinely happy for him. It wasn’t easy for Quanrui to find anyone to be interested in, especially not to the point he’d invite them over on a trip, choose to spend the holidays together and, above everything else, blush whenever their name was mentioned. No, Quanrui was positively and utterly whipped, and they all secretly found it endearing.
Hours went by like this, lounging about the resort after they’d had their meal, with some of them opting to take a brief nap, while the others sat down to watch a movie, until the sun sank lower and lower beneath the horizon and the lights inside the villa turned on one by one, enveloping the place in a warm, cosy light. By the time the faint sounds of running engines could be heard from outside, growing louder and louder until they eventually came to a full stop, everyone had gathered in the living room downstairs, scattered about over the sofa, armchairs, or the floor. But this was when their peaceful time (or as peaceful as it could be when any given two boys would start bickering every half an hour) would finally come to an end, because they knew the dull thuds on the other side of the entrance could only mean one thing: the other group had arrived.
Naturally, Quanrui was the first to get up from his seat in the corner of the couch, where he had comfortably wrapped himself up in a soft blanket and normally it would have taken either a lot of blackmailing or a lot of promises to get him to stand up. Not this time, though, because reaching the main entrance seemed to be Rui’s only goal, not even bothering to put his jacket on before opening the door to greet the others - or, rather, to greet Gyuvin.
Hao’s curiosity was no secret. Even though he had acted dismissive from the very start, reluctant to spend New Year’s Eve with anyone other than his group of friends, there was an itch that Hao simply had to scratch. He had to meet this Gyuvin guy, the boy that his best friend was so infatuated with but had only mainly heard stories of, seen perhaps in passing, and talked to in the groupchat they now all shared. Nothing more. He needed to see him, to understand just what it was that had Quanrui so wrapped around his finger, so willing to drop all rationality and behave like nothing but a young teenager experiencing his first crush. Well, he supposed the last part was half true, at the very least. Quanrui, despite all the dates he had ever been on and relationships he had pursued, had never been in love.
He did not go out of his way to meet Quanrui’s crush, though. Instead, Hao perked up a little bit from his spot on the couch, neck stretched out and head turned to peek over the edge of the couch as unfamiliar voices reached his ears, one by one. The faces, he could vaguely recognise based on the profile pics of the men’s accounts alone, but anything else about them remained a mystery to him. First person to step into view had been none other than Quanrui himself, with Gyuvin right by his side. Yes, he remembered all too clearly now, spotting the two together on campus more than once, sometimes with coffees in hand, other times just with a random textbook or a laptop. They looked slightly different now - not in the sense that their appearance had changed but, rather, that they seemed less awkward, walked closer to each other to the point Hao could see their arms touching, their words flowing out effortlessly and their smiles, bright and somewhat sheepish, mirroring each other. Alright, maybe he did not regret agreeing to this after all, not if it meant his best friend could become a fool in love, a happy one.
Gyuvin’s friends poured in after him, first a tall man with ebony black hair and a piercing gaze, then a much shorter one, with a smile bright enough to rival Gunwook’s own, both of them carrying a bag in each hand. Jiwoong and Matthew, there was no doubt about it. Both men had distinctive features and traits, even if the lousy, pixelated profile photos barely did them any justice, and Hao raised a hand to wave at them both as the two groups began greeting each other officially for the first time, face to face.
Then the fourth and final friend walked in. Now, in his case, the profile picture definitely did not do him justice. Hao was not the type to stalk, to bother looking up social media accounts and figure out every detail of a person’s life, especially not when they were already in a groupchat together, about to spend the final holiday of the year at the same resort. No, he figured he could get to know all of them in person, organically, since he would probably not need to interact with them past the threshold of him belonging to Quanrui’s group. But he did not expect this.
Tall, although perhaps not taller than him, hair black and dishevelled, skin fair but for the dark flush on the apples of his cheeks, and eyes barely visible as he smiled at everyone, flashing a pair of whisker dimples while waving in return. Sung Hanbin. He was Gyuvin’s third friend, the one that did not say much in the groupchat, other than ‘yes!’, ‘we can grab that!’, and the all-too-repetitive ‘of course!’, but until this very moment, Hao had been uncertain what to expect of him. The man’s profile photo left much to be desired. Aesthetically pleasing, sure, with Hanbin’s side profile facing the camera, and if that did not conceal his features enough, then he made sure to hide most of his face in a black scarf as well, all while he posed beneath a cherry blossom tree. So, this was what he looked like. Hao wondered why Hanbin even bothered hiding his face when he clearly had nothing to be embarrassed of.
It was just curiosity, though - that was what Hao told himself as he finally moved to stand from the couch, the two groups gathering in the long hallway.
“Did you have a safe drive here?” Gunwook was the first to speak up, smiling as he approached the guys. He had always been rather extroverted, a pleasure to be around and just generally easy-going. If there was anyone that would make friends out of Gyuvin’s group, then it was Gunwook, without a doubt.
“Yeah, we had no problems. I hope we didn’t forget anything, though,” Jiwoong was the one to reply and those words alone had Hao tensing up. Surely, they had brought everything they needed, right? Well, Hao had also brought extras for the new guys, just in case, even when they had reassured them that they would be taking care of their own needs, but Hao was a worrisome man by nature. And if they did not have enough food and drinks to satisfy nine guys, then things could go bad rather quickly, at least in Hao’s exaggerated mindset.
“I’m sure we’ll be fine. Let me show you guys to your rooms,” Quanrui was quick to dismiss them, but whether it was because of the monster he knew lurked inside Hao or just due to his genuine lack of interest, he could not tell. Especially as Quanrui led Gyuvin up the stairs, with Jiwoong and Matthew in tow to bring all the luggage to their bedrooms, and Gunwook following close behind after offering to help. It was Hanbin that stayed behind, the one in charge of carrying the bags of food and drinks, and now helplessly looking around him for guidance, like a lost puppy.
“The kitchen’s this way,” Hao finally spoke, reaching to carry one of the bags from Hanbin before leading the way and only vaguely registering the words of gratitude from the latter.
Luckily for Hao’s mental health - and for Quanrui’s wellbeing - it seemed that the newcomers were not as hopeless as he feared. The more food he stowed away, the more items Hao could tick off his list, relieved to note that they had more than enough food, plenty of alcohol, and even more snacks than they asked for, but he would always choose excess over lack thereof. It was in one of the cooling bags that he found ice cream as per request, but what had stopped him in his tracks was not the act of finding it, but rather the choice of ice cream, especially when he hadn’t given any instructions.
“I hope I got the right one,” Hanbin spoke, his voice much closer than Hao expected. The man was standing right by his side now, whereas he used to be by the fridge a few steps away mere moments ago, and Hao could not help but stare with widened eyes, the surprise hitting him from all sides.
“They didn’t have a lot of options around this time of year,” Hanbin added, his lips now pursing into an apologetic smile. He looked uncertain, his brows subtly furrowed as he eyed Hao, almost as if he was trying to study his face, to read his expression and search for any signs of disappointment.
“You chose it?” Hao resorted to asking first, one brow cocked as he held one of the ice cream cones up. Hanbin was easy to read, the way his eyes widened as if he was being accused of something, and Hao had to reel back every single urge bubbling within him to tease the younger man. They had just met, after all. What sort of image would Hao create for himself if his first conversation with Hanbin would be him bullying the man?
“Yeah… Why? Do you not like it?” There it was again, that slight tremor in Hanbin’s voice betraying his concerns, his fear that he may have made a mistake. It was rather adorable to be this worried over ice cream, he thought.
“It’s my favourite,” Hao decided to relent and cut Hanbin some slack. There was no point trying to hold back the melodic chuckles that left him when Hanbin all but visibly deflated before his very eyes, even going as far as letting out a small puff of air, a breath of relief.
“Gosh, for a second there, I thought you were about to revoke my rights of sleeping here. I was ready to claim Jiwoong hyung’s car for the night,” Hanbin shook his head with a smile.
The words had earned a gasp out of Hao, playful and somewhat exaggerated, but Hanbin made it too easy for Hao to tease him.
“Over ice cream? Is that what you think of me?” He put on his best pout, a feigned expression of hurt and disbelief, all while staring straight into Hanbin’s eyes. He had a point to prove, that he was not this demon Hanbin made him out to be (and even if he were, Hanbin had no business clocking him this quickly).
“Well, no…” Hanbin trailed off, but Hao spotted the way he had to bite back a smile. So, Hanbin was also in on this teasing game, willing to push Hao’s buttons just to earn a reaction. “But I’ve seen the things you type to your friends in the groupchat. I’d just hate to get on your bad side, that’s all,” Hanbin shrugged, before he grabbed the now empty bags to store them away.
Oh, Hanbin was good. Bringing up Hao’s texts and the way he absolutely had no shame flaming his friends, even around strangers? Claiming that Hao could be fearsome, to the point that he’d demand Hanbin slept outside for taking one wrong step? He wasn’t sure how to feel about it. On one hand, Hao scoffed quietly, boring holes into the back of Hanbin’s head as he watched him move about the kitchen to tidy it up, solely because this man, this stranger, had the audacity to pretend he had read right through him and made him out to be this merciless, unforgiving monster. On the other hand, Hao was intrigued. Before him stood a man he had never met before, that he had merely conversed with over text, but that matched him in turn of phrase without effort, that was even bold enough to tease him in return. Maybe this trip wasn’t going to be as dreadful as he feared.
“You’re lucky you started off on the right foot then, Hanbin-ssi,” Hao mused, deciding to play along. Yes, banter was much more fun than forcing himself to take offence with the man’s words, especially when all Hanbin was trying to do was just rile him up a little. Now, whether his words were actually compliments or insults, Hao would have to wait and see.
“But you’re on thin ice,” Hao continued, just as he hoisted himself up to sit on the countertop. His attention then fell onto the ice cream in his hand, carefully ripping away the top part of the packaging and about to just discard it to the side for now, when Hanbin’s hand came into view, palm facing upwards, waiting.
“I’ll throw it out for you.”
It was a simple act and Hao handed the stained paper over without a word, but he was surprised nonetheless. Hanbin was an odd one, with a seemingly contradicting personality that Hao could not quite wrap his head around just yet. First, it was the belated realization that Hanbin was ridiculously handsome, yet did nothing to showcase it online and did not flaunt his good looks as others did (including himself and a good handful of their friends). Then came the stark contrast between Hanbin being genuinely nice, something Hao had noticed from the fear in his eyes when he thought he had bought the wrong ice cream, and the ease with which he teased him, as if he knew the banter would be received well. He tried not to let it show, but his curiosity was growing by the second, especially as he learned more and more about the man before him, even if at a slow pace. Organically, just the way he had wanted to.
“So, how do you know Gyuvin?” Hao asked, giving a tentative lick to his ice cream. Sweet but cold, tingling on his tongue and sending shivers down his spine. For someone who detested the cold and always suffered throughout the entirety of winter, ice cream was the one vice he could not and would not renounce.
“We used to go to highschool together,” Hanbin began, leaning against the counter opposite from Hao as he faced him, with his arms now coming up to fold over his chest. There was a laid back energy to Hanbin, a comfort that emanated from his body and radiated around him, not unlike the same one Hao felt around Gunwook. A good sign, he supposed.
“We were deskmates for three years. Now I can’t get rid of him,” he clicked his tongue, but Hao could tell it was no more than a harmless joke. Hanbin’s voice dripped with fondness for his friend.
“I see we’re stuck in a similar predicament,” Hao sighed dramatically, staring at the ice cream. “Quanrui latched onto me when we were in elementary school. Consider yourself lucky, at least you didn’t witness Gyuvin at the start of his puberty. Who knows what that was like?” he joked, even if he had no ill-intentions towards Gyuvin.
Hanbin seemed to realise that, for he played along without taking any offence, and even playfully shuddered at Hao’s words, as if the thought alone disturbed him.
“Lucky indeed. I’ve seen the photos, heard the stories… But he grew up well, at least. I may have had something to do with that but I digress,” Hanbin added with a wave of his hand. His feigned nonchalance was amusing enough for Hao to chuckle, but it wasn’t that which caught his attention; rather, it was the reassurance that Gyuvin had grown to be a decent guy. Even if he wasn’t certain just how much trust he could place into Hanbin’s words, when he was clearly a close and loyal friend of Gyuvin’s.
“Did he? Grow up well?” Hao pressed, his smile faltering just a tad as he pinned Hanbin with his gaze. He wanted the other man to know he was serious this time around, that it mattered to him. His opinion of Gyuvin was not a bad one, the boy seemed harmless enough, but he had to be certain. For Quanrui’s sake.
“He did,” Hanbin answered just as seriously, noting the shift in Hao’s demeanour. His eyes were also vaguely narrowed, as if they were searching for something, and Hao felt an awful lot like he was staring into a mirror. Strange.
“And Ricky, is he decent?” Hanbin returned the question, using Quanrui’s preferred name around new people, and confirming that they were, indeed, on the same page. If Hao had any doubts left about Gyuvin returning his best friend’s feelings, then Hanbin had managed to dissolve those with a single question.
“Contrary to popular belief, he is,” Hao mused, dropping a bit of his previous tension. “Maybe a bit dismissive on the surface and rough around the edges, but he’s soft once you get to know him,” and vulnerable, Hao thought, but exposing his best friend to a stranger was not exactly in line with his personality.
“Like you?”
Hao froze. Hanbin was bold, bolder than Hao expected, and perhaps bolder than he was willing to tolerate. It must have shown on his face, in the way his hand froze mid-air as he was about to bring the ice cream up to his lips again, in the way his brows furrowed and his gaze turned wary, eyeing the man before him, wondering where he had found the audacity to draw such assumptions and act like he knew Hao. But it wasn’t arrogance that Hanbin had spoken with, no. He could see it in the playful smile on his lips, that Hanbin was only trying to banter again, to poke fun at him, and it was just Hao getting riled up all on his own. Being read so openly, even if only on accident, was not the most comfortable of feelings, he came to realise. But if he got defensive here, then not only would he be making things incredibly awkward, he’d also be exposing himself to be exactly what Hanbin had assumed of him: soft.
“Thin ice,” he reminded instead, his eyes narrowing in a more playful manner now, and his hand resuming its previous trajectory of bringing the ice cream to his lips to eat from it as he continued to keep Hanbin under a close, watchful eye.
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll behave,” Hanbin quickly raised his palms up in mock defeat, smiling all the while. “But I’m glad, though,” he then continued, “that, you know, Ricky’s nice.” There was more to Hanbin’s words, a layer underneath that held more weight, more depth, and when Hao met his eyes, he could not help but flash a small, albeit warm smile.
“Me, too. About Gyuvin. It’s… a good thing,” he nodded once, then Hanbin nodded as well, and he knew they had reached a silent consensus.
Hao was never wrong, after all. It was proven again now, both in his judgement of Gyuvin, and in his statement earlier that day. Quanrui was definitely going to hook up on this trip.