Chapter Text
It was supposed to be a quick run for snacks.
Han hated the idea from the start —
he and Hyunjin barely got along at the best of times.
Always snapping at each other during practice, always trying to outdo each other like it was some unspoken competition. Rap better, dance better. That was all their relationship was about.
If they hadn’t been the last two trainees still hanging around when Chan called, "Somebody, go run the shp errands!", Han would’ve found any excuse to get out of it.
And now, here they were: swallowed up by a ridiculous crowd, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, and completely lost.
Hyunjin elbowed him, scowling.
"Keep up, idiot."
Han gritted his teeth, tugging his hoodie lower over his head.
"I am keeping up. Maybe don't walk like you’re in a race."
Hyunjin rolled his eyes and surged ahead.
Han cursed under his breath, dodging through a clump of people to catch up —
but for one stupid second, he lost sight of him.
And that's all it took.
The crush of bodies closed in.
The noise got louder.
The faces got mixed up.
Han’s chest tightened, his breathing stuttered — like he couldn’t get enough air, like the walls were closing in.
He stumbled sideways, pressing himself against a shop window, fingers curling uselessly into his sleeves.
He felt stupid —
so stupid —
but he couldn’t move. Couldn’t even call out.
"Seriously?" came an annoyed voice a second later.
Han flinched and looked up to see Hyunjin standing in front of him, arms crossed, expression sharp.
For a split second, Han saw it —
the way Hyunjin’s eyes flickered, worried, before the scowl returned.
"You can’t even handle a crowd?" Hyunjin said, voice biting.
Han opened his mouth to snap back — to defend himself, to shove him away — but all that came out was a shaky breath.
Hyunjin’s expression shifted, just slightly.
Less sharp.
More careful.
He stepped closer, close enough that the rest of the crowd blurred into background noise.
"You’re freaking out," Hyunjin muttered, like it was something he just realized.
Han glared at him, humiliated.
"I’m fine."
"You look like you're gonna pass out."
"Not your problem," Han spat.
Hyunjin rolled his eyes so hard it was a miracle he didn’t hurt himself.
"Unfortunately for both of us," he said, voice low, "Chan will murder me if I let you get trampled out here."
Before Han could move, Hyunjin reached out —
grabbing the sleeve of Han’s hoodie and yanking him close.
It wasn’t a gentle pull.
It wasn’t a hug.
It was messy and awkward and kind of rough — but weirdly, it made Han’s heart stop racing for half a second.
"Stay with me," Hyunjin said, gruff and bossy and definitely more worried than he wanted to sound.
Han swallowed, still shaking a little.
"...You’re annoying."
"You’re pathetic," Hyunjin shot back — but there was no heat in it.
He kept hold of Han’s hoodie sleeve, practically dragging him through the crowd like a stubborn little brother.
And Han — humiliated, furious, heart pounding in his ears —
didn’t let go.