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Minseok gets a knock on his door at 9pm in the evening.
He knew who it was, and expected the person who’s on the other side of the door to appear any time now. Minhyung always appears the day before their contract expires, sharing to each other what will happen for the next year or so.
Minseok isn’t stupid, he sees the tense lines in Minhyung’s face for the past few weeks, he sees the stiffness in his posture for the whole year even. Minseok knows the inevitability of Minhyung or him leaving each other, when Minseok opens the door, Minhyung stands there like a statue.
Minseok already knows. Minhyung’s heart is too big for it not to be affecting him, so he draws him into a hug. They haven’t been this intimate in a while, tension’s been high between them and work always gets in the middle of what they should be.
Lee Minhyung and Ryu Minseok, two people who see each other for who they are. Just the two of them, even if Gumayusi and Keria might eventually separate, Minhyung and Minseok found each other and decided to stay with each other.
They get inside Minseok’s dorm room, Minhyung closes the door as they stand in the middle of the room, just holding each other tight. Minhyung’s crying and Minseok rubs his back and holds him even tighter, trying to comfort the man who stood and fought for them so many times.
“ I’m sorry, Minseok. I’m really sorry.” Minhyung apologizes through the tears and Minseok can’t help but tear up at his voice, sniffling in the collar of his shirt.
“ I can’t keep staying, I can’t keep fighting, I’m sorry Minseok.” Minhyung stutters in the middle of his explanation but Minseok already knew and understood why he’s leaving, the moment he stood there with an expressionless face, Lee Minhyung didn’t have to explain anything.
Minseok fights through his tears, holds his cheek in comfort, they both look at each other in tears.
“ You don’t have to explain, Minhyung. You don’t have to apologize either.” Minseok with his utmost sincerity, holds Minhyung’s cheek more gently, scared that this might be the last time he’ll get to do this.
“ I already knew, you know? The moment we won from Worlds, the interview, the whole year even… I should be the one apologizing, for not fighting harder to keep us together.” Minseok’s breath catches in the middle of it and more tears sprout from his eyes. It's different from knowing and facing reality, his heart drops now but it won’t stop beating for the other.
“ Minseok…”
“ I’m sorry for not being there more, Minhyung-ah. I let my problems come in front of what was important to me and now you’re leaving…” Minseok uses both of his hands and makes sure to apologize while facing Minhyung, he needs to make sure Minhyung knows, needs to show how regretful the last year had been for the both of them.
In the moment of this apology, no one else was in the dorm except for the both of them, a tradition that every T1 member lets them have before anything happens. In this dorm, where they both shared laughter, anguish, love and despair, Gumayusi and Keria might have been the names on their backs but to them both, it would always be Minhyung and Minseok.
Even if they’re both wearing different jerseys, different teams, different people that’s sitting next to them, even if it breaks their hearts, Minhyung and Minseok still have each other. The dedication of what they had for each other, legacies that can’t be overthrown anytime soon. Five years has been a long time, a long time for people in the sport to stay together, but they’re just not people who work with each other, they are always gonna be something more than that, nothing would change that.
“ You don’t have to apologize for that either, Minseokie. This past year was tougher for us than ever but you were always there, I wish I could really stay.” Minhyung holds the hands cradling his face, they’re both closer now, Minhyung crouches and Minseok tilts to reach him.
“ I know Minhyung. I wish I could leave with you instead.”
“ You know they won’t let you leave without a fight.”
“ And you think I’m gonna let you go so easily?”
“ Never. I don’t think we can ever let go of each other so easily.”
Their foreheads are now touching, shared in this moment of reprieve, detached from the time and reality, just Minhyung and Minseok sharing their dedications to each other once again.
“ Whatever happens next, whichever team you’ll go to, tell me if they’re treating you right okay? I got training now so I’m pretty sure I can scare them with my powerful muscles.” Minseok proudly proclaims it, hoping Minhyung can hear his promise interlaced in his statement.
“ I’ll make sure to threaten them about my scary boyfriend that will rip them to shreds in the rift if they ever look at me badly.” Minhyung lets go of his hands and brings them down to his waist, carrying Minseok to the bed for one more time, probably the last time for now.
They’re both in the bed now, laying down and entangled with each other as many times before. Minseok has his arms around Minhyung’s neck, while the other has his arms around Minseok’s waist.
“ You know what I’ll miss the most, Minhyung-ah?”
“ Hmm, what?”
“ Having you by my side everywhere. Not that I don’t like the fact that we were the best bot duo in the world or anything but…”
“ It’s weird to think about anyone else beside me when it’s always supposed to be you, Minseok.”
“ Next time tell me straight away when you’re going next okay? It would’ve been much easier if we talked about it this way before than the contract expiry.”
Minhyung laughs and Minseok can’t help but admire the laugh he brought out in his boyfriend.
“ You know I can’t ask you to just match me all the time. We have our own careers to think about, that would be too selfish to ask for.”
“ You did it once, back then.”
“ And I was doubting myself because I thought I’d never have a chance to prove that I was the best for you. I was scared that I was chaining you down from the opportunities that would’ve brought you higher.” Minseok can’t help but smile, Minhyung with his big heart always thinks about Minseok and his wellbeing.
“ I stayed because I wanted to, Minhyung. It was never about proving it to me because the moment I said yes, I already believed you were the best. Even if there was no trophy in sight, Minhyung I chose you.” Minhyung heard this all before already but Minseok knows that he needs the reminder. That no matter what, Minhyung was already the best ADC in the world, even with no trophy.
“ I love you so much Minseokie, you’re too good for me and I can’t believe I get to have you like this.”
“ You dummy, I should be the one saying that because even if you’re leaving, you still think about how I’ll be. Minhyung-ah, this will never be the end of us. Nothing can get me away from you because I chose you from the beginning.”
Minhyung kisses him then, like their tradition always happens, Minhyung and Minseok will share a kiss no matter what happens on the day before their contracts expire.
“ I love you Minhyung-ah, I’ll miss you but you know I’ll never let that stop us. So keep your head up because I’ll be cheering you on always.”
“ Likewise, Minseokie. Come on, we have to sleep now.”
Goodbyes always hurt, nothing will ever erase the pain of separation. You could only hope nothing will change in the moments they won't be beside each other but in the end, they have all their lives to find each other again.