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Somehow Hao's skin was burning.
It wasn’t even the first time he was this close to Hanbin. They were touchy so often that the Mnet staff had to keep telling them to separate, to please, shoot some clips separately. Hao and Hanbin both knew this meant clips to push the K vs. G center agenda from the start of the show, manipulating the audience into believing they were bitter rivals instead of… whatever they were.
They had flirted with the idea of something more for weeks. You put two boys who fit together like puzzle pieces in a high-stress environment like Boys Planet, and something was bound to spark. Hao’s attraction to Hanbin, and Hanbin’s to Hao, that had been there since their first meeting only kept growing until it had reached a state where it threatened to overflow.
As more boys piled into the elevator, Hao and Hanbin were pushed to the very back. Hao’s shoulder pressed firmly against Hanbin’s, and once again, Hao was reminded of how perfectly they fit. Blue and pink. K and G center. Korean Zhang Hao and Chinese Sung Hanbin. Matched in height and in dreams.
The four boys who entered after them chattered loudly as the doors closed and the elevator began to ascend. Hao tried to focus on anything but the burning all across the length of his arm which was plastered against Hanbin's even through the clothes.
And then, Hanbin’s pinky found Hao’s, making the tips of Hao’s ears burn. Seeing that Hao didn’t move away, Hanbin twined his pinky tighter. Slowly, the rest of his fingers followed, sliding into Hao’s palm until their hands were fully linked, hidden against their sides.
Hao stared straight ahead, not daring to glance at Hanbin. He hoped the boys in front wouldn’t peek back and see them holding hands like two schoolboys in love. But then again, it wasn't like the whole of Planet Camp didn't know there was something going on between them. The whispers, the knowing looks during practice, the way the other contestants would sometimes fall silent when they entered a room together— at this point it was an open secret they simply didn’t acknowledge aloud.
The elevator dinged, stopping on the fourth floor. Panic shot through Hao sharply. He hurriedly shook Hanbin’s hand off, immediately hating himself for it. He didn’t want to let go. He wanted to hold Hanbin’s hand forever, openly, in front of everyone.
The doors opened and the four boys filtered out. One turned with a cheerful, “Goodbye Hao hyung! Hanbin hyung!” Hao managed a shaky smile and a wave. Then the doors slid shut, leaving them in sudden, heavy silence.
Hao immediately turned, his mouth opening to apologize, to explain the abruptness, to beg Hanbin not to feel hurt. But everything happened too fast. The elevator jolted upward and Hanbin turned, too.
In one fluid motion, his arms came around Hao, caging him gently but firmly against the elevator’s handrail. Hao’s eyes went wide, his head thunking softly against the metal back. He tried to put some distance between their faces, but there was nowhere to go. Hanbin was close enough for Hao to see the faint mole near his lips that hardly made an appearance unless one looked from this close.
“Hyung, I want to kiss you,” Hanbin said softly, a determined gleam in his warm eyes.
Hao felt like he could die on the spot. He had imagined this, waited for it, and yet his heart now threatened to beat straight out of his chest. He had kissed and been kissed before, but this nervous, thrilling terror was entirely new. This, he thought wildly, must be what real love feels like. Stupid and scary and wonderful.
“Please,” was all Hao could whisper before Hanbin’s lips were on his.
A soft, involuntary whine escaped Hao’s throat as his arms moved on their own, hands coming up to Hanbin’s chest, then sliding to his neck, finally cupping his cheek, holding him in place. Hanbin’s lips slanted against his eagerly, a little clumsy but so, so warm. Hao felt close to bursting with the intensity of it. He loved this. He wanted this. He wanted Hanbin, and he wanted to be wanted by Hanbin, exactly like this.
Hanbin parted for just a second, blinking rapidly. His cheeks were flushed a ruddy pink, his eyes half-lidded. Like this, Hanbin looked nothing like the cute, blushy dongsaeng he sometimes presented himself as. There was the quiet confidence that showed mostly when he danced. Hao decided he loved all of it, every version.
Then Hanbin kissed him again, deeper this time. His tongue coaxed Hao’s mouth open. Hao gasped into the kiss, his fingers gripping the fabric of Hanbin’s shoulder tightly. He felt Hanbin’s tongue gently touch his lips, then his own, and the sensation was overwhelming. “Mmh—hnn—Bin,” Hao murmured against Hanbin’s mouth. It felt like being consumed. It felt like coming home.
The elevator began to slow.
Hanbin sprang apart, eyes wide. A cold, crushing feeling swept through Hao. His heart seemed to crumble. He needed assurance that this wasn’t the end, that it wasn’t just a stolen secret in this little box. He didn’t know how stupid and desperate he looked, staring at Hanbin with wide, pleading eyes.
But maybe it was worth it, because just before the doors opened with a bright ding, Hanbin leaned in again, pecking Hao’s lips, planting one last sweet kiss and flashing a small, private smile that reached his eyes. Then he moved away completely, putting a respectable foot of space between them.
The doors opened to an empty hallway. Hanbin stepped out first, then looked back, his expression soft. “Coming, hyung?”
Hao followed, his steps a little unsteady. The burning on his skin was fading, replaced by a deep, settling warmth. He didn’t feel desperate anymore, clutching at fleeting moments.
All he felt, walking beside Hanbin down the hallway, their shoulders brushing once more, was loved.