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Moon Hyeonjun finally ended his stream at 2:04 A.M. KST.
The last game had ended in a frustrating defeat, nothing catastrophic, but lately solo queue felt like it was actively testing his patience. It wasn’t something worth brooding over, he knew that. He’d had worse nights. Still, losses like this had a way of clinging. It was bitter.
Hyeonjun leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, and stared at the ceiling for a moment. The adrenaline from streaming was fading and replaced by that restless energy of someone who wanted to keep playing but knew it was late. Sleep felt too far away. His body was tired, but his mind wasn’t ready to shut down yet.
On a whim, Hyeonjun opened another tab. It wasn’t something he consciously decided to do, his fingers just moved on their own. Choi Hyunjoon’s stream had ended. Five minutes earlier. Hyeonjun tilted his head, eyes narrowing at the timestamp. Five minutes wasn’t much, but it was enough to catch his attention. He went home without telling me?
Hyunjoon must’ve been tired too, but it still felt a little unusual. Usually, there was a message. A knock. Just any sign. When Hyeonjun went out of his broadcast room to check his neighbor, the room usually humming with Doran’s presence was empty. He pushed the thought aside. It wasn’t a big deal. Everyone had nights like this.
He was just about to leave the building when Suhwan came out of his own streaming room, stretching exaggeratedly like he hadn’t a care in the world. The contrast was almost funny where Hyeonjun felt wired and restless whilst Suhwan looked loose and unbothered. Oh, the joy of being twenty. And Hyeonjun, a mere twenty-three, was apparently ancient.
"Hyung? Wanna go for another one?" Suhwan asked, grinning like mischief itself. Hyeonjun blinked, caught off guard, and then cackled slighly louder. Just like that, the heaviness in his chest loosened a bit.
Suhwan had become a close friend recently, easy to talk to, and easy to enjoy playing with. No pressure, no expectations, just games. However, sometimes, it felt like he and his Hyunjoon hyung were sharing custody of him. "One game. That’s it, though."
As soon as he said it, he knew 'one game' was always a dangerous promise.
Hyeonjun informed their manager quickly, letting him know he’d be playing one more. Though, he wasn’t so sure if he’d stick to the line he drew. Then he returned to his room, slipping back into the chair that still felt warm from before.
The friendly League of Legends loading screen appeared, and he queued up with Suhwan. His thoughts began shifting away from the earlier loss, gears turning as he thought about matchups and win conditions. The screen flickered, showing Suhwan’s champion choice, and Hyeonjun muttered something about buffs and the meta, half to himself, a quarter out of habit, and a quarter to Suhwan. Just one more game.
A soft knock interrupted his focus. The sound was almost hesitant, but it cut through his concentration more effectively than any in-game pings.
"Hyunjoon-ah?" Hyeonjun froze mid-click. His cursor hovered uselessly over the screen as his brain caught up with what his ears had just registered. Wait, Hyunjoon hyung? But he went home already, didn’t he? For a brief moment, confusion was written all over his face, followed hastily by something warmer. Relief, maybe. Just the strange comfort of realizing someone he thought was gone was still nearby.
"Hyung, come in," Hyeonjun called, voice raised just enough to pass through the door.
The door opened, and there was Hyunjoon, looking slightly tired and carrying two bottles of water. The overhead light caught the familiar lines of his face, but his expression was sour. Frowning, even. "What?! Are you crazy? You’re still playing?"
Hyeonjun laughed, scratching the back of his neck, the gesture a little sheepish. "Suhwan invited me for one more. I said yes because I thought you went home already." If he’d known Hyunjoon was still around, maybe he would’ve hesitated longer.
Hyunjoon shook his head, the grimace on his face fading as soon as Suhwan’s name was mentioned. Unfair. "Silly. I just went to get some water for us." He held out the bottle toward Hyeonjun.
Hyeonjun’s eyes flicked from the bottle to the screen and back again, mind juggling priorities that suddenly felt more complicated than a simple queue pop, the champion select music bustling in the background wasn’t even helping. "Uh… what do I do? Should I dodge? I don’t want to—"
"No, no. Suhwan wanted to play more. You shouldn’t dodge. Play with him," Hyunjoon said faintly. It has always been like this with his hyung. Some small worry didn’t matter at all. There was no impatience there. No hint of annoyance. Hyunjoon always had answers that had been made to seem obvious.
Something in Hyeonjun’s chest loosened at that. Still, a small knot of concern lingered. "I mean… if you’re tired, hyung, you can go home first. I’ll follow right after this."
He didn’t quite finish the thought when Hyunjoon stopped him, again. "No, I’ll wait for you. It’s fine."
The older moved a chair next to Hyeonjun and sat down, the mundane weight on the floor echoing in the room. The space beside him, which had felt oddly empty earlier, was filled again. The presence was subtle like noise you only notice once it’s gone and immediately feel when it returns.
The first five minutes of the game passed with a mixture of chatter and strategy. Hyeonjun was slipping into the rabbit hole again, hands on autopilot, and eyes scanning the mini map. They talked about the new patch, upcoming season changes, and champion buffs, the kind of conversation that came naturally when everyone shared the same world and vocabulary.
Hyunjoon even jumped in on Suhwan over discord, his voice flowing through Hyeonjun’s headset as he offered advice and giggled at the way their youngest fumbled his abilities. Rare, of course, young masters are perfect, aren’t they? There was no edge to it, only gentle teasing. Hyeonjun found himself smiling without realizing it, comforted by how normal it all felt.
When Suhwan was first expected to join T1, he had been wary. Hyunjoon and Suhwan were already close, teammates from before, and yes, you could call it jealousy. He had watched them, wondering where he fit in, unsure if there was room for him too. What if their relationship drifts apart?
But over time, after spending more moments with Suhwan, he couldn’t help but notice how easily Hyunjoon and Suhwan just fit together. The wariness slowly melted into gratefulness. He realized he wasn’t the only one who loved his Hyunjoon hyung, and that alone felt right. Because Hyunjoon hyung deserved every bit of it.
Hyeonjun was jolted out of his thoughts when Elise died, the death ping flashing across the screen. He groaned, slumping a little in his chair, and before he even realized it, his annoyance had morphed into something completely unrelated. He started talking about the Dubai chewy cookies that Minseok had been raving about nonstop.
He hadn’t even gotten any. But Minhyung had sent them to Minseok, and he hadn’t shut up about them since. Hyeonjun found himself rambling about the hype and how apparently everyone wanted one. Suhwan snorted through the headset. "I saw that online too, and honestly? I kinda want to try it, hyung."
Hyeonjun let out a short laugh as he clicked around, trying not to feed the enemy team more advantage, "Alright. We’re bothering Minseok about it tomorrow. No excuses." He was just about to ask the person beside him if he wanted to try one when a soft weight landed on his shoulder.
Hyunjoon had fallen asleep.
For a split second, Hyeonjun didn’t process it. His body reacted before his mind did, instinctively stiffening, fingers pausing on the mouse. Then he looked down, and saw Hyunjoon’s head resting against him, his breathing slow and even, and his lashes casting faint shadows in the pale glow of the room.
Carefully, Hyeonjun adjusted slightly, making sure not to disturb him, and tried to keep the mouse steady. Every movement suddenly felt both limited and exaggerated. He became aware of his posture and of how much pressure he put on his shoulder. Hyeonjun tried not to breathe too deeply because he might wake Hyunjoon up.
He stifled a laugh at how ridiculous it sounded. Losing a game because your hyung fell asleep on your shoulder. Of all the excuses he could imagine, this one deemed strangely acceptable.
Fifteen minutes later, it was over. The defeat screen appeared. They had lost.
“Ahh…” Suhwan sighed deeply, the sound stretching through the headset. Somewhere between amusement and exasperation. “That was fast.” The tiny crackle of the mic addressed the shared disappointment.
“Sorry, Suhwan-ah. Hyung fell asleep on my shoulder.” Hyeonjun chuckled helplessly and apologized to Suhwan over discord.
“No worries, hyung. Figured it out when you just marched to Baron Nashor like that.” Suhwan said, laughter threading through the words.
“You brat. Take care.” Hyeonjun muted his mic, relief washing over him. He looked down at Hyunjoon, who was still asleep, head nestled perfectly on his shoulder. Hyeonjun gently brushed Hyunjoon’s hair back and whispered with a voice barely louder than a breath, “Hyung, let’s go home.”
Hyunjoon stirred, nuzzling closer into Hyeonjun’s neck. Ah, why are you always doing this to me, hyung? Without thinking, he adjusted his posture again, making space, and accepting the closeness. Hyeonjun wrapped an arm around him, holding him gradually as he swayed a little to wake him without startling him.
"Come on. We can’t sleep here. Let’s go home?" Hyeonjun spoke slowly without insisting, thumb absentmindedly pressing comfort into his side. Hyunjoon opened his eyes slowly, blinking away sleep to confirm if Hyeonjun was really there, looking at him with a small grin on his lips.
Even half-asleep, Hyunjoon just knew where to find the right words. "Wow... how I hate seeing that face."
Hyeonjun rolled his eyes. He wanted to shake Hyunjoon lightly, just to tease him, but even a tiger knew when to hold back especially against a squirrel who had just woken up. Instead, he stayed still, letting Hyunjoon lean as much as he wanted. “Ah, hyung. Why are you always so cruel to me?” He murmured while pouting to draw a reaction.
It did draw a reaction. Hyunjoon pressed a kiss to his cheek. An affection that Hyeonjun never second-guessed.
Hyunjoon tilted his head, eyes half-lidded as his thumb brushed along Hyeonjun’s jaw with invisible appreciation."You did well today."
It sounded simple, but Hyunjoon’s praise always stayed with him. He carried them like medals of pride.
"I know. I’m just the best. What can I say?" Hyeonjun said with confidence sliding back into place like a well-worn armor. Then he leaned closer slowly, as if giving Hyunjoon time to pull away if he wanted to though he never did. Hyeonjun rested his lips against Hyunjoon’s forehead, "You also did well today, hyung."
Then, it was simple.
So what if he lost? Did he, really?
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