Chapter Text
Ricky was having a terrible day.
Everything that could have gone wrong had gone wrong, and by the time school ended, he was convinced the universe had a personal grudge against him.
All he wanted now was boba.
Unfortunately for Zhang Hao, that meant he was getting dragged along too.
“I’m serious,” Ricky complained as they walked into a small café near the train station. “Today was actually the worst day of my life.”
Hao didn’t even look up from his phone.
“You said that last Tuesday.”
“Last Tuesday was different.”
“How?”
Ricky pushed open the café door.
“Because today was worse.”
The warm scent of coffee and freshly baked pastries immediately greeted them. The café was busy, filled with students, office workers, and the constant sound of conversations blending together.
The two joined the line.
Or rather, Hao joined the line.
Ricky joined the line and continued complaining.
“And then some random kid started talking to me on the train,” Ricky continued. “Out of all the people there, he chose me.”
“Maybe you looked approachable.”
Ricky stared at him.
“I have never looked approachable in my entire life.”
Hao finally glanced up, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“That’s exactly what makes you approachable.”
Ricky made a sound of disgust and crossed his arms.
After nearly ten minutes of listening to Ricky rant about every inconvenience he had suffered that day, Hao finally interrupted.
“Can we order first? I think everyone in the café knows about your day already.”
Ricky rolled his eyes dramatically before turning toward the menu board.
That was when someone crashed into him.
The impact wasn’t hard enough to knock him over, but it was enough to make him stumble.
A loud gasp followed.
Several mangos rolled across the floor.
The entire café seemed to go silent for a moment.
Ricky looked down.
Then at the giant bowl.
Then at the stranger holding it.
Then back at the bowl.
“What exactly is this?”
The boy blinked.
“The… mangos?”
“No, really?” Ricky replied flatly. “I thought they were decorative spheres.”
The stranger looked genuinely confused for a second before realizing Ricky was being sarcastic.
“Oh.”
Hao immediately turned away to hide his laughter.
The boy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Sorry. That was my fault.”
Ricky crossed his arms.
“Who walks around carrying a giant bowl of mangos?”
The stranger glanced down at the bowl.
“…Me?”
For some reason, that answer annoyed Ricky even more.
The boy quickly continued.
“My friend’s mom works here. She needed help carrying these.”
Then he shifted the bowl slightly and held out his free hand.
“I’m Gyuvin.”
Ricky stared at the hand.
Gyuvin waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The handshake never came.
An awkward silence settled between them.
Gyuvin’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes did, like he was trying very hard not to smile.
Eventually, Hao sighed and reached forward instead.
“I’m Zhang Hao.”
Relief immediately appeared on Gyuvin’s face.
“Nice to meet you.”
He glanced at Ricky.
“I can tell he’s having a rough day.”
“A rough day?” Ricky repeated. “You just assaulted me with fruit.”
“It was an accident.”
“It was fruit.”
“It was two mangos.”
“It could’ve been twenty.”
Gyuvin looked at Hao.
“Does he always do this?”
“Unfortunately.”
Gyuvin laughed.
And for some reason, that made Ricky even more irritated.
Not because the laugh was annoying.
It wasn’t.
It was warm, easy, and way too amused for someone who had just nearly taken him out with produce.
“Well,” Gyuvin said, smiling awkwardly, “sorry for bumping into you.”
Ricky crossed his arms tighter.
“Apology not accepted.”
The confidence in his voice almost impressed Hao.
Almost.
Gyuvin stared at him for a beat, then let out a quiet huff of disbelief.
“Wow.”
Ricky lifted his chin.
“Wow what?”
“You’re really committed to being difficult, huh?”
Ricky should have been offended.
Instead, something about the way Gyuvin said it made his stomach do something irritating and unfamiliar.
He hated that.
Gyuvin seemed to notice the pause and tilted his head slightly, like he was studying Ricky now instead of just apologizing to him.
Unfortunately for him, Ricky heard it.
“Asshole.”
The smile immediately vanished from Gyuvin’s face when Ricky slowly looked up.
“…You wanna repeat that?”
“No.”
Gyuvin adjusted the bowl in his arms, but not before Ricky noticed the faint flush creeping up his neck.
“Have a wonderful day.”
Then he turned around and practically sprinted toward the back of the café.
Ricky watched him disappear.
“…Did mango guy just run away from me?”
Hao nodded.
“I think he did.”
“Good.”
“You scared him.”
“Good.”
Hao gave him a look.
Ricky frowned, still staring toward the back of the café.
He had not been scared.
He had been annoyed.
There was a difference.
A very important difference.
Unfortunately, the way Gyuvin had looked at him right before leaving was now lodged somewhere in the back of his mind, and Ricky was already irritated by how much he wanted to see him again just so he could win the argument properly.
“Ricky.”
“What?”
Hao’s expression was unreadable.
“You’re smiling.”
Ricky’s face went blank.
“I am not.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
Hao looked past him, toward the back of the café.
“Then why do you look like you want to fight the mango boy again?”
Ricky turned sharply.
“I do want to fight him again.”
“Sure.”
“I do.”
“Of course.”
Ricky glared at him.
Hao only smiled, infuriatingly calm.
And somewhere in the back of the café, Gyuvin was probably still thinking about the rude guy who refused to shake his hand.
Ricky hated that he was thinking about him too.