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1.
“I told my teammates that we’re dating,” Jaehyuk blurts out in the middle of dinner. Sanghyeok pauses mid-bite, his pasta halfway to his mouth and eyes blinking owlishly at him across the table. Jaehyuk flushes in embarrassment, putting his head into his hands.
“Really? What'd they say?” Sanghyeok’s voice is light and inquisitive, but Jaehyuk has known him long enough to discern the underlying tension in his tone. He brings his head out of his hands to pout up at his boyfriend, all of the pent up exasperation spilling out of him in an instant.
“Hyung, can you believe it? They didn’t believe me!” Jaehyuk groans, picking up his fork and stabbing his pasta with a vengeance. He pouts harder just remembering the way Siwoo had laughed until he cried, how Wangho choked on his spit while laughing and continued laughing anyway, and how Hyunjoon had to physically leave the room with Jihoon to prevent themselves from laughing. Not that it did much, as Jihoon’s cackles bled through their thin walls anyway.
A snort cuts through his thoughts and he looks up to Sanghyeok’s deeply amused face. Jaehyuk immediately whines, knowing what that kind of look entails.
“Hyung, how can you laugh at me too? This is serious! Wangho nearly died laughing! They wouldn't believe me no matter what I said!”
Sanghyeok started laughing midway through his rant, his eyes curving into crescents and white teeth on display. The sight of his boyfriend so happy dampens some of Jaehyuk’s ire, but enough remains for him to huff. Sanghyeok bites his lip to curb his laughter, and Jaehyuk’s eyes are immediately drawn to the soft pink of his mouth.
“Jaehyuk-ah, I’m sorry, but you have to admit it’s a little bit funny.” Sanghyeok smiles, eyes alight with mischief and humour. Jaehyuk huffs again, louder, and another laugh bursts out of him in response. Jaehyuk, in turn, bites into his pasta with more force than necessary, but his theatrics merely draw another giggle from his boyfriend.
Sanghyeok’s eyes soften in the aftermath, and he nudges Jaehyuk’s foot, the cotton of his socks pressing teasingly against his ankles. “Hyuk-ah, what prompted you to tell them in the first place? Didn’t we both agree we’d keep it a secret?” There’s no judgement in his tone, but Jaehyuk still feels the warmth of embarrassment rush to his face when recalling the earlier incident.
Sanghyeok’s expectant stare doesn’t help the mortification settling in when he recalls the conversation that led them up to his confession.
“Wangho said no one would ever want to date me because I never want to do the dishes and I leave snack wrappers everywhere. So obviously I had to defend my honour! Then Jihoon was like, if you're so confident about being a good boyfriend, go get a date then, to which I told them I already had one, but then they didn’t believe me and started pestering me about who I was seeing so I told them it was you.”
Sanghyeok takes in his explanation with no little amount of amusement. He hums, bringing his glass up to his mouth, drinking elegantly and slowly on purpose. “And then they didn’t believe you?”
Jaehyuk sighs. “Siwoo laughed until he cried.”
Sanghyeok laughs too, like the evil, evil man he is. “Well, they aren’t wrong I guess. Not doing the dishes is a very un-sexy trait. Might be grounds for breaking up, honestly.”
Jaehyuk sulks. “Yes dear, I’ll do the dishes tonight.”
Sanghyeok beams at him, sweet and cloying. “And pick up your candy wrappers from the bedroom while you're at it, won’t you? Maybe then Faker will date you.”
Evil. Just pure evil. Jaehyuk picks up his wrappers.
2.
Because life hates him, not even China saves him from humiliation. Not career wise, he’s doing great in that prospect, but somehow, even with four brand new teammates, he’s once again the bottom of the pack.
“Hey, Jinhe,” Zhuo Ding calls from across their practice room, “tell Zaihe to stop leaving his fucking garbage everywhere!”
Jinhyeok snorts, not even looking up from his phone. Jaehyuk’s Chinese is admittedly terrible, but he’s heard this phrase enough to know what Zhuoding is saying.
“Hyung, Zhuo Ding wants you to pick up your garbage.” Jaehyuk throws him a sideways glance, but Jinyeok still doesn’t look up, so he just pouts to himself.
“I understood him fine, you know. My Chinese isn’t that bad.” Jinhyeok raises an eyebrow, finally meeting his eyes.
“Zhuo Ding, he says he understands you just fine.” Zhuo Ding turns around at that, bewildered.
“He understands me fine but he’s still sitting on his ass and not cleaning his mess? My god, he’s gonna die alone.”
Jinhyeok bursts out laughing, and so do the rest of his teammates. Jaehyuk, who only has a thirty-seven day streak on Duolingo, sits there, out of the loop. Jinhyeok, taking pity on him, translates.
“He said you’re gonna die alone.”
“Wha-? I am not!” Jaehyuk gasps, affronted. Unfortunately this just makes the rest of his team laugh louder, Jiahao literally throwing a team fight just to laugh at him. Jaehyuk sulks. This is so unfair.
Yunfeng giggles at the metaphorical rain clouds over his head and pats him on the shoulder. “It’s okay, da-ge, I’m sure there’s someone out there who likes you a little bit.”
Jinhyeok laughs the entire time while relaying Yunfeng’s words, and out of pettiness, Jaehyuk picks up one of his discarded wrappers and throws it at him. It misses.
“I’m literally fine, by the way. I have a boyfriend that loves me and cherishes me for who I am.”
Jinhyeok only laughs louder. “Right. And who is this so-called boyfriend of yours?”
Jaehyuk throws another wrapper. It misses. “Sanghyeok-hyung.”
That finally shuts Jinhyeok up. He stares at Jaehyuk, eyes wide and eyebrows pinched. Just when Jaehyuk thinks he’s won, Jinhyeok doubles over, howling.
The rest of his teammates immediately lean in, nosy and evil.
“Jinhe, what did he say? What did this guy just say?”
Jinhyeok gasps for breath, genuine tears rolling down his cheeks. “He said he’s dating Faker.”
A pause. Then, Zhuo Ding slaps his knee and cackles so loud it nearly echoes off the walls. His teammates laugh at him for twenty minutes straight, Jiahao completely abandoning his solo-queue game and falling out of his chair. Yunfeng is no better, curled up on the floor and clutching his stomach as his body shakes with his laughter. Jaehyuk sits in his chair and misses a cannon.
“Oh my god, Jaehyuk-hyung, you're hilarious. Is this your way of telling us you’re leaving our team to pursue a career in comedy?” Jinhyeok wheezes, wiping his eyes. Jaehyuk taps his keyboard furiously and dies to a gank.
“Ha ha. Good one.” He mutters, sarcasm dripping from his words. This might be the worst day of his life.
Jiahao crawls back onto his chair, giggles still escaping his mouth. “Zaihe da-ge, there’s no shame in being single forever, you know. I’m sure Faker would agree.”
Jinhyeok breathlessly translates and Jaehyuk feels his eye twitch. The worst part is that he can see Sanghyeok in his head, smiling sweetly up at him. Jagiya, he would say, saccharine and wicked, I went to put my glasses on in the morning and I couldn’t find them underneath all your garbage. If I was this Faker guy, I don’t know how I’d stand it.
Jaehyuk surrenders at fifteen minutes and starts collecting his wrappers. Jiahao falls back out of his chair, chortling.
He calls Sanghyeok later that same day and is met with even more laughter, even if it's fond and sweet.
This is definitely the worst day of Jaehyuk’s life.
3.
The universe is set on proving him wrong, just a few months later.
“Hyung,” Minseok says, a disgusted expression on his face, “clean up your damn crumbs from the table.”
Jaehyuk, mouth full from barbecue chips, groans. “After this game, just give me a minute.”
Minseok somehow looks even more disgusted after his response. “Swallow your food before you talk, holy shit. You’re gross.”
Jinhyeok and Wooje start chuckling to his left, biting their lips to quiet their laughter, but Jihoon has none of their decorum, bursting into loud, unrestrained cackles. Jaehyuk groans again, louder, and shoves another chip into his mouth.
Minseok sighs, moving his keyboard further away from Jaehyuk with a nasty look. “How does anyone deal with you? You’re gonna be eighty-five and alone at this rate.”
Jinhyeok starts full on laughing, unrestrained. “That’s funny. Knight said the same thing just a couple months ago.”
Jihoon grins, shit eating and conspiratorial. “What did Jaehyuk-hyung say in response?”
Jinhyeok leans in, a matching grin on his face and a gleam in his eye. “He said he was dating Sanghyeok-hyung.”
The room falls into a gobsmacked silence, Wooje flashing into a wall from how fast he shoots up in his chair. Then, in a moment of déjà vu, Minseok doubles over, screaming from laughter.
“That’s because I am dating him.” Jaehyuk mutters, completely drowned out by Minseok’s howling laughter. Maybe if he says it enough times people will believe him.
Wooje doesn’t laugh at him, but he’s clearly just as amused by his (factual!) statement as everybody else, a face-splitting grin cutting his expression. “Hyung, if you’re gonna defend yourself, you need to make it believable, dude.”
Jaehyuk throws him a dirty look. “You’re calling me ‘hyung’ and ‘dude’ in the same sentence?”
Wooje barrels on like Jaehyuk never even opened his mouth. “Like, wow. Sanghyeok-hyung? You should’ve at least said Lehends, or something.”
Jaehyuk frowns, immensely offended. “What’s so unbelievable about Sanghyeokie-hyung dating me?”
Wooje fixes him with a look, and reaches to push his glasses up in such a Sanghyeok-esque way it distracts Jaehyuk for a moment. “Sanghyeok-hyung is Faker. You’re… you.”
Jinhyeok and Jihoon had already been giggling before, but they full on cackle at Wooje’s words. Jaehyuk pops the last chip in his mouth and throws the now empty bag at Wooje’s face. It misses.
“What is that even supposed to mean?” He whines. Minseok snorts so loudly Jaehyuk’s surprised he doesn’t choke.
“What Wooje means,” Minseok drawls, slow like he’s talking to a child, “is that Sanghyeok-hyung doesn’t date bums.”
“What?” Jaehyuk splutters, genuinely taken-aback.
Jinhyeok and Jihoon somehow laugh louder, if that’s even possible. Wooje grins unrepentantly and reaches over. Minseok meets him for a high-five.
Jaehyuk gestures wildly, trying desperately to defend himself. “How am I a bum? I won a world championship! I beat Sanghyeok-hyung for that championship! I’m his biggest rival!”
Jihoon rolls his eyes. “You just threw your garbage at Wooje’s face and missed. And you didn’t even pick it up after.”
Jinhyeok adds, “the only phrase you’ve mastered in Chinese is Zaihe, pick up your garbage because everyone is constantly saying that to you.”
Minseok also cuts in, “you got crumbs on my pink keyboard.”
Wooje laughs.
Just as Jaehyuk’s about to retort, the door opens. Sanghyeok and Jeonggyun walk in, engrossed in some sort of draft conversation. They pause, registering the sudden silence in the room, looking around with confused eyes.
Sanghyeok’s gaze lingers on a spot on the floor, brows furrowed. “Why is there a chip bag on the floor?”
Jaehyuk’s metaphorical ears flatten on his head. “Sorry, hyung…”
Everyone bursts into giggles immediately. Jihoon is smiling like the cat that’s got the cream. Minseok, smelling blood in the water, jumps up. “Hyung, who would you say is your biggest rival?”
Sanghyeok blinks, bewildered by the sudden interview. “My biggest rival?” The pause he takes to think has everyone leaning in, anticipation rising in the air. Sanghyeok hums, thoughtful.
“It’s probably Jihoonie, isn’t it?”
Rambunctious laughter follows his answer. Jaeyhyuk gapes at him, betrayed. “Hyung,” he gasps. “Didn’t you say I was your biggest rival?”
Sanghyeok tilts his head at him in response. His eyes twinkle with mischief, a pointed smile lifting the corners of his lips.
“Did I say that? Ah, sorry Jaehyukie, must’ve slipped my mind,” he replies, faux innocence and honey dripping from his words. He puts his hand to his chin and pretends to think, humming. “I don’t know, Hyuk-ah. But I think I remember Faker saying something about liking clean practice rooms. If you want to impress him, I think starting there would be a good move, don’t you think?”
Everyone laughs at him for the entire time it takes him to bend down, grab the bag off the floor, and throw it into the trash.
It sucks. It’s terrible. His temporary teammates suck and they’re terrible.
The sweet kiss Sanghyeok sneaks in isn’t though, lingering and warm against his cheek.
One day. Jaehyuk vows, mood immediately lifted by the kiss, beaming at Sanghyeok’s endeared face. I’ll get my revenge.
+1.
They say revenge is a dish best served cold, but Jaehyuk learns that it tastes maybe even better when served with a head injury.
When Jaehyuk wakes, it’s to a throbbing headache.
He groans, sluggishly moving to clasp his hand over his head, and is instantly bombarded by three grown men.
“Hyung! Oh my god, you’re awake!”
“Jaehyuk, what the hell? Are you stupid or what?”
“Hyung, how are you feeling? Does your head still hurt?”
Their loud voices are like the feeling of six baseball bats to his skull. He winces, covering his ears, and blearily opens his eyes. He’s greeted with the worried faces of his teammates.
“Hello to you too, my dear friends. Please stop yelling.” Giin’s face softens in sympathy, and he gently ushers the rest of his team away from him. They step back obediently, but the concern doesn't leave their faces.
Siwoo speaks up first, scowling. “Jaehyuk, how did you even get a concussion? What made you think trying to move your shelf alone was a good, reasonable and smart idea?” His foot taps impatiently on the ground, and his arms are crossed, flexing almost anxiously.
Jaehyuk then realizes he is anxious, eyes shifting chaotically around the room, jaw tensing and relaxing intermittently. Jaehyuk snorts.
Siwoo’s eyes immediately snap to his, disbelieving anger colouring his features. “Park Jaehyuk, you ugly, no-good, son of a–”
Just then, a soft knock cuts through the room. Shortly, the door opens, and multiple heads poke into the room.
“Oh? Jaehyukie’s up and running already?” Wangho walks into the room leisurely, followed by Minseok, Wooje, Hyunjoon and Sanghyeok.
“Hyung, you’re here.” Jaehyuk brightens, perking up. Sanghyeok smiles, but it quickly falls back to worry. Wangho immediately snorts, shoving Jaehyuk’s leg playfully.
“Wow, no greetings for the rest of us? We went all this way too.” Wangho drawls, the cheeky grin on his face giving away his facade of anger. Jaehyuk only rolls his eyes and reaches up to jab Wangho with his toes, only to be expertly dodged with a laugh.
Wooje smiles from behind Minseok, flashing him a thumbs up. “Good to see you alive and kicking, Jaehyuk-hyung.” Minseok giggles but nods his agreement. Hyunjoon just smiles warmly.
Sanghyeok is still frowning though, eyes roving over his figure on the hospital bed. Jaehyuk beckons him closer, and beams when he acquiesces with a huff. He settles at his bed side, elegant fingers combing through his hair to reveal where the bandages lay. He frowns even harder.
“How did this even happen to you? What trouble did you get up to?” Sanghyeok pokes his face gently. Jaehyuk groans at the prodding, and pouts.
“Why are you assuming it’s all my fault? What if Siwoo decided he was finally done with me and plotted to end my life?” Sanghyeok raises an eyebrow.
“Did he do that?”
“… yes.” Jaehyuk pouts. And pouts some more when Sanghyeok flicks his nose, hard.
“Tell me the truth, Park Jaehyuk.”
Jaehyuk squirms in his seat. When Sanghyeok doesn’t budge, he sighs, embarrassed. “I tried moving my shelf by myself and a vase fell on my head…” He murmurs, sheepish. Sanghyeok’s eye twitches but he doesn’t respond, saving Jaehyuk from total humiliation. Sanghyeok is the one sighing this time, but he cups his hands around Jaehyuk’s face.
“At least you put your thick skull to good use. What am I supposed to do with a dead boyfriend?” Despite his words, Sanghyeok’s fingers are gentle against his face. His eyes are soft with fond exasperation as he caresses the thin skin underneath his eyes. Jaehyuk grins.
“Hyung, aren’t you gonna kiss it better?”
Sanghyeok rolls his eyes, but then he tips Jaehyuk’s head forward and soft lips press against his head. Jaehyuk beams, giddy, and suddenly his head doesn’t seem to hurt all that bad.
A loud crash interrupts their moment. Sanghyeok jumps, startled, head whipping around to find the source of the sound. He finds Siwoo, slack-jawed and wide-eyed, with broken glass and a pool of water at his feet.
Actually, everyone in the room is in similar states. Minseok and Wooje’s mouths are so wide a bug could fly right in. Hyunjoon is completely frozen, looking between him and Sanghyeok like they’ve grown three heads and a tail. Jihoon is genuinely distraught, hand gripping his chest like he’s having a heart attack. But perhaps the funniest of all is Wangho, who’s gone so pale he’s almost see-through in the light. His mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water, hand shakily coming up to point at them.
“Hyung, you-”
“Hyung, you kissed him! You kissed Jaehyuk!” Siwoo blurts out, horrified. Sanghyeok only blinks, head tilting like a cat. Jaehyuk though, he grins, smug and finally vindicated.
“I did tell you guys. Multiple times.” Siwoo only blanches further, actual mortification settling into his features.
“Dude,” Wooje whispers, “Wangho-hyung just lost so much money.”
Sanghyeok bursts out laughing, nearly doubling over. Jaehyuk just continues grinning, feeling immensely satisfied. Jihoon stumbles into a chair, hand still clutching his chest. The rest of his teammates are equally as horrified.
“Sanghyeok-hyung, you know he leaves his garbage everywhere right? And he never cleans up after himself. He left his rotting banana peel on the kitchen table just yesterday!” Jihoon splutters, pointing accusingly at Jaehyuk. Sanghyeok only smiles, and suddenly the fingers around his face feel way more threatening.
“Don’t worry about that Jihoonie. I run a tight ship.” Jaehyuk’s grin falls off his face.
Minseok cackles at his expression. “Oh my god, this is the best day of my life.”
Wooje has his phone out, mumbling something about telling Jinhyeok. Sanghyeok allows the commotion in the room to continue for a little while longer, squeezing Jaehyuk’s face affectionately. Then, he stands, pulling Jaehyuk up with him as he does. Everyone falls silent once he does, looking over expectantly. Sanghyeok smiles.
“Well, now that the cat’s out of the bag, I’m taking him home. Don’t call us until tomorrow.”
The room explodes in noise at this, oohs and cheering coming from every corner. Siwoo wolf-whistles, laughing maniacally at Jaehyuk’s red-tipped ears. Despite his embarrassment, he follows Sanghyeok dutifully towards the door. Right before they exit though, Sanghyeok turns around, a wicked gleam in his eye.
“Oh, and Wangho-ya? Make sure you send me that money by tonight. Remember not to bet against me again.”
The last thing Jaehyuk sees is a stun-locked Peanut and the sound of more glass hitting the floor before Sanghyeok slams the door shut, fingers intertwining with his.
Oh yeah. Jaehyuk grins, swinging their arms. Revenge tastes sweet for sure.