Work Text:
They meet again on the big stage.
"Can I take your order, sir?"
At least, that's what Ming Kai had hoped for, but an empty McDonald's counts as a big stage too, right?
"Ah, sorry..." He trails off, tearing his eyes away from the person by the ketchup station.
He comes face to face with a rather bored looking woman, one finger tapping against her computer screen. His mind draws a blank as the menu seems to blend into one giant mass, and her incessant tapping doesn’t show any signs of stopping as Ming Kai struggles to find something, anything, to say.
"Cheeseburger?"
The word feels more like a question than a statement, and by the looks of the cashier, she feels the same way. She types in the order though, all the while arching an eyebrow at him.
"Is that all?"
Ming Kai would actually want a Coke, but he's too afraid that that person will have left the building by then that he shakes his head. Her eyebrow stays raised, but she shrugs, leaving the counter for the questioned cheeseburger while he turns, in what he hopes is a discreet manner, towards the ketchup station.
Hyukkyu's still standing there, back facing him. Ming Kai tries not to blink, fearing that if he does, Hyukkyu will have disappeared.
He feels as though this is all a dream.
He can't remember the last time he'd seen him.
Except, he can, quite clearly too. He simply wishes he couldn't.
Tian Ye had asked if he'd come with them to the airport, even though they both knew the answer. But, since Tian Ye lived by always asking, and Ming Kai lived by always stating, the question was bound to happen. Hyukkyu though, he was the one who stayed stoic and constant, the meddler who suggested rather than stated. Hence why, the famed duo of EDG was Deft and Meiko.
But before Deft and Meiko, it'd been Deft and Clearlove.
"Why we work no more?"
Those words, misplaced amidst the frustrated shouting, yet, somehow needed.
They'd used to work, worked great in fact. Clearlove ensured that Deft had everything covered, whether that'd be ganks, vision or a buff here and there, and Deft delivered every time. Any arguments they had were few because they never saw a reason to, not when they kept on winning with this formula.
Most people saw it as "Clearlove babysitting Deft", Ming Kai simply saw it as placing his trust in the right hands.
But somewhere along the line, things stopped working out.
They suffered defeat, and as loss after loss piled on top of one another, it had caused something between them to fracture, a crack that grew larger with each failed gank or miscommunication. They both knew that their synergy wasn't the same as before, they'd been part of this scene for too long not to recognize the signs. But, despite knowing this, they never mentioned it.
They couldn't, saying it out in the open would be the final nail in the coffin.
"Why?"
His voice had felt unfamiliar to him, the desperation spilling out from his lips tasting foreign. Hyukkyu had gone quiet, any signs of anger or annoyance perishing as a brief flicker of sadness crossed his face.
"I don't know."
They both knew.
That had been more than a year ago, a year in which Ming Kai had changed focus. He concentrated more on facilitating "the bot lane" and not "just Deft" while Hyukkyu placed more of his trust in Tian Ye than him. They still crushed the competition, but the synergy they'd built up ever since they'd met in solo queue wasn't the same.
Never mind solo queue, Ming Kai had noticed how their relationship in general changed after that particular argument. They didn't hang out as much, unless in a group. The talks they did were mostly, if not all, small talk that didn’t feel like anything but further the gap between them.
They still argued though, after bad games or when their opinions about the game clashed. That was the one thing that had stayed constant, which was why, even though Ming Kai was the first to make up, he was also the first to start the arguments. It was the one thing he had left with Deft, with Hyukkyu.
But with time, he found himself pulling back from Hyukkyu, leaving the bot lane to themselves whilst choosing to improve his own relationship with other teammates instead.
Before long, Deft and Clearlove had been replaced by Deft and Meiko, both in- and outside of the game.
In a way, that'd been for the best. After failing yet again at the quarterfinals, he didn't say his usual "we'll come back next year" phrase, because he wasn't naive enough to believe that there'd be a next year for this roster. He knew that'd be the last time he'd see parts of the EDG line-up, and with how estranged he felt from Hyukkyu, he was certain he wouldn't feel that sad.
Yet, despite the rift between them, he'd still been the first to cry back in the practice room.
Perhaps it'd been due to his fuckups’ in-game and failing one time too many at the same exact hurdle, but as soon as Hyukkyu placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, he knew that wasn't the case.
He still didn't see him off though.
Tian Ye had still scolded him even if he’d known the answer, telling him that his stubbornness would do more harm than help. Ming Kai hadn't corrected him, had only pointed at the door and reminded him that he had a flight to catch.
"I've already said goodbye-"
"And, that's the only thing you've said. Don't you have anything else to tell him?"
Tian Ye lived by always asking. Ming Kai lived by always stating.
"No."
Ming Kai has had his fair share of disappointment, but that glare that Tian Ye had shot him had been in a league of its own.
"Sir, your cheeseburger."
He flinches, jerking his head to the side.
Scratch that, he's pretty sure the cashier has one that can challenge that spot.
"Ah, thank you." He murmurs, handing her the money while taking the burger.
Ming Kai steps away from the counter, glancing towards the ketchup station. He's well aware that the woman's watching him, and he can't really blame her, he'd do the same if one out of only two people acted strange at his workplace. Still, he tries to hide how his face falls as he notices the empty station.
He can't blame Hyukkyu though, he probably hadn’t even noticed him, and if he did, why would he wait? As if Hyukkyu would wait for someone who didn’t even give him a proper goodbye.
"Clearlove?"
Ming Kai doesn't yelp, even if the mocking smile on the cashier's lips tells him otherwise he definitely doesn't make a sound. He's cool as a cucumber as he slowly turns to face Hyukkyu who is definitely not trying to hold back a smile of his own.
"Hi," he says, voice not sounding choked off at all.
Hyukkyu towers over him, Ming Kai wonders if he's grown taller in the time that they've been apart, or if he's forgotten how it's like to see Hyukkyu in the flesh and not through a computer screen.
After all, it's been almost half a year since the departure of EDG's Kim "Deft" Hyukkyu. Almost half a year since they both promised that they'd meet on the biggest stage at the highest point.
When Ming Kai saw that Hyukkyu all but had spring split in the bag, he became even more motivated to win his own. Forget Worlds, MSI was the stage set just for them. Their first international victory together being on the first non-Korean team to beat SKT in a best of five, that alone was enough for hundreds of storylines to be created.
Once EDG had qualified, it took less than a day for the articles to pop up. “Friend turned foe”, “a once loyal ally becoming the ultimate enemy”, Ming Kai all but scoffed at the titles. But he'd be lying to himself if they didn't slightly fuel his excitement for the event.
Yet here they are, their first meeting in forever not at that prestigious MSI stage, but at an empty fast-food joint. Accompanied not by fans, journalists, viewers from all over the world, but by a bored cashier who probably thinks she's in some sort of hidden camera. For what it's worth, by some twisted irony, at least they're in London, the place where Fnatic had done that embarrassingly clean sweep against them.
The reality is near laughable, except Ming Kai isn't laughing. He can't even muster up as much as a smile.
Truthfully, he wants to run, wants to hide, preferably behind a computer screen as EDG Clearlove.
He'd rather meet Hyukkyu there than here, standing tall and smiling, unchanged as though he was still part of EDG.
"How are you?" Ming Kai asks after what feels like an eternity of just staring.
Hyukkyu takes a thoughtful sip of his drink, reminding Ming Kai of the lone cheeseburger in his hand. He really should've bought a Coke at least that would’ve been a tasteful excuse not to talk, rather than stuffing his mouth full.
"Good," Hyukkyu replies, smile still intact. "And you?"
Ming Kai unwraps the burger, partially because he's actually hungry, and partially because he hasn't felt this awkward in a while.
"Good," he parrots, taking a small bite.
Hyukkyu seems content though, posture relaxed as he takes another sip. He gestures to one of the booths, straw between his teeth. "Sit down?"
Ming Kai blinks, trying to process the words, until he remembers that Hyukkyu lives by suggesting, or at least used to.
"Okay."
They take their seats opposite each other. Ming Kai can't think of the last time they did this, just the two of them. Hyukkyu fiddles with the lid of the cup, and Ming Kai wonders how someone can remain this constant.
Six months might not be much in general, but in their world time is essential.
Replaced, benched, all terms that Ming Kai had never known or placed much thought on until he entered esports. He's seen people come and go in the blink of an eye. “One day you're in, the next day you're out”, he's breathed that saying for years.
"How is team?" Hyukkyu asks all of a sudden, peering at him.
"Meiko no tell you?" He shoots back, unable to stop himself.
Hyukkyu seems taken aback, eyebrows knitted together. He goes back to fiddling after a moment of silence, and Ming Kai wants to sew his mouth shut from here on out. Aaron wouldn't let him though, he shotcalls too much for that to happen.
He's in the middle of thinking how much typing his fingers can handle when Hyukkyu murmurs, almost inaudible.
"Want to hear from you."
Ming Kai's the one who's taken aback this time, blinking at him. He mechanically takes a bite out of his cheeseburger, swallowing as his mind draws a blank.
"We good," he hears himself say. "But we better with you."
Aaron's wrath be damned, he's going to ask the hotel reception if they have a sewing kit as soon as he returns.
If he manages to return, he isn't sure how much of his cheeseburger he has left to use as an excuse, and he doesn't know if the cashier would appreciate it if he hid behind the counter.
Hyukkyu pauses. Ming Kai can't see his expression, fringe covering his eyes as he continues to stare at the lid. He's already mapped out all potential exits in the McDonald's, including the tiled ceiling, when he notices the small, fond smile gracing Hyukkyu's lips.
"I'm happy," he whispers, raising his head.
Their eyes connect, and Ming Kai realizes how much he's missed him. The stoic, constant Hyukkyu who he could always rely on, both in-and outside of the game, who, whether Ming Kai liked it or not, always suggested rather than put his foot down.
The Hyukkyu who somewhat reminded Ming Kai of himself, whose departure was inevitable yet still as painful as if it'd come out of nowhere.
These are the times when he hates the language barrier. There's simply too much lost in either translation or lack of words to say, the latter being the problem right now. He wants to tell Hyukkyu so much, tell him the things he was unable to say even as he saw him leave.
Ming Kai shakes his head, taking one last bite of the cheeseburger. Tian Ye would've been proud of him for this insight, probably, he isn't too sure how he feels about that.
"You happy," Ming Kai begins, trying to figure out the rest of the sentence, "is good."
There are too many English words that he has yet to learn how to pronounce, and he doesn't want to start speaking in Chinese even if Hyukkyu understands more than he lets on.
"Thank you."
He doesn't need to though, not when Hyukkyu's smiling at him like that.
"You happy?" He asks, tilting his head to the side.
Ming Kai hesitates, briefly, before nodding.
"Really?"
Hyukkyu arches an eyebrow and gives him a look, that look, the one that tells him he wants honesty. Ming Kai's been on the receiving end of that one too many times, mostly during arguments, sometimes at team meetings, but always directed at him.
He's oddly missed it.
The English words feel heavy on his tongue, weighed down by his mind yelling at him that this is a bad idea; he shouldn't fraternize with the enemy or whatever. He knows they’re all only excuses though.
Tian Ye still talks to Hyukkyu. Tong Yang still talks to Wonseok. Even Coach Aaron keeps contact with the both of them. Ming Kai's the only one being stubborn.
"I miss you," he says in one quick breath.
The tabletop grows more interesting by each passing second of Hyukkyu not responding. Ming Kai tries not to chew his lip but old habits die hard, and the same can be said for old teammates.
"Me too," Hyukkyu replies, Ming Kai looks up in an instant.
That smile once again, Ming Kai can't understand how he managed to go all those months without so much as video calling Hyukkyu.
Tian Ye might've been right, not that he'll ever tell him that though.
A part of him regrets that he didn't come with them to the airport. He knows he didn't give Hyukkyu the proper farewell that he deserved, but there was simply too much that Ming Kai wanted to tell him, without knowing how to.
He feels the same now, sitting in front of the same man, knowing what to say but not how to say it.
Hyukkyu seems to be expecting more, but Ming Kai's never been all that great at suggesting or asking. He doesn't even think he's that good at stating, either,
"Sorry," he ends lamely, chewing at his lower lip.
"Why?" Hyukkyu asks.
For never giving you the goodbye you deserved. For never trying to keep more contact with you. For never telling you how much you meant to EDG, to me. For never winning enough with you, for you-
"Me never win you Worlds," Ming Kai settles on, averting his eyes.
Hyukkyu scoffs before a small smile crosses his lips. "Don't say that."
Ming Kai turns his eyes to him, frowning. He opens his mouth, about to respond-
"You give me MSI now, then Worlds."
Hyukkyu's grinning now, as though what he's said is hilarious, and whatever Ming Kai had thought of saying dies as he tries to process what just happened.
He ends up staring at Hyukkyu, mouth agape. Judging by the way Hyukkyu suddenly holds his breath, he must look ridiculous. He can see his shoulders shaking, and whether from oxygen deprivation or barely contained laughter Ming Kai doesn't know. He isn't sure which one he prefers more.
Hyukkyu can't hold it any longer, bursting out laughing as he grabs his stomach.
"As if," Ming Kai retorts amidst Hyukkyu's laughter, yet unable to stop a smile of his own.
Hyukkyu continues to laugh, brilliant and bright, while Ming Kai watches him, grinning from ear to ear. There are a lot of things he wants to tell him, but that can wait.
Hyukkyu will understand. He always does.
He wants this moment to be a stage, their stage, just for the two of them.