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Baku slams the door shut behind him, tossing his backpack onto the couch and immediately flopping down next to it.
“God, i'm so exhausted,” it comes out as a whine, with way too dramatic of a sigh. He slaps his own stomach, turning his head toward Gotak. “And starving.”
“You're always starving.” Hyuntak rolls his eyes.
The apartment is a bit cooler than outside, which brings at least some kind of relief. This summer has been way too dry and suffocating. He just wants to shove his head in the fridge and stay there for a couple of hours. He ignores the complaints Humin throws at his back. He's way too used to it by now, takes it as background noise he couldn't live without anymore.
“Mom probably didn't have time to make anything before work, but there should definitely be some ramyeon. Go check.” Gotak says before disappearing into the bathroom.
He needs to at least wash his face with cold water, his face is burning. He turns on the water, hearing drawers start to open and packaging rustle. Humin knows where everything is. You could say this is his home too. No one minds.
The ice-cold water actually helps. His brain isn't melting as much as it was a minute ago. Playing basketball in the sun after school wasn't the best idea, but he doesn't regret it. It was fun. It's always fun with Baku.
“Hey, Gotak, can you...” Baku doesn't finish. He just leans against the doorframe and looks at Hyuntak with those puppy eyes, knowing he'll be understood.
Gotak understands and sighs, clicking his tongue. He brushes his wet bangs off his forehead, turns off the water, and heads to the kitchen, ignoring Humin who's way too hyperactive and practically bouncing along behind him. Where does he even get the energy in this disgusting weather?
Hyuntak can't stand the heat, but it seems like it doesn't affect Humin at all. His energy never runs out. Good. Let him always stay exactly like this. Any other state brings problems and makes him worry.
In the kitchen, there are already two bowls of instant noodles with seasoning and water sitting by the microwave. Gotak puts them in on the rack and sets the timer. A warm light comes on, the appliance starts humming, and the food spins. Baku had been hiding behind him the whole time, holding onto his shoulders and practically glued to his back.
“You're so big and you're scared of a regular microwave. That's just ridiculous,” Gotak teases, nudging Humin with his head.
“I'm never going near that hell machine again! It sparked last time and set my food on fire!” Baku almost whines, raising his voice and shaking the other's shoulders.
Gotak's expression doesn't change. He's definitely developed an immunity to this guy's dramatics over all the years of friendship.
“You did that to yourself. How could you even think to put a sandwich in foil in the microwave?” Gotak snorts, grabbing water from the fridge. “Your low IQ really does show in everyday life... Hey!”
The guy exclaims because Baku starts theatrically acting offended and shoves him. The water almost spills on the floor, and they break into a playful scuffle that, as always, ends with Baku's smiles and giggles. Everything's in its place.
When the noodles are ready, the guys move to Hyuntak's room, grabbing a few cans of cold soda and a small container of pickled kimchi. There are tons of different posters on the walls. Some he put up himself, some Baku did.
A few shelves with medals and trophies in the corner. Reminders of a closed chapter of his life. There was a time he wanted to sweep it all into a box and hide it in the closet or just throw it out, but Baku knocked some sense into him. Like always, whenever Gotak was on the verge of doing something stupid. They always pull each other back when one's on the edge of a cliff.
Now a look in that direction only brings nostalgia and a slight sadness that barely even stings anymore.
Baku's red hoodie from last time is lying forgotten on the chair. There's actually a lot of his stuff here: from little things like pens, comics, and notebooks, to clothes. You could say this is their space. Same deal in Baku's room at his place.
Where one's presence is marked, the other will definitely pop up too. Even if indirectly, it's inevitable.
Humin first really wanted to watch some new anime he'd been bugging Hyuntak about for days, but then it turned out it wasn't fully released yet. He was bummed but agreed to postpone it to the weekend and quickly switched to the console.
The console was from an older generation. They saved up for it together doing side jobs a couple years back. They bought games the same way. Maybe they'll replace it soon, but it's not a priority right now. This is enough. Humin picks "Mortal Kombat XL," like most of the time. He giggles while Gotak grumbles under his breath again. Baku likes winning and watching the guy fake outrage. And he wins at this almost every single time.
Hyuntak has tried different characters, their tactics and fighting styles, but no matter who he picks, Humin still beats him, and then loves to brag about it. A real big kid. They're the same age, but Hyuntak feels older. In terms of maturity, definitely. And sure, his mom says they're exactly alike, but he disagrees.
Outside, evening slowly falls. The room is dim, their faces lit only by flashes from the TV screen, in front of which they're comfortably settled on the floor. From the street come sounds of passing cars and loud passersby. Yet neither of them notices, because they're focused on the game.
Baku is too excited, as always. He exclaims loudly and laughs at yet another victory, taunting Gotak. He picks up the vibe and also curses when he loses. Way too often. It's just annoying.
He's playing Sub-Zero against Scorpion, and advantage should be on his side, but Baku manages to beat him even when he's shoveling food with one hand, barely looking at the screen.
“You're shoving and yelling in my ear on purpose so i lose focus.” He snaps, extremely annoyed, when the round once again ends in the other's victory.
“It's not about focus, i'm just that damn good, Gogo,” Baku sounds way too pleased, grinning from ear to ear, taking a sip of soda that's already unpleasantly warm. Still, he doesn't even flinch. “I could win even with my eyes closed.”
Gotak kicks him in the thigh for that kind of arrogance, but it just triggers another fit of laughter. They start over. It repeats. Almost. When Hyuntak's character is close to death yet again, the guy tears his gaze from the screen and stares at Humin for a while, as if making up his mind about something. A crazy idea pops into his head, yet extremely appealing at the same time. He thinks for exactly three seconds before acting.
One hand lets go of the controller and rises to Humin's cheek. His head turns away from the TV almost immediately. Gotak practically doesn't even need to do anything. Humin just has time to blink. You can catch his face taking on a confused and surprised expression, if you look closely enough. But it all happens very fast.
They were already sitting close, knees and shoulders touching, but now the distance is minimal. Gotak leaned in, his lips touching the other's. It was noticeable, but soft. He heard a surprised exhale and felt Baku just freeze. Then lips moved, and it's hard to say who did it first. The kiss was almost chaste, a little clumsy because of the suddenness and speed, but still... it was warm and right. Like everything else with Baku.
Gotak pulls back as the screen flashes, announcing Scorpion's defeat. A sly smile curls at the corners of his mouth. While Baku was completely thrown off, losing all focus on the game, he kept pressing buttons on his controller. That was the plan. Mostly. No one's going to admit to any other reasons for this act.
“I won. Didn't work out with your eyes closed.” Hyuntak's voice is extremely mocking and satisfied.
They're still close. Close enough that their breaths mix and you can catch the glints in those gorgeous eyes. Baku is silent for too long, and it gets a little awkward. Gotak feels his neck starting to redden and his cheeks burning. Definitely not because of the heat this time. It's reassuring that Humin doesn't look any better. He's even redder than Gotak.
“God, you have such a stupid look on your face right now.” It's clearly an attempt to lighten the mood and get a laugh that would break the weird tension in the air.
Gotak tries to pull back, but his wrist is caught and tugged back. Their lips meet again, a bit stronger than before, but still gentle and tender. This kiss lasts longer. It's more relaxed and sweet from the soda they just drank. Or maybe not just because of that.
Baku's fingers in his hair feel really nice. He touches his face and clutches at his t-shirt. The console is forgotten for a while. Hard to say how long they enjoyed this moment. It doesn't really matter. But they do need to breathe. They have to pull back, but not too far. Neither lets go of the other, foreheads touching, sharing equally happy smiles.
“And still, i won.” Gotak smirks, squinting.
“But i won more.” Humin laughs, leaving a quick kiss on Hyuntak's cheek before the guy can complain. “Because i have the best boyfriend in the world.”
“God, that's way too cheesy, stop,” Hyuntak pretends to protest, trying to push Baku away, but he just laughs louder and pulls him into a tight hug. “It's hot! Let go!”
“Can't help that I'm hot. You'll just have to deal with it,” Humin buries his nose in the other's hair, the smile never leaving his face. He knows Hyuntak is perfectly fine with everything.
“Idiot.”
Gotak keeps up the act of being annoyed for a while, but gets comfortable, practically burying himself in his boyfriend's neck. Boyfriend. They really are dating. Only a couple of weeks officially, though everyone around already knows they're head over heels for each other. At least none of their friends were surprised. Only Suho. He thought they were already together.
They haven't kissed that many times before this. Still getting used to the new status and testing boundaries. Though, considering everything they've been through together, and the years spent side by side, that probably even sounds stupid. But Hyuntak likes their pace. No one is rushing anywhere. Everything is perfect.
Their first kiss happened exactly on the day the horrible microwave attacked Baku. It seemed like he was genuinely scared. At least his complaining was very convincing. Gotak definitely has a weakness for Baku's puppy eyes, and the guy apparently knows it.
Hyuntak couldn't resist and pecked the guy on his pouty lips back then. Then immediately acted like nothing happened, continuing to scrub the burnt bits. His red ears gave him away, but again, Baku has it worse.
Afterwards, Humin followed him around begging for at least one more tiny kiss, because he, you see, got traumatized and needed healing. Gotak gave in. Maybe way too fast. Either way, that shouldn't concern anyone.
For the most part, it seems like little has changed in their relationship. Apart from showing even more physical closeness. But still, Gotak felt the shifts and was completely ready for it. As long as Baku's around, there's nothing to worry about. He trusts him even more than he trusts himself.
Their hug is interrupted by Gotak's mom, who's back from work, and the three of them cook dinner together, filling the kitchen with chatter and laughter. She doesn't know anything yet, but Hyuntak plans to tell her very soon. Something tells him there won't be any surprise. She probably figured it out even before they did.