Junhoe slowly munched on a slice of pizza, his eyes on his best friend. Hanbin was exchanging text messages with someone, and it was starting to get on Junhoe’s nerves.

“Am I keeping you from something more important?” He asked, annoyed eyes on Hanbin.

“Something more important than you? Didn’t know that was possible.” Hanbin replied, though he took the cue to put his phone away. He’d actually been texting with Bobby, but he’d also exchanged a few messages with his mom--just to be safe in case Junhoe asked. Hanbin hated outright lying, he was terrible at it. He had no problem fudging the truth, though, or simply omitting information.

Junhoe grinned at the answer. “You sweet talker, you.”

Hanbin grabbed another slice of pizza, stuffing his mouth with a bite before mumbling a response. “Only the best for my top bro!”

“So, who were you texting anyway?” It’s not that Junhoe really cared so much who Hanbin was talking to, it was more that he was bothered about Hanbin texting someone else while they were supposed to be having dinner in celebration of Junhoe’s victories.

“My mom. She was telling me about Hanbyul’s day. She’s started teaching her how to count, so Hanbyul’s been going around the house counting everything.” That much was true, and Hanbin thought it was adorable. He loved his little sister, thought she was the cutest thing in the entire world.

“Aw, that’s sweet!” Junhoe replied, “when you get home she can count how much of a loser you are.”

“That’s not even tangible!” Hanbin answered. “How would she even count that?”

Junhoe shrugged. “Introduce her to experimental mathematics?”

Hanbin groaned and kicked Junhoe underneath the table. “That doesn’t mean what you think it means!”

Junhoe grinned and kicked him back. “Calm down, nerd! I was just trying to make a lame joke, okay?”

“Well it was lame, I’ll grant you that much.” Hanbin took another bite of pizza and tried to ignore his phone when he saw the new message light go off. This was ridiculous, honestly. He’d just met Bobby. He didn’t need to be texting him constantly right away. Shouldn’t he be establishing some sort of limit on their communication?

“So you’re coming for the whole show tomorrow, right?” Junhoe asked, grabbing another slice of pizza.

“Of course. What time’s your first match?” Bobby had already asked him if he was going back tomorrow, and Hanbin was thrilled to learn that Bobby would be there with Jinhwan again.

“I’m going there for ten.” Junhoe answered, grinning when Hanbin glared at him.

“That’s not a real answer!” Hanbin didn’t mind heading there early again (because Bobby was going to be there early with Jinhwan too) but it would be suspicious if he didn’t complain to Junhoe.

“Well, they might change the time of my first match, so I want to be ready!” Junhoe grabbed his Pepsi, taking a long swig of it before finishing off his slice.

Hanbin rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back so he could slink down in his seat a bit, all the better angle from which to glare at Junhoe. “Fine! Your mom driving again?”

“Yeah, she wants to come and watch me in the final too.” When he’d first started out competing, his parents had come to every tournament and stayed with him the entire time. But as he got older, Junhoe preferred them to come only for finals. It got awkward having to entertain family members in between his matches.

“Hope you make it that far!” Hanbin retorted, dodging the kick he knew was coming his way.

“Did you take a look at the brackets?” Junhoe asked him, and Hanbin shook his head.

“Was I supposed to?”

Junhoe shook his head in disgust. “Why do I keep deluding myself into thinking that you care?”

Hanbin grinned back at him. “Oh quit whining and tell me whatever it is you wanted to tell me.”

“If all goes well tomorrow, there’s a good chance I’ll meet that midget in the final.”

Hanbin had to fake his surprise. He hadn’t looked at the brackets, but Bobby had told him that if their friends won tomorrow, they’d be meeting at the end. “Ah, Jinhwan?”

“Whatever his name is,” Junhoe said, voice heavy with disinterest, “I hope I face him so I can get my revenge.”

Hanbin nodded, and while he wanted it to happen just so Junhoe would shut up about it, part of him worried that if they did meet again, Jinhwan would come out victorious a second time (and then he’d never be able to date Bobby--not that he was trying to, or anything).

“Well then you’d better kick in your quarter and semi!” Hanbin replied, and he quickly made a grab for the last slice of pizza. “I’ll eat this so you’re not sluggish on your feet tomorrow.”

Junhoe glared at him before falling into quiet contemplation about his matches. He wanted to meet Jinhwan again as much as he’d ever wanted anything--he needed to make up for his loss, needed to prove himself to everyone who’d seen the match.

He wasn’t trying to prove anything to Jinhwan, though, he didn’t care about the little shrimp that much (though it would be nice to give him a scathing victory comment). Jinhwan was so insignificant, he was nothing more than a little stepping stone to Junhoe’s development. Junhoe had been coasting for too long, his skills hadn’t really been tested. Jinhwan was just a blip on the radar, an outlier in Junhoe’s statistics. A reminder not to slack off.

If he spent all night planning his victory speech against Jinhwan, so what? That didn’t mean he actually cared about the kid’s opinion. Not one bit.

“Seriously, Bobby, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smiling this much before?” Jinhwan teased, pausing the movie they were watching (well, the movie he was watching--Bobby was more concerned with his phone) and staring at his best friend from his side of the couch.

Bobby frowned and put his phone down, knowing what Jinhwan was talking about and not wanting to have to admit anything. He’d been texting Hanbin for the past hour (it was so easy to talk to him!) and he guessed his excitement must have been showing on his face if Jinhwan had paused his movie to comment on it.

“I think it’s moving a bit fast, but as long as you’re happy I guess I’ll support you. Just promise me I’ll be your best man at the wedding?” Jinhwan teased again, nudging Bobby with his foot.

“Shut up, Jinan!” Bobby whined, grabbing a pillow and smacking Jinhwan in the head with it.

Jinhwan just laughed, though, not deterred in the slightest. “I think I’ve probably watched this in a movie before; it’s so nice to see it playing out in front of my own eyes!”

“Seriously, shut up before I kick your !”

“You are welcome to try. To make it fair I’ll handicap myself and tie one arm up.” Jinhwan grabbed his own pillow and whacked Bobby in the head, grinning when Bobby hit him again. Their pillow fight lasted a good minute before Jinhwan flung his to the floor and dove on top of Bobby, smothering him in a full body lock.

“Not fair!” Bobby whined. “You promised to never use your jiu-jitsu moves on me!”

“Yeah, well, I lied!” Jinhwan grinned and tightened his hold. “I’ll let you go when you answer a few simple questions for me.” Bobby groaned but Jinhwan only tightened his legs.

“Who’s the coolest guy you know?”

Bobby sighed. “Kim Jinhwan.”

“Who’s the toughest guy you know?”

“Kim Jinhwan.”

“Who’s the hottest guy you know?”

Bobby whined and struggled, but Jinhwan had his arms locked tight to his body. “It used to be Kim Jinhwan,” Bobby said, grinning when he heard Jinhwan grumble, “but it’s Kim Hanbin now!”

He was rewarded for his backtalk with a smack to the side of his head. Jinhwan still let him go anyway. “Eh, I can’t fault you for that one, I guess.”

Bobby scrambled up as soon as Jinhwan let him go. “You’re so strong for being so small.” Bobby complained, rubbing his arm.

“Ah, flattery will get you nowhere, but backhanded compliments will get you hit again!” Jinhwan threatened as he picked the remote up, stretching back out and putting his feet in Bobby’s lap.

Bobby let him do it, biting back a complaint. “So, now that we’ve exhausted conversation relating to my blossoming love life, should we discuss yours?”

Jinhwan snorted in response. “My non-existent love life, you mean?”

“We really need to do something about that already! You’d probably be more pleasant if we found you a nice boyfriend.” While Bobby himself had dated a few different guys, he only knew of one guy in Jinhwan’s life (some guy he’d dated last year when he was still living with his mom on Jeju Island). Despite being his best friend, Jinhwan had never really given him too many details about the guy. All Bobby actually knew about him was that he was older than Jinhwan and they’d had . Even that Jinhwan had told him accidentally.

“I don’t have time for a boyfriend, Bobby!” Jinhwan complained, wanting to drop the subject. It’s not that Jinhwan didn’t want a boyfriend (if he was being honest with himself, he actually really wanted a boyfriend, he missed having one) but there were too many obstacles and right now it was better to just forget it. He preferred to focus on fighting and school. A boyfriend would only distract from both.

Bobby rolled his eyes and pinched Jinhwan’s big toe, grinning when Jinhwan flinched and glared at him. “Come on, you need to live a little, Jinan! Don’t you want some hot guy to make out with?”

Jinhwan shook his head and was tempted to kick Bobby. “Doesn’t everyone? There are more important things, though.”

“What about that dude you fought? Hanbin’s friend, Junhoe? Now that’s a guy with a hot face!” Bobby had only brought him up to annoy Jinhwan.

“Ugh, that arrogant ? No thanks. No face is worth that attitude.” Jinhwan did not want to think about Junhoe’s face (because it was really hot) and he cursed Bobby for bringing it up.

“Come on, are you telling me you wouldn’t hit that if the opportunity presented itself?” Bobby teased, grinning when Jinhwan glared at him.

“Oh I’d hit him, alright, but it would be with my fist.” Jinhwan recognized Junhoe’s type from a mile away. He was the sort of guy who thought he deserved the entire world, handed to him on a silver platter. Spoiled brat, and judging from his fighting style, he was probably a bully at school too. You couldn’t pay Jinhwan to even contemplate the thought of kissing someone like Junhoe.

“So violent, Jinan! I bet it’ll be a passionate romance.” Bobby again and paid for it seconds later when Jinhwan rolled to the floor and put him in an ankle lock.

“Do well on your fights, sweetheart, make sure you text me your results, okay?”

Junhoe grabbed his bag from the trunk of his mom’s car, slightly annoyed when she got out to give him a hug. Couldn’t she just drop him off with a simple goodbye and good luck?!

“I talked to your sister and she’s going to come too! We’ll all be there to cheer you on!”

Junhoe bit back the groan he wanted to utter, standing stiffly as his mother gave him a tight hug. He was with physical displays of affection from anyone, but especially his mom. At least in public. He hugged his mom all the time at home, but that was in private, where no one else would see. It’s not that he was concerned with his reputation or anything like that. Okay maybe he was. Maybe he didn’t want to look soft in front of anyone.

Whatever. If anyone laughed at him for hugging his mom he’d just kick their .

“Hanbin-ah, you look after my baby today! I’m thankful he’s got such a good friend to come and stay with him.”

Junhoe rolled his eyes in irritation as his mom also hugged Hanbin. They got along perfectly with each other’s families, and yeah, maybe he was being hypocritical again because if this were Hanbin’s mom dropping them off at one of Hanbin’s competitions, Junhoe would be making the same chummy jokes with her at Hanbin’s expense.

“Don’t worry about him, Mrs. Koo! I’ll make sure he’s well fed, and if he needs his diaper changed I can handle that too!” Hanbin teased, winking at Junhoe’s irritated glare.

“Shut up before I kick your !” Junhoe threatened him.

“Fat chance of that happening! One punch from these fists and you’ll be on the ground seeing so many stars you’d think you were watching Running Man.” Hanbin playfully retorted, and Junhoe’s response was cut off by his mom.

“Really now, boys?”

Hanbin turned to her with a smile, putting his arm around her shoulders. “Ah I’m only teasing! I’d never punch him, at least not in the face. It’s the only thing he’s got going for him.”

Junhoe shook his head, feeling betrayed when his mom laughed. She bid him good luck one last time before getting back in her car, and Junhoe waved as she drove away before turning back to Hanbin and playfully smacking the side of his face.

“Stop being a pest!”

Hanbin grinned and took it, though, always happy to help Junhoe’s mom embarrass him. “Your mom’s just worried about her little boy! Wants to make--OW!” Junhoe cut him off with another slap.

“Stop annoying me.”

“You know, you’re lucky it’s match day! Otherwise I’d totally hit you back.” Hanbin grabbed Junhoe’s bag out of his hands, slinging it over his shoulder. “Let me carry this for you, don’t want you to hurt yourself before your next fight.”

They made their way into the venue, stopping to check the schedule of fights. Junhoe had fought his first opponent before (twice) and had beaten him both times. He was feeling confident that he’d win that one. He studied the other bracket as well, mapping out Jinhwan’s potential opponents on his route to the final. Junhoe knew his quarter final opponent, but wasn’t familiar with either of the guys he might face in the semi. He’d have to watch those matches.

While they got settled in their usual spot inside the gym, outside the gym Bobby and Jinhwan were being dropped off by Bobby’s older brother.

“Kill it today, Jinan-ie!”

Jinhwan walked over to the driver’s side window, bumping fists with Bobby’s brother.

“Thanks, hyung! Thank you for driving us too, I appreciate it!”

Jiun waved his comment off. “Ah, no problem! Wish I had the day off so I could watch your matches. Make sure Jiwon-ie texts me, okay? I want to stay updated on your progress.”

“I’ll text you every single little detail!” Bobby replied, “I’ll send you so much you’ll block my number.”

Jiun shook his head and laughed. “You better not! Only important updates so I can sneak in checking my messages during work.”

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t go overboard,” Jinhwan promised, “we’ll send you a pic with my trophy after I win it!”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Jiun replied. “I know you’ll do your best! We’re all proud of you no matter the result, though.”

Jinhwan couldn’t keep the smile off his face at Jiun’s words—it felt so nice to have such strong support. “Thanks again, hyung. Hope work isn’t too bad today!” They stood back as Jiun pulled away, waving a final goodbye to Bobby’s brother.

“Ready to go in and kick ?” Bobby asked, and Jinhwan grinned before sliding an arm around Bobby’s waist.

“Am I ever! It’s a nice day out to celebrate a few victories.”

Bobby’s arm s its way around Jinhwan’s shoulders and they walked into the venue together in good spirits. Jinhwan felt good about his chances today, confident and assured he could make it all the way through to the final. It wasn’t just conceited over-confidence, either. He’d studied all of his opponents, familiarized himself with everyone’s usual styles. There was a calmness in him borne of the knowledge that he was good enough to be victorious today.

“So, did you text your mom about yesterday’s results?” Bobby asked him, and the question made Jinhwan bristle.

“Nope. I’ll text her after I win the final.” Bobby didn’t respond with words—only a frown—and it got on Jinhwan’s nerves. “How many times do I have to tell you? It’s pointless to tell her much about my fights, she probably wouldn’t even respond to the message.”

“Give her a chance, at least.” Bobby replied. “You won’t know if she cares if you don’t even tell her.”

“She never cared when I was at home, why would she start caring now that I’ve left?” Jinhwan had come to accept his family’s disinterest in his jiu-jitsu years ago. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t bother him (though that’s exactly what he’d say if anyone asked him) but he’d decided to spend this year focusing on himself instead of worrying about trying to please his mother.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder?” Bobby replied.

Jinhwan snorted in disagreement. “More like, absence makes the alienation grow deeper.”

Bobby sighed, giving up for the time being. “Alright, fine! Just mark it down in your calendar that I tried, okay?”

Jinhwan grinned and tightened his arm around Bobby’s waist. “I appreciate you trying, I really do. But I can’t spend my time worrying about making my mom happy anymore. I tried that for two years and I was miserable. This year is about me!”

Bobby tightened his arm around Jinhwan’s shoulders, relieved Jinhwan wasn’t upset with him. For Bobby, who was so consumed with family, Jinhwan’s situation with his was nearly unfathomable. But Bobby’s parents supported his dreams (everything from basketball to rapping) while Jinhwan’s family had a very strict life plan laid out for him, and it had never included jiu-jitsu. He still had trouble understanding that Jinhwan had chosen to follow his own dreams, letting it come between himself and his mother.

It just made Bobby that much more appreciative of his parents, and grateful as well for the way they so easily accepted Jinhwan into their family structure. Even Bobby’s older brother treated Jinhwan like his own flesh and blood, and Bobby was happy that he was at least able to provide Jinhwan with a makeshift family in the absence of his own.

But he still wanted to believe he could help Jinhwan sort it all out. He wanted to believe that Jinhwan’s mother would come around one day. She’d be crazy not to.

Quarter finals went exactly as planned—both boys easily defeated their opponents. Junhoe wanted another Gatorade after his victory, so Hanbin got up to wander off to the concession stand to get one, leaving Junhoe on his own, taking a selfie to send to his family. On the way there he typed a hasty text to Bobby, because after all the texting from last night and this morning, he really wanted to see him again.

- come buy drinks? -

Bobby’s response came quick.

- k wait 4 me -

Hanbin took his place in the lineup, his stomach fluttering nervously for some stupid reason. Was he really getting that into this guy? There wasn’t anything overtly special about Bobby (except for everything) so Hanbin wasn’t sure why he was freaking out over him so much. Was it just because Bobby was so obviously into him? Was it just the over-interest that was working its magic?

It’s not like Hanbin lacked for confidence, so that realistically couldn’t be it. Was it just his dumb face? The stupid bunny teeth? At that moment he felt a pair of (warm, big) hands settle across his eyes.

“Guess who?”

Hanbin couldn’t help but smile at the utter dorkiness of it all.

“With that deep voice, I hope it’s TOP!” Hanbin pulled Bobby’s hands away from his eyes and turned his head to look over his shoulder, frowning for comic effect when he saw Bobby’s face. “Ah, disappointment.”

Bobby sighed and shook his head (and tried not to freak out because Hanbin was still holding his hands?) before answering. “Hey, I’ll have you know I can actually do a pretty decent TOP impersonation!”

“Oh, can you?” Hanbin sarcastically asked, squeezing Bobby’s hands before dropping them. “You’ll have to demonstrate for me some time, then.”

“I will. And you’ll like it!” Bobby stepped up to the counter and placed his order before looking back at Hanbin. “What do you want?”

“Just order yours, I’ll get mine.” Hanbin wasn’t sure if Bobby was trying to buy his stuff too?

“Oh come on, let me buy your drinks! We can meet here again later and you can buy for me then?” Bobby offered, amused that Hanbin seemed so taken aback at the offer.

“Fine,” Hanbin gave his own order too, smiling as he watched Bobby pay for them, “I can’t believe you’re already asking me on a follow up concession stand date.”

“Oh, is that what this is?” Bobby asked with a grin, taking their drinks and stepping to the side. “Are we on a date?”

Hanbin glared at him (good natured glare, though, because he definitely did not want Bobby to think he was offended). “I was joking!”

“I was kind of hoping our first date would be something a little more special than buying drinks, but if that’s how you want it, then okay.” Without warning, Bobby grabbed Hanbin’s hand and swiftly brought it up to his mouth, pressing a light kiss to the back of it.

Hanbin couldn’t believe him. What a dork! It was cute, though. He really hoped he wasn’t blushing.

Bobby grinned and dropped Hanbin’s hand, watching his reaction. He’d been 99% certain Hanbin was gay and into him, but sometimes guys were a little further in the closet than they let on at first, and when you made a direct move it freaked them out. But Hanbin seemed fine. That meant he was definitely safe.

“If we were dating, I’d dump you for that,” Hanbin teased, “that was a class A dork move.”

“Sure was, if you mean a for adorable!” Bobby replied, beaming when Hanbin groaned.

“More like a for atrocious!” Hanbin whined, but his frown quickly turned to a smile when Bobby laughed.

“I really like talking to you, Hanbin.” Bobby couldn’t stop himself from saying it out loud. He and Jinhwan had excellent bantering skills, and he was pleased that Hanbin was just as entertaining of a conversational partner.

Hanbin looked away, certain he was blushing. Could they not get through one conversation without Bobby being cute? It was such a change from his typical conversations with Junhoe that Hanbin wasn’t sure what to do in response. No one had ever been so cute to him before.

“Anyway, with that awkward confession out of the way, we should probably get back to our respective partners.” Bobby didn’t want to say goodbye just yet, but he was supposed to be here for Jinhwan. Not just to flirt with Hanbin.

“Yeah, Junhoe’s gonna give me the third degree if I take too long,” Hanbin agreed, “but let’s schedule another concession stand date for later?”

Bobby grinned back and could barely restrain himself from popping a little kiss on Hanbin’s cheek. “Deal! Hope Junhoe’s semi-final goes well!”

“Same to you! Wish Jinhwan luck from me!”

Bobby let Hanbin walk out first (since they didn’t want to leave the hall together, lest Junhoe see them) and he watched his back as he walked away. God he had it so bad for Hanbin! He’d never fallen for someone so ridiculously fast before. In fact, despite having had his fair share of boyfriends, Bobby hadn’t actually experienced being in lovebefore.

Maybe it was a little early to tell, but he kind of felt like maybe Hanbin would be his first? He hoped so. After enough time had passed Bobby walked back into the gym, climbing up the stands to where he’d left Jinhwan.

“How did the concession line date go?” Jinhwan asked with a smirk as Bobby sat down. “I watched it from here, by the way, if you lay down flat you can just see where you were.”

“Seriously?” Bobby asked, amused that Jinhwan would bother.

“I can’t believe you pulled the lame hands-over-the-eyes guess who! Pathetic.” Jinhwan took his bottle of water and shook his head.

“He thought it was cute!” Bobby retorted, even though it wasn’t exactly the truth.

“Did he really?” Jinhwan asked, because he knew Bobby was lying.

Bobby just frowned at him before shaking his head. “Okay fine, he kind of made fun of me for it.”

Jinhwan laughed and patted his knee. “I think I like this kid after all!”

“You better! I’m seeing him again.”

Jinhwan nearly choked on his water, laughing at Bobby’s admission. “Oh, are you? When?”

Bobby looked at his watch. “In an hour? After your semi-final.”

Jinhwan grinned. “Another Gatorade get-together?”

Bobby laughed and looked out across the gym floor. Hanbin was currently giving Junhoe a shoulder rub, and they were laughing about something. Just seeing him look happy made Bobby happy too. “Yeah, I bought his drinks this time, so he has to buy mine next time.”

“Well get me a bigger bottle, then!” Jinhwan teased, following Bobby’s line of sight and watching as Hanbin gave a shoulder rub to his rival. The gesture softened Jinhwan’s expectations for Hanbin just a little, but they also made him just a bit jealous.

“Hey, how come you never give me shoulder massages?” Jinhwan asked Bobby.

“Am I supposed to be doing that?” Bobby asked, looking back at his best friend.

“You would if you cared.” Jinhwan replied with a sniff, his lips pulled in a dramatic pout.

“Good thing I don’t care, then!” Bobby answered with a laugh, earning him a punch in the leg from Jinhwan.

“Come on, Bobby, be a little more like your new boyfriend!” Jinhwan teased, “just look at him, taking care of that friend of his.”

“Ah stop it,” Bobby replied, face flushed in mild embarrassment, “we’re not dating, just interested.”

“Yet!” Jinhwan carried on. “Then again, it might all crash and burn later if Junhoe makes it to the final and I kick his a second time. What are you guys gonna do then?”

Bobby frowned and tried to just laugh it off. “Hey, he and I are more than just the sum of our best friends’ rivalry!” What would happen, though, if Jinhwan beat Junhoe a second time?

“You say that now, but everything might change. He seems like the type who probably tries to regulate who his friends date.” Jinhwan frowned, eyes back on the pair across the gym floor. Hanbin was still rubbing Junhoe’s shoulders. Probably wouldn’t even get a thank you for it.

Bobby gratefully pushed aside his worries about Junhoe getting in the way of his possible relationship with Hanbin, instead focusing on Jinhwan. “You know, Jinan, come to think of it, you keep bringing Junhoe up. You sure you’re not harboring something for him in there?”

Jinhwan shot Bobby a murderous glare. “Excuse me? That’s not even funny.”

“No really! I mean I know you have this rivalry and all--”

“He’s an arrogant whose I can’t wait to kick a second time , that’s all.” Jinhwan interrupted.

“You don’t even know that for sure!” Bobby teased. “You’ve met him once, you can’t judge him on that alone.”

“Sure I can, and I have.” Jinhwan took another sip of water, and Bobby just shook his head. If Junhoe did make it to the final, Bobby really hoped that Jinhwan would come out victorious again. He didn’t want to contemplate how his best friend would react if he lost to someone he was harboring such a bizarrely intense rivalry with.