Handicap (n.)

A disadvantage given to a person taking part in a game or competition in order to reduce their chances of winning…

Source: Cambridge Dictionary

On one fine spring day, all members of Super Junior were given a rare day off. During the day, each member enjoyed their free time in their own ways but when the night came, they were called by their leader to go back to the dorm. Leeteuk explained to them that he held a game tournament to strengthen their bond. Although most of them weren't interested in it, after knowing that the winners didn't have to do the dish duty for a month, they happily joined. The 12 people were divided into 3 groups with Leeteuk as the referee (totally not because he at gaming). The chosen game for the tournament was Tekken 5 which was a fighting game. The rule was very simple: fighting until you were the last one standing. At first, the tournament went on smoothly. They sincerely praised members who were good and playfully teased those who were hopeless. However, the harmony didn't last long when they realized that a certain member was too good at the game, literally wiping the floor with them.

"Aish!!! This brat is cheating, I say! How come he defeated us like we're a noob when it's his first time playing it!"

"I couldn't agree more! Teuk hyung, what's the point of the tournament if it's obvious who will win!"

"Yes! I demand a rematch!"

Heechul who got the second place protested after he lost to the maknae whose character's HP bar barely dropped. Followed by Eunhyuk and Kangin who got the third and fourth place respectively.

"Well, we all know Kyuhyun is good at this kind of stuff so it's not surprising."

"Shindong hyung is right. Don't we all see this coming?"

"But Kyuhyun is too good! I want a rematch too! I won't lose this time!"

Shindong, Kibum, and Donghae; the fifth, sixth, and seventh place gave their thoughts on the topic.

"Guys, aren't we supposed to have fun and not get competitive?"

"Hyung is right, what matters is that we have fun!"

"Anyone want more ice cream? Potato chips? Soda?"

Hangeng and Sungmin, the eighth and ninth place, tried to placate the worked up members while Siwon who got the tenth place kindly checked everyone's snack.

"If we're going to have a rematch, can I sit out? I see no point in joining the tournament."

"Then I'll sit out too, Ryeowook-ah."

"Hyung, you don't have to do that! I'm happy enough that you intentionally lost so that I won't get the last place!"

Ryeowook, the eleventh place, quickly stopped his Yesung hyung who got the last place from sitting out having fun with the members. He knew that his hyung could get a better rank if he took it seriously. Leeteuk massaged his temples while watching the second to fourth place player argue with the winner. Maybe holding the tournament was a bad idea?

"Sigh, alright, Kyuhyun-ah, are you okay if we'll have a rematch?"

"Bring it on. I bet that I can defeat them blindfolded."

Kyuhyun said smugly, causing Heechul, Eunhyuk, and Kangin to get even more worked up while the rest of the members just laughed at their antics.

"Teuk hyung! We need to give Kyuhyun a handicap!"

Eunhyuk nodded, "I agree with Kangin hyung! Let him play with one hand!"

"I can still KO hyungs with one hand."

"Look at this kid! Teukie, just let him play with one finger!"

"No, Heechul-ah, that's too unfair for him. Though I agree that we must give some handicap to Kyuhyun-ah…"

Unexpectedly, it was Kibum who suggested an idea to the leader.

"How about we have Kyuhyun play while being blindfolded?"

"It's annoying but I can still win relying only on the sounds," Kyuhyun smirked.

Kibum smiled, "then have Yesung hyung provide directions."

Kyuhyun's smirk was instantly erased and replaced with a look of horror. While Yesung frowned in confusion, Ryeowook happily supported the idea, followed closely by other members. Even the calm members like Hangeng, Sungmin, and Siwon were also nodding along with the rest of the team while smiling knowingly. The only one who was unhappy about it was the maknae himself who quickly protested.

"No! I'd rather play with one hand and blindfolded than teaming up with Yesung hyung!"

"Yah! Am I that bad in your eyes!"

Kyuhyun rolled eyes, "you're not bad, just extremely oblivious."

"Oblivious what? How is it related to playing games?"

"See?" Kyuhyun sighed, "anyway, I object to this idea."

Leeteuk smiled, "I actually think it's a good idea! Yesung-ah, how about it? If you can help Kyuhyun-ah win then you're free from the dish duty too!"

"Yes! I'll take the offer! Kyuhyun-ah, we gotta do our best!"

Yesung grinned at the youngest member but Kyuhyun only signed in defeated while looking down dejectedly.

"I'm doomed…"

"What? Did you say something?"

Kyuhyun glanced at his hyung and sighed again without saying anything, leaving confused Yesung with the members who exchanged a knowing look while chuckling to themselves.

**********************************

"Kyuhyun-ah, Siwon-ah chooses Asuka as his character!"

"Yesung hyung… stop shouting into my ear and move back a bit, will you?"

"But how am I going to guide you? Leave it to me, I'll bring victory to both of us!"

In order to effectively provide directions to the maknae, Yesung moved to sit beside the youngest who was blindfolded. At the same time, he had his arms around the maknae's arm and leaned on the maknae's shoulder. Kyuhyun shifted awkwardly but let his hyung cling on him while the other members tried so hard not to burst out laughing. The first round of the rematch game soon started.

"Kyuhyun-ah, he's going to punch you, dodge it!"

Kyuhyun's character jumped instead of dodging and got hit.

"Yah! What are you doing! I said dodge, not jump!"

"Whatever! What's next!!?"

"A series of kicks incoming! Crouch down and retaliate!"

Kyuhyun's character threw a punch that missed the target and got hit again.

"Kyuhyun!"

"I-I'm doing my best alright! Stop shouting and shaking my arm!"

Yesung pouted but obediently lowered his voice to a soft whisper. He also squeezed the maknae's arm instead of shaking it.

"Kyuhyun-ah, he's using a back kick."

Kyuhyun's character stopped moving all of the sudden and got hit by a combo.

"Kyuhyun-ah!" Yesung whined but still kept his voice low, "what the hell are you doing? You lost half of your HP now!"

"J-Just stop talking and let me take care of it myself!"

Getting slightly annoyed, Yesung huffed and let the maknae fight blindly. However, Kyuhyun actually did better without his guidance which made him more annoyed. Actually, Kyuhyun even turned the tide and won the game despite being at a disadvantage in the beginning which made Yesung a bit salty.

"What? So you don't need my help at all? Maybe you really are better off without me by your side."

"N-No! Yesung hyung! I need you!"

"Really? Even though you fare better without my guidance?"

"Urgh, how should I say it to make you understand? Like, Yesung hyung, I don't need your guidance, only your support, I mean, silent support, that is."

"So, you want me to basically do nothing?"

"Exactly. If you want us to win then believe me, hyung."

Although Yesung thought that the maknae's words didn't make any sense, he still followed it religiously. Well, Kyuhyun wasn't the only one who didn't want to do the dishes…

***********************************

In the end, Kyuhyun did win matches after matches by having him do absolutely nothing (during a match with Kangin, he tried to hint at the maknae but his advice only made Kyuhyun lose focus, so he just stopped it altogether). They miraculously got to the final round and had to face Heechul who kicked Eunhyuk's to get to this round, all in all a total Deja Vu like the first round. Yesung knew that Heechul hyung was different from other members. His hyung was good at gaming too so Kyuhyun had to take the match seriously if he wanted to win.

"Kyuhyun-ah, are you sure that you don't need my help? You're up against Heebongie hyung of all people!"

"Yes, I can manage without your help. Actually, I'll be very thankful if hyung doesn't do anything, even touch me."

"What? Did you hate my skins—"

"I love it but now isn't the best time. Please, Yesung hyung, I need to focus."

Yesung pouted but let the maknae to himself. The final match to decide the winner then commenced. Heechul easily won the first round because Kyuhyun couldn't grasp the play style of his hyung's character yet. However, the youngest member turned the tide and won the second round which put them into a draw. So, they proceeded to the third and last round to find out the winner. No one said anything as they watched the match, not even Leeteuk who usually had comments for everything. Even both players also played seriously without uttering any words. Yesung anxiously watched the HP bar of the two characters dropping at a similar speed. If someone made a mistake then they would definitely lose. Yesung kept his words and did nothing to support the maknae. However, when Kyuhyun narrowly escaped a deadly combo from the older man, he couldn't hold back anymore. Yesung gently grabbed Kyuhyun's forearm to not disturb him while whispering softly to the maknae.

"Kyuhyun-ah, fighting! You can do it. I'll always be by your side and support you."

Kyuhyun dropped the game controller.

"Kyuhyun-ah! What are you doing! Hurry up and pick it up before— no! Heebongie just chained combos you! Quickly, do something— no! We lost…"

In the end, Kyuhyun didn't pick up the controller and lost the match just like that. Heechul roared in victory while the other members cheered for him. Kyuhyun took off the blindfold and threw it away while cursing. Then, the maknae turned to glare at his hyung.

"Hyung! I told you to do nothing!"

"What!!? It's your fault for getting startled that easily! I barely did anything but you still threw concentration out of the window!"

"Argh! That's because you're a distraction!"

"The hell!!? Are you picking a fight—!"

"C'mon Yesung! Calm down, calm down."

"Jeez, Kyuhyun, you know it's not Yesungie hyung's fault."

Kangin and Ryeowook quickly stepped in to calm the two men down. When Yesung and Kyuhyun still glared at each other, Siwon wisely brought a cola for the maknae while Donghae hugged and beamed at his hyung. Eventually, the pair calmed down.

"Mwahahahahaha! I'm the champion!"

Heechul who sat on a couch like a king laughed triumphantly while Hangeng and Kibum played along, pretending to fan the winner. Shindong looked at them and shook his head with a small smile, before continuing to pack up the gaming gears with Sungmin. Yesung pouted at his hyung after thanking Eunhyuk for bringing a juice for him, while Kyuhyun outright pretended that he didn't see or hear the older man.

"Alright!" Leeteuk got everyone's attention, "the winner of the tournament is Heechul-ah! As we agreed, you'll be free from the dish duty for one month."

Heechul grinned, "hell yeah!!"

"You were just lucky, hyung," Kyuhyun complained.

Yesung sighed, "at least we got second place, not the last place that has to take over Heebongie's shift."

Leeteuk smiled saintly, "Yesung-ah, I think you're misunderstanding something."

Yesung and Kyuhyun looked at their leader in confusion.

"We agree that if Kyuhyun-ah won, then both of you would be free from the duty. However, if you two failed to get the first place, then the penalty would immediately fall on you no matter what place you got."

""What!!?""

"That's why it's called a handicap, Yesung hyung, Kyuhyun."

Kibum chuckled at the two men who looked like their souls had just left the body. One by one, the members got up and left the living room after wishing Yesung and Kyuhyun good luck. The last ones to leave were Heechul and Leeteuk who smiled (smirked in Heechul's case) at their dongsaengs and told them to clean up the mess.

"Wait! Isn't the penalty only the dish duty? Why do we have to clean too!!?"

Unfortunately, no one answered Yesung.

************************************

"I shouldn't have agreed to this. Big mistake."

"That's why I vehemently disagreed with it. I know from the moment you accepted the offer that we'll end up like this, hyung."

Yesung who was drying the dishes (for some reason, Kyuhyun didn't let him wash the dishes) frowned at the maknae.

"What? You knew? Like, you know that you can't win by teaming up with me?"

"Yes, because you're a distraction and I can never win while getting distracted."

"This distraction bull again? Seriously, what is it about me that distracts you?"

Kyuhyun swept his gaze at his hyung from head to toe, though he said nothing and just sighed.

"What? What did that mean?"

"Nothing."

"You looked at me and sighed. How come that's nothing?"

"Saying won't help so let's just forget it. Here, this is the last one."

"Hey, don't just say something like that and leave me in the dark! Kyuhyun!"

Yesung put the last dish in a cabinet and quickly ran after the maknae. He caught Kyuhyun in the hallway and forced the younger man to look at him.

"I'm serious about it, Kyuhyun-ah. What is it about me that distracts you?"

"Yesung hyung…"

"Tell me, Kyuhyun-ah, Did I ever do something to annoy you…? If so, I'll keep a distance from—"

Kyuhyun pulled Yesung into his arms and kissed him. The maknae had his hands on his hyung's nape and lower back to lock him in place while deepening the kiss, only letting Yesung go when he begged for air by hitting the maknae's back.

"When I said that you're a distraction, Yesung hyung, I'm talking about this kind of distraction."

Kyuhyun whispered against Yesung's lips and smirked seeing his hyung making a cute (0 [] 0) face.

"Good night, Yesung hyung."

Kyuhyun kissed Yesung again before disappearing into his room. As for Yesung, it took him almost ten minutes to get his senses back. When he snapped back to reality, he headed to his room and lay down on the bed wide-awake. Suddenly, Yesung bolted up to sit in the dark, his face so red that it could light the whole room.

"Wait, wait, wait!!! Kyuhyun likes me!!?"

Yesung's shout echoed within the dorm.

Took you long enough.

All members thought to themselves from their rooms after hearing Yesung's shout, including Kyuhyun.