“He’s cute,” Himchan says, grinning at the looped video playing on Daehyun’s phone.

“Are you kidding?” the younger says, indignant, “He profits off of six seconds of nonsense and he got an endorsement deal from it. Can you believe that?”

The elder shrugs, “And you profit off seven minutes of squealing about whatever it is you squeal about-”

“You don’t watch my vlogs?”

Himchan sighs, “Okay, look, I have work. Real work? You know, that thing other people do?”

He frowns as Himchan leaves their shared apartment with a wave, plopping down on his couch as he plans his next video.

Daehyun runs a food channel where he spends time eating around the city, showcasing recipes, and sometimes tossing in a little culture talk. He’d become popular among the college set, with short recipe videos that featured minimal ingredients and more yelling about burns than fancy plating.

And SkateLife, a popular Vine star that had made news after recently getting an endorsement deal from a clothing brand, is his enemy.

Okay, maybe enemy was a strong word.

But Daehyun spent ages learning how to edit and shoot and make his videos worthy of the millions of subscribers he had today. He gave his viewers way more than a few seconds of content and he’d be damned if he was going to accept this.

*

He has a booth at VidCon this year and he’s just finishing up a little cooking demo when he sees him, near the back of the crowd. He applauds enthusiastically as Daehyun wraps up, takes a few pictures and answers a few questions before he cleans up.

“Hey! DamchuLeaf!”

“Hello,” he replies, tersely. At least he hopes he’s being terse. He’s trying.

This kid is huge, he realizes as he’s beamed down at.

“I’m, um, a really big fan, actually. You’re even cuter in real life, gosh. I mean, wow, I’m not doing well right now…” the boy says, hand sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

“Oh,” he doesn’t preen, he doesn’t. He’s trying. “Well, thanks…?”

“Junhong,” the boys says, “That’s my real name, I’m SkateLife on Vine.”

“Junhong…” Daehyun holds his hand out graciously and gives him a smile, “Nice to meet you, I’m Daehyun.”

It’s not that Daehyun’s forgotten how much he’s annoyed by SkateLife, he just acknowledges the kid’s obviously good taste.

“Hey, um, I’ve never been to Cali…you have any recommendations on where we can get dinner tonight maybe? My treat?”

This kid was bold.

Daehyun ponders as he surveys him. He’s tall, artfully styled brown hair, dimples, and a lean body just starting to gain bulk. He had a really cute smile, too. Not cuter than his of course but cute enough for six seconds.

“You’re not in high school are you?” he says suspiciously. It’d be just his luck to be caught on a date with a minor and have Himchan tell everyone about it.

Wait…is that what this is? A date? Is he going to let his – albeit unaware – rival take him out on a date?

Junhong laughs, “No. About to be a second year at NYU.”

Maybe this will be a chance for him to do some data mining. Scope out the enemy, so to speak. And hey, Junhong is pretty cute.

“Okay. Meet me here at eight.”

*

Daehyun leads Junhong to one of his favourite noodle houses.

They talk. Junhong is funny. Junhong is smart. Junhong, his cynical side chimes in, is lapping you in the rat race in a fraction of the time. Still, Junhong is sweet and attentive and if he wasn’t sure it was a date, he’s pretty sure it is one now.

“You should come to New York. Lots of food adventures. I could host you, if you need a place to stay,” Junhong suggests, face serious as they leave.

“Asking me to move in already?” Daehyun teases. He likes the idea little too much.

The taller man grins down at him a twinkle in his eye.

“I’m ambitious.”

*

They stay in touch for the next few months, secretly, because Daehyun’s pride won’t let him admit he might have been wrong about SkateLife just yet. When summer break rolls around he buys a plane ticket.

He’s a couple of days into his adventure when he gets a call from Himchan.

“Daehyun, you sly fox!”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing, just that I see you canoodling with SkateLife all over NYC on his Vine.”

Daehyun looks around frantically before cupping his hand over the speaker and heading towards the small balcony in Junhong’s apartment, “We’re not…canoodling! And what the hell Himchan, you follow him?”

“Are you actually upset about that now?”

“Well, no…but-”

Junhong shuffles into the kitchen then, calling out a good morning and asking if he wants some eggs for breakfast.

“Oh my god, is that him?” Himchan’s grin is almost audible and Daehyun despairs, “Are you staying with him? This is hilarious, wait until I tell everyone.”

“I’m staying on a pull out couch,” Daehyun whispers into the phone, “There’s nothing happening!”

“Yet.”

*

They go to a little skate park later in the evening, relatively empty and perfect for Junhong to try and teach Daehyun to stay balanced. He manages to skate once across the length of the park without falling and without Junhong’s hands holding his. Later, they get snacks from an ice-cream cart and sit atop one of the ramps, admiring the sun painting the cityscape shades of pink and orange.

It’s peaceful until they get into a discussion about their respective platforms. It gets a little heated, Daehyun’s always had a tiny bit of a temper and Junhong can’t ever back down from a challenge.

“A lot can happen in six seconds! Maybe you need a little more time to get to your point. Brevity is the soul of wit, you know.”

“Are you saying I talk too much?” Daehyun turns red, his ears burning as he glares at Junhong, “I could do it! I’ll do it right now.”

“Really?” Junhong asks with a smirk, phone in hand.

“Yeah,” Daehyun turns to him, defiant pout on his face, “six seconds on the clock.”

“Okay.”

Junhong holds his arm out to the side and hits record, the other hand sliding around the back of Daehyun’s neck and tugging him forward.

Junhong tastes like ice-cream and his thumb is a little rough where it brushes the skin by Daehyun’s ear. It makes him shiver but maybe that’s just the cool evening air, he reasons, there’s no way this kid could make him weak in the knees.

Junhong detaches them with a nip to Daehyun’s flushed lower lip, a cocky grin on his face.

“You...you’re a complete opportunist!” he whines.

The younger laughs softly, leaning in again.

“I’m just good at making the most of my time.”

*

1

Daehyun drapes himself over the younger boy’s shoulders-

2

-Junhong grins at the camera, “Guess who finally got Vine?”-

3

-Daehyun raises his hand to wave, turning to the younger-

4

-presses full lips against a soft cheek, the sound of Junhong’s laughs-

5

-smiles pressed together.

6