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The sizzle of gopchang on the grill filled the small restaurant, the air rich with the scent of meat. Hao and Hanbin were at their usual seats, a table nestled into the corner of the shop, hidden from any prying eyes. The familiarity of the shop was comforting to them, having eaten here countless times before on their dates. Everytime, their laughter would echo against the walls as they bickered and teased each other between bites.
Hanbin leaned forward, raising his eyebrows as he took a look at Hao grilling the meat.
“Hyung?”
“Hm?” Hao hummed, focusing his attention on flipping the pieces of meat on the grill.
“Did you know the gopchang is supposed to be crispy, not charred to hell and back? You’re burning all of it,” Hanbin pointed out, his voice light with amusement.
Hao paused, looking up. “Well… It tastes better burnt! Did you know that? It’s my ‘special cooking process’.” he replied with a playful scowl on his face.
“Yeah, well, your ‘special cooking process’ is going to get us smoked out of the restaurant,” Hanbin smirked, watching as his boyfriend struggled to turn a piece of gopchang that was definitely not able to be saved at this point. Playfully, he rolled his eyes, grabbing the tongs and scissors from Hao’s hands with a light smile on his face.
“See, that’s better,” Hanbin said as he began to properly grill the meat, flipping the pieces with practiced skill. “I swear, every time we come here, I end up doing all the grilling while you just sit there.”
Hao’s lips curled into a grin, not even bothering to hide his smirk. “Oh don’t complain. We both know you love spoiling me,” he teased, leaning back in his chair.
Hanbin let out a soft laugh, picking up a piece from the grill to place onto Hao’s plate. “How can I not when my boyfriend is such a princess? You’re lucky you have me.”
Hao’s smile softened for a moment, his heart skipping a beat at the pet name. His gaze lingered on Hanbin as he continued grilling the meat with ease. “You’re right,” he admits quietly. “How could this princess ever live without you,” he teased back, taking a piece of meat between his chopsticks and raising it up to Hanbin’s mouth.
Hanbin accepted it with a smile on his face, looking at Hao with pure love in his eyes as he chewed. The playful warmth lingered between the two lovers as they ate, but a quiet tension started to settle in.
Hanbin poked around at his rice bowl, not saying much as Hao reached for another piece of meat. Their conversation faded into a lull, and when Hanbin glanced up, he found Hao already looking back at him.
“Something on your mind?” Hao asked softly, setting down his chopsticks. He had an idea of what was going on in Hanbin’s conflicted mind, but he waited, giving him space to say it himself.
“It’s fine hyung,” Hanbin shrugged.
Hao waited. He held Hanbin’s gaze, warm and steady, letting him know it was alright to speak his mind.
Hanbin sighed eventually, knowing he lost their silent battle. “You’re leaving tomorrow,” he started, fingers tracing the edge of his cup.
“I know,” Hao replied with a quiet smile.
It happened many times before. Hao would get a solo schedule back in China – a fansign, a variety show appearance, a modelling gig – and he loved it, he really did. But what he didn’t love was always having to leave Hanbin and the rest of the members behind for days at a time. The days leading up to the schedules were always the worst, the quiet ache of missing Hao settling in before he even left. Which is why they would always go on dates right before, like this one. It was their way of spending whatever time they had left together before the inevitable separation.
“It’s only a week, Hanbin,” Hao reminded him, his voice gentle. “I promise I’ll text you whenever I can. And we’ll call before bed.”
“You always say that,” Hanbin muttered with sadness in his voice.
“But I always stick to it, don’t I?” Hao countered, reaching across the table to nudge Hanbin’s hand with his own. “I’ll be so clingy you’ll get sick of me, even over the phone.”
Hanbin snorted. “Yeah, right. I could never be sick of you, hyung.”
“You’ll survive,” Hao added softly, wrapping his hand around Hanbin’s wrist and giving it a gentle squeeze. “And besides, you’ll still have your kids with you.”
“You mean our kids?” Hanbin shot back. “Can’t believe you’re leaving me to take care of the members alone, those little gremlins…”
You’ll manage,” Hao giggled, the thought of the members driving Hanbin mad while he tries to rally them up filled his mind. “Besides, I know you secretly love it.”
Hanbin moved his hand, threading his fingers through Hao’s, lacing them together. “I love you,” he corrected, squeezing his hand.
Hao’s heart skipped a beat. Declarations of love were not uncommon between them, but it still made him as flustered as ever.
“I know. I love you too baobei.”
“I’ll miss you,” Hanbin murmured after a pause, so quiet it could barely be heard.
“I’ll miss you too,” Hao echoed, his voice just as soft.
Letting the moment pass, Hanbin gave Hao’s hand one last squeeze before reluctantly letting go.
“Now hurry up and eat, my hard work is getting cold,” he said as his grin returned. “I didn’t grill all this meat for you to just sit there and look pretty.”
“Oh?” Hao picked his chopsticks back up, his playful tone back. “So you think I’m pretty?”
“I just said it, did I not?” Hanbin rolled his eyes, but when he looked up and saw Hao smiling at him, soft and full of love, he melted. “Of course you are, gege. The prettiest.”
- - -
The dorm was unusually quiet for this time of day, with Gyuvin hanging out at Ricky and Matthew’s dorm instead, leaving Hao and Hanbin alone. Hanbin sat on the floor beside Hao’s open suitcase, folding a few stray shirts that Hao hadn’t packed yet.
“You’re just shoving everything in, you’re not maximising your space,” Hanbin grumbled, neatly placing the folded shirts into a corner.
Hao laughed from his spot on the bed, legs crossed as he scrolled through his phone. “It’s just a week, Hanbin. I don’t need to pack my whole closet.”
“Still, you end up forgetting half your stuff everytime you go overseas,” Hanbin muttered. He closed the suitcase with a sigh after doing a cursory scan through, making sure Hao had everything he needed. He sat back, resting his hands on his knees, and glanced over at Hao.
For a while, neither of them said anything, choosing to just stare at each other in the silence that filled the room.
“I should get going soon,” Hao said eventually, voice softer than before. “Manager hyung’s probably reaching anything soon.”
“Yeah.” Hanbin agreed, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. He knew this moment would come eventually, as it always did, but it never made it any easier.
Hao shifted from the bed, moving down to sit next to Hanbin. “I told you, I’ll call you every night after my schedule ends. You better wait for my call, okay?”
Hanbin gave a small smile, nudging his shoulder against Hao’s. “You know I will, gege. I won’t sleep until I get your call.”
Hao laughed quietly, but his hand found Hanbin’s and held it tight.
“It’ll pass fast. I’ll be back in the blink of an eye,” he murmured as he squeezed Hanbin’s hand.
“I know hyung, we always get through this don’t we?” Hanbin said after a moment, his voice barely above a whisper. He shifted closer, leaning over Hao and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.
Hao closed his eyes, tilting his head upwards and pouted his lips, asking for a kiss. Hanbin laughed, leaning closer as he connected their lips. The kiss was tender, almost hesitant, the both of them eager to savour each second, committing it to memory for the week they would spend apart.
Hanbin’s hand moved up to Hao’s cheek, his thumb brushing lightly against the soft skin in a gesture of reassurance and fondness. Hao leaned into the touch, his hands resting gently on Hanbin’s shoulders, drawing him closer. The kiss deepened slightly, yet remained gentle, a show of familiarity and comfort.
When they finally parted, their foreheads resting against each other, eyes closed as they caught their breaths, a lingering sense of longing hung between them, trying to savour the moment just a little longer.
“We can do this, right hyung?” Hanbin whispered, his voice a soothing remedy to the temporary ache of separation.
Hao nodded against Hanbin’s forehead, a soft smile resting on his lips. “Yeah. We’ll be okay.”
Hanbin opened his eyes, letting them roam over Hao’s face one last time, before finally pulling back with a resigned sigh. “You should go now before manager hyung yells at you,” Hanbin said, forcing a smile.
Hao lingered for a moment longer, fingers still laced with Hanbin’s, not wanting to part, before letting go. “I’ll be back soon, baobei,” he promised.
“I know,” Hanbin said, watching as Hao grabbed his suitcase and walked out the room, towards the front door of the dorm. He followed him out, helping Hao put on his coat. Just before Hao walked out, Hanbin called out to him.
“Hyung?”
Hao turned back.
“I love you. I’ll see you soon.”
Hao smiled, warm and soft.
“I love you too.”
And with that, he turned and walked out the front door, leaving Hanbin in an empty dorm with his own thoughts.
- - -
It had been three days since Hao had left. The dorm felt weird without him. Too quiet, too empty, too bare.
Hanbin didn’t know what to do with himself. If he could, he would have preferred to just sit by the door like a puppy, staring up at it, unmoving until Hao returned. He tried to, but Gyuvin found him twenty minutes after Hao had left and had told him to ‘get his ass off the floor and sulk in his room instead.’
On day one, he distracted himself by scrolling on social media, reviewing the group’s choreography videos, and he even played a few rounds of games with Gyuvin and Gunwook in the night.
On day two, he busied himself with cleaning Hao’s room. Re-made his bed, swept his floor, folded his clothes, arranged Hao’s beloved plushies in the way he knows Hao likes, and even took the liberty to dust off and organise his few perfume bottles.
On day three, he was starting to feel Hao’s absence a little harder. He spent his time rolling around on his bed, searching up his and Hao’s name on every possible platform he could — watching Tiktok edits, fan theories, even reading a few fanfics of them out of desperation.
But that only got him so far. He checked his phone, seeing that he still had a few hours before his nightly video call with Hao that usually ran three to four hours long, if Hao didn’t have an early start the next day.
He flopped back onto his bed with a grunt, wondering what else he could do to spend his time. His mind flooded with thoughts of Hao. Of his smile, of his voice, of his scent. He stared up at the ceiling blankly until a single idea formed into his mind.
Bolting upright from the bed, he muttered to himself, “This is the stupidest thing ever,” before he grabbed his wallet, putting on his shoes and a jacket in a hurry. He needed to wash the restless feeling away.
20 minutes later, he found himself in the supermarket, staring at the fruit aisle. Sitting on the shelf across from him were durians, his boyfriends’ favourite fruit and likewise, his most hated one. Slowly, he reached out, picking one and putting it in his basket. It was a dumb idea, he knew, considering how much he resented the fruit and its scent. But his mind was clouded in a haze of longing, and all he wanted was to feel close to Hao. He figured the familiar stench of the fruit would help soothe his pain.
Of course, once he was back in the dorm and hesitantly cutting into the durian, the regret immediately settled in.
The loud bang of a door slamming echoed through the dorm, accompanied by a few curses. He winced, watching as Gyuvin came out of his room and trudged to the kitchen, his hand brought up to cover his nose from the smell that had clearly leaked down to his room.
“Hanbin hyung, why do I smell durian? Is one of Hao’s old durians stuck in the fridge–,” cutting himself off as he stood in front of Hanbin, his hand falling to his side in shock as he realised it was entirely his fellow durian-hating hyung’s doing.
He looked at him puzzled. “What? Hao hyung’s not even here! Why would you… Oh,” he took a deep breath in, regretting it right after as the durian fumes registered. “Hyung there’s no way you’re this desperate right now,” he sighed. Gyuvin gagged dramatically, pulling his hoodie over his head as if it could protect him from the smell.
Hanbin looked up at him with sad eyes, as if begging for Gyuvin’s pity.
“Yeah, no, sorry hyung. I’m getting the fuck out of here,” he said as he turned around, storming back to his room.
“It’s not that bad,” Hanbin grumbled, poking at the durian with his chopsticks. He watched as Gyuvin grabbed his keys and bolted out of the dorm, muttering about ‘traitors’ and ‘pathetic losers’ under his breath.
Alone in the dorm once again, he looked down at the offending fruit. With his head fog of desperation now cleared, he realised how much the smell was starting to get to him too. He could feel the smell penetrating the whole dorm, sharp and pungent in a way that stuck in the air no matter how many windows he opened.
“Fuck, what am I even doing?” he muttered, walking over to the fridge with the durian, shoving it deep into the back in the hopes that he could mask the smell.
He scrubbed his hands twice, then thrice, but the smell still lingered slightly. He sighed, walking into Hao’s room and tumbling onto the bed, in disappointment and shame that his idea was a failure.
And the worst part, the uncomfortable longing feeling still stood strong. Along with the scent of durians.
He let his eyes wander around the room, his gaze falling on Hao’s perfume shelf. Placed on it was one of Hao’s favourite perfumes— his coconut scented one. Hanbin wasn’t a fan of this perfume, considering it to be too strong a smell, but it was Hao’s most loved one, so he got used to it over time. Hanbin was shocked he didn’t pack it in his luggage, considering how Hao would use it everywhere. Hao probably forgot it in his rushed packing.
Without thinking twice, Hanbin grabbed the bottle, spraying it on every surface across the room as if it was air freshener. The heady, sweet scent of coconut slowly filled the room, overpowering the remaining durian scents.
Hanbin breathed in, relieved to be smelling something pleasant.
But it also smelt like Hao. Warm, inviting, sweet. The same scent he would smell every time they cuddled, or hugged, or after Hao gave him back one of his shirts that he would steal, the faint coconut smell lingering on the clothes.
And suddenly it hurt even more.
Flinging himself back onto the bed, he found himself consumed with the scent of Hao. He buried his nose into the soft pillows, breathing in deeply, as if he could inhale Hao’s soul by his scent.
He let out a groan, surprising himself. He paused, feeling his dick slowly getting hard in his pants. Slowly, he moved, rolling his hips against the mattress.
“Fuck,” he moaned out, gripping the sheets. He couldn’t believe himself, he was getting hard just from Hao’s scent. How pathetic.
His hips continuously grinded down onto the sheets as he let out groans and whimpers every so often, his head clouding up. But it wasn’t enough for him. He needed more. He wanted to bury himself in Hao’s scent and let himself go.
Desperately, he pulled himself off the bed and looked around the room, seeing if there was anything that could help relieve his ache. He walked towards Hao’s closet, opening it harshly before rummaging through his clothes, looking for something, anything, that had his scent on it.
Eventually, he settled on a hoodie that Hao had worn quite a bit. He was about to head back to the bed to continue his activities before his gaze moved to Hao’s underwear drawer. Biting his lips, he contemplated his options, knowing there was no way he would be able to recover from this. But in his horny desperation, he caved, dropping the hoodie he had been holding, and instead pulling the drawer open and grabbing the first underwear inside.
Slowly, he held it up to his nose, taking a breath in. He gritted his teeth, having to physically hold himself back from moaning out loud.
He moved back onto the bed, now with the addition of Hao’s underwear in hand. He laid down on his stomach, whining out at the first press of the sheets to his hard dick. He raised the underwear up, pressing it tight against his face as he inhaled.
“Fuck, Hao, you smell so good,” he whispered and whined to himself, his hips rutting against the mattress as he resumed his earlier rhythm of grinds. His body shuddered on every thrust, the heightened sensations due to Hao’s musky, familiar scent driving Hanbin to the edge.
He tried to shove the underwear as close as he could, as if it could be one with his face if he tried hard enough. It was pressed so tight, he could barely breathe, opting to just suck in whatever air he could get through the fabric.
He panted out, head getting dizzier and vision blurring the longer he continued.
“Nghhh… Gege… Gege please come back, I need you,” he cried out, his hips picking up speed, his steady rhythm now lost in his rush to chase his pleasure. Tears started forming at the corners of his eyes, threatening to drop at any moment.
He needed more, craved for it.
In a split second, he removed the underwear that had been pressing against his nose, instead choosing to shove a part of it into his mouth.
“Oh gege…” He moaned around the cloth in his mouth. His eyes squeezed close, focusing solely on the remnants of Hao that was currently invading his every sense, his scent as well as his taste.
He sucked on the fabric, the heady taste exploding on his tongue in the best way possible. His hips stuttered, his whole body quivering from the intensity of his actions. It was disgusting, he knew it. But at that moment, it was the best thing Hanbin had ever tasted. Second to the actual Hao, of course.
He was filled with sheer embarrassment, imagining what Hao would say or do if he saw him in this state, bucking helplessly against his sheets while his underwear is stuffed into his mouth, tears falling down his face in pleasure. Hanbin knew he wouldn’t be able to stop, rather he would be even more turned on knowing Hao was watching him. He could hear what Hao would say to him, walking over to the bed and caressing his hair, purposely not touching the parts where he needed him the most.
“Oh my sweet baobei, missed your gege a lot didn’t you? Had to resort to such pathetic and desperate measures, hm? My pathetic little baby,” Hanbin imagined it in his head, making a strangled noise as he bit down on the fabric in his mouth, now damp from his continuous sucking.
He rocked his hips harder, shaking every so often. His eyes rolled back as tears continued to fall out and run down his face, falling onto Hao’s soft pillows. Hanbin was falling fast, he couldn’t even control his thoughts. He babbled Hao’s name repeatedly, pulling the underwear back out of his mouth and onto his nose, breathing in one last time as he reached his end.
He cried out, moaning a mixture of curses and Hao’s name, weakly thrusting a few more times as he felt his cum shoot out of his dick and stain his pants. His body locked for a few seconds before he went limp, melting onto the sheets. He took a few seconds to recover, panting harshly as he turned himself around, ending up on his back.
Groggily, he wiped off the layer of sweat that had formed on his forehead. He grimaced at the stickiness inside his pants, dreading having to clean himself up.
On cue, his phone buzzed. He turned to the side, lazily stretching his arm out to grab his phone. On his lock screen was a singular message from the one man who had been clouding his thoughts.
Haohao
Must be missing me alot, huh?
I know what you did Hanbinnie.
Hanbin’s heart dropped. Did Hao somehow know what he was doing? Or did he just have insane spidey-boyfriend-senses? Was he uncomfortable with Hanbin using his own underwear to get off? Did he cross a line and Hao knew? With his still-shaking hands, he clicked on the message, typing out a reply.
Bingbing
How did you know…
Haohao
Gyuvin told me hehe
Don’t be shy Bin-ah
I think what you did was cute
Gyuvin told him? How would Gyuvin know what he was doing when he had walked out of the dorm right in front of Hanbin? Unless he had come back while Hanbin was busy rocking into the mattress and burying his face into Hao’s underwear? If so then an apology to the younger was due. And also a scolding for being a tattletale to his boyfriend.
But he had bigger things to worry about now. Cute? That was weird. Why would Hao think Hanbin being obsessed with his scent, to the point he came from it, was cute?
Bingbing
You really don’t mind hyung?
Haohao
Why would I? I know you’re just missing me alot baobei.
Bingbing
I know, but I still should have asked before I did it…
I could have crossed a line, and I’m sorry.
But I do miss you hyung. <3
Haohao
…What?
Hanbin, why are you even apologising for this?
It’s not a big deal at all.
Hao was being really cool about this. Hanbin knew his boyfriend was adventurous, but he didn’t expect this calm of a reaction from someone who knows their boyfriend sniffed their underwear. But that didn't stop him from feeling bad about it.
Bingbing
Because I still feel bad
So I’ll just apologise first hyung
I just got so obsessed with your smell and I saw your underwear and then I don't know what I was even thinking so
Haohao
Wait
What
Bingbing
?
Haohao
What are you talking about…?
My underwear?
Okay, now Hanbin was just confused. Was that not what Hao had been talking about this whole time? His face paled, his heart suddenly speeding up again.
Bingbing
Is that not what we’re talking about, hyung?
…I sprayed your coconut perfume around the room and the smell got me horny and I saw your underwear so I used it to get myself off.
Haohao
You did WHAT
Wait
You did whattttt? ;)
Send a pic
Bingbing
NO WAIT
What were you talking about then…
Haohao
Hehehehehehe
I don’t know…
What else did you do my dear Hanbinnie
Bingbing
Hyung
Please
What did Gyuvin tell you
Haohao
Hmmmm
Something about you going out of your way to buy a durian
Wanted something to remind you of me, sweet baobei?
Bingbing
Hyung ㅠㅠㅠ don’t tease me
You know I just missed you
Haohao
Missed me so much you had to sniff my underwear to get off?
Hanbin put down his phone, groaning in embarrassment. He felt enough shame from what he had just done, but he also unintentionally outed himself to Hao. Hanbin guessed he took too long to reply, because his phone started buzzing again. He picked up his phone, seeing a call from Hao come through.
He rushed to answer it, holding the phone up to his ear, desperate to hear Hao’s voice.
“Hyung?”
“Hanbinnie, why'd you leave me on seen?” His hyung’s voice came through the phone, whining and sulky. He could almost see the pout on Hao’s face miles away.
“Sorry Hyung, it was too embarrassing,” he sighed out, dragging a hand down his face, feeling his face heat up.
“What was? You buying a durian even though you hate it or you taking my underwear to jerk yourself off?” Hao teased, the smirk in his voice evident.
“I’m sorry hyung, I don’t even know what came over me. I was just missing you so much that I thought buying a durian would help with the feelings, but then I realised how much I hate durians so I used your coconut perfume to try and mask the smell. But the smell ended up reminding me of your scent way too much and I got hard and I saw your underwear so I took it and–”
“Hanbin! It’s okay, you don’t have to explain baobei,” Hao reassured him, cutting off Hanbin’s insistent ramblings. “And for the record, I miss you a lot too. Sad that I didn’t pack any of your underwear to get off too.”
“Hyung!” Hanbin shouted out in embarrassment.
“I’m just teasing, Hanbin. I have to go soon, but I’ll see you later tonight for our call?”
“Alright hyung, see you later. Love you,” Hanbin replied.
“Love you too. Also, I was serious earlier. Send me a picture of what you just did. I want to see proof of how my obsessed boyfriend came from just my underwear. I think I deserve it since you got yourself off all without me,” Hao said, his tone shifting into a mix of seriousness and teasing.
“Hyung?! What–” Hanbin began to argue, but Hao had already ended the call.
Hanbin stared at his screen in shock. A mix of shame and excitement settled into his bones at the feeling of having to snap a picture in his debauched state to send to his boyfriend.
Slowly, he raised his phone, making sure all his key points were in frame. His blushy-red face, his eyes still wide and blown out, mouth slightly agape, down to the obvious dark stain on his pants. He took a picture, sending it immediately without a second glance.
The reply came instantly.
Haohao
Fuck.
Oh I am ready for our call tonight Sung Hanbin
Just you wait.
See you later, baobei.
Hanbin flushed in anticipation of what was to come later that night. He smiled to himself, already imagining scenarios in his mind that included a whiny and breathy Hao over the phone. Shifting on top of the covers, he was snapped out of his daydreams when he felt the uncomfortable feeling of the cum inside his pants drying. He groaned, already dreading the late cleanup. Slowly, he dragged himself off the bed, trudging along to the bathroom, promises of more to come later stuck in his mind.
- - -
It had been a whole week since Hao left. Hanbin’s body slumped further into the couch, his head falling back as he glanced around the dorm, watching his members. They had all chosen to crash into his, Gyuvin’s and Hao’s dorm to hang out at for the evening. Gyuvin was currently pestering Ricky about something small, pressing him into the couch right beside Hanbin. Gunwook was laying down on the floor, his head on Matthew’s lap, watching as Matthew and Taerae busied themselves with a video game. Jiwoong was on the verge of dozing off despite all the noise, a pillow shoved under his head. Yujin was laying next to him, eyes glued onto the game on his phone.
It was peaceful, and everything he loved to see – his members hanging out together, but the scene didn’t comfort Hanbin the way it normally would have. If this was one of their normal hangouts, there would be a 180cm pouty Chinese man snuggled up next to him, or even almost on him with how close he would be, whining about how Hanbin wasn’t paying attention to him. But there was no Chinese man on his lap right now, much to his dismay.
Hao should have already been on his way back, and Hanbin spent the day excitedly cleaning the dorm, cooking some of Hao’s favourite meals, and even making himself look his best. But in the afternoon, Hao had texted, saying his schedule had overrun and he would have to catch the next flight, which would return the next day.
Hanbin had texted back, It’s okay hyung! I’ll see you tomorrow okay? Keep me updated.
But he was far from ‘okay’. He had been counting down the hours till Hao’s return, and just when he thought he finally was going to be able to see his boyfriend again, life pulled him right out of his grasp. Now he had to gear up for another night of not having Hao’s body cuddling up to him, another day of feeling empty. Hanbin knew he was being dramatic, but the ache in his chest couldn’t seem to fade.
Hanbin let out a sigh, rubbing his eyes. He turned, flopping onto the couch face-first with a long and dramatic groan, his limbs sprawled around, almost hitting Ricky and Gyuvin in the process.
“I can’t do this anymore,” he whined out, voice muffled against the fabric of the couch seats. “I’m losing my mind kids, I miss Hao hyung so much I think I’m going to die if I have to sit through another day without him.”
“Hyung, it’s only been seven days,” Matthew sighed out, eyes not leaving the video game screen.
“Yeah, and he’s coming back tomorrow,” Gyuvin added, leaning against the couch’s armrest. “You’re being dramatic.”
“Dramatic???” Hanbin shot back up, his eyes wide. “I am suffering here. I’m 5 minutes away from booking a flight to China and showing up at his schedule. I don’t care if they’ll kick me out,” he said, his eyes burning with pure determination.
“...You cannot be serious, hyung,” Ricky said, finally having wrestled Gyuvin off of him. He had an amused smirk on his face, as if watching his hyung spiral was entertainment to him.
“I am dead serious,” Hanbin huffed. “You guys don’t know how miserable I’ve been this past week,” he shuddered as he recalled everything he did to soothe his longing ache. “I haven’t been able to sleep properly, to eat well, I keep going into his room and stealing his little plushies, I keep spraying his stupid coconut perfume on them and hugging them like an idiot–”
“Wait, what??” Gunwook cut in, trying to hide a laugh from his spot on the floor. “Isn’t that the coconut perfume you say you don’t like because it's ‘too strong?’ The one you banned Hao hyung from spraying in your room but he does anyway?”
“...Yes. And now I can’t stop smelling it like I’m some kind of desperate freak, ugh,” Hanbin groaned out.
“Wow hyung, that was seriously the most pathetic thing you’ve admitted to doing,” Taerae chimed in, his face set in slight disgust. Hanbin paled, if the members ever found out about his panty-sniffing endeavours, his already ruined image would fall to a new low.
Hanbin fell back onto the couch, turning on his side. “I don’t care. I would gladly be the most pathetic, loser, desperate man in the world if it means I have my boyfriend back,” he whined out.
Hidden beneath Hanbin’s loud groans about missing his boyfriend, there was a soft click of the front door unlocking and swinging open, a figure stepping inside. The members froze in shock, eyes all moving to the entryway where Hao was now standing, suitcase in hand. They then looked at Hanbin, who was still dramatically sprawled on the couch with his back to the door, rambling about the very man who was standing behind him, clearly oblivious to his arrival.
“Sooooo,” Matthew started, barely able to keep a straight face. “If you’re missing Hao so much, why don’t you just call him again?”
Hanbin sat up with a groan, directing a glare towards his best friend. “Because! It’s not the same, and you know that. I told you guys already, I’m this close to booking tickets to China right now!”
Yujin sat up, looking at him with a blank stare. “Hyung, what would you even do if you went to China right now?”
“Anything! I would just do anything for him or with him, it doesn’t matter,” Hanbin proclaimed to his members, albeit slightly dramatically.
Even Jiwoong had entered into the ‘teasing Hanbin competition’ at this point, sitting up and leaning back on his hands, head tilted to the side with amusement in his voice. “Anything? Like what?” he teased, wanting to see how far Hanbin would go.
Without hesitation, Hanbin threw his hands in the air exasperatedly, with a shout of, “I don’t know, jump into his arms and never let go, start crying about how he should never leave me… Maybe even propose, who knows?”
Upon hearing his bold declaration of love, the members tried – and failed – to stifle their laughter. Gunwook was biting his lips and squeezing his eyes shut as if physically holding a laugh back, and Taerae shoved his face into a pillow. Hanbin looked around as everyone was shaking with poorly contained giggles. He blinked, confused by their reactions.
“What?” he asked, frowning. “What’s so–”
He felt someone walk up behind him, and before he could even turn or register who it was, a familiar voice murmured low and close in his ear, the person’s warm breath brushing against his cheek.
“Propose, huh?”
Hanbin’s entire body froze. His heart stopped for a second, then rebooted itself at double its speed. He knew that voice, would recognise it anywhere.
In disbelief, he turned his head slowly, afraid that what he thought wouldn’t be true, that Hao wouldn’t be standing right there. But it was. Hao was there, leaning over the back of the couch, face barely inches away from Hanbin’s, his beautiful smile wide and eyes shining with amusement.
“Oh my gosh,” Hanbin breathed out, and in the next second, he was scrambling to get off the couch, scooping Hao up into a hug.
Hao let out a shocked but delighted squeal as Hanbin lifted him and spun him around, holding onto him tightly as they both laughed.
“Hanbin!! Put me down,” Hao giggled breathlessly, Hanbin holding him tighter for a second before finally setting him back on the ground. For a long second, they just stood there, staring at each other, their wide smiles fading into something softer.
Hanbin’s hand slid up to Hao’s face, thumb brushing his cheek as the both of them leaned in. Their foreheads touching, lips parting, and eyes slipping shut. Their lips barely touched when a loud cough broke them apart.
“Um, should we give you guys some space or…?” Matthew teased, a big smirk on his face.
Gyuvin snorted in response before adding on, “Maybe we should give them a ring first?”
Hanbin flushed, dropping his head onto Hao’s shoulder as he groaned. “Ignore them, hyung,” he muttered, hands moving to Hao’s waist, gently caressing him over his shirt.
“Don’t worry,” Hao said, pressing a kiss to Hanbin’s hair. “I only see you, baobei.”
He nudged Hanbin, lifting his head from his shoulder to lean in and whisper into his ear, “And by the way, I wouldn’t mind a ring.”
“Ahhh hyung,” Hanbin whined, feeling his face heat up. “Don’t tease me.”
Hao shrugged, putting his bag down. “What if I wasn’t teasing?” he replied, leaning in to press a kiss on Hanbin’s cheek as he walked past him to greet the other members.
Hanbin stood there, watching as Hao went around the room, greeting everyone with his usual warmth and love. He looked on as Gyuvin wrapped him up in a big hug, Hao laughing as Gyuvin pretended to wipe away tears. Hao ruffled Matthew’s hair, moving onto Yujin, pulling him into a playful hug, not unlike how a mother would hug her child. He turned to the other members as Hanbin continued to stay rooted to his spot, content in just watching. With every hug Hao wrapped his members in, every smile he gave, every touch, Hanbin’s heart swelled a little more.
He realised then, that for the two of them, distance didn’t matter. It never had, honestly. Not when what the two of them had was this strong. Even if they were worlds apart, Hanbin knew their love would keep going. That his heart would always find his way back to Hao’s.
And maybe one day, soon, he would find the perfect ring. One that would say everything his heart holds.