The surrounding air was heated — heavy pants resonated through the entire room as they eyeballed each other’s moves, both waiting for the other to do something, but both too jaded by now.

“Come on, Jeon. You scared?” His tone was rather provocative, something that didn’t pass unnoticed by his opponent.

That didn’t seem to faze the cherry-haired boy. On the contrary, his taunting question raised a supercilious smirk from him. “Aren’t you a bit daring for someone who’s losing?” They circled at a steady rhythm, still facing each other and with their hands set in front of their faces, ready to block every hit.

“You’re only winning by five points, you cocky brat,” the older boy gritted out with a fleer, earning an amused chuckle from the other and making him lower his defense.

Or so he thought.

Because when he lunged forward and took a swipe at him directed to his side, the younger boy artfully parried his blow and attacked his unprotected left side.

With two strikes that were planted at light speed on his opponent’s side and one more on his face, the older could only grumble and stumble back wobbly.

“You’re no match for me anymore.” Jeongguk, still huffing and puffing, took off his boxing gloves and plopped down onto the floor, throwing a hand over his forehead.

“You’re playing with me for endurance so stop showing off. Who can even beat you from here?” Hoseok snickered as he mirrored his moves, dumping his body next to his.

“Our coach, but he’s always busy with the new kids.”

“True. Will you finally ask him to bring you some opponents who are on your level?”

Jeongguk stiffened at his sudden question. He slowly turned his head to look at his hyung, a faint, insecure expression sprawling on his face. “You know I can’t do that.”

“Why? You’re afraid you’ll lose if you go against them?” A thread of teasing crept into his tone, but the moment he met his solemn face, his smile vanished. “You do, don’t you?”

“I just—” The cherry-haired boy groaned as he sat up, keeping his gaze down while his daunting thoughts infiltrated his mind once again. “What if he brings someone better and I don’t live up to his expectations? What if I lose after all?”

His hyung let out a sigh, sitting up just like him and offering him a sympathetic smile that went unnoticed by the younger. “You can’t always win, Kook. And you can’t always play with the same people. I don’t have anything to offer you other than working on your endurance. You read my moves like an open book by now.

"You will improve more only when you play with someone better than you. You need a challenge. And don’t be afraid of losing. This won’t get you far. You’re supposed to lose at times as well. That’s how it works. You’re only twenty-three, and you’re so fucking skillful in everything you do. Embrace defeat, you dorky pink-haired. That’s how you’ll make progress.”

“My hair is cherry, not pink! How many times do I have to say it?” Although Jeongguk felt his hyung’s words warm his heart and give him strength, he completely ruined it at the end.

Hoseok then cackled, attracting literally everyone’s attention with his squeaky laugh as he flew his body back on the floor. “You’re so whiny, jeez,” he wheezed out, earning a smack on his belly by Jeongguk’s thick glove.

“I can't deal with you anymore. I’m out.” He collected his belongings and crept away from the older, going to the changing room.

Hoseok once again followed his lead, trailing behind him until they arrived at their destination. “You’re working today, right?”

“Yeah, we reopen fucking finally! It’s the opening today. Will you come with Yoongi?”

“Hell yeah. I can’t wait to see how Chang Wook changed the place with the whole renovation. Was there even a problem with the cafe? I never asked.”

Jeongguk snorted as he continued wiping his sweaty body. “No, he’s just loaded now and didn’t know what to do with his money.”

Hoseok gave him a judgmental look in disbelief. “Really?”

“No, you wimp. The building wasn’t in a good condition. The humid weather always made parts of the walls fall, and he took the opportunity to change other things as well. His exact words were, ‘It’s time to make this place more aesthetic.ʼ” His mocking tone made the older crack up.

“He may be thirty-three years old, but he’s such a dork,” he managed to say, still laughing his head off.

“He’s strict, though, and especially with new employees. He had almost fired me twice when I started working, remember?” Arrayed in clean, comfy clothes, they started heading outside.

“You screwed up his coffee machine the first time and poured expired milk in the poor customer’s coffee the second! What did you expect?” They chuckled as remembering those moments now was quite entertaining.

“Fair enough.” They said goodbye to their coach before getting out of the building. “You want me to drop you home?”

“You’re an angel,” Hoseok chirped as he flew his arm around his shoulders and squeezed him, soft laughs emitting from the younger’s mouth.

“You’re lucky you live close to me,” Jeongguk teased, patting his back a few times.

The ride was brief but filled with high-spirited laughs and ceaseless bantering about random things. Jeongguk was a somewhat outgoing person, but no one could compete with Hoseok. The boy was a glowing ball of cheerfulness that spread joy wherever it bounced.

After thanking him and hugging him once more, Hoseok bundled off. He drove for ten more minutes before he finally arrived home. His cozy, warm home that he was sure it was brimmed with freshly cooked food by now.

The moment he unlocked the door, a strong scent of something utterly delicious hit his senses, his mouth already watering at the thought of food. “I’m home, and damn, that smells delicious.” He exhaled deeply, a flame of anticipation entering his system as he scurried to the kitchen.

“Hey, bunbun.” Seungjo broke into a fond smile once he saw the younger boy. “How was practice?” He muffled him into a heart-warming hug as usual and carried on with cooking.

“It was okay.” Jeongguk perched on the chair, his shoulders slouching as he folded his arms over the table.

“What’s with the tone?”

“Nothing. What are we eating?”

“Yes, what are we eating, babe?” Another well-built man emerged from the living room with a perky smile. He gave Jeongguk a big hug and a gentle caress on his shoulder, and he walked to his husband to cage him in his hug as well.

It was a routine Jeongguk adored so much he couldn’t even put it into words. His parents loved each other endlessly and both loved their son even more.

As he was growing up, of course he had questions about his biological parents, and Seungjo and Jisung told him everything they knew in detail. His mother had died when she gave birth to him, and his father was in no condition to take care of him by himself. Social services then took the newborn away for his own good, and thankfully, this couple appeared rather soon and adopted him.

Jeongguk was always loved, cared for, appreciated, and supported by his parents. He had two good friends while growing up, Hoseok and Yoongi, and later on, he met two more who were fun to be around. Soon enough, they became a small group that was inseparable.

In the only aspect in his life that some could say he was lacking was his love life. He had a few flings and only one somewhat normal relationship that lasted for three months. He didn’t know what was wrong — he just didn’t feel that much attracted to anyone.

Maybe he was just focusing too much on his training and didn’t really make an effort in that part. Maybe he didn’t care about dating as much as he thought. Maybe he was too picky.

Or maybe he just hadn’t met someone who would spark his interest enough.

Boxing was his ultimate love since he was little. He started taking classes at the age of eight and became an excellent boxer in just a few years. Many said he was a natural and maybe they were right because, in everything he did, he was above average.

He wasn’t bragging about it. Well, only to Hoseok because he enjoyed teasing him and getting on his nerves, but he had a lot of self-deprecating thoughts. And especially when he was losing a match. He was indeed afraid of losing, and even though he was trying to change that, he hadn’t succeeded yet.

He had already won two friendly competitions and four championships, ranking first of course, but he had also lost a few times. And when that happened, he was on the brink of breaking down from his frustration and from beating himself up for every loss.

Although he loved boxing as much as he loved his parents, when he was losing, he despised it and distanced himself from it for a short time before he started training again.

He really had to work on that.

 
The cherry-haired boy cooed over the endearing scene in front of him. Seeing them so happy even after so many years was something that sent a torrent of warmth inside him. “How do you do that?” he found himself drawling below his breath, letting his head fall onto his folded arms.

“Do what?” Jisung peppered a few more kisses on his husband’s neck and detached himself from him, moving towards the younger.

“I mean”—he shifted in his seat and sat straighter as he met his gaze—“you’re together for thirty years now?”

“Thirty-two this year, actually.” Jisung threw a tender glance at the love of his life, soft smiles decorating their faces.

“How can you still be so happy and in love after so many years?”

“We’re not in love.”

“What?”

“What?” An angry-looking Seungjo spun around with a ladle firmly wrapped around his fingers, holding it in front of him in a menacing way and ready to use it as a weapon.

Jisung didn’t have time to defend himself as his lovely husband, who was a raging demon when he was angry, stamped his way to him and started smacking his back with the covered with pasta sauce ladle.

It was unnecessary to say that Jeongguk roared with laughter in a split second, clutching his stomach with one hand and hitting the table with the other.

“Can you chill, you feisty baby?” Jisung seized his hand with the weapon and immobilized him by trapping him against the table. He briefly glanced at the ladle and a fake shocked expression popped up onto his face. “You smacking me with a freaking ladle filled with pasta sauce!?”

“We’re not in love!?”

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Jisung chuckled with a shake of his head. “We’re not how we were in our first years together, babe. We can’t be, and you know it. We still love each other and we love our daily life together. That’s still the same, and it won’t change.”

A small smile crawled over Seungjo's lips as he enclosed him into an affectionate hug. “I know, love.” He pecked his cheek shortly and pulled away. He then realized that his sleeves were stained with pasta sauce as well and grimaced at the sight, eliciting soft giggles from the other two.

“Bunbun.” Seungjo inched closer to him. “Being in love and feeling these sparks that fill you with adrenaline when you first get into a relationship doesn't last forever. That’s what Jisung meant, and I knew it. I just wanted to tease him a bit." He chortled, earning a snort from his beautiful husband.

“When you get out of this phase with your partner, pure love begins then. And if it doesn’t, it means you weren’t meant to be. Jisung and I are meant to be and I’ll always believe that. When you find someone special, you’ll understand how we do that and why we’re still happy together.

"It’s not easy, and it needs a lot of effort for a healthy, loving relationship, but if you find a way, you’ll be forever happy with your partner. I’ll tell you more about it when you find someone you’re truly fond of because I know this hasn’t happened yet.” He delicately ran his fingers through his hair and gave him a long kiss on his forehead.

“Exactly what I wanted to say!” Jisung exclaimed in a cheerful tone, all three chuckling at his remark.

“You’re a dork who can’t express what he wants to say,” Seungjo teased as he walked to him and pressed his lips against his forehead as well. “Now, you two will set the table as I go change this sweater.”

“Yes, sir,” they said in unison, something playful laced in their tone.

Seungjo raised an amused brow, but didn’t comment on their mischievous behavior — he only snorted and exited the room.

“So how do you actually do that?” Jeongguk asked in a whisper as he eagerly leaned against the table.

His father let out a fond laugh, throwing his head back and shaking it at last. “I’ll tell you when you find the one.” He winked impishly and slipped out of his seat to set the table as his loving husband requested.

⚜✳⚜
 

Isn't Jisung's and Seungjo's relationship the cutest? I wish for you all to find that kind of love someday💜
(and for me actually😂)