The day Joo Jaekyung realized he loved Kim Dan

PART 1: THE MATCH

After letting himself go inside of Dan, Jaekyung laid down in bed, looking at the ceiling. The sweat was rolling down his forehead and onto the pillow, his breathing was still a little shaky and he felt as if the world proved once again how life can have good moments; it was late and now he felt satisfied before the match of the next day. Dan was already shuffling to get out of the bed as usual, ready to go to his own room in that big and empty apartment they both lived in for the last two years, thing that caught Jaekyung's attention. With who's permission was he leaving his side that night? Using whatever strength he had left, he reached out to Dan, looking at him straight in the eye as the smaller one just gulped, waiting for the worst to come. Jaekyung raised an eyebrow, and looked at him.

"Where do you think you're going, Kim Dan?"

"To my room, sir, as always."

"I don't remember saying I was satisfied for the night... We've been doing this for two years now, Kim Dan. You should know better."

Dan simply nodded and bent over in the mattress, looking towards the window away from Jaekyung. The latter just looked at him at softly smirked, taking him by the waist and pulling him closer to his body. Dan closed his eyes with strength, hurting his eyeballs for a quick second while he waited for another "love" session to start. But it never did; all he felt was the strong abdomen of the taller one pressing to his back. A little confused, he opened one eye and looked over his shoulder, feeling the grip in his waist getting tighter. He could feel Jae's breathing in his neck, and stood still like a cautious deer, afraid of making a bad move like times before. With caution, he moved his head back to its initial position, and remained still.

Jae had one goal in his life, and one goal only: to be the best in the world in what he did; and he succeeded. He had a little help of Dan, he couldn't deny that to himself even if he only gave himself credit. His jinx was still a secret from Team Black, even if Potato had been close to discover them in multiple occasions across training sessions, tournaments and sparrings. It was his secret... their secret. He took a moment to smell Dan's hair, and thanked himself for getting rid of that horrid cheap shampoo Dan used when they first met, caressing softly the skin of his abdomen. A confession was scratching his throat, begging him to get out while he could, looking at Dan's hair. He wouldn't see his face if it wasn't for the vague reflection in the window in front of them, sighing softly at the panicked doe eyes of the doctor.

"Can I... tell you something?"

"Yes, sir... is everything okay?" Dan asked softly, not wanting to upset the man behind him.

"But you have to promise... not to tell anyone."

"I won't sir..."

"I don't want to fight The Butcher again." Jae confessed. "It's in sixteen hours, I know... but I don't want to fight him."

Dan opened his eyes in amazement, and for a moment he looked back again, turning half of his body towards Jae to see if it was actually him confessing. He was backing out of a fight? He didn't wanted to fight his longtime rival ever since the match in Busan two years ago? That was quite uncharacteristic of him: if there was something he learned about Joo Jaekyung was that he never gave up a challenge, especially if it was to humiliate Randy Booker, a.k.a The Butcher. Before the doctor could even say something back, Jaekyung kept on talking.

"I'm not afraid of him, or even of losing against him. I've won over and over, I have nothing to prove to him, even if he just proves how childish he is by fighting someone like me."

"Then... why?"

"I know I'll win, I don't feel anxious, or nervous, or nothing. I feel... peaceful."