but sometimes ;; haobin

fifteen

The numerous bags and boxes around Zhang Hao felt burdensome.

Hanbin sat at the end of the room, glancing into boxes as he ticked things off a list. Zhang Hao glanced at his partner — they would be moving in together. No matter how many times he thought about it, the simple statement made his heart beat like crazy. But as nervous as he was, being with Hanbin made him happier than ever.

"I think that's everything that's necessary," Hanbin announced suddenly as he held up the list, clipping the pen in his hand to the collar of his t-shirt. "The only thing missing are... toiletries, but that we can pack tomorrow."

Zhang Hao glanced at the other — and for a moment, he remembered why he fell for Hanbin in the first place. The look in his eyes drew him in — that beautiful, playful glint in his eyes. The flame of determination that contained the burn of unrelenting love — Zhang Hao loved that Hanbin looked at him with adoring eyes.

"I am madly in love with you."

Hanbin blinked thoughtlessly for a moment before stifling a laugh. "I know, hyung. You wouldn't be moving in with me if you didn't love me."

Hanbin sat down on the bed beside the other, and Zhang Hao lied down, urging the other to join him in his comfortable position. The two faced one another, faces a mere few centimetres apart. Zhang Hao's hand silently played with the necklace around Hanbin's neck — he had been wearing the boring chain since the day he got there.

"It's from my mom," Hanbin muttered. "She's awfully homophobic and never supported any decision I made. I still love her — she taught me good morals and respect. It's just a pity that she never ended up truly loving me."

"My mom can be your mom."

Hanbin smiled, glancing up at the other with a smile. "Thank you so much, Hao-ge."

"For?"

"For letting me love you."

Zhang Hao put his hand to Hanbin's cheek, stroking his skin softly with his hand. "You mean a lot to me, Hanbinnie. I just... I want to return the love that you have so diligently shown me. You make me happy. You've shown me what love is — and now I can't let you go."

"Don't let me go."

"I won't let you go."

As Hanbin raised his head in preparation to kiss the other, his phone buzzed between them. He picked up his phone, frowning at the contact. He showed the phone to Zhang Hao, causing the older to frown deeply as well. With a nod of permission from his boyfriend, Hanbin answered the call. "... Matthew."

Zhang Hao attempted to listen in on the call but couldn't bear to breach that level of privacy, so he simply watched Hanbin's facial expression. The younger expression fell as he nodded slightly. He seemed quite upset, and Zhang Hao grew more worried with every passing moment.

"Oh, it's okay, Matt. I will see you in Seoul. Thank you for thinking about me." More silence. "No, no, I completely understand. She meant quite a lot to me, and I'll attend the event out of respect. Oh — you could just send Xingque's contact to me as well."

Event...?

"Thank you, Matthew. I'm sorry about recent events. I'll... see you once I get back home. Take care, okay? I'm sorry." Hanbin smiled to himself. "I know, I'm sorry. We can speak once I'm home again. Well... yeah. Whatever happens. I'll keep you posted. Thanks, Matt. Bye."

Zhang Hao glanced at the other as he curiously awaited an explanation for the sudden call from his ex. "Well... what happened?"

"Uh... an old friend of ours is having a farewell party because she's moving to Canada," Hanbin began. "She lost my number after high school and resorted to contacting Matthew to get a hold of me — but I guess Matthew didn't tell her that we broke up."

Zhang Hao hummed in thought. "Will he be at the party...?"

"I'd assume so — she asked him to pass the message on." Hanbin's expression brightened slightly. "Xingque's Chinese as well. Maybe you'll feel comfortable talking to her...?"

"My Chinese is barely up to par, love — I grew up in Korea," Zhang Hao laughed. "But maybe if I went with, Matthew wouldn't try anything."

"Matthew has to understand that our relationship is irreparable — what he did to me isn't something I can just forgive," Hanbin said softly. "I'll let everyone know how happy I am with you. I'll show you off and flaunt you to everyone and show them that I'm dating the most beautiful boy in the world."

"Stop that..."

Hanbin tossed his phone to the side on the bed, leaning down to press a soft kiss to the older's cheek. Zhang Hao pushed him away with a laugh, but Hanbin pouted. "You're so mean, hyung-ah. Give me a kiss."

"Hanbin! Hao-ya! Lunch time!"

"You're lucky," Hanbin said as he stood up from the bed. He held his hand out and Zhang Hao took it as they walked together from Zhang Hao's bedroom to the downstairs area of the building.

Mrs Zhang was in the kitchen of her restaurant, setting up the side dishes before bringing out the main dish. She smiled at the two as they approached, sitting down at her seat and waiting for them. "Sorry for making you two wait so long for lunch."

"It's okay," Hanbin assured quickly as he sat down. "It's Hao hyung's last day here, so we should spend a lot of time with you."

Mrs Zhang simpered at those words, picking up a pair of disposable chopsticks and breaking them apart. "You make me sad, Hanbin-ah. You're very happy to have my Hao move in with you, hm?"

"Hanbinnie showed me his apartment, Mom," Zhang Hao began excitedly as he tapped on his phone. "It's big enough for the both of us — there's an extra room, but we thought of separating Hanbinnie's work area from his bedroom into the second room and sleeping in the same room."

Mrs Zhang nodded as she ate of the food, glancing at Zhang Hao's phone to look at the photos of the apartment. "It's very wide, especially the living room. Your kitchen looks rather stuffy, however — Hanbin-ah, have you ever thought of replacing your fridge?"

"My aunt asked the same thing," Hanbin confirmed with a laugh, "because it stands out, doesn't it? I asked my landlord if I could get a smaller fridge, but she said that another fridge wouldn't fit with the current design and aesthetic, so I just left it as it is."

"I suppose it fits with the design, so see the reasoning behind the choice," Mrs Zhang hummed. "It looks good enough for my Hao-ya."

"Mom, I'll visit as often as possible," Zhang Hao smiled at his mother. "I'll be fine, okay? I'm a big boy."

Mrs Zhang nodded rather wistfully. "I guess I'll have to find another restaurant assistant."