It Gets Better (HaoBin)

-2-

Sung Hanbin has no plans to inform his students that he's married to Zhang Hao, but sometimes he wants to, just to see their faces when they realize their matchmaking efforts are futile.

Their latest gambit is apparently to once again grill him for information, which is rather a mistake on their part—they should know by now that he delights in gaslighting them.

"I don't know, kids," Sung Hanbin says, shaking his head dramatically, "I think Mr. Zhang might already be seeing someone."

The panicked confusion spreads through the crowd like a forest fire. Perfect. Sung Hanbin can't wait to see Zhang Hao irked about this later.

"Okay, class," he says loudly, ignoring the chatter and leaving no room for argument, "back to work."

~~~

"Hanbin!" Zhang Hao says sternly, storming into the teachers lounge during the free period they have in common. "What the fuck?" He ignores the scandalized looks of some of the older teachers to glare at Sung Hanbin.

"What?" Sung Hanbin asks innocently, as if he doesn't know.

Before Zhang Hao can reply, Matthew strides through the door and past their table, regal as always. "Hm," he says, looking between them, "what did Sung Hanbin do?"

Matthew has an uncanny ability to annoy Sung Hanbin; it's one of the old monster's worst qualities, among his many other, also bad qualities. "How dare you?" Sung Hanbin says. "I've never done anything wrong, in my life. Ask anyone."

Zhang Hao raises his eyebrows. "You told some of my students that I'm 'seeing someone.'"

"Okay, ask anyone except Hao-ge," Sung Hanbin amends.

Jiwoong, sitting across from them, wisely tucks away his smile before Zhang Hao sees. "Ah." He glances at Sung Hanbin. "And why did you do that?"

"Jiwoong, my beautiful, glowing sun god," Sung Hanbin entreats, "I was only trying to end their line of questioning so I could get on with my class." He smiles because it's definitively not true.

Zhang Hao scowls because he knows Sung Hanbin is lying. "And that was the only way you could come up with?"

"Please, Hao-ge, I'm just a simple, kind-hearted Korean teacher," Sung Hanbin says, as if he hasn't devised a variety of schemes in the time Zhang Hao has known him (the most difficult of which was courting Zhang Hao, who for some reason did not enjoy it any time Sung Hanbin showed up at his apartment in college saying, "Oh, we meet again!" Zhang Hao called it "stalking" at the time, probably because he doesn't understand romance).

"You children and your ridiculous, self-invented problems," Matthew says scornfully, as if anyone asked for or wanted his input.

"Who are you calling 'children,' you old monster?" Sung Hanbin retorts.

"Maybe your students wouldn't be so obsessed with your romantic life if you didn't mysticize it so much," Jiwoong suggests.

Zhang Hao rolls his eyes at the advice (and probably at Sung Hanbin's smirk as well).

That doesn't stop Sung Hanbin from risking more eye-rolling later when he walks past Zhang Hao's classroom and tells him, in front of his nosiest history class, "Hey, I really need to talk to you later."

Zhang Hao stares up at the ceiling in exasperation, perhaps seeking some divine intervention that won't come (not that it would stop Sung Hanbin anyway). "Fine. Get out of my classroom, now. I'm busy."

"Can't wait," Sung Hanbin says, with an exaggerated wink that leaves Rickywide-eyed in the front row. Sung Hanbin gives a sarcastic little wave before he continues down the hallway.