Idiots - to - lovers ? (Gyubrick)

Chapter 4

"We need, like, boundaries."

Ricky looks over from where he's currently bent over himself on the floor, his legs pointed over and behind his head.

Hao squints at him. "What are you doing?"

"The plow pose," Ricky wheezes out.

"You're literally bent in half."

"That's the point," says Ricky, and then he gracefully kicks his legs up till he's lying with his chest facing the ceiling. "I recently got into yoga. You should give it a try."

"I am not doing whatever the hell that was," says Hao. "Never in a million years. You can't make me."

"You don't have to start with the plow," says Ricky, hoisting himself up to his feet and walking over to where Hao is sitting. He grabs his hand and pulls him up. "We can start simple. Have you ever heard of the tree?"

"Of course I've heard of a tree," says Hao. "It's how we get oxygen and shit. Do you think I'm stupid enough to fail freshman year biology?"

"Not that kind of tree," says Ricky, shaking his head. There's a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Just follow what I do, okay? And what boundaries are you talking about?"

Hao eyes Ricky's figure, lining up next to him and sticking his foot up to rest on his inner thigh like some stupid-looking flamingo. "We're pretending to date. We should be setting some boundaries. Like how far we have to go with each other in public." He shudders. "God. I can't believe I just said that."

"Why?" Ricky chirps. "Do the people in the fanfictions you read say that too?"

"Yeah," Hao says. "They do, actually."

"It makes sense," says Ricky, perfectly balanced on his one foot. Hao is much less successful, wobbling over and catching onto the backrest of a nearby chair to stop himself from tumbling onto the floor. "So what kinds of boundaries? Do you think we should kiss?"

"No," says Hao immediately. "Absolutely not."

Ricky hums. "Oh, good," he says. "I didn't really want to do that with you. No offense, Hao-ge."

"None taken. And don't call me that."

"Okay, Hao-ge. What about holding hands?"

Hao thinks about this; considers this. "Yeah okay," he says. "That's tame enough. You already hold my hand way too fucking much, anyways."

"Are you uncomfortable with it?" Ricky asks, turning over to look at him while still somehow retaining that perfect posture of his. "I can stop if you'd like me to."

"Do whatever you want," Hao mutters, and Ricky smiles.

"We'll have to go on dates," he says. "I'll post pictures to my Instagram."

Hao nods. "That's smart," he says. "That way, people will know you're taken. Literally every single person in this school is following you, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm," says Ricky. "I don't really understand that."

"Understand what?"

"Why everyone likes me so much."

If those words came out of literally anyone else's mouth (see: Gyuvin,) they would sound incredibly narcissistic and egotistical. But this is Ricky, and if Hao knows anything about Ricky, it's that he's never cared for the opinions of others, it's just that everyone seems to regard him in an extremely positive light, and there's nothing he can do about it.

"I don't understand it either," says Hao mildly. "They're brainwashed. All of them."

Ricky playfully swats his shoulder.

"Hao," he says, "would you like to go on a date with me?"

Hao pretends to think about it. Then, "I guess I'll have to settle for you, so sure."

Ricky laughs. Hao begins a countdown for his inevitable murder. Death by Gyuvin, baby.