Work Text:
ROUND ZERO
Yeonjun wouldn’t call himself a video game hater.
It would be so hypocritical of him, when he’s played video games here and there. When he was a kid, his mom had bought him one of those Nintendo DS consoles, and he’d been just as obsessed with Pokemon Diamond like everyone other kid in his neighborhood. Even in the recent years, he’d played some popular ones on the PC, like League of Legends, with his friends.
He’s just not in love with it. Not like Soobin, Kai, or Beomgyu were.
There were other things he was more interested in, more relaxing things that didn’t involve so much violence at three in the morning. Like watching Netflix. Building Lego sets. Online shopping. Peaceful, healthy, productive.
But hey, who was he to judge?
Their job as idols was stressful, taking so much of their free time—if his members felt like killing monsters on their little PC screens until the sun rose was relaxing, they were absolutely valid for it.
He doesn’t think it’s helping Beomgyu, though.
Beomgyu needs sleep. Loves it, even. Yeonjun thinks the agency selected his emoji-representative with the most accuracy. Beomgyu is cute and cuddly. And like a bear, he hibernates too. When their company gives them their rare, well-earned breaks, Beomgyu often forgoes going out, just so he can sleep their vacation away. He sleeps on their drive to and from work, and man, Yeonjun can’t even count the amount of times Beomgyu has annoyed his members for taking so long to get up from bed in the mornings.
And yet, he squanders the time he could be sleeping to play video games.
Yeonjun doesn’t get it. Video games can be super fun, Yeonjun knows from experience, but to lose sleep over it? How relaxing can a game be, when all it does is leave you tired and grumpy in the morning?
Normally, Yeonjun likes to mind his own business when it comes to the things his members like to do on their own personal time, but he finds himself wanting to convince Beomgyu against his current methods of de-stressing.
But Beomgyu is a surprisingly complex creature.
(To others, of course. He is simple to Yeonjun, who is well-versed in his silly little ways.)
If Yeonjun wants to dissuade Beomgyu from video games, he has to be smart about it. He has to play it cool, lest Beomgyu catches on and becomes stubborn about it. Yeonjun will be smooth about this. He’ll be cooler than cool about it. Chill. Yeah.
Yeah.
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 0 VIDEO GAMES: 0
🎮
ROUND ONE
The first part of his fool-proof plan (the fool being Beomgyu) was to straight up annoy his target into giving up on his video games.
He cooly stands by the threshold of Beomgyu’s room. His hands are in his pocket. He’s freshly showered, which he wants to emphasize for reasons. Reasons: he’s fresh, relaxed, ready to engage and be annoying.
Beomgyu hasn’t even noticed him. He’s got those large headphones like a real gamer, and his fingers are angrily typing over his keyboard.
Perfect, Yeonjun thinks. He’s already agitated!
Yeonjun smiles to himself, covering his mouth lest anyone accuses him of being evil. Again. He straightens up and begins his move.
He clears his throat.
Beomgyu doesn’t acknowledge him. Hmm.
Yeonjun clears his throat again, this time louder, and still—Beomgyu doesn’t even give him a single glance. Wow.
Yeonjun feels his heckles raise at being ignored. It’s kind of rude of Beomgyu to not even acknowledge him. Is his video game really that important?
Maybe he should scare him.
Yeonjun doesn’t even need to tiptoe his way to where Beomgyu is sitting at his computer desk. He walks up to him and even stands behind Beomgyu for a good moment without being noticed. He shakes himself, getting ready to give Beomgyu a good scare—
Beomgyu screams.
The sudden scream sends Yeonjun jumping in the air and toppling onto the floor. With his heart pounding in his chest and his whole body lying on the floor, Yeonjun sees Beomgyu throw his headphones in rage, cussing, “That fucking bastard—“
Beomgyu stops mid-sentence. His brows raise, and he tilts his head to the side in question, “Hyung. What are you doing down there?”
Yeonjun feels absolutely pathetic and tries not to show it as he pushes himself up from the ground. “I’ve been calling your name all this time and you were ignoring me.”
Beomgyu blinks before averting his eyes in embarrassment, “Oh. I had noise-cancelling headphones on.” He turned to look back at Yeonjun, his mouth puckered like the little carat sign on the keyboard. He extends a hand to Yeonjun, ”Sorry, hyung.”
Yeonjun plays up his pout, “What are you sorry to hyung for?”
Beomgyu pouts too, and Yeonjun feels that it’s so unfair how affected he is about it. Like his entire world just shifted, moving to focus on Beomgyu’s pout and do everything he can to alleviate what’s causing it. Beomgyu flutters his lashes, swaying their joined hands together, and in a cute voice that Yeonjun swears used to never affect him before: “For not noticing hyung. You should have tapped me on the shoulder or something. If I had known—“
God, Yeonjun swears it’s because they’re newly dating. It’s the honeymoon period that has Yeonjun cooing, utterly swayed, “And if you had know, what? Would you have stopped gaming for hyung?”
Beomgyu smiles so sweetly, Yeonjun can already tell the answer was going to be—
“You wouldn’t, huh?” Yeonjun says, the smile dropping from his face. He drops Beomgyu’s hands in faux disappointment and asks, “What’s more important, Choi Beomgyu? Video games or your boyfriend?”
Beomgyu complains, “Why would you ask me this, hyung?”
Yeonjun closes his eyes and feels the disappointment for real this time. “I can’t believe this,” Yeonjun whines, “My boyfriend would choose gaming over me. I understand. I see—“
“Hyung, stop sulking, you know you’re important to me—“ Yeonjun keeps his eyes closed, but he can feel Beomgyu’s arms loop around his neck, “Don’t be mad—“
Okay, Yeonjun’s not that disappointed, and he’s certainly not mad. But still, he doesn’t let up until Beomgyu’s pressed him against his bed and gave him a thousand and one kisses. His plan failed today, but it doesn’t mean he has to lose completely.
To be Choi Yeonjun means to never give up (or something like that). He’ll try another day.
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 0 VIDEO GAMES: 1
🎮
ROUND TWO
Okay, take two - first part of fool-proof plan (the fool being himself) was to seduce his target into giving up on video games.
Yeonjun thinks this plan is better than the OG one. What was he thinking? Beomgyu wrote the playbook on being annoying, and for once, Yeonjun thinks he can leave being number one to someone else. He has bigger fish to fry, or however the saying goes.
Anyway - so he stands again at the threshold of Beomgyu’s room. He’s all cool, with his hands in his pockets. He’s freshly showered, which he wants to emphasize for new reasons. Reasons being: he’s fresh, relaxed, ready to sex Beomgyu up.
Like last time, Beomgyu hasn’t noticed him standing by the door. He’s too busy, once again, being a real gaymer (Heh, Yeonjun chuckles to himself, he is so fucking funny), and his fingers, once again are flying angrily over his keyboard.
Perfect, Yeonjun thinks. He’s already so heated.
This time, he foregoes subtlety. Beomgyu loves it when he takes charge. His cute little pillow princess.
He goes on over and wraps his arms around Beomgyu’s tense shoulders, and Beomgyu ends up jolting so hard in surprise he uppercuts Yeonjun’s chin with his surprisingly hard head.
Once more, Yeonjun is on the floor again. This time, clutching his jaw.
“Hyung!” Beomgyu exclaims in worry, throwing his headphones off in a flurry. He crouches down and cradles Yeonjun’s jaw in his careful hands, “Are you okay? Why does this keep happening to you? Do you like being on the floor?”
Yeonjun is a little teary eyed and trying to hold it back. This isn’t the crying he was imagining when he came to Beomgyu’s room. He thought it would be a little sexier than this. A little less pathetic. He moans (in pain, Yeonjun denotes sadly), “Why are you lecturing me?”
“Because, hyung,” Beomgyu caresses his jaw, “How could you surprise me like that? And now you’re hurt. You know it hurts me when you’re hurt.” Beomgyu coos, “My baby. Should I kiss it better?”
Yeonjun soaks the attention up and points at his jaw. He nods, pouting, “Yes. Kiss it here.”
Beomgyu presses a kiss against his jaw, “Mwah!” When he pulls back, his eyes are crescents, “There. All good now.”
Yeonjun makes a noise and points to another spot, his chin this time, “This part hurts too.”
“I’ll kiss it too,” Beomgyu says, closing his eyes and pressing a kiss against his chin too. “Mwah. That one should be healed too.”
It’s a little insane, but Yeonjun literally feels the pain go away with the touch of Beomgyu’s lips. Is this the power of love or some shit? Yeonjun used to be a non-believer, but damn. Maybe that shit truly heals.
It’s kinda addicting. Yeonjun points to several parts of his face, and Beomgyu indulges him, pressing kiss after kiss until heat blooms between them.
Swallowing his own anticipation, Yeonjun finally points to his lips. “It hurts,” Yeonjun says, demure, “Could you kiss it better too?”
“It really hurts?” Beomgyu says slowly, biting his lip. His eyes focused solely on Yeonjun’s mouth. “Or do you just want a kiss?”
“I always want a kiss from you, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun baits, though the words are as honest as an admission. Beomgyu flushes pink at his words, and he feels his want double, triple knowing he’s the cause of it. “But it really does hurt. And I need you to kiss it. To make it all better—“
Beomgyu kisses him before he can even finish his sentence. He makes a pleased noise, as he hooks his arm around Beomgyu’s shoulders, pulling him down to get him closer. Beomgyu moans, and Yeonjun swallows it with a parted mouth. Beomgyu’s tongue is still shy as it licks into his mouth, meeting his tongue in tentative strokes. It’s cute. Beomgyu is so cute, it makes Yeonjun kinda ill with desire.
Yeonjun hooks his leg around Beomgyu’s hip and rolls them until it’s Beomgyu on the ground, looking pretty underneath him. Yeonjun wants to wreck him completely. He slides his knee in between Beomgyu’s legs and feels heat when it presses against Beomgyu’s cock, “What about you, baby? Are you hurting anywhere? Is there anywhere hyung can kiss better?”
Beomgyu nods.
Because Yeonjun can’t help it, he teases further, “Could you show hyung where?”
Beomgyu juts his bottom lip as he grinds against him, “You always make me say it.”
“Hyung isn’t a mind reader,” Yeonjun says, tracing the swell of Beomgyu’s lip. “You need to say what you want, so I know exactly what to do.”
Beomgyu looks away from him for a moment, as if unable to handle his gaze. His cheeks are a deepening pink, and Yeonjun decides he loves it over the heated flush he had on earlier when he was gaming. When he turns back, he seems to have gathered his courage. His gaze doesn’t waver as he takes Yeonjun’s hand and presses it to his stomach, as he carefully slides their hands together underneath the waistband of his pants.
“Here,” Beomgyu says, voice low in a way that it rarely ever is, “I want hyung to kiss me here.”
So Yeonjun does, and then more.
Later, when they’ve migrated to Beomgyu’s bed, sweaty and sated and close to the cliff of sleep, Yeonjun feels like a winner. Having Beomgyu makes Yeonjun a winner all the same, of course, but today, he triumphs over his current enemy. Video games.
His plan is a success. Finally, he can move on to step two, which is to make this into a routine. Sure, it’s going to be tiring, but Yeonjun thinks it’s a sacrifice he will be very happy to—wait.
He feels Beomgyu shift carefully from where he was spooning Yeonjun. His little backpack, gone. A hand runs through his hair, lips press against his cheek, and then nothing. The heat Yeonjun was getting accustomed to disappears. The bed shifts—and Yeonjun realizes Beomgyu is getting up. Any hope he has that it’s just him getting water or going to the bathroom disappears when he hears the tell-tale sound of a computer booting up.
God, did Yeonjun not fuck him properly? Should they have gone for Round 2? What kind of stamina does a guy who just got railed within an inch of their life have, for him to not only stay awake after, but also to go back and log on to their computer to game?
Yeonjun is missing something here. He’s seriously misunderstood the hold video games have on his boyfriend. He needs to regroup. He needs to rethink this.
But first—he must recuperate.
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 0 VIDEO GAMES: 2
🎮
ROUND THREE
Yeonjun has recovered. Somewhat. His ego is down bad, but it’s okay. His war versus video games in general was not over. He just needs a better strategy, but before he can formulate that, he must first gather intel.
And who better to gather intel from than another gamer?
Yeonjun stands at the threshold of a room. Another room. This time, it’s Kai’s.
(Okay, he thought about asking Soobin, but god knows, if given the choice between his brand new PS5 or his partner, Soobin would definitely choose the former. Yeonjun’s not being mean. He’s just saying the truth. Look, the entire company agrees with him. Take it up with them.)
Anyway, Yeonjun clears his throat, and as expected from the most angelic member of their group, Kai turns to address him immediately.
Like a very cute puppy.
“Oh, Yeonjun-hyung,” Kai calls out from his nest of Molang plushies. The Molang wearing a rabbit outfit on his lap as he plays on his Nintendo Switch. Yeonjun wonders if he should feel insulted that the one wearing the chick outfit is crushed under Kai’s ass. Is there a hidden meaning here? He shakes his head and remembers his mantra of the moment. Bigger fish to fry. “What’s up?”
Yeonjun shrugs, putting his hands in his pocket. You know, for the spirit of nonchalance. He walks on over and casually sits on Kai’s bed. Or at least, he tries to. It’s rather difficult considering the insane amount of plushies on his bed. Yeonjun feels like he’s sitting on a cloud. Realistically. He feels like he’s going to topple over and fall on the ground. Which has been happening quite often lately. Too often, if you were to ask Yeonjun.
This is not the balance game they sing about in their songs. Yeonjun leans over to take a peek at what Kai is playing, “Nothing. Just wanted to see what my little buddy is up to.”
Kai hums, “I’m just playing Stardew Valley. It’s a farming game. I’m trying to mine some copper ore, so I can build some kegs for my farm.”
Yeonjun watches as Kai’s character murders a bunch of bats in what looks like a cave. “Kind of violent,” Yeonjun comments. “I thought you were farming. Aren’t you supposed to be toiling the land? Sowing some seeds? Harvesting?”
“I did that earlier,” Kai says, as his character drops a bomb and kills a mummy. His fingers move like a real expert. A real gamer. Yeonjun supposes there is something amazing about gamers. There’s a sense of professionalism in the way Kai plays, Yeonjun can see that. “You can do a lot of things. It’s really involved. You can just do a day and then quit. I like it. You can really just do what you want.”
“Oh!” Yeonjun says with interest. “So it’s not addicting at all. And it’s calming?” Kai nods. “Can you play it on the PC? Or do you have to play it on the Switch?”
“You can play it on the PC,” Kai explains, before taking a moment to pause the game. He turns to Yeonjun, giving him his full attention with a teasing grin. “Is this for Beomgyu-hyung?”
Yeonjun rolls his eyes, “Yes. It’s Valentine’s soon. I was going to buy him clothes, but I always get him that.” Shyly, he continues, “It’s our first Valentine’s together…so I wanted to do something different.”
“Hyung usually likes those shooting games more though,” Kai says. “Why don’t you ask Soobin-hyung instead for advice?”
Yeonjun grumbles, “I always ask Soobin for advice. Also, I don’t think those violent games are good for Beomgyu.”
Kai gasps, a move that’s teasing too, “Hyung…I didn’t think you were the controlling type!”
“I’m not!” Yeonjun bristles at the accusation, “I am just a very concerned boyfriend.”
“Mhmm,” Kai hums, dubious, and Yeonjun feels the teasing hit a surprisingly sensitive spot. He frowns, “Am I being controlling? I just want him to stop playing so much video games that he can sleep properly.”
Kai coos, rubbing his hand on Yeonjun’s stomach. In a loud cutesy, baby voice, Kai says, “Really? Really? Beomgyu-hyung is so lucky to have a caring boyfriend—“
“Really?” Another voice joins in the teasing. When Yeonjun looks, he sees that it’s the man of the month.
Kai laughs when he sees who it is, “Oh? Who’s here? It’s our cutest, our tiniest, our loudest—“
“Yah, yah, yah,” Beomgyu says, walking over to them, “Who are you calling loudest when I can hear your voice from the bathroom?”
“You can hear us from the bathroom?” Yeonjun says, working hard to keep his voice even. “Beomgyu, are you sure you closed the door?”
Beomgyu gives him a betrayed look, but he still attempts to join them in bed, climbing onto Yeonjun’s lap like a little house cat. He wraps an arm around Yeonjun’s shoulder, just as Yeonjun wraps an arm around his waist to steady him.
Kai is looking at them with a bright, cheeky smile and Yeonjun already knows he has something to say before he even says it, “You guys are so cute. Making me third wheel on my own bed.”
Beomgyu pointedly tangles his leg with Kai’s on the bed and smiles, “There. Now we are a tricycle. No third wheels here. Now—what are you guys doing? Oh! Are you playing that game again?”
“You know Stardew Valley, Gyu-yah?” Yeonjun asks, resting his chin on Beomgyu’s shoulder.
“Yeah,” Beomgyu says, “I’ve seen Kai play it a couple times. Never did get the appeal though. How are you enjoying just farming every day? Isn’t it repetitive?”
Kai is passionate as he defends it, “No! I think you would really like it if you give it a chance. You get to help people rebuild the town. You make friends with villagers. You give them gifts. You can do missions for them. You can even romance them—”
“Oh?” For some reason, that is what piques Beomgyu’s attention. “Can you marry them too?”
Kai affirms, “Yup! You can choose from 8 different people. If you play it, I recommend you romance Alex.”
“Why?” Yeonjun blurts out, which has Beomgyu smiling down at him.
“Because,” Kai says, as he shows Alex’s character on his Switch. “He’s all beefed up. Which is exactly your type, Beomgyu-hyung.”
Beomgyu’s hand is playing with Yeonjun’s hair as he asks, “And how do you know what my type is?”
Kai smiles, “Well, the number one example of your type is right here—“
And then he promptly goes on to place a hand on Yeonjun’s pec.
For a moment, they all just stare at Kai’s hand on Yeonjun’s chest. For a moment, Yeonjun feels very objectified but simultaneously very sexy.
The moment ends with Beomgyu slapping Kai’s hand away. The act is a little harsh, which surprises them all. If Yeonjun’s being honest, he’s a little turned on at the show of possessiveness. This is a side Beomgyu rarely shows, and he’s kind of super into it.
Beomgyu clears his throat, trying to clear the air. In a light voice, he says, “Send me the link. I’ll go play.”
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 1 VIDEO GAMES: 2
🎮
ROUND FOUR
Yeonjun ends up getting Beomgyu a Nintendo Switch instead for Valentine’s.
He’d spent the extra money to get it properly gift wrapped too. It was worth it for the way Beomgyu carefully opened it, trying not to ruin the wrapping paper, even as Yeonjun told him to just tear through it.
You spent money on this, Beomgyu pouted as he made sure the tape didn't tear the paper.
Yeonjun pinched his cheek and teased, Baby, I spent more on the gift.
But he was so endeared and he forgot all about the wrapping paper when Beomgyu gasped as he finally saw what Yeonjun got.
Hyung! Beomgyu said, throwing himself at Yeonjun and pressing kisses all over his face. I love it, I love it, I love it. I’ll play it well.
Okay, okay—Yeonjun knows he’s had this imaginary beef with video games, but Beomgyu really does love playing them. And Yeonjun cannot resist the idea of making Beomgyu happy.
He does have a tiny bit of a hidden agenda with the Nintendo Switch. He thought about how Kai had been playing his in bed versus how Beomgyu has to sit at his desk, away from bed, to play his games. Yeonjun thinks the Nintendo Switch would be better then, because Beomgyu could play video games in bed, where Yeonjun could still hold him.
It feels like compromise. Yeonjun wants to pat himself on the back for thinking of such a smart plan. Actually, you know what, he’s patting his back right now. Yeah!
Reality tells a different story though.
When Yeonjun joins Beomgyu in his bed for a post-practice cuddle, he finds Beomgyu playing Stardew Valley on his Switch. Nothing wrong with that. Yeonjun actually got him that game to play on the Switch instead.
It’s just that—Yeonjun wants a little attention. It’s been one schedule after the other, especially with their fanlive coming up, so he’s been a bit stressed. They all have been, and Yeonjun’s mentioned it before, how they all have their ways of coping. Beomgyu’s is playing video games. Yeonjun’s usually is watching Netflix, listening to calming music, or even aromatherapy.
But Yeonjun already looked through what Netflix had to offer and nothing. He looked through his usual playlists and nothing. He lit a candle and just blew it out. Right then, he knew what he wanted. Beomgyu.
He wants Beomgyu to coddle him a little bit. He wants his boyfriend to tell him he did a good job today. He wants Beomgyu to put down the Switch (which he knows, he knows, is kind of ridiculous because Yeonjun bought that for him) and kiss him, even for just a moment.
Yeonjun feels a little ridiculous about it. He’s an adult. The eldest of their five-member group. He shouldn’t feel this needy for a little kiss from his boyfriend.
So, he pushes down the feeling and settles for wrapping himself around Beomgyu. His cheek pressed against Beomgyu’s hair. His arm wrapped around his waist. Their legs tangled together. A little bit of the tension that’s been growing in his chest escapes.
He sighs, choosing to see what Beomgyu’s doing on screen.
He’s made a character for himself who’s wearing cute red overalls and a straw farmer hat on his little head. It reminds Yeonjun of that photoshoot they did in Jeju. He smiles at the thought. His character is walking around the forest, shaking the trees and collecting blackberries. It’s so cute, Yeonjun feels himself relaxing as he watches Beomgyu play.
That is, until he watches Beomgyu continually give gifts to this one specific character.
“Who’s that?” Yeonjun mumbles against Beomgyu’s hair. “Is it a mission to give him flowers or something?”
“That’s Alex,” Beomgyu says, and it takes a moment for Yeonjun to place the name.
“Oh,” Yeonjun says, “That’s the character Kai mentioned, right? That’s your type.”
Beomgyu softly laughs, “Yeah, guess he’s right. He’s more of an athlete type character? He’s dumb, but he’s sweeter the more you get to know him in the game.”
Yeonjun hums. Beomgyu continues happily, “I think I’m going to marry him. Earlier, he told me about how much he just wants a family, and I just think I could give it to him. He could make me pancakes in the morning, and then I could go on with my day and farm.”
“Mhm,” is the only thing he can respond with. He doesn’t exactly know what to say. He’s known Beomgyu for five years now and lived with him the entire time. He knows Beomgyu, who’s been his dongsaeng and his friend. He’s not quite sure he knows Beomgyu as a boyfriend quite yet, which makes him uncertain sometimes in deciding what type of guy he needs to be for him.
Right now, all he’s thinking is does Beomgyu want me to be that kind of guy? Is this what he wants? A sweet vulnerable idiot who cooks for him?
And then, he thinks about how ridiculous it is that he’s outright placing himself against a video game character. He must be really out of it.
He should just go back to his room and sleep it off.
He kisses Beomgyu’s cheek and moves to get up, which has Beomgyu frowning, “Are you going already? You just came here.”
Yeonjun runs a hand through his hair, “Yeah, I think I’m just going to sleep in my room tonight.”
“Oh, you don’t want to…” Beomgyu trails off, his hand twisting around his sheets.
Yeonjun smiles, a little tired, “Maybe tomorrow. We have an early schedule anyway, remember?”
“Okay,” Beomgyu visibly deflates, and Yeonjun resists the urge to come back to his bed. Beomgyu brightens up, if only to give him the cute version of a heart named after himself. He even throws a flying kiss too, “Good night.”
It makes Yeonjun smile, and this time, it feels more sincere. “Good night.”
But when he settles into his bed after, the warmth passes. Regret comes over him, and he wishes he just stayed.
He feels like an absolute loser.
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 1 VIDEO GAMES: 3
🎮
ROUND FIVE
For some abominable reason, Yeonjun is given the opportunity to feature on a song created by the same person who produced Anti-Romantic. Okay, that makes him sound so ungrateful. He loves the opportunity. It’s the song itself. Well, actually, even the song sounds great. It has the makings of a hit song. Something that he can see going viral on Tiktok.
It’s the content that he’s a little bothered with.
The lyrics he has for the song is about a gamer boyfriend who’s defending his good intentions to his partner, who suspects him of playing around. It feels odd, slipping into that persona when he’s not even a gamer. If anything, he’s the one with the gamer boyfriend. Not that he thinks Beomgyu’s playing around instead of actually gaming.
But now, he can’t stop thinking about the line, me or the PS5, for various reasons. Reasons being: they’re currently promoting the song; they keep playing the song everywhere he fucking goes; and it’s catchy as fuck.
One of the Tiktok promotional videos they’re shooting for right now plays with that line too. Yeonjun thought of a good choreography for it, which he’s very happy to show off, but the lyrics. Yeonjun feels like he’s losing his mind.
He’s literally jealous, because his boyfriend wants to play video games rather than pay attention to him. He’s sulking, because his boyfriend would rather romance some video game character rather than cuddle his #real boyfriend in #real life. Yeonjun feels insane.
Okay—he knows that the stress of the upcoming fanlives too. It’s been so long since they’ve met their fans, and he wants everything to go well. But the added agitation from seeing Beomgyu play Stardew Valley, knowing he’s talking to his boyfriend there or something…unreal.
He can’t even tell anyone about this. He’s going to seem like such a loser. He already knows how judged he’s going to be. He simply has to meditate this problem away.
Except, the problem never goes away. That’s just how problems work, he concludes. If you ignore them, they never get resolved. You can try sinking it as far deep as you can, but it floats back up again and again.
The thing is, he wants attention, and he feels like he’s not getting enough. Between practice, rehearsals, and being shuffled from schedule to schedule. It’s not enough for Yeonjun to get fleeting kisses here and there. It’s not enough to stand side by side in their line-up, with their shoulders briefly touching.
They’re in the goddamn honeymoon period of their relationship, and Yeonjun wants more. It’s mortifying to admit, but he does and he’s at a place where his focus is narrowing to the point where he only cares about getting it.
The only problem is that includes getting Beomgyu’s attention even on stage.
During their fanlive, he can’t help but be extremely enthusiastic at answering Beomgyu’s questions for the Golden Bell quiz. He can’t help but stick close to him, even when the stage direction is to scatter around the stage. He can’t even pretend to be normally annoyed when Beomgyu teases him, because his attention is a spotlight and it’s fully on him.
He basks fully in the parts they have together in their performances. He’s absolutely thankful for the fact that they got paired up for the couple dance portion of Blue Hour—he feels himself come alive whenever he makes eye contact with Beomgyu on stage. Something about living your dream, knowing the person you love is right there sharing the moment with you.
He thinks he overdoes it though. Unsurprisingly, when they’re changing mics, Taehyun starts singing PS5. Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun does too.
Even more unsurprising, Beomgyu teases him about it too, as he has been teasing Yeonjun all night.
“Hyung, you know this song’s lyrics, right?” Beomgyu says with so much cheek. His eyes are bright, further illuminated by the lights on stage. His hair looks so fluffy. He’s just so cute. Yeonjun wants to bite him.
Which are the reasons Yeonjun will cite later when he gets flack from Taehyun and Soobin for asking, point blank, voice low and serious, “What would you choose, me or the PS5?”
He thinks Beomgyu could tell Yeonjun wasn’t playing around with the question, considering how flustered he gets. He recovers just barely, stuttering as he points toward the crowd, “I choose MOA, of course!”
Yeonjun doesn’t even know what expression he’s wearing. The disappointment he feels from Beomgyu’s answer makes him forget all the cameras, all the fans, all the proper things he should be doing as an idol hiding a relationship for one brief moment.
And then—he does remember and he’s absolutely fucking mortified. He’s a professional though, and he’ll be damned if this stupid thing ruins what they all worked so hard for.
Besides, once again, there are bigger fish to fry. Yeonjun soon forgets about it all with the successful finish of their fanlive. He’s loathed to leave the stage, after being physically away from their fans for so long. He can’t believe it’s over just like that.
The concert after glow carries him through the night. They take pictures with their parents. They eat a nice celebratory meal. And he can’t even find anything to really regret at the end of the night. I didn’t even cry, he thinks proudly to himself.
It’s only when he’s freshly showered and happily under the covers of his bed that he remembers the stupid moment. He hopes Beomgyu forgets about it. Yeonjun’s definitely going to try to tonight.
Except, he doesn’t even get the chance to.
His door creaks open, and he hears soft, muted footsteps across the wooden floor.
And then, someone’s climbing into his bed, settling in between him and the wall his bed is flushed against. Even in the dark, he knows. It’s Beomgyu.
“Hyung,” Beomgyu says, voice tiny, “You didn’t come to my room.”
“I always come to your room,” Yeonjun quietly says. He doesn’t know if he’s saying it as an excuse.
Beomgyu hums, a sound as soft as light in the dark, “But you didn’t and I missed you. I want my boyfriend tonight. My cute crybaby.”
Yeonjun snorts, slapping whatever part of Beomgyu he can reach, which lucky for him is his ass. “Stop teasing me about it already. I didn’t even cry tonight.”
“No,” Beomgyu agrees. Yeonjun thinks he can hear a smile through his voice. “But you were sulking all night. Especially when I chose our fans—“
Yeonjun groans, “I don’t want to talk about it—“
Beomgyu makes a displeased noise, “I want to talk about it. You’re acting weird. Did I do something?”
“No!” Yeonjun answers immediately.
“I don’t believe you,” Beomgyu stubbornly says, “Is it because I didn’t choose you—“
“No.” Yeonjun says with so much finality, it kills their conversation just like that, like the air has been sucked out, suffocating it. He can feel Beomgyu falter, restless against him, and god, he really, really doesn’t want to ruin today. But he can feel Beomgyu’s brain turning, thinking of what he did wrong, and he doesn’t think he can end it right here. It feels like a fight that needs to be resolved now, lest it festers overnight.
He sighs, loud. The sound is harsh in the dark. “It’s just—you always choose the PS5 over me.”
“Huh?”
It’s out of the bag, so Yeonjun thinks he might as well hash it all out: “Sometimes, I feel like you’d rather play video games than hang out with me. Which is kind of stupid, because we spend almost all our time together. But when I’m stressed, I just want to hang out with you, but you’re busy playing video games. Or like that one time, after we had sex, you left the bed to go play video games instead. And I feel so stupid, but I’m even jealous that you’re romancing some stupid video game character, when I’m right here—“
Yeonjun cuts himself off, because he sounds ridiculous. “Oh my god. What the hell am I saying? Kill me. Kill me—“
“Hyung!” Beomgyu says, grabbing his cheeks. “It’s okay. Calm down. Don’t be embarrassed. Please? Please?”
Yeonjun is pretty sure his cheeks are warm in Beomgyu’s hands. He’s thankful for the dark, because he is certain they would look red in the light. “Okay.”
“I hear you,” Beomgyu says in the most gentle voice. He always manages to take Yeonjun’s racing mind and quiet it down. Yeonjun doesn’t know how he does it. “I hear you. But Yeonjun-hyung, why didn’t you just tell me?”
Yeonjun pouts, “Because. I hate feeling needy. And I don’t want to seem like some controlling asshole that wants to monopolize your time, when you probably want to relax too. The time we have together feels so small, and I find myself so greedy over it. Beomgyu, I think I really, really like you.”
Beomgyu laughs, but it’s gentle too. “Well, Hyung, I sure hope so.”
“No,” Yeonjun says, “I mean, I think I like you more than I thought I did before, which is crazy because you know I like you so much already.”
“You’re so cute,” Beomgyu giggles and then gives him a kiss so sweet, he thinks the taste of honey won’t even compare to it. When they pull away, Beomgyu says, “It’s not greedy to want me. Don’t say it like that. I like that you want me. I like it when you tell me. Because you know I’ve liked you for so long, and I’m trying to do this right and not be so clingy and not be so crazy about you—“
“Be crazy about me,” Yeonjun says. He’s not even thinking right now. He doesn’t think he can when his heart is pounding so loud against his chest. “Don’t even hold back. I like it so much too, baby—“
Beomgyu makes a distressed noise, “Okay, don’t call me baby when we’re having a serious conversation. You know how that makes me feel. And I know you’re too tired to have sex—“
“Beomgyu,” Yeonjun says, absolutely serious, “I have a separate energy storage for that. It’s like me with food and dessert. I have a second stomach that lets me eat more. It works exactly the same way.”
Beomgyu laughs again, and Yeonjun feels himself fully relax. He cuddles Beomgyu in his arms and sighs happily.
He feels Beomgyu stroke his hair. In the end, Beomgyu says, “Promise me. You’ll just tell me next time, okay? Don’t feel weird, okay? I want to be a good boyfriend to you.”
“Okay,” Yeonjun says, “I promise.”
RESULT:
YEONJUN: 1,000,000 VIDEO GAMES: 3
🎮
BONUS ROUND
“Um,” Yeonjun says, “If it’s your birthday, then how come I’m the one receiving a gift?”
“Because,” Beomgyu says, handing him his very own Nintendo Switch, “The gift I want from you is to play Stardew Valley with me.”
Yeonjun scratches his head, “I don’t know how much I’m going to play. Beomgyu, I feel like this is a waste of money. You should save it and buy something you like instead—“
Yeonjun shuts up immediately when Beomgyu pouts at him so hard, he feels like he might get sent to hell for causing it. Beomgyu vehemently disagrees, “It’s not a waste of money! I know you’re going to love Stardew Valley. It’s going to be so relaxing for you. I’ll explain everything. You’re going to love toiling the land and watering crops—“
“Can’t we just make out when I’m stressed?” Yeonjun tries.
“No,” Beomgyu says, glaring at him like an angry baby kitten. “You are not going to seduce me out of this, you evil little cat. We are going to have a farm together. And we can even get married on this, isn’t that cute?”
Well. Why didn’t Beomgyu start with that?
Yeonjun clears his throat and tries not to seem too excited at the idea. He chooses to say instead, “I thought you were going to marry Alex in your little game.”
Beomgyu waves his hand, “I dumped him. I only wanted to pursue him anyway, because he reminded me of you.”
Okay, it really doesn’t matter in the overall scheme of things—but Yeonjun is both a sore loser and a sore winner.
You’ll just have to excuse him when he says: Fuck you, video games.
He has Beomgyu.
RESULT:
FINAL WINNER: YEONJUN