Work Text:
Uchan was now 19. It has been two years since he finished high school and two years since he started working full time to be a top class psyker.
The only problem was; no one could help him.
Cassian stopped coming regularly to the vilzone, because apparently he was over work by his personal life. He also wasn’t close to any of the other villains. (He only really spoke to Cassian, Driver and the others didn’t seem to know a lot about training.)
His master was training a newbie three years younger than him and Raul and Rick were doing come and go between the US and Korea.
They did tell him to ask someone he knew to spare with, but the more Uchan thinks about it, the less people come to mind.
It’s not really surprising, Uchan went to a public school while the great majority of the students went to a special psyker school.
The people who knew him were people who saw him in the news.
Plus they were either too strong or too weak.
So he did the only thing he could think of; training alone. Cassian did it all the time, and he also did it before the vilzone.
It wasn’t the best situation but it wasn’t the worst, so he continued like this.
"Hey." Uchan was taking a break when the glass door opened. He looked up after hearing someone calling him.
"Naeun said it was time for dinner." Gangu was standing there, he looked exactly like he did two years ago, just taller.
"Alright." He got up and followed after Gangu to the elevator. He did want to ask but didn’t know how to, so he didn’t say anything.
Naeun was finishing dinner when they arrived. Two people were already settled at the table, they were talking about a project if Uchan understood correctly.
He did. Apparently the project was for a biology class due in a week. (Naeun told him but he wasn’t listening) And they were already here when he came back. He never saw them since he entered, took a shower, then left to go train in the underground training room of their apartment building.
"You shouldn’t train so much." Naeun said out of the blue. "Doesn’t your body need to rest?"
"It’s fine." He didn’t want to start an argument in front of random strangers.
"Gangu, help me." She said turning to him. "Don’t bring me in your siblings dispute."
"Come on! You know a lot about this kind of stuff! And you told me it wasn’t healthy to always train."
"It’s fine."
"Now you sound like Uchan." She complained. Then her eyes sparkled. "Didn’t you said you need a sparing partner?" He wasn’t sure he wanted to respond. "Like I said Gangu knows a lot. Why don’t you two train together?"
Gangu replied for him. "It’s not that I don’t want to, but I can’t. I don’t have the time to do anything unless it’s school."
She grins. "That a lie, you work out everyday."
"And I barely have the time for it." He responded annoyed.
That went he remembered the first time they met. "Did you improve since we fought on the roof?"
"You two fought? When?" Gangu looked to the opposite side of Naeun, while Uchan continued ignoring her.
"Of course I did." He sounded offended by his question.
"Come here at three tomorrow."
He did not, in fact came at three. His class finished fifteen minutes later, so he arrived forty five minutes later.
"How do you want to train?"
"Sparing is the best way. Let’s go easy on the first one since i don’t know your limits."
And that how Uchan discovers that Gangu was super strong. Like, insanely strong. He wonders for a moment if Gangu is a psyker.
At the end of the hour they were sold. They talk for the remaining time about their possibility. Then he received a text from Naeun telling him it was his time to prepare dinner.
And that how their new routines were created. They didn’t talk very much, Naeun did all the talking after the training. Yes she invited Gangu each time.
And then they fell.
They were kinda…well- they were starting at each other.
And now they were kissing. Violently. Their tooth seemed to be in the way, their tongue were trying to get in each other throat, Gangu was pulling his hair and Uchan was holding him so tightly it was going to leave marks.
They continued, the redhead still pinned to the ground and the smaller still sitting on him, for an unknown amount of time.
When they pulled away, they were both panting heavily. Gangu patted one of his hands -who were still gripping tightly the smaller waist until he let go- and got up searching for his water bottle.
He remained lying on his back with his hands still in the hair as if he was still holding the other. He finally pulled himself on his elbow and felt his face growing warmer. He looked towards Gangu. He thinks he saw him a tiny, tiny bit flushing.
Uchan smiled to himself.
Then he wiped off the saliva from his face.
Now, at some point during their training, they would make out. It somehow was always Uchan who was pinned by Gangu. That doesn’t mean he didn’t try to top him - in fact he was the on who initiated every time- but Gangu just flipped them and the psyker was under him.
They keep doing it. Weeks after weeks. They never talk about what they were doing or tried to address it. Uchan didn’t mind it, Gangu was a great kisser.
That day was like any other day. They were training (he was getting beat up) like they normally do in Uchan’s training room.
He did see that Gangu was a bit distracted, but ultimately brushed it aside thinking it may be his job getting to his head.
He was right.
When it was time for a break, he reached for his bottle and sat down on the floor. Gangu sat next to him on the bench, picking and drinking a bit of his water.
"I can’t come tomorrow." Uchan looked at him."My friend just need help with his things."
His . So Gangu’s friends was a guy. "What are you going to do? Being a secretary?" Uchan had a sour taste in his mouth.
"More like a representative."
Uchan stayed silent.
Gangu bent over. "It doesn’t mean I can’t train you anymore, it just going to be shorter and less frequent."
Uchan look up to him, before nodding.
Gangu had to leave soon after, when his phone started ringing in the middle of their sparing. He told him what he should improve for the next training session while picking up his things.
Before leaving, Gangu stood in front of Uchan, pat his shoulder, then kissed him. It wasn’t violent or pressing or hungry. It was a slow, soft kiss.
He left saying something that Uchan didn’t catch. He was too shock to listen and only open his eyes when he was sure Gangu had left.
Even with all the training of self control he had to do to pass some psyker exams, he still gave in to slightly brushing his fingers over his lips.
Gangu didn’t lie. Yes, their training was sorter and more of Gangu telling what he should improve for next time, but it was still the same thing.
(Oh, they also continued to make out during breaks. And just for that, the new training hours didn’t bother him.)
Gangu doesn’t talk about his job (he never did) and Uchan doesn’t bring it up. He is curious about this ‘friend’ that makes him feel…bizarre…and uncomfortable.
But it not like things change a lot.
Until they do.
"Uchan! Come here!"
He poked his head out and was meet by Naeun all dressed up. "Why are you wearing that." He pointed to her clothes.
"Because we are going out, and I picked what you’re wearing, so put this." And she throws what she prepared in his face. "And hurries up! We’re leaving at five." To be fair, he did wanted to know why he had to come, but he didn’t. A free meal is a free meal.
Turn out, ‘ we are going out’ means , we are having dinner in a restaurant then go out partying with my friends from college who you don’t know and I never mentioned.
Okay, they weren’t all unfamiliar, he recognize the girl Naeun did modeling with and some people coming over for group projects, and Gangu, but that’s all.
He spent most of the time sitting quietly next to Gangu, who also didn’t interact with the college people.
They eventually go to a party one of the college students likely prepared and became all pretty drunk. Uchan drank occasionally, so he didn’t consider himself drunk.
"I’m driving."
"Yeah! He’s the des-dev-designiver, he drives!" A random person said.
"Come on, I don’t want to stay here longer." He start the car. "You didn’t seem to want to come." He pull out of the parking spot. "Because I didn’t want to, your sister force me." Naeun gets between them. "Of course-cause I did! You’re leaving!"
Gangu turned to her on a red light. "Naeun sit down and lower your voice."
Uchan watched them argue before forcing her to listen went the light turn back green.
"Wait, you’re leaving."
"It’s for my job." He replied flatly
"Where are you going?"
"A little everywhere."
"So you’re not coming back."
"Not for a while."
Uchan is 22. He is an official psyker, not a top class one but that will come closely.
He can go patrol on his own do missions help students, and, of course, paperwork.
He also has to attend meetings now. Which he thinks it’s a little odd that a new psyker has to go to them, but whatever, that now part of his job.
The room was smaller than he thought, with even less people in it. The people were scattered, some at the table, others forming a circle to talk and a few loners here and there.
The meeting began with presentations, apparently it has a new important member. Uchan heard some rumors from around that Cassian sent someone at his place, since he was one of the big influence in the world now.
Well the rumors were true but it’s wasn’t what made him froze. Gangu was the shocking things. He didn’t pay attention to the meeting.
He tried to remember if he saw him in the folder for this meeting or somewhere. All he could remember was the rumor going around about Cassian.
He snapped out of it went he heard Jiseo Ham, the deputy manager, spoke up to end the meeting with the formalities.
The second he could, he went to see Gangu. And he was met with no surprise on any inch of his face.
"Congratulations. You’ve become a psyker now. How is it?" He said getting up.
"Fine, I just don’t like the paperwork."
"No one does." He continued to ask him questions about being a psyker and what he likes. Until "I have to go now. See you next meeting." The door sut quietly.
"Don’t try to engage with him." Jiseon Ham always seemed to pop up of nowhere. "Im not telling you that because he’s an outer, he’s just really focused on his work."
Uchan when on with his day. He act like normal ( he was getting angrier by the minute ) doing his task like a robot.
He was happy for the first time that Naeun moved out on the apartment below, he didn’t want her to see him like… this .
He hated Gangu for leaving without notice, for not telling him he was back, for not staying in contact after a year, for not telling him about his job.
And-and everything came rushing back. He remembered their time together, training or studying or exchanging by phone because Naeun’s phone broke and then continued even after she got a new phone (they might have stayed texting really late more than once) and then got teased by her to know who he was constantly texting. He remember every time he brushed it off. But now, now he can’t deny it. "…shit."
But on top of it all, what he hated the most was his constant serious face that never changed. He wanted to make him blush or smile, or even angry. -He didn’t look shocked to see him at the meeting-
When they kissed hard in the middle of training he was always the one who would squirm, tremble, blush, while he seemed like he had no problem.
Uchan felt like he couldn’t make the other react, like he didn’t have any weight in Gangu emotions. Like Gangu didn’t care. He didn’t know what to do. ( That simple interaction made him freeze for all the other ones)
So, in the end (at least multiple months later), he went to see the only men who knew the both of them.
After knocking at the 'office' doors, Uchan waited to be let in. It’s been a long time since he wore the mask and the leather clothing, he -took the time to wash them-
didn’t know how to feel. Fortunately the ‘ come in ’ from inside makes him forget what he was thinking.
He quickly entered and closed the door behind him before walking in front of the desk where on of his old coach sat.
"Red mask, that’s a surprise, why are you here?" Cassian asked with a monotone voice while he undo his straight posture on his chair.
"I need to vent." He simply replied.
"Do you have to do it here? In front of me?" Cassian clearly wanted him gone.
"Yes, you’re the only on who can help me."
Cassian looked like he really didn’t want to know. "Fine," he said through a mix of annoyance and curiosity, "go lock the door."
Uchan did what he was told, then took off his mask after sitting down on a sofa.
"I only have water," the villain said looking in his miniature fridge, "do you want some?" Uchan shook his head.
Cassian sat him front of him with a water bottle on the little table separating the two. "What happening?" He asked after sighing.
Uchan couldn’t bring himself to look in Cassian eye, so he buried his face in his palms.
"Uchan, if you’re not going to tell me what going on, I won’t be able to help you, and will absolutely throw you out of my office." The psyker looked between his fingers to see the man glaring at him.
"I…want to talk to you about Gangu."
Cassian narrowed his eye. "Why? Does he bother you?"
"It the contrary."
"So he doesn’t?"
"Well I-I don’t know how to say this."
"With words?" Uchan looked at Cassian with a perplexed expression. "Just tell me, if there something wrong with him, I want him to fixed it."
"You can’t fix it!" Cassian was growing impatient. He did his best to hide it. "Then why did you come here?"
"I’m in love with him!"
"…What?" A long silence followed between the two men, Uchan put his face back in his palm to avoid Cassian’s expression. "And you are telling me because…?"
He wanted to groaned. "Because you’re the only one I know who knows Gangu other than work related." He paused. "You knew him in high school before me." An other pause. "And you were close friends from the start."
"So what? You want me to tell him your feeling for you?"
"No, I-I want to know how I could- gethimtoloveme."
Uchan think its the first time he genuinely saw Cassian frozen, with no response available.
The first thing Cassian told him was to:
a) not act weird and b) analyze how Gangu acted with him versus the other
Uchan thought it was stupid especially the b one, because, let’s face it, Gangu as a serious face and nothing else.
Surprisingly -or not- Cassian was right. Gangu act differently around him. It’s mostly small things like avoiding eye contact and fidgeting with his hands.
He was also less on garde and alert around him, probably because they knew each other.
Cassian didn’t know it then, but he opened the gate of Uchan venting to him.
"And also he’s-" Cassian cut him off.
"Uchan," he look up "do you know how long all of this has been going on?" Uchan was confused. "Three weeks. It has been three weeks since you started regularly coming here to ramble about your cr- the love of your life ." He felt like Cassian was mocking him.
The red hair was still confused. Cassian sighed. "Listen, coming here and rambling to me won’t change anything. If you want something to happen, you have to act on those feelings."
"If you like him this much then go for it. Really. Go. For. It."
While it’s true that Cassian has a great sense of observation and understanding. Uchan thought that this time, he was telling him to do things a bit too fast without thinking that Gangu might not return his feelings.
He still wasn’t sure he should do it, so, just in case…
Knock knock
"…Uchan?”
"I need your perspective on something."
"Uh, sure?" He let himself in and sat at the kitchen table. "What does my big brother need my perspective on?" Naeun asked while sitting in front of him.
He again explained what happened years ago and how he is in love with their friend. After, he explained what Cassian said and why he was involved in this and finished by saying that Cassian was the only one who had given him advice because he only told the villain and now he wanted perpective because he wasn’t sure about what he was told to do.
In the end Naeun looked horrified. "So let me get this straight. You told Cassian about your feelings for Gangu , and he told you to 'ask Gangu out'."
"Yes."
Naeun silently slam her face in her palms.
Her brother took it as her getting to terms with his feelings towards Gangu. While she thought to kicking Cassian’s ass.
"You know, Gangu changed after I talked to Cassian." She perked up. "Like when I told Cassian that I didn’t think Gangu liked me because he never showed it, well, the next time I saw him, he smiled to me." Naeun thinks it was the first time she saw her brother blush.
"I later asked Cassian if he told Gangu was I said, he responded to me with a furious glare." He looked down to his hands. "I took that as a no."
Of course he didn’t say it to Gangu, you did! Naeun is definitely going to kick his ass.
She sighed. "I’ll do what Cassian says."
"Really?" Uchan seemed genuinely surprised by his sister immediate response.
"…Yes."
"But don’t you think it’s too early?"
She looks at him straight in the eyes. "If Cassian said to do it, do it."
"But-"
" If Cassian said to do it, do it ." She looked at him even more sternly and he shut up. "Now that you had your moment it’s time for my week resume."
He spent the next hour and a half listening to Naeun talk about random stuff then an other hour playing board game and finished by a princess movie marathon.
Their sibling time ended with Naeun making sure her brother gets all the support -and advice- he could need.
Uchan left her appartement after midnight. She waved him goodbye until the elevator doors closed. She closed her door, sliding down on the floor, and started plotting.
To said Uchan was nervous would be an understatement, he had text Gangu telling him he needed help for his training.
Now it was five pm they were training since two and Uchan was giving his all to de-stress and be calmer.
You know, like talking all the energy out to make him confident to express his feelings.
Yeah, well it wasn’t working.
"What’s wrong with you? You’re not that passionate in general." He stared at Uchan while the redhead was getting up. "So?"
He tried to come up with some kind of excuse but it always brings him back to last night when he planned how all of this was supposed to go.
He remember how he stayed awake to find the right words. He never wrote it down and now he wish he did because he forgot everything.
All right, fuck this.
"I like you." No that’s not it, he looks in Gangu eye, "I’m in love with you."
Gangu didn’t seem surprised, "Me too." and yank Uchan for a kiss. Like two years ago, it was slow, a bit sloppy, and filed with warmth and promise.
"Then how about we go on a date, a classic one, and see after what to do in your apartment? Of course it’s only if you’re free tonight. Text me if you are later now I really have to go." He gave a chase kissed to Uchan and left quickly.
Needless to say, he was free tonight.