Ship/Member: Seungkwan/Seokmin Major Tags: N/A Additional Tags: twenty five twenty one au, fencing au, rivals to lovers, fan-idol relationships but make it sports Permission to remix: Yes
***
At seven years old, Seokmin prides himself on being friendly and fast on his feet.
The former just makes all of his mom’s friends pinch his cheeks, but it’s the latter that gets him to his first proper fencing tournament. His coach says his footwork’s gotten a lot better, so light and fast that even some of the nine-year-olds can’t keep up with him. Every time one of them falls for his feints, Seokmin grins from ear to ear under his mask.
Seokmin is fast on his feet, which makes it all the more humiliating when he loses to Boo Seungkwan. Somehow, Seungkwan anticipates all of Seokmin’s steps, reads him wide open and attacks before Seokmin can even properly think. Where Seokmin is strong, Seungkwan is stronger. Where Seokmin is fast, Seungkwan is faster.
And even where Seokmin is friendly, Seungkwan is friendlier, charming the pants off of parents, coaches, and fellow fencers alike. He’s doing a full song-and-dance routine in the stands between matches, making the whole crowd laugh, and it makes Seokmin seethe with anger.
If they had just met at school or in the neighborhood, Seokmin knows they probably would’ve been friends. Seungkwan is nice, and Seokmin loves nice!
But there’s not a lot of room for nice on the fencing strip, and there’s not even room for another person on the first place podium. While Seungkwan prepares for his next match, Seokmin, eliminated, watches from the sidelines and forces down any part of him that wanted to be Seungkwan’s friend. He reminds himself of what he wants more: to win.
***
At seventeen, Seokmin is still friendly and much, much faster on his feet.
He’s so fast he won Olympic gold, which is more than he can say for Boo Seungkwan, who’s been wasting his talents losing at local tournaments— not that Seokmin cares about Boo Seungkwan.
Then, Seungkwan joins Seokmin’s high school team, and Seokmin learns that Seungkwan apparently cares about him. A lot.
“You’re my idol, Lee Seokmin,” Seungkwan gushes to him in the locker room. “I watched your bouts a million times, so I could be just like you. I’m your biggest fan.”
Seokmin stares at him in disbelief. Seungkwan is still as nice and outgoing as he remembers, but that kid who was faster, stronger, and just overall better than Seokmin— that kid is gone, and in his place is a fanboy, looking up at Seokmin with big, shiny eyes.
Like almost everything else about Boo Seungkwan, it makes Seokmin irrationally angry.
“You want to be like me? Don’t be delusional,” Seokmin says, his words coming out harsher than he expected, but not untrue.
Seungkwan stares at him, shocked.
“No one has even heard of you before today,” Seokmin continues, “because you’ve spent all these years being a fan instead of a real fencer. The only reason you’re even here is because your family has the money to keep our team funded.”
Seokmin knows he’s being unfairly mean to Seungkwan, but he can’t help it. Seungkwan just makes him react like this.
Seokmin storms out, his eyes deliberately avoiding Seungkwan. He hopes he can be forgiven for having one person in the world who he’s not very nice to.
***
Seungkwan doesn’t take Seokmin’s hostility lying down. They mutually and fiercely ignore each other at school, and they fight all the time during practices. It all comes to a head when they’re paired together as roommates for national team training.
“Can’t believe you’re even here,” Seokmin mutters, plopping his duffel bag on the floor beside his bed.
“Hey,” Seungkwan says. “Don’t think I can’t hear you.”
Seokmin watches as Seungkwan stalks over to the other side of the room, putting his stuff down on the remaining bed.
Apparently, that’s not enough of a response for Seungkwan. “Honestly,” he says, “it just seems like you’re scared of losing to me. I’ve beaten you at school before, I can do it again here.”
Seokmin bristles. “This is just stressful for me, okay? Ever since you joined the national team, Coach has been on my ass about winning another gold.”
“So?” Seungkwan retorts. “How is that my fault?”
Seokmin looks up, facing Seungkwan across the cramped space of their shared room. “Shut up,” he says. He couldn’t think of anything else, and it makes him feel stupid and embarrassed.
“No, really! If this is so hard for you, you should just win,” Seungkwan continues, getting angrier. “You were my idol, you know? I wasn’t lying when I said I watched all of your bouts.”
Seokmin scowls. He hates when Seungkwan calls Seokmin his idol, especially not when Seungkwan is also a fan of actual idols— tall, beautiful girls with long hair and designer clothes. The kind of idols people fall in love with, the kind that are worth idolizing. Seokmin is just a lanky, acne-riddled boy from a poor family. He’s not an idol.
“Every time you stand across from me, I can’t help but read you like an open book,” Seungkwan says. His eyes are starting to well up, and Seokmin feels his own do the same. “When you’re thinking of attacking, your upper body leans forward. When you’re about to fall back, you lead with your left foot. When you’re really fucking mad at me, your eyebrows twitch.”
Seungkwan’s breathing heavily now, but Seokmin can tell he has more to say. Seokmin wants to reach across and slap his hand over Seungkwan’s mouth, stop whatever is about to come out.
“I can’t help it,” Seungkwan says. “I know you too well. You treat me like I’m invisible, but I know everything about you, Lee Seokmin.”
There’s no particular reason why, but this is what sets Seokmin off. He lunges forward, grabbing Seungkwan’s jacket.
“You don’t know the first thing about me, rich boy!” he yells.
“Are you crazy?” Seungkwan shouts, reaching around to grab the collar of Seokmin’s shirt.
They fall to the ground, screaming and grabbing at any part of the other that they can hold onto.
They fight it out for a few minutes, wrestling in the middle of their empty room. Then, in a sudden burst of strength, Seungkwan gets the upper hand and flips them over so that he’s hovering over Seokmin, who has his back splayed out against the floor.
Dazed and out of breath, Seokmin stares up at Seungkwan. His face is red— from exhaustion or anger, Seokmin doesn’t know. Seungkwan stares back down at Seokmin, piercing into him with dark, brown eyes.
Then, he leans down, and presses his lips against Seokmin’s.
Seokmin is so surprised that he lays completely still for a moment, mouth gaping open like a fish, before he really registers that Seungkwan is kissing him. Seungkwan is kissing him. And to his own surprise, Seokmin is already kissing back.
[FILL] your biggest fan
Major Tags: N/A
Additional Tags: twenty five twenty one au, fencing au, rivals to lovers, fan-idol relationships but make it sports
Permission to remix: Yes
***
At seven years old, Seokmin prides himself on being friendly and fast on his feet.
The former just makes all of his mom’s friends pinch his cheeks, but it’s the latter that gets him to his first proper fencing tournament. His coach says his footwork’s gotten a lot better, so light and fast that even some of the nine-year-olds can’t keep up with him. Every time one of them falls for his feints, Seokmin grins from ear to ear under his mask.
Seokmin is fast on his feet, which makes it all the more humiliating when he loses to Boo Seungkwan. Somehow, Seungkwan anticipates all of Seokmin’s steps, reads him wide open and attacks before Seokmin can even properly think. Where Seokmin is strong, Seungkwan is stronger. Where Seokmin is fast, Seungkwan is faster.
And even where Seokmin is friendly, Seungkwan is friendlier, charming the pants off of parents, coaches, and fellow fencers alike. He’s doing a full song-and-dance routine in the stands between matches, making the whole crowd laugh, and it makes Seokmin seethe with anger.
If they had just met at school or in the neighborhood, Seokmin knows they probably would’ve been friends. Seungkwan is nice, and Seokmin loves nice!
But there’s not a lot of room for nice on the fencing strip, and there’s not even room for another person on the first place podium. While Seungkwan prepares for his next match, Seokmin, eliminated, watches from the sidelines and forces down any part of him that wanted to be Seungkwan’s friend. He reminds himself of what he wants more: to win.
***
At seventeen, Seokmin is still friendly and much, much faster on his feet.
He’s so fast he won Olympic gold, which is more than he can say for Boo Seungkwan, who’s been wasting his talents losing at local tournaments— not that Seokmin cares about Boo Seungkwan.
Then, Seungkwan joins Seokmin’s high school team, and Seokmin learns that Seungkwan apparently cares about him. A lot.
“You’re my idol, Lee Seokmin,” Seungkwan gushes to him in the locker room. “I watched your bouts a million times, so I could be just like you. I’m your biggest fan.”
Seokmin stares at him in disbelief. Seungkwan is still as nice and outgoing as he remembers, but that kid who was faster, stronger, and just overall better than Seokmin— that kid is gone, and in his place is a fanboy, looking up at Seokmin with big, shiny eyes.
Like almost everything else about Boo Seungkwan, it makes Seokmin irrationally angry.
“You want to be like me? Don’t be delusional,” Seokmin says, his words coming out harsher than he expected, but not untrue.
Seungkwan stares at him, shocked.
“No one has even heard of you before today,” Seokmin continues, “because you’ve spent all these years being a fan instead of a real fencer. The only reason you’re even here is because your family has the money to keep our team funded.”
Seokmin knows he’s being unfairly mean to Seungkwan, but he can’t help it. Seungkwan just makes him react like this.
Seokmin storms out, his eyes deliberately avoiding Seungkwan. He hopes he can be forgiven for having one person in the world who he’s not very nice to.
***
Seungkwan doesn’t take Seokmin’s hostility lying down. They mutually and fiercely ignore each other at school, and they fight all the time during practices. It all comes to a head when they’re paired together as roommates for national team training.
“Can’t believe you’re even here,” Seokmin mutters, plopping his duffel bag on the floor beside his bed.
“Hey,” Seungkwan says. “Don’t think I can’t hear you.”
Seokmin watches as Seungkwan stalks over to the other side of the room, putting his stuff down on the remaining bed.
Apparently, that’s not enough of a response for Seungkwan. “Honestly,” he says, “it just seems like you’re scared of losing to me. I’ve beaten you at school before, I can do it again here.”
Seokmin bristles. “This is just stressful for me, okay? Ever since you joined the national team, Coach has been on my ass about winning another gold.”
“So?” Seungkwan retorts. “How is that my fault?”
Seokmin looks up, facing Seungkwan across the cramped space of their shared room. “Shut up,” he says. He couldn’t think of anything else, and it makes him feel stupid and embarrassed.
“No, really! If this is so hard for you, you should just win,” Seungkwan continues, getting angrier. “You were my idol, you know? I wasn’t lying when I said I watched all of your bouts.”
Seokmin scowls. He hates when Seungkwan calls Seokmin his idol, especially not when Seungkwan is also a fan of actual idols— tall, beautiful girls with long hair and designer clothes. The kind of idols people fall in love with, the kind that are worth idolizing. Seokmin is just a lanky, acne-riddled boy from a poor family. He’s not an idol.
“Every time you stand across from me, I can’t help but read you like an open book,” Seungkwan says. His eyes are starting to well up, and Seokmin feels his own do the same. “When you’re thinking of attacking, your upper body leans forward. When you’re about to fall back, you lead with your left foot. When you’re really fucking mad at me, your eyebrows twitch.”
Seungkwan’s breathing heavily now, but Seokmin can tell he has more to say. Seokmin wants to reach across and slap his hand over Seungkwan’s mouth, stop whatever is about to come out.
“I can’t help it,” Seungkwan says. “I know you too well. You treat me like I’m invisible, but I know everything about you, Lee Seokmin.”
There’s no particular reason why, but this is what sets Seokmin off. He lunges forward, grabbing Seungkwan’s jacket.
“You don’t know the first thing about me, rich boy!” he yells.
“Are you crazy?” Seungkwan shouts, reaching around to grab the collar of Seokmin’s shirt.
They fall to the ground, screaming and grabbing at any part of the other that they can hold onto.
“Yes, I’m crazy!” Seokmin screams. “You drive me fucking crazy, Boo Seungkwan!”
“Hey! Let go of me!” Seungkwan yells in response.
They fight it out for a few minutes, wrestling in the middle of their empty room. Then, in a sudden burst of strength, Seungkwan gets the upper hand and flips them over so that he’s hovering over Seokmin, who has his back splayed out against the floor.
Dazed and out of breath, Seokmin stares up at Seungkwan. His face is red— from exhaustion or anger, Seokmin doesn’t know. Seungkwan stares back down at Seokmin, piercing into him with dark, brown eyes.
Then, he leans down, and presses his lips against Seokmin’s.
Seokmin is so surprised that he lays completely still for a moment, mouth gaping open like a fish, before he really registers that Seungkwan is kissing him. Seungkwan is kissing him. And to his own surprise, Seokmin is already kissing back.