Sweetest Mint
Pairing: Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin / Martin “Rekkles” Larsson
Characters: Kim “Reignover” Yeu-jin, Martin “Rekkles” Larsson, Bora “YellOwStaR Kim, Fabian “Febiven” Diepstraten, Heo “Huni” Seung-hoon
Yeujin’s laziness takes his friendship with Martin one step further
“Next episode, guys?” Bora asked while slipping through the doorway that led to the dark kitchen. Martin shielded his eyes from the light that blinded him when the oldest of them all flipped the switch. “Do you guys want something to drink? Food, maybe?”
“Water, please!” Fabian called out while laughing as Seunghoon started jabbing at his sensitive sides. He flailed, sometimes even hitting the youngest of the team in the face, but it wasn’t enough to stop the young trickster who just smiled and continued on. “Stop, Huni. Stop it!”
“Seunghoon,” the way the Korean Top laner withdrew from his Mid laner at the reprimanding tone proved how Bora held all the authoritative power over everyone as both the oldest and the most experienced among them. Seunghoon raised his shoulders in a shrug, comedically raising his hands as if he hadn’t done anything to receive such a tone.
“Uhm,” Seunghoon tapped his chin as if deep in thought, before he turned around from his spot on the couch and hollered at the oldest. “Can you get soda, chips, popcorn, hamburger, candy, lots ‘n lots candy!”
“Seunghoon…” Martin couldn’t help but stifle a laugh in response to the disapproving tone in Bora’s voice.
It was a Thursday evening, a week or two into the Summer split, and both Luis and Oliver had stepped out of the gaming house for the night. Perhaps it was a meeting, or a business dinner, but it didn’t really matter. It didn’t affect Martin personally, so he didn’t find it in himself to care much about why their manager and coach had stepped out of the house for the evening. What did matter to Martin was that Fnatic still had the same air of a family, despite the newcomers, and he could see it in their movie night – or, TV show binge-watching – after a long day of scrimmages and Solo Queue practice.
Enrique and Lauri had both left Fnatic when he had, and he thought that they would’ve taken the fun and lovable Fnatic with them. The jokes, the smiles and laughter, the teasing he hated yet loved at the same time. Sure, it wasn’t the same – not the same sense of humor, not the same laughs – but Martin wasn’t even sure if he wanted it to be the same. He liked the current Fnatic. The Fnatic where he wasn’t the youngest anymore. The Fnatic with two dads and a team of brothers to mess around with. The Fnatic that showed him that taking a break to spend the day outside wouldn’t hurt his gameplay.
He had been warmly welcomed home with open arms, which was something he couldn’t have imagined receiving just a few weeks ago. Especially not after he left so haughtily only to come crawling back to the organization.
Furthermore, Martin had this feeling, the moment he stepped into the gaming house, that this was where he belonged. This was home, and playing on Elements for one split proved that – to himself more than anyone else. It wasn’t that he didn’t get along with his teammates there. It was just that Elements didn’t give him what he really wanted: a family.
There was laughter, there were smiles, but the atmosphere of the team didn’t give him the unspoken support that Fnatic had. While they shared playful moments in their everyday routines, Elements had an atmosphere that made everything seem like strictly business. It was all about playing hard and improving gameplay. There were no team bonding outdoor activities, no going out to eat, no ordering takeout or movie nights. Days off were more about practicing in Solo Queue or locking himself in his room to read and listen to music alone.
He’d always believed that change was good. This belief had encouraged him to move to Elements for a change in his environment. It had been good for him, he had only learned good things from the experience. The change within Fnatic was also good, at least that’s how it seemed to him so far. New coach, new manager, and three new teammates. Though, he was quite thankful for the one familiar face that kept him grounded – his faithful teammate and responsible older brother, Bora.
Out of his three new teammates, the first one to catch his eye had been the Jungler. Maybe it was the bright red hair, or the wide-framed, thick-rimmed glasses, or even his fluent English that had the slight tinge of a Korean accent. Whatever it was, Martin found his eyes drawn to the older boy every so often.
He would be in the middle of a Solo Queue game and he’d find himself glancing down the long table at the thin, Korean boy whose eyes were trained intensely on his monitor. The team would be eating dinner, either at the table or on the couches, and he’d find himself staring at the boy poking around at the few bites left on his plate. On the early mornings where Luis and Oliver would rouse the team for a group workout, his eyes would find themselves stuck on his Jungler when he shuffled out of his room with tousled hair, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
Even now, Martin found his eyes drawn to the boy who had fallen asleep in the middle of the previous episode with his head in his lap. His fingers gently threaded through the faded red hair, playing with the soft locks as he traced his eyes over the boy’s features.
Tall nose. Long eyelashes. Soft jawline. Full lips.
Those lips were so pretty. They looked soft, unlike his own chapped ones.
This wasn’t the first time he’s found himself staring at them a little longer than he should. Yet, he couldn’t help but wonder how they would feel against his own. He was sure that someone as beautiful as Yeujin would’ve had many girlfriends.
Besides, Martin was a guy. He wouldn’t dare to risk their current friendship because of his own selfish desire to kiss him. He’d learned that just because a guy was touchy and cuddly, it didn’t mean that he liked him in any romantic sense. He’d learned that the hard way with one of his sisters’ friends.
Emma had introduced Martin to her college buddies during a rough time of heartbreak from the one he’d consider his first love. He didn’t have anyone to share his disappointment and anger with. Despite being so close to his sisters, he feared their judgement for not being “normal,” since his first wasn’t a cute, blue-eyed, blonde girl from his class like they’d always imagined. He didn’t want them to look at him any differently, he didn’t want the love he felt each time they hugged him and snuggled under a mountain of blankets during a movie to disappear. So, he’d kept it all to himself; trapped away in a glass box somewhere in his mind. Where he could see those secrets, only to remind himself that no one can know about any of it.
It had been suffocating, but he simply told himself – over and over – that this was life and there wasn’t anything for him to do other than to keep on walking and say everything was fine. He’d let desperation and heartbreak trip him into another romantic mishap.
The second mistake was one of the friends Emma introduced him to: Aaren.
He wasn’t someone anyone could easily forget.
Luscious midnight black curls cropped short in a mid-fade. Deep green eyes with flecks of blue. A strong, tall athletic build.
Martin had always wanted to run his hands through those locks to see if they were as soft as they looked. He could stare at those clear eyes for hours without end. His scrawny self always wished to be held by those strong arms of a man who was only a few inches taller than him.
Aaren was the kind of man that anyone would want for a long-term relationship. Yet, at the same time, he had the kind of attractiveness that turned heads and roused whispers from those who wished to spend a not-so-innocent night with him. As a part of the college circle – despite his age – Martin heard countless rumors that stirred his curiosity. From one, he heard Aaren preferred to tease and drive his one-night partners crazy before giving in to their desires. From another, he heard the older male was sweet with a side of gentle that would make anyone want another night. Martin’s favorite rumor by far was the possessive whispers and marks left behind that sent tingles down one’s spine from simply remembering the feeling of being needed.
The thing that made him even more interested was the fact that among those rumors, not a single one of them could mark him as a jerk who snuck around and took advantage of unsuspecting souls.
He was a pure gentleman – the type of person that all parents loved and wanted their daughters to marry. Martin admired how Aaren always put others before himself just as much as how studious he was despite being on two sports teams while having a schedule full of advanced classes.
Martin adamantly believed that it wasn’t Aaren’s fault that they grew distant. How could the college boy have possibly known that Martin liked him as more than just a friend? If he hadn’t been so stupidly forward, perhaps they’d still be good friends.
It was a Friday night, and someone’s birthday. Emma had dragged Martin out to the club, teasing him for always being stuck at his monitor and never leaving the house. After a few drinks too many, Aaren showed up – late to the party due to some activity that Martin couldn’t completely recall – lifting the mixture of coke and vodka out of his hand, whilst scolding him for having too much.
He didn’t remember much from that night, but what he couldn’t forget wasn’t the kiss they shared under the thrumming bass.
It was the look in his eyes.
It wasn’t the disgust Martin was so fearful of. It wasn’t the anger that Martin had expected after throwing his thin arms around the taller man. Yet, it most definitely hadn’t been the happiness he had been hoping to the heavens for.
Martin had been so confused to see a look of apology. He couldn’t remember what it was that Aaren had said that night. The words had been drowned out by the music that grew in volume while his senses remained dull from one too many drinks. Afterwards, nothing was the same. The older male distanced himself, with that same apologetic look each time he moved away. Martin couldn’t understand, and still didn’t. Perhaps, he didn’t want to understand. But he hadn’t seen Aaren in a long time, especially now that he spends a large majority of his months in Germany now. The older always had some sort of excuse whenever Martin wanted to meet up when he was home. They still texted occasionally, but Martin knew it would never be the same as how it was before.
For whatever reason, Aaren never told Emma about the moment they shared. He felt thankful that the older male had kept it a thing between the two of them. However, as much as he didn’t want to, the entire incident ended there. Simple as a secret with no reason to ever be told and no reason to ever talk it out.
The biggest lesson the young Swede took from the experience: liquid courage doesn’t exist – or rather, if it did, it would screw everything up.
With that said, it should come as no surprise that Martin was more than just a little afraid to kiss Yeujin. Perhaps he’d try for a kiss if the team ever went out drinking. This time, he’d make sure he wasn’t the drunk one and if anything went wrong, he could just blame it on the alcohol. But after a few weeks with the team, he realized that would be unlikely considering how Luis highly prioritized health and sobriety during the season.
He’d just have to settle for staring and playing with his hair.
“Febi, can you pass me a mint?” Martin motioned to the bag of green starlight mints sitting in the pile of snacks already on the coffee table, as Seunghoon jumped off the couch when Bora called for him to help. After tossing him a piece, Fabian stood up and slipped into the kitchen with the rest of the team.
He must’ve jostled Yeujin awake by accident when he leaned forward to toss the mint wrapper back onto the low table, because he snuggled his face into Martin’s stomach for a few moments before stretching his arms above his head.
Yeujin let out a long yawn, and Martin couldn’t help thinking how cute he looked. Like a small child waking up after a long nap, despite him being older than Martin.
“Good morning,” he let out a low chuckle, when Yeujin looked up at him in confusion, light eyebrows furrowed.
Slowly, the Korean boy sat up, covering his mouth this time when he yawned. “What’d I miss?”
“Nothing much, just an episode or two,” his own playful sarcasm bringing a bright smile to his lips. Out of habit, Martin rolled the mint around in his mouth, letting the piece of candy click against his teeth. He wasn’t trying to be subtle, but even a sleepy Yeujin took notice.
“What’s in your mouth?”
Martin shrugged, keeping his smile to himself. “Nothing.”
Yeujin gave him a skeptical look when the sound of the candy hitting the insides of his teeth resounded in the empty room since the show on the TV was on pause.
He rolled his eyes, slightly sticking his tongue out at the corner of his lips. “A mint.”
“Gimme,” Yeujin spoke in a light tone, a gentle pout on his full lips as he rubbed his eyes with one hand and poked at Martin’s shoulder with the other.
Such a kid…
The young Swede raised a hand to gently pull away the hand rubbing its knuckles against the older Korean’s eyes. “Don’t do that, it’s bad for your eyes, y’know.”
He received a small roll of his eyes for his words. “Why are you such a mom?”
Martin stared into Yeujin dark-colored eyes for a moment before bursting into laughter. A mom? Was that what he sounded like? The thought was simply ridiculous, considering that Yeujin was almost a year older than him. If anything, Yeujin should’ve been the mom. The older, the more responsible, the one who shouldn’t be rubbing his eyes.
“What’s so funny?” the Jungler whined, pursing his lips in what seemed to be disappointment.
That pout. My god, I just wanna… no. Don’t do it, Martin. Don’t.
Martin bit down on his bottom lip, trying not to make it too obvious when he looked away just to avoid staring at Yeujin’s oh-so-kissable lips.
Fuck, no one’s here and he’s so close.
He couldn’t just push him away out of nowhere, with no context, with no words. But he also didn’t want to accidentally lean a little too far forward and unintentionally press their lips together. Not that it was even the current issue, with his wild imagination telling him how sweet Yeujin’s mouth might taste. He settled for turning his head slightly to his right, eyes floating up to stare at the dark ceiling as if it would distract him from how close the two of them were at that moment. Martin could feel Yeujin’s warm hand on top of his left thigh, which propped the boy up so that they were almost leveled on the couch, making up for their difference in height.
The Korean boy definitely noticed how Martin awkwardly avoided his gaze. There was a heavy pressure on the top of Martin’s thigh, telling him that Yeujin was shifting his weight. Something so small, so simple, with no intention to lead him on, made him forcibly swallow the urge to turn and face the boy to crash their lips together.
Life would be so much easier if everyone was at least bi…
No use dwelling on nonsensible thoughts. He just had to breathe and think of something else. Anything else. Just anything to get his mind off of how attractive Yeujin was, how badly he wanted to kiss him.
When gentle fingers brushed against his heated cheeks, Martin could’ve sworn that his heart stopped. That voice in the back of his mind screamed in panic. If Yeujin did anything else, anything more, he was going to take it “the wrong way.” He was going to want to steal kisses when the rest of the team wasn’t looking. He was going to want to cuddle late at night while talking about something that wasn’t related to their profession. He would expect more from Yeujin than the boy was probably willing to give. He would expect a relationship more than simple, close friendship.
Instinct told him to shove the Jungler away, yet his body remained frozen.
There was nothing Martin could do when Yeujin’s fingers gently turned his head so that he couldn’t avoid his eyes without it being blatantly obvious. Not that he wasn’t already doing that.
His eyes ran through Yeujin’s face, lit up by a bluish light. Those dark eyelashes, that straight nose, his smooth jawline. Martin could see the other boy’s lips moving, but his mind didn’t register the words, just their movements. Small and gentle. He couldn’t help imagining how soft they might feel against his own.
“Martin?”
The young Swede blinked his eyes a few times to clear his thoughts since his head was caught between the other’s long fingers. “Huh?”
“Give me.”
Martin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Give him what?
He wasn’t even given any time to comprehend what Yeujin meant. There wasn’t much space in between them and the Jungler leaning forward into his face was driving him crazy.
Fucking hell, Martin. You’re so easy.
“Or else I’ll do it.”
The AD Carry tried to laugh his nervousness off, leaning back into the couch cushion just a little to try to put some space between them. “Or… or else – do what?” he swallowed again, as if it would help him calm his nerves. He hated stuttering, but there wasn’t much he could do with his lovely Jungler leaning in so close every time he tried to move away.
A playful smirk lightly danced on the edge of Yeujin’s lips as he leaned even further forward. So forward that Martin felt as though his teammate was lying on top of him. There was a mischievous glint in Yeujin’s eyes when Martin caught them glancing between his lips and his eyes.
He wouldn’t.
“I said I’ll take it from you.”
The fuck. How the hell– No. Please, no.
Martin’s jaw tightened, leaning as far into the couch as he could, wishing he could just disappear. Was he really this easy to tease? Was he that obvious? Did he seem desperate? He was so weak, and he hated it.
He opened and closed his mouth a few times, wetting his lips and trying to piece together a coherent English sentence. He tripped over his tongue, words stumbling out of his mouth. “Go…There… Get one over… get it yourself.”
“It’s so far though,” The childish pout that formed on Yeujin’s lips almost made Martin throw his head back and groan in frustration. He gave in to his temptations way too easily, but he wasn’t going to let it happen this time.
It is fucking not. Stop it, please.
He wasn’t going to mess their relationship up. He wasn’t going to ruin their team synergy. He wasn’t going to bring his emotions into the mess of who he already was. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake of falling for a guy who could never feel the same way. He wasn’t going to take all of these soft touches to heart. He wasn’t going to let his heart get broken and tossed aside. Not again. Not this time.
But Kim fucking Yeujin was making this so damn hard.
So close. He was so close. And Martin was close to shoving him away. The voice in his mind rattled on incoherently in panic, but no amount of whatever said voice was trying to say would make him move his arms. His tense muscles shook and the pounding in his chest was growing more unbearable by the second.
His hand clenched into a tight fist on the cushion. Sharp fingernails dug deeply into his palm, sending a shocking pain through his arm, but still nothing. And no matter how much his mind kept telling Yeujin to stop whatever this was he was doing, the words never left his throat.
By now, Yeujin was so close to his face that he could feel the warm breath brushing against his heated cheeks and trembling lips. He found himself staring a little too long at Yeujin’s lips.
They moved again, but he couldn’t hear the words they spoke this time. Of course, Yeujin was just teasing, right? There was no way he would actually go through with it. But when would he move away?
Martin felt as though he were suffocating.
If only he didn’t get so attached so easily. If only he didn’t fall so quickly. If only he didn’t like guys the way he did… Things would be so much less complicated.
It took the Swedish boy a moment to realize it wasn’t just the warmth of the Korean boy’s breath against his, but rather his lips. A little more chapped than he imagined, but soft all the same.
The chatter from their teammates in the kitchen faded to nothing, leaving Martin in the silence of his mind.
The warmth of the body hovering over his, the hand on his thigh, the other one on his shoulder, loosened his tense limbs, coaxing him to simply relax.
The sweet scent of a recent shower and… why does he smell like honey…?
It took Martin a moment before he started moving his lips slowly. He wanted to take everything in. Memorize it all. Lock this moment away for safekeeping.
Because, this was just a joke, right?
He felt fingers threading through his overgrown hair and felt himself sinking further into the kiss with lips parting to an eager tongue. He raised his left arm so that he could pull the older boy’s body closer to his own. With his eyes closed, he felt Yeujin stumble a little, left hand landing on the back of the couch to keep himself upright.
Whether it was a joke or not, Martin couldn’t care less.
With his eyes closed and mouth moving hungrily against Yeujin’s, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as if desperately wanting to break free from his ribcage. Although hesitant at first, his hands started to move, letting one make itself at home in Yeujin’s auburn hair. The other made its way to the hem of the older boy’s T-shirt, playing with the edge as if unsure whether or not it would be acceptable for him to slip it underneath, touch unchartered territory, unseen skin.
When Yeujin started to pull away from him, Martin’s unsure hand instinctually clutched onto his bare hip, underneath his t-shirt. He didn’t want him to leave, he couldn’t. Not after kissing him like that. He wished this moment would never end, because who knew if he would ever get to kiss him again. Martin certainly didn’t believe he would.
Because, it was a joke. It had to be.
His nails dug into Yeujin’s pale skin, unconsciously latching on so that the Korean boy wouldn’t leave him, couldn’t leave him. Not like all the others. He couldn’t bear it if Yeujin brushed him off like all the others.
The older boy pulled back with all his strength, pressing his forehead rather forcefully against the Swede’s as if to keep him from pushing forward to devour his lips again. “Mar…Martin.”
The fingers in his locks loosened, and the younger almost let out a soft whimper of disappointment.
Please, please don’t go…
“It…you’re hurting me…” Yeujin spoke in broken breaths, trying his best to catch it, but desperately wanting to get the words out. The hand on the couch trembled as it made its way to Martin’s hand on his hip.
His eyes widened in a mix of shock and embarrassment as he threw his hand off of the boy above him as if he had just touched lava. Martin dropped his head over the back of the couch, cursing his weak heart as he could feel the tears gathering in his eyes.
Fuck, he hates me. I mean, I would hate me…
“Hey, hey,” Yeujin had finally caught his breath and he brought both hands to Martin’s face, lifting his head gently so that he could face him. “Don’t–”
“I’m sorry, Yeujin. I am so, so sorry. It’s… It’s okay. I get it. I… I am really, really sorry. I shouldn’t have–”
The Korean boy cut him off with a soft press of his lips on the corner of the Swede’s. He could’ve sworn that his heart stopped, again, for a moment. What did this mean? Did it…did it mean what Martin wanted it to mean…?
“Don’t be,” he whispered when he pulled back just far enough so that he could look into his eyes. “I–”
Seunghoon’s boisterous laughter broke the two of them out of whatever moment they were having. Martin stiffened in fear.
How they got the way they were, he wasn’t quite so sure, but Yeujin was straddling his legs, one hand entangled in his overgrown hair, and the other, now on his shoulder. What would their teammates think if they saw Yeujin and him in such an intimate position?
Apparently, he wasn’t the only one with those thoughts, seeing how the Korean boy clumsily stumbled away from him just as Martin’s hands moved to push him off on instinct.
“Ah! Hyeong, you’re awake,” Seunghoon gave that goofy smile of his as he entered the room with his arms full of snacks that Martin didn’t even know their cupboards housed. Trailing behind, Bora and Fabian both held cups full of what Martin assumed was ice and water.
The young Top laner plopped down beside Yeujin who had magically dashed to the couch across from where Martin now sat with disheveled hair and a racing heart.
As Seunghoon rattled off in Korean to their Jungler, Martin was busy trying to decipher what had just happened between them. He didn’t get very far though, since Fabian plopped down beside him, just as Seunghoon had to Yeujin, saying something that didn’t quite make it to the AD Carry’s ear.
When the Mid laner took notice that he wasn’t getting heard, he shook Martin’s arm, desperately wanting an answer to whatever he had said. “Yeah, yeah. What?”
Martin would just have to think about it later…
Halfway through the next episode, Martin felt his phone on the couch beside him vibrate with a message. Fabian had fallen asleep with his head on Martin’s shoulder, feet propped up on the low coffee table, and one arm latched onto the older boy’s. With his free hand, he reached over to grab his phone, careful not to wake the sleeping Dutch.
When he read the name of the sender, his eyes glanced up to meet his Jungler’s, whose soft jawline was lit up by the blue light of his own cellphone. He caught the faint wink in the darkness before he looked back down at his phone at the message.
“Thanks for the mint. It was very sweet (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧”
A/N: sorry, I've been living in my own little hole for the past two months-ish...
I got a request that asked for a lighter, fluffier rekkover fic aside from mitt hjärta and this was what came into being. Honestly, this was an idea I had sitting around in my computer for a while and when I got the request I found the motivation to completely write it out. ^~^
Thank you for being patient with me ;;~;; and I hope you enjoyed this!!
and shout out, big thank you to @aeonwing always editing and always being there ^~^