Puppy love

Weak Hero Class - 01/05/2025

1,460 words.

Puppy love means wanting to play with the puppy's teeth.
Hyun Tak teaches Jun Tae how to fight.

Author's note:

you would not believe this all started because i wanted to write seong je smut. (the pipeline in my head was "seong je gets freaky when he fights- fighting as a form of intimacy- you know who has crazy intimacy?- juntak.- now i can't stop thinking about juntak being so cute together, help") So for now, have this very cute and soft hyun tak x jun tae fic. I even drew fanart for it.

Inspired by a quote in Nona The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir:
But Nona knew that puppy love was different, it just made you want to open the puppy's lips and play with the puppy's teeth.

Obligatory disclaimer that I know nothing about taekwondo, I practice krav maga. So here Hyun Tak doesn't teach Jun Tae taekwondo per se.

It's very short, but I hope you like it!

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“Hyun Tak, do you miss taekwondo?”

The basket ball stops its dunking on the floor of the club room. Jun Tae has been following its rhythmic ups and downs with his eyes. Now he looks at Hyun Tak’s face.

“Why do you ask?” His brow is furrowed but he’s not angry. He cups the ball in one hand and balances it on his hip.

Jun Tae glances back to the ground, the question now out of his lips has him scramble for a follow-up.

“It… It’s just, your kicks, they are very impressive, so I thought you must have trained for a long time…”

Hyun Tak smiles but his teeth come to graze his bottom lip. His gaze wanders in the distance for a second, then set on Jun Tae.

“Yeah, I do. I do miss it.”

A somber silence falls and Jun Tae shrinks back in his chair. Hyun Tak tries to lift up the mood: “But hey, at least I’m basically a pro basketball player now! And look at that, I’ve still got it!”

He gets up and showcases another one of his swift roundhouse kicks. Jun Tae doesn’t tire of watching those. It looks as natural to Hyun Tak as breathing.

“But basketball is very different…” Is it enough for you? is what he wants to ask when his eyes drop to the ball.

“I see what you mean, but you’re wrong.”
“What?” Jun Tae blinks. Hyun Tak smiles fondly:
“In the end, it’s the same thing. You know how, when you play, you have to read your opponent, and at some point you end up not even registering it anymore? It becomes natural?”

Jun Tae thinks back to their friendly matches on the school grounds during breaks. He’s not very good yet, but if he tries he can imagine what Hyun Tak is talking about. When his focus reduces to the friend in front of him, for a few seconds they’re all alone in the world. When no one understands him more than in this instant.

“The feeling, it’s the same.”

“I don’t believe you.” Jun Tae shakes his head to disagree as much as to drive the thought away. Hyun Tak smiles again, mischievous:

“Wanna try?”

Jun Tae likes to think that he's studied his fair share of boxing for when he went up against Hyo Man, but he quickly realises that he’s way off the mark.

“Yeah, yeah, your boxing stance is okay,” Hyun Tak comments as he watches him show his little skills, “but what about your kicks?”

Jun Tae rebukes him with a flailing punch that Hyun Tak catches in one hand. His long fingers curl on Jun Tae’s knuckles and he brings his fist down.

“Look,” he instructs as he settles in position next to Jun Tae for him to mimic, “you must keep your feet apart from just this much, and you must always keep your back leg mobile. Keep your weight on your front leg.”

Hyun Tak demonstrates a front kick, his long leg extends and retracts as smoothly as the tip of a clickable pen.

“No,” he corrects when Jun Tae swats more than he kicks the air in front of him. “You need to push with your foot. Put force in it, not speed. Here, try it on me.”

He encourages him to impact his stomach with his foot, and warmly congratulates him when Jun Tae manages to push him back a few steps. “That’s right! And keep your guard up too, otherwise-”

His roundhouse kick stops a hair’s breadth away from Jun Tae’s nose. When he takes his leg back, he’s grinning wide. Jun Tae kicks him in retaliation.

“Oh, that’s how you wanna play?” Hyun Tak raises an eyebrow and starts jumping in place. “Come on then, come on,” he taunts and gestures for Jun Tae to come at him.

Taking the bait, Jun Tae starts jumping too. When he steps closer, Hyun Tak sets the distance back, and when Hyun Tak draws closer, it’s Jun Tae who shrinks back in anticipation of a blow.

They circle around the small space for a few minutes, Hyun Tak’s grin is infectious and Jun Tae can feel it creep up his own lips. He throws a punch just to test the waters, to try, and Hyun Tak dodges and taps him lightly on the shoulder.

They start dealing shoulder taps, leaning into each other and retreating just as fast, eyes sparkling as they fool around. Jun Tae knows from the vibrations in his bones that Hyun Tak could close the distance much faster than he ever could, and that idea sends his heart pounding like crazy. He starts to pant, feels the rush of blood to his head, Hyun Tak’s smile and unwavering gaze bore through him and it’s exhilarating.

After one warning kick, Jun Tae throws himself at him to grapple his middle. Hyun Tak barks out a laugh, and he grabs Jun Tae in a headlock. Jun Tae thrashes around and kicks at his shins, they sway together around the room for a bit until Hyun Tak releases him and ruffles his hair. He pushes Jun Tae away, like he is a ball on a string being called back by Newton’s third law of motion. Jun Tae tries a front kick again and Hyun Tak blocks it.

All that time, they never stop exchanging words that don’t sound like words anymore, they’re exclamations, exhortations to keep going. Jun Tae feels a familiar heating glow in his body, Hyun Tak’s excitement is the exact same as when they play basketball.

Hyun Tak taps his shoulder again, but before he can jump away Jun Tae grabs his forearm with both hands. His opponent raises one leg, and he kicks from under the other one. He releases his grip instantly and Hyun Tak falls near the edge of a chair.

“Hyun- Hyun Tak, are you okay?” Jun Tae scrambles down to his friend collapsed on the floor. “Oh no, I… I didn’t mean to…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay Jun Tae,” Hyun Tak props himself on one elbow and rubs the side of his head that collided with the ground. “That was a nice sweep, didn’t see it coming,” he laughs.

Jun Tae sighs in relief and relaxes minutely. He leans in to help him stand up, and that’s when he notices:

“You… You’ve got a cut…” he mumbles and dumbly goes to touch it.

Hyun Tak winces when his fingers dab at the slit. He tilts his face away, and the cut gets on display for Jun Tae to see.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry. It happens, you’ve gotta accept that when you fight. That you’re gonna get hurt no matter what.”

Jun Tae stays transfixed on the small wound. Hyun Tak’s skin is warm under the pad of his fingers, lingering on his cheekbone. He’s still buzzing with the afterglow of effort. So close, he can see the pink edges of the gash that turns red at the centre. There’s a tiny drop of blood hanging from a corner, fading in the pink and brown hues of the skin.

He did this. Usually, his insides would fill up with horror at having inflicted pain on his friend, but not now. Now, Hyun Tak trusts him. And he trusts Hyun Tak. His fingers brush the skin under the wound, and Hyun Tak blinks.

“I’m okay, really.” He assures once more, puzzled but soft.

Jun Tae leans closer and he presses a small, brief kiss to the cut.

He draws back, gut twisting in all directions. Hyun Tak stares at him with wide eyes, his whole body taut like a bowstring. Just when panic starts to set in, Jun Tae gets pulled down.

Hyun Tak cages him in his arms, not exactly hugging but holding him there nonetheless. Jun Tae’s face is buried in his shoulder and he gets filled with his scent. He hasn’t really sweated, but he smells masculine, safe.

Hyun Tak breathes out a deep sigh, like he’s letting go of something.

Jun Tae feels his large chest heave under his own heart that’s fluttering about aimlessly. The other heart echoes through his bones. It’s nothing like Hyo Man’s humiliating hugs, that mockery of closeness to better hurt him. He lies on Hyun Tak, strong and solid and kind.

As the adrenaline wears off, Jun Tae realises that he’ll probably have a few bruises tomorrow. But this time, he’s a little happy about it.

Hyun Tak then grabs his face with both hands and plants a kiss to the crown of his head. Just like that, the moment has passed.

“Jun Tae, you’re so cute.” He helps him up and ruffles his hair, laughing. “Come on, let’s go get something to eat.”

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