#kentakim

Take Sonic, for example! North fell in love with the soft, pretty Alpha when he was sixteen and never wavered, even when things got difficult. And look at them now! Sure, it took them nearly a decade and technically they aren't together together because Sonic still has two years of studies to finish in France and only wants to commit properly once he's back for good but he finally loves North the way North loves him. What's waiting a few more years when they have promised to spend the rest of their lives together?

So yeah, North is on good terms with karma. Probably on even better terms than he thought because the day after paying a visit to Kenta, the stars align for him once again. 

He's just picked up his customary morning milk tea on his way to the garage and is busy texting Alan to tell he might be a few minutes late when he walks directly into an older lady. Admittedly it's not his finest moment and he apologizes profusely, offering his free hand in support and frantically making sure he didn't spill any of his tea on her white dress.

“I'm fine,” she tells him, pursing her lips. “You young people and your phones. You should pay more attention to your surroundings.”

“I’ll be more mindful in the future, auntie,” North answers, suitably scolded. “Again, I'm so sorry.” 

He crouches down to pick up the flyer she dropped and freezes. Above a low resolution image of a sparsely furnished room, big, bold letters spell out FOR RENT. North’s eyes skim across the rest of the information. It's perfect. A 51 square meter, one bedroom apartment with a small balcony, located on the second floor. She's only asking for 7500 baht a month which is an unbelievable deal for the area they're in.  

“Actually, can I take this?” he asks. “I have a friend who is looking for a place to stay. Early thirties, super neat and quiet.”

The lady hesitates for a moment but eventually hands the flyer over. “I suppose so. Have him call me today or I’ll put the ad back up.”

“Thank you so much!” North beams, offering her the most respectful wai. “I promise you won't regret this!”

-

“What.”

It's not even a question. North is quickly de-perved and back to being on the brink of shitting his pants.

“Kim borrowed some games from me and forgot to give them back. He said I could stop by and grab them?”

After an agonizingly long moment, Kenta finally steps aside, motioning for North to enter. He’s only been to Kim’s condo once, back when he was still part of the team and everyone helped him move his stuff in. Considering the place came fully furnished and most of Kim’s stuff was lost when Tony ransacked his place, it had barely taken them an hour. Afterwards they'd ordered pizza and demolished the beer Babe brought. North misses those days, before Tony rose back from the dead to fuck everything up and the pack he considers his second family splintered.

At this point Kim’s living room is the only thing that hasn't changed. It looks the same it did over a year ago from the spotless kitchen - seriously, there isn't as much as a spoon in the sink - to the number of faded, decorative pillows on the sofa. North tries to subtly spy anything that distinguishes the space as Kenta’s but finds nothing. 

“Wow, you really keep things clean,” he says just to say something. “And the view! I would kill for a balcony that big. Mine’s like… a litter box. Literally. The neighbor's cat keeps hopping from theirs to mine.”  

“Hmm.” 

“Do you like cats? You look like a cat person. Unless you like dogs. Or parrots!” 

“The games?” Kenta asks. 

“Oh yeah, right. The games! That Kim borrowed. From me.” 

As North spins towards the TV he thinks he hears Kenta murmur “cats are nice” and while that is probably revolutionary social development on his end, the words barely register. Because underneath the TV sits a shiny, whitePS5. It looks practically untouched. His hand reaches towards the stack of games on autopilot because that's what he's supposed to be doing but really, he's salivating a little. He's making better money now that he's driving for the big leagues but half of his paycheck still goes to support his family in Saraburi and can't exactly justify spontaneous purchases like game consoles. 

Kim couldn't have forgotten something as big as a PS5 and Kenta’s clearly not using it. The controllers have been pushed to the back and are probably the only two things in this place covered by a fine layer of dust. His fingers twitch. It'd be such a shame for a beauty like that to just sit there untouched.

“Found it?”

Kenta’s voice startles North back to the moment. “Yep, I got it!” he grins and straightens up with a stack of games in hand. “And you should totally get a cat. This place is pretty big for one person to be all alone in.”

“I'm moving.” 

“Oh. That's… great?”

“Are you done?”

He absolutely is. He scurries towards the front door and toes on his sandals, clutching the games against his chest. Kenta remains standing at the end of the hall, unmoving like some kind of a sexy gargoyle. North never understood what a guy like Kim saw in a guy like Kenta but now? He kinda gets it. Sure, Kenta has that whole ‘murder rawr’ face thing down and his biceps look about as thick as North’s thighs, but he's also a bit pouty and if North squints, Kenta could pass as Sonic’s cousin. 

And Sonic, of course, is the most beautiful, perfect, amazing angel to ever walk the earth. Sonic is also anxiously waiting for North to come back online and send proof of life so he should spend less time focusing on the Sonic-ness of Kenta’s big sad brown eyes and more time getting the hell out.

“Bye,” he says, grabbing the doorhandle. “I’ll see you around!” 

Kenta doesn't even blink as he makes his escape.  

-

-

In the aftermath of North’s spontaneous and extremely suspicious visit, the silence in the apartment feels even more pronounced. 

Kenta collapses onto the couch and closes his eyes, feeling his heart rate slowly return to normal as his muscles relax. He hasn't had any visitors since Alan showed up to have a go at their punching bag weeks before Kim moved out. Now that he thinks of it, the only people he has interacted face to face with for the past two weeks have been the market aunties and the college kid that works the late shift at the 7/11 down the road. None of them ask invasive questions about his living situation, a topic he has been consciously avoiding for a few weeks now.

Initially, he planned to renew the lease. After spending practically his entire life living in the Foundation and then at prison, Kim’s condo was the first place that felt… warm. Of course he now understands that warmth had nothing to do with the place and everything to do with Kim’s presence in it. Things were fine until one morning he woke up and felt like something had shifted overnight. After almost a full day of wandering through the apartment, haunted by a sense of uncanny, he finally realized what it was; Kim’s scent had finally faded completely. He hasn't been able to truly settle down here since then.

He needs a fresh start, something to call his own. 

Money isn't the issue. Even if Pete didn't have the habit of trying to fix their fractured relationship by throwing money at it, Kenta’s own account has a hefty balance. Technically that is also thanks to Pete who, after Tony’s first death, took control of the UAC assets, dissolving or selling most of them. A lot of the proceeds went into building a new Foundation to support the children whose lives Tony destroyed but there was enough leftover to be split between the more grown up survivors. Kenta has enough to live comfortably for quite a few years without lifting a finger. 

His biggest issue is the burden of choice. Bangkok is a sprawling city with seemingly endless offerings and he has no idea where to start. He doesn't know which districts would suit him the best. He hates the idea of living in some upper-class high rise yet wants something quiet and private. What if he finds a nice apartment but his neighbors turn out to be college kids who throw wild parties or new parents with a screaming baby that never quiets down? Eventually he’ll have to find a job and what if there's nothing available close by? He doesn't want to move more than once and commuting through the city is a nightmare.

With a sigh, he picks up his phone and opens social media, logged into the same dummy account he opened years ago to digitally stalk Babe. Babe’s account hasn't posted anything since Charlie fell into a coma, the last picture on it being of the two alphas posing side by side in their matching racing suits. Kenta’s tuned in enough to know Babe is still on the roster for next season but doubts he’ll actually make it to the track.

It weighs on Kenta for two reasons. 

For one, he can't help but feel personally responsible. When the lab started experimenting with samples of his blood and spinal fluid, everyone was so sure they'd have Charlie back on his feet by the end of the week. They did transfusions and injections but nothing worked. They're still trying and tweaking the formulas, but the optimistic enthusiasm has all but vanished. Kenta’s miraculous healing powers appear to be wasted solely on himself.  

The other one is selfish. Charlie’s coma and Babe’ devotion to being his caretaker means X-Hunter is desperately lacking in the driver department. Kim could have stayed and taken Babe’s spot as number one. Sometimes Kenta lays in bed and thinks about how much better everything would be if Alan had fought for it and given Kim a reason to stay. It's an ugly thing to fantasize about. Babe’s grief isn't something he should personally benefit from and Kim already stayed far longer than he wanted to. He's better off in Korea, as evidenced by the post that pops up when Kenta’s feed refreshes.

In it, Kim's smiling like someone managed to capture him mid-laughter. He looks… happy. Joyous in a way he never was in Thailand. He's back where he belongs, safe with his family, friends and a team willing to invest enormous amounts of money into making him their star. 

Kenta’s finger hovers over the little heart symbol, then retracts. He wants to - fuck, he really does - but it would be disingenuous to interact with Kim like this. He meant it when he told Kim he’d call but he's not ready yet. His head is still a mess and he's stuck, unsure of what he wants and waiting for something to happen to force him forward. Kim deserves better.  

Kenta’s head falls back with a dull thud and he stares blankly at the ceiling. Seven weeks until Kim’s lease on the condo runs out, three before the landlord needs his final decision on renewing it.