#wangho

Sanghyeok was more or less the one who initiated their meeting.

When he walked into that quaint little café in Seoul - bundled up in his puffy black jacket during the off-season, when people were supposed to be at home away from League and spending time with their family, or girlfriends for that matter - Kyungho was too surprised.

He watched Sanghyeok glance around the café, frowning slightly, before his gazes directed right at Kyungho, boring into his eyes. Too late, he was already striding forward towards his table.

Sanghyeok stepped onto the elevated wooden platform of the booth, before hesitating, his eyes suddenly cast to the side like he shouldn’t be there.

“Sorry, Kyungho, can I sit here?”

A few options ran through Kyungho’s mind. He could reject him, coming up with some lame excuse like there was no space for the two of them in that little booth, or that he wanted his privacy. but this was Sanghyeok. They knew each other, and there were no other seats in the café. Kyungho suddenly realised that Sanghyeok’s brown eyes were once again focused on him, waiting for his reaction. Kyungho cleared his throat awkwardly.

“umm... of course. “ Kyungho shifted the laptop he brought with him to give Sanghyeok some of his own space, taking the bag he had put on the table and throwing it down haphazardly on the floor.

Sanghyeok slid opposite of Kyungho, taking off his jacket and throwing it around the chair, letting it hang off the back, before standing up, blending himself into the queue for coffee.

Kyungho glanced back at his queue, clicking through the different windows until he land on KaKao Talk, clicking for that one person he knew would be living online 24/7.

Smeb: “does sanghyeok not go back during hols?”

Peanut: “yeah. Says family r not nice ot be with and company of computers are better.”

peanut: “btw why do you ask?”

Smeb: “Nah, its nothing.”

Peanut: “tell me u saw him.”

Smeb: “I did not see him.”

Peanut: “seems like someone's in a mood.”

Kyungho groaned slightly, flicking back to his queue screen in hops of finding a game. Obviously to no avail.

Smeb: “I am not in a mood.”

peanut: “Apparently.”

There was a pause in their conversation, Kyungho unsure what he should say next. he should really ask Wangho what to do when Sanghyeok suddenly walks up to your table and is now sitting with you.

Peanut: “well, if you do see him, talk to him about League.”

Kyungho pondered over that suggestion. Talk to Sanghyeok about League? But, technically, by their teams and their standing, they were depicted arch enemies by OGN, both fighting for the top spot in the League ladder. Talking to Faker about the one thing they both loved most couldn’t be that bad right?

Smeb: “okay, thanks.”

Peanut: “np, good luck on yr date.”

Smeb: “it’s not a date.”

Peanut: “yeah right it isn’t.”

Kyungho groaned, closing his KaKao Talk. His queue was everlasting, his last game about 20 minutes ago. On hindsight, he had absolutely forgotten to ask Wangho what about League he should ask about. Obviously not pro league. Then what else was there?

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Sanghyeok stared at him, incredulity in his dark eyes, quickly wiped away before being replaced by an almost childlike curiosity.

He had come back with his own mug of hot latte, and one of the cafe’s famous waffles in the other. The hand that he was using to stir the coffee had stopped, and was now idly holding the plasting white stirrer, and Kyungho desperately hoped that his queue would find a game or something like a natural disaster could occur now so that he could just run out of this awkward situation. (although he realises that it would just be rather rude to wish for death to just come upon the other innocent people in the cafe.)

Then, quickly, Sanghyeok turned his gaze away from Kyungho’s, and the hand was stirring again.

“How do I think about the current meta? Well,” Sanghyeok paused, his voice already hollowing out to that famous monotone of his, “I think that Ashe following into the meta from last year was a nice surprise and especially with Camille now, there are more power picks than ever.”

“Don’t talk to me like that.” The words were out of Kyungho’s mouth before he could stop them. “I play pro league too, and I dare say that my team is one of the best in the world. So stop treating this like an interview and actually try to have a decent conversation with me.”

Okay, this is where he probably just crashed through some unseen line that he and Sanghyeok had drawn, and Kyungho ducked down the screen of his computer, trying to muster up some apology for being exceedingly rude to someone older than him, when Sanghyeok seemed to take pity of his flustered form in the form of answering with a little bit more life in his tone.

“Well, I’m not sure what to say about the current meta that you won’t know.”

Right. Kyung forgot that they were both absolute conversation killers when it came to socialising. They would usually leave it to their more, active, friendly and outgoing teammates to do it for them.

“I wish that Fiora was played more often. She’s a good carry, but I don’t think that she’ll be any match against Camille.”

“Camille has already been severely NERFed since the 7.1 patch came out, especially since there were a ton of NERFs in that patch with so few updates to other things.”

“But even with the NERFs I think Camille is still a huge threat with LeBlanc and Rengar. Even if they’re both assassins and LeBlanc has been on a losing streak.”

“Are you implying that I should play LeBlanc when the season starts again?”

“Yeah.” Kyungho hesitated a little, knowing how Faker had been so cautious on LeBlanc ever since MSI 2015 and it was a touchy subject for them both. But he had Sanghyeok’s attention, even if they both didn’t maintain eye contact. “Wangho is on a Lee Sin winning streak right now, and he’s the one who broke the curse on Lee Sin during the LCK Spring Split. And he’s still undefeated on the Lee Sin. Maybe you could do the same with LeBlanc. Make her absolute.”

“Perhaps.” Sanghyeok said vaguely, even if Kyungho could see the glimmer of eagerness in his eyes. “But the team has 4 potential hyper carries, and lately I’ve been plying a more utility and support role in mid to help either Wangho or Junsik be the carry.” Sanghyeok let out a frustrated sigh through his nose. “it’s not that I don’t like others hard carrying the game instead of me, it’s just that when Wangho picks Lee Sin he just goes crazy on it.”

Just look at MSI, came unspoken. They both knew what happened. Although not as disasterous as the start of 2016 MSI, it was a bit too over the top, playing with their opponents, have them run around in circles when SKT had a chokehold on them the whole time. When they picked a team composition that worked especially well at dismantling rookie or unexperienced teams, they just absolutely destroyed them. Wangho got 14 kills before the 20 minute mark.

“it kinda feels the same here. Just that I end up being one of the hyper carries.”

“Nah. Well, I may be wrong but,” Sanghyeok paused, but when he spoke, there was no doubt in his voice. “I think you play a rather similar role to my own in most games. We both can be hyper carries on the champions that we pick but it’s usually the planned carry that gets all the kills, the CS, the gold. And then I just run in  to back them up with Orianna or Lulu.”

“But I don’t think you particularly like to be in the shadows.”

“I think you would. Especially if you guys won that game. That thing that you did against Samsung in Spring Split Semis? That was it.” Sanghyeok took another gulp from his rapidly cooling coffee.Kyungho took the opportunity to scroll through his windows and check his queue again. What Sanghyeok said had been partially right. After all, he knew that he was a better team player than Sanghyeok from the start, which had placed him in the top position for the best players of Worlds 2016 by the casters, garnering him more fans but also the stiff, scripted drama between Sanghyeok and himself, causing a rather unintentional divide between them. But the casters underestimated how strong the rest of SKT actually was.

“But are you not happy that you don’t get to be the carry? I mean, you’re someone who got scouted just from your ranked solo queue stats. you were meant to be the carry. Especially with your Katarina plays at the beginning of the Spring Split.”

“Sadly, it’s supposed to have all been left behind the moment SKT T1 K disbanded.” Sanghyeok eyed his mug before taking another gulp, giving Kyungho a clear view of his throat as he swallowed. “K was meant to be built around me, but we were all from solo queue. We all had talent. And Coach did a good job of blending us all together.”

Perhaps this was just Sanghyeok’s own way in saying that he did miss being the carry. And Kyungho knew how that felt. He’d made it all the way to the semifinals in LCK Spring Split, only to fall to SKT in the finals. Much reminiscent of World 2015. And of Worlds 2016, but they had made their last stand during Semifinals against SKT, and they could have beat them. Hell, they could have beaten Samsung after they supposedly beat SKT. But that was all ‘could have’s and ‘what if’s. There was only now, where that SKT mountain, that SKT house that Faker, Kkoma, and all of the other SKT members had painstakingly built up and maintained with their blood, sweat and tears. (perhaps not so much tears, but the words served it own effect.)

He watched Sanghyeok gather up his coat, saying a brief goodbye before turning for the door. He shouldn’t think that they would meet again.

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A/N: okay, so this is the first part in this 5+1 LoL thing between Smeb and Faker that i’m going on. I got the inspiration after reading a good fic on AO3 (its called “when we give enough of ourselves away we lose sight of who we are and sometimes we call that love and sometimes we call that self-destruction”. it’s centered around Deft but it has a really cute Smeb and Faker scene inside, which just made me want to read the whole fic again. Props to birdring (twoif)) i’m going to write another part, but that is going to be a maybe because my exams are coming up. So like and reblog and message if you want me to continue!