exo: wip: golden slam

[rustle]

Golden Slam
— Kris/Suho, implied Chanyeol/Baekhyun. PG-13 to R. 7000+ words.
— Kris plays tennis. Joonmyun plays the match of his lifetime.

It is the golden age of tennis for Asia. Five Asians in total are in the top ten of the ATP, both in singles and in doubles, and, if you count all the Asians in the top twenty, your fingers will not be enough. Gone are the days when Asians reaching the grand slam semis is a dream. Kris has participated in all four grand slam semi-finals in the past three years, give or take, and Joonmyun has seen several opportunities to bring home a grand slam title for three years straight. They are now forces to be reckoned with, and are feared by those outside the top two spots. Chanyeol, the dark horse, is quickly climbing up the top ten, and Lu Han and Yixing have been bagging doubles titles left and right. It’s only a matter of time before an Asian reaches the number one spot. It is the 2018 Wimbledon finals match, and Kris and Joonmyun stand on opposite sides of the court, each having two sets to themselves. It’s been four hours and thirty seven minutes since the match started, and with the way things are looking, they’ll be stretching the match for another hour. Kris clutches the ball tight, and prepares to serve to open the fifth set. --- Kris meets Joonmyun when he is twenty and on his second year in the university. Joonmyun’s in the middle of the group of first years lined up for the tryouts, head hung low and bag slung over his shoulder. The slouched figure is a betrayal of the easy sort of confidence that Joonmyun gives off when he steps on the court, making quick work of the aspirants and securing himself a chance to challenge one of the regulars. "I’ll take care of this," Kris calls out to the coach. The coach gives him a nod and a pat on the back. "Blow him away." Lu Han hands him his racket and whispers, "Are you sure you want to do this? Because—" Lu Han’s voice trails off. There’s a trace of worry in Lu Han’s features, in the way he furrows his eyebrows and gives Kris a small smile that says, "Don’t be too hard on him." But this is a match — Joonmyun’s fighting for a spot in the regulars, and Kris won’t let him have that easily. "I’ve heard things about you," Joonmyun says. There’s a good distance between him and Kris and the net, and their outstretched hands. "Interesting things." Kris laughs a little and closes the distance with a handshake. "That’s as interesting as they’ll get, I’m afraid." Joonmyun hits a clean flat serve to open the match, a slice serve to bring the match to 30-0, and two more flat serves to win the first game. Kris returns the favor and serves out to love. They set the record for the longest qualifying match in the history of the university, with the match stretching to three sets, five hours and fourteen minutes, a best-of-three match that might as well be something you only see in grand slams. Joonmyun wins the match. Kim Joonmyun has been a tennis genius since day one. His footwork, his groundstrokes, the simple flick of the wrist and the way he dribbles the ball — each action is elegant, enchanting, and almost perfect. His father started training him when he was five, after Joonmyun had taken a liking to his father’s tennis racket and used it as a microphone, and had enlisted him in several training camps throughout his childhood. He’s led his middle school and high school tennis teams to the championships, and has won some titles along the way. All these years of experience have molded him into the player that he is today — an all-rounder, a record-holder of 90% first serve accuracy and 87% second serve accuracy, gentleman on and off the court, nineteen. "Unbelievable, that one," Lu Han says, and dribbles the ball in his hand. "I don’t know where he gets his stamina. He plays a five-hour match with you and still manages to take out another regular. I’m a little worried." "Threatened?" Lu Han scoffs, smirks, and serves. The ball lands on the T — a clean ace. "Hardly." They stay behind for a few more minutes, hitting balls lightly and practicing their serve, until Lu Han makes a formal declaration of exhaustion. "Bubble tea, my treat," Lu Han says, then circles his arm around Kris’ shoulder. "You’ve worked hard enough." Kris smiles a little and lets an arm slide around Lu Han’s waist. "Thanks." It is no surprise that competition is tighter than the usual in an international school. The journey in itself is already challenging as it is, and the journey to the top is even longer and harder. Kris treats it as a tennis match and tells himself to stay focused, aim at the corners. Aim high but not that far. Aim and never lose sight of your target. Perform well point after point, and seal the deal with a nice, clean serve. "Let’s call it a day," the coach calls out. "Good job, everyone!" Kris hits the ball to the corner to get the last point before approaching the net and giving his opponent a pat on the back for a great match. Practice sessions have been stretching to longer hours these past few days, but they aren’t showing any sign of fatigue or exhaustion. The regulars are as enthusiastic as ever, with Lu Han leading the doubles teams and teaming up with Yixing, one of the new regulars, for the week’s practice sessions. "This is the other new kid, Yixing." Lu Han squeezes Yixing on the arm lightly when he introduces the later to Kris, then continues, "He’s Chinese." It’s not the best and most proper of introductions, but they laugh, anyway, and Yixing extends his hand and offers a smile. "I’ve heard a lot of things about you," Yixing says, but doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying because Lu Han drags him somewhere, back to the courts because Lu Han has probably just had a moment of realization that can only be narrated using rackets and balls. "Those interesting things we’ve been hearing about you, they keep getting interesting everyday." Kris looks over his shoulder and shrugs when Joonmyun’s figure comes into focus. "‘Guess I was wrong." "I’m interested in knowing more." He isn’t normally the type who’d mindlessly yield to people, but he indulges in the subtle request and gets back on the court for a quick match. They’re neck to neck until Joonmyun laughs and effectively gets distracted, earning Kris a break of serve and a chance to serve for the match. It isn’t much of a victory, Kris thinks as he walks to the net and gives Joonmyun a handshake, because Joonmyun allowed himself to have a moment of weakness. But then tennis is an intense mind game, a test to see who can push each other the farthest and off the edge. "Great game." Joonmyun gives him a small smile. It looks much like the one that tore through Joonmyun’s features when they were at 4-4. "You look funny when you serve, by the way. Like, you scrunch your nose too much and—" Joonmyun laughs, laughs until they exit the court and Lu Han’s asking Kris, "What the hell happened?", laughs until Kris slaps him on the arm and says, "Shut up!" Kris doesn’t know why, but soon enough he finds himself laughing, every hitch of the breath in accord with Joonmyun’s giggles that come to a slow and painful halt. The next few practice sessions see more match ups between Joonmyun and Kris. Kris wonders briefly if the coach is doing this on purpose, especially when he says, "You two bring the best out of each other." "Thanks, captain," Joonmyun replies, and gives the captain a curt bow. "Kris is a great player. You just can’t not be at your best when you’re playing against him." Kris tries hard not to smile, but the small upward curve the lip gives him away. "Shut up. I’m not that great." He engages in friendly, sometimes-heated banters with Joonmyun from time to time. Most of it’s on court, during their matches, and, at the end of the day, they just brush it off like the good sportsmen that they are. And even if he doesn’t want to admit, he enjoys all of it — the rivalry, having an equal, having someone who can challenge and excite him in a lot of ways. He enjoys Joonmyun’s company, and he will never admit it. If he does, Lu Han will never let on. Over the next few weeks, they form a small post-practice eating group. Mondays and Tuesdays are burger days, while Wednesdays and Thursdays are traditional Korean food days. Fridays are reserved for desserts. When they aren’t lazy and actually feel like going out, they visit different coffee shops and milk tea places during the weekend. It’s a simple enough routine that Kris doesn’t mind fitting it in his busy schedule. His mother looks up from reading the newspaper. "Well, you’ve been going out a lot." "Practice. And some of my teammates keep forcing me to go with them. It’s not as if I have a choice." "Oh, I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s nice to see you having fun. You finally have a social life beyond Lu Han." Kris laughs a little. "Fun? And I have other friends. They’re just not as outgoing as—" Three soft knocks on the door signal Lu Han’s arrival, and the collective noise on the other side of the door tells him Lu Han isn’t alone. He looks over his shoulder, bids his mother goodbye and promises to be home before midnight, then locks the door behind him. Coffee shop-hopping shouldn’t take too long. Not long after he leaves the house, his phone sounds off. He laughs a little when he sees the message, and sends a quick Thanks :) in reply. Have fun, son. They climb up the ladder and secure spots in the roster. Come Kris’ third year, he’s assigned to Singles One, Joonmyun to Singles Two, and Chanyeol, one of the newer regulars, to Singles Three. Lu Han plays singles on the off chance that he and Yixing aren’t as synchronized as they usually are, and Chanyeol is more than willing to give way and stick it out with Baekhyun, another new regular, for Doubles One. "I’d put you in doubles with Joonmyun if it didn’t look weird. I mean, you two have such great chemistry off-court, but just imagining you two playing doubles is weird," Kris remembers the coach saying. "And I’m not saying this because of the height difference, Joonmyun, I swear I’m not—" They try it out sometime and play against Chanyeol and Baekhyun. It goes better than expected, with the younger ones winning the match at 7-6. They give themselves a pat on the back for doing better than expected, but Joonmyun cracks up, blaming Kris' long limbs for getting in the way and making him miss the last shot. This results in a banter that goes on for the next few hours, days, until the coach tells them to never team up again for doubles, and that it’s really not because of the height difference. "I’m sorry, coach, but if it’s not because of my short reach then it must be because of his long legs." Kris laughs, slaps Joonmyun hard on the arm because, "I’m sorry, okay. It’s not my fault I was born amazing." Soon enough, Joonmyun becomes Kris' default practice partner. Lu Han doesn’t mind because he’s finally found home in playing doubles, in playing on the same side as Yixing and filling in the holes in the latter's play. Yixing is an excellent team player, possibly even better than Lu Han; he knows when to go for long strides to cover the corners and when to let Lu Han reach for the tricky shots. "I know how he plays. I know how he moves and I’ve got everything memorized," Yixing comments when they get praised for another great performance. "We’re partners, and we know each other better than anyone else when we’re on the court." Kris cannot agree more. He’s memorized Joonmyun, from the way Joonmyun steps on the court to the way he positions his feet when he serves. He knows every trick up Joonmyun’s sleeve, sees the American twist coming from the opposite side of the court when Joonmyun moves differently and tilts his racket just so. He knows what every movement means and it is exactly why every rally goes on forever, and the only way for it to end is to catch each other off guard, to have a moment of weakness, total surrender. "Your footwork’s off," Kris begins, then gestures at Joonmyun’s legs. "You should seriously work on that backhand stance." Joonmyun smiles. "Teach me, then." They spend the next few minutes correcting Joonmyun's backhand stance, and the minutes after that pressed against each other in the locker room. Joonmyun’s arms are on either side of him, lips pressed on his so tightly that he almost can’t breathe. "A token of gratitude for being a good trainer," Joonmyun mumbles in between heavy breathing and gasps. "And for being a great practice buddy." "I deserve better," Kris quips. There’s a slow-forming smirk surfacing on his lips. Joonmyun laughs a little. Kris’ breathing hitches when he feels Joonmyun’s breath prickling his skin. "Challenge accepted." Joonmyun is his practice partner, his greatest rival, his biggest problem, on his skin. The scars from last night have not faded and he doesn’t roll up his sleeves today, doesn’t sling his bag over his shoulder because every part of him that Joonmyun has touched stings. He doesn’t tell the coach or his mother, or even Lu Han and Yixing, and stays behind long after practice has ended to get himself back on track, hitting a few balls to the corners and nearly missing the T during one of his serves. "No Joonmyun in sight and you’re still practicing? I thought we agreed ‘alone’ doesn’t suit you." Kris looks up and sees Lu Han near the benches, racket in his left hand and a promise of an extended talk over bubble tea on the other. Lu Han positions himself on the other side of the court, and Kris prepares to serve. They exchange shots and strokes, and the rally goes on forever, until Kris feels something in his legs and misses the backhand, his footwork almost that of Joonmyun’s. He gulps down hard. "I honestly think it’s not weird at all." Lu Han nods and smiles a little. "You’ve been spending a lot of time together. It’s only a matter of time until you grow into each other." "My goal is perfect synchronization and healthy rivalry, not fusion." Yixing laughs. Lu Han grins. "Goku and Vegetta. I’m pretty sure you’re not Goku, though." Kris doesn’t argue because Lu Han is right — about him not being Goku and the inevitable fate he’ll suffer with Joonmyun. It’s not as if he hasn’t seen this coming; it’s just that he doesn’t want it to come so soon. Kris gets elected as captain, and it is no surprise that Joonmyun secures himself the vice captain spot. They switch between Singles One and Two, whichever of them does better during the practices before the big matches. This is part of the inevitable, when they spend more time with each other and Kris rids himself of the resolve to pointedly avoid Joonmyun. They stay behind long after practice is over, testing each other, trying to outdo each other. The challenge is long-standing, ever present, as if haunting Kris and driving nails at the back of his head. Whenever Kris loses, Joonmyun must win, and vice versa. It’s not so much winning for the team; they aim to bring triumph to someone’s loss to keep the rivalry alive. "Your backhand’s off. How many times do I have to tell you—" "Your drop shot’s still awful. Better get that easy ball in, captain." Kris pushes hard, but Joonmyun pulls harder. It’s a game of give and take and take some more. There’s already too much of Joonmyun in Kris that he picks up even the faults and flaws in Joonmyun’s play. There’s too much of Joonmyun in him that he isn’t sure if there’s anything he can give anymore, or if he’s just giving everything back. He perfects the drop shot just in time for a big match. He wins and so does Joonmyun. There’s no reason for either of them to lose. Kris and Lu Han graduate. They’ve prepared themselves and the regulars for this, but the young ones engage in a gratuitous sob fest, anyway. Lu Han remains unmoved until Yixing delivers a speech about finding the perfect doubles partner in Lu Han, and Kris just smiles because saying a word will unclog the waterways and have him join the crying party. "We really will miss you two, you know," Joonmyun says much later, while they pack up what’s left of Kris’ things in the locker. "I mean, Singles One has never seen a better player, and our doubles team has never been this good." Kris laughs a little, then ruffles Joonmyun's hair, earning a flinch from the latter. "You have big shoes to fill, then." Joonmyun nods. Kris knows he doesn’t have to say anything, but he lets slip a, "Make me proud," just before he pulls away, footsteps hurried. Joonmyun catches up and catches on, snaking an arm around Kris’ shoulder and punctuating the gesture with a squeeze of the arm. "You can count on it." Joonmyun never calls, or texts, or sends emails, and no one ever knows what the lack of communication is all about until Joonmyun drops out of the team and declares that he’s moving to Colorado. It’s an abrupt decision, one he blames on his father’s promotion and "other complicated things". Kris probes no more, not because he doesn’t want to, but because it’s too late and Joonmyun has already severed ties with everyone they know. "Whatever happened to responsibility," Kris mumbles, then scoffs. Lu Han puts an arm around his shoulder. "He probably has his reasons. Probably. Hopefully." Soon, they find home in the courts of Wimbledon, Roland Garros, the US and the Australian Open. It's never easy, and the first few matches are filled with nothing but hopeless attempts at making it through the qualifiers. He doesn't see Lu Han for a long time but he sees him on the news, making his own name in the professional tennis scene. Kris, meanwhile, busies himself with training, and sneaks in some Google-searching on a certain Kim Joonmyun. But nothing ever turns up. --- He finds Yixing and Lu Han first. He’s having a conversation with one of the Australian Open staff when he sees Yixing and Lu Han in the corner of his eye. They are hard to miss — even with Lu Han’s blond hair, he stands out, and Yixing’s laughter is hard to miss. He doesn’t ask, "Why are you here," because there’s no reason not to be; instead, he asks, "How was Barclays?" "I was determined not to play until I got a call from Yixing." Lu Han laughs a little. "Singles was getting pretty boring." Yixing nods, and adds, "Yeah, singles is for boring people like Kris." There's a pause before Lu Han and Yixing simultaneously erupt into a peal of laughter. Lu Han clutches onto Yixing, and Yixing just lets him. Two years after and their synchronization is still there, but not without some holes, because Lu Han's laughing too hard and Yixing is, too, and they almost lose their balance, ending up in a collision of laughter and limbs. Chanyeol finds them. The agreement is to meet up in the coffee shop nearby to do some catching up, but reunions have them ending up in an eat-all-you-can restaurant around the block, with Chanyeol bursting into many exclamations in different languages from time to time. "Have you even mastered any of those languages? You've obviously been traveling a lot." Kris asks halfway through his burger. Chanyeol laughs and waves him off, muttering, "I'm too lazy to learn them any of them for real. I'd rather play tennis than sit around, spewing languages left and right." Chanyeol still has that childish charm about him, the same glimmer in his eyes whenever he talks about something he's passionate about, be it finding the perfect hairstyle or the perfect tennis racket, or getting the chance to compete with some seeded players in the first round. "Do you think we actually stand a chance against them, though?" Chanyeol asks, a bit worried and unsure. Yixing smiles. "Who really cares?" Baekhyun, they soon learn, gets admitted into an artist academy. Chanyeol still keeps in touch with him, exchanging emails from time to time, and Baekhyun is still relentless with the jokes and funny antics. Some things never change, Kris thinks, and furrows his eyebrows for a while when a thought suddenly occurs to him. "Joonmyun — has anyone heard anything about him?" Lu Han gulps down hard. Joonmyun finds Kris. It's like a telenovela, cliches included. They end up facing each other in the quarterfinals and, for all of Kris' researching about his opponent, he never really expects "Suho Kim" to be Joonmyun. "The guy doesn't have a picture in the ATP website, okay," Kris reasons out when Lu Han starts doubting his stalking capabilities. "Not every Kim in this world is Joonmyun." "He's the only Kim in your world, though," Lu Han quips and winks when he ends his statement, but quickly regrets what he said when Kris hits him lightly on the arm. The match is complete torture, from the marching to the court to the coin toss. The umpire makes them shake each other's hands, and only then does Kris allow himself to blurt unceremoniously, "Kim Joonmyun?" "Mr. Wu," the umpire begins, turning to him, then continues, "Heads or tails?" There's a slow forming smile on Suho's lips, then a question, and a tentative greeting. Kris looks at Suho for a few good seconds, then takes a deep breath. Heads, he serves second and controls every move thereunto. Tails, he leaves his fate to chance and to Suho. "Heads," Kris replies. The coin twists in the air and the umpire catches it, then calls out, "Tails. Mr. Kim, it's up to you." If this Suho is the same Joonmyun Kris has met back in college, Joonmyun will let Kris take the opening serve to screw up his plans so Joonmyun can devise one of his own. If it's the same old Joonmyun and not a stranger, Joonmyun will find a way to rile him up right off the bat with clean return of a good ace, or even a love game. Joonmyun will be Joonmyun, always keeping him at his toes with every move, every flick of the wrist. There's a tight-lipped smile on Suho Kim's lips. "I'll let Mr. Wu have opening serve," he replies. "That is, if he doesn't mind. Do you, Kris?" Kris laughs a little and shakes his head. "Not at all." Kris wins the match in five tight sets. The last two points are service aces. He aims both at Joonmyun's backhand side, taking advantage of Joonmyun's inability to maximize the backhand stance. "You haven't changed," Kris comments when they meet at the net for a handshake. "That awful backhand stance will cost you matches. You better shape up." "I've improved," Joonmyun reasons. He squeezes Kris' hand lightly. Kris returns the favor, scrunching his nose when Joonmyun surprises him with a tight squeeze. "You need to try harder." Joonmyun stares at him for the longest time, then suddenly erupts into laughter. The umpire is already calling their attention and the towel boys are approaching them and it's probably time to leave the court, but Kris cannot bring his legs or his feet to move because Joonmyun is laughing his heart out for some weird reason, and he wants to be there when Joonmyun wheezes back to reality, an unguarded smile on his face, eyes crinkled, beads of tears slowly forming at the corners of his eyes. "So Kris Wu ends Suho Kim's promising debut run in the Australian Open." Lu Han arranges his rackets in his bag neatly, then looks up at Kris with a small smile. "What an ass." Kris waves Lu Han off. "I was just doing my job, okay. I had to win the match and earn a living. I don't think there's anything wrong with that." "Oh no, no, don't get me wrong. I'm happy that you won and that you kicked his ass. I just don't understand why you're still here, stuck with good 'ol me, and not hanging out with him somewhere." "That's probably because I just finished dealing with the press." Yixing waves at the two, then gives Kris a pat on the back before turning to Lu Han. "They wanted another interview with you. I told them you had to go to the toilet and you won't be coming out anytime soon. Indigestion." "So, to the secret passageway?" Yixing grins, and Kris shakes his head. "I don't have to tag along, do I, because I have to prepare for my match tomorrow—" Kris' retort comes too late because Lu Han and Yixing are already dragging him to the secret passageway, giggling and laughing like kids, college-level players running around on practice courts and blowing everyone away with perfect doubles tennis. He lets himself get stowed away until he catches sight of Joonmyun's now-red hair, even brighter with the sun up high. He breaks away from the duo, letting them have the playground to themselves, and quickly catches up with Joonmyun. "You still owe me an explanation." Joonmyun looks over his shoulder and scoffs a little. "You shouldn't be walking up to people like that." There's a pregnant pause before Joonmyun adds, "An explanation or a story?" "An explanation." Kris pauses for a while, then rushes, "Then maybe a story. Either way, you still owe me." Joonmyun nods and says nothing more, walking straight ahead. Kris follows, a few careful steps behind Joonmyun, still maintaining a good distance between them because he's just won the match and he's not willing to lose one so easily. The rumors are true: Joonmyun did leave because of his father's promotion. "Among other complicated things," Joonmyun continues, playing with the foam of his cappuccino. "He thought tennis was doing me more bad than good, that being in the team took time away from my studies. Y'know, overprotective dad stuff, which is actually weird since he's the one who got me into tennis in the first place." He blows puffs into his coffee, creating tiny openings, and Kris wonders if Joonmyun intends to drink his coffee at all. "Did it, though? I mean…" Kris plays with the stirrer for a while, worrying his lips in the process. "Did it cost you your grades? Before I left, you were doing really well. A's in all subjects." "Of course it didn't. He just used that as an excuse to take me to Denver." There's a bout of silence for a while, and Kris begins thinking things over again, if asking for an explanation or a story is something he's licensed to do, when Joonmyun breaks the ice, saying, "I propose that we start over." Joonmyun looks at him in the eye and Kris can see the truth in what Joonmyun is trying to say. "We can act as if we've only just met, that the match we had is just like my qualifying match, except you won. I mean, after all, we obviously still see each other as rivals—" "Just rivals." Kris smiles a little, albeit gingerly. "— rivals." Joonmyun worries his lip for a while before adding, "Friends. Partners. And since we're each have a match to ourselves, we can settle the score once and for all." Kris reworks his study of Joonmyun for the first time in years. He's used to the Joonmyun who's always brimming with confidence, the Joonmyun who teases him, pushes him to the edge every single time. He's used to the Joonmyun who can wrap him around his finger, not this — Suho Kim, hooded eyes, tightly pressed lips, lonely, desperate. Kris nods slowly and offers Joonmyun a smile. "The game is on." --- Kris isn't surprised to meet Joonmyun again in the French Open. They've already had a couple of meetings on their way to Roland Garros, and the match count is now at 2-2. Joonmyun has won their most recent match in straight sets, Kris' worst loss in a while. There is no excuse for suffering a straight-set loss; Joonmyun was the better player that time. There are also the secret meetings, those contained in locker rooms, in between tournaments and flights from one place to another. They rarely ever get to stay in one place for too long, so they make full use of the time they get to spend together. Joonmyun favors cramped spaces; Kris always goes for what's comfortable, but he doesn't get to be choosy when all they have to spare is ten minutes. Joonmyun's hands work deftly on the band of Kris' shorts, pulling them down to reveal an expanse of flesh. "How do you manage," Joonmyun asks, punctuating his question with a smirk. "I don't play commando, okay. Just get it done and over with." The general rule is to never have sex before matches, be it the night before or simply minutes before, but Kris breaks it from time to time. He'll take whatever he can get for fear of letting Joonmyun slip away; it's a risk he's willing to take, but not willing to voice out. "Desperate, captain?" Kris snarls. "No, just eager." Most of the time, he just sits back and lets Joonmyun take charge, doing the strokes, winning points. He has all the time to drive Joonmyun to his knees on court, anyway. In the safety of the locker room, he lets himself succumb and give in with only the bright white lights to see. "Whatever happened to the No Sex before Matches agreement?" Lu Han crosses his arms over his chest and presses his lips together in a straight line. "It was an agreement. You know it's never good to have sex before matches! It… drains people. This was your idea!" "We only did it once. Well, maybe twice. Thrice." Kris pointedly avoids Lu Han's gaze. "Besides, I've been winning my matches. I won two titles along the way. I've been performing well. Sex does not dictate how my matches play out." "You still violated the single, most important item in the tennis code, man." Yixing shakes his head and exhales loudly, then hooks an arm around Kris' shoulder. "So, how was it?" Lu Han erupts into a sound of frustration and slaps Yixing on the arm. "I'm just saying— Getting answers from him is one thing, Kris. Sleeping with him is another and on an entirely different level." Lu Han has a habit of assuming the role of the overprotective brother, so Kris slides an arm around Lu Han's shoulder, pulling him closer in the process. "Look, I'm a different person now. I was naive back then. Maybe I was stupid, but I know what I'm doing now—" "You're sleeping with him. That's not too hard to figure out." "Lu Han." "Just— Don't get too careless." Lu Han looks up at him, concern written all over his features. "As cheesy as this sounds, you know very well that Joonmyun is your weakness." Kris hangs his head low and fixes his eyes on his feet. Lu Han is right — he lets his defenses down with Joonmyun more than he does with the former or with anyone, for that matter. Joonmyun has a way of persuading him to put his racket down and just let the ball speed past him or, sometimes, hit him hard. Joonmyun can easily pull at his strings and drag him around. "I won't," Kris replies. "I'll be careful." Yixing takes a few steps forward, putting his arms around the two. "You know what? I have a great idea. We should make a movie out of this and call it "The Never-ending Tennis Match"." He offers the two a smile, albeit a bit awkward. "It'll be a hit!" "Alternatively, you can call it, "I Really Shouldn't Mess with Kris Wu Else I Suffer a Horrible Death". That has a better ring to it, don't you think?" "Or maybe, "Lay Zhang Should Start Keeping His Lame Jokes To Himself Else He Lose a Doubles Partner"." Lu Han adds, raising his index finger to make a point. "Actually, scratch that. Just make my suggestion the sequel. Kris' title is better." Kris and Lu Han punctuate their arguments with a high-five, and Yixing just shakes his head in reply. The match is won when Yixing envelops the two in a tight embrace and Kris, for all of his attempts at not being a dramatic sap, smiles, maybe even laughs a little. Lu Han and Yixing set up another semi-final clash with the Bryan Brothers, and Kris reaches the semis after a tight four-setter with John Isner. Chanyeol suffers a quarterfinal defeat against Andy Murray, though, but gets the press talking with his five-set match against the latter. "Chanyeol Park climbs up the top fifteen after this appearance — truly an impressive performance from the rookie Korean." "And don't forget about Suho Kim who has just upset Juan Martin Del Potro in three straight sets. He has officially unseated our current champion. Two promising Asians in our top fifteen." Vijay pauses for a while, then nods thoughtfully. "We may be witnessing an Asian invasion, everyone. Joonmyun advances to the finals after upsetting Andy Murray in five tight sets, neither of them ever dropping a set, while Kris recovers from two sets down to defeat Novak Djokovic. And for the first time since either Joonmyun or Kris have turned pro, they face each other in the finals of the Roland Garros. Kris wins the coin toss and opts to serve second, as per practice, but things do not quite go as planned — Joonmyun's up a break early in the first set and successfully sweeps Kris off his feet with a flurry of forehand winners. It's an easy first set, having been wrapped up in under an hour, and it becomes the last of the fast-ending sets, with each succeeding set stretching far longer than the previous. "This will never end, won't it?" Joonmyun asks, laughing a little when they pass by each other when they change sides. Kris smirks. "We can end it right here, right now." But they don't and, instead, stretch the match for another hour, ending the match at 20-18 in Joonmyun's favor. It's the first match to stretch past five and a half hours in Roland Garros, and it's the first time Joonmyun lifts the French Open trophy in the air, a huge smile stretching across his features. Kris clutches the runner-up plate close to his chest and thinks, someday, I'll be the one holding that trophy. With the score up 3-2 in Joonmyun's favor, Kris seeks to avenge his loss in Wimbledon. This lands him in a semi-finals match against Chanyeol, their first meeting ever in a grandslam, and possibly one of the toughest matches Kris has to win. "I get it, you want to get even with Joonmyun, but don't expect me to go easy on you." Chanyeol takes his hand in a handshake, squeezing it hard and offering him a small smile in the process. "Just let me win and I'll buy you anything you want." "Anything? How about the whole of Tokyo Disneyland?" Kris laughs. "Don't be ambitious." The winning streak continues, earning Kris a slot in the finals against Joonmyun, and eventually securing him his first-ever grandslam title. He raises the trophy in the air, quickly casts a glance at Joonmyun, and wonders if this will happen again, and in the near future. And it does. Oh it does happen again, and again, and again. Not in the US Open of the same year, because Murray defends his title in New York, nor in the Australian and French Opens because the titles remains to be elusive to Kris. He does a repeat of the Wimbledon final, facing Joonmyun and winning the match in straight sets, and eventually adds the US Open title to his arsenal, a mean feat and a solid proof of how far he's come in his game. And, of course, he and Joonmyun still keep at it — all the secret meetings, the escapades, the handshakes and the hugs after matches that serve as a prelude to something more. Joonmyun still pushes him against the wall, still does all the work but, from time to time, Kris makes it a point to surprise Joonmyun, playing some hidden tricks up his sleeve. The game never ends, and the score remains to be tied. It's not as if either of them wants it to end so soon. The greatest shock of the open era happens during the 2017 Wimbledon final, just as Kris serves to open the fifth set. It all happens in a flash — one minute, Kris is tossing the ball in the air, shifting his weight from his left leg to his right; the next minute, he's on the ground, clutching his right knee, racket left forgotten on the grass. The umpire calls for a medical timeout, and the medics come rushing in, followed shortly by Joonmyun. From where Kris is, everything looks so big and unreachable. "Please tell me he can still play," Kris hears Joonmyun say. He cranes his neck the best he can, and quickly regrets it when he sees the medics shaking their heads, their mouths spelling, "We're sorry. We're really sorry." "I'm sorry I couldn't give you a good match." Kris smiles a little, albeit gingerly, when Joonmyun walks up to him. "This is what happens when I don't hold back." "Say that again and I'll give you other knee an injury." Joonmyun reaches out to give his hand a light squeeze. Joonmyun's hand is callous, and the grip marks have already made their permanent mark on his hand — overtraining, overplaying. "I'd like to see you try." "Well, I'd like to see you lift that trophy again, but looks like I'll have to do that for you." "You'll never look good next to it," Kris retorts, light laughter betraying the streaks of pain flashing across his features. The umpire declares him unable to continue playing and thus declares Joonmyun the winner. The crowd erupts into mumbles and sounds of disappointment. The rain starts pouring down hard on Centre Court and the staff are never quick enough to pull up the covers. It's the perfect set up for the perfect dramatic ending, Kris thinks as he gets whisked away on a stretcher, and Joonmyun never lets go, not even when the medics ask him to leave, or even when the umpire tells him that he left his bag in the court, soaking wet, drenched in the rain. At first, the doctors tell Kris to rest for a week, and then another. Weeks become months, and the sound of tennis balls bouncing on the court becomes a source of pain rather than music to his ears. He still goes out to watch each and every match Lu Han and Yixing play, but narrowly misses some of Chanyeol's and Joonmyun's. "It's unlike you to be so forgetful," Lu Han comments when they grab a snack after one of the doubles pair's matches. "I don't understand why you keep missing Joonmyun's matches." Kris raises an eyebrow at Lu Han for a while, determined to have Lu Han answer his own question, until Lu Han returns the gesture. "I do it deliberately," Kris then says, unceremonious and blunt. "I purposely miss his matches so I'll have something to look forward to when I'm good again." "You do realize how cheesy that sounds, don't you?" Yixing comments. "Allow an injured man some time to be a bit cheesy." Lu Han and Yixing shrug, and Kris notes the way their chests rise and fall, perfectly synchronized even to the way they roll their eyes and shake their heads just lightly. Kris wonders briefly about practice matches and nights spent memorizing Joonmyun's movements, every curve of Joonmyun's body, and wonders if it's really winning over Joonmyun that matters or if it's winning Joonmyun over that he's been gunning for all this time. After a while, Kris ceases to look forward to returning to the courts. When he faces the press during the US Open conference, though, he puts on his best smile and ignores the tiny pulses of pain shooting through his knee and says, "My doctor has advised me to not participate in the US Open, but I will be back. I will, next year." "Will you be around for the Australian Open?" The smile on Kris' lips is tight. "No, probably not. If I want to win the Wimbledon title I lost because of this injury, then I'll have to pass on the Melbourne tournament." "So, Wimbledon, huh?" says a voice in the crowd, and the people from the media turn to the source of the voice, parting the crowd so that Kris can see who the speaker is. Kris blinks twice and everything is much clearer now — the image of him holding the Wimbledon trophy in his hands is vivid in his mind. "Yes, Wimbledon," Kris answers, the smile on his lips growing wider. "And I'd love to continue and win that match against you, Suho." --- The media is abuzz with news on Kris' return to the tennis scene during the French Open. He has dropped in the rankings, now only placing eight instead of being fifth, and Chanyeol's now the fifth seed while Joonmyun is the second. "If Kris Wu wins the French Open, there is a chance that he might move to the top five, right, Vijay?" Vijay nods thoughtfully. "That's a huge leap, but it's not impossible since the points are pretty close. If Suho makes it to the semis, he moves up to the number two spot. If Kris makes it to the quarterfinals, at the very least, he'll move up three places. Semis, and he places fourth. If he wins the French Open, then, well…" "Well?" Chanyeol asks, moving closer to the television. Kris laughs as he watches Chanyeol's muscles tense; he can still read muscle movement well despite all those months of inactivity. "He'll be tied with Suho at number two." The girl Vijay is doing the commentary with squeals in delight. "Obviously a fan of yours," Chanyeol comments. "It's not my fault that I've got a lot of fans." Chanyeol scoffs, but laughs a little. "It's not your fault that you're painfully good at the sport, yeah." "I thought we banned the word 'pain' in here," Lu Han calls out from somewhere in Kris' flat, and Chanyeol responds with a low chant using only the word 'pain'. The first four rounds are easy enough to get through. The only real threat Kris encounters is Ken Nishikori in the 4th round who he manages to defeat in three very tight sets. The quarterfinals match with Tsonga is, as expected, a pain to go through, and he luckily recovers from two sets down, 0-2 in the third set. "Crazy," Tsonga says when he is asked about the match and Kris. "It's as if he didn't take a break at all." "He was playing his best tennis and, naturally, I had to push myself to do even better," Kris replied. His standard media answers are still intact in the caddy in his mind. "But Jo is getting tougher and tougher to beat. I was just lucky today. Anything could have happened." --- a/n: While I'm still very passionate about this WIP, I figured I won't be able to continue writing it using the same style and tonality. Kris/Suho is still the best fit for a tennis fic, though. Haha!

Comments

[perfectiontales.livejournal.com]

"Not every Kim in this world is Joonmyun."
"He's the only Kim in your world, though."
/CACKLES OBNOXIOUSLY

OH GOSH THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS ASDLKF

"Gone are the days when Asians reaching the grand slam semis is a dream."
I knew I was going to love this right then because, really, how accurate Reeza u_u Nishikori really is our only hope right now. You mentioned so many little details in here that showed how much you know when it comes to Tennis and I loved the way you wrote this universe! ;~; I am, however, a little sad because you mentioned Murray and you mentioned Djokovic but why no Federer omg??? Is third place so bad? (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ /forever Federer oppa's fangirl hehe ...ignores Nadal

Kris pushes hard, but Joonmyun pulls harder. It’s a game of give and take and take some more.
WHY IS THIS LABELED A WIP HOW DO YOU WRITE SO WELL WHY DOES IT HURT SO MUCH DEAR GOD

"wonders if it's really winning over Joonmyun that matters or if it's winning Joonmyun over that he's been gunning for all this time."
THE KRISHO ( ﾟдﾟ) perfect balance between characters and setting honestly ಥ⌣ಥ I loved the characterization! oh my god ;a; they knew each other inside-out when they played on the same team and it didn't change later, years later, when Joonmyun won the toss /casually whimpers into hand. I love how Joonmyun is shown as Kris' weakness but also, in a way, his strength because he pushes Kris to work even harder and especially when Kris gets injured /openly sobbing by now jsyk ¬_¬

LASTLY, THE LAYHAN. DA LAYHAN WOMAN. the way they fall together sounds so natural and
adsfhkalddlf Chanyeol is forever the unhelpful kind-of-amazing-but-not-really friend to Kris in your fics lmao

CRIES everything about this was so great ♡

[onyu.livejournal.com]

because you mentioned Murray and you mentioned Djokovic but why no Federer omg???
I'M SORRY :((( Supposedly, Roger has already retired during KrisHo era so no Roger ;___; But he was supposed to present Kris his first Wimbledon trophy? If that makes you feel better. C'mere, bbgirl, c'mere ♥


GURL THAT LINE WAS THE REASON I COULDN'T LET GO OF THE WIP FOR THE LONGEST TIME!!!


I love how Joonmyun is shown as Kris' weakness but also, in a way, his strength because he pushes Kris to work even harder
Omg I love your insight sfm. Kris just doesn't realize it! Or he may just be so tsundere about it. Haha!


ALSO DA LAYHAN! How can one resist the LayHan. They are always Begging To Be Written. ;___;


Chanyeol is forever the unhelpful kind-of-amazing-but-not-really friend to Kris in your fics lmao
O M G I didn't realize that until you mentioned it! LOL OH CHANYEOLLL


Thank you so much, Shailvi! ♥ I'm glad you liked it :)

[jonghyun.livejournal.com]

I AM SCREAMING AND SOBBING AT YOUR FEET.
SCREAMING BECAUSE YOU DIDNT TELL ME ABOUT THIS.
SOBBING BECAUSE I'VE READ DESPITE KNOWING IT'S A WIP THAT WILL NEVER BE CONTINUED.

THIS IS GOING TO BE NEVER-ENDING IN MY MIND NOW.

[onyu.livejournal.com]

Eeep! But it's a WIP and dnw to broadcast it and :((( Sorry bb :(

[jonghyun.livejournal.com]

I know I knowwww. Still crying over this after so many months ㅠㅅㅠ