Running to You | Park Han + JL + Steven | Haneulz + Stejay AU

Chapter 60: Break Point

JL watched it all unfold.

He took in the wins, the stumbles, the record-breaking throws and the quiet collapses, and still, he felt removed, as if there were glass between him and the heat of it all. Every cheer came through muffled, like applause underwater. It wasn't fear, he told himself. Not exactly. But something inside had started to shake loose. 

Joohyung, naturally, looked like trouble in track spikes. Tall and lean, with a sharp jaw and a mouth made for smirking, he moved like he already knew the camera was watching. His eyes had the narrow glint of someone who always got away with it... whatever it was. He was smooth and sleek and the camera loved him.

When he stretched beside JL before the heats, his voice dropped into a velvet hush. "You're dangerously pretty, you know that?" he said, eyes tracking JL's jaw. "Makes people forget how fast you actually are."

Han was nearby, tying his spikes in practiced silence. His hands stilled, just briefly, and then resumed. 

"You flirt like you run, Joohyung," he said. "Flashy. But never first."

From the bench, the team had front-row seats to the whole interaction: the flirting, the flexing, the verbal spike to the chest. 

Juwon leaned forward, wide-eyed. "That's a two-for-one roast. Romance and sprinting. Nice."

Woongki snorted. "Forget fastest sprint, that was the speedrun for getting shut down."

Shuaibo leaned back, grinning. "I'm this close to adding him to the group chat. Label: Threat to National Stability. Just to watch the world burn."

And then Koo Hanseo appeared, perfectly timed like a commercial break. He walked like he was being followed by a spotlight, all lines and ease and predatory charm. A lion stalking the savannah. He caught JL's gaze first.

"So you're the duality king," Hanseo said, eyes tracing JL with slow interest. "Didn't expect the highlight reel to live up to the real thing... but here we are." 

He turned to Steven. "And you must be? The chaperone or the bodyguard?"

"I could throw him," Kyungho offered.

"Over the hurdles," Chih En added. "Jeongwoo's done with them anyway."

Steven didn't blink.

"Take a good look," he said to Hanseo. "It's the only time you'll see me from the front."

Woongki nearly choked on his protein bar. "I'm framing that quote."

JL wasn't paying much attention to the banter.

He was calculating -- not just pace and splits, but pressure thresholds. Tendon strain. Breath management. He could feel the edge coming, the moment when precision gave way to pain. And he was trying, desperately, to beat it there.

You're fine, he told himself. You're still fine. The pain hasn't come yet.

JL walked to the line. Han beside him. They didn't speak -- didn't need to.

The gun cracked.

They ran.

He didn't think. Didn't feel.

He just moved.

They crossed the line almost together -- Han just a fraction ahead. Two records sharp enough to rattle the leaderboard and send the stadium to its feet. The roar that followed was deafening.

Up in the press box, the commentary buzzed:

"And the stadium goes wild! Park and Gaspar just delivered the fastest dual finish in Supermeet history!"

"And Kim Joohyung right behind them -- that's a podium straight out of a drama."

"Steven Kim said we'd only see him from the front. Guess that was true -- Hanseo's eating dust."

"One thing's for sure: based on the scores, all teams are headed to Nationals -- but it's shaping up to be a war between KNSU and the Diamond Blades."

"Rivalry? Romance? Either way, we're watching the top two powerhouses trade fire."

Twitter Highlights: 

@justshuaibothings: can someone please explain how the sprinters are having a full-blown eye contact fanfic WHILE BREAKING RECORDS. like yes body heat is a factor but??? #Gaspark #JooHan #Haneulz #hel

@cryinginHD: everyone's hot. everyone's fast. someone's gonna kiss or commit a crime and I'm ok with it

@spicygrapejuice: why is this 100m heat hotter than a dating show

Steven appeared through the tumult, shoving a towel into JL's hands.

"You good?" he asked.

"I feel like my lungs are punching me from the inside."

Steven smirked. "That's the spirit."

JL didn't hear the rest.

Because when he looked up -- just casually, just once -- he saw him.

At the edge of the press pit.

Out of place. Out of time.

Eli.

Taller than he remembered. Sleeker. Dressed like a walking contract. He wasn't in team colors. He wasn't even supposed to be there.

But he was.

And the sight of him was a blade to the gut.

JL's breath stopped. The world stopped. Even the sun seemed to dim.

"JL?" Steven said again.

But it was too late.

The panic didn't scream. It whispered. And then it took him.

By the time JL blinked, Eli was gone. Or maybe he'd never been there.

A ghost.

A warning.

A wound.

JL nodded, too fast.

"I just -- "

But the words wouldn't come.

He turned and walked, towel clenched in his hand, spikes swinging from two fingers.

It was important that no one noticed him breaking.

Only that he was still walking.

Still moving.

And for now, that was enough.