Chapter Text
he's 14 and too much cologne.
voice cracking and mismatched clothing, still learning that striped shirts can't be worn with patterned shorts.
play fighting with his friends and unaware of the things unfolding in front of him.
+++
minhyuk is pretty oblivious if he's being honest.
at the ripe age of fourteen, he cares little for anything aside from soccer and doing well in school for his parents' sake.
soccer, specifically, took up most of his thinking time. it took up most of his speaking time, too, which happened to be little because minhyuk wasn't much of a talker.
(on the field was a bit of a different story: minhyuk was known for muttering under his breath at particularly annoying opponents, managing to get under their skin enough to earn himself a free-kick most of the time while simultaneously keeping anyone from ever actually being upset with him once whatever they had decided to do to him had been done.)
bin liked to joke that minhyuk didn't like any of the girls in their grade because all he cared about was soccer. minhyuk is too scared to tell him, or even admit to himself that it's because he's too distracted thinking about how handsome dongmin, or a multitude of the other boys in their school, are.
"minhyuk," bin's voice, much too loud consider how close they are comes from the seat next to minhyuk during last period science.
it's friday, minhyuk's favourite day because friday means game day. friday means putting aside his thoughts about tests and assignments, his not so existent crush on the girl who sits next to him in math, kim eunha, hidden from everyone aside from bin who had pestered him about who he liked until minhyuk had spit out a name, and the constant torment he feels from the more apparent, but even deeper hidden and definitely rejected, non-crush he has on lee freaking dongmin.
"hmm?"
"game day today," bin pauses for a moment, an excited smile crossing his lips, "we're going to crush seoul, i know it. i think you can get a hat trick for me up front? i'll hold things down in the back."
minhyuk laughs at his best friend, then, "sure, bin."
goalie extraordinaire moon bin thought he was the best goalie from cheongju to seoul and back again. though, if minhyuk was being honest, his best friend probably was the best goalie from cheongju to seoul.
at only fourteen, bin already had scouts looking after him, his name already being mentioned in "future greats" lists among high school kids— and he was only in ninth grade.
minhyuk was also thrown in there sometimes. bin thought his best friend was the best striker from cheongju to seoul, though he was pretty sure that if kang yuna, the girl bin was currently obsessed with, had asked if she was better, bin would've readily agreed that she was.
minhyuk knew very well that he was good at soccer, but minhyuk also knew he wasn't the best, not in the same way bin or dongmin were.
the bell rings as bin begins rambling about how long the drive to seoul for their game is going to feel and how excited he is that their parents had agreed to carpool or he would've really lost his mind on the ride.
minhyuk listens happily, packing his stuff up as the teacher reminds them to finish their homework and kids begin trailing out of class.
bin cuts himself off after a moment to furrow his eyebrows at minhyuk, "did you really wear a striped shirt with plaid shorts all day today?"
minhyuk looks down at his outfit, throwing an arm out as they exit their classroom, "uhh, yeah? why?"
"oh minhyuk my dear friend, you have so much to learn."
he shakes his head in reply to bin's words, rolling his eyes as he trails after the taller boy to make the walk back to their houses.
minhyuk assumed he had some sort of crazy luck in that he had not only grown up next to his best friend but also managed to make the same rep team when they'd tried out for their current team back in sixth grade.
certain kids played to become soccer players, but for now, minhyuk played because he liked it and happened to excel at it.
both himself and bin had been approached at a school soccer tournament in fifth grade when their current coach had come out to watch a few of his player's play.
he had asked dongmin, one of their teammates, who the goalie and striker on his team were, then approaching both minhyuk and bin's parents to invite their sons to the tryouts occurring at the end of that season.
they were given the opportunity to practice with the team throughout the season, earning some valuable training and giving them a certain edge on the other kids when tryouts came around that september.
their coach had seen potential in both of them watching them play that day back in june so many years ago. looking back, minhyuk supposed he must've had a really good eye for the game to pick out the league's best goalie and the league's leading scorer from a school tournament.
they don't live far, and bin's mom greets them as they walk into the moon house, pressing kisses quickly to both of their cheeks as they make their way into the kitchen.
minhyuk and bin were basically brothers, and their parents treated them as such. minhyuk was welcome at bin's any time and vice versa. it helped that their parents got along so well, minhyuk supposed, but even if they hadn't it wouldn't change the relationship minhyuk and bin had.
bin was a second brother to him, no doubt about it, and minhyuk was bin's only brother, even his sister thought of minhyuk as her second older brother.
(that could be because minhyuk was equally as protective over her. she found it annoying, the older two thought it was necessary.)
"hi, mrs. moon. how was your day?"
"oh minhyuk, ever the sweetheart," he blushes as she laughs at her own words, bin rolling his eyes and laughing along with her at his mother's love for his best friend, "it was good, i'm enjoying the week off work while my boss is on vacation. it's nice."
minhyuk nods, "my mom is so envious of your time off," he pauses to laugh for a second, "she joked with me that she was going to take time off so she could come to hang out with you."
bin and his mom both start laughing along with minhyuk then, her hand reaching out to pat minhyuk's shoulder. "i love your mother."
minhyuk quietly hums a sound of agreement before bin interrupts the conversation, informing his mother that they were going to go hang out in his room before they had to get ready.
"have fun, boys."
minhyuk says a thank you before leading the way up the stairs to bin's bedroom, knowing exactly where it is.
bin's bedroom isn't messy, but it isn't necessarily clean. he has a few posters up on his walls, one of bts, his favourite group, and a few different soccer teams and goalies on the others.
a picture frame sits on the desk across the room, a photograph of the two of them taken after winning the league finals placed inside, the trophy held between them and wide smiles on their lips. the game had gone to penalties, bin had stopped a penalty shot and minhyuk had scored the winning shot — their parents thought it was funny how that had worked out.
they sit and talk about everything and nothing, people at school, homework, soccer. bin tries to tell minyhuk that certain soccer players are better than others while minhyuk just plugs his ears. he leaves around 4:00 to get ready for their game, fully aware that the drive to seoul is just over an hour and they had to be at the field by 7:15 for warmup, giving himself just enough time to eat and get his stuff together.
they end up winning the game 3-0. minhyuk doesn't get the hat trick bin had wanted but comes close, scoring two of their three goals while bin records his third straight shutout, meaning that in three games played on the season, he's three for three.
when the game is over, the coach calls them into a circle, going over what had been done well and where they needed to improve for next week. minhyuk doesn't listen, finding himself unintentionally admiring lee dongmin instead.
lee dongmin is one year older than minhyuk and bin, athlete extraordinaire and wildly intelligent. minhyuk is envious of his top rank in the school, of the fact that every girl in their school was pining over him, of the fact that minhyuk would never have a chance with him.
(minhyuk was more upset that he wanted a chance with him because lee dongmin was a boy and minhyuk wasn't supposed to like boys.)
lee dongmin is also unfairly attractive. lee dongmin has sparkling brown eyes and a perfectly sculpted face. sure, he had once had hints of baby fat in his cheeks, but playing soccer for so long had done him well, leaving him with a jawline that even minhyuk was jealous of, in his awkward fourteen-year-old state.
lee dongmin had hair that fell perfectly over his forehead and laughter that rang out and a deep voice that minhyuk couldn't help but be distracted by.
minhyuk probably had the biggest crush he'd ever had on anyone in his life on lee dongmin. minhyuk hated himself for having the biggest crush he'd ever had on anyone in his life on lee dongmin.
minhyuk was meant to fall in love with a nice girl.
the people he met always talked about the girl he would marry and bin always asked about what girls he liked at school. one of his teammates, jinsoo, talked endlessly about his girlfriend and a few weeks earlier, someone on the team had used some english slur towards one of the other guys at practice and minhyuk had later learned it had something to do with being gay — and not in a good way.
liking lee dongmin was a mistake; a huge mistake that minhyuk wished he could put a stop to. by the time he realizes he's been staring at dongmin much too long, the older boy has already taken notice of his gaze, eyebrows knitting and lips pursing in a way that is incredibly too attractive.
minhyuk cringes at himself slightly, pinches himself on the arm, mentally tells himself to snap out of it. his cheeks turn red as he turns his gaze to their coach, who has moved on to discussing an extra practice on sunday afternoon for next week's game.
bin bumps his shoulder into minhyuk's as they walk back to the car, starting a play fight with his shorter friend as he teases him for his height. minhyuk lightly smacks his arm back, laughs falling from his lips nearly as consistently as they fall from bin's.
soon, the two of them are in a heap on the ground, having knocked themselves over trying to get the other person to fall. they stay down for a second, catching their breath before they stand up, bin quickly ruffling minhyuk's hair before screeching in disgust at the sweat now covering his hands.
"idiot," minhyuk mutters, no sympathy in his voice for bin, who has to be the dumbest person on the planet to forget that minhyuk had just spent an hour and a half running up and down a soccer field.
"yah! watch it, kid. i'm still older than you."
minhyuk snorts, "oh yeah a whole month, way older than me bin."
they're halfway across the field now, footsteps completely in sync as they walk back to the car which their parents are waiting beside for them.
"race you." bin takes off in the direction of their parents, giggles falling from his lips at the dumbfounded expression on minhyuk's face.
"idiot," he mumbles again, quickly beginning to chase after his much slower friend, bin lacking the speed which minhyuk's position requires.
bin jumps onto his back just as they reach their parents, the two of them falling in a heap of limbs, bags, water bottles and soccer gear to the grass. their parents laugh at their immature behaviour, minhyuk simply letting out a groan and begging bin to get off of him with his sweaty goalie gear.
their friendship is immature and silly and everything right and wrong with a pair of fourteen-year-old boys, but as bin lets minhyuk rest his head on his shoulder and the two fall asleep against one another on the way home, minhyuk realizes that bin is one of many "scores" in his life — and he isn't talking about goals.