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Johnny punches in the six-digit security code that allows him to enter the building. He carries his luggage to the elevator with little to no trouble despite the exhaustion he feels after the 14-hour-long flight from Chicago to Seoul. In front of apartment 403, he fishes a brand-new set of keys out of his pocket and sticks one of them in the door lock.
He drags his suitcases to the narrow hall, dropping his backpack on the floor next to them before he takes a few steps further into the apartment. Johnny looks around at the sparsely furnished room containing a brown leather couch facing a 32 inches LCD TV, a low coffee table made of stainless steel and, on the opposite wall, a floor to ceiling bookshelf packed with books.
Johnny chuckles to himself. He fully expected his older brother to leave something behind once he moved out, but he didn’t expect it to be a whole library. For a moment, Johnny wonders if there are any books on basketball in the shelf, but he doubts it. Minho has always preferred the field over the court.
Letting his mind wander as his feet take him from the living-room to the very small kitchen and finally to the bedroom, Johnny tries to picture how his life will be from now on. He’s only sixteen, living in a strange country by himself. Yes, he was born in South Korea, but he’d left so young that he can’t really consider it his home. His home was the one he left behind; his parents, his dog, his school and his friends.
The day Johnny’s parents told him he’d be going away to study abroad all by himself Johnny had acted tough, but as soon as he was alone in his room he cried for hours. The thing that hurt the most was that he’d already known it was going to happen, he had told himself he was prepared. But when the time finally came, it was just as hard as if he’d been caught by surprise. His parents had sent Minho away at sixteen, too. They had this whole thing about having their sons learn how to be independent and learn how to navigate the world from an early age.
Johnny had tried pleading, reasoning, begging and bargaining but to no avail. His future had been set in stone the day he was born and there was nothing he could do. Acceptance came quicker than he thought it would once he realized it.
His friends had thrown him a huge going away party and that left him feeling a little better. Johnny assured them he would be back for summer break and he definitely would move back when high school was over, they wouldn’t be rid of him that easily.
But there was something that had been worrying Johnny from the start: would he be able to play basketball? The first thing he did when his parents told him the name of the school he’d be attending was to do some research. With relief, he saw that they had a basketball team. But that still didn’t mean that Johnny would make it in the team. Johnny knew he was good, but he’d never been super confident in himself. His coach back in middle school had always told him that the only thing standing in his way, was himself and that once Johnny realized that and gained enough confidence he could even go pro.
But that was back then and this is now, with him having to worry about adjusting to a new country, a new school, a language he was only used to speaking at home with his parents and brother. Basketball can’t be his number one priority anymore, at least for a while, and that worries Johnny. And also makes him a little pissed off.
Minho’s former bedroom, now Johnny’s, has a double bed and a sliding glass door that opens to a tiny balcony. Johnny walks up to the doors and opens them to let some of the chilly spring breeze inside. Out on the balcony, he looks down at the street still fairly quiet since it’s barely seven on a Saturday morning.
Johnny takes a deep breath, trying to calm the blooming anxiety in his chest. Then he decides that whatever it takes, despite the odds, he’s going to be the best basketball player he can be. And whatever obstacles life throws at him, he’ll tackle them to the ground. Hard.
───
Jaehyun ignores the dozens of texts Doyoung sends him as he sits sprawled on the couch playing NBA2K. He intends to never speak to his ex-best friend again and he hoped that he’d made that clear to Doyoung the last time they spoke, but apparently he didn’t.
When Doyoung tires of texting him and actually starts calling, Jaehyun picks up the phone after begrudgingly pausing his game and answers it with a ‘what?’ he hopes sounds angry enough.
“ Jaehyun. Stop ignoring me,” Doyoung’s voice doesn’t betray an ounce of annoyance, but Jaehyun knows it takes a lot to get Doyoung to drop his calm and collected facade. Jaehyun thinks he might try to do just that.
“Who’s this?” Jaehyun asks, fighting a smirk, even though Doyoung can’t see him.
“Stop playing, Jaehyun. How long are you going to be mad at me?”
“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong number,” Jaehyun answers, that smirk he was fighting pulling at the corner of his lips once he hears Doyoung’s exasperated huff at the other end of the line.
“How come you aren’t mad with the others?” The question actually makes Jaehyun snort.
“The others are not the person I’ve relied on court for the past three years. They’re not the person I grew up with and who I thought had my back until he went and fucking betrayed me.” Jaehyun’s pissed off now. He wanted to get under Doyoung’s skin but his plan clearly backfired and now he’s the one who wants to punch something.
“Jaehyun, you’re overreacting. I’m still here for you. We live literally four blocks from each other. I could be at your house in ten minutes if I wanted to. Just because I’m going to a different school, it doesn’t mean our friendship is over and it certainly doesn’t mean I betrayed you.”
“We can’t play basketball together,” Jaehyun replies after Doyoung’s done with his little speech which he barely paid attention to.
“We can’t, but... do you even want to keep playing?” Doyoung’s hesitation before asking the question is what gets Jaehyun’s blood boiling even more. How dare he?
“I don’t have a choice, Doyoung. I’m not you,” Jaehyun answers through gritted teeth before he abruptly ends the call.
Jaehyun sets his phone on mute and throws it on the carpeted floor where it lands face down. Jaehyun doesn’t spare it a second look as he goes back to his game and tries not to think about Doyoung’s stupid question.
───
The process of joining Dwight High’s basketball team is fairly easy and painless.
Johnny knows he’s in even before the list of freshmen who got picked is released. None of the other guys are as good as him and there’s one of them who’s really, obscenely bad. Johnny remembers feeling sorry for him during tryouts, resisting the urge to go up to the guy and ask him why was he putting himself through that when he clearly sucked at the sport.
His name is Kim Dongyoung, a lanky boy with dark blue hair and a gummy smile. When Johnny sees that he’s also made it through tryouts and into the main team, Johnny is shocked.
“This makes no sense. He could barely get the ball across the court without being intercepted,” Johnny says, still in bewilderment.
He’s walking to the bus stop with Sicheng, this really cool kid he befriended on his first day of school. Sicheng has no interest in basketball whatsoever but he never complains when Johnny brings up the subject.
“Maybe they saw some potential in him,” Sicheng says, shrugging.
“Yeah, maybe,” Johnny replies, although he’s not convinced there is any potential in the kid who can’t even pass a ball properly.
On their very first day of practice, however, Johnny learns exactly why Kim Dongyoung was picked for the team.
They’ve just completed the standard drills and Johnny’s feeling a little sore already. He’s been slacking off for the past two months, doing barely any exercise and his muscles are reacting to finally being put to use after a while. He’s sitting on one of the benches watching some of his teammates pass the ball to each other. Johnny’s eyes travel to Doyoung standing about one and a half meter away from the three point line, then Johnny blinks and Doyoung isn’t there anymore. Confused, Johnny’s gaze searches for Doyoung, who’s now standing right in the center of the court, watching as Jungwoo makes a successful shot.
Johnny tore his eyes away from Doyoung for only a split second, but when he looks back to where Doyoung’s supposed to be, he’s disappeared again. Johnny is still trying to figure out what the hell just happened when he feels a tap on his right shoulder. Johnny looks up just to see Doyoung standing there, looking at him with a neutral expression.
“What-- You were just there!” Johnny points to the court with his thumb giving Doyoung and inquisitive look.”
Doyoung snickers as he takes a seat next to Johnny.
“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” Doyoung asks, his voice sounding amused even though his face didn’t betray much.
“Figured what out?” Johnny suddenly feels dumb, but at the same time his brain is starting to piece things together. At least, that’s what he thinks.
“Well, you’ve probably noticed by now I’m quite a mediocre player,” Doyoung replies and Johnny can’t help but feel bad because that’s exactly what he’s been thinking of Doyoung. He doesn’t know what to say, though. Thankfully, Doyoung begins to talk again before Johnny has to figure out what to say. “My talent lies in something called misdirection.”
Johnny nods. He’s heard of something like that before, although he can’t remember when or where.
“It’s basically fooling the opponent into thinking another player is getting the ball and not me. This way I can steal the ball,” Doyoung explains, but by this time Johnny’s already figured it out.
“Is that what you did just now?”
“A lesser version of it, yes. I thrive during real games, though. That was just a sample of what I can do.” Doyoung doesn’t sound like he’s bragging when he says that and Johnny feels himself liking the boy more and more. Sure, he’s a little odd and his basketball technique is very unusual but Johnny can tell Doyoung likes the sport. He wonders why exactly Doyoung hasn’t tried to improve in other areas.
Johnny’s about to ask Doyoung just that when their coach, Miya, a transfer student from Japan, blows the whistle, calling the team to gather around.
“Meet me after practice in front of the gates. I wanna show you something,” Doyoung tells Johnny as they walk to the court. Johnny signals an OK with his hand.
───
Doyoung takes Johnny to an outdoor basketball court nearby. There are a few people sitting on benches watching half a dozen guys play. As they near the court, one of the boys notices Doyoung and waves. It makes another boy, one with light brown hair parted in the middle look in their direction as well. Johnny sees Doyoung wave at him, but the brunette simply gives a blank stare in return before turning around and walking away.
By Johnny’s side, Doyoung sighs. Johnny looks at Doyoung and asks, curious, “What was that about?”
“That’s Jaehyun. My best friend who now hates me,” Doyoung explains, then chuckles bitterly.
“And why does he hate you?” They walk towards one of the empty benches and sit next to each other. They’ve got a good view of the court from here and Johnny lets his gaze sweep over the unfamiliar faces, settling on the brown-haired guy, Jaehyun.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it later,” Doyoung says but Johnny’s attention has already diverted. He barely registers Doyoung’s words, too concentrated on watching Jaehyun.
Johnny’s been watching him for only a minute but he can tell Jaehyun’s a great player. He is of average height but he’s strong and has impeccable reflexes. Jaehyun’s mesmerized by his agility and speed and the way he’s able to change his pace midplay seemingly effortlessly. He has great instincts, Johnny notices. But there’s something clearly lacking in the way Jaehyun plays, and that’s passion.
As much as Jaehyun plays perfectly, not missing a single pass or shot, he looks almost bored, as if he’s not enjoying himself at all. Johnny is observant enough to conclude that, yes, none of those guys are any match to Jaehyun but they still play decently. To Jaehyun, though, it’s like they’re nothing but tiny rocks in his path that he won’t even bother to kick out of the way and will step over them instead.
“What school does he go to?” Johnny asks, once he’s managed to pull himself out of his daze.
“Whimoon High School. That’s where I was supposed to go as well. But in the end, I decided not to. That’s why he’s currently not speaking to me. He feels like I betrayed him,” Doyoung says.
“Have you played basketball together before?”
Doyoung actually grins at Johnny’s question. But before he can give an answer, they hear some shouting, someone clearly crying in pain and a lot of people moving into the court. They stand up as well and walk toward the small group of people. Johnny looks over a few shoulders trying to see what’s happening while Doyoung elbows his way to the front.
Someone fell and twisted an ankle from what Johnny gathers and soon he’s being hauled up and assisted off the court by two other guys. Johnny gets out of the way along with some other onlookers, then suddenly Doyoung’s voice by his side catches his attention, making him jolt, “Do you want to play?”
“Jesus, Doyoung. Can you not do this?”
“Sorry.” He actually doesn’t look sorry at all. “The guys wanna finish the game.”
“Er… I don’t know. Are they okay with it?” Johnny asks to make sure. He’s ready to say yes of course. He saw Jaehyun play. Johnny wouldn’t miss an opportunity to play against someone as good as Jaehyun. He feels his fingers start to itch with the urge to hold the ball, with the prospect of stealing the ball from an ace like Jaehyun. The prospect of winning against Jaehyun.
Doyoung nods and then he’s taking Johnny’s backpack and rushing him to the center of the court where the other five are already waiting.
Johnny introduces himself to all of them and leaves Jaehyun for last on purpose.
“Hi, I’m Johnny Seo,” Johnny says with a curt bow. Jaehyun’s lips twitch as if he wants to smirk but is trying to control himself. He gives Johnny a once-over. All the other guys seem to be waiting with baited breath. Although for what, Johnny has no clue.
“A foreigner, huh?” Jaehyun comments looking openly unimpressed now. He bounces the ball against the ground a few times before throwing it to Johnny.
Johnny catches it, staring at Jaehyun impassively. He feels a little disconcerted but he won’t show it. He’s been around guys like Jaehyun who like to intimidate his opponents on and off-court and Johnny’s learned not to give them what they want.
“American,” Johnny answers before smiling. He knows Jaehyun won’t like that. And he’s right. It obviously gets under Jaehyun’s skin, the way Johnny’s playing it cool and not backing down, not showing submission like obviously most people do around Jaehyun.
“Good for you. Let’s see if you can actually play then, foreigner,” the last word is almost spat at him but Johnny remains unfazed, or at least he does his best to look the part.
Johnny doesn’t bother answering, quickly deciding that he will show Jaehyun that he can play and more than that, that he can win.
Johnny loses. Or more precisely, his team does. He could blame it on the fact that he’s just met his teammates, they have no chemistry whatsoever but the victory was by such a large margin that Johnny can’t really blame anyone but the immense gap between their skills and Jaehyun’s skills.
Jaehyun played like a one-man team. It was quite different from the way he’d been playing when Johnny was only watching. It’s like he had been holding himself back before Johnny stepped on the court. And then, when he got to face Johnny, he decided to give it his all. For some reason, Johnny had prompted Jaehyun to play serious basketball but Johnny has no idea why.
It’s not like Johnny’s a threat, although he did think of himself as a better than average player before Jaehyun decided to crush him. Johnny didn’t stand a chance against Jaehyun. Jaehyun’s a monster on the court. He doesn’t simply play basketball, he makes the game his own. He controls it the entire time and even when his stamina is clearly running out, he's still a beast.
Johnny’s more than impressed. He’s terrified.
“I thought you would be fun but I guess I was wrong,” Jaehyun tells Johnny, towering over him as Johnny sits on the ground catching his breath. Jaehyun’s damp hair is pushed away from his face and he looks handsome against the backdrop of the setting sun, Johnny thinks fleetingly as he stares at the boy.
“Where did you learn to play like that?” Johnny asks, running a hand through his own wet hair. It’s gotten pretty long since he moved to Korea and he’s in dire need of a haircut.
“On the streets,” Jaehyun answers with a shrug. “I feel like I’ve been playing basketball since forever,” he adds. Johnny didn’t expect the honesty but he appreciates it.
Johnny nods to show he understands. He can’t even remember a time when he didn’t play basketball. It’s been an inextricable part of him for so long, he can’t imagine himself without it. It’s comforting to know there’s someone out there who feels the same way about it.
“Do you like playing?” Johnny asks and notices the shadow that passes Jaehyun’s expression before he lets out a sarcastic laugh.
“You should go home, Seo Johnny.” Jaehyun dismisses the question but offers a hand for Johnny to take.
Johnny takes the hand and jumps to his feet. They stare at each other for a moment, Johnny not knowing what to say, then Jaehyun’s walking away. He stops a few feet from Johnny and turns around,
“Guess I’ll see you soon,” he says before jogging out of the court, rounding a corner and disappearing through an alley.
Left alone, Johnny looks up at the night sky, hands in his pockets as he runs through the events of the day. That’s when he feels a presence behind him followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Johnny turns on his heels to check who it is and Doyoung smiles at him, holding a popsicle in each hand.
“I’m learning,” he says, offering Johnny one of the popsicles.
“Thanks,” Johnny takes the popsicle and tears the wrap open. They get their backpacks from the bench and start walking to the bus stop. The streets are busy and loud, rush hour upon them. “So, Jaehyun. What’s his deal?”
“Do you have to be home early?”
“Not really. I live alone,” Johnny replies and Doyoung directs a surprised look at him but doesn’t pry.
“Well, like I said it’s a long story and it all started in my first year of middle school when I met Jaehyun…”
───
Jaehyun is late for practice for the second time this week. Not that he cares in the slightest. It’s not like he needs it. He only bothers to attend because he doesn’t want to be hated by the entire team, even though he’s pretty sure he’s far from being their favorite person no matter what he does.
As soon as he steps foot in the gym, the practice stops and everyone’s eyes are on him, some heavy with judgement, others clearly apprehensive.
The coach, a former professional player who had a fairly unimpressive career, glares at Jaehyun as he makes his way to the benches and drops his duffle bag on the floor. Jaehyun unzips his jacket unhurriedly, tossing it on top of his bag. Some of his teammates go back to what they were doing, but Jaehyun hears footsteps approaching and he knows before he turns back that he’ll be faced with a far from amused Mr. Choi.
“You’re late again. Care to explain?” Mr. Choi asks, hands on hips like he’s a parent ready to scold his kid.
“My alarm didn’t go off,” Jaehyun lies, then shrugs. “Sorry,”, he adds, making sure he doesn’t look sorry at all.
“If you keep this up I’ll be forced to bench you,” Mr. Choi threatens and Jaehyun has to fight the overwhelming impulse to snort.
“Now, that wouldn’t be a good idea would it, coach? How is your team going to win without me?” Jaehyun says, then walks past the man before he can say anything else.
He greets his fellow teammates politely and like he didn’t just call them useless back there. They’re not the worst players and Jaehyun knows it, they’re just not great. Not like him, but nobody’s like him, that’s something he’s come to terms with as the years passed and he’s grown stronger, more skilled, nearly unbeatable on court . The only ones who can play on his level are his friends, if Jaehyun can even call them that still.
A few weeks ago he really thought he’d found someone who he could go head-to-head with, who would give him a hard-time, make him work for it, even though he knew that in the and he would win. He’d been wrong. The Seo kid is good. He’s great, even. Full of raw talent, energy and desire to play, but he’s lacking so much skill, so much finesse. He’s so rough around the edges, Jaehyun can barely believe he’s played basketball since he was a kid.
Of course, against average players Johnny does well. Jaehyun had seen what Johnny could do in a real match in the first game of the Interhigh. He’s probably the best player in Dwight High excluding Doyoung. What Johnny lacks in ability he more than makes up for in sheer strength. He’s also fast and has good reflexes. Jaehyun would even dare to admit he could’ve been a part of their team of aces back in middle school.
Jaehyun leaves practice that afternoon with Johnny still on his mind and he’s annoyed by it. It keeps nagging at him: the wasted potential of his talents in that crappy little school he goes to. And Jaehyun’s still bitter about Doyoung choosing it over Whimoon which is obviously better suited for players of their caliber.
If he’s being honest with himself, he really misses Doyoung. More than once, Jaehyun has felt tempted to answer to one of his hundreds of texts, but his pride gets in the way every time. He knows he’ll end up giving in sooner or later though. Jaehyun definitely didn’t enjoy seeing Doyoung and the Seo kid together, was left wondering if they had become friends just as easily as he and Doyoung had.
Jaehyun’s heading to the train station when his phone buzzes in his pocket. He picks it up to see it’s a call. He never gets calls, except from his mom. It’s an unknown number, too. Jaehyun’s very tempted to ignore it but something tells him he should take it. He feels a weird prickle on the back of his neck as he answers it and a familiar voice greets him.
“Jung Jaehyun, it’s been a while,” Kun’s tone is almost cheerful but it doesn’t fool Jaehyun.
“Kun. Yeah, it has. What’s up?” Jaehyun asks, resuming his walk.
“We’re having a get-together on the weekend. More precisely on Saturday, after the game. Free your schedule,” as everything Kun says, it sounds like an order.
“Sorry, I-”
“Don’t even think about making up an excuse to get out of it. You’re coming,” Kun interrupts him, still sounding calm but Jaehyun can sense he’s getting impatient. Kun hates when people don’t do his bidding.
“Fine,” Jaehyun acquiesces, not really in the mood for arguing.
“Great. See you then,” Kun says and ends the call without waiting for Jaehyun to say goodbye.
Jaehyun sighs, stuffing his phone back in his pocket. A little reunion with his middle school pals is literally the last thing he needs right now. He’ll have to face Doyoung after not talking to him for months and he’s going to have to deal with whatever Kun’s planning, because oh, he’s damn sure Kun isn’t calling them up like this just because he misses them.
The entire train ride home Jaehyun’s thoughts are filled with memories of his early teen years. Playing basketball with Doyoung, Kun and the others: Yukhei, Taeyong, Yuta; of being so excited about basketball, filled with adrenaline fueled by the thrill of the competition, of winning their first game together, their first tournament. And then, at some point, the good memories give way to bittersweet ones.
It’s weird reminiscing like this, like he’s watching a movie playing in his head. He wishes he had been able to pinpoint the exact moment where they’d all started to change. Maybe, he could’ve done something to stop it. Or maybe it couldn’t be helped. Taeyong’s the only one who didn’t change. And Doyoung. Doyoung was never as obsessed with basketball as the rest of them were, he’s always been more interested in being part of the team.
As they all became selfish, arrogant versions of themselves, Doyoung was the glue that held them together while Taeyong was the anchor who kept them grounded. But it all fell apart when they graduated and had to go their separate ways. Jaehyun hates thinking about the past, though. Hates the sense of nostalgia that comes with it. Besides, it wasn’t that long ago. They were still playing together last summer. But then, why does it feel like it all happened in another lifetime?
Jaehyun’s still on the train when he gets a text from Doyoung asking him if he got a call from Kun too. Jaehyun stares at his phone’s screen for a good minute before he decides to reply with a simple ‘yes’. It doesn’t surprise him when the grey balloon with three dots inside pops up almost immediately after he sends the text.
[5:45] doyoung: can’t believe it took Kun calling you for you to finally reply. I’m hurt
[5:46] jaehyun: i still haven’t forgiven you :)
[5:46] doyoung: are you going on Saturday?
[5:47] jaehyun: haven’t decided yet
[5:47] doyoung: Kun will be furious if you don’t
[5:48] jaehyun: not my problem
Jaehyun waits for Doyoung’s reply but it doesn’t come. He sighs, putting his phone back in his pocket as he realizes he was almost at his stop. Doyoung’s reply comes in the form of a question several minutes later, when Jaehyun’s already inside his building, waiting for the lift:
[5:59] doyoung: what do you think of Johnny?
───
Half of the team makes it to the game on Saturday, including their coach, Miya. They all get good seats to watch Doyoung’s former teammate, Yukhei, completely crush the opponents, 148-51. It’s only the first round of the tournament but Johnny knows it’ll be hard for the losing team to recover from such a massive loss.
Dwight won the first two games and it’s safe to say they’re advancing to the next round so they can breathe a little easier for now and save their energy to the next round. Not that Johnny intends to slack off, not after his game against Jaehyun. He’s set on beating him next time they face each other, even if that means he has to stay late after practice and work extra hard. He’s asked Miya to help him with that and she drew up an entire work-out schedule for him on top of regular practice.
For the past three weeks, Johnny has been waking up an hour earlier than usual every day to go for a run. He’d bought ankle weights to wear during his runs and he’s been practicing jumps and passes with Doyoung every other day after practice.
“That Yukhei dude is a freaking monster! Did y’all see how big his hands were? No wonder he blocked like ninety-percent of the shots.” Jungwoo, one of their sub centers comments excitedly as they’re filing out of the arena.
“I’m just glad we aren’t at risk of facing his team the next round. I’d like to postpone my death for as long as possible,” says Mark, a Canadian boy who joined the team at the same time as Johnny.
“I think his dunks were pretty impressive but he’s lazy on the court and makes a lot of mistakes,” Johnny says with a shrug. They’re already outside, and his fellow teammates all stop and turn around to stare at him in wide-eyed surprised. Doyoung, by his side, sports an amused smile. Miya hides a giggle behind her hand.
“Bro, you know who Wong Yukhei is right? He was part of the Legendary Five ,” Mark pauses, glancing at Doyoung apologetically before adding, “Technically six, sorry Doyoung-hyung.”
“That’s okay,” Doyoung says waving a hand dismissively.
“I’m aware, yes. That doesn’t mean he’s a perfect player. We all have things we need to work on.”
“Johnny’s right! Yukhei relies heavily on his size and his technique is lacking, but he’s not to be underestimated. I’ve seen what he can do when he’s at his peak physically and technically so, in the future, if we end up facing him we need to be prepared. That's why I’ve been dragging you with me to as many games as possible. We need to familiarize ourselves with the other teams’ style, their strengths and their weaknesses,” Miya says, suddenly becoming serious.
“Know thy enemy,” Jungwoo utters solemnly, nodding. Everyone else readily agrees with their coach’s words.
Doyoung, who’s stayed quiet during the entire exchange, turns to Johnny with a hand on his shoulder.
“I have somewhere to be. Do you wanna tag along?”
“Oh? Yeah, sure, if that’s no problem… I actually wanted to talk to you about a new play I’ve been wanting to try,” Johnny says.
Thee both of them say goodbye to the others once they reach the gates before they turn in the opposite direction. Their destination isn’t very far. It’s a park right across the street with tall trees, a small fountain and wooden benches. There are a few people mingling around, talking, having picnics and riding skateboards. They’re crossing the park, almost at the other side, when Johnny hears loud chatter.
He sees Jaehyun before he sees anyone else. Even with Yukhei standing right across from him, as tall as a tree, blocking half of Jaehyun, Johnny’s gaze is drawn to the boy like a magnet.
Then, as if sensing Johnny’s eyes on him, Jaehyun turns to look directly at Johnny. He’d been staring at one of the boys sitting on a bench whose face Johnny can’t see. He can guess who the boy is though, by the bleached blond hair. Next to him sits another boy, slightly hunched, scarlet hair tied up in a little ponytail, much like the one Johnny wears sometimes. Qian Kun and Nakamoto Yuta, respectively. Johnny had done his research.
On the night he met Jaehyun, Doyoung told him all about the Legendary Five. Johnny couldn’t see their shooting guard, Lee Taeyong, but the others were all there, including Doyoung now.
“Doyoungie!” Yuta shouts as soon as he turns around and sees them approaching. He jumps and closes the small distance between he and Doyoung, enveloping the blue-haired boy in a bone-crushing hug.
“Hi, Yuta,” Doyoung squeaks, patting Yuta’s back awkwardly.
Equally awkward is the way Johnny stands there, not knowing what to do. He isn’t sure if he should introduce himself or not, so he stuffs his hands in his pocket and waits. A moment passes before Doyoung finally manages to extricate himself from Yuta’s hold only to be dragged by the red-haired to join the others. Doyoung signals at Johnny to follow so Johnny does, inwardly wishing he hadn’t followed Doyoung here while also trying really hard not to steal glances at Jaehyun.
“Guys, this is Johnny Seo, he just arrived from Chicago,” Doyoung introduces him. Johnny does a discreet bow, letting his eyes swipe over the small group of people, gaze lingering just a bit longer on Jaehyun.
“Nice to meet you, Johnny. I’m Yuta, but you can just call me Prince Nakamoto if you like. That’s how my fans call me,” Yuta says with a wink and a smile, offering his hand to Johnny.
There’s a collective eye roll following Yuta’s words and Johnny laughs as he shakes the Japanese boy’s hand. Yukhei introduces himself next with a simple ‘hey’ and keeps munching on his flamin’ hot cheetos. He doesn’t offer Johnny any, but he also notices no one besides Yukhei has their fingers stained orange so he decides not to take offense.
“Hello again,” Jaehyun says with a curt nod in Johnny’s direction.
“Hi, Jaehyun,” Johnny replies with a brief wave as he’s standing almost directly across from the other boy.
“I’ve heard about you. Dwight’s new star player, right? Haven’t had the opportunity to see you play yet, but I guess that’ll come soon enough. I’m Qian Kun, by the way,” the guy with bleached hair stands up, eyeing Johnny from head to toe.
“I don’t know about being a star player, but yes, I’m new. Nice to meet you, too,” Johnny replies suddenly feeling really small under Kun’s analytical gaze. The guy is at least five centimeters shorter than Johnny but he’s got the most intimidating aura Johnny’s ever sensed.
“That’s what I’ve heard. Of course, I’ll have to draw my own conclusions after seeing you play,” Kun smiles but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“Didn’t Jaehyun-hyung play against him?” Yukhei asks, around a mouthful of cheetos.
“Is that so?” Kun looks over his shoulder at Jaehyun and Johnny’s eyes follow.
“It was just a street game,” Jaehyun answers, nonchalant.
“It’s never just a street game with you, though, isn’t it?” the blond doesn’t wait for a reply, instead turning back around to stare at Johnny. Johnny wishes really hard he hadn’t though, Kun’s eyes are a deep mahogany brown and they feel like they’re staring right into your soul.
“Did you win?” Kun asks and even though his face is neutral, his tone is jeering. It makes Johnny’s blood simmer.
“I think you know the answer to that,” comes Johnny reply. He hears a sharp inhale come from Yuta, on his left. Yukhei suddenly stops eating his cheetos and Johnny’s pretty sure Jaehyun’s smirking.
“I’m asking you,” Kun says, tone flat. He looks mildly annoyed and Johnny’s internally satisfied that he could get under the boy’s skin. Johnny likes to consider himself a nice person, but he won’t back down when he feels threatened.
“No, I didn’t win.” Johnny makes a brief pause, before he looks past Kun at Jaehyun. They lock eyes and Johnny continues, “But I intend to next time.”
Johnny watches as Jaehyun’s smirk grows into a grin.
───
Jaehyun has no idea what he's thinking when he pulls Johnny aside while everyone else is busy greeting Taeyong. Johnny looks surprised to say the least, staring at Jaehyun with questioning eyes.
"Listen, I... I was wondering... It's probably a stupid idea and you can absolutely refuse it. I don't know if you would even be interested but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask." The words tumble out of Jaehyun and then he pauses to breathe and inwardly cringes.He should've thought this through.
Johnny waits in silence. Jaehyun doesn’t know if he prefers it or not. He risks a quick glance at the group of boys not very far from them. They all seem to be immersed in discussing Taeyong's weird lucky item of the day to pay attention to the two of them. But Jaehhun has the unsettling feeling that Kun knows exactly why Jaehyun pulled Johnny aside.
It doesn't matter though. He’s doing this. Jaehyun steels himself before he continues, "I was wondering if you'd like to practice with me. Like, you know, play ball. Sometimes. A couple of days a week."
Johnny looks shocked for a second, eyes widening. Then the corners of his lips pull up in a blinding smile. Jaehyun feels a strange heat creep up his neck.
"For real?" Johnny asks excitedly.
"Like I said, you don't have to accept it, it was just an idea..."
"Of course I want to practice with you! Are you kidding me?"
Jaehyun feels a wave of relief wash over him. He was sure he would end up making a fool of himself, but Johnny seems to be over the moon with the idea which is something Jaehyun didn’t expect at all. Not that he expected Johnny to refuse it either. No-one in their right mind would, in Jaehyun’s opinion. His reputation precedes him and he’s had a lot of offers to be a private tutor to players before, even being so young.
“We can’t tell anyone, though. This needs to be a secret, especially if we end up facing each other in court. Got it?”
“Yeah, absolutely. I won’t tell anyone,” Johnny promptly agrees, nodding his head vehemently. Jaehyun hates how enthusiastic Johnny’s acting right now. Well, he doesn’t completely hate it. It’s just mildly annoying like everything related to Johnny.
“We’ll meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at six, is that okay with you? I can’t make it any earlier than that because I gotta take the train,” Jaehyun says, ready to wrap this up quickly. The others are starting to look at them curiously.
“That’s perfect, man!” Johnny replies, a smile on his lips again. Jaehyun wants to tell Johnny to tone it down but he’s starting to find Johnny’s reaction kind of cute. Which, in turn, only works to make him more annoyed.
“Come on, let me introduce you to Taeyong,” Jaehyun says leading Johnny back to the group.
───
The first time they meet up to practice Johnny’s really nervous but as soon as they start playing it all dissipates. Every thought in his mind just vanishes and it’s as if his body reacts on instinct to Jaehyun’s moves. It’s not unusual for Johnny’s mind to just blank when he plays basketball one-on-one. When he’s with his team it’s different, he has to be aware of his teammates, they have practiced plays and they know what they’re supposed to do on court.
But when it’s just you and another player, it’s different. And with Jaehyun it’s something Johnny wasn’t prepared for. Thirty minutes into the game Johnny taps out and collapses onto the ground, exhausted, panting and with his white shirt soaked in sweat. He has barely touched the ball during the time they played, only managing to steal it from Jaehyun two times and he’s pretty sure Jaehyun let him do it.
Jaehyun laughs and sits next to Johnny without saying a word. After a few minutes when Johnny has managed to even his breathing, Jaehyun offers him a water bottle which Johnny gratefully accepts.
“Ok, so, I clearly suck at basketball,” Johnny says, turning his head to stare at Jaehyun. He doesn’t look nearly as tired as Johnny.
“You don’t suck, you just need to work on your technique,” Jaehyun says running a hand through his slightly damp hair. Johnny follows Jaehyun’s movements watching the way a few loose strands fall back over his forehead. Johnny feels a sudden urge to reach out and run his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair only to check if it’s as soft as it looks.
“I know you’re already working on your jumps and your core strength. How’s your speed?” Jaehyun continues when Johnny doesn’t give him an immediate reply.
“Um… Pretty good. I’ve been running every morning, basically. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to show you.” Johnny grimaces making a mental note to tone down on the self-pity.
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Seo,” Jaehyun gives Johnny a light slap on his side. Johnny ignores the strange warmth radiating from the place Jaehyun just touched him. “I said I’m going to help you, didn’t I?”
“You did, yeah. Can I ask why, though?”
Jaehyun sends Johnny a long look, seems to contemplate Johnny’s question before he finally answers, “You have potential to be great. It’s been awhile since I felt any excitement towards the game, I... Don’t wanna sound like I’m bragging but very few people are on my level. Except for those four guys you met at the park and Doyoung, no one can beat me. I’m not even sure any of them can beat me. Not at the level I am right now. But you… You have something special, Johnny. You really do. Like, I hate to admit it but I envy your passion when you’re out there.”
Johnny’s rendered speechless by Jaehyun’s words. He’s just openly staring at the other boy, his mouth slightly agape and mind running a million miles per second to process everything.
“You’re serious,” Johnny says out loud. Jaehyun scoffs and turns to face the other way. Johnny suspects Jaehyun’s blushing but he can’t be sure. It’s pretty dark outside already.
“Yeah, I’m serious. I don’t joke when it comes to basketball, as lame as that sounds. You played for thirty minutes and you never gave up. You kept going, you kept giving your all. I admire that. It had been so long since I had any fun playing against someone. You’re still annoying and your skills are subpar, but you know, at least one of those things we can improve.”
Jaehyun’s shit-eating grin makes Johnny want to slap him but he isn’t in the best position to do so, so he just sits up and flips Jaehyun off.
“How mature of you,”Jaehyun drawls, already getting up. “Are you up for another round? I wanna try something.”
“Let’s do it.”
As the weeks go by, Johnny finds himself counting the hours until he meets Jaehyun again. It quickly becomes routine. It also becomes harder to keep everything a secret, especially because Doyoung is a constant presence in Johnny’s life. They’ve grown really close and Johnny feels bad for keeping his practice dates with Jaehyun a secret. More than once, he’s caught himself on the verge of telling Doyoung about it but then he remembered the promise he made Jaehyun.
However, by the time the final rounds of the Interhigh approach it becomes pretty obvious that Dwight High and Whimoon High will be facing each other soon. Consequently, it gets harder to keep things a secret. Not only because team practice sometimes extends longer than expected, but because Johnny has improved a lot a lot faster than if he was just practicing at regular hours.
It doesn’t go by unnoticed by Miya, their freakily observant coach. She knows exactly at what pace Johnny should be improving and it’s become obvious to her that he’s been pulling some extra work on top of what she’d already set for him.
One afternoon before practice she pulls Johnny aside and asks him if he’s been feeling well, if he’s not too tired from all the extra exercise. Johnny waves away her worries, assuring her that he’s fine. Miya doesn’t pry, but she is the least of Johnny’s worries. Doyoung is way more perceptive than Miya but also way more insistent.
“Hey, can I come to your house later to study?” Doyoung asks during lunch on a Thursday.
“Sorry, I have plans,” Johnny says, careful to look apologetic enough.
“What kind of plans?” Doyoung asks in a casual tone.
“Just plans. You know, dinner at my relative’s, that kind of thing,” Johnny lies, already feeling bad for doing so. He focuses on his cup of yogurt so he doesn’t have to meet Doyoung’s gaze.
“Do you have dinner with them every Thursday?”
“Not really,” Johnny says. He’s such a terrible liar, Doyoung can probably see right through his lame excuse.
“Okay,” Doyoung shrugs and lets the subject drop.
Johnny exhales in relief but he doesn’t feel any sense of relief. He doesn’t like lying to his friends.
Later, when Johnny meets Jaehyun, he tells him about his worries. He fully expects Jaehyun to get mad or dismiss him entirely but instead he simply tells Johnny it’s ok if he tells Doyoung, that the only reason he didn’t do it himself is because he thought Johnny already did it.
Johnny can’t help but feel like a weight is lifted from his shoulders.
That Thursday, Johnny’s performance is the best it’s ever been since they started doing this - Jaehyun’s own words. He still ends up losing, but it’s by a really small margin and he definitely makes Jaehyun work for it.
Johnny’s never seen Jaehyun look so tired after a game before and it makes pride swell in his chest. He’s finally getting to Jaehyun’s level. Soon, Johnny will be able to prove himself in a real match and he cannot wait for it.
They’re packing their things to leave when the rain comes down. It starts as only a slight drizzle, but soon it’s pouring and by the time they both reach the bus stop they’re drenched. Johnny lives only four bus stops away from the court where they usually meet, but Jaehyun lives a bit farther away. It’s also gotten late, way past nine. They lost track of time again, which keeps happening these days, now that Johnny’s stamina lasts a lot longer. Sometimes they play for a whole hour without stopping.
To top it all off, the bus is at least ten minutes late. Jaehyun takes his phone out and starts typing a message. Johnny just watches the eerily empty street. They’re the only people out right now, apparently. A shiver runs through Johnny as a gust of wind blows, and he wishes he was already tucked in his bed, warm and dry. Then, he suddenly has an idea. Probably a stupid one but Johnny’s accepted he’s full of stupid ideas a long time ago.
“Hey, if you want we can walk to my place. It’s not far,” Johnny suggests, not really expecting Jaehyun to accept. He plays with the strap of his backpack as he waits for Jaehyun to answer.
“Why would I go to your place?” Jaehyun asks, but it’s obvious he isn’t trying to be rude by the confused look he sends Johnny.
“I don’t know… The bus is late and we’re all wet. Probably not a good time to get sick with the games coming up.”
Jaehyun glances at his phone screen again and pauses to type something before he turns back to Johnny, “Sure. My mom wants to know if your parents are okay with it though.”
“Yeah, they’re totally fine. I mean, they’re in Chicago right now but I can text them and ask…,” God, Johnny. Just shut up.
Jaehyun chuckles and types something on his phone again before he tucks it away in his duffel.
“I told her they’re fine with it. Better leave out the part about them being in Chicago. You’re so weird,” Jaehyun says but Johnny takes absolutely no offense in it since he’s already used to Jaehyun calling him annoying, weird, dumbass and other terms of endearment. Johnny can tell there’s fondness behind the words, though. Or he would have minded. Jaehyun thinks he’s being sly but Johnny can tell he likes him even if just a bit. Even if it’s only because Johnny is good at basketball.
They start walking in the direction of Johnny’s house, the rain still heavy. Johnny thanks the heavens his backpack is waterproof or he would be fucked. He borrowed Doyoung’s chemistry notes and if those got wet he’d never hear the end of it.
“So you live alone?” Jaehyun asks after a few minutes of them walking in silence.
“I do, yeah. I have an aunt and uncle who live here though, they check on me from time to time,” Johnny supplies, happy to tell Jaehyun more about his life. They’ve had conversations over the last few months, but they’re mostly related to basketball.
“That must be cool, having a house all to yourself.”
“Yes and no. I have to do all the house chores and cook and do the laundry. It’s a lot of work, actually,” Johnny says. Jaehyun only grunts in response. “How about you?”
“I live with my mom. She does all the house chores, thankfully,” Jaehyun says without a single trace of shame. Johnny laughs and Jaehyun shoves him to the side with his body.
Johnny almost loses his balance and falls on his ass because Jaehyun is very strong, but he manages not to at the last second and promptly shoves Jaehyun to the side in retaliation. Jaehyun stumbles to the side but doesn’t look even slightly fazed.
“You look like a wet dog,” Jaehyun tells Johnny, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“So do you, bro” Johnny retorts in English.
“With this face?” Jaehyun starts also in English much to Johnny’s surprise, “Impossible. Unless you’re talking about a really handsome dog.”
“You speak English?” Johnny asks with visible surprise, then quickly adds, “Also please don’t say gross stuff like that.”
Jaehyun’s clearly amused by Johnny’s reaction because he’s smiling so hard his dimples are really showing now. Johnny, once again, resists the urge to reach out and touch. Why is it so hard to keep his hands away from Jaehyun, he wonders.
“I lived in the US when I was a kid for a few years,” Jaehyun explains and Johnny lets out an ‘ohhhh’. Then he continues, “That’s when I fell in love with basketball. I wanted to be an NBA player.”
Johnny’s so happy to know more about Jaehyun, so engrossed in their conversation that he barely realizes they’ve made it to his building. It’s actually Jaehyun who reminds him and Johnny thanks him, a little embarrassed about getting so caught up in everything Jaehyun like this.
They take the stairs since Johnny lives on the second floor and Johnny already feels bad for getting the lobby all wet, he doesn’t want to do the same to the elevator. Johnny fishes for his keys once they’re at the door to his apartment, unlocking it.
“Welcome to my crib!” he announces stepping into the small but tidy living room.
Behind him, Jaehyun rolls his eyes, but suppresses a smile.
───
Jaehyun's surprised to say the least when he gets to Johnny’s place. He had pictured clothes littering the floors and thrown everywhere, a pile of unwashed dishes in the sink and for the whole place to smell like wet socks. Johnny's full of surprises apparently. The place is small but it's kept clean and organized. Everything seems to be where it belongs, except for a few dozen Polaroid pictures scattered over the small square table by the window.
Almost as soon as they step into the living room Johnny's disappearing through a door on the left after telling Jaehyun to make himself at home. It takes a few minutes, then Johnny's coming back with a change of clothes and a towel and shoving Jaehyun into the bathroom.
In the bathroom, Jaehyun towels his hair as best as he can, until it's half-dry, slips out of his wet clothes and puts on a pair of sweatpants and a Chicago Bulls jersey Johnny got for him. They're a little large on him but they're comfortable and, more importantly, dry.
Once Jaehyun comes out of the bathroom, he's met by Johnny sitting on the couch, looking through his phone. He's changed into a sweatshirt and black sweatpants, a towel wrapped around his head. Jaehyun bites his lower lip as the word 'cute' forms itself in his mind. He shakes his head, sending the odd thought away. Honestly, what the hell? He's not supposed to think Johnny's cute.
"Hey, I'm trying to figure out what we can order. Or I could cook," Johnny says when Jaehyun stops awkwardly standing by the bathroom door thinking stupid things.
"Right, you can cook. Should we put your skills to the test, then?" Jaehyun says just to push some of Johnny's buttons. It doesn't work, of course, because Johnny's already jumping from the couch and going into the kitchen, rambling on about all kinds of food related things Jaehyun has no interest in. He pretends he's listening with interest though and hums and grunts at the appropriate times.
He knows that makes him sort of an asshole but, in his defense, he's busy trying to figure out how to deal with the realization that he thinks Johnny is cute. It doesn't help that Johnny’s been strutting around with disheveled hair and looking really good in sweatpants which shouldn’t even be possible.. Not that Jaehyun’s staring at Johnny and thinking about how attractive he is, because he definitely is not.
Jaehyun decides to follow Johnny into the kitchen, just so he can distract himself from all these... thoughts. He stands back, leaning against the wall and watches Johnny start to grab ingredients and pots from the cabinets.
"So what are you making?" Jaehyun asks, inspecting his nails as he does so just so he doesn't accidentally check Johnny out again.
"We are making bulgogi and rice. I have some leftover kimchi my aunt gave me so I think we are good?"
"What do you mean we?" Jaehyun honestly stopped listening as soon as heard the pronoun Johnny so emphatically used.
"Did you think I was going to do all the work and you were just gonna watch?" Johnny turns to Jaehyun, arms crossed and a hip cocked in what would be comic if Jaehyun wasn't having such conflicting feelings about Johnny at this very moment.
"Pretty much, yeah," Jaehyun shrugs.
"Well, it ain't happening so start by grabbing a knife from the drawer over there so you can chop the onions," Johnny orders, already busying himself with rinsing the rice.
“Are you seriously going to trust me with a knife?"
"I'm sure you'll be fine. But if you cut your finger off make sure it's a clean cut. And please mind your thumb, you can't play basketball if you lose it."
"God, I fucking hate you," Jaehyun says, no actual heat behind his words and smiles when he hears laughter coming from Johnny.
Food turns out great, their fingers are intact and bellies are full. They’ve just finished washing the dishes and Jaehyun’s sprawled on Johnny’s couch trying to have a conversation in only emojis with Yuta in their group chat while Taeyong complains about them spamming him with notifications.
Johnny plops down next to Jaehyun, stretching his legs and propping his feet on the small coffee table. In his hands, the pictures that were on the table earlier. Jaehyun places his phone on the couch’s arm when Johnny starts looking through the pictures, interest piqued.
“Is this in Chicago?” Jaehyun asks, pointing to a picture of Johnny standing in the middle of a huge basketball court holding a basketball under one arm and making a peace sign with the other. He’s wearing a Chicago Bulls jersey much like the one Jaehyun’s wearing right now.
“Yes, it’s the United Center. My dad took me there last year. It was amazing,” Johnny says and Jaehyun risks a glance at him. Their faces are very close since they’re leaning into each other, practically shoulder-to-shoulder. It gives Jaehyun a close-up view of every little detail about Johnny’s face.
“And this one is me with my middle school team,” Johnny says, showing Jaehyun another picture, this one featuring a bunch of boys in similar blue and white uniforms. Johnny’s wearing a read snapback in this one, and on his face is the biggest smile Jaehyun’s ever seen.
“Were you guys any good?”
“Yeah, we were good. Maybe not as good as the Legendary Five, but we managed.” Jaehyun rolls his eyes at Johnny and gives one of his thighs a hard pinch.
Johnny squirms and accidentally bangs his ankle on the coffee table. He lets out a cry of pain, dropping the polaroids on Jaehyun’s lap so he can lean forward and rub his ankle.
“Goddamnit, Jaehyun,” he complains, glaring in Jaehyun’s direction.
“You deserve it,” Jaehyun replies with a smirk, then goes back to looking through the pics.
It’s around midnight when Johnny lets out a loud yawn and they decide it’s time for bed. They both have to be up early to go to class tomorrow and they’re both pretty tired, too. If Jaehyun says he hasn’t been dreading this moment all night he’s lying, though. Bedtime means they have to figure out where Jaehyun’s sleeping. He sincerely hopes Johnny doesn’t suggest the couch because it’s not only lumpy,but also too small for Jaehyun to sleep on it. He’ll probably wake up with his entire body sore and a crick in his neck.
But Johnny doesn’t say anything about Jaehyun sleeping on the couch. So, when Johnny stands up to leave for his room and Jaehyun doesn’t follow him he turns around, a question mark in his face.
“What?” Jaehyun asks, giving Johnny an equally questioning look.
“Aren’t you coming to bed?” The way Johnny asks the question, like they’re a couple who have been married for fifty years makes Jaehyun’s cheeks burn.
“I… Are we...Sleeping in the same bed?”
“Uhhh... Yeah? There’s only one bed and I didn’t think you would want to sleep on the couch. It’s not a very nice couch,” Johnny scratches the back of his head sheepishly like the thought of offering Jaehyun the bed (a pretty normal thought, by the way) hadn’t even crossed his mind.
“Ok, that’s fine. I just wasn’t sure where I was going to sleep,” Jaehyun tries to cover up his utter embarrassment right now. The odd fluttery feeling in his chest is another thing, but he’ll worry about it later.
“I have a big bed so don’t worry about it,” Johnny adds, turning around and walking fast towards the bedroom.
Jaehyun follows and sighs in relief, seeing that the bed is big. Johnny is already jumping on the bed after pulling the covers on his side and tucking himself under them until only his nose and eyes are visible. Jaehyun suppresses a nervous chuckle, as he gets in bed next to Johnny.
Jaehyun makes himself as comfortable as he can in an unfamiliar bed, glad to finally be lying down after such a long day. Burrowing under the covers, he stretches his limbs, hearing a bone or two pop.
“Oh,” Johnny exclaims suddenly, catching Jaehyun’s attention. “Do you need an extra blanket or pillow?”
“Nah, man, I’m all set. Thanks, though.”
“Great,” Johnny says, his voice lower than usual. He looks as tired as Jaehyun feels, so why isn’t he going to sleep? He’s still looking at Jaehyun even though his eyes are a little droopy with sleepiness.
“Go to sleep, Johnny,” Jaehyun says, then turns to stare at the ceiling.
“Yeah, alright… Good night, Jae.”
Jaehyun doesn’t answer immediately, pulse quickening when he hears Johnny’s drowsy, soft voice call him by the nickname. He’s never called him anything but Jaehyun before. He asks himself why he isn’t annoyed by it. He should be, right? Because everything about Johnny’s annoying… the way he smiles and the way he knows how to cook. Also the way he looks at Jaehyun, sometimes, with clear admiration. And the way Johnny’s hair is getting too long and keeps falling over his eyes when they play so has to tie it up into a little knot. And what’s even more annoying about: the fact that Jaehyun’s always thought he looked so good when he did that but he tried to ignore it.
Everything is just really fucking annoying and Jaehyun just wants to sleep.
He forces himself to clear his mind of every and all thought of Johnny before he falls asleep. Still, he dreams about the boy with the radiant smile, wearing a red snapback and bouncing a basketball on the biggest court Jaehyun’s ever seen, while he watches with a big smile of his own.
───
Because of the bad weather, classes are cancelled on Friday and so is basketball practice. Which means Johnny only gets to talk to Doyoung on Monday.
He woke up on Friday morning to a still dead asleep Jaehyun snoring lightly, all curled up on one side of the bed. Johnny had stared. For a good ten minutes before he realized that was probably really creepy and forced himself out of bed to make them both breakfast.
Jaehyun with bedhead and puffy eyes was a sight to see and Johnny made sure to commit it to memory in case they never got the chance to have another impromptu sleepover. Johnny knows he’s feeling things for Jaehyun that go way beyond normal friendship stuff. But he’s okay with it. It’s not like it’s ever going anywhere. Jaehyun only sees Johnny as his basketball buddy, bro, or whatever. Johnny’s not even sure Jaehyun considers him a friend.
So, there’s nothing to worry about. Johnny can find Jaehyun cute and he can enjoy being around him a little more than he’d ever admit to anyone but himself. He’s allowed. It’s not like he didn’t know he was attracted to boys too. He learned that in 5th grade during a stupid game of spin the bottle at his friend’s birthday party.
Jaehyun had left after breakfast with Johnny’s promise to return his clothes to him when they met on Tuesday. Jaehyun had insisted Johnny didn’t need to wash his clothes for him but Johnny was not having it. It’s the least he could do for Jaehyun for sparing so much time and effort on making Johnny a better player.
Johnny spends the entire weekend antsy about speaking to Doyoung and telling him all about his practice nights with Jaehyun. He thought about telling Doyoung through text, but decided against it. He does some house chores on Friday, sleeps for a good part of the day on Saturday and goes for a run on Sunday morning when the weather picks up. Then, he studies during the afternoon and goes to bed pretty early.
The game against Whimoon is on Tuesday, so he and Jaehyun won’t be able to meet for practice before that which kind of sucks. Because of how important the game is, all of the basketball team got the morning off to practice so when Johnny gets to school he goes straight to the gym. But before he makes it to the doors, Doyoung appears out of nowhere giving Johnny the scare of his life.
“Jesus, Doyoung! I thought you had stopped doing this!”
“When were you going to tell me you’re playing basketball with Jaehyun two days a week and it’s been going on for months?” Doyoung looks mad. This is the first time Johnny has seen his friend like this and it’s a little scary.
“Uh… I was going to tell you this morning, actually. How did you find out? Who told you?” Johnny asks, confused. Only two people knew about his arrangement with Jaehyun and that was Jaehyun and himself, as far as Johnny knew.
“Kun told me,” Doyoung answers, the angry aura around him decreasing a little.
“Kun? How did he even know?”
“He has his ways,” Doyoung says then his brows knit and he crosses his arms over his chest, giving Johnny an inquisitive look. “Why didn’t you tell me, Johnny? I wouldn’t have told anyone.”
“I know. I wanted to tell you but I promised Jaehyun I wouldn’t tell anyone about it. But then I talked to him and he told me it was okay if I told you. I felt so bad this entire time, I swear. I’m sorry.”
Doyoung pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs resolutely. When he looks up is with a much more relaxed expression. Then, he looks around to see if they’re really alone in the hallway. There isn’t a single soul outside of the gym since everyone’s in class right now except for them. Johnny waits for whatever Doyoung’s clearly about to say.
“Look, it’s fine. I’m not mad at you. I know why Kun told me and that’s why I’m kind of pissed.”
“I don’t get it,” Johnny says, suddenly confused.
“Remember that day we went to the park?” Doyoung asks and Johnny nods in confirmation. Then, he continues, “That wasn’t just a friendly reunion to remember the old days. Kun never does things without an ulterior motive. He wanted us there to let us know about his plan to get us to the Interhigh finals. Every single one of us that were part of the Legendary Five. Well, I say us but I’m only a part of the plan to a point.”
“Okay? What does that mean?” Johnny feels a feeling of dread take over him, but he’s also not that surprised by what Doyoung’s telling him. He did have a weird feeling about Kun from the very first time he spoke to Johnny.
“It means that Kun wants us to face each other on the court to prove to everyone that no-one can beat the Legendary Five. Well, he’s been successful so far. You know I was never officially part of the Five, even though I was in the team. Kun never saw me for who I was as a player, he saw me as an extension of Jaehyun. Jaehyun was the light and I was his shadow. So even though I was the sixth ace, so to speak, I was nothing but a phantom player. People know who I am, of course, and even Kun can’t ignore my talents, but he knows I’m not an individual player, I depend on my team to shine.”
When Doyoung stops talking, Johnny takes a moment to process everything that the other boy said. Back when Doyoung told him about the Legendary Five he left out this part, about not really being recognized by the captain of his own team at the time. He’d only mentioned in passing that “things had been complicated”, but now Johnny understands what he meant.
“Kun told you I was meeting Jaehyun in secret because he thought it would throw us off balance. He thought we would fight and that it would translate on the court during our game against Whimoon,” Johnny says what he’s thinking out loud, pretty sure he’s correct. When Doyoung confirms it, Johnny actually feels himself getting angry and disgusted.
“That’s playing dirty,” Johnny states and Doyoung lets out a bitter chuckle.
“There’s no such thing as playing dirty or playing fair in Kun’s book. Everything’s a game to him, so he will do whatever it takes to win. But he wasn’t always like this.” Doyoung looks sad for a moment, shoulders sagging slightly.
Johnny puts a hand on the blue-haired boy’s shoulder and gives it a comforting squeeze. “It doesn’t matter, though. He didn’t succeed. We’re going to give our best out there, and if we lose, so be it. We’ll have other opportunities to win.”
“You know I don’t care about winning nearly as much as you do,” Doyoung says with a small smile. He still looks a little sad and tired but Johnny’s sure he’ll be okay.
“I know you don’t, but it’s not so bad to win sometimes,right?” Johnny cocks his head to the side and raises his eyebrows as he looks at Doyoung.
“Right,” Doyoung agrees, then he grimaces, looking past over Johnny’s shoulder at the gym doors. “We should get in there. They’re probably wondering where we are.”
“True. Let’s go,” Johnny says, throwing an arm around Doyoung’s shoulders as they start walking.
Johnny expects practice to be already in full swing when they enter the gym but they walk in to find everyone gathered around in a small circle instead. They seem to be in the middle of a discussion but as Johnny and Doyoung make their presence known, silence follows.
“Look, it’s the traitor,” Jungwoo jeers before he earns a shove from Mark. “What? It’s true!”
Johnny feels something cold and unpleasant coil in the pit of his stomach. Apparently Doyoung isn’t the only one who found out about him and Jaehyun.
“I’m sure Johnny has a good explanation for this. Let’s hear him first, ok?” Chanyeol, their captain, pipes in, putting a hand on Johnny’s shoulder as he approaches with Doyoung still by his side.
Johnny doesn’t know what to say, to be honest. He doesn’t think he did anything wrong but he understands some of his teammates’ reactions. It probably doesn’t look good that he hid the fact that he’s been practicing everyday with someone from a rival school. Although it’s not a crime, Johnny does think it wasn’t fair of him to keep it a secret, even though he promised Jaehyun.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep it from you guys,” Johnny begins. He looks at each of his teammate’s faces and then rests his gaze on Miya. “I’m really sorry, coach. I know I should’ve told you when you asked me if anything was up.”
“That’s okay, Johnny. You didn’t do anything wrong, but I hope next time you trust us enough to tell us. We know there’s no conspiracy going on here, despite what Jungwoo said,” Miya glares at him in a very mom-like manner and Jungwoo shrinks, looking down at the ground.
“Nevertheless, I do believe we have to be able to trust each other so we can excel as a team. We have to think of each other as family or this,” she motions with her hand at all of them,” will never work.”
“Miya is right. We don’t care what you do with your free time, but I think we have the right to know when it’s something that has the potential to affect the whole team,” Chanyeol says, echoing Miya’s sentiment.
Johnny feels positively awful and like he betrayed his teammates’ trust. He opens his mouth to apologize again, but Doyoung squeezes his elbow to catch his attention. Johnny looks at his friend and he shakes his head slightly.
“Ok, then it’s settled. Now we know we have to be honest with each other. Let’s bury the matter now. We have a game to win!”
Everyone cheers, echoing Miya’s sentiment. Johnny earns a few pats on the back and a few words of consolation. Chanyeol ruffles his hair before he walks away and despite still feeling like crap, Johnny decides to bottle everything up and get through practice. It’s what he owes the team after all.
───
[5:15] jae : can we meet?
[5:22] johnny : yeah, is everything ok?
[5:25] jae : idk. is it?
Johnny greets Doyoung goodbye as they go in opposite directions. He just left school, tired from a grueling day of practice. His muscles are sore and he can feel a headache coming. Despite that, it didn’t even cross his mind to tell Jaehyun, no. Johnny didn’t expect Jaehyun to try and check up on him or anything, so he’s surprised and feeling a little giddy if he’s being honest, which feels wrong but he can’t help it.
They meet by the court they usually play at. It’s still fairly early so there are a few kids playing. They find a place a little farther away and sit on one of the unoccupied benches. Jaehyun’s still wearing his school uniform. It’s a lot more formal than Johnny’s, which doesn’t include a tie, except on formal occasions. Jaehyun looks good in it, with his hair gelled up, parted on the side and away from his forehead. He looks like he could be an idol or an all star player.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jaehyun’s voice brings Johnny back to reality and he laughs awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. He should get that haircut before the game, probably.
“Nothing. I was just thinking,” Johnny says, shaking his head.
“Didn’t know you could do that, Seo,” Jaehyun quips and Johnny glares at him.
“Why did you wanna meet?” Johnny asks, even though he already knows the answer.
“Heard Kun ruined our secret,” Jaehyun says, looking more serious now.
“He did. But it’s fine, I already explained everything.” Johnny stares at his hands, still feeling crappy about the whole ordeal.
“You sure it’s fine? You look kind of miserable,” Jaehyun comments and Johnny can feel the other’s eyes on him, but he still doesn’t look up.
“I feel miserable, but it’ll pass.”
“Sorry I put you in this position.” The last thing Johnny needs now is for Jaehyun to be apologizing for offering his help. So Johnny interrupts him before he can say anything else, “Please, don’t. This isn’t on you.”
“It kinda is, though. I was the one who suggested it, I didn’t think-”
“Jae, please,” Johnny says, giving Jaehyun a pointed look.
“Ok, I’ll shut up,” Jaehyun says throwing his hands in defeat.
“Thanks,” Johnny sighs.
A few minutes pass as they sit in silence and the sky begins to darken. They watch as the kids start to file out of the court, but it’s not until the place is almost completely empty that Jaehyun reaches in his duffel bag for his basketball.
“Feel like playing?” Jaehyun asks, standing up. Johnny looks up, watches as Jaehyun attempts to spin the ball on his index finger and succeeds twice in a row without absolutely no effort. Typical.
Johnny rolls his still sore shoulders, feeling all the taut muscles in his arms protest at the mere thought of more physical activity but he pays it no mind. Standing up, he takes the ball from Jaehyun without saying a word and runs, crossing the court in large strides. When his foot touches the freethrow line he jumps and slam dunks the ball into the net.
Johnny hears Jaehyun’s hoots behind him and allows himself to smile as he drops to the floor.
“Pretty impressive,” Jaehyun says as he walks up to meet Johnny.
“Learned from the best,” Johnny winks and bounces the ball a few times between his hands.
“God, you’re cheesy,” Jaehyun rolls his eyes and attempts to steal the ball from Johnny, but the latter is faster and dodges Jaehyun just in time, spinning on his heel until he’s facing the other side of the court.
“Come on, Jae. See if you can beat me,” Johnny taunts as he throws the ball effortlessly right through the hoop. “Three-pointer, baby,” Johnny shouts.
“You’re getting too bold,” Jaehyun says in a warning tone but Johnny can see he’s enjoying it.
It’s been happening gradually, the change in Jaehyun whenever they play. It’s still not always there, the fire in his eyes when he plays basketball, but lately it’s been making an appearance more and more often. Johnny doesn’t know if Jaehyun is aware of it, but he’s clearly changed since the first time Johnny played against him.
It makes Johnny happy to know that. In a way, they both learned something from each other, which eases the worries in Johnny’s chest considerably. Even though he had made a few mistakes along the way, he’s certain that he would do it all again if it meant Jaehyun would find joy in playing basketball again and if it meant he would get to play against the best player he’d ever met and learn from him.
Tonight, Johnny beats Jaehyun one-on-one for the first time since they met.
It’s only 45-46 but Johnny is so ecstatic and proud of himself that he can barely contain the excitement. Jaehyun, somehow, looks happy after losing. They’re both laughing, trying to catch their breaths and still not quite believing it, when Johnny walks up to Jaehyun, throws his arms around the other’s neck and pulls him into a tight hug.
Jaehyun’s taken by surprise at first, but after a brief moment of confusion he wraps his arms around Johnny’s waist and brings him closer, their bodies flush together. Jaehyun is all sweaty and gross, but so is Johnny and he decides he doesn’t give a single fuck as he reaches up to bury his fingers in Jaehyun’s hair - something he’s been dying to do for a while. He drags his fingers through the soft strands and Jaehyun visibly leans into the touch.
“Fuck,” Johnny breathes out, without thinking, hiding his face in the crook of Jaehyun’s neck.
Jaehyun’s arms tighten around his and then Johnny feels a pair of very soft, very warm lips touch the side of his neck. A shiver runs through his spine and Johnny feels himself melt in Jaehyun’s embrace. This is the first time he feels like this: like every inch of him is a nerve end. Wherever Jaehyun touches him, even the lightest of touches; a brush of his hair against Johnny’s temple, his fingers digging into Johnny’s side, sends an electric current throughout his whole body.
It’s more intoxicating and more addictive than the rush of making a shot or stealing a ball from your opponent. Johnny’s been a basketball junkie all his life, thought nothing compared to it, but the way Jaehyun makes all of Johnny’s senses tingle in the absolute most incredible way possible is making Johnny seriously reconsider it.
“We should probably go, right?” Johnny says but makes no move to untangle himself from Jaehyun’s embrace.
“Yeah, probably,” Jaehyun replies, his breath hot against Johnny’s bare skin.
“We have a game tomorrow,” Johnny says, running his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair one more time before he slides his hand down the nape of his neck. Jaehyun visibly shivers and Johnny has to use all of his willpower not to plant a kiss on the other boy’s neck.
“We do,” Jaehyun says and takes a step back, just enough so their bodies aren’t pressed against each other, but he still has his arms around Johnny’s waist.
“I really want to kiss you,” Johnny says, still a little dazed, can’t quite believe what’s happening.
Jaehyun hums, his gaze traveling to Johnny’s lips. Johnny does his best not to lean in and take Jaehyun’s lips in his. He’s not sure if Jaehyun wants to kiss him, even if he looks like he does.
“What are you waiting for, then?” Jaehyun says sounding a bit impatient and annoyed in that very characteristic Jaehyun way.
Johnny chuckles and eyes Jaehyun’s lips before he leans in. They’re a breath away from kissing when Johnny hesitates. This is literally his first kiss, what if he messes up? What if he’s a terrible kisser and what if Jaehyun hates it?
But before Johnny can back away, Jaehyun cups his face with a hand and brings their lips together rendering every single one of Johnny’s thoughts useless. Jaehyun’s lips are as soft as Johnny expected. Not that he ever allowed himself to dream about kissing Jaehyun. It all seemed as impossible as him beating Jaehyun at basketball but both things just happened in the very same night.
Johnny vaguely remembers thinking he would have to crush everything that got in his way of following his dreams. Instead, he came to Korea and met Jaehyun who seemed like the biggest obstacle Johnny would ever have to face. Instead, Jaehyun proved to be exactly what Johnny needed and everything he never dared hope for.
The kiss lasts for a few seconds before they pull away and if Jaehyun’s flushed cheeks are anything to go by, Johnny’s pretty sure he did fairly well for his first time.
“I’m still going to win tomorrow,” Jaehyun says, caressing Johnny’s cheeks with the pad of his thumb.
“We’ll see about that,” Johnny says, placing a hand on each of Jaehyun’s hips and pulling him closer again. “Now, be quiet. I really wanna try something,” Johnny says before he’s leaning in again. Jaehyun smiles and closes his eyes, tilting his chin up slightly, as he meets Johnny’s lips halfway through.