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As soon as Yoongi's back hits the ice, Hoseok sees red.
Yoongi lands on the ground with a dull thud, crashing roughly into the boards as a rogue defender sweeps his feet out from under him. It’s a hard hit—something that definitely isn’t legal—and Yoongi is left sprawled on the cold, hard ice. The crowd roars in indignation at the brutality, booing and yelling at the officials about an obvious penalty. Luckily or unluckily, something in the back of Hoseok’s brain always seems to know exactly where Yoongi is on the ice, constantly keeping an eye out for him for passes and protection. In his peripheral vision, Hoseok watches Yoongi go down in slow motion. The sound of the stadium fades away until Hoseok can only hear the thunder of his heartbeat echoing in his ears. He’s breathing heavily. His chest is tight. His blood boils.
Before his brain can register what he’s doing, Hoseok is on top of the asshole defender in a whirlwind of righteous fury. His mind is blank and his body takes over, the intense urge to protect Yoongi overpowering any other basic thought. Hoseok throws the first punch, shoving the guy as far away from Yoongi as possible. As soon as Yoongi is out of the way, Hoseok really unleashes his wrath.
Everything else after the first punch is a blur. Hoseok barely registers his helmet flying off his head, the referees blowing their whistles, or the deafening sound of the stadium crowd. All he can hear is the pounding of his heart and the blood rushing in his ears.
As he sits in the penalty box after the fight, Hoseok begins to realize what just happened.
The second he saw Yoongi hit the ice, something inside him snapped. The intense urge to protect the other boy overpowered all rational thought or focus on the play, which somewhat scares Hoseok.
Throughout all his years playing hockey—minor leagues and professional—Hoseok has never been a fighter. Whenever someone tries to push him around on the ice, he works twice as hard to show the defenders that he’s better than them and that he shouldn’t be messed with. Throwing punches wasn’t worth it and wouldn’t solve his problems, but speeding past defenders to score definitely would.
Hoseok can’t believe he’s sitting in the penalty box for getting into a fight. Yoongi, with his short temper and habit of roughing up other players, is well known for the notorious amount of fights he’s been in. Hoseok doesn’t understand why he was suddenly so passionate about protecting Yoongi, or why he randomly decided that Yoongi needed protecting in the first place.
When Yoongi passes the penalty box next time a referee blows their whistle, he taps on the glass to send Hoseok a silent thank you . Even though Yoongi’s helmet covers most of his face, Hoseok catches a glimpse of soft eyes and lips quirked in a fond smile. Hoseok must have a funny look on his face because Yoongi seems to laugh quietly, shaking his head before quickly skating back towards the bench.
Oh , Hoseok realizes, that’s why I punched the defender.
Maybe the special look between the two of them is the reason why he’s suddenly so willing to get into fistfights on the ice. Maybe because the idea of Yoongi getting hurt makes his heart ache. Maybe because the way Yoongi smiles at him makes his chest tighten and his heart flutter. Maybe because he’s hopelessly in love with his teammate.
Hoseok's head falls heavily into his hands with a sigh. He is so doomed.
He’s never been like this before—so instinctively protective of another person that he won’t let anything or anyone hurt them. Hoseok has never been prone to anger or violence, especially on the ice. He’s a good sport—very passionate about the game and occasionally a sore loser, but never bitter. Hoseok prides himself on being the mood-maker of the team, making everyone laugh during hard practices and showing immense kindness even to his opponents.
Except for those who purposely mess with Yoongi apparently...
The clock on his penalty quickly runs out and soon Hoseok is back on the ice, playing his heart out and attempting to ignore the strange feeling this romantic revelation has given him. He can hardly focus at some points, now deep in thought about how Yoongi might possibly feel about him or why the other boy influences his actions to such an extent. His coach, Bang PD, notices his distraction and sends him a stern look from behind the glass. Thankfully, this helps whip Hoseok back into shape so he can finally finish the rest of the game without drifting off again.
He’s almost completely forgotten about his random act of aggression until the team is back in the locker rooms, riding high off the serotonin from their most recent win. The rest of the boys are cheering loudly and celebrating, patting each other on the back for their magnificent displays of teamwork. Their team captain, Kim Namjoon, surveys the chaos with a proud grin on his face before jumping into the celebrations himself.
Once things have finally quieted down and Bang PD gives them the usual post-game speech, the boys hit the showers and begin to get dressed. Hoseok’s soft sweatpants feel exquisite on his aching legs and the hockey player simply cannot wait to draw a relaxing warm bath for his stiff muscles. Hoseok thinks he deserves it after the rough game he played tonight. But as he’s packing up the remainder of his equipment, a familiar voice interrupts his thoughts.
“Why did you do that, Hoseok?” Yoongi asks quietly, his gear already completely packed and sitting by his feet. Hoseok freezes, afraid that if he looks behind him and into his teammate’s eyes he’ll spill all of his mushy feelings immediately.
Instead, he plays dumb. “Do what, hyung?”
He pretends like he’s extra focused on packing his shoulder pads, when in reality his entire body is on edge from the close proximity of the other boy.
Unfortunately, Yoongi knows Hoseok far too well after years of playing by his side. “You know exactly what I’m talking about, dumbass.” Hoseok can imagine him rolling his eyes before he finally speaks again, “About how you suddenly decided to practically break a defender’s neck just because he took a cheap shot at me.”
The words make Hoseok’s cheeks burn in shame, embarrassed by his aggressive overreaction. He would’ve physically defended any of his teammates if they’d been wronged as blatantly as Yoongi had, but never to the same extent. Because Yoongi was nothing like the others to him. Instead of saying that outright, Hoseok continues to do what he does best in conversation and on the ice—dodging.
“I’ll do anything for my teammates, you know that.” Hoseok answers smoothly, finally turning around to meet Yoongi’s eyes. Immediately, he feels his resolve begin to crumble. Yoongi’s eyes are staring deep into his, albeit somewhat squinted in suspicion, but his facial expression is open and soft. Hoseok tries to shrug in nonchalance even though alarm bells are ringing in his head, desperately attempting to keep even a semblance of composure or dignity in this situation.
Unfortunately, his body has other ideas.
Hoseok can feel the red-hot flush creeping up his neck and his traitorous heart beating erratically in his chest. He prays to any hockey or love deity in existence that the other boy can’t hear it. He quickly bends down to tie his shoes as a pathetic excuse to avoid prolonged eye contact with Yoongi. Hoseok is almost positive that a love confession will fall right out of his mouth if he doesn’t take the proper precautions.
Yoongi’s eyes narrow even further, rightfully suspicious about Hoseok’s flustered and avoidant behavior. “Is that what I am to you?” He asks, confidently stepping forward into the other boy’s personal space. The closeness causes Hoseok to look up in surprise. Yoongi’s breath ghosts across his face and he fruitlessly attempts to suppress an involuntary shiver. Of course, he fails miserably.
Yoongi notices his physical response and smirks, biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. The fact that he actually knows about the embarrassing effect he has on Hoseok makes him want to melt into the ice or step in front of a zamboni. Anything to take him out of this misery.
“Am I just a teammate, Hoseok?” Yoongi whispers, stepping even closer until they’re almost nose to nose in the empty locker room. Hoseok didn’t even realize the rest of the team had already cleared out, so completely wrapped up in Yoongi that the rest of the world around him had faded away.
It’s a very heavy question—one that Hoseok from his rookie years was never prepared to answer. One that he has never had the guts to answer until his moment of clarity tonight in the penalty box. When he was first starting out, Hoseok was terrified of addressing the important impact Yoongi had on his everyday life in fear that everything would vanish. They’ve been together since the very beginning—celebrating after big wins, driving to morning skates together, and lounging around each other’s apartments on their days off. There hasn’t been a birthday or major holiday that they haven’t spent together in the past few years of playing on the road. Hell, they’ve been practically living together at some points and Hoseok has never wanted his dumb feelings to change their dynamic. It’s somewhat surprising that he didn’t recognize how completely intertwined their lives are any sooner—connected in ways that make them much more than normal teammates.
After a brief moment of silence from Hoseok, Yoongi raises his eyebrow in challenge, clearly waiting for him to answer. Hoseok takes a shaky breath. Before he can lose his nerve, he stares into Yoongi’s eyes and blurts out the truth that he’s always known deep down but has never had the opportunity to vocalize.
“You’ve always been more than a teammate to me.”
Yoongi’s eyes widen in surprise at his honesty, face suddenly open and vulnerable from the confession. After processing his initial shock, his teammate grins brightly, gummy smile on full display. “Really?”
“Really.” Hoseok affirms, sliding his arms around Yoongi’s slim waist and resting his forehead against the other boy’s with a giddy laugh. “When I saw you go down on the ice, I swear I almost tore that guy apart.”
“Believe me, I know.” Yoongi smirks, wrapping his arms around Hoseok’s neck.
“You do?” The other boy raises an eyebrow, flushing a little bit in embarrassment. He had lost control so easily—of course Yoongi noticed.
“Yeah.” Yoongi grins, eyes suddenly turning sharp. He leans forward with a whisper, lips grazing the shell of Hoseok’s ear. “It was really, really hot.”
Oh.
Really hot, huh? Now that’s something Hoseok can work with.
“Didn’t know you were into that, hyung,” Hoseok teases, stepping forward until Yoongi’s back is pressed up against the cool metal lockers. He hears Yoongi’s breath hitch, which makes him grin even wider. “If I would’ve known, I would’ve beat the crap out of some defenders a long time ago.”
“Y-you’re an idiot.” Yoongi tries to look and sound uninterested, rolling his eyes fondly, but he can’t help but track the movement of Hoseok’s tongue as he wets his lips. He’s incredibly flustered. Interesting.
“Sounds like I’m your knight in shining armor, Yoongi-hyung.” Hoseok jokes, nodding solemnly, “I saved you from that big, scary defender!”
Yoongi narrows his eyes, momentarily annoyed before his expression shifts into something...hungrier. “Maybe my knight deserves a reward.”
Hoseok’s eyes widen, heart rate skyrocketing at the possible implications. “Oh?”
“Just come here.” Yoongi groans, scoffing at their stupidity and quickly grabbing the back of Hoseok’s neck, pulling his teammate down for an absolutely mind-blowing first kiss. Hoseok swears that he sees stars.
Despite all their time spent in the cold, Yoongi’s lips are warm and soft. They move smoothly against Hoseok’s in a way that makes the younger’s legs feel like jelly. Hoseok leaves one hand on Yoongi’s waist, fingers briefly slipping under the hem of his shirt to press against the warm skin there. His other hand moves upward to press against the metal locker near Yoongi’s head, effectively caging the other boy in his arms. The older groans at the action—this time, not in annoyance.
Hoseok grins into the kiss, feeling almost euphoric at the intimacy of their current situation. Took you long enough, his teammate Jimin’s voice rings in the back of his head. Yoongi softly runs his fingers through Hoseok’s hair.
Hoseok also dutifully ignores the possibility of someone walking in on them in such a compromising situation, instead allowing himself to get lost in the feeling of Yoongi’s tongue in his mouth and the other boy’s hands in his hair. Every nerve in his body is positively singing and he feels tingly all over. Hoseok would spend a million minutes in the penalty box if it means that Yoongi will continue kissing him like this.
The two of them makeout like horny teenagers for a little while longer, pressed up against the lockers with wandering hands. Yoongi eventually sighs, pulling away from Hoseok reluctantly. He giggles softly when the younger attempts to chase his lips. Hoseok has the audacity to blush.
“Wow.” Yoongi murmurs, seemingly lost in thought.
“Wow,” Hoseok emphasizes, regretfully taking a step back and straightening his clothes with a grin. “Yeah, I really should’ve beat the crap out of some defenders a long time ago.”
Yoongi laughs, shoving his teammate lightly and picking up his gym bag to head towards the door. He waits for Hoseok to follow, looking fond and thoroughly kissed. Hoseok kinda wants him to look like that forever. He’s gorgeous, his brain supplies helpfully.
When Hoseok catches up, he quickly reaches down to intertwine their hands. Yoongi positively melts, going bright red at the contact even though they were just making out against the lockers moments before. Hoseok thinks it’s cute.
“I seriously don’t know how I didn’t notice if before.” Hoseok murmurs in awe, swinging their joined hands between them as they exit the locker room. Yoongi laughs quietly, opening his mouth to respond when—
“Me neither, buddy.” Namjoon interrupts as they turn the corner, eyes flickering down to their intertwined hands with a smug grin. He’s leaning against the wall with his phone in his hand, presumably waiting for his ride. Hoseok’s face burns red in embarrassment, but he can’t seem to stop smiling nonetheless. “It felt like every single person on the team noticed before you two idiots. Even Jungkook.”
Yoongi looks like he’s about to protest but apparently thinks better of it, leveling Namjoon’s with a petulant frown. “Damn, really?”
Their captain nods, looking nonchalant. “You two have never been subtle. By the way—nice penalty tonight, Hoseok-hyung.”
Hoseok groans, attempting to hide his face behind Yoongi’s shoulder. Both boys are laughing quietly. “You guys are so annoying.”
“Well, if everyone has already known for a long time, I guess we have a lot catch up on. Don’t we, Hobi?” Yoongi tugs on his hand, walking past Namjoon with a mischievous glint in his eye. Hoseok really likes that look. Namjoon pretends to gag in disgust at the implications, but Hoseok can tell that he’s truly happy for them.
“Gross!” Their captain yells after them, but the pair is already hurrying towards the parking deck with dumb smiles on their faces. Hoseok once again feels like a teenager sneaking away with his crush, body thrumming with adrenaline. He feels positively giddy. From the other boy’s carefree laugh, he can tell the feeling is mutual.
“My place?” Yoongi questions, jingling his keys enticingly.
“Definitely.”