Chapter Text
Kim Seokjin was in his second year of middle school when he decided to try volleyball for the very first time. His mother, delighted that he was showing an interest in a sport, signed him up for a travel league at the local gym in his town. Jin had been excited at first, but the thought of his first practice had him shaking with nerves all day. It was worse when he finally entered the gym and he saw what he had to compete with.
There were at least 10 other boys on this team, all of which looked like they had been playing for years. Most of them were in small groups; passing amongst themselves with decent control and athleticism for their age. But for Jin, it looked as though he were still standing at the starting line while everyone else had took off a long time ago.
He walked awkwardly to a set of bleachers so he could put his gym bag down and put on the new volleyball shoes his mother bought him. They were solid white and was laced up with some pale pink shoestrings that Jin had picked out. When they were buying them Jin had been very excited to wear the shoes, but now he felt slightly nauseous as he tied his laces.
The sound of the volleyballs making contact with the floor echoed throughout the gym, and Jin continued to sit and wait all by himself, feeling shy and out of place with people he didn’t know. He reached up to adjust his glasses and idly wondered if they would fall off during practice. With a worried glance, he also noticed that none of the other boys had glasses.
A shrill whistle caught the attention of everyone else in the room and all the boys ran over to a tall man in a track suit, who introduced himself as the coach. Jin jogged over and hovered awkwardly outside of the huddle, listening to the coach’s instruction. He had been in the middle of explaining a warm up drill when the doors to the gym flew open with a bang.
Jin blinked when a boy, tall and lanky, barreled through the entrance. He was breathing heavy and looked at the coach with wide panicked eyes.
“Ah!” The boy bowed deeply, his gym bag slipping from his shoulder. “I’m so sorry I’m late!”
The coach raised an eyebrow, an amused quirk to his lip, before telling him to hurry and put his equipment on. After the boy ran off to the bleachers the coach continued explaining, but Jin found himself watching the other boy as he frantically shoved his foot in his shoe.
“Alright, let’s go! Partner up!”
Jin blinked, returning his attention to the huddle in time to notice the kids latching onto each other to claim their partners. A quick glance around showed that no one was left to group with.
A tap on his shoulder caused Jin to spin around, only to come face-to-face with the boy who was late. His eyes, which were also covered with glasses, squinted as he gave Jin a closed lip smile.
“Hey! I’m Kim Namjoon. Do you want to be my partner?”
Jin flushed lightly at the sight of dimples in his smile, returning it with a grin of his own.
“S-sure!”
The first week of practice was eye-opening for Jin. He found out, unsurprisingly, that he and Namjoon were the most inexperienced players on the team. They were awkward with their bodies and it took them longer to learn the method and the timing to hit, pass, and set. Jin had been embarrassed the few times he would miss the ball completely trying to pass it, but Namjoon was a good motivator, and Jin was relieved to have someone by his side.
Jin had also found out what kind of position he might be playing. Coach had said he would be a ‘Middle Blocker’, but all Jin knew was that he was going to hit and jump at the middle of the net. Thankfully, Namjoon was placed in the same position.
“It’s probably because we’re tall.” Namjoon mused during a water break. “Both of us can reach over the net.”
“I’m not good at blocking though…” Jin huffed as he sipped from his water bottle.
Namjoon shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose. “At least you can actually hit the ball and not the air.”
Jin coughed up his water as a squeaky laugh forced itself out of his throat and Namjoon politely patted his back, grinning all the while.
The whole week it was just Jin and Namjoon. When they stretched, warmed up, and passed, it was always together. They didn’t ignore their teammates, and they weren’t treated badly by them in any way, but it was just comfortable to be with each other.
At the end of their last day of practice for the week, the coach announced that they would be having their first game that weekend. Excitement and nervousness fluttered in Jin’s gut at the thought of playing in an actual game. After practice, he hurried home to tell his mother and father about the game.
His mother was excited and his father looked proud that Jin was so animated about something like this. The night before the game Jin was texting with Namjoon, sending a message at how he hoped they both could score a point in the game. He didn’t get a reply right away, but Namjoon eventually sent a message back.
That would be great! But I just hope we get to play.
They didn’t get to play.
Jin cried in the locker room after the game.
He didn’t make a sound, but tears rolled down his cheeks as soon as the last of his teammates left. Namjoon was the only one who stayed behind and he quickly pulled Jin into a tight hug. Jin knew it was comfort, but he felt so embarrassed for being so excited and getting his family involved. His big brother even rescheduled a date with his girlfriend to come watch.
“It’s going to be ok.” Namjoon murmured, rubbing Jin’s back soothingly. “We just have to practice harder. Learn how to hit and serve like the other guys.”
Jin took a shaky breath, trying not to sob openly. “We won’t get better in time, Joonie.”
Namjoon grabbed Jin’s shoulders to gently push him back so they could make eye contact. Jin never saw how serious Namjoon could look before now. It was usually grins or goofy smiles between them, but now his face was so determined that it left Jin a little speechless.
“Jin, I’m going to make sure you play. That we both get to play.” Namjoon casually wiped away some stray tears off Jin’s cheeks, which may have caused a strange flutter in Jin’s chest.
After that incident, Namjoon invited Jin over to his house after practice to keep doing drills and exercises in his yard. They would hit around until night fell and the ball wasn’t visible anymore. When it got dark, Jin’s brother would come pick him up from Namjoon’s house to walk him home.
Almost every night for two weeks it went like this and Jin would fall asleep, exhausted and sore with Namjoon’s dimpled smile on his mind.
The change was unnoticeable at first, but one morning, Jin’s mother made a comment about Jin’s arms looking a bit more muscular. Blinking curiously, Jin flexed his bicep and was surprised to find some definition and swell in his arm. He also noticed that his shoulders were getting broader and his waist was getting slim.
He went into practice that week with a newfound confidence.
It was their eighth game of their season and Jin was sitting in his usual spot beside Namjoon on the end of the bench. Both of them still haven’t played a single second in the actual game, being subjected to the tail end of the second string.
Two of the starters, who were taller and more skilled than both Namjoon and Jin, were struggling a lot this game. They were down by two points in the last set and it was nearing game point, but one of the middle blockers couldn’t read the setter in time to make a solid block and the other middle hadn’t gotten a serve over all game.
They had just won the ball back and they rotated so that one of the middle blockers was up to serve. Suddenly, Coach called Jin and Namjoon over after yelling for a time out.
The referee blew his whistle and Namjoon looked at Jin with wide eyes as they walked over to the team huddle. The coach huffed out a short speech of what he expected from the players before he turned to Jin and Namjoon.
“Alright boys, you two are going in. Namjoon, I need you to block! You’re good at reading the ball, so trust your gut and stay out of the net. No violations.”
Namjoon gulped nervously but nodded, his hands shaking by his side.
“Seokjin.” Coach stared seriously at Jin’s face with eyebrows furrowed. “I just need you to take your time and get the ball over the net.”
Another whistle sounded to signify the end of the time out and Jin and Namjoon waited awkwardly by the ref to be subbed in. The teammates they were subbing for gave them weak smiles before heading to the bench, and Jin figured it was meant to be encouraging, but it only made him feel like they had already accepted defeat.
The line judge tossed the ball to Jin and it dawned on him that he had to actually serve the ball. Jin was good at serving, it was actually his strongest skill, but he could feel the tense pressure around him. They were only down by 1 point, the score being 22-23, but if the other team scored it would be game point.
His heart was pounding in his chest and he thought about every worse-case scenario that could happen in the next moments. Jin knew his parents were watching; they never missed a game despite him riding the bench the whole time. He could also feel the eyes of his coach and teammates from the sideline. It was almost too much to handle.
But Namjoon looked back at Jin from his position at the net, his eyes squinting as he smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Jin smiled back and strangely felt some of his nerves settle. A sharp whistle brought him back to focus, and Jin adjusted his glasses before taking a deep breath and tossing the ball.
With a solid swing, the ball went over the net…
…and scored an ace.
They ended up losing that game, but it wasn’t due to Jin or Namjoon. After Jin’s ace, he managed to serve it again but the other team received it and hit to the deep corner to score a point. The coach sent in the libero for Jin, but that was fine.
Jin ended up cheering loudly for Namjoon.
Before the other team won, Namjoon had managed to block a dunk attempt by the setter. Jin would have laughed at the shocked look on Namjoon’s face when it happened, but he was too busy jumping up and down with excitement.
Volleyball was fun, but it was so much more enjoyable with Namjoon playing alongside him.
Jin couldn’t imagine this without him, and that made every practice and every game sitting on the bench worth it.
After proving themselves, Jin and Namjoon got to play more and more each game, and they both fell in love with volleyball.
But Jin found himself slowly falling for a boy named Kim Namjoon.
Weeks pasted by in a blur and soon the season was coming to a close. They ended up starting their last game, even winning it in two sets. Everything was great and Jin felt like his life had finally fallen into place.
“Ah, I can’t wait to play next year Namjoonie! We’ll practice really hard this summer so we can win all of our games! We can even try out for our school team if we learn how to hit better.” Jin let out his squeaky laugh, slapping Namjoon on the shoulder as they headed to the locker room.
Before he could keep walking, Namjoon stopped Jin outside the locker room door. He had a bittersweet smile on his face and Jin felt concern well up in his chest.
“What wrong, Joon?” Jin tilted his head, an uncertain grin pulling at his lips. “Are you worried? I’ll be a third year so don’t worry if any jerks get mad that a second year took their spot! I’ll make sure they don’t bother you, so don’t-“
“I’m so sorry Jin-hyung, but I won’t be able to play volleyball with you for a while.” Namjoon’s soft voice pierced through the air, chilling Jin to the bone. “My mom told me I’m going to study abroad in America for a few years.”
That was the second time Jin cried in the locker room, and the second time Namjoon made a promise.
“I’ll come back. We’ll play together again, I swear!”
Around five years have passed since that fateful day and now Jin was starting the summer before his last year of high school, and his last season of school volleyball.
He had little hope that this promise would be kept.
Jin sighed, heaving his gym bag on one wide shoulder before he left his room to head downstairs. They had summer workouts for the volleyball team today, but he couldn’t help but feel melancholy about the whole ordeal. It was his last time playing for his high school, he knew that much, but he couldn’t find it in him to be excited.
Namjoon’s face flashed in his mind, frozen in time at his middle school age, dimpled and decorated by black framed glasses. They stayed in close contact at first, texting or calling each other every night, until their parents had to limit their contact due to international phone charges. Slowly they started to drift apart, each with their own responsibilities to take care of, and their own lives to live.
He hadn’t heard much from Namjoon recently, only a simple generic text every random holiday. It wasn’t anything special, but Jin scolded himself every time his heart fluttered at the sight of Namjoon’s contact name popping up on his phone.
“Seokjinnie? Are you off to workouts?”
Jin glanced up, in the middle of tying his shoe, to see his mother poking her head out of the kitchen. “Yeah Eomma, I’ll be gone for a few hours.”
“Alright…” His mother hummed, trotting over to plant a soft kiss on his hair before waving goodbye. “Be safe, and make sure you pick up Taehyungie on your way. His mother worries about that boy.”
“Yah…” Jin groaned playfully, “I can’t believe I’m still babysitting a high schooler.”
“Oh hush.” His mother hummed, her lips quirking up into a smirk. “You know Taehyungie loves you. He started playing volleyball just because his ‘Jin-Jin Hyung is the best~!’”
Jin felt his ears burn, because that was exactly what his cousin, Kim Taehyung, told him after watching one of his last middle school matches. He was in his final year of primary school and it broke Taehyung’s heart when his mother explained that he wouldn’t be able to play with Jin until he got to high school. Last year, when this finally happened, Jin found himself being more of a caretaker to Tae, instead of a teammate.
Nothing new.
“Eomma that’s embarrassing…” Jin whined, pulling the front door open to head out. “He hasn’t called me that in years!”
His mother’s tinkling laugh followed him out the door, “Bye Jin-Jin!”
The walk to the gym was an hour on foot and 15 minutes by train, and Jin would rather be fresh for practice instead being worn out just because he missed the train. He rushed to Taehyung’s house, which was thankfully on the way to the station, so they could both make it to the 4 o’clock train and arrive at their 4:30 practice.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Taehyung waiting for him outside his gate, his hair freshly bleached and dyed a deep blue. When he saw Jin jogging up to him, Taehyung sent him a big boxy smile and adjusted the backpack on his shoulders.
“Hey Jin-hyung! Are you ready for your last-first day of summer workouts?”
Jin rolled his eyes playfully, “Yah, you can’t just say things like that! I’m sensitive.”
Taehyung grinned as they started walking to the train station. The walk was pleasant and filled with small talk about volleyball. It took them less than 10 minutes to make it to the station. and Jin let out a sigh of relief after glancing at his phone to confirm that they would make it on time.
“Ah! Jiminie!” Taehyung called out suddenly, waving his hand in the air.
A tuft of pink hair bobbed through the crowd until a cute boy with beautiful features and a squinty smile trotted up to them. Park Jimin, a second year, was also on the volleyball team last year. While he was among the shorter players, Jin had never seen such a skilled passer before. Jimin was sure to take the place of the previous libero, who had graduated last year.
Oh, and he was also Taehyung’s best friend since birth. They were kind of a package deal.
“Hey Tae, hi Hyung!” Jimin greeted them both, slinging an arm around Taehyung. “Are you excited for workouts? I heard Jungkookie enrolled at our high school so he might be there.”
Jin tilted his head curiously, “Jungkook? Little JK is in high school already?”
Jungkook was another one who played with Taehyung in middle school. He was a quiet boy with huge eyes and teeth a bit too big for his face, but damn was he athletic. Jin liked him well enough, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Jungkook had a little crush on Taehyung.
Of course, Taehyung was oblivious to most things like that. Poor Jungkook.
“Yeah, he’s trying out as a first year.” Jimin hummed just as their train entered the station.
They shuffled onto the train, squeezing past a few passengers to find some seats. Jin volunteered to stand when a third seat wasn’t available, claiming he need room for his broad shoulders.
“I’m a bit worried about Jungkookie…” Taehyung pouted, leaning heavily against Jimin’s side. “He’s wasn’t very tall in middle school and he can be a bit shy. I hope he’ll be ok.”
Jin shrugged and griped the ring hanging above him as the train took off, “I wouldn’t worry. JK is amazing at volleyball, he’ll fall into place easily. He also has us to make him feel more comfortable.”
They talked about other things for a while as the train jostled along, but Jin found himself zoning out. Thoughts of Namjoon trickled back into his mind and it made him feel a bit numb. It must have been obvious that he wasn’t invested in the conversation, because Jimin nudged Jin’s foot with his own.
“Hyung? Are you feeling ok? You seem a bit lost in thought…”
“Uh, it’s nothing really.” Jin muttered, “Just thinking about some…things.”
Taehyung hummed, crossing his arms and leaning back with smirk. “Some things? Or someone?”
Jin rolled his eyes but the pink flush that rose to his ears caught the younger boy’s attention. Taehyung’s eyes widened and Jimin breathed in a dramatic gasp.
“Hyung!” Jimin’s eyes sparkled, lighting up at the prospect of gossip. “Who is it? Do we know them? Are they older? Younger?”
“Yah!” Jin hissed, ignoring how hot his ears felt from the attention. “How many questions are you going to ask me? It’s really nothing, just an old volleyball friend I knew…”
“Wait-“ Taehyung sat up, his eyes widening. “Do you mean Kim Namjoon?”
The name hurt more than Jin thought as it rang in his ears. Hearing it being spoken out loud made today feel more real, and it made Namjoon’s promise more heartbreaking. Jin sighed as the train slowed down to their stop, the doors opening and the passengers entering or exiting.
“Fine, yes I meant Namjoon.” Jin grumbled as they all shuffled off the train. “But it’s no big deal.”
Jimin and Taehyung shared a look but didn’t say anything more, which Jin was thankful for. It wasn’t long before they got to their high school and walked through the gym entrance. Jin looked around to see some familiar teammates and a few new faces. Feeling the first bout of excitement, Jin set his bag on the side of the gym and dug around for his volleyball shoes.
“Hey Hyung.” A soft voice mumbled above him, causing Jin to look up curiously.
Jin’s eyes lit up and a grin stretched his lips when he saw who it was, “Yoongi-ah!”
Yoongi lifted up a hand in a wave, his posture relaxed as he held a volleyball under his arm. Jin knew Yoongi since his first year of high school, being in the same year. Yoongi was the team’s only setter since they ran a *5-1 rotation. The shorter player could be calm and laid back off the court, but Jin knew that once Yoongi was in the zone, nothing could break that focus.
“You were cutting it pretty close.” Yoongi mused, tossing the ball above his head with short, controlled sets. “Workouts are going to start any minute. I thought you had missed the train again.”
“Sweet of you to worry.” Jin huffed, slipping his one knee pad up his leg before putting his shoes on. “But I was only picking up Taehyung. Apparently, he needs a babysitter all the time.”
Yoongi hummed, catching the ball with a smirk. “Must run in the family.”
Before Jin could voice his outrage, a loud whistle echoed through the gym with a sharp trill. Jin looked up to see their coach, Bang Sihyuk, standing by the ball cart with a whistle in hand. The boys wasted no time in collecting the stray volleyballs and rushing to the huddle.
“Hello gentlemen.” Coach Bang greeted, a calm smile on his face. “Welcome to our summer workout sessions. Here, you will work hard for a spot on this team and a spot on the court. We expect everyone to-“
It was almost like a fever dream (even though Jin didn’t have a fever) when the door of the gym slung open in a familiar fashion. A boy, tall and broad, looked awkwardly at all the eyes that were suddenly on him. He blushed a light pink before bowing deeply.
“Ah! I’m so sorry I’m late!”
Jin wouldn't have believed it if it wasn’t for the sheepish smile the boy directed to them all, because at the corner of his mouth was a dimple. A dimple that Jin secretly swooned over five years ago.
“Namjoon…” Jin whispered, his heart pounding in his ears.