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“Why are we doing this again?”
Mark lowers his towel to glare at Jaemin, already dressed and leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed over his Neo Tech University hoodie. The goalkeeper had been complaining throughout the entirety of practice, but Mark didn’t expect for him to take it off the court.
“I trust Coach’s opinion, and he’s a good player,” Mark says simply, abandoning his hair in favor of pulling on a shirt. His muscles ache the way they always do after a good practice.
“Of course he’s a good player,” Renjun, one of their strikers, says matter-of-factly. “He’s a Raven.”
“He was a Raven,” Mark corrects, “but now he’s a Tiger.”
“He’s not a Tiger until I say he is,” Jaemin replies, shoving off the locker and strolling out of the room. Mark rolls his eyes and finishes getting dressed.
“Don’t mind him,” Jeno, their backliner, says with a cute, apologetic smile. His hair is sticking up in triangle shaped tufts, and Renjun comes over to fix the strands. Mark tries not to stare — he has no idea what’s going on with those three. Jaemin and Jeno came to Neo Tech attached to the hip, but their relationship with Renjun is different than the rest of the team. “You know how he is.”
“I know.” Jaemin is set to become captain when Mark graduates in two years, and he’s become increasingly protective over the team. He’s never trusted the Ravens, so it’s no surprise that he’s unhappy about their new transfer.
Donghyuck Lee, goalkeeper. Formerly of the Edgar Allen Ravens.
Mark’s heard all about the Ravens, and has played against them every year since they changed divisions. The Neo Tech Tigers have never managed to win a game against them, but it makes sense when you learn about their insane practices and their creepy day to day lives. The Ravens are more like a cult than a team, Jaehyun, their former captain, had told him. Which is why he was so surprised when Coach Suh pulled him aside and informed him that the Tigers were taking on Donghyuck Lee as a player.
If there’s another name in all of exy as notorious as Donghyuck’s, Mark doesn’t know it. The Edgar Allen Ravens’ best goalkeeper, the only player who’s managed to completely shut out the USC Trojans, and the one person everyone can agree is destined for Court. Mark doesn’t know much about his transfer; all he knows is that after his last game with the Ravens, Donghyuck collapsed in the middle of the court.
“Hey.” He realizes he spaced out when Renjun comes up and touches his shoulder. “You left your phone on the bench. Coach wants you to go greet the new guy.”
“Thanks,” Mark says, accepting the device and swinging his bag onto his shoulder. He shuts the door of his locker and heads out, finding his coach waiting for him in the hall. “Airport?”
“Yup,” Coach Suh answers, already striding away. Mark jogs to keep up, and soon enough they’re on the road to the airport, Coach’s rock music blasting as Mark tries to cool down from practice by sticking his face out the window.
They’re only halfway to the airport when Coach Suh cranks the volume down and says, in an uncharacteristically serious tone, “Mark, listen. I’m gonna need you to look out for Donghyuck.”
“I look out for all my players,” Mark says, and Coach gives him a warm smile.
“I know. But Donghyuck… he’s gonna have difficulty adjusting. Make sure the others don’t give him a hard time. Especially Jaemin.”
"Is it that bad, then?" Mark asks, shifting in his seat so he can look at Coach properly.
"The Ravens aren't just a team, they're a hivemind. They go to class together, live together, sleep together, train together, do everything together. They're abusive to their own teammates. They hurt each other, but refuse to be apart from one another. Coming from a place like that..."
"Just out of curiosity, would you happen to know why they're letting Donghyuck transfer? I can't imagine that they'd be willing to lose one of their best players so easily."
Coach Suh shoots him a glare. "No, and don't you dare go asking about it either. Kid's been through enough, he doesn't need y'all prying into his business."
"Sure thing, Coach," Mark says easily, and Coach Suh turns the music back up, signalling the end of the conversation.
Meeting Donghyuck is uneventful. It's easy enough to find him, waiting outside with a single duffel bag on his shoulder and nothing else. His lip is split and he has a dark bruise right under his eye, but Coach doesn't say anything, so Mark doesn't either. He wonders if the injury came from exy, or if the cause for his wounds was something else.
"I''m Mark, captain and offensive dealer. Welcome to the Tigers." He sticks out a hand, and to his surprise, Donghyuck takes it. He looks so different than he does on court, smaller somehow with his hair soft across his forehead and his hoodie too big for his frame.
"Thanks. Looking forward to playing with you." So quiet. So un-Ravenlike that it has Mark momentarily freezing until Donghyuck gives him a weird look and he realizes that he hasn't let go of his hand.
The ride back is even more uneventful. Mark sits in the back out of courtesy, and Donghyuck falls asleep as soon as his seat belt is on. He spends more time than he'd like to admit staring at Donghyuck's side profile from his seat behind the driver's, but Donghyuck doesn't wake up until they pull up to the athlete dorms.
"Normally, we don't get to move in until right before the semester starts," Mark rambles as they head up together after saying goodbye to the Coach. "But this year they changed the policy so we're allowed to stay in the dorms over the summer. You're rooming with me and Renjun by the way. I hope you're okay with the top bunk."
"It's so bright. It's nice," Donghyuck whispers. He doesn't seem to realize he's spoken aloud, so Mark doesn't respond. He looks at the slightly grimy white walls and the neon green banners and wonders what Donghyuck is seeing.
They don't run into anyone at the dorm, so Mark assumes they've gone off to the court and takes Donghyuck to their room. He watches as the former Raven drops his druffle bag on top of his dresser before turning around with his hands on his hips.
"Where's the practice court?"
Mark blinks. "Uh, don't you need to unpack?"
"No." Donghyuck's voice is soft, but his answers are short and stunted. "I just want to play."
"Uh, sure. Sure, let me just grab my keys, I'll drive you. I think Jeno and Jaemin are there right now, they practice more than anyone else on the team, even at night when they should be sleeping. I guess I'm not really one to talk though since I join them most nights, but at least I get my homework done—"
"Can we go?" Donghyuck interrupts, and Mark does his best to smile.
"Sure," he says almost automatically, digging his keys out of his nightstand. This is going to be a lot harder than he thought. "Let's go."
Donghyuck is… different.
Mark already knew that, of course. When he was with the Ravens, he was the only player on court that wasn’t violent or aggressive, and at banquets he was civilized. But having him on the team is weird. It’s not a bad weird, but it’s strange all the same.
He doesn’t really interact with the team, but he’s not hostile either. He doesn’t go to team dinners but he shows up to all the practices and even teaches them precision drills that are absolute hell but, admittedly, effective. He doesn’t give compliments, but whatever criticisms he must have, he holds them back.
It’s hard to break through his walls. The others don’t really care, but Mark does. He knows it makes his teammates nervous, playing with a former member of the best exy team in the country, but he wishes they would look past that and try to include Donghyuck in their team bonding.
Surprisingly, it’s Jaemin who breaches the gap first.
“Jeno and I practice every night, if you wanna come.”
Mark is in the kitchen when he overhears them, and he’s floored when Donghyuck agrees. Praying that it’s not some sort of hazing, he mentally plans to join them at night. He doesn’t think Jaemin would do something like that, especially not when Jeno’s around, but he knows how unhappy Jaemin is about Donghyuck being here.
He’s anxious as soon as they start, but Jaemin is normal. They run drills as Mark and Jeno practice their accuracy and Jaemin and Donghyuck guard their goals. It’s difficult for Mark to score on Donghyuck despite the fact that he used to play striker in high school.
It’s when they’ve got all their equipment put away and they’re running laps to cool off that it happens. Mark decides halfway through his second lap that he wants to listen to music, so he turns around to head to the bench where he left his phone only to slam right into Donghyuck, taking them both to the ground.
He’s stunned into silence, embarrassment freezing him solid as the court goes so quiet you could hear a pin drop until Donghyuck starts to laugh. Mark props himself up on his arms and manages to get his knees under him, but Donghyuck stays flat on his back as he giggles at the ceiling, and he looks so different that Mark can’t help but stare.
In an instant, Jaemin and Jeno are there, taunting and teasing Mark in a way that makes his cheeks flush, but it makes Donghyuck laugh harder, rolling onto his side and clutching his stomach. He looks so bright and un-Ravenlike.
And when Jaemin helps Donghyuck to his feet, casually slinging an arm around his shoulders, Mark knows that things will work out just fine.
He has nothing to worry about.
Mark has everything to worry about.
The semi formal southeastern district’s fall banquet is happening this Saturday, which means all Class I teams are attending, including the Edgar Allen Ravens. He doesn’t think it’s a big deal until Donghyuck has a panic attack in the middle of practice and disappears, leaving the rest of the team to stare after him.
It’s Mark who finds him, hiding in an abandoned storage closet that’s so tiny, they can barely sit side by side. Donghyuck doesn’t look at him, so Mark doesn’t say anything. He just presses their sides together and waits.
“You know,” Mark says when Donghyuck’s breathing has slowed and he’s stopped shaking, “When Coach first signed Jaemin, he went missing for three days. When we found him again, it was because he purposely crashed his car into a fire hydrant. Coach and the team paid off the fines with our own money, and Jaemin’s been going to therapy to help with his mania so it doesn’t happen again.”
It’s silent for a moment before Donghyuck says, “I don’t know if Jaemin would appreciate you telling me that.” His throat is clogged with tears, and Mark has no idea how to make it better, so he just keeps talking.
“It’s a story we tell all the Tigers, actually. Jaemin was the first to start it, but he got tired of it so he pushed it onto the rest of us.”
This makes Donghyuck lift his face from his knees, giving Mark a quizzical expression. “But why?”
“Because we all have burdens bigger than exy,” Mark tells him, “and as a team, we shoulder those burdens together. We help each other because we’re family. I don’t know if you noticed, but Coach only recruits fucked up kids.”
“I’ve noticed,” Donghyuck snorts, then hastily adds, “no offence.”
“None taken,” Mark laughs. “He gave us all a second chance at life to make something out of our lives. That’s why we’re here. That’s why you’re here.”
Donghyuck is quiet for so long that Mark wonders if he fell asleep, then he feels Donghyuck’s head on his shoulder, his breath against his cheek as he whispers, “you’re a really good captain, Mark.”
And it feels like enough.
The night before the championships, Mark gets sick with anxiety and sits in front of the toilet with his stomach churning.
Jaemin is out. The goalkeeper had gotten a red card during the semi-finals after a player from Penn State had checked Jeno into a wall hard enough that he had to sit out for the second half. Which means Donghyuck is their only goalkeeper. They don’t have anyone who can sub.
It wouldn’t be so terrifying if they weren’t playing against the Edgar Allen Ravens. Donghyuck is good, Mark knows, but one man can’t stop an entire team.
“Except it’s not one man,” Donghyuck says when he finds him in the bathroom ten minutes later. He sits behind Mark and wraps his arms around him. “Aren’t you the one who told me that we share the burden? It’s all of us together on that court.”
Mark sags back in his hold. Donghyuck’s new affectionate side has taken some time to get used to, but he appreciates it right now when he feels like he’s falling apart.
“But… you can’t play two halves against the Ravens. It’s impossible.”
“You’re forgetting that I know them,” Donghyuck says, “I know how they play. Jaemin may be a fucking idiot,” the smile he wears as he says this is so, so fond, “but he’s not that stupid. He wouldn’t risk the game if he didn’t think I couldn’t handle it. If he hadn’t taken that backliner out, we wouldn’t have made it to finals in the first place.”
“You’re right,” Mark sighs. Donghyuck is always right. He doesn’t know if it’s a Raven thing or just a Donghyuck thing. “It’s just… what if we lose?”
“We won’t,” Donghyuck promises. “I won’t mess up this second chance you’ve given me.” Mark feels the ghost of kiss pressed against his hair and his heart races. “This is what I’m here for.”
Mark drops his racket the second the buzzer goes off, tearing down the court to where Donghyuck has collapsed on his knees, pure exhaustion on his face as he rips off his helmet.
“You’re insane,” Mark says through the tears, giddy laughter bubbling in his throat. “Holy shit you’re fucking insane.”
Donghyuck had blocked a hundred and thirty shots that the Ravens had taken, and they scraped by with a score of 9-8. The Tigers’ first championship, and the Ravens’ first loss.
“I can’t feel my body,” Donghyuck admits, but he smiles when Mark throws his arms around him. Seconds later, the rest of the team piles on top, whooping and hollering.
“I can’t believe you,” Mark whispers, and he isn’t sure Donghyuck hears him until his grip on Mark’s waist tightens. “There’s no way you’re real.”
“I’m real,” Donghyuck assures him. “I’m real. Congratulations on your win, Captain.”
Mark takes off his helmet and pulls away, though he stays on the ground next to Donghyuck who doesn’t yet have the strength to stand. “It’s all thanks to you.”
“No.” Donghyuck tips their heads together and Mark can feel the heat radiating off his skin in waves. They’re both sticky with sweat but neither of them care. At that moment, they forget the thousands of people watching them, their teammates chanting their victory song, and the Ravens’ hostile glares. At that moment, it’s just the two of them — a goalkeeper and his captain. “It’s thanks to all of us.”
His hands cup Mark’s face and his thumbs wipe at his tears. Mark watches him breathlessly, lips parted, heart pounding, but they’re interrupted by Jaemin dumping a bottle of Gatorade over their heads.
“We’re fucking Champions!” He screams, and Donghyuck is instantly on his feet, snatching Jeno’s drink out of his hands and squirting Jaemin in the face. Where he gets the energy from, nobody knows. Mark stays on the floor of the court for just a minute longer, drinking in the celebration with an uncontrollable grin.
“You guys are so crazy.” Mark looks up to see Lucas Wong, captain of the USC Trojans, with an enormous grin on his face. “That match was insane, I got tired just watching. How are you still moving?”
“Hey, man.” Mark finally gets to his feet and shakes Lucas’s hand. They hadn’t gotten to play USC this season since the Ravens knocked them out during the semifinals. “Thanks for coming to our game.”
“Couldn’t miss a chance to see the legendary Mark Lee in action.” Before Mark can respond, an arm slings around his shoulder and Donghyuck’s head pops up in his peripheral vision.
“Carry me to the bus,” Donghyuck demands dramatically, completely ignoring Lucas’s presence.
“What? Hell no, carry yourself!” Mark squawks in protest. Donghyuck frowns at him.
“What was it you said about shouldering the burden?”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”
“Oh, are you guys dating?” Lucas looks absolutely delighted. “Cute! Anyway, congrats on your win. I’m gonna say hi to Jeno and Jaemin.”
Before Mark can even correct Lucas, he’s already gone. Donghyuck’s weight draped onto his shoulders prevents him from following.
“Don’t move,” Donghyuck says, strained. “I think my legs are about to give out.”
Mark sighs, but it’s all for show. “Fine, I’ll carry you to the bus.”
Laughter, then a kiss pressed to the corner of his mouth that has his cheeks burning and his heart skipping a beat in his chest. Donghyuck looks at him with sparkling eyes even as he wobbles on his feet, adrenaline vanishing. “Thanks, Captain. You’re the best, really. I don’t think I could get there on my own.”
Mark smiles back, elated. “That’s why I’m here.”