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“Oh fuck” Jihoon murmurs as he’s startled by the sudden yells from the taekwondo players in the middle of the auditorium.
It’s been three months since Soonyoung had properly confessed to Jihoon after that drastic incident with his keycard.
And Jihoon couldn’t be happier.
They’ve skipped a little bit of the chivalry and courtship and went straight to being boyfriends. Not that it mattered, both Soonyoung and Jihoon were their own romantics, anyway.
“You good here, Jagi ?” Soonyoung says as he turns to Jihoon while he puts on his chest guard. Jihoon can’t help but blush a little with the nickname, something Soonyoung has taken notice of and takes delight in.
Jihoon is seated right by Soonyoung’s team along with Hansol, who is busy hyping up his own boyfriend.
“Yeah, I’m good.” He replies and helps Soonyoung tie the gear in place from the back.
Today is the start of Taekwondo season for Soonyoung and his team. It’s also the first time Jihoon gets to actually watch Soonyoung’s match.
He’s always wanted to watch a match in the past when he was just crushing on Soonyoung, but he was always too timid to ask Hansol to tag him along when he watches Seungkwan, fearing his crush on the other would be a little too obvious.
Now that his feelings for Soonyoung are out in the open (and reciprocated!!!), Jihoon gets to bask in the feeling of getting to cheer for his boyfriend and even wears one of Soonyoung’s old team shirts to sport that “KWON SOONYOUNG” at the back.
God, Jihoon would do anything to let the world know he’s dating Soonyoung.
“Kwon Soonyoung-seonsu of Seoul University in blue gear and Kim Yohan-seonsu from Busan University in red gear, please prepare for your match in Mat Number 3”
They raise their heads as they hear the announcer say Soonyoung’s name. Jihoon excitedly picks up his boyfriend’s blue head gear and walks hand-in-hand with him to the assigned corner, along with one of Soonyoung’s coaches and turns to him right before Soonyoung needs to step into the mat.
Soonyoung cups Jihoon’s face with his glove-covered hands and leans his forehead with Jihoon’s.
“Just for energy and good fortune, my lucky charm” He whispers and lightly pecks Jihoon’s lips.
“Kwon Soonyoung-seonsu, we need to start.” one of the referees politely interrupts and they pull away from each other.
“Got get ‘em, tiger” he says and hands over the head gear to Soonyoung.
Soonyoung hits his chest lightly with his fist and steps into the mat.
The formalities of the game intrigue Jihoon. Baseball, although a pretty technical sport in itself, is completely different.
Jihoon feels like there’s a different kind of pressure having to play individually in a match, as in comparison to the comfort he feels when his entire team disperses in the field.
He watches as Soonyoung and his opponent bow respectfully towards each other and the quick handshake they give. They both put on their head gears and get into stance.
“YA” he hears each of them scream, separately, signaling they’re ready to begin their match.
“It’s for power! It looks silly and might be intimidating, but it really helps with our kicks and timing!” He remembers Soonyoung explaining when Jihoon was first surprised by their shouts in practice.
Soonyoung’s overall vibe as a player catches Jihoon a little off guard.
Jihoon is used to an outgoing Soonyoung. Soonyoung is often more affectionate and clingier with him and Jihoon has welcomed it with open arms. He’s witnessed different sides of Soonyoung in their short time together and he’s adored each and every one of them.
This, however, is an entirely different Soonyoung.
Soonyoung is a calm and firm captain, but he’s not one who is harsh in training; that’s their Coaches’ job.
Soonyoung has always been considerate in throwing kicks at his teammates for sparring matches in practice, only roughly landing kicks to showcase the technique in them. So to see Soonyoung actually and carefully plan out in his eyes his next move is interesting and well…hot.
There’s a certain fire in Soonyoung’s eyes and a certain wit to his gaze.
The way Soonyoung lifts his leg in a trick motion also captivates Jihoon, it’s swift and sharp yet Soonyoung’s body remains fluid and smooth in his movements.
Jihoon gets why Soonyoung was sought after by almost every other major university in the league, and sees why his team maintains high respect for him.
The match has been going on for a while and Jihoon has no particular knowledge on the point systems here but he can tell Soonyoung, and his opponent, apparently also a team captain, are planning strategically where they let their kicks fall.
Soonyoung and Yohan both let out a particular kick together and they end up almost hugging, with their arms straightened and slightly raised at the sides, making obvious that there are no illegal moves being thrown.
Being particularly close, Jihoon sees a smirk in Yohan’s lips and a whisper being let out. All of a sudden Soonyoung kicks Yohan’s head much much stronger than usual–not illegal, but dangerous, nonetheless.
They pull away from each other, and Soonyoung returns to his stance but Jihoon can sense something was wrong. He sees a particular flare in his boyfriend’s nostrils and rage in his eyes.
In contrast to Soonyoung’s furious demeanor, Yohan looks calm and his eyes are…teasing.
Jihoon can tell Yohan has said something that triggered Soonyoung’s emotions. Soonyoung is riled up–and Jihoon is scared.
Jihoon is no physical fighter and he isn’t required to kick people by the shin, but he knows how distracted an athlete can get when they're too emotional in the field and how dangerous it is.
The first round ends and Soonyoung bows to his opponent and approaches his coach. As much as Jihoon would like to give Soonyoung a hug or ask what’s wrong, there’s only a one minute break in between rounds and he doesn’t wanna get in the way of their coach’s methods.
Soonyoung takes a glance at him and there’s a particular stare Jihoon hasn’t seen before. It felt almost protective.
The referees blow a whistle and Soonyoung returns to the mat. This time, when Soonyoung shakes Yohan’s hand, it’s quick and almost rude. Like Soonyoung refuses to respect his opponent.
The round is much more heated and his moves are a little reckless. Soonyoung’s kicks are visibly less strategic–and much much stronger.
Finally, Soonyoung pushes Yohan firmly and the referee warns him, thankfully no yellow card is raised and no official warning is issued.
Soonyoung acknowledges the referee with a nod and bows slightly in apology. He gets back into his fighting stance and continues the fight.
Jihoon can’t particularly keep track of their movements but they are right back to their previous position–almost hugging and particularly close to each other.
He sees that smirk in Yohan again and Soonyoung, clearly agitated, pushes Yohan forcefully and screams furiously.
“KEEP MY BOYFRIEND OUT OF YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!” Soonyoung’s loud and alarming voice startles the entire crowd into silence and there’s a blinding yellow card raised by the referee.
Jihoon, now making sense of the look in Soonyoung’s eyes and the rage in his movements, is stunned and frozen in his spot and his blood boils in anger.
Yohan is using him to get to Soonyoung. Yohan is riling him up by probably saying inappropriate things about him. He couldn’t do any illegal moves without getting disqualified so he decided to play with Soonyoung’s mind instead.
What a dirty player. Using someone dear to his opponent to win–a lousy and weak move.
And it’s not even a championship match yet.
Fucking asshole.
The round ends and Soonyoung returns to his coach, angrily removing his headgear. He’s breathing heavily and Soonyoung’s coach is clearly unhappy.
His coach is talking animatedly, scolding Soonyoung of his reckless move and his sudden yell.
Fuck this.
Jihoon does not want to see Soonyoung wallow in guilt and disappointment if he gets disqualified for another warning.
Jihoon will not allow Soonyoung to feel like his emotions are getting the better of him or make him feel like his protective nature is a weakness.
He is not going to let Soonyoung risk his scholarship because of this asshole.
And most importantly, he will not let Soonyoung end up with an injury–he’ll be forced to kill someone (Yohan) with his baseball bat.
Jihoon approaches Soonyoung and politely asks his coach for a few seconds with him. His coach nods in frustration and steps back for Jihoon.
“Soonyoung-ah...” he says, cupping Soonyoung’s face in his hands.
“ Jagi ..” Soonyoung begins, catching his breath “...I’m sorry he was disrespecting you and I just…”
Jihoon cuts him off and nods in understanding.
“I know. I’m not mad.” Jihoon begins, looking Soonyoung in the eyes. “I’m your lucky charm, remember? I’m not your distraction. You got this. I’m here.”
Soonyoung nods in understanding and breathes deeply. Jihoon feels his boyfriend calm in his palms as he gently rubs his boyfriend’s cheeks.
He lets go of Soonyoung and tells him one last thing before Soonyoung returns.
“Kick his ass, Jagi ” He gives Soonyoung a loving smile and Soonyoung, once again taps his chest with his fist twice and blows him a kiss.
Soonyoung is much calmer now and his kicks are more planned and more properly laid down. The focus he had earlier on was back and his forearms are quick to block any kicks to his torso. Jihoon makes a mental note to check Soonyoung’s arm for any bruises.
Yohan was clearly no match for Soonyoung’s skills, not when Soonyoung is smart in his moves and loved by Jihoon.
“Damn, my boy must be down bad for you.” Soonyoung’s coach says, clearly satisfied with Soonyoung’s current round. Jihoon can’t really do anything but blush.
God, am I weak for this tiger.
The round ends and Soonyoung goes back to Jihoon, removing his head gear as he walks toward his boyfriend.
“You did great, Jagi .” Jihoon says and ruffles Soonyoung’s hair full of sweat.
They take a seat on the benches beside the mat while the referees take their time in tallying points. A few more of Soonyoung teammates, including Seungkwan (of course Hansol is ther as well), sit near the benches of the mat to wait for the results.
“Hey, relax.” Soonyoung says as he sees Jihoon’s nerves skyrocket “This isn’t a make-or-break match yet. If I lose, that doesn’t mean our team will lose the championship too.”
Jihoon nods nervously and Soonyoung coos at how adorable his boyfriend is.
Jihoon suddenly takes Soonyoung’s forearm and starts slightly massaging it. He slowly brushes his thumb against each blooming bruise in his boyfriend’s arm. He smiles bitterly as he remembers Soonyoung’s earlier outburst and the weight of the event only now fully sinking in.
“Soonyoung, can you tell me what that guy said?” Jihoon asks, intertwining his fingers with Soonyoung’s “Please? I can deal with it, I promise.”
Soonyoung takes a deep breath and prepares himself before nodding and telling Jihoon.
“He was disrespecting you.”
“Disrespecting how?”
“He says he’s seen you play baseball. At first it was just him saying you were cute and I didn’t mind that–because fuck, you ARE the cutest thing ever.”
Jihoon only nods in recognition, Soonyoung has always taken pride in the fact that Jihoon has a lot of admirers, so he knows it’s more than just Yohan finding him cute.
“But then he starts talking about your body, and then your ass, and how he’d like to touch it.” Soonyoung’s breathing grows heavier. Jihoon listens intently and grips Soonyoung’s hand tightly when he senses the hesitation in Soonyoung’s voice to continue.
“Then that last time, when I yelled at him, he said you must be good in bed and he’d like to see it and I just couldn’t stand it. He was objectifying MY boyfriend and I’m sorry, Ji, I know I should’ve known better than to let him get to me I just—“
“Hey, hey.” Jihoon says, cutting his boyfriend off before he starts feeling guilty. “You were trying to protect me. I am so grateful you would never allow anyone to disrespect me like that. I love you for that, okay?”
Jihoon gently caresses his face and assures him he’s alright. Soonyoung leans into the touch and softens at his boyfriend’s gentleness.
“I love you too, Jagi .” Soonyoung says and Jihoon leans his head on his shoulders.
The referee then calls for Soonyoung and Yohan to approach the mat. They bow again, supposedly out of respect, but it was now more a matter of protocol for Soonyoung.
They’re now facing the watchers of the game and Soonyoung crosses his fingers.
“Hansol-ah, I can’t fucking watch this.” Jihoon says, slightly hiding behind Hansol’s shoulders, but still watches the scene before him.
“Hyung, relax! Soonyoung-hyung did great! And It’s only his first match!” Hansol says reassuringly and moves a little farther from Jihoon so the older can see clearer.
Before Jihoon can hide again, there’s a small burst of cheers from his side of the mat in glory as the referee's hand is raised atop Soonyoung’s head.
“Our captain won! He won!” a rookie, Kyungmin, screams and jumps along with the other rookies.
The ecstasy Jihoon was feeling was a little too much for him that he ran towards Soonyoung and immediately jumped in his boyfriend’s arms.
“I’M SO PROUD OF YOU Jagi ” he says enthusiastically as Soonyoung spins him around and he smothers the taller in kisses all over his face.
First games for Taekwondo are quieter and are met only with small cheers from the team. Jihoon feels a little more self-conscious now and his ecstasy dies down as he realizes how intimately small the crowd is and how even more intimate he and Soonyoung are being.
“It’s because of you, my lucky charm.” Soonyoung says as he drops Jihoon back onto the floor slowly and keeps him from glimpsing around, encouraging the smaller to ignore the small crowd.
Jihoon hugs him by the neck as tight as he could, completely ignoring his earlier sense of awareness.
Jihoon suddenly pulls away and gives Soonyoung a deep kiss to his lips, hoping it conveys how he feels–proud, thankful, and safe.
Their moment is interrupted when Yohan lets out a screech of pain. The two captains turn their heads to find Yohan crouching down and holding his crotch.
Jihoon looks down to see a baseball rolling down to his foot and he picks it up in confusion. Soonyoung then taps Jihoon’s shoulder and points towards the bleachers.
Hansol is glaring at Yohan and standing between Jeonghan and Jisoo who are both wearing their baseball gloves. Seungcheol is beside Jeonghan, and Seokmin is beside Jisoo, both players hanging their arms around their boyfriends and glaring at anyone who may have witnessed them throwing the ball.
Jeonghan and Jisoo feign innocence and confusion by mindlessly whistling and give Jihoon and Soonyoung a wink.
Both Soonyoung and Jihoon laugh at the latter’s teammates' antics. If it weren’t for the high of Soonyoung’s win and the risk it would have on the Taekwondo team, Jihoon would have hit him with a baseball bat.
“I guess Seungkwan must have overheard our conversation.” Soonyoung says as he puts his arm around Jihoon.
“You bet I fucking did!” Seungkwan screams and runs straight to Hansol who gives him a tight fist bump before placing his hand around Seungkwan’s waist and still looks like he could kill Yohan.
“Come on, let’s go eat. I’m starving.” Jihoon says and drags Soonyoung out of the court.
-
They settle on watching a movie at Soonyoung’s apartment while eating a very meat-heavy dinner. Two starving athletes cannot have dinner without a shitload of protein.
“Thank you.” Jihoon suddenly says, catching Soonyoung’s attention.
“What for?”
“For, sticking up for me?” Jihoon says shyly “I know I’ve already thanked you earlier but just, thank you for defending me. I just, I feel safe. I want you to know that.”
Soonyoung softens at Jihoon’s sudden confession and takes him in his arms, enveloping him in a comforting hug and brings Jihoon closer to his chest.
“Hey, you did not deserve any of that. I’ve told you before, right? Even when you thought I was the one harassing you, that you shouldn’t feel bad about things like that. Standing up for yourself or for your people is never wrong, okay? I’m glad you feel safe around me because I have no intentions to make you feel otherwise, hmm?” Jihoon nods by Soonyoung’s chest.
It warms Soonyoung's heart that he gets to see Jihoon like this. Jihoon has always been strong and tough as a captain. He rarely ever shows his more fragile and vulnerable side and Soonyoung loves it.
He wants to be the one who gets to witness this side of Jihoon. Wants to be the one that allows Jihoon to just let go. He wants to be Jihoon’s everything.
“You know what’s funny?” Soonyoung asks, laughing a little.
“What?”
“The first time I attempted to hit on you, you probably swore to the heavens that you would never step foot in my apartment. Now look at you, my baby cuddling all up in me.”
“Shut up, I thought you were a pervert.” Jihoon whines jokingly and lightly hits Soonyoung’s stomach.
They stay like that for a while, Jihoon tangling himself in Soonyoung’s arms while the latter plays with his hair. Enjoying the warmth and comfort their bodies give each other.
“Oh! I almost forgot. I have something for you.” Jihoon suddenly breaks out of his hold and takes a small paper bag out of his bag and hands it to Soonyoung.
Soonyoung starts sitting up straight and faces Jihoon entirely.
“What’s this? Please tell me it's not our official 3rd month together ohmygod I didn’t get you a gift!!” Soonyoung complains, causing Jihoon to roll his eyes.
“Don’t be so dramatic, Soons. It’s nothing like that, just open it.”
Soonyoung slowly opens the paperbag and takes it out to see a blue piece of clothing, looking suspiciously similar to a baseball jersey.
His eyes widen in realization and he looks at Jihoon for confirmation. “Is this…?”
Jihoon nods with pride. Soonyoung mentioned once how cute he thought the men’s volleyball team captain’s girlfriend was for wearing his jersey to their game and cooed at the screen when she showed it off.
It’s kind of why Jihoon asked Soonyoung if he could wear one of his old team shirts to his game today.
To show off, and well, to make Soonyoung happy.
The kiss on Jihoon’s cheek was already enough of a reward for him, but Soonyoung’s smile though? Good God would Jihoon replace his entire wardrobe of Soonyoung’s shirts if it means Soonyoung smiled like that every time.
“You said it’d be cute. And you were really happy when I asked for this shirt. And uh, I was hoping y-you’d wear it t-to my g-game too.” Jihoon stutters and Soonyoung’s heart flutters at how adorable his boyfriend is at the moment.
Soonyoung declares it–he’s literally head over hells for Jihoon. He only remembers talking about that jersey once in passing when he thought the basketball player and his girlfriend were cute. He hadn’t expected Jihoon to memorize that moment and take it to heart.
Oh, Lord, is he lucky.
“Oh my god!” Soonyoung says as he rips open the plastic and raises the shirt to view all of it.
It was a navy blue baseball jersey, with white vertical stripes all over and slightly thicker white linings by its buttons and by its sleeves.
Soonyoung immediately flipped over the jersey to see the big letters white and black lining: LEE JIHOON.
“I love it, Jagi !” He squealed, hugging and rubbing the soft polyester against his cheek.
“Yeah?” Jihoon can’t help but stare lovingly at his boyfriend, extremely happy to see him enjoy his gift.
“Yes! Help me try it on please!” They stand up and Soonyoung puts it over the shirt he was currently wearing and faces his mirror.
“It’s exactly the same as ours.” Jihoon says as he buttons the jersey down. “I-uhh-had to tell Coach to add an extra jersey for me. And in a size bigger.”
“You did? Did you, uhh, tell him it was for me?” Soonyoung asks and is surprised to see Jihoon nod with the tips of his ears flushed in a red tint. “Hoonie you’re so cute!!”
“Shut up. It was embarrassing! Coach was trying to stop himself from laughing out loud while I was a blushing mess.”
“Kinda like right now?” Soonyoung says smugly and pinches his cheek.
“I’m taking this back”
“No! It’s mine! And I’ll wear it to all your games with different big ass shoes and blue baseball caps and I’ll bring a banner with your name and then I’ll stare at your ass while you focus on batting the ball!”
“Pervert.”
“Your pervert.”
“Disgusting.”
“But you love me.” Soonyoung says, wrapping Jihoon in his arms from the back and looks at Jihoon through his closet door mirror.
“I do, I love you.” Jihoon replies, placing his hand on Soonyoung’s.
“I love you too.” Soonyoung replies, planting a small kiss on Jihoon’s head. “Now when’s your first game, I have to buy a cap and shoes to match it.”
–END