Chapter Text
Minho
( Hwang )
( Hyunjin )
( We have practice )
( I am at practice )
Minho
( ??? )
( No you’re not )
( Felix and I are waiting for you at the practice room )
( So unless you’ve turned into a ghost )
( You’re not here )
It was to say that Hyunjin was indeed at practice, but not at the right one. As soon as the last class of Hyunjin’s day had ended he had run his happy self down to the baseball fields to watch the teams practice. More importantly, he was there to watch one specific player practice.
Player number 22, star of their school’s baseball team and owner of Hyunjin’s heart. Everything started back when he was waiting to meet Felix to get some food after class when he noticed the baseball team practicing. He hadn’t meant to watch them at all. It was just that Felix was taking a while to arrive since his professor had asked for some assistance. Considering Hyunjin had nothing other to do than wait for his friend, he decided to occupy his attention with something that would hopefully keep him entertained.
Was he a fan of sports? Hyunjin couldn't say that he knew much about anything aside from dancing. The best he knew about baseball was that there were bases with only one person allowed on them– or was it two? Maybe the only solid information he had on the sport was that you had three strikes and then you were out. How considerate to give them an extra chance or two to hit the ball for their team. With the way his dance practices ran, he thought baseball was more generous.
With each step toward the fields, Hyunjin's heart raced with anticipation. By the time he made it over there, the team was doing laps and practicing their swings. He had to give it up to them. Though his own extracurricular activity was heavily set on cardio, he just couldn't fathom the idea of running the length of the baseball field over and over and over again. Just thinking about it made him lightheaded. In the back of his mind he hoped that Minho would never make him or Felix do that as some sort of cruel punishment.
Back then, Hyunjin found himself moving closer to get a better view at a particular batter after some time of spectating. At first all he had to identify the boy was the big 22 displayed on his back. He couldn't see his face yet, but the way the boy stanced himself and swung his arms to hit the incoming ball sent butterflies swirling in Hyunjin’s stomach. He looked good. And not to mention, those baseball pants made him look even better.
When he fully got to see what his favorite player looked like from the front, Hyunjin was floored. It was as if Cupid had come down and struck an arrow straight into his palpitating heart. Aside from his hotness on the field, his newfound crush was the epitome of adorable.
Fluffy brown hair, eyes that belonged to a puppy, a smile that lit up the entire world and filled Hyunjin’s with so much warmth. Once Hyunjin had seen him in the halls when the baseball player was wearing a very plush white sweater with the cutest round glasses he's ever seen. It was a miracle how he didn't burst into tears on sight. He had to pull his hood down over his face to keep himself together.
Just how could someone have two completely different auras as he did? On the field he was this hot, sculpted athlete that knocked Hyunjin’s heart straight out of the park. Outside of it all he seemed like the most kind-hearted individual that would fancy quiet dates at a coffee shop or a bookstore. The polar opposite of him was enough to drive Hyunjin nuts.
He never did see him again in any hallway after that once occurrence. The dancer had gone through the school website to the teams’ page and prayed to the heavens that he wasn't new. Surprisingly for Hyunjin, he discovered they were in the same year as each other. But never had they been a part of the same classes or clubs. He figured it must have just been because of their differences in majors. And though there were these obstacles in his love life, Hyunjin couldn't just sit back and let this man vanish like he had never existed in the first place. His name and face were burnt into Hyunjin’s memory forever.
Kim Seungmin.
Ever since that first day Hyunjin would try and sneak a peek at him practicing every chance he got. And today, he was making himself late to dance practice in favor of fanboying.
As he reached the edge of the field, Hyunjin slowed his pace, careful to remain unnoticed as he sought out the perfect vantage point. He stood just outside the fencing, arms folded atop of it and chin rested on them as he watched the way Seungmin warmed himself up before stepping onto the plate. It wasn’t that hot out but sweat was already starting to form at the hairline of Seungmin’s forehead. Even with his cap on it still glistened where the sun struck the droplets.
The team had been out practicing for an hour before Hyunjin showed up. Hyunjin knew they started before his last class ended which led him to run all the way here. Had he gone directly to dance practice as Minho would have much preferred, Hyunjin would have missed the entire thing. At least he could get in 10 minutes of watching his puppy crush before letting himself get in trouble with his hyung. Anything less and Hyunjin just wouldn't feel that the reward was deserving of his punishment.
He imagined the way Seungmin's muscles flexed with each swing, the determination etched into their features as he focused on the game. It was a sight that never failed to captivate Hyunjin and always left him longing for more. The sight of Seungmin standing confidently on the pitcher's mound, the warm sun casting a golden halo around him as he had his eyes set on his target before him caused Hyunjin’s breath to hitch in his chest.
For a few precious moments, Hyunjin allowed himself to simply drink in the sight, the rest of the world fading away as he lost himself in the moment. Just how was it possible for one person to captivate his mind like Seungmin did?
All too soon, a buzzing coming from Hyunjin’s pocket pulled him from his trance and placed him back into the world of the living. He was so focused on Seungmin that he almost missed the incoming texts. Almost.
He let out a disgruntled huff as he pulled out his phone and swiped up on the screen, already knowing it was Minho texting him. And of course it would be about his lateness. Hyunjin just hoped that Minho would have run into something himself to make him late for once. But that was unheard of. When it came to dance practice, Minho was always on time and frequently the first person in the room.
“Ahh… I almost forgot,” Hyunjin sighed, shifting his weight so that his side was against the fence as he typed out a smart response to his hyung. “Maybe next time I’ll really forget. That way I'll be able to watch an entire practice for once.”
Only one response to his hyung was able to be sent on Hyunjin’s part. A typing bubble popped up on Minho’s side, but Hyunjin never got the chance to read the following messages. A loud metal clank of a bat hitting a ball and an echo of a shout was the last thing Hyunjin heard before darkness enveloped him like a heavy blanket.