Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jisung closed the door behind him, quietly slipping into the AV Club meeting that he was a few minutes late to. He glanced up to see the president of the club, then they broke eye contact again once he registered his surroundings. The room was full, leaving Jisung to stand in the back.

"In order to be given an assignment for our publication," the president said. "I'd like all of you to make a portfolio of work that you've done. That could be high school, your previous years of college, or your own personal projects. We will be handing out assignments at the beginning of next week, so please have your portfolios turned in to my email by Friday."

Jisung's eyes widened. He desperately wanted an assignment. He had done some sports journalism work in high school, so he was not unfamiliar with how video assignments worked. He moved in two weeks ago today, starting his college journey where he planned to continue videography as a career.

The room filled with gasps. The president rolled her eyes, continuing to announce that the club will meet again next Monday to assign videographers to projects.

"That's crazy, right?" The person next to Jisung said. "We have to give them a portfolio in less than a week? How are you supposed to get enough footage to build something in that time?"

Jisung shrugged. "It's not as hard for people who did this in high school and people who aren't first-years. I think I read that the club will help train people who don't have experience though." He whispered back, as if someone had asked him the dumbest question that could ever be asked.

As soon as Jisung got back to his dorm, he began to put together his portfolio. He looked through his flashdrive, picking out his favorite clips he recorded in high school and editing them down until only the best parts remained. He quickly composed a folder, labeled it, and sent it off in an email to the AV Club president. He laid back in his chair, already eager to see what she'll think of it.

~...~

"Oy, Minho, let's have dinner at my place tonight. We just got a bunch of beef that's ready to be barbequed!" Bang Chan shouts, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder before walking to the other side of the locker room where Minho is putting away his equipment.

Minho nods. Who could turn down some barbequed beef after a long practice?

After the football team finished packing away their things, Bang Chan's car filled up with Minho, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin, along with all of their practice gear.

The drive was only a few minutes, but none of the boys wanted to carry their bags home. Bang Chan lived in an apartment with Changbin and Hyunjin, while Seungmin, Jeongin, and Minho lived in a dorm on campus. The former three were in their second and third year of university, with the latter three were freshmen, so they chose to live somewhere with a bit more independence.

"Hey, Changbin," Seungmin said after Changbin came through the door twenty minutes after the other boys got home, "What took you so long?"

"I was talking to," he gulped. "someone. A cheerleader, actually."

"Ooohh," Seungmin cooed, mockingly. "What's she like?" he asked.

"He's really nice." Changbin announced coolly, although he expected a reaction from his teammates.

Hyunjin poked his head into the entryway. "I've seen the newest boy on the cheer team. He's pretty, almost like a cute girl but without the whining."

"Hey!" Bang Chan barked from the kitchen where he was preparing meat and vegetables. "Remember what I said about misogyny in this house!" To that, Hyunjin looked up to the ceiling, closed his eyes, and whispered 'sorry, women' before heading toward the living room.

The boys sat down with their cooking utensils on the table in front of them. There was enough beef on the table to feed eight people, and various types of vegetables to be grilled. They talked about practice, joked around, and bickered about NFL trades until there was no more light showing through the kitchen window.

"Minho, you'd have a pretty good shot with one of the cheerleaders," suggested Jeongin.

Minho shook his head. "Even if I did, cheerleaders aren't really my type. I'd want someone who's life doesn't revolve around a sport. It would give me a distraction from football."

"Lee Minho? Our star player? Wanting a distraction from football?" Bang Chan gasped, pressing his hand to his heart as if he was actually offended by the statement.

The rest of the boys laughed and decided to end their night. They said their goodbyes and grabbed their gear before heading out the door, feeling content with their meal and their growing friendship.

Chapter Text

"Hello, Jisung. Have a seat." The AV Club president waved to the boy, gesturing toward a chair that was next to her. "I don't think we properly met. My name is Olivia, and I'm a third-year film major."

Jisung shook her hand. "I'm Jisung, but you already know that. I'm a first-year videography major. I'm sorry if I seemed a bit eager in my email," He said, fidgeting with his fingernails. The skin next to his nailbeds was slowly peeling off as a result of constantly picking his hangnails.

"Don't be sorry," Olivia reassured, smiling softly. "That eagerness is exactly what we're looking for here. And I must say, I loved your portfolio."

Jisung readjusted in his chair, his lips slightly parted in disbelief. "Really? Thank you,"

Olivia nodded and cleared her throat. "I hope that you can continue to create this quality of work when you work on your next assignment," she hinted, pulling out a manila folder. It had a sticky note on top with Jisung's name written on it, with the characters "FB25" below his name.

Jisung grinned, his eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

She handed him the folder. "For the next two weeks, you'll be making a short documentary about the football team. They've been on a winning streak this season, and we'll be featuring your video in our news reel that gets blasted on social media. You'll be doing some interviews, getting B-roll at the football games, and you can choose to edit yourself or have someone else in the club edit for you. If this looks like the clips in your portfolio, you should have no issue making something worthy of being published school-wide." Olivia said.

"Wow," Jisung blinked. "This is incredible, thank you." He bowed, then got up from his chair, hitting his shin on a table on the way out.

~...~

Minho put his duffel bag down onto the bench of the university's gym locker room, mentally preparing himself to break a sweat. He took out his towel and his water bottle before walking into the main section of the gym.

"Minho!" Changbin shouted, setting down his dumbbell. "Glad you could make it,"

Minho laughed. "I kind of had to, we don't really get a choice with these gym days." He picked out a kettlebell and began to lift it, making sure to focus on his form. "I do appreciate that Coach allows us to do our 'team bonding' at the gym. Speaking of, where is everyone else?"

Changbin picked up another dumbbell, heavier this time. "Bang Chan is running on the treadmill, and Hyunjin and Seungmin are at the smoothie bar, and the rest of the team is doing who-knows-what. I don't think I've ever seen two mortal enemies spend so much time together," he jokes.

"I still haven't tried the smoothie bar here," Minho recalls. "I didn't have a lot of sugary stuff in high school. My parents wanted me to focus purely on protein and vegetables, which I guess is how I ended up with these." He brought his arm up, flexing his muscles for Changbin to see.

"Did your parents put a lot of pressure on you to play in college?" Changbin asked, paying more attention to the weights he was holding. "Like, did you feel like you were forced to?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Minho responded. "I was the quarterback of my high school team and they really liked that. Even though Korea has a national team and it would make more sense, my dad likes the NFL teams more. He says that's the reason he moved to the United States, although I don't think that's the entire reason. At least I hope,"

Changbin chuckled. "That's really funny. My dad said he came here for the 'chicks'. I think it was really because of a job opportunity. Do you want to go to the NFL?"

Minho hesitated. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I like majoring in sports medicine and if I don't get drafted then I can see myself doing that. What about you?"

"Maybe," Changbin said, finally putting his weights down. "I'm very lowly ranked in the draft, so the chances of me getting onto a team I like are pretty slim. I wouldn't be unhappy if I just finished my degree and worked an office job. I could coach a kiddie team as a side hustle, or something."

Minho nodded before spotting Bang Chan from across the room, moving towards him. "Hey Minho! Changbin! We're gonna do a quick run and then go out to dinner as a group."

The boys put their weights down before looking out the window. It was indeed dark outside, signaling that it was about time for dinner. Minho gathered his things and headed toward the rest of the team, Changbin giving him a pat on the shoulder.

Chapter Text

Bang Chan slowly walked into the player's lounge after a Saturday night game, holding his laptop and clearing his throat to get the attention of the rest of the time. "Hey guys, the AV club reached out to me to say that they're going to be making a video about us. The guy is asking what times you all are available, what should I tell him? Also, he's going to be on the field for the next two games to get footage, so please don't tackle him."

The team members listed their available hours as Bang Chan typed them into his response email. Most of them would have to film their segments during football practices, but none of them minded missing a few warm-up laps around the track at the beginning of practice.

~...~

Hyunjin jogged off of the field as soon as the game was over, pushing his hair back to make himself look like he wasn't drenched in sweat. He headed over to the side of the field where the cheerleading team was packing up their pom-poms and megaphones.

"You guys did really good today," he announced, causing Felix to look behind his shoulder.

"Thanks," Felix responded. "but technically we didn't win anything. Your team was the one that won." he smiled softly.

Hyunjin shifted his weight from is right foot to his left. "Even if that were to be true, would you be against going out for a celebratory dinner? Not tonight, of course, but sometime in the next week?"

"Uhm," Felix hesitated. "I wish I could say yes, but I'm currently interested in somebody else. Congratulations on the win, though." He said, his smile not dropping, as he picked up his duffel bag and quickly walked to the locker room.

Hyunjin stood there, dumbfounded, as he listened to the girls from the team lecture the blonde for turning down his advances.

~...~

"Okay, if you could just sit down on that chair, I'll adjust the lights..." Jisung trailed off. He was currently setting up the camera to film his first interview, which happened to be with quarterback Minho Lee. The man was tall and had broad shoulders, his dark brown hair (yet still lighter than Jisung's) creating a shadow on his face that caused Jisung to have to fix his light setup.

Minho relaxed in his seat. "Wow, I feel really special right now. Do you do this with all of the people you film for?"

Jisung softly chuckled, not responding to the question. "I'm going to ask you a couple of questions, and just make eye contact with either me or the camera when you answer them," he said. His hands shook slightly as he fumbled with the list of interview questions.

"Before we start, can I ask you a question?" Minho asked, to which Jisung nodded.

"You already did, but, sure, you can ask."

"Do I intimidate you, Jisung?" Minho questioned, a small smirk on his face.

Jisung gulped. "No, not really. It's just that this is my first project for the school's AV club, and I want it to go well. Trying not to mess up, you know?"

"Just talk to me like I'm one of your friends." Minho said. "You would be calm around them, wouldn't you?"

Jisung nodded and started rolling the camera. He asked Minho about his childhood, his experiences on his high school football team, and how he's feeling about the rest of the season. They were pretty standard answers for an athlete, but still good nonetheless. Minho would have the longest section of the video since he was the star player of the team.

"Jisung," he addressed as Jisung stopped recording. "Before I go, could I get your Instagram? You know, so that I could see progress on the video?" To which Jisung nodded and they exchanged contact information.

Minho smiled on the way out of the room as Jisung began to pack up his things.

Chapter Text

Jisung flinched at the ball being thrown in his direction, trying to not drop his camera. Tonight was his chance to get as much B-roll footage for his video as possible. He finished most of the interviews, and once he got this B-roll he could start editing and then the video would be finished.

It was almost halftime, meaning that the players would soon go back to the locker room while the typical halftime festivities go on. Jisung would be following them to get behind-the-scenes footage of Bang Chan, Minho, and the coaches while everyone else on the field watched the cheerleaders and the marching band. Unfortunately, Jisung would miss his roommate's performance, but Felix understood that he had a job to do.

As soon as the buzzard went off, Jisung shut off the camera and began to jog toward the locker room. His jog was not as fast as the players, but he tried his best.

"I'm sorry for almost hitting you," Minho said as soon as he saw Jisung.

Jisung looked down at the floor. "It's okay, the ball would hit me all the time in high school," He grinned up at Minho while the other boy took off his jersey to apply more deodorant. "Do you think you guys will win?" he asked. The game was tied and the odds were in both teams' favors.

"Shouldn't you be filming that for your video?" Minho joked, taking his padding off as well. He wiped himself down with a towel and reached to take a swig of water.

The shorter boy gasped, fumbling with his camera. "Minho Lee, do you think you will win the game tonight? You're currently tied and winning this game could improve your standing in the draft." Jisung asked, his voice now serious.

"I'm hoping so," Minho responded, trying to not giggle. "I have a really good team that has my back, and their support is what helps me in times like this where it would be easy to surrender to the other team. There are so many talented boys on the field who have waited their whole lives for the opportunity to play college football, and I wish them the best, but I would really hope that we can beat them tonight." He smiled at the camera, waiting for Jisung to stop recording.

"Wow," Jisung said, lowering the camera. "You've gotten much better at answering questions."

Minho's ears turned red. "Well, you've been giving me tips over the last week. I practiced that response in the mirror earlier." To which Jisung laughed.

Jisung put the camera onto a bench and straightened out his back. "I've never had someone prepare answers for me before. You're probably the best person I've ever interviewed. Thank you, Minho. I'll be sad when I'm finished with this,"

"We don't have to stop talking just because we finished your video, silly. You can come to the team dinner tonight, if you'd like." Minho suggested. He began to put his padding and jersey back on, as it was getting to the end of halftime.

"Y-yeah," Jisung stuttered. "I'll be there. Meet you here after the game?" and Minho nodded.

~...~

"Good job, everyone! We got another win tonight. And Jisung over here captured all of it!" Bang Chan announced, his glass raised.

Jisung was staring down at the table with a small grin . "The video should be done by the middle of next week. You'll be the first to see it." He said, looking up.

The table of men ordered their sushi and sides, prepared to do major damage to their wallets. However, they deserved a big meal after their big win. Most of the team was already familiar with Jisung due to him working on his video for the past week and a half, but Jisung still felt awkward joining in on conversation.

"I still don't understand why he turned me down! He said he was interested in someone else, but he doesn't seem to actually pursuing anyone," He overheard Hyunjin complaining to Seungmin.

"I think it's normal that Felix doesn't like you back. He seems to have Changbin wrapped around his finger." Seungmin responded.

Jisung's head perked up. "Felix is my roommate." He said under his breath, so only Minho could hear. "And yeah, he's very much into Changbin. They're both kind of wimps and won't ask each other out."

Minho laughed. "Really? Hyunjin has been bitter since the last game because Felix rejected him. Really hurt his ego."

"We should really push them together so that they can resolve this once and for all," Jisung suggested, and Minho clinked his glass of water in agreement.

Chapter Text

"Are you going out with someone tonight?" Jisung asked. Felix was at his desk in their shared dorm, beginning to put on makeup. His long hair was messily tied back in a scrunchie to avoid having it in his face. Jisung watched him, admiring how beautiful the boy was before he even put on makeup.

Felix began to put on concealer. "There's a party tonight, hosted by one of the frats," he started. "Would you like to come?" His accent was thick, as he was an international student from Australia that was still adjusting to the way people in the United States speak.

"You know what? Why not. I haven't gone to a party at all this semester." Jisung said, jumping off of his bed. Felix's eyes widened, not expecting Jisung to accept his offer.

Jisung is someone who usually doesn't go out. Every weekend this semester, Jisung has stayed in his dorm either working on his video for AV club or reading or playing video games. He just finished Red White and Royal Blue last weekend, which Felix caught him reading late at night with a heavy blush across his face. This weekend was different, now that he and Minho were plotting to help get their friends together.

He didn't need to ask if Changbin would be there, why else would Felix look this nice?

"Do you need to borrow something to wear?" Felix asked, knowing Jisung didn't have much in his wardrobe that was 'party ready'. Felix was only slightly smaller in build, so most of his clothes would fit Jisung.

Jisung nodded, and Felix walked over to their closet in response. It was more like walls and a partition with rods, but it carried out its function. Felix picked out a cropped grey sweater, along with a white tank top after Jisung gave him a nervous glance. Jisung contributed a pair of baggy blue jeans, creating some balance with the tighter top half and put on his white Air Forces.

Felix offered to give him some makeup, to which Jisung only allowed him to put on eyeliner and some glitter. The eyeliner was a metallic shade of grey, which matched both his sweater and the glitter that was placed along his cheeks. Jisung wasn't insecure in terms of his masculinity, but drawing attention to himself was a much different story.

'I'm probably going to regret this', Jisung thought to himself as they were walking to the fraternity houses, 'but it's for Felix's sake'.

~...~

Minho stepped into the party, taking in his surroundings. Jeongin and Seungmin looped him into coming, calling it "team bonding", as if the team didn't already see each other every day. The lights were dim, with filters covering them to make the room appear dark shades of purple and pink. EDM music played through the speakers at a volume that made Minho feel like he could go deaf by the end of the night.

"Are you drinking tonight?" Jeongin asked him.

"You know I don't drink," Minho responded. "I have scholarships. Even if I didn't, I find this stuff disgusting,"

"Suit yourself." Jeongin grabbed a red cup from the table of various drinks. The table was full of cheap alcohol, which Minho expected from a college party. He had only been to a few other parties and noticed that at the frat houses, people preferred to do more intense drugs once the experimental freshmen went home. Minho was one of those freshmen, but often stayed later than he'd like because Bang Chan was the one driving him home. Bang Chan was the only other one who didn't drink alcohol, which meant Minho had someone sensible to talk with to pass the time.

Minho spotted Changbin across the large living room and made his way over to him. They greeted each other and began to step along to the music, Changbin obviously tipsy in the way he wasn't coordinated in his steps the way Minho was.

The person who Minho could mildly recognize as Felix approached the two of them, walking to the rhythm of the music. He had an aura that drew people in, making them want to give him their undivided attention. His blonde hair rested on his shoulders and bounced at the same time as his skirt. He wore a white tennis skirt with white tights under, black boots, and a black cardigan that had white stars on it. Minho could swear his smile radiated actual light when he grinned in Changbin's direction.

Changbin blushed, giving Felix a short embrace. Felix was a few inches taller than Changbin with his boots on. Minho found this hilarious, giggling to himself that a buff linebacker like Changbin was becoming the lapdog for a boy he had a crush on.

The two of them whispered something before departing from Minho, Felix waving goodbye and Changbin nodding a goodbye while trying to hold back his smile. Minho gave him a thumbs up before turning around to take a lap.

He didn't spot anyone he knew until he reached a dark corner. There was Jisung, leaning up against a wall and holding a red cup. He chewed on his lip, trying to look around before making eye contact with Minho, who was already looking at him.

Jisung looked good. Minho had never seen him in something so form-fitting, which led him to imagine what it would feel like to hold Jisung's waist, which happened to be cinched in the sweater he was wearing. Minho shook off the thought. He couldn't be thinking these things about someone he has worked with in a strictly professional setting. Minho didn't deny that he found Jisung attractive in this lighting, as he already knew he was queer, but his sober mind knew it would be a bad idea to initiate anything tonight.

"I didn't think you were the type to come to these things," Minho said, trying to be as cool as possible as he leaned against the wall next to Jisung.

Jisung blushed, or at least Minho thought he did, it was hard to tell. "I came with Felix. I was hoping I could try to push him with Changbin, but it seems like he didn't really need my help."

He nodded toward the sliding glass door that was visible from the corner they stood in. Felix was sitting on a patio table, with Changbin standing between his legs and their tongues in each other's mouths.

Minho let out an 'oh' before laughing. "I guess he didn't need my help either. He just needed to get some alcohol in his system."

"Your place or mine?" Minho asked, not realizing what he just said.

Jisung stammered. "What?" His cheeks turned even more red than they were before, embarrassment mixing with his sweat from the crowded room.

"I live with Changbin. Do you think they'll go back to my dorm or yours? They seem to be getting pretty into it." Minho observed. "Sorry," he added after noticing Jisung's reaction.

Jisung let out a breath. "I think it would be best for all of us if they kept it in their pants." He said with a straight face.

"It's a college party. I don't think they will,"

"I don't know, this was my first one."

"Wait, seriously?" Minho furrowed his eyebrows. "I pity that your first party was standing in a corner with me and a bad drink watching our roommates make out with each other." His eyes moved toward the glass door, still unsure whether the couple outside was aware that everyone could see them. Both Minho and Jisung were trying to avoid staring.

Jisung swirled his cup. "It's just water. I'm too scared to get drunk, I don't think I could trust myself."

"Oh yeah?"

"I might end up making out with a random guy or jumping on a table like they do in the movies." Minho kept a mental note that Jisung would tongue-wrestle with a man if he was given the opportunity.

"You seem like the life of the party when you don't have anxiety," Minho joked. "We really should hang out more often. You know, outside of working on the video."

Jisung smiled wide. "Yeah, we should."