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Sports aren’t, and have never been, Minghao’s thing. It stands to reason that Minghao knows jack shit about softball.
Normally, that isn’t relevant. Normally, Minghao isn’t sitting at the university softball game, helplessly trying to learn the rules to the sport and also if her seat neighbor is into women.
This is all Seokmin’s fault. Stupid friendship. Stupid supporting women’s sports speech.
The odds are definitely in her favor. Right? Women’s softball. Short, boyish haircut. Knee length jean shorts and a tank top. Odds should be in her favor.
Now the pièce de résistance: the small child talking the other woman’s ear off. And, okay, that doesn’t necessarily mean she’s straight. Lesbians can have children! Minghao is incredibly open minded to what the modern family looks like. The real issue is that Minghao’s not equipped to be a parent at twenty-one. No matter how cute the kid is. No matter how attractive their (maybe) mother is. And man, is she attractive.
A foul ball heading their direction snaps Minghao out of her spiraling thoughts. She really needs to focus. Not only does she not know the rules yet, but she fears for her life if a ball somehow ends up too close to her. There’s no amount of dancer’s gracefulness that can save her from the speed and strength of that. Not to mention the hellish damage it would do to her pride.
While Minghao flinches away, the little girl to her right jumps up and scampers forward. Tiny mitt on her hand a blur of baby blue as she hustles. The ball thuds as it bounces in the walkway ahead of the bleachers. Minghao smiles, watching her reach and reach and-
A grown man, at least in his mid-thirties, swoops in to snatch it right from under her glove. He picks it up, turning to grin and point at someone in the stands wherever he must be sitting. Minghao can’t help the scowl that washes over her features. The kid’s entire face falls, then settles into a—quite frankly—adorable pout. All furrowed eyebrows and bottom lip jutting out.
Glancing over, there’s a twin pout on the woman’s face. It’s incredibly endearing. Minghao wants to smooth the crease out of her eyebrows with a gentle thumb. Wants to kiss the pout off her.
She blinks hard, turning back to the game. Seokmin is going to expect her to at least have some commentary for the game when they meet up later. Can’t exactly say sorry, I was only paying attention to the pretty woman beside me.
It’s midway through the game from what Minghao can gather. At least, she really hopes that’s what being in the 4th whatever is. It’s too damn hot for this. Seokmin is on the pitching mound, a force to be reckoned with if the zero denoting the other team’s score is anything to go by.
She seems to be having trouble with this particular batter, who is hitting foul after foul and refusing to go down. After the next pitch, which the batter gets just the tiniest piece of before it continues into Jihoon’s waiting glove, Jihoon signals to the guy behind the plate. She stands, walking to the mound and exchanges a few words with Seokmin. Tosses her the ball and continues back to her stance behind the plate. Minghao has no idea what was said, but the grin lighting up Seokmin’s face is visible even from here. It makes Minghao’s heart swell, to see her friend so taken care of.
The batter hits another foul, up and back. Back, back, ba—fuck, it’s heading towards her. Well, she might die today. At least she saw a gorgeous woman. It’s her luck the ball nails the spot just in front and to the left of her. She stands, letting it bounce a couple times before she gets a hand on it.
Her eyes immediately fly up, searching for that tiny pout. The little girl is standing nearby, watching intently. Minghao uses every ounce of athleticism she possibly possesses to toss it gently into the cradle of the glove she has on. Up close, she can see the light pink stitching on it. The team colors.
“Thank you, ma’am.” She’s beaming, brown eyes bright in the midday sun. Maybe Minghao could do this parent thing.
She shakes her head, grinning back at the girl. “Of course. You’ll need that if you’re gonna be down there soon.”
Small arms are much stronger than they look. They squeeze like a vice around Minghao’s legs briefly as the girl squeals and giggles.
They both sit back down, the child showing off her prize to the woman with her. All toothy excitement and kicking feet. The woman is nodding, a fond smile on her face. She leans towards Minghao as they return their attention to the game.
“Thank you.” She sounds so genuine. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Minghao scoffs. “‘Course I did. That guy earlier was a dick.”
She chuckles. “Yeah, but still. I’m Seungcheol, I appreciate you being so kind.”
“Minghao. And really, it’s no big thing.” She juts her chin in the direction of the child. “She yours?”
“Yeah,” Seungcheol answers immediately. Her eyes widen, then she blushes and stumbles to clarify. “Wait, no but yes. I just mean-“ She cuts herself off with a huff. “She’s my brother’s kid, I’m in charge of her today.”
Minghao bites back a laugh.
“She’s so interested in sports—probably my fault—and my brother has zero interest. So he’s made it my responsibility to take her to games.”
“That’s sweet,” Minghao offers.
“What about you? You here for someone?”
Making a show of it, she glances around like she’s confessing a crime. “What if I said I don’t know the first thing about softball?”
Seungcheol smiles at her, easygoing and slightly teasing. “I kinda assumed. You kept squinting at the field like the rules personally wronged you.”
“I’m here for the pitcher,” she responds. “Got me on the basis of supporting women’s sports.”
“Ah yes.” Seungcheol nods sagely. “Loving women too much can backfire occasionally.”
Minghao sighs, long and arduous. “Unfortunately.”
There’s a pause in conversation, Seungcheol clapping as Seokmin finally gets the last strike to finish the top of the inning. The silence between them carries as the teams change positions on the field. Seungkwan steps up to lead off, “Femininomenon” blaring through the stadium’s speakers. She idly wonders what Seungcheol would choose her walk up song to be.
“So,” Seungcheol says. “You and the pitcher…?”
Glancing over, Minghao sees her resolutely staring ahead at the field. Her fingers tap at the bleachers under her, a pretty blush dusting her cheeks.
She nods, hoping Seungcheol catches it from her peripheral. “Yeah. Long-term friends.”
Seungcheol hums, shooting her a look out of the corner of her eye.
“Between you and me, I think Seokmin has something going on with that catcher of hers,” Minghao tacks on conspiratorially.
That gets a real laugh out of her. “Jihoon has been acting pretty weird when she’s brought up. I’m glad to know it’s mutual.”
“What about you? Got a girlfriend down there, Seungcheol?” Minghao teases.
It prompts Seungcheol to turn fully towards her, just as Soonyoung is stepping up to the plate. She makes pointed eye contact. “Nope.”
“Cherry is lonely,” the girl chimes in from the other side of Seungcheol. Minghao peeks around Seungcheol’s broad shoulders, seeing the child happily sipping on a soda through a straw and wiggling in her seat.
“Is that so?” She levels Seungcheol with a raised eyebrow. It’s surprising when Seungcheol ducks her head, running a hand over the back of her neck. Pleasantly so.
“Mhm, that’s what Daddy always says.”
Minghao catches a mumbled “I’m going to kill your father” that sends her giggling into her hand. Seungcheol looks up at the sound, eyes wide.
“How should we fix that, Cherry?” Minghao asks, innocent as anything.
Small fingers tug at Seungcheol’s arm. “She’s really pretty, Cherry.” It’s meant to be a whisper, but in true childlike manner, it’s anything but. “Like a fairy.”
“Let’s watch the game, little love,” Seungcheol redirects gently.
So cute, Minghao thinks. She returns her own attention to the game. Just in time to see Jihoon hit one right over the fence in an impressive display of strength.
Seungcheol’s little love jumps up to cheer, feet stomping on the ground while Seungcheol herself whistles. Jihoon hops onto home plate to screeching teammates, helmet slaps, and ass pats. It’s sweet, in a sweaty and weird kind of way. Minghao can’t quite bite back a grin.
They banter back and forth throughout the rest of the game. Minghao discovers a profound joy in seeing Seungcheol cringe or blush at something particularly cheesy. A deeper appreciation of listening to her discuss softball. It’s obvious in her tone that she loves the sport. Minghao finds herself wanting to know it all. All the rules, why Seungcheol knows them, why she cares. Why she isn’t down there on the field herself.
She’s well and truly screwed. It’s a wonder she isn’t begging Seungcheol to go out with her right then and there.
In the top of the sixth, the other team fails to score, effectively deciding the win for Seokmin’s team. Must be some rule Minghao doesn’t understand. As soon as the game is called, the child is on her feet. “We have to find Ji. Come on, come on.”
She hauls Seungcheol to her feet, grunting with the perceived effort. Seungcheol turns back to Minghao, silent question on her face. Silly of her, Minghao is already up and following. They hang back together as they trail the skipping child out of the stands.
There’s been a running debate in her mind over this all night, but Minghao’s always been a fairly straightforward person. So it’s with zero embarrassment that she stops Seungcheol with a hand on her elbow.
“Here’s my number,” Minghao says, pushing a softball program with 10 digits sprawled out in sharpie and her name under it. The teams are still shaking hands. “I really don’t know jack shit about softball, but I’d like to know you better.”
Seungcheol blushes and grins under the attention, lovely dimples on full display. She accepts the paper and tucks it carefully into her back pocket.
Seokmin bounds out of the dugout ahead of everyone else, no doubt ready to grab a meal and chat away about the game’s events. Hopefully, Minghao can convince her she paid enough attention. The sulking will never end if she can’t. She had a pretty good teacher, so she thinks she’ll pass. If not, bringing Jihoon up is probably a good distraction.
“I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?” Minghao asks as Seokmin reaches them, waving her phone a bit as she’s dragged away by her friend. She sees Jihoon reach Seungcheol’s side, scooping the child up and poking at Seungcheol’s dopey smile with a curious tilt of her head.
Minghao laughs at the sight, links her arm through Seokmin’s, and hopes for a text.
Hi Minghao
I’ll tell you anything you wanna know <3