1/14. this is ANOTHER double update! so pls make sure to read ch. XVI beforehand :-) hope you enjoy it! 

"Hi, Mrs. Kim..." He says softly, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. He was worried what her reaction would be. They haven't seen each other in years and Jaehyun began to wonder if perhaps Doyoung told her everything that happened between them? Did she still think of him as the innocent boy from years ago? It was driving him insane, unable to predict her reaction. He should be wary of that purse of hers.

The seconds she took to respond felt like decades and if it weren’t for Doyoung being feet away, he might have just fled away to hide from her hands. Doyoung’s mother could be just as feisty as he is. Finally, she smiles wider than she had when she greeted her own son.

"Jaehyun...!" She pulls Jaehyun into a hug, "It's been ages! You've gotten so handsome and tall!"

Ten exchanges awkward glances between Yuta and Johnny, who look equally as baffled as he is. Doyoung avoids their eyes and simply makes conversation with his instructors. He couldn’t believe himself the sight he saw. He tried his best to ignore but his mother rings in his voice like a megaphone.

"What are you doing carrying Doyoung's stuff? Did he make you do it?" She smacks her teeth and Doyoung's head as well, "You haven't changed since you were younger – always making him do things for you. Carry it yourself!"

Jaehyun smiles and shakes his head, "Its fine, I wanted to carry it for him so he could hug his friends."

She pinches his cheeks and awes, "Still my soft cheek little boy! And that dimple is still there – I told you it would stay. Why haven't I seen you in years?"

"He's been busy," Doyoung cuts in as he takes back his stuff and mumbles, "Thanks, by the way..."

"Oh? You have two bouquets?" His instructor pipes in as well, "Who's the other from? Perhaps... That girlfriend?"

The older man cackles to himself and before Doyoung can respond for himself, Ten squeezes into their conversation as well and points at Jaehyun, "He did, he did!"

His instructor's cunning smile falls and he clears his throat, "Oh... I didn't realize..."

"He's – "

Doyoung is cut off when his other instructor smiles and pats Doyoung's head, "Well, we won't judge as long as its love. Well, we should be on our way now. Mrs. Kim?"

Doyoung's mother is cut off from brushing Jaehyun's hair and praising him endlessly when her arm is pulled, "Oh, right! Doyoung, you'll be home before 12, right?"

Doyoung sighs and nods his head, "I'll text you if anything comes up."

"I'll take that," She takes a bouquet of flowers but leaves Jaehyun's behind, "Jaehyun, will you feel safer if he has it on him now or do you want me to take it?"

Jaehyun is caught off guard – too immersed staring at Doyoung and oblivious to his instructors watching him do so – and stutters in his words, "H-Huh?? I – I mean if... He thinks its okay, I don't mind."

"I'll just take the note," Doyoung mutters as he plucks the note out of the bouquet, "You're too noisy and I know you'll read it."

His mother simply hums with a smirk plastered on her face, waving bye at the other boys as she walks away to get to her car. They stand in silent for a moment, Ten helping himself with chocolate and refusing to give any to Yuta. It isn't until Johnny clasps his hands together and says, "Let's get on our way, then."

And with that, they are off to the game.

They were a quarter and a half late to the game. Perhaps because Johnny insisted on stopping by McDonalds and got caught in a long line waiting for sixty chicken nuggets. They were big boys with big appetites. Well, perhaps not Doyoung in this case, who simply watched Jaehyun treat himself, under the table groping the note and making sure not to fold it in any way.

He could sense the boy's curiosity skyrocketing at the two of them for the entirety of their pin stop and ride to the game. Their quick glances to him and Jaehyun – or the other way around – only confirmed it. Not that none of them had guessed already the two had a past, but Doyoung's mother's reaction was too big for that past not to be a big deal between them.

When they arrived, Ten dragged Yuta unwillingly to the concession stand to get his nachos. So temporarily, Johnny was a third wheel until they could find seats or Taeil sooner. He regretted not getting the elder's number yet, because he had no idea where to find him. Taeil didn't seem to be the type to hang around by himself in the committee area like they're assigned to by himself – especially for a quarter and a half. It may even be possible that Taeil left already.

"Hey, I'm going to look for Taeil," Johnny says when they find seats on the bleachers, "I'll be back."

Doyoung's eyes are a cry for help – begging Johnny not to leave him alone with Jaehyun – but when it came to things like Taeil, Johnny was a bit self-centered. He ignored Doyoung and walked away, leaving him with Jaehyun to deal with.

They sat in absolute silence for the most part. Only Jaehyun spoke when the school team got a down, cursing to himself under his breath. Doyoung's foot moved rapidly and he glanced everywhere other than Jaehyun's direction, until someone approached them.

"... Taeil?" Doyoung spoke first, seeing how the boy looked exhausted and almost irritated.

"Doyoung, have you seen Johnny?" Taeil's voice is breathy, "I've been looking for him the whole time and I haven't even seen the top of his head. Did he come?"

"Yeah, he did," Jaehyun cuts in, "He actually went to look for you. Why don't you sit with us and wait until he comes back?"

Taeil hesitantly nods and goes over to sit beside Jaehyun, who greets the shorter with a smile and glances at his arms, "Are you cold?"

"A bit," Taeil admits, "I was in a rush to not be late, but what was the point? Of course Johnny would be late... He always is."

Jaehyun laughs charmily – yes, charmily, - not his usual inwardly laugh but a deep, toned one that girls swooned over. Doyoung didn't realize his fists were clenching while watching the two converse to themselves, like he wasn't beside them.

"Here, wear my jacket," Jaehyun starts taking off his jacket and coolly puts it around Taeil before the shorter can retort, "We wouldn't want the school vice to get a cold, would we?"

Doyoung scoffs louder than he meant to, having both boys glance over at him. He simply glances away as if he didn't do the pettiest thing just now, hoping at any moment Johnny can appear and put an end to this.

"Wow, your hands are so cold," Jaehyun laughs and Doyoung's eyes peak over. He catches Jaehyun's hands over Taeil's – the size difference impeccable – and the way his fingers graze over the hand of Taeil's delicately.

"Yeah, I forgot to bring gloves too," Taeil sighs, "It looks like it'll rain tonight too."

"Good," Doyoung mumbles under his breath, "Hopefully Jaehyun can drown in a puddle."

"What?" Taeil calls out to Doyoung confusedly, "Did you say something?"

"Oh, no, just reciting some notes I need to remember," Doyoung musters up the biggest, fake smile he can make at Taeil, who truthfully has done nothing wrong, but mere presence currently is enough to make his jaw ache from how much it’s clenching.

"I'm naturally warm so," Jaehyun's hands intertwine with Taeil's, "Let’s not let you get frostbite, okay?"

Taeil snorts and coos, "You are warm! I'm always cold."

"Then you have to stay warm," Jaehyun says as he smiles – making sure his dimple appears because he's so annoying – and goes on, "Having someone warm is good to have around. Like me, for example."

Doyoung's foot is going as quick as a tempered rabbit. He's sure his bones will dissolve if he keeps tapping away like this, but he can't help but feel irritated. It was one thing to witness Jaehyun's sick, flirtatious ways from a far – but right beside him? Especially after all that horse crap earlier? Doyoung couldn't believe himself that he actually let it get to him.

"Doyoung, aren't you cold?" Taeil asks, "You should have Jaehyun's jacket instead."

"I don't want it," Doyoung answers firmly.

Jaehyun then pipes in, "Body warmth is always the best." Suddenly Doyoung feels a pair of arms coil around his waist and pull him closer, the voice of the other tickling the crook of his neck and tucking itself on his shoulder, "Doyoung is always naturally warm. Like a bunny~"

Taeil awes and Doyoung notices his hands are free from Jaehyun's grip and is going through his hair. He then feels another warm touch run itself up his sleeve and trail down to find his hands.

"But you're so cold right now," Jaehyun's voice is hot against his neck and he can't help but arch his back a bit from the strange sensation, "Are you getting sick?"

"Jaehyun...." Doyoung whispers, "You're really testing me right now, aren't you?"

Doyoung can barely see Jaehyun glance back at Taeil – just to make sure the other isn't paying any attention to the two and he isn't, simply watching the game in front of him in utter silence – and responds, "I’m just being a good friend."

Doyoung scoffs, “’Good friend’ my . Go back to flirting with him, have fun with that.”

Jaehyun furrows his eyebrows and shakes his head, “I wasn’t flirting.”

“Come on,” Doyoung clears his throat and mocks his ‘attractive’ laugh and then stares deadpanned back at him, “Just shut up.”

“Doyoung,” Jaehyun sighs, “I wasn’t flirting. Taeil is just a friend that I want to look after. If I was flirting, then you wouldn’t be the one I’m holding right now.”

"What?" Doyoung chokes out, feeling Jaehyun's hold around him tighten and bring him even closer and his lips brush against his neck accidentally, "Jaehyun, you better – "

"You sound a bit...” Jaehyun’s voice trails off but picks up shortly after with a cunning smirk, "Were you jealous?"

Doyoung bites his lip and tries to shrug Jaehyun away but the other only teases him further with his hands pinching his side a bit, "You read the note, didn't you?"

Doyoung stays silent for a moment and manages to push Jaehyun's head off his shoulder and looks directly at him, "If you think this is a game you will win, you're wrong."

As he said that, suddenly the entire bleacher began to roar in victory. It was a touchdown. Jaehyun leans away but their hands are still intertwined, and Doyoung stares at Jaehyun with his eyebrows furrowed.

"But you have to admit, I'm winning right now, aren't I?"

Doyoung scoffs, "You're all confident after my mom... Don't forget that after today, I'll go back to hating you just as I did yesterday and the day before that and the day before that."

"If I get you to not hate me after tonight," Jaehyun bets, "Then I want a new start, with you."

Coincidentally, the second quarter begins. 

Doyoung has an intense stare down with Jaehyun, who's overbearing confidence annoys him. Just an hour ago he was being conservative and shy, and now he was cocky enough that he could get him in his pants like any other easy girl. He wasn't sure whether he should be offended or thankful – now that he had another valid reason to hate his guts.

"Why do you keep trying?" Doyoung snaps, "It was easy for you to give up music – why can't it be easy for you to just give up on me?!"

Doyoung suddenly stands up and throws Jaehyun's hands away from him, pulling out the note out of his pocket and throwing it at him. "You piss me the hell off!"

"Doyoung, wait!"

Jaehyun's voice calls out to him from behind but he doesn't bother to spare the younger even a second glance. He was infuriated, for what reason he couldn't pinpoint, but all he knew was that Jaehyun boiled his blood and drove him insane. He wanted to claw his eyes out, pluck each strand of his hair off his head, and toss him to the bin. The pleasure it'd bring to his day if he could do that, except Doyoung didn't want to ruin his promising future. Something that Jaehyun had already done. But at the same time - he wanted to fall back into his arms, let his warmth radiate off of him, give him the pleasure of him speaking into the crook of his neck. It only drove him madder that he felt like this as well.

Doyoung had lots of reasons to be angry. At least, he thought so himself. But one reason that had been ticking like a time bomb in his head was the fact that he still cared about Jaehyun, whether he'd ever admit it out loud or not. He was worried what Jaehyun would do now that he had given up on something he felt was such a big part of him. He didn't want to admit that he spent more late nights wondering what Jaehyun would be in the future than for himself. For some reason, he felt guilty to have possibly led Jaehyun into this path of broken hearts and mishaps.

Then there was the other obvious reason. Jaehyun just couldn't let him go. No matter how many times Doyoung has rejected him, he would rebound just as quick. He hated how Jaehyun had become so self-centered. So astonishingly selfish. As if he couldn't tell from the pained look in his eyes or his jaw that aches all the time that he was hurting him. But then it was himself again, that secretly enjoyed it. He loved the struggling look on his face, the hint of hopelessness and lost in his eyes whenever Doyoung turned away. It was bittersweet pay back for all the times Jaehyun's actions contradict his words and send Doyoung ten steps back.

"Doyoung!" A voice calls out.

Doyoung's feet stop before he could tell himself in his head to keep walking. He hears someone jog over to him and turns swiftly around, ready to give this guy a real big punch in the throat. Instead, he saw Johnny instead. He let out a breath of relief.

"What are you doing?" He asked when he noticed how Doyoung's face was slightly reddened – from blush or anger he couldn't tell – and decided to ask straight forwardly, "Are you okay?"

Doyoung hesitates to answer. He can just feel his chest get heavier and his breathing get faulty. Suddenly Johnny steps forward and soothes his hair, "Dude, what's wrong?"

"I..." Doyoung realizes several repressed tears slip from the crook of his eyes and clenches his eyes shut to stop himself from crying over, "I'm so confused. I don't know what's wrong with me."

Johnny pulls Doyoung to his chest and hugs him tightly – a perk of Johnny's that Doyoung enjoyed was that he was a great hugger – and soothed