-im gonna make u my lil after i beat u-

-only thing thats gonna take a beating is your pride-

-o ya u think?? ur is gon catch 1 if u keep talkin-

-you trying to before the game or something? rude-

-u tryin to tell me ur into rough stuff?? babe-

-no im not omg dont get any thoughts in your head!!-

-gonna buy u a whip for ur bday k??-

-dont you dare-

-gonna give it to u in front of ur fam-

-hyung no-

-gonna do it-

-ill break up with you first-

-ill show up anyway ur sis will let me in-

-im calling the police-

-the police cant save u-

-hello 911 my boyfriend is an idiot how do i exchange him-

“Oh god, please tell me you're not texting the boyfriend?”

Bobby looked up just as Minhyuk sat down beside him. At least he'd kept his voice down.

“Of course not, I'm texting Jinhwan,” Bobby lied, even though he didn't really need to. Not with Minhyuk, at least. Granted this was not the best time to be texting, half an hour before the start of the game. Both teams had just finished a warm up and were assembling in their respective rooms for some pre-game strategy talks. Bobby couldn't help himself, though. After seeing Hanbin warming up with his team he felt like he just needed a minute of their usual banter before everything potentially went to .

Minhyuk saw through the lie. “Bull, Jinan doesn't make you get that stupid smile on your face.”

Bobby grinned back at him and shrugged. “I have no idea what you're talking about, and frankly I'm offended that you're insinuating that I'm texting the enemy right now.” He typed a hasty goodbye message to Hanbin, not exactly wishing him luck, but wishing him a good game.

Minhyuk rolled his eyes and nudged his knee. “Do we need to go over the rules? You can't be a boyfriend when we get out there. When the game starts, you are a single man.”

“Oh are we lecturing Bobby hyung about the Hanbin situation?” Chanwoo joined them, sitting down next to Bobby and peering at his phone. “Are you texting him?”

Bobby shielded his phone away from Chanwoo's prying eyes. “Keep your nosey out of my business, Chanu.”

“Yeah, Bobby's only got room in his heart for one prominent nose, and it plays for the other team.” Minhyuk teased, and even Bobby had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing.

“Hey, hyung,” Jooheon joined them then, kneeling down in front of Bobby, “I just wanted to check with you--”

“No.” Bobby knew what Jooheon was going to ask simply from the eating grin he was currently sporting.

“You don't even know what I was going to ask.” Jooheon replied.

Bobby finally put his phone in his bag. Time to put Hanbin firmly out of his head. This was his last year competing in high school basketball, and despite finishing in the top three for the past two seasons, he'd never won the district. He wanted to leave a legacy this year.

“I know exactly what you were going to say,” Bobby replied, leaning in closer to him, “the answer is no, you don't have to go easy on Hanbin.”

The other three laughed and Bobby sat back, eyes scanning the rest of the room. The majority of the team was back inside the locker room now, so they were going to have to cut the conversation short lest it spark something uncomfortable with some of the others. No one had said anything yet, but Bobby was sure that everyone knew for sure that he and Hanbin were together now. It had seemed like a good idea to kiss him after their game that one time, but he was regretting it now. He felt like it was only a matter of time before the ticking time bomb detonated and he would have to defend himself from someone's meltdown.

“Alright, is everyone back in?” Their coach called out, walking in with his clipboard and taking note of all the faces present.

“Seunghoon had to make a pit stop in the bathroom quick,” the answer came from Cho Kunwoo, another senior who'd been on the team as long as Bobby. Like Hanbin, he played as a point forward, though his completion rate was nowhere near Hanbin's.

“Alright, we'll wait til he's here.”

Kunwoo waited until the coach left the room before approaching Bobby. “Surprised to see that you're in such a good mood.”

Here it was, the potential meltdown. Bobby wouldn't count Kunwoo among his friends on the team. In fact, he'd been one of the most vocal members to protest Bobby's appointment as captain. Bobby crossed his arms over his chest and met Kunwoo's eyes. He knew what was coming, and he had to be careful in how he replied, had to keep things calm.

“People are talking about you, you know. They've been saying some unsettling things.” Kunwoo stared back at him, baiting Bobby into a blowup.

Bobby wasn't falling for it, though. There had been a time when he would have been on his feet already, defending himself from any potential comments. But he couldn't react that way as captain.

“Oh yeah? What are the people saying, Kunwoo?” Might as well get to it right away while they still had time to get over it.

“You know what's being said,” Kunwoo replied, pausing to look around the room, probably for moral support, “about you and Kim Hanbin. Whimoon's little star player. Same one you gave to Jooheon for when he fouled him hard a couple of games ago.”

Bobby kept his eyes focused on Kunwoo, but he knew the entire room was staring at them, waiting for his response. What would be the best response for him? To admit the relationship outright? Would it really serve any good? Better to just deflect.

“We have the league final in less than thirty minutes, and your focus is on a rumour?” Bobby kept his voice calm, but allowed a touch of ridicule to creep into his tone, “do yourself a favour, Kunwoo, and worry about your own game. You're in no position to be asking about anything else, not with your lacklustre performance this season.” Bobby dismissed the question without even addressing it. As Kunwoo shook his head and let out a long, disapproving huff, Bobby waited.

He'd struck a nerve, though, bringing up Kunwoo's own performance. Only Bobby knew that Kunwoo was at risk of being benched for the game after a disappointing run as of late, and Kunwoo seemed to remember that. Bobby wouldn't hesitate to let it casually slip out loud if Kunwoo didn't back down.

Kunwoo backed off the second their coach returned, Seunghoon following him in. But even though he sat down, Kunwoo kept an angry glare on Bobby. Bobby returned the stare but kept his own expression neutral. He couldn't afford to let his emotions get the better of him right now.
 

Hanbin had mixed feelings as he looked down at the final message on his phone. Despite the bit of nerves he'd been looking forward to the game since last week, excited for one last game. Until half an hour ago when he'd seen Bobby warming up with his team.

For some reason it was like his brain had just neglected to put two and two together, like it had refused to recognize that Bobby was really his opponent tonight. This was different than the first time they'd faced each other. While that game had been important, this game was the last one, and the weight it carried was heavy on his shoulders. This was the end of the season league final. Bobby's last high school basketball game.

And Hanbin was going to ruin it for him.

“Please tell me you're not coming down with some mystery illness.”

Hanbin looked up from his phone, his eyes on his captain.

“I have no idea what you're talking about, hyung.” Hanbin replied, innocent expression on his face.

“I am going to be watching you like a hawk,” Yoongi teased, “if you're not playing at a hundred percent I'm benching you.”

“Worry about yourself, old man!” Hanbin replied cheekily. “Last I checked, somebody's pass percentage hit a bit of a snag last game.”

Yoongi shook his head and sat down next to Hanbin, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Listen kid, I know this is your boyfriend's last game of his school career, while you have another year left. I get it. But it's my last game too, and I've had you longer.”

“Oh god, here we go.” Hanbin grinned and leaned against Yoongi, settling in for the teasing lecture he knew was coming.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Yoongi began in a wistful tone, “the day you tried out for the team. What a sweet and gentle soul you were back in those days.”

Hanbin tried not to laugh. “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“So respectful, never talked back, always went out of your way to be polite and accommodating to your hyungs.”

“Okay now I know you're definitely not talking about me, hyung. I think the dementia's taking over already.”

Yoongi's arm tightened uncomfortably, and Hanbin's head was pressed into his chest. “Do you remember that day, when we first met? Jaebum was captain then, had that team mentor thing going on.”

Hanbin shifted, trying to get a little more comfortable. “You mean team slave thing?”

“I practically raised you myself on this team,” Yoongi carried on, his tone still light and wistful, his free hand settling on Hanbin's head, patting his hair, “did all I could to get the best out of you.”

“Can someone please help me?” Hanbin called out, but all he got in return were the snickers of his teammates, all of whom were enjoying the show.

“I look at you now and feel like a proud parent, you've come such a long way.”

“Please, anyone? I need an adult.”

“And now we're here, on our last day, and you have some new older guy who's taken over. Me, your team dad, shafted to the sidelines, no longer the top man in your life.”

“I'm desperate here! Hobi hyung, where are you?” All Hanbin got in reply was more laughter, followed up by Hobi showing off his phone. He was recording the whole thing.

“So I will ask you one time, my sweet, favourite child,” Yoongi suddenly moved his arm, tucking it under Hanbin's chin, catching him in a loosely held choke hold, “where are your priorities?”

Hanbin finally let himself join in the laughter. It wasn't often that Yoongi let go of his stoic personality and acted anything remotely resembling ridiculous. Hanbin was grateful for it now.

“There's no romance in basketball, hyung!” Hanbin answered, and he was rewarded with a pat to the cheek.

“Good answer.” Yoongi let him up, grinning as he watched Hanbin sit up and rub his neck. “I'll be watching you.”

“Like a hawk, I know, I heard. You sure your rickety old knees can handle one last game?”

“These rickety old knees can still kick your , so don't get smart with me.”

Hanbin laughed and realized then that his built-up nerves were gone now, thanks to the teasing. It was just basketball, after all. Couples survived worse than this.
 

Junhoe occupied a seat in the stands in his usual spot, higher up to get a good view of the whole court. He'd come to the venue with Hanbin's family, who were sitting further down, closer to the floor, because Hanbyul wanted to be closer to the action to watch Hanbin and Bobby “playing sports together”. He'd tried to explain the rivalry aspect of the game to her, but it was going over head, so he'd left her to her parents.

Donghyuk sat on his left, and Jinhwan sat on his right. He'd met Bobby's parents earlier, an introduction courtesy of Jinhwan. They'd decided to wait until the end of the game before introducing the parents to each other, though Hanbyul had recognized Bobby's older brother. It was weird to introduce parents without their own kids present.

Junhoe wasn't sure what to expect from the game. It was different than their first game, more at stake without chance for retaliation. He wanted Hanbin to win purely out of loyalty, but he didn't know if it would cause problems, especially with Hanbin's birthday days away. They hadn't talked about it again since Sunday, but he knew Hanbin was worried about the situation. He'd thought about talking to Jinhwan about it, had wondered if there was anything they should do in preparation for the outcome. He'd decided against it, though. It would probably be fine, regardless of what happened.

“Hey guys, mind if I watch the game with you?”

Junhoe looked behind him and quirked an eyebrow up at the intruder, because he had a reputation to uphold with him. “Ugh, did I hear you correctly? You want to impose on us for a whole game?”

His rude response got him an elbow in the chest from Donghyuk. “Why are you so rude?” Donghyuk shifted his attention up to their guest. “Hey, Yunhyeong hyung! Of course you can watch with us. Are you sure, though?” Donghyuk's heart felt like it was skipping multiple beats. Yunhyeong always hung out with his own friends during games. Why was he coming to them this time?

Yunhyeong smiled down at him. “Yeah, just felt like a change of company for tonight.” He glanced over at Jinhwan then, recognizing him from the time they'd met at a restaurant. “It's Jinhwan, right? Bobby's best friend?”

Jinhwan smiled up at him, nodding in response. “Ah, he remembers my name! I feel touched.”

“Don't,” Junhoe interrupted, “I still complain about you all the time when he tutors me.”

Jinhwan shook his head and elbowed Junhoe in the arm. “Why are you such a brat? Be nice to your hyungs or I'll kick your again.”

Yunhyeong sat down next to Donghyuk as he watched Junhoe bicker with Jinhwan. He hadn't given up on his quest to find out who Junhoe's mystery friend was, and as he noticed how close they were sitting, noticed how Jinhwan would casually touch Junhoe's leg and Junhoe never seemed to be bothered, he wondered if it wasn't Jinhwan. At first guess he'd thought it was Donghyuk, but after getting to know him a little better he'd decided against that option. Though they made good friends, he didn't think that Junhoe was Donghyuk's type. Donghyuk was too smart.

He liked Donghyuk, always felt some weird desire to interact with him any time he saw him. He figured it was some natural charisma that Donghyuk possessed, which wasn't entirely untrue. Despite a shaky start to his move back to Korea, Donghyuk was starting to make more friends now. Yunhyeong thought he was a good addition to Junhoe's little group.

“So why are you sitting with us and not your friends, hyung?”

Yunhyeong focused on Donghyuk's question, wondering how much he ought to say. Donghyuk had been there for Siwon, after all. It couldn't be that much of a surprise. “Ah, usually we're a bigger group, but tonight we lost half our guys to band practice. The guys left, well, they're all kind of like Siwon. I mean they're good guys, just not necessarily all the time, you know?” He felt weird explaining it to Donghyuk. Felt like he had to excuse himself for being friends with someone who'd been rude to Donghyuk based on something genetic that he had no control over.

Donghyuk nodded, pleased that Yunhyeong had decided that he wanted more positive company for the game. “Let me guess, they complain about Hanbin, don't they?”

Yunhyeong frowned. “Yeah, I didn't really want to spend the game listening to them complain about how our best player has some abnormality, you know?” Okay, maybe he shouldn't have said that much. Donghyuk didn't need to know what Siwon said in specifics.

Donghyuk rolled his eyes at the comment, but then he grinned. “Guys like that are idiots. Hanbin told me about the guy at his boxing club that he'd fought after he came out. Used to say the same sort of things to him. I don't get that kind of mentality, I mean whether it's boxing or basketball, it's not like you're going to be out there making out with a guy, so it shouldn't matter.”

“I feel the same way!” Yunhyeong replied, maybe a little too enthusiastically. He was just relieved that Donghyuk hadn't been bothered by his comment about Siwon's comments. “People's private lives are private, what they choose to do shouldn't bother anyone who isn't involved, right?”

Donghyuk beamed a smile back at him. Okay, so this wasn't exactly sounding like a confession from Yunhyeong, but it was open support for his uality, which was almost just as good. As much as Donghyuk liked to sometimes fantasize about Yunhyeong admitting that he had feelings for him, realistically speaking he was thrilled to just have him willing to be openly supportive. Every positive reaction was worthy of celebration.
 

The game was rough from the opening whistle. Ten seconds passed before Hanbin was on the floor after a hard foul from Kunwoo. Bobby was pretty sure Kunwoo had done it for two reasons: as some bull posturing that was meant to try and intimidate Hanbin, and to test Bobby. They both remained unbothered, though. Bobby didn't blow up at Kunwoo, and Hanbin got up calmly and resumed playing.

It was easier now that they were in the game, Bobby's head was filled with plays and routes and passes to make. Reward came early, with Chanwoo scoring the opening basket for his team on a pass from Bobby. Bobby took it as a good sign.

But despite being down at the start, Whimoon came back strong, and after five minutes they were up by four points, the majority of their baskets so far coming courtesy of Hanbin. The game was as tight as the previous one, but after Kunwoo's opening foul it was surprisingly clean for the first bit.

They'd both settled into pure competitive mode now, the desire to win equally as strong. Bobby wanted the victory as payment for the past three years, for the struggles he'd endured with leading the team after coming out. He thought he deserved victory as a parting gift. Thought he'd earned it. It wouldn't be enough to simply finish in the top two this year. He needed to come first.

But Hanbin was making it difficult. For every pass that Bobby completed and every shot he opened up for one of his teammates, there was Hanbin with a shot of his own, sinking basket after basket, accurate as a programed robot.

Bobby studied his team during a line change, watching everyone closely from the bench. Kunwoo was playing a better game tonight, at least so far. Bobby hoped he wouldn't prove to be problematic again, but only time would tell. Nearing the end of the first quarter Bobby's mood was crippled somewhat unexpectedly. After a foul by one of Hanbin's teammates, Bobby took a moment to look around the gym, smiling at his parents before looking for his friends.

Instead he saw Hanbyul, and she waved excitedly at him.

Would she understand Hanbin's sadness later if Bobby's team won? Would she be mad at Bobby for hurting her brother? It was a weird place to be in, and he tried to block the question from his mind as he watched Chanwoo set up to take his foul shots. He had to stay focused. He couldn't afford to think about Hanbin's family, couldn't afford to think about both of their families here tonight.
 

“All right, I don't want this to be like the last one, down to the second,” Yoongi advised, “we did good in the first half, but it's tight, so I want us to press more. I want you guys working to intercept passes, I want us turning the play more often. Mark your man and start stealing those passes, alright? We can't just keep hoping they'll miss their shots and then retaliate. We have to get aggressive so we can build on our lead.”

The half-time pep talk worked. Five minutes into the start of the third quarter and they'd managed to reverse over half of Gwangnam's forward plays.

Bobby ended up suffering for it the most. Hanbin's team was now seven points up and Bobby had the ball again, dribbling up and aiming a pass to Minhyuk. It was stolen by Hoseok and passed quickly to Hanbin, who barely evaded Seunghoon before sinking a three pointer from the line.

Bobby called for a time out.

“What the is going on out there, guys? They keep coming at you and it's like you're all ing sleeping!” He looked from player to player, glaring at all of them. “Tighten the up out here.”

Kunwoo shook his head and muttered under his breath. “Yeah I bet you like it tight.”

Bobby heard it, and he couldn't help but snap back in the moment. “The did you just say?”

Chanwoo moved in front of Bobby, placing a hand on his chest. “Hyung, it's not worth it.”

“Concentrate on the ing game, Kunwoo.” Bobby snarled at him over Chanwoo's shoulder.

“Just didn't seem like you were too desperate to stop your boyfriend from scoring,” Kunwoo accused.

“That's not my role, he's not my mark,” Bobby shot back, almost unable to believe that Kunwoo was picking now to go after him again.

“Kunwoo, shut the up,” Seunghoon interjected, “I'm supposed to be covering Hanbin, I ed that one up.”

“Right now everyone is ing everything up,” Bobby replied, “we have a lot of time left to turn this around but we need to stop being so flat footed.” Bobby ended the discussion there and everyone went back to their spots.

Except Seunghoon.

“You might want to think about benching him,” Seunghoon said in a whisper, and it surprised Bobby. Kunwoo and Seunghoon were practically best friends.

“Why?” Bobby asked, curious about why Seunghoon was speaking up now. Despite not getting along with Kunwoo, Bobby had no problem with Seunghoon.

“I just don't know why you're letting him talk to you like that,” Seunghoon replied, “he's out of line, and he's getting reckless. Don't take that from him, he's causing friction. If he gets benched, it's his own fault.”

With that said Seunghoon went back to his place quickly, leaving Bobby to pick the ball up and take his own spot on the court.

He definitely should have been more careful in his timing about revealing Hanbin.
 

Bobby's eyes were on the clock before the ball even bounced off the rim. Forty-five seconds left. With Whimoon up by eight points they'd really needed that shot to go in. He felt like screaming at Minhyuk for missing, that he should have passed to Jooheon instead for a guaranteed two points.

But he would have gone for the three points himself, so he can't really be angry.

He took off after Yoongi, barely containing his fury. Instead of going for the ball he just wanted to bowl him over, wanted to unleash his frustration on him. But he controlled it and blocked Yoongi's shot before he got it off, brushing the ball with his fingertips and sending it just far enough to the right for Chanwoo to grab it.

Chanwoo sent it up to Minhyuk who lined up for another shot—this one sunk through the hoop, and the lead closed to five points.

Bobby looked back at the clock. Thirty-eight seconds. It was a stretch, but it was doable. They just had to keep Whimoon from scoring opportunities and had to force them into giving up possession lest they try to run down the clock. They also had to keep from being drawn into fouls, which was Bobby's biggest source of concern.

Right now Yoongi had the hall and he passed it to Hanbin, who wasted a few seconds with it before attempting a long pass to power forward Minghyu, who caught it and went in for a layup, only to be blocked by Chanwoo. Bobby chased the ball down and got to it just before Hoseok showed up, and he sent a bounce pass by him that made its intended target of Kunwoo.

Kunwoo charged forward, ignoring an open Minhyuk. Just as Bobby was about to yell at him for it Hanbin was there in front of Kunwoo, feet planted firmly in a blocking attempt.

Bobby could see it happening before any contact was made. Hanbin didn't usually block, wasn't usually back that far, but since it was Kunwoo he was the one blocking, exploiting the opportunity. Kunwoo wouldn't be able to help himself.

Kunwoo slammed his shoulder into Hanbin and sent him to the floor as he made his shot (which sunk through the hoop, of course) and Bobby wanted to scream at him when he heard the shrill whistle of the referee.

Charging foul on Kunwoo. No points.

“Are you kidding me, ref?” Kunwoo yelled, his frustration out in full despite being the one at fault.

The referee wasn't having it. “Whimoon's ball! Another word out of you and you're done.” The referee spoke directly to him, hard eyes on him, like he was just waiting for a response.

Kunwoo turned away. “Can you believe this guy? What a call.” Kunwoo directed his comment at Minhyuk.

“Shut up, Kunwoo. Next time don't ignore an open pass! I could have sunk another three pointer.”

Up in the stands tensions were running just as high.

“Again, Kunwoo?!” Jinhwan complained, screaming into his hands.

“He just can't hold it in against Hanbin, can he?” Junhoe replied, grinning from ear to ear.

“He's a ing idiot.” Jinhwan watched as Hanbin took the ball, his grin visible all the way up in the stands. It was looking dire for Bobby, and Jinhwan couldn't help but worry about how the loss would affect him. When they'd lost in previous seasons Bobby had moped about it for weeks afterwards (he never said anything, of course, so Jinhwan could never quite prove that he was moping over the basketball, but he'd always known) but with Hanbin now, things would be different, wouldn't they? But it was also Bobby's last chance at victory.

“That was really gutsy of Hanbin, though, that guy looked like he hit him really hard,” Yunhyeong said.

“Ah, Hanbin's way tougher than he looks! He's used to getting fouled all the time, this isn't anything new for him.” Junhoe replied smugly, watching as his school's team wasted a few more seconds with the ball. They were going to win. The gap was too big now with the amount of time left.

“Yeah, you should see some of the knocks he's taken at boxing, hyung,” Donghyuk added, grinning at Yunhyeong, “never lets it affect him.” The night was going perfect for Donghyuk. The game was good, of course, but he'd spent the entire tire sitting next to Yunhyeong, engaging him in conversation. So far he'd learned that Yunhyeong had originally wanted to go to an arts school to study acting, but his parents hadn't let him, so now he was studying business in order to take over his parents' restaurant in the future. He loved to cook, loved to travel, and had asked Donghyuk to teach him some English.

So as he watched the clock tick down, edging closer to victory, Donghyuk couldn't keep the beaming smile off his face. He felt like they were truly becoming friends, or at least as much as they could be given Korea's whole age thing. Their conversations weren't the least bit awkward or forced, everything felt like it had a natural flow.

When they won, maybe he'd try hugging Yunhyeong in excitement. Just to test his reaction. And to see what his hugs felt like.
 

With only eight seconds left Gwangnam had closed the lead to only four points, but Hanbin wasn't nervous or worried. Sometimes in basketball you just had to trust your team and let a shot happen here and there just to get possession back. Controlled risk, the same way he sometimes would eat a shot in boxing just to catch his opponent slightly off-balance.

He had the ball currently, deep in the opposition's end, but all of his shots were blocked. He was being covered by Seunghoon, and Hanbin kept a count in his head of the shot clock. Just as he had seconds left he darted out around Seunghoon, making him twist and take a misplaced step directly in Hanbin's path, and Hanbin drew the foul, trying to keep from grinning when the referee blew his whistle and Seunghoon cursed himself in frustration.

At one time he'd felt like drawing fouls was a bit like cheating, taking opportunity of your opponent's errors and exploiting them for gain. But that was just the way the world as a whole worked, wasn't it? He wouldn't be able to draw fouls if they watched their footing better or kept their elbows to themselves.

He cleared his mind though as he took his spot on the free throw line, bouncing the ball a few times with his eyes on the hoop. He had two shots, and when he sunk them both they'd be up by six again, which would pretty much ruin Gwangnam's last hope. Four points wasn't really that safe—just score a two pointer and draw a foul and they could tie it up in seconds. But six put them that one extra point on top, and there just wasn't the time.

He focused on the shot, drawing in a breath, his thoughts solely on basketball right now. His team needed him, and he always delivered in moments like this. He shot the first ball and it sunk swiftly through the net, and they were up by five. He high fived Yoongi and Hoseok before receiving the ball back from the referee and lining up for the second.

He sunk it like the first. Eight seconds left now and they were up by six. It was a sure victory, and he'd been the one to secure it. But there was still time left on the clock and they took their positions back up, pressing into Gwangnam's offense. Three seconds in and Minhyuk got off a three point shot that made it's target, but Hanbin wasn't worried.

There were five seconds left and possession was theirs. He and Yoongi passed the ball back and forth a few times, and just as the full time buzzer was about to go Hanbin couldn't help but fire off one last shot at the net, just because it was there. It sunk and they won the game by six points after all.
 

Yunhyeong's hug was everything Donghyuk had hoped it would be. He had a surprisingly strong embrace and he let it last a few seconds longer than it normally would have. Donghyuk couldn't help but breathe in deeply with his face in Yunhyeong's neck, taking in the scent of his cologne. He had no idea which one it was, but it smelled like the greatest thing in the world at the moment.

“I can't believe Hanbin sunk that last one! What skill!” Yunhyeong finally pulled out of the hug, elated at the last second three point shot. It was nice to be able to celebrate the victory and not hear snide remarks about their star player's uality.

“I know, I can't believe he's real sometimes.” Donghyuk added with a laugh, but his mind was still firmly on Yunhyeong.

Junhoe was still sitting down beside them, wearing a smug grin and looking at Jinhwan, whose face was pinched in irritation. Junhoe couldn't help but lean in close to him.

“What an ending, huh? Such drama. Just like a movie.”

Jinhwan glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, not turning his head. “If it were like a movie, we would have come back and won in the end. But we didn't, and now I have to be subjected to your bull.”

Junhoe couldn't help himself, sliding even closer and looping his arm around Jinhwan's shoulders. “Let me know if there's anything I can do for you in your time of loss.”

Jinhwan still refused to give in, wouldn't turn his head to look at him. Instead he just slid one hand up to his cheek and proceeded to give Junhoe the finger. “You can go yourself.”

Junhoe couldn't help but laugh, amused with Jinhwan's irritated response. He couldn't stop needling, though. “To be honest with you, hyung, I'm not sure I know how to do that, but I assume you're going to teach me the finer points of it some time in the near future?”

Jinhwan wasn't expecting the response and he couldn't stop himself from laughing even though he didn't want to. That was a bad sign, wasn't it, that just a dumb joke from Junhoe could disarm him so easily? Dangerous, Jinhwan, you're getting too attached. “Sure will, if you're lucky.”

Yunhyeong watched them closely, absolutely certain that Jinhwan was the special friend. Junhoe wasn't even celebrating Hanbin's victory, instead he was all up in Jinhwan's face, as close as could be. He had his answer.

“What's that look for, hyung?” Donghyuk had caught him staring, and Yunhyeong wondered if Donghyuk had any idea.

“Just wondering when Junhoe got so close to Jinhwan,” Yunhyeong said, keeping his tone casual.

Donghyuk grinned and glanced at them quickly before turning back to Yunhyeong. “I know, right? It's so weird. I know I haven't known him as long, but they weren't like that when I first got here. They could barely tolerate each other. Now it almost looks like they're dating, sometimes.”

Yunhyeong was dying to ask the question, dying to ask Donghyuk if he knew. But he kept it to himself for now. Barely. “Yeah, that's what I thought. Junhoe usually never gets so close to people, but he's really been cozy with Jinhwan for the whole game.”

“Yeah, I think it's cute, actually,” Donghyuk replied, and he was happy that Yunhyeong wasn't making a comment about how it was gross, or that they shouldn't be so close out in public.

“Ah, it's weird hearing someone call Junhoe cute,” Yunhyeong said with a laugh, “I always see the obnoxious side of him, didn't think he had a cute side.”

Donghyuk looked at Yunhyeong with a fond smile. “Everyone has a cute side, hyung.”

Yunhyeong felt like ducking his head away at Donghyuk's comment. Could feel his cheeks getting warm. Ah, this was crazy, how weird he felt around Donghyuk sometimes! Weird but nice. It almost felt a little like they were flirting sometimes, but that was crazy. Yunhyeong wasn't into guys, didn't find guys attractive at all.

But there was something about Donghyuk; it was different with him.

His thoughts were interrupted by Junhoe, thankfully, who was standing up now, his arm still around Jinhwan's shoulders, and he was saying that they should go and find Hanbin and congratulate him. Yunhyeong wondered if he shouldn't leave them now and catch up with his friends. They always hung out after games, and he knew that even his friends who'd been stuck at band practice would be coming out to catch up with them too.

But he wanted to stay here. Didn't want to leave this new little group yet. He told himself he just wanted to continue to monitor the Junhoe and Jinhwan situation, but he knew that wasn't really the reason.

But it was the story he was going with.
 

With Chanwoo finally gone Bobby was the last one in the locker room, and he had half a mind to text his family to leave without him. He wasn't keen on the idea of seeing everyone right now—his parents, his brother, his friends. Hanbin.

He couldn't accurately explain how he was feeling. He was angry, disappointed, but he wasn't entirely sure what he was bothered about. It was easy to blame the loss on the team falling apart, easy to blame it on missed shots and poor passes. But he was terrified that maybe all of that had happened because of him. Sure, he'd kept things as calm as possible, but Kunwoo was a good example. Had his ire at Bobby's relationship impacted his play tonight? Would Kunwoo have sunk all of the shots he'd missed if he hadn't been preoccupied, thinking about how he felt betrayed by Bobby's relationship with Hanbin?

Not hiding his relationship until after the season had ended had been a severely poor lack of judgement, prioritizing his own wants above those of the team. He should have hidden the relationship, should have waited until after this game.

No one had come out and said it, but he knew they were probably all thinking it. Especially since Hanbin had scored the majority of the points, since he'd been awarded with Game MVP. It stung, being beaten a second time. He felt sorry for himself, but he also felt sorry that he wasn't able to be happy for Hanbin, either.

He was losing out on both sides, and it had negatively affected his team.

How was he supposed to go back to regular life, now? Every time he got together with Hanbin, wouldn't he just think about this? He'd remember his disappointment, remember that feeling of betrayal at the end of the game, when Hanbin had sunk that last basket. Remember thinking at the moment was that really necessary? Just rubbing salt in the wound, rubbing my face in the fact that you're better than me. He knew that hadn't been Hanbin's intent now, but at the time it had felt like he'd been stabbed in the back (repeatedly).

He felt like he'd failed his team, failed his family, failed himself. It was a feeling that had a nasty habit of creeping up around Hanbin. It was easy for Bobby to feel good about himself when they were doing something casual and unimportant, like goofing around at an amusement park. It was easy to feel like a king when Hanbin clung to him in a haunted house, or when he gave him pleasure so mind blowing he couldn't speak for ten minutes afterwards.

But when it came down to real life, when it came down to things that were relevant to everyday success, Hanbin always trumped him. Always came out in the lead. Maybe it shouldn't matter so much, but it did. Bobby couldn't help it, couldn't stop comparing himself to Hanbin and feeling disappointed when he always came up short.

The truth was that one day Hanbin would meet someone else, someone better. How could Bobby compete with that? He couldn't even compete with Hanbin.

“Ah, Jiwon, I thought I might find you in here.”

Bobby looked up at the door, eyes falling on his coach. He quickly looked down at the floor. Great. One more person he'd let down tonight, one more person who was disappointed in him. He wondered if the older man had been waiting for this opportunity to get him alone? Was he going to unleash his fury on him now with no one around to overhear? Bobby figured he probably deserved whatever he had coming.

“I hope you're not being too hard on yourself, you played a great game tonight.”

He hadn't expected it to start with a compliment. He waited in silence for the inevitable but, only for it to never come.

“It's been an absolute pleasure watching you grow and develop as a player over the last three years. I remember when you first started out. I never would have imagined that two years later, I'd be naming you captain. You were the most selfish player that first year, I can't even recall how many times I scolded you to be a better team player.”

It was true. Bobby had been desperate to prove himself that first season, desperate to shine and stand out. But he'd only looked out for himself, only tried to make himself look good. So maybe he'd turned it around on the court, but off the court he was still the same selfish person, putting his own interests ahead of everyone else's.

“I'm proud of how far you've come, of how much you've grown. You're a wonderfully capable captain, Jiwon.”

Bobby couldn't stand hearing it, because it wasn't true. “No, sir.”

His coach sat down next to him on the bench and Bobby stiffened, still expecting a lecture, still felt like he deserved one.

“Let me tell you something, Jiwon, and this is probably something I should have told you a long time ago.”

Bobby held his breath and waited, not wanting to hear it, but also just wanting to get it over with.

“I know there's been some controversy surrounding you, ever since last year when you came out to us all. You never did manage to escape it. There were many times that I thought that I should have spoken up, to you, and to the others. I should have forced us all to have a real talk about it, to air it all out. Instead I didn't, instead I forbade anyone from speaking about it, because I thought it was the right thing to do. Who you choose to be with romantically has no impact on your athleticism, so I thought it had no place to be discussed amongst the team. But that was wrong of me, I can see that now. I thought hiding it would make it go away, but instead it compounded it for some of your teammates, and that caused problems. I just wanted to apologize to you for that. There was nothing that you could have done to make it better. That was my responsibility as your coach, as your mentor.”

Bobby swallowed nervously, unsure how to go about responding. His coach had never broached the topic of his uality before, never addressed out loud that Bobby was gay. He'd spoken about it, but had never named it. He'd never looked Bobby in the face and told him that it was okay.

Bobby had assumed that was because he didn't think it was okay. He'd assumed that his coach thought the same thing as almost everyone else, that it was disgusting and unnatural and sinful. Didn't think it was a proper lifestyle choice.

“When you came out to us, Jiwon, it impacted you as a player. But it impacted you positively. You became a better team player, you became more responsible, more respectful. I don't know if that was because you were afraid of losing your spot, or if admitting it had just removed a weight from your shoulders that let you grow. But you became indispensable to the team after that. You'd always been a good player, but you became a great player. You were the obvious choice to be named captain, you'd earned it. I know there are some who will choose to blame the loss on you, on your relationship with that Whimoon player. I'm not one of those people, though.”

Bobby finally looked at him, mouth open in shock. Was he truly not getting any blame from his coach for dating Hanbin? Not even a shred?

“Basketball is not a one man sport, Jiwon. All members must function well for the team to function well. Even as the captain, at the end of the game if someone misses a shot, that's not on you. All you can do is lead the play and make the pass. It's on your teammates to score the points, that's not your role on the team. Unfortunately, tonight, not everyone else was on their game. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. Do you get what I'm saying? You played your part well, you did all you could. You led with authority and confidence, as you should have. There's no shame in losing when you've done your best.”

Bobby almost couldn't believe it. This was the first time he and his coach were having such a heartfelt conversation. Maybe it was because his coach could see that he needed it. Needed to hear that it wasn't his fault, needed to hear it from someone with authority. Needed to be told that he'd done everything he could, that he'd been good enough. Usually he didn't need it, usually after losses he was angry, not sad. But it wasn't just about basketball this time.

“Thank you, Coach Lee. I appreciate it.”

“The season is over, everything is done. Don't worry about what could have been, or what people will say. I've been coaching this team for twelve years now. You're one of the best captains I've had. I'm not disappointed in this season, and I'm not disappointed in you. So I hope you won't be either.”

His coach stood up and patted him on the head before heading for the door.

“Your family is waiting for you, Jiwon, you should really go out and see them.”

He was right, and Bobby knew that. Sitting alone and hiding wasn't going to change anything, and it wouldn't it any easier to accept the loss. Best to get the awkwardness out of the way and carry on with life. He gathered his things up and left the changing room, but he left his phone in his bag. He didn't know if Hanbin was still around, or if he'd left to go celebrate with his team already. He was honestly afraid to find out, afraid of his own reaction when he looked at him. What if it just brought him back down again, after Coach Lee's talk had cheered him up a bit?

Bobby finally emerged into the gym, bag slung over his shoulder, quickly scanning the people who remained, looking for his family. Before he found them he heard a very familiar voice call out to him, and he was surprised at the way it made his heart lurch inside his chest.

“Oppa!” He looked up to see Hanbyul running to him from across the gym, and maybe she just had a way of putting everything into perspective that he hadn't imagined he'd be able to do just yet, but he dropped his bag and held his arms out, smiling as she ran up to him for a hug.

“Oppa, we were going to leave but you came just in time!”

Bobby grinned at the dramatic tone of her voice, like seeing him before leaving had been of dire importance to her. Then again she was young, too young to fully understand the impact of the game's outcome. Too young to understand why he might not want to see Hanbin and his family so soon.

“I'm sorry I made you wait, Byul-ah, I was talking to my coach.”

She nodded. “That's what Hanbin-ie oppa said you were probably doing. But I wanted to say that you were really good! You were the best, you and Hanbin-ie, I'm happy I got to see you play together.” She flung her arms around his neck and leaned in again, and Bobby felt tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. Since when had she gotten so attached to him? It was the best feeling, though, and he stood up, picking her up and carrying her over to where both of their families were standing together.

He should have been there for the introductions. Shouldn't have made Hanbin handle it all on his own. Bobby looked for him then, nervously meeting his eyes, and Hanbin's expression was similar to his own, like he was waiting to see how Bobby would respond, waiting to see what reaction would be appropriate for him.

It just made Bobby feel guilty. Hanbin couldn't properly celebrate his victory because he was too worried about potentially offending his boyfriend. Bobby couldn't let that last.

He dropped Hanbyul off by her parents and ignored everyone else for the moment, coming to stand in front of Hanbin. He smiled at him, tried to convey that despite the disappointment he was doing okay. And he kind of was. It had all started with Coach Lee, and it had carried on with Hanbyul. But it crested with Hanbin.

Hanbin should be out with his teammates right now, celebrating their victory. But he'd stayed back to wait for Bobby, hadn't wanted to leave without saying goodbye. It touched Bobby deep down, it hit him in all kinds of weird ways. He reached out to cup Hanbin's cheeks in his palms before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips.

everyone else who was watching right now. It was important to have priorities in life, and if he prioritized his own hurt feelings over a game that had zero impact on his future instead of prioritizing the person he wanted to have in his future, then that would be his own stupid mistake.

“Congratulations on the victory, you were amazing.”

Hanbin seemed to melt into his arms after the kiss and the comment, and Bobby thought again about his earlier thoughts, about how easy it was to feel smug and superior when Hanbin was like this with him, soft and pliant and adoring. Maybe it didn't only have to matter when they were doing unimportant things. Maybe, if he got over his own pride, he'd see that Hanbin was always like this with him, even when Hanbin himself was the one showcasing his superiority.

Maybe that was just the way things were meant to be for him. Maybe he was wasting his time worrying about Hanbin finding someone better. Maybe better wasn't what Hanbin wanted, wasn't what he needed. Maybe Bobby already gave him what he was after. Bobby just had to learn to accept that Hanbin would probably always be better than him at things, but that didn't mean that Bobby wasn't any good himself. There was always going to be someone in life who was better than you were. Unfortunately, for Bobby's pride, he was in love with someone exactly like that.

He just had to work at accepting it.

Hanbin hugged him tightly again and kissed him back, whispering a thank you into Bobby's ear that got Bobby's heart fluttering wildly again.

“I hate to break up this touching scene, but Hanbin we need to go.”

Their moment was interrupted by Yoongi, who stood near them with his arms crossed over his chest. Despite technically being rivals with each other for the duration of their high school careers, they'd always remained on the friendly side of civil, which Bobby was grateful for at the moment. As difficult as it was to lose to Hanbin, it would have been so much harder to lose to a hated rival.

Hanbin sighed in dramatic exasperation. “Fine. Apparently there's some stupid team dinner they're throwing for me because I'm the best,” Hanbin said teasingly, grinning when it made Bobby's eyes narrow, “it's super lame, I know.” He pecked Bobby's cheek.

“How do you put up with this kid?” Yoongi asked, shaking his head at Bobby.

It made Bobby grin. “He's got his charms.”

“Does he? How come I've never seen these charms?” Yoongi grumbled at Hanbin.

“Didn't know you were interested, hyung.” Hanbin teased and winked at him. Yoongi just let out a disgusted sound before looking at Bobby again.

“Listen, treat him well, alright?”

Bobby nodded, thankful that Yoongi didn't seem bothered by their relationship, at least. It even made him feel a tiny bit better about losing to him, knowing that he'd been supportive of Hanbin. “I will, I promise.”

Yoongi grinned back at him. “Oh actually, that comment wasn't for you. That was for Hanbin, the little brat. You better treat Bobby better than you treat me.”

Hanbin's eyes widened in shock. “What? I don't even treat you poorly, what are you talking about?”

Bobby grinned back at Yoongi. Nothing seemed to solidify an offer of friendship like teasing your mutual acquaintance. “Don't worry, I believe you. He is a brat.” Bobby looked at Hanbin then, whose face was full of betrayal. “A cute brat, but still a brat.”

“See? You're not fooling anyone.” Yoongi winked at Hanbin. “Anyway, Bobby, despite taking the loss you played a stellar game tonight, shame some of your guys weren't up to standard.”

“Yeah thanks, I appreciate it.” Oddly enough Bobby did appreciate hearing it. Usually he hated to hear sympathetic comments from anyone after losing a game, but it felt different to hear it from your opponent. He and Yoongi played the same position, after all, so he understood what it was like to lose a game because your teammates missed their shots.

Hanbin kissed him one last time before finally disentangling himself, and Bobby watched as he made his rounds and said his goodbyes. Their parents were still standing together, and Bobby felt slightly guilty that he hadn't greeted his parents yet, but from the way his mother was hugging Hanbin and kissing his cheek, he felt like he'd probably get off the hook for it.

He said a quick goodbye to Junhoe, Donghyuk, and Yunhyeong, who left with Hanbin and Yoongi, inviting themselves along to the party. Jinhwan took up Hanbin's vacated spot next to Bobby, slinging an arm around his waist and wearing a pleased little smirk. Hanbin's parents left too, but not before congratulating Bobby on a good game. Hanbyul even gave him another kiss, and it made Bobby feel warm again.

Then Bobby was left with only his family, and he held up a hand to silence any comments they were about to make. “Can we just not talk about the game tonight? I'm feeling okay about it right now, but I don't really want to talk about it, okay?”

“What about comments that you had the hottest body out there tonight?” Jinhwan teased, shrinking away when both Bobby and his mother reached out to smack him. “Ah, come on! I'm just trying to make him feel better!”

Bobby laughed, choosing to be amused instead of annoyed. “You're an idiot, Jinan.”

“I know you said not to say anything, but I'm proud of you, baby,” his mother cut in, “that's all I want to say. I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm your mother, and that's what we do.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and Bobby was torn between between wanting to hug her and wanting to whine and tell her not to embarrass him like that in public. He ended up somewhere in the middle.

“Why don't we go and grab some late night barbeque, huh? Just us family.”

Bobby's dad made the offer and even though Bobby was starting to feel like he just wanted to hide away and sulk again, he knew that he couldn't let himself do that. He had to make a change, had to prioritize his feelings. Right now his family deserved to be put ahead of his disappointment in the outcome of the game, and he'd probably sleep better tonight after having a happy meal with his family.

He smiled at his dad and tightened his arm around Jinhwan's shoulders. “Alright, let's go!”