~~~

Pulling himself off the floor, Jongin quickly brushes himself off and looks at himself in the mirror. While he's busy inspecting himself, he can't help but chuckle a little when he sees Sehun writhing on the floor in pain. The mental image of Junmyeon as their personal limousine driver is still burned into Jongin's mind and he has to turn around and help Sehun to his feet to distract himself.

"Ouch," Sehun says bluntly after standing up and making sure all his bones are intact, which they are. "That hurt." He sends Jongin a strict look but it quickly melts into one of pure adoration when he sees the brunet's innocent expression, and Sehun assumes he would probably continue staring if it wasn't for the fact that he's in some potential hot water with his History teacher at the moment for being awfully late to class. "I'm late, I seriously gotta run," he says apologetically before he leans in and gently kisses Jongin's forehead. Sehun hopes it isn't too quick of a move, but it's not like he can help himself, anyway.

Jongin pouts but he nods in understanding, since he definitely knows what getting flack from a teacher for being late feels like. "Fine, don't flatter yourself, and I still want my limo," he mutters quietly, but loud enough for Sehun to hear. 

Automatically smiling, Sehun puts his hands up in surrender. "I'll see what I can do, okay? How about you don't flatter yourself, mister, or I'll start having second thoughts," he chuckles, poking the brunet's sides. "Any lessons on your part?" he adds whilst reaching out and turning on one of the taps before proceeding to splash his face with cold water, because he definitely needs it. On a side note, he seriously wonders why nobody has come inside for the past twenty minutes. Not that he cares.

"I thought you said you had to run," Jongin says, stepping aside in the nick of time to avoid his jeans getting doused with water. "And nope, so I'm all free for the rest of the day," he adds in a smug tone, wanting to rub it in since he knows how much Sehun despises being stuck inside a classroom for hours on end. " for you- Hey! You !" He turns his face away and coughs after Sehun splashes water right in his face without a warning.

Wiping his hands and face on a paper towel, Sehun deliberaly avoids apologizing (he figures Jongin deserves it), and he only shrugs as if to say 'Well, you asked for it' before he walks over to Jongin. "Well, you'll have plenty of time to prepare for tomorrow," he says, extracting his hand, but he subsequently bites his lip in worry. "Is this-"

"Don't be so weird all the time, God," Jongin huffs before literally throwing himself at Sehun without a warning, and he feels fireworks going off inside his chest when the scent of the taller's fragrance tingles his senses (if he had a dime for every single time he came dangerously close to a panic attack as a result of going way too long without Sehun's perfume, he'd own every bank on the face of the planet). Man, has he missed it. "And you do realize it's tomorrow, right? What's there to prepare for today?" he asks in confusion, wrapping his arms around Sehun's neck from behind.

Sehun feels two things; worried because Jongin might choke him to death any second, and euphoric because he's missed the sound of the latter's voice and the warmth of his touch lately (and, obviously, a bit pained since the brunet is literally clinging onto him like a baby koala, but Sehun doesn't even bother protesting), but he dismisses them before reaching up and patting the brunet's hand. "You know, like, figuring out what to wear and such," he hums before making his way over to the door. 

"It's not like I've got fifty different dresses to choose from," Jongin says sarcastically. "I've got a suit at home, I'll probably wear that," he adds absentmindedly, seriously hoping he's right because he definitely doesn't have time to purchase a new suit and get it tailored shortly after. No way. He nearly bumps into Sehun when the latter stops right by the door. "What're you waiting for?"

Biting his lip, Sehun eyes the door handle as if it might explode any second, his hand hovering inches above it. "I...uh." He looks up and listens intently for any signs of, well, anything before coming to the conclusion that the coast is clear. "Let's go," he mutters before swinging the door open and, instead of keeping Jongin next to him, he opts to stand right in front of him instead, much to the brunet's annoyance.

"Sehun, I'll be fine," Jongin whines, trying to stand beside the taller to no avail. After a brief struggle, he actually does break away from his position and, much to Sehun's panic, rush out the door before finding himself standing in the deserted hallway. "Wow, it's empty here," he mumbles, watching as Sehun cautiously walks out, the door closing behind him.

After he listens for the sounds of feminine giggles anywhere closeby, and doesn't find any, Sehun breathes out a sigh of relief before walking three steps and enveloping the brunet in a bone crushing hug, not even bothering to check if the latter has any space to breathe. The smell of strawberry shortcake makes every hair on the back of his neck stand up and Sehun unconsciously tightens his grip on the brunet's lean frame. 

"Thanks," is all Sehun manages to say (in his defense, he's worried he might break out into a four hour rant if he chooses to say anything more, which he figures wouldn't sit well with Jongin) into Jongin's neck as he pulls the latter even closer, if that's even possible. If he's going to be honest, there's still a hint of guilt present in his gut but Sehun quickly squashes it by tilting his head and pressing a loving kiss on Jongin's temple. He's well aware that anybody could turn the corner a few feet away and stumble upon them, but quite frankly, Sehun would be lying if he said that he cared (unless they were to proceed to do something to Jongin, to which Sehun would react not so kindly). 

Jongin squirms a little in Sehun's grip, either because he's having trouble breathing or because he's blushing. However, it turns out that it was due to his back pressing against the wall behind him, which Sehun soon realizes after he takes a step back, only for Jongin to wince in pain whilst rubbing the small of his back. If he could, Sehun would make it up to him by giving him another hug, but he has to bite his lip to restrain himself, because the last thing he wants to do is to bust one (or more) of Jongin's vertebraes.

"Don't be weird," Jongin mumbles, and even though he sounds casual, Sehun can tell that he's doing his best not to blush. He reaches into his pocket only to blink in confusion a second after. ", I think I left my jacket in the cafeteria," he says and mentally curses. 

"Really?" Sehun raises an eyebrow. "You didn't even take a seat-"

"I must've put it on the table at some point," Jongin murmurs irritatedly, running a hand through his hair. He nods awkwardly before slowly taking a few steps backwards, in the direction of the lunch room. "So, uh...yeah, no problem, by the way. I'll see you later, then, I guess? Have, um, have a nice class." Nice, Kim Jongin, nice.

As much as the mere thought of his teacher beating him up for arriving late makes Sehun's skin crawl, he would much rather risk getting his hand whipped over and over with a ruler than be without the brunet for even a minute, so Sehun promptly decides to throw his own morals in the trash before mumbling a low ' it' as he quickly makes his way over to Jongin, who blinks in confusion. "The lunch room closes in ten, you'd better hurry," he chuckles.

"Uh." Jongin blinks, apparently wondering why Sehun isn't ditching him and walking straight down the hallway to his class, but he nods and automatically grabs Sehun's hand before practically dragging the latter down the hallway, like he did half an hour ago, except this time, Sehun can relax, because at least this time the brunet isn't on his way to murder him.

Once they arrive outside the cafeteria doors, Sehun regains his composure (seriously, Jongin's iron grip makes it difficult for one to keep up with him, especially whilst he's dragging you by the wrist) before reaching for the door handle. "Let's frigging hope your jacket's in here, 'cause I doubt it's in the lost and fo-" His words quickly die in his throat after he swings the doors open all the way, only to be greeted with the sight of-

"Oh, thank in' God," Junmyeon breathes out in relief as he shifts a little in his seat two rows away from the door. "I thought you both died or something," he adds only half jokingly before resting his head on his hand as Baekhyun cards his delicate fingers through his hair next to him. 

"Yeah, I was this close to calling the cops," Chanyeol adds, not even bothering to look up as he keeps his eyes glued on his phone, which Jongdae has got in his hands and on which the latter is busy playing a game. "Jeez, you're good at this," he mumbles bitterly when a triumphant ding rings fills the air, signalling Jongdae's twenty second win. "Beat my high score, how'd you do that?"

Sehun blinks dumbly before he shakes his head to snap out of his trance. It's not that he's surprised to see his friends, it's just that they were certainly the last thing he'd expected to see as soon as he opened the door. In his peripheral, he can tell Jongin is equally as surprised and confused as he is. "Uh. What are you- We have History-" 

"Right, we actually got Coach to talk to Miss at the last minute since he wanted to us give us as much time to train as possible, so whoop dee doo, History's cancelled," Kyungsoo says as he appears out of nowhere behind Junmyeon. "So now it's off to the changing rooms!" he adds excitedly, putting his phone away. "And jeez, could y'all lay off already? Everyone's getting love around here but me, it's not fair." 

"Nobody's asked you yet, or what?" Sehun chuckles before he clears his throat, regaining his composure as he scratches the back of his ear. "So uh, wait, practice starts now? Are we late? Why are you guys even here?" he asks all at once, confusion still clouding his brain. 

Chanyeol nods. "In ten, actually," he hums, resting his chin on top of Jongdae's head as he watches the latter play. "And well, we wanted to stick around in case we heard explosions coming from the hallways," he says casually.

Dramatic much, Sehun thinks as he fights the urge to roll his eyes. "So, wait, training starts now?"

"That's what we said, dimwit," Chanyeol says before he takes his phone back from Jongdae and stuffs it in his pocket. "I'm gonna go fetch my stuff, I'll meet you there in fifteen, Yifan's already there." With a dramatic salute, he struts towards the doors, Jongdae hot on his heels.

Gaze travelling down Sehun and Jongin, Junmyeon's eyes stop at their interlocked fingers and he breathes out a sigh of relief. "Thank God for that," he mutters after making sure that Chanyeol is well out the door. "No broken bones, I hope?" he adds, alarmingly unsarcastically, whilst standing up and sending Baekhyun a smile. "Shall we go?"

"First of all, stop smiling, you look creepy," Baekhyun says, rightfully earning him a glare from Junmyeon, "and second of all, you go on ahead, I gotta give this back to Jongin." He holds up the brunet's jacket. "'Kay?"

Junmyeon stares at Baekhyun and Jongin for a while before he nods. "Sure, see ya there, right?" he asks and ruffles Baekhyun's hair after the latter nods enthusiastically, subsequently jogging towards the door.

"Just a second," Sehun says, turning to face Jongin, who hasn't moved an inch since they walked in a minute ago. "You're coming with us, right?"

Jongin blinks. "To your training session?" he asks, perplexed. He has never even considered it, but he won't deny that the idea is rather enticing. "I...uh, I don't know, can I?"

"Of frigging course you can," Baekhyun interjects, walking over and whacking the brunet on the back, making him sputter. "There are these little thing called bleachers, ever heard of 'em?" he adds sarcastically and yelps when Jongin smacks him in the arm. "Just saying! Heck, if we ask nicely, we might even get to join them inside the changing rooms!" His eyes light up as he looks at the brunet expectedly. "Think of that, wouldn't that be great? Here you go, by the way." He hands over Jongin's jacket, the latter accepting it with a sincere thanks.

"I'm literally standing right here," Sehun mutters, suddenly feeling extremely out of place. It's not that he has anything against Jongin (or Baekhyun) accompanying them to the changing rooms, it's just that he isn't too hot with the idea of the redhead saying it out loud for multiple reasons. "And sure, I don't see why not," he mutters while shrugging nonchalantly. If anything, he likes the idea.

Baekhyun beams. "Told you, told you, told you," he sing-songs whilst fist pumping the air with each word, not even bothering to acknowledge Jongin's terrified expression next to him. "Anyway, you've got your stuff in your locker, right?" he asks, turning to face Sehun, and Jongin can't help but notice the way he makes sure there's a reasonable amount of space between them.

"That's right," Sehun replies with a chuckle before he checks his watch. Ten minutes to go. "We better hurry or Coach'll fry me." With his hand, he beckons for Baekhyun and Jongin to follow him as all three of them make their way towards the exit.

1:02 PM

Watching Sehun place his duffel bag on the bench, Jongin takes a seat half a foot away and swings his legs back and forth on the bench. He knows it probably isn't a wise idea of him to choose to stay behind while Sehun trains, considering the fact that he's got his own upcoming match to worry about, but Jongin knows for a fact that he would rather ogle Sehun in his uniform for four hours (Jongin figures he won't stay that long, but even so) than stick around with Minseok and Yixing, because Jongin knows that if he chooses to do the latter, all he'll be forced to endure is Yixing asking him to borrow his equipment, which Jongin doesn't have with him, so he figures that that's out the window. 

The entire room reeks of men's cologne and rubber, and Jongin leans back against one of the lockers as he watches Chanyeol and Junmyeon pull their shirts over their heads across from him. Their bags are filled to the brim and Jongin finds himself mesmerized at the sight. Baekhyun and Jongdae are sitting beside each other to Jongin's right, and they're both looking as happy as ever, and to be frank, Jongin would feel the same exact thing if it wasn't for the fact that Yifan is staring at him with a gaze so sharp that Jongin unconsciously scooches closer to Sehun as the latter unbuckles his jeans. 

Yifan has been staring at him ever since they came inside the room a little less than ten minutes ago. At first, Jongin wondered why Yifan wasn't tending to changing into his uniform instead of gawking at him, but that was before he realized that Yifan was already wearing his uniform, which, in a way, gave Yifan an excuse to gawk at the brunet for five uninterrupted minutes, even though Jongin seriously wishes he wouldn't. Jongin briefly wonders asking Sehun to tell him to stop but decides against it for reasons he's much too freaked out to explain right now.

In fact, Jongin is seconds away from tugging on Sehun's sleeve to tell the latter about Yifan's godforsaken glaring when another thought hits him, and he clears his throat to distract himself from the latter's eyes. "Junmyeon?"

With his jersey halfway over his head, Junmyeon whips his head up and looks at Jongin, as if he wasn't expecting on getting called on. "Hm?"

"Uh, I, or, I mean, me and Sehun were wondering something," Jongin says sheepishly, swinging his legs back and forth. 

Across the room, Junmyeon sits down on the bench and tends to his cleats. "And what would that be?"

"Jongin," Sehun says in a strict tone whilst he fixes his jersey so it sits perfectly on top of his chest and abs. The brunet tries his hardest not to stare. "Don't."

"Come on," Jongin whines, "what's so bad about-"

"The hell's going on," Junmyeon mutters, lacing his other shoe and standing up. "I'm confused," he adds bluntly, grabbing his helmet. 

Jongin places a hand on Sehun's chest to hold the latter back (he's awfully surprised he doesn't end up blushing all over the place at the contact). "So we were wondering if-" His sentence comes to an abrupt end when Sehun swoops in and promptly places a hand over his mouth. "Mmf!"

"What is it with those two," Chanyeol mutters, tying his shoes whilst simultaneously trying to watch a video on his phone. "I'm scared," is all he says when he looks up, just in time to see Jongin nearly whack Sehun in the face when he tries squirming away. 

With an apologetic look in Junmyeon's direction, Sehun makes sure to keep Jongin from saying anything before he barely manages to dodge the latter's palm when it comes flying towards his face. "Sorry, it's nothing, don't worry about it-" He grunts when Jongin whacks him in the groin, and he's awfully thankful that he's already put on his pants (he doesn't even want to think about the pain he'd have to go through if he hadn't; he figures he'd have to sit out of the game) before tightening his hold.

Jongdae laughs out loud when he sees Chanyeol's terrified expression. "Don't be scared, we're used to it," he chuckles.

"Very used to it," adds Baekhyun.

"No seriously," Junmyeon says, apparently curious, as his gaze flickers back and forth between Chanyeol, Sehun, Jongin and Jongdae. "What's going on? What did you wanna ask m-"

"We were wondering if you'd like to be our limo driver tomorrow," Jongin manages to blurt out after successfully managing to pry Sehun's hand off his mouth, only for the latter to practically smack his lips off a second later. 

Junmyeon is silent for a minute before he blinks in surprise. "Uh." He scratches the back of his head and promptly punches Chanyeol in the stomach when the latter bursts into unattractive laughter. "I don't even have a permit," he says lowly.

"Damn it, Jongin," Sehun huffs, removing his hand and giving the brunet a light shove. He shakes his head in disbelief (but mostly amusement) before he puts on his cleats. "Be right back," he mumbles before standing up and walking towards the bathroom.

When the door closes, Baekhyun blinks in surprise. "Limo driver?"

"We're hiring a limo?" Jongdae asks and Baekhyun has to place a hand on his shoulder before he has a chance to bounce up and down in excitement. "I call shotgun!"

"Hey," Baekhyun squawks, shoving Jongdae. "If anything, I call shotgun, if Junmyeon's gonna be our driver." He rolls his eyes and sends Junmyeon a bright smile. "Right?"

Junmyeon smiles shyly before tending to the gate on his helmet. "I guess, yeah," he mumbles.

"That ain't a good idea," Jongdae says in a serious tone. "Who knows what kind of freaky you two might get up to way up front unsupervised," he adds with a shudder, nearly falling clear off the bench and onto his face when Baekhyun nearly rips his mouth off. "It's true!"

"He's got a point," Chanyeol hums, turning his phone off and placing it in his duffel bag before putting it in his locker and locking it. "I mean, I'm pretty sure anyone would've taken advantage of that, there's no need to feel bad." He sends Jongdae a thumbs up, much to Baekhyun's annoyance, Junmyeon's embarrassment and Jongin's absolute amusement, given that the latter nearly chokes on his own spit with laughter.

Baekhyun rolls his eyes but he quickly smiles again, although his cheeks are still sporting a rosy shade. "A limo doesn't sound that bad, actually, I like the idea. Arriving in style sounds fun!"

"Yeah, it's a shame we aren't ing millionaires," Jongdae says sarcastically, practically yelling the last word into the redhead's ear for emphasis. He pouts before something flashes in his eyes and he turns to face Yifan, who hasn't said a word since they came in earlier. "Hey, you've got a permit, right?"

Yifan raises a bushy eyebrow. Instead of replying, he remains as silent and stoic as he's been for the past twenty minutes and Baekhyun is about to nudge him to assure everyone that he hasn't turned to stone when he speaks up. "You've made a mistake," is all he says without turning his head, but Jongin figures it doesn't take a fool to figure out who he's referring to.

Jongin swallows. He'd forgotten all about Yifan. "Um," he stammers, rubbing his neck, and he curses Sehun for needing to use the bathroom because he feels awfully exposed without the latter at his side. "What do you mean?" he asks, squirming a little when he sees Junmyeon and Chanyeol shift in his peripheral.

"Yeah," Baekhyun says, "what-"

"He'll dump you without a warning right after Nationals," Yifan says coldly, causing the brunet to bite the inside of his cheek. "Well, consider this a warning," he adds with a humorless chuckle. "On the other hand, I'm kinda surprised he chose to drag it out this long considering the fact that he's obviously ashamed of you."

The entire room is silent for a moment until Jongin speaks. "What the-"

"What the hell are you saying?" Jongdae interjects, irritation seeping into his voice as he sends Yifan a questioning glare.

"I tried warning you the other day, but I guess you didn't listen, now you'll be forced to learn the hard way," Yifan says mockingly, which promptly makes Jongin (and everybody else in the room) see red. "God, I thought you were smarter-"

"Yifan, shut the hell up, you moron," Junmyeon growls, sending Yifan his trademark glare, the one that can make just about anybody fear for their life. Well, except maybe Yifan, because the latter only rolls his eyes.

Jongin also finds himself growing hot on the inside. Yifan isn't even moving a muscle, yet the brunet is fighting the urge to walk over and kick him right in the face. The airy, euphoric feeling he's been feeling since he and Sehun emerged from the restroom earlier is still clinging onto his insides and Jongin absolutely refuses to let it go no matter what. But, being the cool headed type he is (most of the time, at least), he opts to inwardly scream whilst taking a deep breath to pull himself together instead of doing something he'll most definitely end up regretting later.

"Yeah, shut the hell up," Baekhyun says in an annoyed tone as he glares at Yifan along with Jongdae. He subsequently sends Jongin a sympathetic look, to which the latter responds by simply pressing his lips together.

"Guys, I hear Coach yelling at us outside," Chanyeol mumbles as his eyes dart around the room, presumably for some sort of escape. "We should go-"

"Better get out while you still can." Yifan reaches for his helmet, which is sitting next to him on the bench. "It's your big cha-"

"Sorry that took so long," Sehun says after hastily throwing the bathroom door open. "Shall we head ou-" He closes his mouth, instantly sensing the tension in the air as it hits him like a freight train and he blinks in wonder. Not to mention Junmyeon, Chanyeol, Jongdae, Baekhyun and Jongin's expressions aren't doing anything to help his confusion. "What...what's going on?"

All heads turn to look at Yifan, whose gaze is still as harsh as ever, but even Jongin can see how it falters slightly the longer he looks at Sehun. Jongin doesn't know what it is about Sehun that makes him so intimidating, even when he isn't uttering a single word, but he figures it's either his broad shoulders or aura that basically screams 'Don't mess with me' (either way, Jongin is thankful for it). Jongin nearly chuckles. The shoulders, it's definitely the shoulders, he thinks and he can't help but smirk a little at the way Yifan visibly cowers when Sehun continues to beat him with his gaze.

"What's the matter?" Sehun asks, a pointed look at Yifan, since everybody seems to be staring at him. When Yifan doesn't say anything, Sehun feels himself grow impatient for reasons he can't explain. "Tell me."

Yifan is silent for a long time, and when it looks like he's about to stand up and either burst into tears or punch Sehun in the face, he simply mumbles something incoherent under his breath, his words apparently dying in his throat before he grabs his helmet and gets to his feet, carelessly brushing past Sehun on his way towards and out the door, which slams shut behind him.

After the loud slamming noise gradually fades, Baekhyun clenches his fists. "What an idiot!" he exclaims way too loudly, causing everybody in the room to flinch. "I swear, it's always the ones with the ugly, bushy eyebrows," he adds with an angry shake of his head.

"I barely even know him, but I hate him," Jongdae says as a matter-of-factly and, if it wasn't for the circumstances, Jongin would be rolling around on the floor in laughter. 

Sehun scratches the back of his head. "Uh, what-"

"Nevermind," Junmyeon says hurriedly, getting to his feet. "We're already running late, let's get the hell out there already," he adds, giving Chanyeol and Sehun an encouraging pat on the back before turning to face Baekhyun, Jongdae and Jongin. "You guys watchin'?"

Jongin nods estatically whilst practically shooting up like a bullet. He's seen quite a few (awful) high school movies where there's at least one football team, but he's never actually sat on the bleachers and watched Sehun and his team play for himself, let alone seen anybody play football to begin with. The thought makes him want to leap for joy and he promptly forgets about the burning hot sensation that plagued his gut less than thirty seconds ago. "You bet!"

Jongdae nods before walking over and helping Chanyeol adjust the helmet on his head. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Of course we are, don't be silly, Joonie," Baekhyun huffs, reaching out and pinching Junmyeon's cheek, making the latter look more like a baby bunny than ever before. 

Junmyeon rubs the sore spot on his cheek, which is basically the whole left side of his face, as he sends Baekhyun a disapproving look. "Could've done without that, but alright, I guess," he mutters before bending down and picking up his helmet, easily snapping the straps into place. 

"Well, I most certainly hope you are," Sehun chuckles as he walks up behind Jongin and wraps his arms around the latter's neck and shoulders. "Nice to have someone watching for a change," he adds, dipping down and pressing a long, loving kiss on top of the brunet's head. Artificial strawberry shortcake tickles his taste buds and he hates himself for liking it (since it is hair spray, after all). "Don't forget your mouthguard."

"Don't worry, Mom," Junmyeon says with an eyeroll before turning around and picking up his gloves from the bench, out of which he retrieves his lime green mouthguard, which he promptly pops into his mouth after reaching under the cage to his helmet. "Ready," he adds after slamming his locker shut and stuffing his duffel bag inside, his words sounding a bit muffled thanks to the object.

Reaching up, Jongin places his hand on top of Sehun's, and he feels his face heat up a bit at the contact, especially when Sehun proceeds to rest his chin on top of his head. Jongin is glad that Sehun hasn't put on his helmet yet, since he figures his head would be in a considerable amount of pain otherwise. A thought suddenly hits him and he squawks. "Hey, why'd he get to call you that and not me?!"

Baekhyun raises an eyebrow. "Whaddya mean?"

"I called him that when we were alone the other day," Jongin says and clears his throat when he realizes just how strange that sounded. "Uh, I mean- Yeah, not, I mean- Whatever." He scratches the back of his neck when Junmyeon visibly shifts. "He basically beat me up for saying that, it's not fair."

"Well," Baekhyun starts, gesturing at Junmyeon, who looks like he wants to die. "This is different, since, you know, we're t-" He quickly cuts himself off and clears his throat before shaking his head (and Junmyeon's will to die seems to double). "Nevermind, that's different, that's all." He beams at Jongin, who nods slowly. "And hey, has anybody told you how cute you are together?"

It takes Jongin a minute to realize Baekhyun is talking to him and, when he does, he blushes a little. "Uh, you, I guess? Just now?" he says dumbly and mentally slaps himself in the face. "Thanks, I guess?" He feels Sehun squeeze him slightly, which totally doesn't set fireworks off in every single crevice of his body.

"It's true and you know it, stop blushing like a little baby," Jongdae says as he and Chanyeol stand up. "Although please don't tell me you'll go back to your schoolgirl phase now that this is all sorted out," he adds with a smug grin, closely followed by a shrug.

Jongin emits a loud squawk of surprise. Honestly, he has no idea what a schoolgirl phase is, or if he's even gone through one himself, but either way, he doesn't like the sound of it. "What the- What-" He tries whacking Jongdae in the chest, only for Chanyeol to send him a stern glare, which is more than enough to make the brunet keep his hands to himself.

"You know, the thing you're doing right now," Jongdae chuckles, apparently unfazed, as he nods at Jongin. "Blushing and giggling at every little thing just because Sehun happened to say or do it." He shrugs again, as if to say 'It's you, not me', before grabbing his backpack off the bench and slinging it over his shoulder. Across from him, Baekhyun nods in agreement and Jongin fights the urge to launch them both into outer space.

"Just so you know, I take offense to that," Sehun mutters under his breath before he moves to kiss Jongin's temple, only to whip his head up like he's been burned, a grimace spreading across his features. "What the heck--"

Jongin blinks, adjusting his jacket a little. "What?"

"You- Why do you smell like smoke???" Sehun asks in both confusion and what sounds like terror before he dips down to catch a whiff of the brunet's jacket one more time for good measure, fighting the urge to gag when the sharp scent of tobacco travels down his airways. His head immediately turns to look at Junmyeon, and he sends the latter a gaze that's so deadly that if looks could kill, the latter would be no more.

Hands scrambling to remove his mouthguard so that he can talk, Junmyeon emits a noise of surprise (either because he's genuinely worried Sehun might kill him or because he hates being accused of things in general. Jongin assumes it's the former) before he takes a step back and points to Jongin, and then back to himself. "No, wait- it wasn't me, I swear to God!" he exclaims and growls in irritation when every single person in the room sends him a look of pure disbelief. "I mean, yeah, it was me, obviously, but he didn't, like, take one or anything, I promise- Look, I offered him one and he said no, right? You did!" He stares at Jongin intently.

Jongin scratches the back of his ear. The thought of whether he'd end up smelling like a box of cigarettes for days on end never even occured to him, he'll admit. "Yeah, he did, and I said no," he says sheepishly and squawks when he sees the look on Sehun's face. "I said no, I promise! He sat next to me and had some of his own, I was just sitting there, I swear!"

Sehun stares at Jongin in disbelief and suspicion before he slowly nods. "Okay, I believe you."

"That was you?" Baekhyun asks in astonishment, gesturing at Jongin. "I didn't bother questioning it since thought it was Myeon, since he always smells like a used ashtray," he adds, shaking his head a little.

"See?" Junmyeon asks, eyeing Sehun cautiously as the latter cotninues to beat him with his glare. "He just sat there, I cross my heart and hope to die, come on-"

"How ing much did you even smoke for Jongin's jacket to smell like it's been permanently sprayed with tobacco, Jesus," Sehun says, biting his lip in what Jongin assumes is concern. 

"I had maybe five or six," Junmyeon huffs and rolls his eyes when Sehun groans and Baekhyun and Jongdae squawk in surprise. "Okay, look, I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have offered him-"

"You shouldn't smoke so much, let alone in the first place," Sehun says, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your stamina's gonna hit rock bottom before Nationals rolls around," he adds before lightly patting Jongin's shoulder. "Give me it, you can't go out smelling like that."

Jongin blinks. "What?"

"Give me your jacket, I'll ask Coach to air it out for you and I'll give it back to you afterwards," Sehun replies and watches as Jongin slowly slides his jacket off before handing it to him. 

Suddenly feeling awfully exposed, Jongin shivers when the cold air hits his bare arms. "I, uh," he mumbles, "I'll need a jacket, though, it's way too cold outside. You know, since you wanted me out there watching you."

"No problem," Sehun says simply before he walks over to his locker, retrieves the key from his pocket and unlocks it. He quickly pulls out his long coat and tosses it at Jongin, who barely manages to catch it. "Hopefully it's only on your jacket, I don't want my favorite coat smelling like a moldy ashtray," he mumbles as he closes his locker and drops the key into his pocket.

Quickly sliding Sehun's coat over his shoulders, Jongin nearly feels his knees giving in when Sehun's fragrance tingles his senses and he's suddenly glad that Junmyeon chose to smoke so much and so close to him before and essentially ruin his jacket for good. A sense of security and warmth instantly engulfs him and Jongin wraps the coat tighter around himself. Since Sehun is a tad bit taller than him, the garment looks more like a dress but Jongin can't bring himself to care. Jongdae apparently does, though, because he's trying his best, and failing, to hold back a snicker across the room, much to Jongins annoyance.

"We really should get going," Chanyeol says, reaching for the door handle, Jongdae hot on his heels. 

"We've only got three hours and forty minutes, no need to panic," Junmyeon grumbles all too sarcastically whilst slipping his mouthguard between his teeth. 

Barely able to contain his excitement, Jongin grabs Sehun's hand and attempts to drag him towards the door when Chanyeol swings it open. "Yeah, I wanna see you guys play," he says enthusiastically, practically bouncing up and down. The smell of fresh air hits him a second later, along with the scent of grass, and he has to bite down on his lower lip to keep himself from squealing out loud. That'd be weird.

"Hold your horses," Sehun chuckles before he bends down and picks up the single helmet sitting on the bench behind him.

Jongin is about to ask Sehun if he should take back his jacket while the latter puts on his helmet, to make it a little easier for him, which is why the astonishment he feels a second later when Sehun proceeds to effortlessly, almost choreographically, slide his helmet over his head, and buckle it into place, despite the fact that the latter is only using one hand (not to mention his non dominant one), comes as no surprise. It happens so fast that Jongin has to blink to make sure he hasn't missed it when Sehun subsequently slips his own mouthguard into his mouth. Now, Jongin is no stranger to seeing others wearing sports gear, since he's personally worn one many, many times, but there's something about seeing Sehun fully clad in his own navy blue and white gear, from top to bottom, including his helmet of the same color, that causes a certain spark to ignite somewhere deep inside the brunet's chest. On another note, Jongin can't help but think that Sehun looks at least ten times more intimidating in his gear and the realization that he's finally going to see Sehun play, even if it's just a simple training session, makes Jongin want to bounce off the walls in excitement.

"Is he dead?" Junmyeon asks, his eyes widening a little.

"Hey, Earth to Mr. Lovestruck," Baekhyun asks, his voice promptly snapping the brunet out of his trance, as he waves a hand in front of Jongin's face. "Hey-" He doesn't even get to finish his sentence when Jongin suddenly emits a loud squawk. "Uh-"

"Don't call me that," Jongin croak-garbles as he flails his hands in all directions. Having Baekhyun (and Jongdae) call him that when they're alone is one thing, but having that godforsaken nickname said to him when Sehun is standing right next to them is a whole nothing thing, and he feels a blush creep up his neck. Damn it.

Jongdae, who is already out the door and out of sight, lets out a loud laugh. "Get used to it," he calls over his shoulder, and Jongin barely registers Chanyeol subsequently yelling something along the lines of 'Get the hell out here already, Kyungsoo's doing jumping jacks all alone!' before the door closes with a bang.

~~~