Jinyoung turns up half way through basketball practice so Jackson almost misses him sliding into the back but what he doesn’t miss is the book in his hands and can’t help the smile that reaches his eyes at the acceptance of his (at least he hoped it was) gift. Something about Jinyoung had attracted Jackson, he couldn’t exactly say what it was but he just knew he had to talk to him. He seemed so calm and lonely but not only that, he just seemed like someone interesting. He was quiet and thoughtful and looked like a lot was going on in his head and Jackson wanted to know more.

      He had intended to just go and start a conversation with him but he had seemed to spook the boy and it made him feel odd, people never really ran from him like that, they stopped and were at least polite to him. He thought Jinyoung was like a wild cat, you couldn’t just storm in but Jackson didn’t know any other way to do it. The idea to leave him a book had come to him just by accident when he was out with his roommate and had been in the book shop looking for study guides. He didn’t know if Jinyoung already had it but it was the gesture that was important after all so he had decided to go for it and leave it on his usual seat, Jinyoung seemed to be a creature of habit after all. He had been initially disappointed when Jinyoung didn’t turn up and hadn’t even meant to leave the book there overnight but in his rush to get to his car and his bed he had forgotten to grab it which was the best mistake of his week.

    He had already decided against approaching him again and hoped that Jinyoung would approach him. He was still reading after the practise had finished so he went out with the rest of his teammates to get changed. He came out in a leather jacket and jeans with his bag slung over his shoulder to find Jinyoung on the front row looking out. He stood up when he saw Jackson and approached him and Jackson hated how his heart leapt at the prospect of what was happening, he doubted Jinyoung approached many people so he felt special in a way.

“Hey,” Jinyoung said, standing surprisingly more confidently than he would have expected in front of him. So maybe Jinyoung wasn’t shy but was just not interested in Jackson, maybe irritated by him- it wouldn’t be the first time.

“Hey”

“Thanks for the book”
“You’re welcome, I hope you don’t have two of them now”
“No, you saved me buying it myself”

“Then I’m glad.” He said, smiling. “You’re not off to work?”
“No,  I am…” Jinyoung admitted, red creeping into his cheeks and Jackson was pretty sure now that Jinyoung had been lying about work before. “I just wanted to say thank you”
“Where do you work? I can give you a lift if you like” he offered, he knew it was bold of him but Jinyoung could only say no.

“Yeah… Thank you” Jackson tried his best not to show his surprise as he headed towards the car with him, the two walking in an awkward silence. He didn’t know what to say to him because anything could be the wrong thing. He reached into his pocket for his keys only to realise they weren’t there.
“… I left my keys in my locker. I’ll be back in 2 minutes” he said, dropping his bag by the car and heading for a run back towards the changing rooms. They were lying on the bottom of the metal, the must have fallen out of his pocket when he had thrown his jeans in. He hurried back not wanting to keep Jinyoung waiting only to come back to an empty car with Jinyoung nowhere in sight. His heart sank and he knew he shouldn’t be that disappointed because it was a miracle he had even thought about saying yes in the first place but still he was gutted, he had thought he was getting somewhere closer to actually speaking to him properly.

___________________________________

Jinyoung isn’t there the next few practises and Jackson isn’t really surprised although he looks for him each time anyway. He thinks he must be pathetic because when Jinyoung doesn’t turn up just before the second practice he decides to leave him another book note. He changes into his uniform and sits on one of the wooden benches in the middle of the changing room with his phone, praising next day delivery he finds a reasonably rated book based around basketball and orders it. It’s all he can think about through the practice but they struggle through and everyone is feeling pretty confident about the match date closing in.

He’s woken early the next morning by the post and unboxes the book, the corners were a little bent but he hopes Jinyoung won’t mind. Opening the book he writes directly onto the title page with an ink pen ‘4 days time, 3 pm. Come watch us? J’ He knows that Jinyoung might not even find it but if there’s even the smallest chance he will be at the match it’s worth a try. Jinyoung fascinated him more and more and so he kept going at it because he had nothing else to lose.

It’s the next practice he gets his response. Jackson smiles from ear to ear as he picks the snapback hat off the chair, the word yes written on a sticky note and stuck to the cap. It’s a nice cap too, it has his team’s name on the front in red and he wonders if he got it custom made or if the University shop was now selling them, that would be a question for later, however, he had a match to prepare for.

________________________

The match was a close one and every single player was pushed to the very best of their ability but they scraped through and won the match. Somewhere up in the seats was Jinyoung clutching the book and watching on, silently cheering with the rest of the crowd. He’s the last to leave his seat, waiting by the side of the entrance inside for Jackson to emerge. They all emerge together, cheering and throwing arms round each other ready for celebration and Jinyoung thinks maybe he made a mistake assuming that Jackson would still be interested in seeing him after their team's win, after all, they would celebrate together and he was stupid for not seeing that. But Jackson stops in front of him anyway, his dark hair ruffled and a huge grin on his face and JInyoung can’t help but think it’s a little bit cute.

“Congratulations” he says, smiling back at the male.

“Thank you, you waited for me?”
“Yes” he was here now so he might as well say it “I was wondering if I could get that lift now” he was prepared for the no, and he couldn’t blame Jackson for it after all… there would always be another time.

“Of course you can” Jinyoung looked up at him with obvious surprise but Jackson didn’t seem to have even considered it a hard decision.

      They walked to the car in silence again but this time it didn’t feel so awkward. Jackson felt like he had broken through some form of layer although he couldn’t work out what part of his attempts that had been. Jinyoung gave him the cafe name and Jackson drove them down, talking happily and somewhat animatedly about the highlights of the game and Jinyoung joined in. Jackson had assumed he would read rather than watch and although it became apparent really quickly Jinyoung didn’t understand basketball at all he was picking up the rules pretty quickly and could appreciate the close win they had scored themselves.

     Jinyoung headed round the back to put his apron on upon arrival and Jackson ordered himself a mocha and sat down at the back. He pretended not to notice the glances the two other baristas were making and Jinyoung’s desperate attempts to ignore them. He was a little amused and curious as to what it could be Jinyoung had actually told them and what they thought he was to Jinyoung but he kept to himself at the back as he drank his coffee.

______________________

It becomes a routine pretty quickly, Jinyoung meets him after practice and he drives him to work. They talk in the car about all sorts from books to his art work to fencing and weightlifting and it never gets boring. It never really gets any deeper than light topics but Jackson doesn’t mind because at least he’s getting the time with him. He stays for his mocha and winds up Youngjae with JB until Jinyoung kicks him out and then they repeat it all the next day.

       “Will you pick me up later? We have a staff meeting after work and I don’t want to walk home that late” Jinyoung asks as he’s fiddling with the radio on the way to work.

“Yeah sure, what time?”
“About 11”
“Yeah that’s fine with me” neither male admits that they’re anticipating the end of Jinyoung’s shift and Jackson overthinks it all as he always does. He theorised that this means Jinyoung trusts him and relies on him more and that makes him feel fuzzy inside, Jinyoung is fast becoming his most prominent thought and he doesn’t try to chase it away.

Jackson comes to meet Jinyoung as promised and on request, they pull up to grab some bubble tea from a stand on the side of the road. They decide to take a stroll as they sip at their sweet drinks and Jinyoung feels more content here than he did at the basketball stand that first day.

“So would you ever let me see your studio?” Jackson asks curiously, after all, he’s heard so much.

“I guess so. I hadn’t really thought about it because no one had asked”
“I’m interested, you said the other day your art was more you than anything else”
“And that’s why you want to see it?”
“Yes. I want to see you” Jinyoung goes quiet after this but it’s not the sort of quiet Jackson needs to worry about, he’s learning the difference slowly between his awkward and shut off silences, his thoughtful silences and the silences when Jackson has said something that he sees as a compliment and this was the latter. Jackson was spending almost all his free time with Jinyoung at the moment and thinking back to the time Jinyoung ran away from him was almost surreal, it’s funny how relationships form and change. Funny but so beautiful.

The go for a walk over a bridge and Jinyoung stops to lean over the edge. He talks about reflections and the pinks, blues and yellows that are reflected off into the water from the lights and how he wishes he could capture it in a painting but Jackson isn’t really listening, he’s watching as the breeze blows Jinyoung’s usually tidy hair in all different directions and his breath catches in his throat and he thinks in that moment he’s found true beauty.