Hoseok glances up at the stands during practice, breathing heavily as sweat drips down his brow.

“Shin!” the captain calls. “Take a break!” Hoseok nods, though he knows the man can't see it, and jogs off the field. He sits down with a heaving breath and fumbles in his bag for his water bottle. He loves playing soccer, the sport being the only thing that'll get him to the school of his dreams, but it takes so much out of him, takes up so much of his time. He wishes there were something else, some other scholarship that'd give him a full ride to any university of his choosing, but he knows that's pointless. All he has now is to be the best.

He sighs tiredly, leaning back on his hands against the grass, and looks around as he takes a breather. Jooheon, the only on the team who actually welcomed him when he first joined, scores a goal, and the coach barks an order at the goalie. He isn't a mean man, he just wants the boys to do their best every time. So, he's a little hard on them to drive them to their fullest potential.

His eyes drift up to the stands, where a couple of groups of girls are scattered about, giggling about the sweaty guys pouring their hearts out on the field. It's a normal occurrence for girls to watch them practice, whether it be by invitation or not, because of the school’s outright idolizations of the team. They're a pretty good team, Hoseok will admit, but he doesn’t think that means they deserve such treatment.

A lone, lean figure suddenly catches Hoseok’s eye. He squints, leaning forward slightly to get a better look. He seems to be bent over something in his lap, his face hidden by his hair. Hoseok wonders what the kid must be doing there. He's pretty sure he and Jooheon are the only gay guys on the team, and Jooheon is seeing Minhyuk right now. That most definitely is not Minhyuk. No offense to the younger, but Minhyuk isn't as beautiful as this boy Hoseok is now staring at.

Though, Hoseok can't help but feel a sense of familiarity. He can't figure out from where he knows the boy, but he knows he recognizes him from somewhere.

Hoseok sighs in defeat, knowing it looks incredibly weird to keep on staring at the kid, and finally manages to tear away his gaze.

Hyungwon stiffens, feeling a new pair of eyes on him. He pretends he doesn't notice, though, and instead leans closer to his notebook. He continues his current poem about a flightless bird, burying his thoughts into all the minute details of the creature.

Or, at least, he tries to. However, it proves quite difficult with this strange gaze strained on him. It's most likely just another girl in the stands looking at him, as they usually do. He decides to look up and give her a withering stare in return, for that always proves to intimidate the girls to look away. Months back, he'd smile at them politely, but he learned that only served to encourage them. That, he decided, needed to stop.

Hyungwon finally looks up from his notebook, following the direction he felt the stare coming from with his eyes. Imagine his surprise when it's a member of the soccer team the trail leads him to, and most definitely not a giggling schoolgirl.

I think he's in my English class, he muses, tapping his pencil against his paper. He hums thoughtfully, wondering just why a coveted member of the soccer team would possibly be staring at him with such intensity. He merely shrugs, figuring the boy probably didn't realize he was staring, and returns to his work.

“Hyung,” Jooheon calls, “wait up!” Hoseok halts mid-step, turning to smile brilliantly at the younger as he waits. Jooheon huffs out a breath upon reaching his side, smiling over at him with a dimpled grin. “Did you want to go to the park today? We haven't hung out outside of practice in a while.”

“Sorry, Jooheonney, I can't,” Hoseok answers in a guilty tone, hating the disappointed look that overtakes his dongsaeng’s face. “I have to help out my mom...”

“I figured,” Jooheon sighs. The smile returns to his face, though this time it seems a bit strained. “Don't worry about it, hyung. I understand. It's good you're helping out your mom.” Hoseok smiles gratefully at the younger, resting a hand on his shoulder.

“I promise, Jooheon-ah,” Hoseok tells him. “Once everything settles down, I'll invite you over and we'll spend all day playing video games and eating ramyeon.” Jooheon chuckles at the vow, and nods.

“It's a date, hyung,” Jooheon tells him. They share a laugh, and then begin walking off the field together. They often ride the same evening bus together, even though they get off at different stops. “By the way, who's the guy you were staring at during practice?” Jooheon suddenly asks, waggling his brow suggestively. Hoseok begins to blush at the question, though he isn't sure why.

“I d-don't know,” he stutters. “I th-think I h-have a class with him, th-though. I recognized him fr-from somewhere.” Jooheon hums thoughtfully, eyes staring up at the sky.

“Maybe you have a class with him,” Jooheon suggests, shrugging nonchalantly. “I don't think you noticed, but he stared at you, too, for a while, so I don't think it's in your head.” Hoseok hums thoughtfully, pouting as he wonders if that could be it. It'd explain him not recognizing the other immediately, since he's missed so much class lately…

“Yah!” Jooheon calls, hitting his shoulder. “Don't think about it too much, you've got enough on your plate with helping out your mom and trying to get a good scholarship.”

“I need to pass my classes first…” Hoseok adds in jokingly, though there's a truth behind his words he can't ignore. It's a feat, he's beginning to worry, that he won't be able to accomplish come graduation day.