Taekwoon is usually not busy on Sundays, but this one is different.

Today he's going to the park to play basketball with Hongbin and a few of his friends. Honestly, he’s nervous. He's never been around Hongbin without Hakyeon before, and he has no idea what his friends are like. He doesn't know what Hongbin has said to them about him behind his back, if he's said anything at all. If he hasn’t, they’re in for a surprise. Those kinds of encounters usually don’t go too well.

Hongbin initially invited him a few months ago, but Taekwoon is just now taking him up on the offer. His doctor has recommended more exercise to improve his health and mind. He doesn't play soccer a lot these days, because everyone in that circle of friends is so busy - Se Il works a lot, Minseok is recently married, Jinyoung is in military training. He's not sure of what to think watching his friends' lives change so much while his stays at the same pace.

Admittedly, Taekwoon knows very little about basketball though. He watched a few games with his brother-in-law when he visited Minsol, but that's it. He spends much of Saturday reading up on the rules and terms, and memorizes some names of a few popular teams and players just in case it’s brought up. He doesn't want to seem completely clueless.

Hakyeon will be at the laudromat, because Sunday is laundry day. "Think of me while you're out having fun," he teases. Taekwoon promises many cuddles for when they're in bed tonight.

Taekwoon takes the bus to his and Hongbin's meeting place, a small cafe close to the park they’ll be playing at. Hongbin is inside already. He hands an iced lemonade over to Taekwoon. "It's hot today," he says, smiling kindly and showing off his dimple. Taekwoon always has the urge to poke it but he's not sure if that would be too weird.

They sip on the lemonades as they walk to the park where the outdoor basketball courts are. It's completely quiet. Taekwoon is undecided on if it's the comfortable kind of silence or the awkward one. At least he's feeling a little less anxious now that he's with Hongbin. He trusts him, mostly because Hakyeon does, but he’s never gave Taekwoon any bad vibes before.

There's two other guys at the court already when they arrive, and Taekwoon shies away a bit, staying behind Hongbin as they approach them.

"Where's our lemonade?" one of them jokes.

"Get your own!" Hongbin turns towards Taekwoon. "Hyung, this is Jongin," he gestures to the one that just spoke, "and this is Wonshik."

Jongin waves, and Wonshik steps forward with a hand outstretched. Taekwoon is drawn to him immediately because of his hair. Half of it is pink, the other half purple. Taekwoon has never seen someone have hair like this before, and he can't help but stare in awe as they shake hands.

Hongbin notices. "His hair looks stupid, right?" he laughs. Wonshik playfully shoves him.

"Cotton candy," Taekwoon says, and then instantly feels embarrassed. He knows that sounded dumb. He scolds himself silently.

Wonshik smiles though. "I thought the same thing when I saw how it turned out."

After the awkward initial introductions are over, they head into actually playing. Taekwoon makes sure his shoelaces are tightly tied, wipes the sweat from his palms onto his shorts, then puts his hair up into a ponytail. It's been a long while since he's had a haircut, so it would just be flopping around annoyingly if he was to leave it down.

And maybe Taekwoon's just hearing things, but he's pretty sure Wonshik says, "Cute", when he sees it. Taekwoon can’t tell if he’s being genuine or patronizing.

It's him and Hongbin against the other two. Taekwoon turns out to be pretty good for someone who’s playing for the first time, and he quickly settles into the game. It's not soccer, but he's still having fun. He's missed moving around like this. It lets out a lot of built of energy and stress.

He gets the ball through the basket in no time. Hongbin gives him double high fives, and Jongin says in disbelief, "Are you sure he's never played before?"

Hongbin laughs. "That's what he said."

Taekwoon likes that he's doing better than expected, but he's not fond of the fact that they're talking about him without addressing him directly. He knows they're not trying to be malicious though.

Wonshik surprises him by patting him on the back. "Good one," he says, then they get back into the game.
 

-
 

They play for a long while, taking water breaks every now and then. As it gets farther into the evening the weather cools down so they decide to go on longer than they had originally planned. Taekwoon is truly having fun. Maybe even more fun than he does with his soccer group. He likes playing with them, but there's always been something about them that makes them seem hesitant towards not only Taekwoon but Se Il as well, the two autistic guys.

Here though, Taekwoon doesn't feel that. He already knew Hongbin, Wonshik seems to be a naturally nice type of person, and Jongin's initial awkwardness disappears quickly and is replaced by playful competitiveness.

They're just getting into another round when it happens. Taekwoon is really focused on playing, and during the last water break, he completely forgot to check his shoes for retying.

He ends up tripping all over himself and falling. He hits the cement hard, the ball bouncing off to the side. Something hurts but he can't figure out what it is. He curls up there on the ground, covering his face behind his hands. He's so embarrassed. Everything was going so well. Don't cry don't cry don't cry, he chants inwardly.

Hongbin gets to him first. "Hyung? Are you okay?" he asks, sounding frantic.

Taekwoon nods. He’s in a lot of pain, but he tries to just be calm. He doesn’t want to freak out around them.

"His knee's bleeding," Jongin points out. So that's what is hurting.

He sits up, taking a look at his knee. It looks gross. There's scrapes and blood and pieces of gravel mixed in, and it stings really bad. He lets out a whimper by mistake.

Jongin glances over at Hongbin. "Do you know what to do?"

Wonshik kneels down in front of Taekwoon, taking his leg gently and examining his knee. "My apartment complex is just down the street," he says. "I could clean it up."

Taekwoon is hesitant. Wonshik is just a stranger, and going into stranger's homes is dangerous. He’s vulnerable and easy to take advantage of. Wonshik is way more built than he is, and he has a lot of tattoos. Usually people with tattoos are strong. Taekwoon would not be able to fight back if something happens.

Setting that aside though, he's been so kind to Taekwoon all day. He's Hongbin's friend. Hakyeon trusts Hongbin, and Hongbin seems to trust Wonshik, so that means Hakyeon must trust Wonshik too in an indirect way.

Taekwoon knows that's stupid reasoning but his knee really hurts. "Okay."

"Don't be gone long, though," Hongbin frowns. Taekwoon suspects that Hakyeon told him to keep a good eye on him. He's not sure how he feels about that.

Taekwoon limp-walks all the way to Wonshik's apartment. It is just right down the street from the park, but it feels miles away since his knee is hurting and there's now a little trail of blood running down his leg. Wonshik walks slowly to match Taekwoon's pace. He doesn't really say much, besides asking Taekwoon if he's okay a couple of times.

The first thing Taekwoon thinks when they arrive is that Wonshik must be rich, because the complex is huge and shiny, more modern looking compared to the other buildings surrounding it. Taekwoon can tell it's been recently built. Wonshik's apartment is giant as well. Even just the foyer is all white and sleek and sparkling. Taekwoon looks around with wide eyes. This place is too fancy for him. He feels like he's going to break or dirty something just by looking at it.

Wonshik leads him into the living room, and gestures towards the plush L-shaped couch. "Just sit here while I go get the first aid kit, okay?"

Taekwoon obeys, moving his leg very carefully so he doesn't get blood anywhere. Just as he's settled down, there's suddenly barking - it makes him jump, and he looks to see a fat, wrinkly dog staring at him curiously. Taekwoon does not move. The pup is so cute but he has no idea if he bites or something. He doesn't need anymore injuries today.

Wonshik comes back, a bag of medical supplies in hand. "Do you like dogs?" he asks. "Ongdongie's friendly."

"Ongdongie?"

"It's cute," Wonshik defends.

Taekwoon smiles. He agrees, it is a cute name and fits the dog well. He holds out his hand, and Ongdongie comes up to him slowly. He sniffs him first before allowing Taekwoon to scratch him behind the ears.

"I have a cat named Bibi," Taekwoon tells Wonshik, who's tending to his knee now.

"I've been wanting a cat but I'm not sure how Ongdongie would react," Wonshik says. "He hates the one my boyfriend has."

Taekwoon likes hearing that Wonshik has a boyfriend. It makes him feel a lot more at ease.

They continue to talk as Wonshik bandages his knee. They talk about their pets mostly, Wonshik has many funny stories about Ongdongie. Taekwoon learns he gets scared of squirrels on their walks, and the mental image of it makes him laugh so much.

Ongdongie, who sits and listens to their conversation, grunts as if he's protesting being gossiped about.

Taekwoon's knee is quickly bandaged, feeling much better. They say goodbye to the pup and head back towards the park, keeping up conversation as Taekwoon asks questions about Wonshik's tattoos and his colorful hair.

"I like to experiment," Wonshik tells him. "Have you ever thought about dying yours?"

Taekwoon has not, but now that he thinks about it, he wouldn't mind. His hair looks so boring compared to Wonshik's. "Maybe blue. My favorite color."

"Hmm, you could pull it off."

Talking makes the walk go by faster, and they soon are back at the park already. T