He stares at the pool in front of him, feeling anxious and sick to his stomach.

It’s a few minutes before his turn, before he proves himself to a crowd he doesn’t know, to his older, more experienced teammates, to his captain, to Ryeowook.

It’s a little different from junior high; the crowd is bigger and the tension more suffocating, but he isn’t worried about himself, not when he has other, more important things to anticipate.

Is this why you couldn’t let it go, he thinks, setting his goggles in place and trying to regain some feeling in his rigid arms. He watches Siwon from the corner of his eye, clad in a sports jacket and a pair of jogging pants, observing him carefully, watches how he’s so composed and assured about Kyuhyun’s skill, and somehow Kyuhyun can feel the tension ease out of his shoulders, suddenly confident and daring to win.

He takes a deep breath, and prays for a miracle.



=====


Siwon waves Hankyung over at the school gate when he spots him, beaming, and touches his shoulder familiarly. “Hey,” he says, eyes crinkling at the edges, “thanks for coming.”

Hankyung shrugs, stuffing his hands inside his pockets. “I didn’t have class today. How was your event?”

Siwon makes an ambiguous noise and loops his arm around Hankyung’s, not noticing the stares he gets for that, or the flustered look Hankyung shoots him. “I came in second,” he answers sheepishly, “I wasn’t fast enough.”

“Congratulations,” Hankyung smiles, messing up his immaculate hair, but that’s alright, because there’s sincerity in his words, and Siwon would rather hear it from Hankyung’s mouth than anyone else’s over and over again.

He allows himself to bask in the happy glow of Hankyung’s praise before he realizes that he’s forgetting something important. “Has Yesung-hyung’s game started yet?”

His companion throws him a quizzical look. “Oh, he isn’t participating today.”

“What?” Siwon almost trips as they walk to the gym, and Hankyung shakes his head at him, tugging on his elbow.

“Come on, we’ll be late for Ryeowook’s game.”