Work Text:
“Testing…testing…one, two, three. Good morning, Bulldogs! This is Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, your ten out of ten courtside correspondent, here at our boys’ very first game of the season against the Riverside Rays. There is quite the crowd here today, obviously dominated by the home team’s supporters. And just as well because our Bulldogs will need all the support and cheer they can get, going up against last year’s state champions.
And here they are right now – both teams are entering the court. And the crowd is howling! The coaches are giving their boys some last minute instructions and pep talk as the referee makes his way to the center.
The coaches are now retreating to the sidelines while the referee calls on the two teams to position as we get ready to finally start the game. We have Seo from the Bulldogs and Kim from the Rays going head to head for the jump ball.
And it’s on! Seo slaps the ball to his teammates, Jung taking possession, but the opposition is hot on his heels.”
Hot. Hot.
“Choi tries to block him but Jung breaks through. He's running to the hoop, preparing to shoot. He shoots, and he scores! Two points for the Bulldogs – the first points of the game, and the crowd is ecstatic.”
---
“Good job there, Ten. But next time, you don’t need to say your whole name, alright?”
“But I can say it really fast! Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul. It’s cool.”
“Whatever. Now why don’t you go over to the Bulldogs and interview Jung or something?”
“Jung. Jung Jaehyun?”
“Uh, yeah? Is there another Jung on the team who I don’t know about, perhaps?”
“Why Jung? I mean, I could talk to another player, like Lee or even Seo.”
“Why not Jung? You know what, just go over there and interview a player, will you?”
“Then I shall go interview Seo. Because that guy is a player, alright.”
“Ten, I'm not kidding. Go get your ass over there right now.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And Ten?”
“Yes, sir?”
“I asked you to interview Jung because the viewers would love that. He's the “hot one” apparently.”
Oh, if only he knew –
That’s precisely why Ten doesn’t want to interview Jung Jaehyun.
---
“Testing…testing…one, two, three.”
“Ten. Ten. Wake up.”
“Huh? What?”
“I said wake up. We’re going to be late for class. Oh and good morning.”
“Thanks. Good morning to you too, D.”
“Could you not call me that? Please? I've asked you for like the hundredth time already.”
“But Doyoung is two syllables! D is so much easier to pronounce; saves my voice.”
A stare.
“Okay, Doyoung it is. Good morning. Was I talking in my sleep again?” Ten asks as he gets out of bed, leaving it unmade as always because he can’t be bothered and he can never do it right.
“I feel as if that shouldn’t even be a question anymore,” replies his roommate as he makes both of their beds as always because wrinkled sheets bothers him and Ten can never do it right.
“What was I muttering this time?”
“Again, I feel as if that shouldn’t even be a question anymore.”
“Did I say his name again?”
“Only every other day. Some days, you moan it. I mean, yeah the guy is hot, but you're already imagining that?”
“Doyoung!”
“Okay, I’ll stop. Now go take a shower and make it quick. I'm starving.”
“Don’t you have a secret stash of carrots in your drawer?”
“Very funny. Uh, Jaehyun,” he mock moans before Ten hurls a towel at him.
“Don’t do that. You'll make me have to take longer in the shower and you'll wait longer to eat.”
“That’s gross. And because I actually am scared you'll do that, I will leave you now and get myself some breakfast. I’ll give you your bagel in class. Don’t take that long, alright?” Doyoung gives as a final reminder before he's out the door and sprinting through their dorms to the breakfast shop.
“I don’t like cream cheese!” Ten shouts to the void, knowing his roommate would already be too far to hear and that he's already very much aware of his bagel preferences anyway. He just hopes today is one of those days Doyoung decides to remember.
---
“Seo steals the ball from Kwon, passes it to Ji, who passes it to Jung. Jung is running to the hoop but loses the ball to Yoon. Relentless, Jung tries to steal the ball back…”
Ball.
“Jung is deliberating. There's an opening but will he take it?”
His eyes. He always looks so hot when he's concentrating – stare drilling holes into the empty air as his mind calculates and recalculates his next move.
His hands. His hands had always fascinated Ten – how firm he holds the ball with them and yet there's a certain delicacy to his grasp, as if his fingers weren’t wrapped around a ball but pressing down on keys and making music.
His arms. Don’t even get him started with Jaehyun's arms – those arms that look so deceivingly lean but in truth are actually built; biceps bulging even when he bends his elbow ever so slightly, just slightly, as he dribbles the ball in his hand.
His hair; his hair the color of raven – how they congregate on his forehead as his sweat binds them together; how they follow his movement when Jaehyun turns his head.
His skin; his skin the fairest of whites – how his sweat trickles down it and glistens in the spotlights; how it blooms a beautiful pink when Jaehyun has been playing a while and his body wants for oxygen.
His lips; his lips that feel like they're molded – how they color just a little more red as he bites down; how they part just the tiniest bit when he opens his mouth to catch breath; how they're parting right now as Jaehyun is speaking, he's speaking, he's speaking to him, he's looking at him, but what is he saying?
“The ball!”
Ball. The ball. The ball is flying to him.
“Ooh.” A collective ooh sounds from the crowd as he falls to the floor, the ball still bouncing slightly as it rolls across the varnished wood. His head – his head is pounding, throbbing, and he puts a hand to where it’s hit.
“Ten, are you alright?”
He doesn’t know if he's had a concussion, if it’s just a trick of the eye, but he thinks he sees Jaehyun looking down at him with his beautiful features contorted in worry. And in his disoriented state, all he comes up with is
“You know my name?”
And then someone replaces Jaehyun in his line of vision. “Yeap, that ball hit him hard. Alright, give him some space, people. Go on with your game.”
“Doyoung?”
“Yes, it’s me dummy, now shut your trap until I get you to the clinic before you embarrass yourself for all eternity.”
“Are you sure he's alright?”
“Ten out of ten. I just have to get him to a bed.”
“You want to get me to bed??”
“Ten, please shut your mouth,” Doyoung reprimands his still very much confused friend, then turns to said friend’s very much concerned crush. “But really Jaehyun, he should be fine. We’ll get going now.”
“Tae, could you please pick up the commentary?”
“Me?” asks an unsuspecting Taeyong.
“Yes, you! Just narrate what they're doing with all the perkiness you have in your body. That’s all Ten does anyway, right?”
“Uh, I guess?”
“Please? I’ll treat you to dinner. I just really need to bring this ditz to the clinic.”
“Okay. You can count on me.”
“You sneaky bunny. You just wanted to ask him out.” For someone who just got knocked in the head by a flying ball, Doyoung thinks Ten sure is pretty keen. He also thinks Ten could close his pretty mouth.
“And we’re leaving.”
“Jaehyun was so hot today,” he mumbles dazedly as Doyoung walks him out the gym and down the hallway.
“Why am I not surprised you got hit by a ball because you were fantasizing again?”
“This is all Jung’s fault. Stupid Jung Jaehyun for being so stupidly hot.”
Oh boy is all Doyoung could think as his eyes roll to the back of their sockets, mentally preparing himself for another rant about how gorgeous and unattainable Jaehyun is, which always, without fail, one hundred percent ends in a tear fest. And Ten does not look pretty crying.
“You are so going to pay for my dinner with Taeyong.”
---
“Are you alright?” he asks when Ten wakes up from his nap. Doyoung took him to the clinic, where he fell asleep the moment his head hit the bed. The nurse didn’t even get to ask him what had happened, and after a brief explanation from Doyoung, she just left the two to get some rest.
“I'm feeling better.”
“You were staring at Jaehyun again.”
“Was it obvious?”
“No. But I just know that’s why you didn’t see the ball zooming toward you.”
“Did I stop giving commentary?”
“Surprisingly, no. It’s like when you're saying a prayer and your mind drifts elsewhere sometime through, but you still keep reciting the words because they're so deeply ingrained in your memory they become part of your subconscious. So although you were having another epiphany about Jung Jaehyun's arms, your mouth knew what it was supposed to say. Does it still hurt?”
“I’ll move on.”
“I meant your head, dimwit. Does it still hurt where the ball hit?”
“Oh. A bit.”
“Do you remember anything after the accident? Anything you said perhaps, or might have heard?”
“Well, I may or may not remember Jaehyun rushing over and asking if I was okay. Was he the one who threw the ball?”
“No. It was Seo, but it was an accident. Someone blocked him just as he was about to pass the ball so it flew off its intended course and straight to you. But yes, Jaehyun was there and very concerned. And do you remember what you told him?”
“Do I even want to know?”
“You know my name?”
“Oh god.”
“Indeed. Oh, and before I forget,” he says as he hits Ten with a pillow, though not in the head of course, and not too hard to actually hurt. “You outed me to Taeyong!”
“Really? Well I'm glad I did. At least I said something I won’t end up regretting.”
“You bitch.”
“What? That guy is head over heels for you! You're practically the only person in class who he talks to. And he blushes every time he does. It could not be any more obvious.”
“No kidding?”
“You can ask literally anyone in school.”
“Well, that’s nice,” he whispers, trying not to show how pleased he is to hear that. “Oh, and I promised I’d buy him dinner to cover for you. You're paying.”
“You want me to pay for your first date? I already basically got you a date.”
“Unintentionally. You got hit by a ball. And I had to drag you to the clinic. Also, you're super rich and I need to exploit that.”
“Fine. I wouldn’t have pegged you for a gold digger though; didn’t know you were that type of friend.”
“Consider it payment for babysitting you all these years.”
“Whatever. I think I’ll go back to sleep.”
“You do that. And Ten?”
“What? You know where my wallet is.”
“Maybe you should ask Jaehyun out yourself. Because from what I saw this morning, I think it’s not only your personal opinion that you're a ten out of ten.”
---
“Good morning, Bulldogs! This is your tenacious courtside correspondent, Ten Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, still a ten out of ten; perfectly fine and perfectly ready to bring you today’s match between the Bulldogs and the Badgers from Sugarbush High. The tension is palpable in the stadium because this game right here will determine which of the two teams will move forward to compete in the district championships. Both have drawn attention for being miracle contenders this season – underdogs who’ve gone against and trumped previous winners from recent years; such a shame that for one of them, this miraculous rise must now come to an end.
In other, less depressing news, Lee Taeyong and Kim Doyoung are finally, officially dating.”
“Ten!”
“Yes, people. It was a frustrating four years for the rest of us but at last they’ve opened their eyes; which is pretty surprising come to think of it, considering Kim Doyoung has the biggest pair of eyes this side of the globe.”
“Ten!”
“Back to the game!
Here come the Bulldogs now, betraying absolutely no nerves with their poker faces and walk.”
“But then again, Johnny Seo always was so confident of himself,” he whispers under his breath, bitterly.
His eyes trail to Jaehyun then – the only person on the team who you could actually see was anxious underneath all that strained bravado. And Ten thinks that’s kind of cute, until Jaehyun looks his way and practically bores holes into his skull with how piercing his stare is.
“Very hot,” he whispers again. Too bad for him –
He whispered into his microphone.
---
“I was going to give you a buzz cut tonight while you're asleep, but once again, I don’t have to get back at you because you do a pretty good job screwing yourself over anyway.”
“No one knew who I was talking about, or if I was talking about someone in the first place. I mean, honestly, they have to do something about the AC in the gym. It really was very hot.”
“You were on camera. We all saw you looking at Jaehyun.”
“Well, then there goes that.”
“But do you remember what I told you the time you got knocked over by a ball?”
“You said a lot of things then. You say a lot of things. Be more specific.”
“About how concerned Jaehyun was? I told you he liked you. At least now he knows you have the hots for him too.”
“And?”
“And, it’s his turn to make a move. The ball is in his court.”
“How do you know he wasn’t just genuinely concerned? He's a nice guy. Actually, you don’t even have to be a nice guy to be the least bit worried about someone getting knocked over by a ball.”
“Yeah, but look at it – Jaehyun has never been with anyone. And there are a lot of good-looking people to choose from. Maybe he has a thing for obnoxious, overly preppy courtside correspondents!”
“Okay, I’ll just pretend you didn’t say I was obnoxious. I still don’t think he likes me though.”
“And you're the one nagging me for being oblivious to Taeyong's crush on me.”
“Oh, don’t go there. You do not compare me with you. Literally the entire school already knew you guys liked each other. Even the janitor was getting frustrated – he was one second from locking the two of you in the supply closet. But I told him you and Taeyong were OC, and you'd just end up having a breakdown.”
“Well, if you're not going to listen, at least act like you're unaffected and the entire thing just didn’t happen. Don’t bring it up, don’t ogle Jaehyun, and just comment on the game next time – the game, not the players.”
“Very well. But I can’t promise I won’t side eye Johnny Seo and make jokes about him being a player. Oh wait, that isn't a joke because it’s true.”
“And I don’t expect you to. Just don’t make your comments into the microphone next time, will you?”
“Noted. Oh, and before I forget, how was your movie date with Taeyong? If you can even call it that. I mean, isn't watching movies on your laptop with someone called, I don’t know, an ordinary Tuesday?”
“Don’t be rude. He made us popcorn. And if you were smart, you'd realize that watching movies together from a laptop means you can have your face right next to theirs and blame it on the cramped space.”
“Touché.”
“I didn’t know he had a Febreeze obsession though. That was pretty weird.”
---
It’s at their home court when the Bulldogs suffer their first loss of the season, so inevitably the prevailing atmosphere in the court afterwards is a gloomy one.
“And that’s a wrap.”
“Well this blows,” comments Ten when the cameras stop rolling. He's got to hand it to himself, he thinks he did a pretty good job finishing the commentary with no evident decline in energy, because he still went to this school, and seeing their team lose when they'd been on such a roll sucked as much for him as it did for the rest of the students. Unfortunate for him, some other people saw his professional enthusiasm as a slight.
“Hey, Chittaphon!” he hears someone shout from across the court, and he wavers between annoyance upon recognition of the voice and slight fear upon recognition of the tone.
“What do you want, Johnny?” he spits out when the footsteps stop and he feels his ex boyfriend’s ragged breathing hit the skin of his nape.
“I was just wondering why you sounded so happy doing your little commentary, who no one – absolutely no one, gives a care about anyway, when our team just lost a crucial game. Is that good news to you, huh?”
“First of all, thank you for calling me by my name. Because I think you’ve only ever addressed me as babe or sweet cheeks when we were dating. And second, what is your problem? Of course it isn't good news to me. But what do you want me to do – look miserable? Because although you think no one cares about my commentary, it means something to me and my team, and I owe it to them to maintain my professionalism until the cameras are on. Seriously though, what is your problem – making such a big deal out of this? And in case you’ve forgotten, although I won’t really take it against you because I never dated you for your brains anyway, I'm the one who’s supposed to be going up to you and acting like a war freak. You’re the one who messed around; not me. So scoot along to the showers, Seo. You reek.”
“You little…”
“I think it’s hardly appropriate to hit anyone, Johnny. Especially your ex who you cheated on of all people,” buts someone just as Ten could feel Johnny’s fist about to come down on him. And upon recognition of this voice, all Ten feels is a fluttering in his chest; none of the irritation and anxiety that came with hearing Johnny’s voice directed at him again, and in a shout no less.
“Woah there, Jung. Don’t ever presume to tell me what I can or cannot do.”
“If it involves hurting someone, I don’t think I have a choice. Also, Ten just got his head hit by a ball in midair at our last game. What do you think you're doing trying to slap him upside the head?”
“Ooh, so concerned. How chivalrous of you. Look, Jaehyun oppa isn't just good-looking; he's nice too.”
“You're disappointed. I get it. Our whole team lost, not just you. We feel the same way. Just hit the showers and calm down. Please?”
“Fine,” Johnny bites out, practically tearing his wrist away from Jaehyun's grip before storming away in the direction of the lockers.
“Thank you.”
“It was nothing; absolutely nothing.”
“Well, I guess I should get going now. I didn’t even realize my cameraman left me. Johnny probably scared the shit out of him too.”
“Can I ask something?” says Jaehyun, and he has that worried look again on his face. “Did he hurt you when you were dating? I mean he obviously hurt you because he cheated, but did he physically hurt you?”
“Oh. No. The Johnny you saw just now? I don’t know him. Not personally, at least. I've heard him raise his voice before, but only once or twice, and it was never really directed at anyone. I think the guilt of having been unfaithful changed him. I think he'd rather be defensive than be apologetic. Wouldn’t have called that one. I miss my lovable giant.”
And Ten’s looking down when he says that, so he doesn’t see the other’s face falling at that last part, doesn’t know he'd been smiling when he reminisced.
“So you do still miss Johnny?”
“No. Like I said, this isn't my Johnny. I miss my Johnny, but Johnny isn't that Johnny anymore. Wow, that’s a lot of Johnny’s. I don’t think I've ever said his name that much before even when we were dating.”
“Really? Not in any situation?”
“Oh my god. Were you just insinuating what I thought you were?! Excuse me, Jung Jaehyun, I do not put out that easily. What the hell?”
“Just trying to break the tension. Really though? Never? You were dating for quite some time.”
“Why do you think he cheated? I mean, of course that’s no proper excuse, but I can’t say I don’t get where he came from.”
“Why though? Why didn’t you…you know?”
“You honestly can’t say it? After you'd just brought it up?”
“Well…you know what I'm saying anyway!”
“Alright, alright. I…I didn’t want to. I just didn’t feel like it. And I thought that him never forcing me meant he understood or at the very least was okay with it. Guess not. Ugh, I just realized Doyoung is probably going to beat me to it. Him and Taeyong, those nerds. Could you believe it?”
“Then maybe soon would be a good time to remind him not to use your bed when they do it.”
“Gross. Rude, but mostly gross. How about you, Jung?”
“I'm in the same boat as you.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, I've only ever had my sights set on one person. But I think I'm just a pair of biceps to them.”
“You, just a pair of biceps? The Jung Jaehyun – star athlete, multi-talented performer, and honor student?”
“Well, the only compliment my crush has ever said to me was that I was “very hot.” So I don’t know, you tell me – am I just a pair of biceps?”
“Maybe this guy just needs to get to know you better.”
“I never said anything about it being a guy.”
“And I never said anything about you just being a pair of biceps.”
They're quiet then – smiling, smirking, teasing eyebrows lifted up. There's tension, the good kind; there's a hint of bashful hesitation. Then there's a wink, a tilt of the head in the door’s direction.
“You're right – I think this guy just needs to get to know me better. Do you think he'd be interested in a home cooked dinner?”
“Well, talking all afternoon does make a man develop an appetite.”
And as they leave school together with the promise of a date, Jaehyun thinks that for someone who’d just lost a game, this day was a definite
Ten out of ten.