Tenth
:Chapter Ten:

     Practice had rolled right in. The day felt like a breeze, passing by with ease.

Jeongguk and Taehyung completely avoided one another. What helped was Jeongguk choosing to sit with other people at lunch time instead of bombarding Taehyung and his friends.

But practice was the real test. Things weren't entirely bad between the two, if one were to admit, it was just a mild disliking.

     "So, are you going to pass with your boyfriend?" Taehyung asked, jogging beside Hoseok as they did their lap, deciding to chat like always.

"Boyfriend? I don't know how many times I got to say it, but I'm straight, Taehyung, you know this." Hoseok rolled his eyes. "But who is my boyfriend? Is he cute?"

"You're unreal." Taehyung rolled his eyes, waving and greeting some teammates who jogged past them.

The elder shrugged. "If I'm dating someone, I would like to know what they look like at least." He added on, the jog just being a nice warmup for them.

"Newbie."

"Oh hell yeah, he's hot."

"You're not fooling anyone, homo." Taehyung commented, Hoseok being the most homosexual straight man he's ever met.

That reply made Hoseok laugh, hitting Taehyung's bicep. "Hey! He could've been your boyfriend but you wanted to fuck around, not my issue!"

"He definitely wouldn't ever be my boyfriend. Want to know why? Well, first off, I have a girlfriend." Taehyung began to list. "Secondly-"

"Both have to be interested in order to be in a relationship and I can say I'm most certainly not interested in that." Jeongguk's voice sounded, catching Taehyung and Hoseok off guard.

The second younger huffed, the once funny conversation being ruined. "No one was talking to you." He quipped.

"You know," Jeongguk spared a glance over, focusing forward then. "For someone who doesn't like me as much as they say, you sure do keep my name in your mouth a lot."

"That's not the only thing he wants to keep in his mouth." Hoseok cut in, making both boys snap their heads in Hoseok's direction in sync, looking equally disgusted.

They couldn't believe what they were hearing, the sexual innuendo taking them off guard but it made them both shut up which is what Hoseok aimed for. Now he didn't have to hear them go back and forth with dumb replies and comments.

"Now run, bitches!" Hoseok called before he took off, running faster than Jeongguk and Taehyung even though they were just jogging.

They shared each other a look, immediately making faces at one another out of distaste.

Without another word to be spoke, they ran. It wasn't a race, at least not at first. It turned into one when Jeongguk decided to open his shit-eating mouth and anger the captain.

"Do you run as fast as you hit balls? If that's the case, not very quick, huh?" He sounded so cocky. Jeongguk got off to rubbing off his glory and he learned to not do it anymore but Taehyung, oh Taehyung. When he began being a jerk to the younger and when Jeongguk was made the pitcher, it was over. The raven-haired teenager wasted no time to boast about it. He wanted to hurt Taehyung and his pride.

After he said what he had said, he began to run a bit quicker but little to Jeongguk know that Taehyung was definitely the fastest on the team.

Even faster than him.

That meant that Jeongguk was no match for Taehyung and it was something the blond could easily beat him in. So he did.

After hearing the challenge, Taehyung sucked his teeth but sprinted anyways without sparing another vowel. He surpassed Jeongguk with mere ease, running right past him like it was nothing spectacular.

He had gotten at least two to three yards ahead of him when the two finished the lap. Taehyung grabbed his water bottle, gulping down the lukewarm water with an evident smirk. His ego full and pleased with the look Jeongguk was providing.

"What was that?" Questioned Hoseok.

Taehyung lowered the water bottle from his lips, twisting the plastic cap back on. "Huh? Me totally smoking Jeon back there? Oh, that was nothing."

"And you wanted to say how you weren't cocky." Hoseok shook his head in disapproval, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "And we agreed not on the field."

Jeongguk ran over before Taehyung could open his mouth, panting a bit since he really was trying his hardest.

"Hey, Second Place, you choked up on dust?" Taehyung annoyed the pitcher, setting his bottle down. "You can't be good at everything, Newbie."

"Woohoo, you beat me in a race." Jeongguk straightened his figure.

"Here we go again." The eldest of the three remarked, already predicting the fight that was bound to happen.

The pitcher picked up his bat bag and pulled out a small sweat towel, bringing it across his forehead. Today was one of the warmer days and racing wasn't really helping the heat.

"You can take that, I still have your position though."

Those words. Taehyung almost forgot Jeongguk got the position to pitch. "That's all you can say. Big deal, I could've been pitcher."

"Then why aren't you?" Jeongguk pushed on. Losing the way he did really ticked him off, he wasn't a good sport about anything. "If you could've been, then why don't you have that spot? It isn't because of favoritism, I can tell you that, Kim."

"Guys," Minji, the short stop, walked over. "We really don't want another incident. I mean, if you guys want to run twenty laps then go for it but we have practice to do and your petty arguments gets us nowhere." He was absolutely right but you can't expect two blind guys to see that.

"And, Kim, if you were so good, why isn't your jersey number number one?" He kept going, pestering Taehyung more and more. He was far from finished.

The blond-haired huffed. "Dude, just cut it out, if I have to run more laps because of you, I'll seriously hurt you." He threatened. That's when more of the teammates gathered around.

Coach wasn't down there yet, it was the team's job to warm up and do their stretches and lap while they waited.

"What? Like yesterday? That weak ass push-"

"And it sure did knock you off your feet for being so weak!" Taehyung rose his voice now. If anyone knew how to get under his skin, it was Jeongguk. Taehyung didn't know why he let it effect him so much but it did.

"Jeongguk, Taehyung, just shut up." Hoseok now stood between them, sensing the hostility and the tensity. His prediction was coming true.

"I was caught off guard, that shit was nothing. Why don't you be a real man and get a real hit in?" Jeongguk kept going. The two ignored their teammates complaints, both focused on one another and what the other had to say.

"Maybe if you shut your dead skin cell infested mouth I wouldn't feel the need to shove you! You won't throw a punch either, pussy! I did more than you did anyways!" Taehyung also knew his ways of getting under Jeongguk's skin apparently. "Little bitch ass boy! Why don't you get your mommy, maybe she can come down here and tell us about your award case at home!"

That. That right there crossed the line. Jeongguk's mother had passed away a year and a half ago and yes, Taehyung didn't know that, but parents shouldn't ever be brought up into arguments. Never ever.

The young junior shoved Hoseok out of the way and brought his fist back, punching Taehyung right in the side of his face.

The other responded with a grunt but he threw his own fist out, hitting Jeongguk on his jawline.

Hoseok and the team blinked, fists flying and the two now on the floor on top of one another.

Taehyung rolled them over, throwing his fists down and getting hits in as best as he could while Jeongguk hit right where it hurt; the side. Right where the kidney and vital organs were.

This instantly made Taehyung breathless, feeling the wind get knocked out of him and making his hits awfully weak. Jeongguk shoved him off, getting on his knees and yanking Taehyung by the collar of his shirt, ready to lay another punch right to his face but the team finally acted, ripping away the players.

Hoseok and Suwun pulled Jeongguk, holding him back while Minji and Leehyun grabbed Taehyung who was still recovering but the gut shot he received.

"Pussy! Don't you ever speak on my mom!" Jeongguk yelled, blood boiling.

Hoseok could hear the pain laced in Jeongguk's voice, the anger and hurt coating his vocals. It was a touchy subject and it didn't take a genius to figure it out.

"Enough!" A deep and raspy voice came along. The coach. He showed up and saw enough to know what the punishment was going to be.

Everyone looked over, some trying to hide their sneaky smiles while others shown nothing but concern.

"Now what in the hell! I told you boys I didn't want anymore fighting!" He scolded, demanding the rest of the team go away to practice while he yell at Jeongguk and Taehyung collectively.

"You boys are skating on thin ice. You both are this close," he held his thumb and index finger up, showing a very thin gap between the pads of his fingers. "To being replaced and trust me, I won't hesitate. We are a team! Whatever issue you two have, it better get solved."

"Yes, Coach." The boys responded together.

Taehyung's side hurt from the blow, knowing damn well it would leave a nasty bruise. The left side of his head was also pounding from the first hit and the adrenaline that rushed over him. He felt so shaky and irritated.

Jeongguk, on the other hand, had a busted and swollen lower lip, also feeling an ache in his eye. He would end up having a black eye — nothing too bad but enough to notice he was in a fight.

Both boys had good hits but at what cost?

"You both can sit on the bench and watch the rest of the team get ready for the game coming up this Monday. If your acts don't change, you'll both sit out. Not for one game, but three. Do I make myself clear?" The old man laid into them, not playing this game with either of them.

As before, they had synchronized answers. They took a seat on the bench, sitting on opposite sides from one another. They didn't spare a glance, dare to speak, or even think about the acting with the other.

Hoseok, like yesterday, shook his head. He was so sick of this and for a bit, he actually thought it was getting better but after they received their positions, it was downhill.

The verbal incidents were one thing but now they were taking it to a physical level.

Soon enough, one of them or both of them would lose their position. If only they could grow up and look past their differences.

_________
A/N:

1. Good fight?
2. Who was in the wrong in your eyes?
3. Guys, please remember this is a slow burn so it's going to be a lot of bickering before they begin to like each other! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (October 14th)!