Eleventh
:Chapter Eleven:

"Hey, Jeongguk- oh shit, what happened to your face?" Namjoon walked up to his friend, Jeongguk by his locker but had looked up once hearing his name. That gave Namjoon a clear look of his bruised face.

Jeongguk's lip had a split in that had scabbed a bit but looked red. His right eye also looked bruised around, showing he gotten hit a few times.

"Do you get abused at home?" The question was so out of the blue, taking Jeongguk off guard.

"What?" He cocked a brow, a clear frown on his face. Namjoon really took it from one to a hundred, leaving no room for Jeongguk to even begin to explain what happened.

"Because if you are, I can help you out of there. You said you had a brother, too? I can get you guys out of there. My parents won't mind looking after you." Namjoon had shown concern, feeling bad and awfully worried. He was such a caring person; an older brother Jeongguk wish he had.

"Hyung, no, I'm not getting hurt at home, my father wouldn't dare lay his hands on me and Jaeyong." Jeongguk said assuringly, turning his frown into a weak smile at the concern. He barely knew him but the boy would be willing to take him in if he were getting hurt at home.

"Really? Then what happened?" Namjoon inquired, making the younger look over him so he could examine his face. "It isn't too bad for whatever happened, just clear you were in a physical altercation."

"Me and Kim got into a fight." Jeongguk said, pulling out his notebook before he shut his locker. The two of them began to walk to get to their classes.

"Like, Taehyung? Kim Taehyung? Your captain? Of the baseball team?" Questioned the older one of the two, a brow cocked. Never would he ever believe Taehyung got himself into a fight. Especially not with Jeongguk.

Sure the two had issues and didn't like one another but Namjoon didn't ever think in a million years that Jeongguk and Taehyung would actually throw real fists at one another.

"Yeah, him." The younger didn't know where Namjoon was taking this but he hoped it wasn't going to make him feel like trash. That was the last thing he needed to hear.

"Can't believe he actually messed up your face, I didn't think he was a fighter."

"Well, don't let this fool you, he isn't." The pitcher hated being bested at things and though he knew he was stronger than Taehyung and had more experience in fighting, Taehyung unfortunately got good hits on him and it was noticeable as well. "A few good swings aren't equivalent to being a good fighter, he got lucky. Hoseok hyung was in my way."

"Mhmm, sure, Gguk." Namjoon chuckled lightly, throwing his arm over the aforementioned's shoulders, giving a small pat. "What ticked you guys off? Who started it?"

"I did. I don't want to talk about it though if that's okay, Namjoon hyung." Said the younger, not in a playful mood. The topic was so touchy and he felt so weak anytime it was brought up. He rather not go into details about it. "Just us bickering per usual, that's all."

"If you say so." He retracted his arm. "Head to your next class, I don't want to make you late. Teachers have been on our asses about it and the last thing you appear to need is a lecture about when to be in class and whatnot." Namjoon said, nudging his younger friend who just nodded as a response.

"See you later, Jeongguk!"

"You too," the younger waved him off and walked down the hall, his notebooks in his hands and his eyes locked in front of him. The pitcher didn't feel like waving to his teammates, didn't feel like talking.

Namjoon happened to talk to him because he caught him at a better time but after talking about the topic, it just dampened his mood.

Thinking about it made him realize how disappointed his mom would be if she heard about him fighting. His dad was pretty upset but after hearing why, he let him off the hook.

Jaeyong, Jeongguk's younger brother, had been a big help and gave him a stuffed rabbit to sleep with so he wouldn't be sad. Regardless of Jeongguk constant complaints of not being sad, Jaeyong insisted he at least take his favorite rabbit just in case he got sad.

After Jeongguk reluctantly agreed — since it was Jaeyong's favorite stuffed animal ever — the young boy wrapped his arms around his older brother and told him he loved him.

The entire interaction that flashed in his head was enough to make Jeongguk smile. It was subtle and to himself but it gave him a warm fuzzy feeling. His brother was the total opposite of what he was and it showed as bright as day.

His brother was so sweet and caring, never bragged, never rubbed anything in, he was just one of the sweetest kids Jeongguk's ever known. Jaeyong really took after their mother and it was a shame that Jaeyong will never get to know her like Jeongguk did.

Jaeyong was four-years-old and he was the most caring person Jeongguk's ever known. He was happy to call the boy his brother.

As if planned perfectly, Jeongguk walked in class and the bell rung, almost running late but thankfully he had made it.

He walked on to his desk, sitting a bit in the middle of the whole classroom which he didn't mind. He set his notebooks down and soon took a seat, reaching in his book bag to retrieve a pencil.

He could hear small mutters around him and part of him knew it was about his face but he didn't speak on it, if any of them had an issue, they could speak up.

***

     "Oh, wow, he fucked your face up too." Namjoon's voice rang clear as he moved closer to Taehyung's table.

"Huh?"

"Jeongguk. I saw him this morning and he told me you two got into a fight. I see it looked pretty fair." He added, noticing the bruise on Taehyung's cheek that was pretty yucky looking.

Taehyung rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He was already done with the conversation.

"Where's Hoseok?" Namjoon must've been a mind reader because he changed the subject but it didn't fall far from the apple tree. He set his own tray of food down and lowered himself into a seat.

Taehyung sighed. "He isn't talking to me right now." He answered vaguely, keeping his eyes down on his food which he played around with, not in the mood go eat.

"Why?"

"Because of the fight." Again, he answered pretty vague but Namjoon knew about the fight between him and Jeongguk so there was no need in clarifying it. "He said he thinks it stupid we let each other get in the way of what we enjoy. He also said it's ridiculous of us and we should both just grow up already."

"I don't blame him or think he's wrong but I'll talk to you both, I wasn't there for the fight so I don't know what happened." The elder shrugged, digging into his food.

"Newbie didn't say? We just went back and forth and then I said something about his mom and I guess that was the last straw because then I was on the floor. After the fight, he told me never to speak about his mom again." Taehyung didn't mind speaking about it, it wasn't touchy for him but he wasn't the one with a dead mom.

Namjoon stopped mid bite, looking up at Taehyung with a unreadable look.

The aforementioned looked up and met his gaze, a cocked brow. "What?"

"You don't ever bring up family, Taehyung, you out of all people should know that." He set his chopsticks down, shaking his head. "I know for a fact you wouldn't like it if someone talked about your adoptive parents."

"I-I know, Namjoon, but he was getting on my nerves and it just slipped my lips." Taehyung defended himself. "I didn't say anything bad, I mean, I just told him to bring his mom up here."

"And that's bad enough." Namjoon sighed. "Just don't do it again, and if anything, apologize."

"Hell no! I'm not saying sorry! He punched me, that's the only apology he gets." Taehyung narrowed his brows. God, he was naïve. He and Jeongguk were so blind and hard headed.

That's when Namjoon sighed and pushed himself up, picking up his tray. He turned but Taehyung stopped him before he could continue.

"Where are you going?"

"Leaving."

"Why?"

"Because I can see why Hoseok hyung doesn't want to talk to you. You're just so up your own ass yet so deep into petty kiddy shit. You don't know what he's going through, why he got that upset, and yet you still don't think to say sorry because both of you are in this haze of alpha and who's the better man. News flash, you're both juniors in a shitty high school, I can assure neither one of you are alphas." Namjoon said lamely. He too was getting annoyed at their arguments.

Taehyung saying what he said just set Namjoon off. He didn't agree with either of them and he was going to find Hoseok if anything.

The younger one gave a look of hurt. "Namjoon, please," he frowned. "I- . . . I can promise to not speak about his mom or anyone's mom. I won't start with him anymore."

Yet saying sorry is too much to ask for, Namjoon thought, rolling his eyes. "Fine but no more. I don't care if he says anything to you, just ignore him. He can't speak if you don't allow him to, right?" The elder placed his food back down and got back into his seat.

"Yeah, yeah." Taehyung nodded his head in agreement. "Right. You're right and I'm sorry to you and Hoseok for ignoring you guys. You guys just wanted all of us to be friends." He was only saying what Namjoon wanted to hear. He really was sorry to Hoseok and Namjoon but if Jeongguk said something to him, anything at all, Taehyung couldn't promise he would stay shut.

Taehyung wasn't even sure if his promise to not start anything was going to hold. Hell, their first baseball game was coming up and this is where the two would become competitive for sure.

No doubt about it. Whether or not they knew that much but this was just a bit of foreshadowing to help prepare the readers of what was to come.

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A/N:

1. You guys made it to eleven chapters!
2. What do you think will happen at the game?
3. Be sure to vote and comment