Chapter Text
It was a few hours before the game and Taehyung had long left Seokjin, unwillingly, to go work out with the rest of his team in preparation. Seokjin had finished his leg stretches and was walking to the pitching practice room to meet up with Jungkook who was scheduled to start that game along with him.
In all honestly, as much as he loved his old team, this game was a recipe for disaster and there was a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that everything was about to go completely wrong.
Jungkook had come to the stadium late - as he had been told he tended to do - so that threw off Seokjin’s plans on working out together. And apparently when Jungkook found out that Seokjin was in the work out room stretching, he opted to skip the stretching and move straight to the pitching practice room.
So much for working together as a team.
Seokjin wiped off the sweat above his brow with his towel as he headed over to the pitching practice room. The walk there felt longer than usual. Seokjin couldn’t shake the thought that maybe he should just let Jungkook be and figure out things on his own instead of forcing it onto him. He wasn’t Taehyung. He was a different person and maybe he responded to different approaches.
But Seokjin did his best to push the thought away. It was too late to think about that now. They were going to play together in a couple hours. They needed to get together and figure things out now, not next week.
He stood in front of the door to the training room and took a deep breath before opening it slowly and peeking in. Jungkook stood atop the pitching mound with his back to Seokjin and their pitching coach stood over a bit to the side, watching Jungkook’s form as he made his pitches.
Seokjin made eye contact with the pitching coach who smiled at him and nodded in acknowledgement. Seokjin walked in, Jungkook still unaware of his presence. The pitching coach gathered his clipboard before heading over towards Seokjin and patting him on the back to let him take the reins with Jungkook.
Jungkook didn’t realize Seokjin was in the room until his pitching coach left. Jungkook came out of his pitching stance and turned around with a scowl when he spotted Seokjin coming closer.
“Why are you here?” Jungkook groaned while walking over to the bench on the side and tossing his pitching glove onto it. He went to the water dispenser to get a cup of water before turning around and facing Seokjin.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here?” Seokjin chuckled, trying to hide the way Jungkook’s words pierced at the pit of his stomach a bit. “We’re playing together, you idiot. We still have to figure out what our strategy is.”
“Our strategy is I throw my fastball as much as I can because they can’t keep up with it.” Jungkook scoffed before crushing the paper cup in between his fingers and tossing it into the trash. He picked his pitching glove back up along with a baseball from a bucket nearby and then headed back to the top of the mound.
“Oh, really? And how does your elbow feel about that idea?” Jungkook rolled his eyes.
“My elbow is doing just fine, thank you.” Seokjin didn’t miss the way Jungkook stretched out his arm with a slight wince before getting into his pitching stance.
“Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t throw your fastball. It’s a good pitch. It’s your best pitch.” Jungkook lifted his left foot before taking a step and throwing the baseball down to the base of the mound where it hit a rectangular target on the wall to indicate the strike zone [1] . “I’m saying that you can improve your strategy if you throw it a little less. You have a really good changeup [2] and curveball [3] . Use your fastball to your advantage and then throw those pitches to the batter later on and they’ll completely miss.”
“And why would I do that if I can just throw my fastball by them?” Jungkook bent down to pick up another ball from the bucket before getting back into his pitching stance and picking his left leg up to start his motion.
“Because you can’t fail!” Seokjin’s voice rose into a higher octave and resounded in the room, surprising the Jungkook and causing him to fall out of his motion, placing his left leg back onto the ground to find his balance again. Seokjin’s eyes widened in realization of what happened and then he closed his eyes to take a deep breath. He spoke again, voice much calmer but when he opened his eyes, the deep desperation was still there and Jungkook couldn’t quite pinpoint where all this was coming from. “Look, just trust me, okay? This is my old team. I know what kind of hitters they are so I know how we can utilize your talents to the best of their abilities.”
Jungkook paused for a moment, not knowing what to do. Seokjin looked at him with his shoulders slumped in complete exasperation but there was a spark in his eyes that he couldn’t seem to read.
“Fine.” Jungkook wasn’t sure what made him agree to it but he did. Something, he wasn’t sure what, about the way Seokjin was absolutely determined and desperate to make him change told him just to let him go. “The first time through the batting order [4] we can do your strategy. But, if it doesn’t work, we’re going back to mine.”
“Really?” Seokjin’s eyes lit up with a bright smile that showed a the whole top row of his teeth. Jungkook froze a bit, his eyes widening and mouth forming a small o-shape, before shaking his head and getting back into his stance.
“Yea, whatever.” Jungkook looked straight down the mound, eyes fixed on the strike zone. He fumbled with the positioning of the ball in his hands. His fingers stopped in familiarity with his index and middle finger along the top two seams of the ball and then his thumb in between the bottom two seams. His fingertips played with the surface of the leather before he took a deep breath and moved the ball back in his hand such that the ball was in contact with his palm and his fingers wrapped around the seams of the ball completely.
It was an unfamiliar feeling. He hadn’t held the ball like that since he was promoted to the majors. He hadn’t thrown a changeup since he was called up to play. But for the first time in what felt like forever, he pulled his hands up to his chest, picked up his left foot and stepped forward, using his legs to push through and follow through forward.
And when he looked up, he watched with a smile as the changeup his right at the edge of the strike zone.
--
As much as Jungkook wanted to think he was a leader and could be the forefront of their team, he knew he absolutely sucked at people skills. He wasn’t going to deny it. Pretty much everyone knew he would rather stay in a bubble, away from any human being, rather than have to talk to people he knew for years.
So it was times like right before games - if he managed to get there in time - that he dreaded the most because as one of the star players, as one of the pillars of their pitching rotation, all eyes, on the team and off the team, were on him.
Jungkook fiddled with the buttons on his uniform before slipping his hands into his pockets. He chewed on the bottom of his lip and then spun around on his heels to turn away from his locker, only to freeze, toes still up in the air, at the faces of the rest of his teammates staring at him expectantly.
Realizing what they were waiting for, he hardened his expression, furrowing his brows and pressing his lips into a thin line across his mouth. His hands fell out of his pockets to find their way crossed over his chest.
“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes. “We play hard and we win.” He spoke with no tone to his voice and then turned towards the exit, not sticking around long enough to see the expressions of his teammates.
“No, wait!” A familiar voice stopped him in his tracks and made him turn back around to face his team. Seokjin had made his way towards the center of the room with his glove already in his left hand. “This is a really important game. If we beat the Lions today, we can increase our lead in the division and it’ll be one step closer for us to the postseason.” All eyes by now were fixed on Seokjin. “So we have to work hard and show the Lions that we are a force to be reckoned with, alright?”
Seokjin looked around with a smile while observing the collective nods of his teammates.
“So, this is our plan. The first time through the batting order, I want everyone to be observant and try to pick up on their pitching strategy. That means waiting and not swinging at everything we can get our hands on. Then we’ll regroup and figure out how we should approach them for the rest of the game.” Seokjin turned to the outfielders. “And this team is filled with free swingers. They’ll swing at anything so they’ll hit a lot of fly balls but their batting order is also right-hand heavy so you guys, wherever you normally play, make three steps to the right and play there for the night. Is everyone clear?”
There were a couple of head nods and low mumbles.
“I didn’t hear that. Is everyone clear?” He spoke louder.
“Yes, hyung!” The team said collectively, this time with smiles trickling throughout the team.
“Alright, so we’re gonna play hard, work hard, and have fun as a team, got it? Stick to that and we’ll win! Who’s with me?” By then, there was no shortage of smiles in the room. Guys were cheering, giving high-fives, and slapping each others’ butts as they spilled out the room, leaving Seokjin there with Jungkook standing awkwardly a little off from the exit.
“And that, rookie,” Seokjin chuckled before walking up to Jungkook and patting his head, “is how you hype up a team. Try and take notes next time.”
“Whatever.” Jungkook scoffed. Seokjin shrugged before heading ahead of Jungkook towards the field. Jungkook stayed in the locker room for a bit, trying to ignore the weird bubbling in the pit of his stomach.
--
The bubbling in his stomach didn’t dissipate when Jungkook stood on the pitching mound. In fact, it only got more severe until it rose up and left a tingling sensation at the base of his esophagus that threatened to escape his body.
He kicked at the dirt on the mound, using the pointed bottom of his cleats to alter the shape of the mound to the way he liked it, with an extra dip where his left foot would land after he took his step for his pitch. He generated a lot more power that way, allowing him to get more velocity for each pitch, not to mention it annoyed the opposing pitcher a lot because it messed with the way he liked his mound.
He then walked around the base of the mound, taking last minute preparations. He picked up the bag of chalk at the base of the mound. He threw it up in the air, catching it in his palm. He threw it back up in the air to catch it balanced at the back of his hand. He did that a couple times as he looked into the stands and scan the crowd.
The placed was absolutely packed. It was a sold out game. Everyone was anticipating not only his pitching but to see the culmination of the rivalry between the Bears and the Lions after what had happened last season. It wasn’t the most intense of feelings, they still weren’t close enough to the postseason to entirely feel the adrenaline pumping through them, but it was a high-stress game nonetheless.
The crowd was on fire. The local Doosan Bears fans had all coordinated and flashed their red, blue, and white thunder clappers, clapping all of them simultaneously in anticipation for the start of the game. They had started their opening game cheer, all the fans on their feet and singing to the music played in the speakers.
He chuckled though at the few specs of blue, white, and gray in the crowd from the diehard Samsung Lions fans in the crowd.
Jungkook turned to home plate. The umpire was bending down to brush the dirt off home plate while Seokjin was making some last minute stretches before he had to crouch behind the base for the rest of the game. He squatted down, stretching out his left leg while keeping his right leg bent in close to his body. He bounced in that position a couple times before switching legs.
When Seokjin looked up and made eye contact with Jungkook, he smiled before giving him a thumbs up to ask if the pitcher was ready. Jungkook tipped his cap in acknowledgement, leaving patches of white residue from the chalk in his hands against the dark, navy blue bill.
Jungkook circled around the mound one last time before he settled comfortably at the top. He looked down at his feet, making sure they were at shoulder’s width and that they were perpendicular to home plate. Looking back up to home plate, he found Seokjin already crouched behind home plate with his catcher’s mitt open and ready to take a few warm up pitches.
Seokjin stuck his hand between his legs and pointed his pinky out, wiggling it towards the right of home plate.
A fastball on the right side of the plate.
Jungkook nodded before getting into his pitching stance. He took a step forward and threw the pitch just as Seokjin had asked for it. The ball caught right along the edge of home plate.
Perfect.
Jungkook shook out his arms and shoulders to get rid of the rest of his nerves before circling back to the mound. Seokjin shoot him another thumbs but and Jungkook nodded, making Seokjin get up and motion to the umpire that they were ready to start. The umpire called over the first batter for the Lions, his bat already in hand.
The first batter was always the hardest to get out. Most managers made it such that the person at the top of their batting order was a player with strong control, someone who knew exactly which pitch they wanted the swing at and exactly which pitches they needed to lay off. This batter was the Lions’ left fielder. He was a right-hand batter known to be hard to keep off the bases.
Jungkook made his way back up to the top of the pitching mound and got in his stance, kicking at the dirt by his feet. He looked down at home plate, waiting for Seokjin to give him the signals. He watched as Seokjin stuck his pinky out - a fastball - and wiggled it towards the right side of the base - on the outside of the plate [5] . It was a safe pitch and played to Jungkook’s strengths. He nodded before getting into his pitching stance and watching Seokjin place his mitt on the outside of the plate, as a target for him to aim to.
With a deep breath, he hurled the ball forward, letting the momentum of his motion power through to the ball. The ball flew down to the batter and Jungkook held his breath when he saw the batter get ready to swing. But he missed. Jungkook let out a sigh of relief as the batter swung through the pitch, completely missing it because he was too slow.
Seokjin smiled at Jungkook, giving him an encouraging fist pump that warmed the pit of his stomach.
He could do this. Maybe this strategy could actually work.
Two pitches later, the left fielder shot a ball onto the ground towards the Bears’ third baseman who quickly ran forward to scoop up the ball with his glove. Using his momentum going forward, he made a strong toss to the first baseman who caught it easily, making sure his foot was touching first base.
The first out.
The crowd roared and the resounding sound of the thunderclappers filled Jungkook’s ears. The excitement got his adrenaline flowing and the tingling sensation at his fingertips made him want to keep the game moving. There was an extra bounce in his step as he circled the mound.
Jungkook looked over to the first and third basemen, pointing at them in thanks for their defense with a smile. Smiles started to litter throughout the field, a sense of hope lingering in the air.
This game was going to be different.
The next batter was the lions’ second baseman. Jungkook only had to throw one pitch to get him to shoot a fly ball over to left field, right where the Bears’ defense was playing.
The second out.
The third batter of the inning was the Lions’ first baseman. He was known to be a patient hitter, someone who didn’t swing unless the ball was in their happy zone [6] . Jungkook was ahead of the count with one ball and two strikes. He only needed to make one more strike and he was out of the inning.
Jungkook looked down at Seokjin. He put his right hand in between his legs and stuck out his index finger, wiggling it towards the right side of home plate. He was calling for a changeup on the inside.
Immediately, Jungkook shook his head in disagreement. That wasn’t his pitch. His instincts told him to throw a fastball. He shook his head to try to get Seokjin to signal another pitch. But Seokjin wouldn’t give up. He gave the signs again, wiggling his index finger towards the right side.
Jungkook closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he nodded at Seokjin still with a bit of hesitance. He could see Seokjin smile a bit behind his catcher’s mask as he got into his stance, bringing his ball and glove up to his chest.
He took another deep breath before he stepped forward, throwing the ball from the back of his hand instead of his fingertips. He watched with worry evident in his brows as the ball made its way down to the batter.
The batter got ready to swing but stopped his swing midway, frozen by the speed of the ball coming at him. The ball flew right over the inside corner of the plate.
A large smile plastered itself onto Jungkook’s face when he saw the home plate umpire point over to the Lions’ dugout and yelled out a “strike!” with gusto.
Seokjin made another fistpump while standing up quickly to run over to Jungkook as the batter looked at the umpire in disbelief. Seokjin smiled at Jungkook, tapping his butt lightly before making his way over to the dugout and getting ready for the second half of the inning.
Maybe, just maybe this was going to be a good game.
--
Getting back to the dugout, Seokjin quickly downed a cup of whatever sports drink was in the water coolers before getting ready to bat first that inning. He exchanged a couple of high fives with various teammates in the dugout and felt a couple taps on his butt, though he didn’t look back to check who gave them to him.
He chuckled as he pulled on his batting glove and picked up his bat, wiping some pine tar on the handle to give it some good grip. Grabbing his batting helmet, he tossed it in the air with a flip before doing a little shake that made the rest of his teammates chuckle. Seokjin smiled before walking out of the dugout and making his way to home plate.
It was a little weird. The Lions’ catcher was a rookie he had trained while he was still on that team. The Lions’ pitcher was someone who he worked with extensively to develop his strategy. He tipped his helmet to the pitcher who in return stuck his tongue out at him. Seokjin’s jaw dropped before letting out a loud laugh.
“Yah!” Seokjin yelled out, pointing at the pitcher. “How could you?” Seokjin smiled, shaking his head, while the pitcher just shrugged in innocence.
Seokjin got into his batting stance, still laughing to himself. But jokes on his ex-teammate because Seokjin knew him inside and out. He knew his strategy, what pitches he liked to throw, and exactly how to approach him.
Seokjin knew that the pitcher was going to throw a changeup on the outside of the plate. Seokjin was ready for it.
So when the pitcher signalled that he was ready, Seokjin lifted his bat up in the air, holding it above his right shoulder in anticipation.
The pitcher stared at him straight in the eye, all signs of comradery gone and filled with the fire of competition. But if its competition his teammate want, its competition that they’re going to get.
The pitcher threw the first pitch and the moment the ball left the pitcher’s fingertips, Seokjin knew exactly what pitch it was and that he was right.
Instead of swinging right at it, he paused a moment and held back only to swing at it right as it moved over home plate. With a loud crack, the ball ricocheted off the end of his bat and in flew up just over the reach of Hoseok at first base, landing into right field and rolling down the foul line.
Seokjin went running towards first base immediately, dropping his bat down on the ground with his eyes glued to the path of the ball.
When he saw the ball roll past the right fielder and hit the base of the wall, he smiled finding some extra strength in him to move his legs faster as he turned at first base, heading to second. As he passed Hoseok, playing a bit to the left of first base, he stuck his hand out, hitting Hoseok in the head and producing a “hey!” from his mouth.
Taehyung was at second base with a smirk, guarding the base by using his foot to block it from Seokjin’s path.
The brat.
Seokjin chuckled before diving headfirst, arms reaching up over his head to extend his reach and try to touch the base before the right fielder could toss the ball back into the infield.
He pulled his arms up and over the blockage Taehyung made with his foot and touched the base right before he felt Taehyung crouch over him and touch the back of his thigh with his glove, presumably with the ball in it.
He was safe.
Before Seokjin could get up, Taehyung slapped Seokjin’s butt a couple times with what Seokjin could only describe as a “beep beep” noise. Seokjin laughed as he popped up onto his feet.
“Yah! Stop that!” Taehyung laughed before jutting his hip out to knock into Seokjin’s, effectively pushing him off balance. “Yah! Stop treating your hyung like that!”
“Stop flirting!” Taehyung and Seokjin turned their heads to find Hoseok waving his hands in the air before frowning with his tongue out. Taehyung and Seokjin just laughed, Seokjin’s laugh so violent it made his shoulders shake and arms flail around so Taehyung had to dodge around them.
Once they got all the laughs out of them and they realized they still had a game at hand to play, Taehyung moved back to his position and all eyes were back on the batter and the pitcher.
The pitcher was still a bit shaken up from the lead-off hit, the worry evident on his face. He shook his head a lot at the catcher and it took a while before they could find a pitch to agree on.
The batter, on the other hand, was ready to attack. His determination showed in the way his eyebrows furrowed and the way his eyes squinted to keep his focus on the pitcher.
The Bears’ batter was the left-hand hitting shortstop. He wasn’t an exceptionally good hitter but he had a lot of speed and that speed is what put pressure on the defense. He could beat out a ground ball to third base and make it to first base before the ball could be thrown there. He could stretch a single into the outfield into a double.
And when that sort of pressure is put on the defense to be absolutely perfect, pressure is added to the pitcher to get the hitter out without him putting the ball in play.
Knowing that the pitcher was under pressure to make good pitches, the hitter stayed patient, waiting for the pitcher to crack under the pressure and make a mistake.
The first three pitches to him had been balls all too high and on the outside of the plate. After each pitch, Seokjin clapped in encouragement to the batter, giving him a thumbs up every time their eyes made contact.
At that point, the pitcher was under immense pressure, sweat forming above his brow in nervousness. He needed to throw a strike or else a fourth ball would allow the batter to go to first base automatically. He needed to throw at least a strike.
And that’s exactly what he did.
But, it was a fastball right down the middle of the plate and the shortstop was all over it. He hit it on the ground, past the pitcher and just out of the range of Taehyung and the second baseman, rolling into center field.
He went running to first base, getting there easily. Seokjin ran past third base, getting the go signal from their coach, and headed towards home.
By the time Jimin had picked up the ball and thrown it back into the infield, trying to beat Seokjin to home plate, Seokjin had already slid into home, feet first, getting dirt all over his uniform pants.
Seokjin used his momentum going forward to easily stand back up on his feet while giving a fist pump and pointing to his teammate on first base.
“Yea! That’s how we do it!” The player pointed back at Seokjin in acknowledgement before Seokjin jogged over to the dugout where he was greeted by the rest of his team with butt slaps, high fives, and helmet taps.
Yea, this was going to be a good game.
--
Jungkook had been throwing a very good game. By the fourth inning, he had generally kept the Lions off the base, sans for a walk or a single every now and then but nothing threatening.
The Bears were still winning, one run to none. It was a lead, but nothing comfortable so Jungkook was trying his best to keep his team in the game.
Seokjin’s strategy to throw his breaking pitches [7] more often was generally working but Jungkook couldn’t help but worry that throwing those pitches for the first time in a while was messing with his grip or something.
But he wasn’t going to admit that.
Jungkook kept the baseball in his glove as he flexed his hands open and close to stretch out the muscles. Seokjin noticed the action so the moment he caught eyes with Jungkook circling around the pitching mound, he threw a thumbs up and a pout to make sure that the rookie was alright.
Jungkook nodded, trying to play it off before walking back up to the top of the mound.
Seokjin took a deep breath, knowing the Jungkook was hiding something, but he couldn’t force him to say it especially since they were in the middle of a game.
The first batter up for the Lions was Jimin and it was the second cycle through the batting order so Jungkook had faced him previously in the game. Jungkook had gotten him out easily with a fly ball to center field.
But, seeing Jimin walk up to home plate, Jungkook couldn’t explain it but Jimin had a different aura around him this time around.
He was standing a bit straighter than usual. He had his feet planted in the ground stronger than usual. There was a sense of confidence around Jimin that wasn’t usually there. So, even though Jungkook had a bigger build than Jimin, he felt a bit intimidated.
Jungkook clutched his fingers around the baseball, trying to figure out and scope the situation. Seokjin gave another thumbs up to make sure Jungkook was ready and Jungkook nodded.
But Jungkook was getting frustrated, flexing out his hand again. He had thrown four pitches to Jimin and the count was three balls to only one strike. He was missing his pitches. Almost every time Seokjin would ask for a pitch, Jungkook would miss just a bit to the side or be a little bit too high.
He shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts but he couldn’t ignore the sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach. He stood atop the mound again, holding the ball in his glove. Seokjin had called for a fastball on the inside of the plate to try to get Jimin to swing.
Jungkook took a deep breath, watching Seokjin set his mitt up closer to Jimin as a target for him to aim at. He waited until Jimin was ready before he took his step forward, using his momentum to put a little extra velocity on his fastball. When he looked up, he saw Jimin had to move a bit back to dodge the ball coming in at him.
Ball four.
Jungkook walked Jimin, allowing him to automatically move to first base. Jimin left his bat by the plate before jogging up towards first base. As he passed Jungkook, he used his index finger to pull down at his eye while sticking his tongue out at him.
Jungkook tried to laugh it off, but the sinking feeling of his stomach was still there.
While Jungkook walked around the mound again, trying to chalk his hands some more to get better grip on the ball, Seokjin trotted up to him from home plate, placing his arm around Jungkook’s shoulder.
“Hey, are you okay?” Jungkook shrugged off Seokjin’s arm, not looking up to meet Seokjin’s face.
“Yea, I’m fine. Let’s just keep this inning moving.” Seokjin wanted to say more but Jungkook had already moved away from him, positioning himself atop the mound again so Seokjin couldn’t do more but head back over to home plate and prepare for the next batter.
The next batter was an easy out. With just two pitches, Jungkook was able to entice him to swing at a change up with downward movement, causing the batter to swing up over the pitch and knock it down to the ground to roll right back up to Jungkook who could easily toss it to first base and get him out. Jimin, however with his speed, moved to second base.
The next batter was Taehyung. Jungkook prepared himself on the mound again and waited impatiently and Taehyung and Seokjin exchanged a few words before finally settling in to the at bat.
The at bat, so far, had unfolded similarly to how Jimin’s at bat had. Jungkook had thrown four pitches and the count was three balls and one strike.
Seokjin stuck his hand in between his legs and wiggled his index finger towards the outside of the plate. He called for a changeup outside. Jungkook immediately shook his head, disagreeing with the pitch. He didn’t like it.
He wanted to treat it like how they treated Jimin’s at bat. He wanted to throw another fastball inside. Taehyung wouldn’t be able to keep up with his fastball if he got enough velocity on it. Seokjin wanted to throw a pitch that Taehyung would miss if Jungkook got enough spin and movement on.
Seokjin sent out the same signals with a determined look and Jungkook sighed, uncertainty running through his head because throwing that pitch was the opposite of what his instincts were telling him. But he nodded, trusting Seokjin because so far, his strategy had gotten them through the game.
Jungkook clutched the ball, his index and middle finger settling on the top seams of the ball and his thumb settling in between the bottom. He clutched the ball in his hand, keeping it in contact with his palm, though the tingling in his fingers made it hard for him to keep a tight enough grip.
He took a deep breath, holding the ball and glove close to his chest before lifting his left leg and stepping forward, hurling the ball over.
When he looked up, his heart sank into his stomach as he saw the ball bleed back over the middle of the plate and Taehyung swinging, hitting the ball right on the sweet spot of the bat.
Taehyung jogged over to first base, eyes on the ball as it sailed up and high towards left field in anticipation. The moment he saw the ball fly up and over the left field wall and into the stands, Taehyung threw his hands into the air as he rounded the bases.
Jungkook walked around the mound, head down and shoulders shrugged over. He was stuck in his own bubble, flexing his hand again.
He didn’t hear the crowd booing at Taehyung when he made it back to home plate, giving Jimin a high five before heading back to the dugout. He didn’t see how the fan, who had caught the home run, threw the baseball back onto the field in protest.
The Bears were losing one run to two.
Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t going to be a good game.
--
Three innings had passed already and Jungkook was still frustrated over what had happened in the fourth inning. He was getting ready to go back out onto the field and pitch the seventh inning. While grabbing his pitcher’s glove from the dugout cubbies, he spotted the water cooler out of the corner of his eye and landed a firm fist on the side of it, knocking it over and sending water and ice flying through the dugout.
“Hey,” Seokjin came up, placing his hand on Jungkook’s back, making him turn around to face him. Jungkook had a deep frown etched on his face and his eyes held a glare at Seokjin that sent shivers down his spine. Seokjin tried to talk with a softer voice. “Let it go. It happened already. We have to focus on this inning now.” Jungkook scoffed.
“It wouldn’t have happened though if you set up for the pitch I wanted.” Jungkook spoke with a voice devoid of emotion. He turned his back on Seokjin and walked up the steps of the dugout. “Let’s just get on with the game.”
Seokjin sighed in defeat as he followed Jungkook onto the field. The closest they got to at least tying the game came in the previous inning. The Bears had runners on first base and third base. Seokjin was up at bat but there were already two outs. He hit a fly ball into center field that would have been a double and would have at least scored the runner on third base but Jimin had made a spectacular catch in center field, diving for the ball just before it made contact with the ground.
Seokjin knew Jungkook was upset. He was hoping that maybe being able to tie the game would appease Jungkook but he didn’t so all of Jungkook’s anger was still directed at him. And Seokjin knew how detrimental that was to their game. If Jungkook and Seokjin couldn’t get on the same page, if they couldn’t agree on their strategy then the whole game would pretty much be over for them.
It didn’t help that Taehyung was the first one at bat in this inning. Seokjin made it to home plate and Taehyung was already there waiting for him. The smile on Taehyung’s face was bright, as it usually was, but there was an extra spark in his eyes.
“We’re gonna beat you, hyung.” Taehyung let out in a sing-song voice while doing a little dance with his hips. Seokjin frowned with a sigh before crouching down behind home.
“Not now, Tae.” Seokjin adjusted his catcher’s mask, not even giving Taehyung a look. Taehyung pouted in disappointment and Seokjin felt a little stabbing sensation in his heart. He had never spoken like that to Taehyung and he felt guilty but right now he had other things in mind.
Seokjin made eye contact with Jungkook. He placed his hand between his crouched legs and wiggled his pinky out towards the outer half of the plate - a fastball on the outside. Jungkook nodded in agreement and Seokjin’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
Ever since the fourth inning, Jungkook had shook his head at almost every pitch he called for. He hoped that maybe, just maybe he had gotten through to Jungkook. Maybe they were back on the same page again.
But, no, Seokjin should have been more skeptical.
Because the moment the ball left Jungkook’s fingertips, the ball sailed in the complete opposite direction that Seokjin had called for. When Taehyung had noticed that the ball was sailing towards him, he tried moving away as fast as he could but it was too late. The ball had plunked him right on the upper back, where his name was written on the back of his uniform.
Taehyung looked back at Jungkook with a fire in his eyes. Seokjin immediately reached up to grab Taehyung by the arm to keep him from doing anything rash but Jungkook looked at Taehyung and shrugged his shoulders in feigned ignorance.
“What?” Jungkook said, loud enough from the mound that Seokjin and Taehyung could hear him.
“The hell?” Taehyung let out, taking a step forward and pulling Seokjin with him. Somewhere behind them the umpire was sending out warnings but no one paid any attention.
“I didn’t do anything.” Jungkook chuckled, bitterness dripping from his voice. “It was an accident.”
“The fuck? No it wasn’t!” Taehyung screamed out, this time escaping from Seokjin’s hold and charging at the mound, landing the first swing directly at Jungkook’s stomach. Jungkook retaliated by swinging at Taehyung’s jaw, narrowly missing when Taehyung pulled back in time.
“Taehyung! Stop!” Seokjin ran towards the mound. On instinct, he grabbed Jungkook by the shoulders and pushed him down on the ground before blocking Taehyung with his body and stretching his arms out. He stood there, frozen when he looked down to see Jungkook’s eyes look at him wide with shock before filling with deep rage. Taehyung looked down at Jungkook, a smirk peeking out from his lips.
“Traitor.” Jungkook mumbled before getting up and pushing Seokjin away. He tackled Taehyung to the ground, finally landing a jab on Taehyung’s jaw. Taehyung struggled using his legs to try to get Jungkook off him.
By then, all the players in the dugouts had spilled out onto the field, some trying to pull Taehyung and Jungkook apart, other trying to break up the fights. Even the players in the bullpens had come running in from all the way in the outfield.
Jimin came running from the dugout and Namjoon was running in from the bullpen, both with worry etched on their face.
“Jungkook!” Jimin got there first, using his arms to wrap around Jungkook and restrain him from throwing any more punches. Namjoon got there next, stepping in front of Jungkook and pushing him forward to force some space in between Jungkook and Taehyung.
“He’s a traitor! He’s a fucking traitor and this dumbass won’t leave us alone!” Jungkook pointed accusing fingers at Seokjin and Taehyung while struggling against Jimin’s hold. “Let me at him!”
Seokjin’s arms were back around Taehyung trying to pull him away from Jungkook as well. Taehyung wasn’t as livid as Jungkook was but the smirk on his face did nothing but continue to egg him on.
“Come at me! I don’t care! You lose every time anyway!” Taehyung scoffed Jungkook let out what sounded like a muffled growl before jumping up to try to attack again, lifting his arm to try to punch Taehyung again but because he was out of range, Jungkook’s fist collided with the side of Namjoon’s jaw instead.
Namjoon fell onto the ground, clutching the side of his face. Jimin looked down in concern but he couldn’t do much because without Namjoon’s help restraining Jungkook, Jimin had to put in extra effort to hold Jungkook back.
“Taehyung, stop!” Seokjin let out in warning, pushing Taehyung back more. Hoseok and Yoongi had come into the situation by now, positioning themselves in between Taehyung and Jungkook trying to block them off from each other.
Seokjin pushed Taehyung out from the middle of the crowd of the two teams, trying to pull himself out from the situation. Turning back, he caught eyes with Jimin who only looked back at him with an unreadable expression. Seokjin had to tear his eyes away and back towards Taehyung, in an attempt to try to calm him down.
It seemed like separating the two was the right remedy for the situation because the moment the two were out of sight from each other, the excitement and anger in the air died down. Taehyung noticeable relaxed, shoulders sagging back down. The same happened for Jungkook.
Slowly, the two teams evacuated the field, returning to their respective positions while the managers of both teams stayed to have a quick meeting with the umpires on the field to discuss repercussions for the altercation.
Nope, this wasn’t a good game.
--
Despite the exciting and high tension seventh inning, the rest of the game was relatively uneventful. No one else had scored after. The Bears ended up losing two runs to one.
The air between the teams was thick. None of the players talked with each other. They just walked around paying each other no mind, trapped in their own bubble.
After the meeting between the umpires and the managers, they decided that Taehyung, Jungkook, and other players that had thrown punches were ejected from the game and any suspensions by the league would be discussed and settled at a later time. So for the rest of the game, Jungkook and Taehyung spent their time inside the stadium, lingering around the locker room and the work out rooms.
Namjoon and a couple other players who got hit had to be excused for medical attention. It wasn’t serious but after the punch, Namjoon had begun to spit out blood and a deep, purple bruise was left on the left side of his jaw. Whether he was going to be able to play the next game was still questionable.
So Namjoon was sitting up on a cot in the medical room, the pain medication given to him numbing out the pain in his jaw. He was given a protein shake to try to recover. He had tried eating a burger earlier but he couldn’t open his jaw wide enough to eat it without feeling pain. He settled on drinking his protein shake with a straw.
A knock on the door snapped him out of his thoughts and forced him to look at the entrance. The door opened slowly, and a familiar tuft of hair peeked out from behind it.
“Can I come in?” Jimin asked softly before Namjoon nodded, moving a bit off center from the cot to make room for Jimin. Jimin walked in, quietly closing the door behind him. The two sat in silence for a bit, the only noise coming from Namjoon sipping his protein shake. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better.” Namjoon chuckled. “I forgot Jungkook had a really good hook.” He reached up to rub the bruise, trying to relieve the soreness.
“Yea, I remember.” Jimin laughed. “When that kid first got called up, he used to fight me all the time.”His eyes trailed down, lost in thought. “There’s word floating around that he’s going to get a five game suspension for initiating the fight. Taehyung’s getting a five game suspension too because he threw the first punch.” Namjoon hummed in acknowledgement.
“Makes sense.” Namjoon put his protein shake onto a side table next to the cot. When he sat back up, Jimin leaned over, placing his head on Namjoon’s shoulder. “He’ll be fine. It’s not like Jungkook showed up to the game anyway. I’m more worried about Seokjin hyung.”
“You’re worried about Seokjin-ssi?” Jimin’s voice went up an octave, taking offense to the statement. “Why would you be worried about Seokjin-ssi. I think he should have gotten a suspension too. He riled Jungkook up.”
“Look, I know you don’t like Seokjin hyung but he didn’t throw any punches. It’s Jungkook’s fault to not controlling his anger.” Namjoon turned to look at Jimin, as best as he could with Jimin on his shoulder. “But he’s part of our team now,” Namjoon’s voice trailed off, “but I’m not sure how the team is going to react.” Jimin scoffed.
“Well, that’s his own fault.” Jimin rolled his eyes. “He should have stayed loyal to his team.”
“Like how you ran to Jungkook instead of Taehyung and how you’re here instead of with your team?” Jimin’s eyes widened before he picked his head up and narrowed his eyes into two slits aimed at Namjoon. “No, Jimin, wait. That’s not what I meant.”
“I came here to check up on you because I care about you.” Jimin stood up, getting off the couch. “I did not come here to get scolded.” Jimin scoffed before walking to the door. “And I won’t stay around to get lectured about what it means to be a team when I was the one that kept your team together.” Jimin opened the door.
“Jimin!” But before Namjoon could say anything else, Jimin slammed the door behind him.
--
Seokjin wandered around the halls of the stadium. His team was nowhere to be found. Instead of all congregating the locker room, they had all dispersed, going their own directions. He wasn’t even sure if they were still in the stadium.
Seokjin felt a sinking feeling of guilt tighten his chest. He knew he should have ran to Jungkook and not Taehyung but after years of working with Taehyung, after years of shaping Taehyung into the player he was now, it was instinct that drove him and by the time he realized what he did, it was already too late.
Seokjin hoped he could find at least one of his teammates, maybe explain himself, maybe apologize.
Walking the halls of the stadium, Seokjin spotted a stream of light in the distance coming from one of the rooms. Feeling a sense of hope surge through him, he started jogging up to it, only for feat to strike him when he found Jungkook practicing in the room. He was standing on the practice pitching mound with baseballs littered around the room.
Seokjin wasn’t sure if now was a good time but Seokjin decided he was going to take the chance anyway.
“Jungkook.” He called out to him first to gauge the situation. Jungkook turned but when he saw Seokjin he only rolled his eyes with a scoff before turning to pitch again. Seokjin seemed to spark more anger in him because he threw the ball with an extra grunt that caused the ball to collide with the wall with more impact. The sound of the ball against the wall caused Seokjin to wince. “You shouldn’t throw like that. You’ll hurt your elbow.”
“Like you care.” Jungkook grumbled, picking up another ball off the ground and throwing it with a bang. “Like you even care about this team.”
“I’m sorry alright. I’m sorry I made you feel betrayed or-” Jungkook scoffed.
“I didn’t feel betrayed. I didn’t care.” Jungkook stopped to look at Seokjin. “I knew from the beginning that you weren’t one hundred percent with us.” Seokjin sighed, walking closer to Jungkook.
“I’m sorry. I should have-”
“I told you I don’t care!” Jungkook burst out, his voice loud and clear resounding through the room. Seokjin froze in his spot. “You were never part of this team to begin with.”
“That’s not true.” Seokjin let out softly.
“But it is. Your team traded you because you only had one year left in your contract. Once this season is over, you don’t have a contract. You’re not obligated to stay resign with us.” Jungkook paused. “So we can deal with each other for now, but after this season, you can go crawling back to your old team, that is if they still even want you.” Jungkook scoffed before kicking a baseball away out of his path. He walked towards the door, passing by Seokjin before stopping midway between Seokjin and the door. “Good night, hyung. I’m glad I don’t have to see you tomorrow.” And with that, Jungkook left.
--
[1] The area of space that the umpire uses to determine if a pitch is a strike or a ball. It’s typically denoted by the width of home plate and the height between the batter’s knees to belt.
[2] A pitch meant to look like a fastball but is actually much slower than one. From the perspective of the batter, it looks like it’s coming like a fastball, but because it is actually slower, the batter ends up swinging too early and missing.
[3] A pitch that moves vertically across the plate due to its spin. From the batter’s perspective, it looks like it’s coming higher in the strike but last minute is moves downward causing the batter to miss it.
[4] When player come up at bat, they are arranged to hit in an order from 1st to 9th. The order cycles through the game as it progresses.
[5] “Outside” and “inside” the plate are terms used to reference where the ball was thrown in reference to the batter (imagine drawing a line down the middle of the base). Outside refers to the opposite side of the plate, away from the batter. Inside refers to on the same side as the batter.
[6] While there is a specified strike zone, some players are trained only to swing at pitches in a certain location where they are more likely to get a hit. Different players, depending on their dimensions and the way they swing, get more hits in different areas of the strike zone. That’s called their happy zone.
[7] The general term for any pitch that isn’t a fastball (ex. changeup, curveball, slider, etc.) because it breaks up the flow of the at bat.