° ᴛᴜɴɴᴇʟ ᴠɪsɪᴏɴ ° || ʏᴏᴏɴᴍɪɴ sʜᴏʀᴛ sᴛᴏʀʏ ✔️

°five°

The following hours of that day sped past in a blur, and I soon concluded that this illusion was formed out of anticipation, the excitement and anxious beating of my heart awaiting what was to come. Perhaps I was expecting a little too much; I kept that in mind, but positivity was overpowering. Basketball was my passion--surely, if Yoongi were to watch my earnest efforts in action, he would be inspired in one way or another. Now it wasn't that this confidence of mine was blinding me, I simply say this from experience. Years ago, before I had become molded into the individual I was today, I remember sitting down at a basketball match one day--Jungkook's match--and the sparks that shot off from the crown of his head all the way down to the heels of his shoes struck me, a once indifferent, naïve little boy who never expected to take an interest in...well...anything. It had since been a dream of mine to change someone the way Jungkook changed me.

Hopeful thinking. I just had to stick to it.

"You're real antsy today, sport. Nervous?"

I felt my captain's firm hand clasp down on my shoulder, startling me. I immediately began shaking my head rapidly at him.

"It's just a practice game," he assured me, "so you can relax."

"Not antsy, not nervous, and I am relaxed." Jogging in place, I resumed with my pre-practice stretches, unintentionally shrugging off the quirked eyebrow aimed right at me. "I've got someone coming to watch me today, that's all. I'm all good..."

"Ah, so that's it then. A girlfriend?"

Again with this... "No, sir."

Jungkook, Seokjin, and Hoseok all eyed me from the distance. I could see it clearly in their omniscient scrutiny...they just knew. Even though I hadn't brought it up a single time within our conversations throughout the day, they could just sense that I was waiting for someone. My eyes were constantly, conspicuously scanning the perimeter of the gymnasium, the doors, the benches, heck, even the closets--not that I expected him to waltz out of there or anything. I just wanted to be certain.

I didn't want to rush him, though mentally, I was. But I had to remind myself I had given him a choice. I wasn't going to force him to come, so in the end, if he decided to accept my request, I would have to respect the fact that his arrival might be delayed due to obvious circumstances.

"In position, boys! We're about to start!!"

I had to believe in him.

"C'mon, Fire Truck. My lunch tomorrow depends on the outcome of this match."

I had to trust that he would show.

"Jimin, eyes forward!"

"Y-yes, sir!!"

And so it began.

Time crept on by as slowly as ever. This was a practice match--nothing official, just a friendly game among teammates to assess our abilities, identify where improvements were necessary, and have fun. And I did have fun. But a piece of my mind had been out of my reach throughout the entirety of the game, most likely fluttering over Yoongi's head...wherever he was. But although I was certainly distracted, I didn't allow that to interfere with my involvement in the plays, and to the best of my ability I treated today's match as any other.

"Man, you really carried your weight out there, Jimin, just like always." Jungkook tousled my hair with the knuckles of his right hand, paying no mind to the sweat drops dripping off his fingers like water from a leaky spicket. "Thanks to you, I'm getting a free lunch, all expenses paid courtesy of the bitter espresso."