BREATHE - NOREN FF

Practice makes perfect.

Monday, August 20, 2:00 P.M.

The two boys had spent an hour talking in the nurse's office because Jeno had a free period and Renjun didn't yet feel well enough to go to class. The small boy eventually fell asleep in the bed he had sat down on and Jeno just decided to go on to his next class. Before the boys even knew it, their first day back at school had ended.
Jeno would've said good-bye to the Chinese boy but he just didn't have the time. He had a team meet-up right after school that he just couldn't miss. His coach would kill him if he did.
After his last class, Jeno hastily made his way to his locker to gather his things. He had to make sure he was quick because he also had to walk all the way across the school yard to get to the locker rooms where he could change. It was quite a long walk but he was used to running around for multiple hours during practice, so a few extra hundred feet wasn't any big deal to him.
"Hey, Coach!" He called out as he made his way onto the field. Some days of practice were nothing but hot and boring but he enjoyed the sport.
Today wasn't just any ordinary baseball team meet-up. It was the first day of the year's team try-outs. He had been on the baseball team the previous year but that didn't guarantee that he'd earn a place on the team this year.
"Jeno, you made it," the coach acknowledged. "You're only three-and-a-half minutes late."
"Sorry, Coach." Jeno had a bit of a rushing habit. Although he always tried his best to be on time, he was usually a few minutes late. Maybe he just had bad luck.
Soon enough, try-outs had begun and the metallic clink that sounded through the air marked the meeting of a ball and bat on the field. To the left of Jeno was the football field, where students were pummeling each other all over the place, and to his right was the track team's setup. His best friend, Jaemin, was on the track team... or, at least, he hoped he could be.
Once Jeno heard a groan from his coach, he knew that he had gotten way too distracted. A ball had just whizzed past him and he had completely missed it. If he wasn't dead yet then he surely would be in a matter of hours.
Jeno gave an awkward smile and went over to pick up the ball. Hopefully, the coach would only lecture him about it instead of knocking him upside the head for his mistake. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so distracted when he was usually able to focus very easily. Maybe it was that Renjun boy from earlier.
Jeno cleared his thoughts and took a deep breath. He wasn't going to lose his place on the team. He wanted it too much to let it slip right out of his fingers. He cleared his throat and try-outs continued normally, except for the occasional glance aimed toward the boy sitting on the track field's bleachers.

~

After try-outs had ended, Jeno was finally able to go over to the track field. He sat down beside the Chinese boy, curiously eyeing the page he was hiding behind his hands, and smiled. Whenever he met new people, they always seemed to enjoy his smile so he made it a point to show it often.
"Hey, Jun."
"Is that a nickname or something?" Renjun asked behind a stifled giggle. His host family, the Zhongs, sometimes called him 'Moomin' but they were just teasing him. Moomin was his favorite character in a TV show that he and Chenle used to watch when they were kids.
"I think so. What are you doing all the way out here?" Jeno's question was for Renjun but his attention seemed more focused on the paper the Chinese boy was trying to hide than the actual boy himself.
"Uhm, nothing." Renjun closed his notebook which made Jeno's smile twist into an odd expression.
"Huh? Okay then."
He sounds like a puppy, Renjun thought.
"Oh, I know!" Jeno's abrupt loudness made Renjun flinch.
"Hey, don't be so loud all of a sudden," Renjun scolded.
His adorable pout was simply the cutest thing Jeno had ever seen. When the baseball player reached up to pinch the Chinese boy's cheeks, he heard a muffled snicker beside him. Jeno knew exactly who it was.
"Alright, Lovebirds, lay off the PDA a little, would you?" Jaemin chuckled. He had always been a jokester and he would remain that way forever. He wasn't nearly as bad as some others, though.
"Ooh, Jeno's falling in love," a voice cooed.
When Renjun blushed, Jeno looked panicked. How had his friends managed to embarrass him on the very first day?
"I am not falling in love. Why don't you two go find someone else to tease, you crazy bunch of lunatics?" Jeno smiled.
His two closest friends, Jaemin and Haechan, loved to joke around like that. One time, they even 'dated' for a month just for the sake of carrying out an ongoing joke. They were weird, alright, but jeno couldn't get rid of them if he tried.
"Alright, alright," Jaemin spoke. "We'll let you two have your alone time."
The flirty boy shot a wink in Jeno's direction and tugged Haechan away with him. The red-haired boy was practically kicking and screaming along the way which, of course, ended in a tickle fight between the two. They were an odd trio but their friendship was golden and Jeno knew that he wouldn't ever give it up. Not even for all of the riches in the world.

TO BE CONTINUED.

[A/N:] I'm currently halfway through writing chapter four, so I should have it published within ten hours at most. I hope to have it done and either partially or fully edited within three, though. Anyways, thanks for reading and bye-bye for now.
- Jasper