Hard to Love - (chanbaek)

66

They all sat with arrogant smirks on their faces. They have been waiting for this day to arrive, and now it was finally here.

"So, who do we plan on shooting?" One of them snorted a sinister laugh and hit the other guy on the back. "The main target, of course. What was his name again... Baekjun? Baekhyuk-"

"Baekhyun, and we shouldn't shoot him."

The one with glasses checked the files observing each of the students. This time it wasn't only Baekhyun. There were other students as well. Right when an argument was about to start, the boss came in with new papers. "If you plan on shooting him, then make sure to do an arm or a leg. Don't hit a vital area. We want him alive, so don't fuck this up." He threatened before showing his workers the new file. "This is the information we got for the baseball game. For easier escape, I want... Robert to stay near the gate. You'll be the driver, alright. Seonjin will be the one shooting. After you shoot, run to the car, and you're done for the day." Some individuals looked slightly confused.

"Why are we even doing this?" The boss looked at Seonjin, waiting for the boy's stepfather to answer the question. "After I showed the video to his friends... you really think they wouldn't be suspicious of him? If someone gets injured at the game, they will definitely go against him. They'll think he was responsible, and Baekhyun will go into a mentally unstable state. It's a win-win." He laughed loudly, knowing how much this would affect his stepson. He looked over the papers and saw the familiar faces.

His friends?

He recognized these students from the time he had gone into the restaurant... this will be fun. Imagine if they shoot one of his friends? What would Baekhyun do? Would he be able to live with all the guilt?

"So... if it's not the main target, we can kill them, right?" Seonjin nodded in approval. He was going to shoot the gun... he was going to make sure that his dear son loved his surprise.

Baekhyun...

I'll see you soon, my son.

—————————————————————

The bleachers were filled with excited students. Baseball events were always the best. The smell of popcorn and stadium food filled the air as the student council walked around with plates of food. The thrilled crowd began to cheer for both teams. The game was just about to start.

The locker room was filled with even more noise as each player prepared themselves. Baekhyun put on his cap and closed his locker, already finished. He sat on the bench, not expecting a box of buttered popcorn to be thrown at him. He picked up a few pieces before filling his mouth with the salty yet crunchy popcorn. After taking a few more bites, he looked up with a gleaming smile.

"Baek, are you sure it's okay to eat this before a game-"

"BAEK, ARE YOU READY!" Suho was interrupted by an excited Yixing. The cute boy had his student council uniform on and a baseball hat to top off his outfit. Junmyeon looked at him with endearment. He knew how thrilled his boyfriend was for this game. He had planned all the decorations and food for the event. He was in the student council, after all.

Yixing focused on Baekhyun as he explained the whole baseball game. He still didn't memorize all the rules, so having an actual player explain it was very helpful. Baekhyun ate a few more pieces of the popcorn before it was ripped out of his hand by an angry Luhan. The baseball talk had turned into a serious chat of 'what not to eat before a game.' Luhan had this 'amazing' theory that eating junk food before a game would weaken the body. He always ate a protein bar before the game to prepare himself, unlike Baek, who would eat chips or starve because he would constantly forget his wallet.

"Alright! Enough chitchat, everyone gather up!" The coach came in just in time. Everyone closed their lockers with their uniforms on. The student council pair bid their friends goodbye before rushing out. The coach smiled when he noticed the nervous faces.

"Now, for all the first years, there is no need to be scared. The crowd is big and may seem nerve-racking but imagine that same crowd cheering for you. Imagine you hit the ball with perfect aim and make everyone out there go wild. Be positive and do your best on the field." Luhan snickered and threw his arm over his best-friends shoulder.

"It's either that or to the bench you go~" His comment made the team chuckle, their nerves going down slowly. Their coach laughed and handed Baekhyun the list of startups. Chanyeol leaned down, laying his head on the smallers shoulder. The leaders had to agree with the list their coach made. They were closer to their teammates, so they knew what was best.

"So who's starting as pitcher?" Baekhyun averted his eyes to his coach, watching him sigh, slightly worried. He could tell the first years were incredibly nervous, which would be a big problem.

"Baekhyun will pitch first so that we can get a head start. When our team has to bat, then Luhan will start it off. Our lineup is the same as always, except... Ten will be there as well." The first year froze at the mention of his name. Everyone turned their attention to the boy sitting on the bench. He felt himself shiver at the sudden spotlight he was now in.

'I-I'm in the starting line?

Why did coach put me-

What if I miss the ball-

What if I go the opposite direction-'

He jumped when he felt the hand on his shoulder. Baekhyun crouched down to the boy's level and smiled gently.

"I remember the first game I played in this school. I was super nervous, and I could barely walk without my legs trembling. I was at first base waiting for the batter on our team to hit the ball. When the ball went flying, I started running to the other bases but... I was going backwards. I got to third base in no time, and coach kept telling me to turn around. I thought he was cheering for me, so I kept going. In the end, we got in trouble for not following the basic rules... but it was honestly the funniest thing that has ever happened to me. Whenever I get nervous, I think back at the most embarrassing thing I have done in front of everyone. It helps me calm down." The funny memory put the team into laughing fits. Baekhyun sure knew how to calm people down and lighten the mood. Ten's tight shoulders loosened a bit as he looked up at his leader. He smiled at him and raised his fist.

"I'm ready!" Baekhyun nodded and glanced at Chanyeol. They were both the leaders of the team, so they both had to make the decision. The taller only gave him a short nod before fixing his cap. Baek handed the paper back to his coach and smiled.

"We accept your decision."

The team was finally ready to go out and give it their all. Their constant practice would begin to show the improvements of each member. But before they went out to the field to get into position... they needed to do their cheer.

Baekhyun held Chanyeols hand, pushing it to the middle of the circle. Everyone started to slap their hands on top until a tower was made. Under their breath, they all whispered a short countdown.

"LET'S WIN THIS!"

———————