Chapter Text
Monday, August 24, 2015 // 8:45 A.M.
From the moment that Baekhyun first spotted the idiot with the green hair, he hated him.
“Look at that.”
“At what?”
“That,” he said, pointing at the boy bumbling around on the football field. “That long-legged yokel over there.”
Jongdae squinted. “Son of a bitch. Does he have green hair?”
“The exact same shade as a football field. Bold choice.”
“He looks lost,” Minseok said as they watched the tall spectacle pace back and forth across the field with a piece of paper clutched in his hands. “Think he’s new?”
“‘Course he is,” Baekhyun huffed. “Anyone who shows up to school on the first day looking like Kermit the fuckin’ Frog has to be new meat.”
The three of them stared down like hungry vultures, snickering when the newcomer tripped over a patch of grass. Baekhyun smirked out of satisfaction and, unable to help himself, yearned for more.
“Hey!” he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Kermit!”
The boy glanced up from his paper in mild confusion, as if his ears were deceiving him. Then, when he caught sight of Baekhyun and his friends up in the bleachers, he smiled and waved.
“Oh, this oughta be good,” Baekhyun mumbled under his breath, before waving back and gesturing for the boy to come over.
He looked surprised, but nonetheless complied by jogging across the field, his long legs carrying him to the bleachers in no time. His clothes seemed to sag off of his shoulders, like they, too, were out of breath.
“Howdy,” the boy greeted, all white teeth and wide eyes. “Were you talking to me?”
“Sure was,” Baekhyun said as he leaned back.
“Good. I wasn’t sure.”
When neither Baekhyun nor his friends said anything in response, the boy tugged at the strings of his oversized hoodie, so hard it seemed he might yank them off. Baekhyun cringed when he saw the taller male’s raggedy sweatpants and dirty sneakers, yet refused to back down when he was caught mid-leer..
“Uh, sorry for asking, but...did you need somethin’?”
“Nah. Just wanted to get a better look at you.” Baekhyun sat forward and twirled his finger around. “Do a little spin for me.”
Bewildered, the boy with the green hair toddled around in place, arms held out like he was trying to balance himself. Baekhyun whistled lowly and shook his head.
“You’re a sloppy thing, ain’tcha? Got any meat on those bones of yours?”
The boy chuckled and dropped his arms. “Not much. Enough to get along, I s’pose.”
Baekhyun studied the boy’s bright smile and resisted the urge to spit. “You’re new to Allen.”
“Sure am. Looks to be a mighty fine school, though.”
“No. I meant new to Allen, our town.”
The boy’s shoulders slumped, though his bashful grin remained intact. “That obvious, huh?”
“Believe it or not, green-haired giraffes like yourself are pretty rare around here,” Jongdae said before Baekhyun could spout a more vicious reply. “Where you from, big fella?”
“Not far,” he answered, a little too quickly. Then, before they could press further: “Say, I wonder if y’all could help me find someone. I’m a little lost.”
“Sure thing,” Minseok said. “Who’re you looking for?”
“The head football coach. His name is...” The boy paused, squinting at the paper he gripped. “Junmyeon Kim.”
Baekhyun had to fight a smug grin from taking over his face. “Football, huh? So, we’ve got ourselves a fancy new star.”
“Heck, no. But this is my senior year, so I just figured I’d go on and give it a try.”
“How touching. Got any experience playing?”
“A little. And Drew Brees went to my old high school, so I’m hoping my good luck with football will continue here. I’ve been walking up and down the field all mornin’, hoping to soak up some of the team’s talent. Silly, right?”
The lanky boy was practically blushing at the mention of the renowned NFL player, and Baekhyun had to fight the urge to smack the color clean off his face. Still, he managed to smother his smirk as he replied.
“Not at all. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next Breesus.”
“Holy smokes, I wish!”
Out of the corner of his eye, Baekhyun saw the school principal storming across the field in one of his gaudy suits. His scrunched face made it very clear that he was not happy about students loitering on his precious lawn first thing in the morning.
To Baekhyun, it was a golden opportunity.
“Y’know, there goes Coach right there,” he said as the principal marched closer. “And he cares a whole lot about dedication, so make sure you tell him about how long you’ve been out here on the lawn. Understood?”
With an eager nod and a blinding grin, the bright-haired hillbilly bounded away, blissfully unaware of the danger he was heading into.
Jongdae tossed him a sideways glance, trying not to smile. “You know Ole Park’s gonna kill that kid, don’tcha?”
Principal Park’s expression was one of confusion while the green-haired boy blabbered on happily about football nonsense, no doubt boasting of his own genius idea to get to the football field early.
“‘Course I do,” Baekhyun said as he watched the principal’s face contort with rage. “In fact, I’m counting on it.”
He couldn’t help but grin as Principal Park began drilling the new boy about keeping away from the pristine lawn, the latter’s shoulders deflating bit by bit. The sight filled him with satisfaction, and he grinned wider when the principal caught his eye.
“Hey, Jinyoung! Helluva way to start the school year, right?”
Anger temporarily drained from the principal’s face as he waved back. “Mornin’, boys! Ready for that fourth championship?”
“Yes, sir!” the three friends chimed together, and the older man nodded back.
“Not many schools can boast three football championships, let alone three of ‘em in a row. Now imagine four. ” He sighed wistfully, as if he could already taste that coveted victory. “We’d be part of history, fellas.”
Baekhyun forced a serene smile, but on the inside his stomach was sloshing around uncontrollably. He stood abruptly, and his friends tossed him a worried look.
Ignoring them, Baekhyun saluted the principal goodbye. “See ya around, Jinyoung.”
“You boys headed to class? The bell rings in less than a minute.”
“‘Course we are,” the brunet fibbed. “Gotta start senior year off with perfect attendance, right?”
“As expected from our star athletes,” Principal Park beamed, before glaring down at the green-haired boy. “You’d do well to follow their example, young man.”
The new boy seemed stunned, as if he’d forgotten that they could still see him standing there. But he shrunk under Principal Park’s spiteful gaze and cast a forlorn look in Baekhyun’s direction as the latter began to walk away. Baekhyun didn’t glance back until he had descended beneath the bleachers, his friends quick to catch up with him.
“What was all that about?” asked Minseok, more out of curiosity than concern.
“What was what about?”
“You know,” Jongdae said. “Throwing the newbie under the bus like that. He looked ready to piss his pants.”
Baekhyun shrugged. “I don’t like him. Somethin’ ‘bout the look in his eyes.”
“He seemed harmless to me.”
“I don’t know. I just don’t buy that some gangly green bean would show up here all of a sudden in his senior year. And he’s an out-of-towner, so we don’t know anything about him.”
Minseok exchanged a glance with Jongdae. “You think he’s trouble?”
“Maybe. I don’t know.”
Peeking out from the cracks in the bleachers, Baekhyun watched Principal Park shout one last obscenity at the green-haired boy before stalking away, leaving the younger male in a daze on the sidelines. A moment later, the stupid smile was back on his face, and he was meandering off toward the school building to find his classes.
Baekhyun's hands clenched at his side.
“All I know is that we have to win the championship this year, and no starry-eyed bumpkin is gonna fuck it up for us.”
“What should we do?”
“For now?”
The boy with the green hair vanished from view, but the memory of his obnoxiously optimistic grin remained.
“Watch,” Baekhyun said, the school bell tolling faintly, “and wait.”
■━■━■━■
Monday, August 24, 2015 // 4:27 P.M.
“Well, well, well. If it ain’t Baekhyun ‘Supernova’ Byun.”
“That’s what they call me,” the brunet winked as he strode over to his taller friend. “Haven’t seen you in a while, man. How come you weren’t at football camp the last few weeks?”
Sehun’s lips spread into a grin. “Too much fun fucking around, I s’pose. That’s what summer’s for, right?”
“It ain’t summer anymore.”
“Don’t I know it,” Sehun laughed, though his gaze narrowed ever so slightly. “Since when do you care what I do in my free time, Byun?”
“So long as you keep that catchin’ arm of yours in shape, I don’t give a shit what you do.”
Baekhyun waltzed away before he could lash out further, already scolding himself for acting so obsessed. He had to get his fears about the football season under control before the paranoia started to control him first.
Perhaps it was his own panic that bore him down, but the instant that Baekhyun saw the boy with green hair again, his morals seemed to disintegrate into nothing but an afterthought.
He had the audacity to show up to Baekhyun’s after-school practice, on Baekhyun’s football field, talking to Baekhyun’s teammates, all while he practically drowned inside of his ginormous, dingy hoodie. And when he caught sight of Baekhyun glaring at him, he dared to smile and wave, before cautiously edging his way through the crowd.
“Howdy,” he said, out of breath for no apparent reason. “I don’t recall giving you my name earlier.”
“I don’t recall asking for it.”
The tall boy’s smile wavered out of momentary confusion, before he laughed. “That’s a good one. I like that.”
“What do you want, Kermit?”
“Oh, I’m not Kermit. I’m Chanyeol! Chanyeol Park, that is.”
He stuck out his hand for Baekhyun to shake, which the latter pointedly ignored. Thankfully, he was saved from further conversation by Coach Junmyeon Kim, a buff man with a dark crewcut whose booming voice more than compensated for his lack of height.
“On one knee!”
Instinctively, Baekhyun and the rest of his teammates crouched down, one knee to the ground and the other bent in front of them. The last boy standing was the green-haired dunce, who blinked like he’d just been stunned by a taser.
The head coach who had just spoken up raised an eyebrow. “Kneel.”
“Oh, I’m not Neil,” the idiot replied, still smiling innocently. “I’m Chanyeol.”
Baekhyun didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh in dismay; there was no way this imbecile was real.
The only comfort he felt came from the looks of disbelief that the rest of his teammates shared, as if they, too, were just noticing the bright-haired weirdo. Even Junmyeon had to collect himself before addressing the tall .
“No, son. I mean kneel down.”
“Oh.” Chanyeol glanced around at everyone else, and a crimson color crept across his cheeks. “Beggin’ your pardon, sir.”
It was only after he’d lowered himself to the grass that the head coach spoke again in that same thunderous tone that Baekhyun was used to.
“Afternoon, boys. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m your head coach. You will call me Junmyeon, or just Coach. The only ones who call me Junmyeon are my wife and that disrespectful son of a bitch Byun over there.”
Laughter rippled across the football team as Baekhyun smirked and waved to the coach, who just rolled his eyes with a knowing smile. But the fleeting joy that Baekhyun felt from being the center of attention was stolen by Chanyeol, who raised his hand hesitantly.
“Sir? Do you have a nickname that you like to go by?”
Junmyeon stared at Chanyeol like he had just sprouted another green head from his neck. “Why the hell would you think I have a nickname?”
“Uh...”
Eventually, Chanyeol lowered his hand and seemed to curl into himself with embarrassment. Junmyeon, sensing that the conversation would go nowhere, just heaved another sigh and continued on.
“Listen — there’s seventy of y’all, and only thirteen of us on the coaching staff. There’s no way you can be friends with all of your teammates, but you will have every man’s back here. Understand?”
“Sir, yes, sir!” they shouted back, and a familiar surge of adrenaline began to race through Baekhyun’s veins.
“That’s what I like to hear!” Junmyeon yelled back. “Defensive unit, use this as your workout session. Offense, run drills. You’ll switch at 4:15 on the dot.”
“Sir, yes, sir!”
“Keep this same energy for the rest of the season, and that fourth championship will be ours before y’all can kiss your mamas goodbye.”
Baekhyun caught the coach’s eye, and another wave of anxiety rolled over him. They were all counting on him this season: all sixty-nine players and thirteen staff. He was supposed to lead them to victory for the fourth year in a row, a task that seemed simple to everyone but him.
“For now though, how ‘bout a chant from our team captain?” grinned Junmyeon, to which the other players screamed at the top of their lungs.
It was the boost of confidence that the brunet needed, and he plastered an easy smile on his face before anyone could spot his fears. Swaggering to the front of the huddle, Baekhyun raised his arms up high and shouted as loud as he could:
“So you want a legacy!”
“You want the fight you came to see!” his teammates roared in his ears.
“Scream it out, who the hell are we?”
“We’re the Allen Eagles dynasty!”
“I say that deserves a big Texas ‘hell yeah’!” Junmyeon hollered as he headed to the sidelines, clapping Baekhyun on the back as he passed by.
Baekhyun felt proud. He felt happy. So proud and happy, in fact, that he neglected to sense Chanyeol’s lingering presence.
“So,” the boy began while beaming, “you're Baekhyun Byun. That’s a cute name.”
“It's not cute.”
“Why does Coach call you Four?”
“‘Cause it’s my jersey number, dumbass,” the football star snapped before he could help it.
“Even cuter!”
“It’s not cute. And at least my name doesn’t sound like someone choking on chili cheese fries.”
“I’ve never thought of my name that way before,” Chanyeol admitted. “I reckon you’re right though.”
Baekhyun rolled his eyes and stormed off, painfully aware of the giant following along on his heels like a faithful dog.
“I didn’t see you ‘round school today,” he piped up.
“You wouldn’t have. I skipped all of my classes.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Baekhyun regretted them. Why had he made the mistake of initiating conversation with this freak?
“But you’re the football captain,” Chanyeol said, clearly bewildered.
“And?”
“Shouldn’t you be setting a good example for the underclassmen?”
“Good example, my ass. If they want to blindly copy everything I do, that’s their own fuckin’ fault.”
“Still, as one of the oldest players on the team —”
“I’m not one of the oldest players here,” Baekhyun finally cracked, whirling around to glare up at the taller. “I’m the same age as the juniors.”
This information seemed to blow Chanyeol’s mind. “But the principal said you’ve already won three state championships.”
“I skipped a grade, you dolt.”
“Whoa! You’re really smart!”
“Big fuckin’ deal.”
Baekhyun tugged his football helmet on, if only so that he wouldn’t have to stare at Chanyeol’s astonished expression. He usually craved admiration from the other people at this school, but this prancing idiot made him want to run far away and duck for cover.
“Well?” he demanded when Chanyeol continued to stand there in awe. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“Why would I leave?”
“This is a closed practice. Closed. That means football players only.”
“I know,” Chanyeol chirped happily. “I talked to Coach, and he said I’m in.”
Now it was Baekhyun’s turn to stare in disbelief. “He said what?”
“Yeah! I talked to him today during the lunch period. He said —”
But Baekhyun didn’t stick around to hear what puny promises Junmyeon had made to the gallivanting, green-haired halfwit.
“Junmyeon!”
The brunet stormed over, tugging his helmet off of his head so that he could properly convey his shock. Junmyeon barely glanced up from his clipboard.
“What is it, Four?”
“Junmyeon, you cannot let that Park kid join our team.”
“I think you mean my team, don’tcha?”
Baekhyun couldn’t contain his scoff. “Last I checked, I’m the quarterback that led us to our winnin’ streak at the state finals.”
“And last I checked, I’m still the head coach that got this school its first-ever football championship. You’re one helluva star, son, but you’d do well to remember your place.”
If it weren’t for the rage flowing through him, Baekhyun surely would have caved and walked away with his tail between his legs. But all he could see was a vision of the future where the green-haired boy sabotaged their season with his stupid smile and clumsy feet, and the premonition didn’t sit right with him.
“So that’s it? You’re gonna ruin our chances for this season by allowing that freak to ride along on our coat-tails?”
As if to prove Baekhyun’s point, Chanyeol tottered onto the field and tripped over a patch of grass, tumbling straight into a row of offensive linemen running formations. They fell with him, amidst numerous groans and glares at the green-haired boy.
Junmyeon sighed at the sight. “He’s a little clumsy, I know.”
“He’s a damn fool, that’s what he is.”
“Maybe so. But he’s tall, and he’s got a good set of shoulders on him.”
“So does my fuckin’ dentist, but you don’t see me recruiting him for this team.”
Baekhyun released a frustrated sigh. He could feel Junmyeon eyeing him with worry, but the older man’s pity just made him feel worse. He had to be a quarterback that the entire team could depend on; visibly losing his cool in front of the head coach was not an ideal way to portray that.
Slowly, he inhaled a breath.
“Level with me, Junmyeon. You know what a winnin’ team looks like.”
“I sure like to think so.”
“So then what the hell did Park say to convince you?”
There was a crack in the calm on the coach’s face. “I don’t think I should share that with you, son.”
“But, Junmyeon —”
“No, Four. If you believe in me as much as I believe in you, then you’ll trust the decisions I make on behalf of this team.”
A pout fell over Baekhyun’s lips. “Even decisions that seem completely illogical and insane?”
They glanced over at the practice field, where Chanyeol had somehow gotten his foot stuck inside of a helmet. He limped up and down the lawn, laughing at his own misfortune.
“Tell ya what,” Junmyeon suddenly said. “If Chanyeol doesn’t shape up to be championship material by the middle of the semester, I’ll cut him from the roster.”
It was almost impossible for Baekhyun to conceal his joy. “You mean it?”
“I do. But for now, give the kid a chance.”
“I’ll try,” the brunet grumbled. “Where are you planning on putting the poor bastard?”
Junmyeon shrugged. “I’ll just stick him somewhere in the defensive backfield. Maybe make him a tackle or a defensive end.”
“Hang on, a D.E.? C'mon, Junmyeon.” When the coach raised an eyebrow at his reply, Baekhyun grinned and self-corrected. “I mean — great idea, sir. He’ll be the best defensive end in the whole damn world.”
“Don’t overdo it,” Junmyeon chuckled, before tapping Baekhyun on the back with his clipboard. “Now get out there, champ. Go be the star that this team needs.”
“I don’t know how to be anythin’ else!” Baekhyun smirked as he tugged on his helmet and jogged to the field, doing his best to block out all thoughts of the green-haired moron.