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Namgyu couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He stared at his laptop in utter disbelief. He’d been accepted onto the Dodgers. The dream he’d held onto ever since he was a child was finally coming true. He’d worked his entire life for this– all training and practicing nonstop for years had finally paid off.
He hadn’t been accepted onto any old big league team either– it was the Dodgers. The team that had won the world series just last year! The fact that they were a winning team wasn’t the only reason Namgyu specifically loved the team, it was Choi Subong otherwise known as Thanos. Ever since he’d been recruited two years ago, Namgyu was a dedicated Dodgers fan. He bought all the merch, went to all the games in his city, and went to all the events they hosted. The funny thing was, Namgyu was an avid Dodgers hater before Thanos joined the team. But now after Thanos became the star of the team, Namgyu was a Dodgers enthusiast.
Namgyu called up his mom to tell her the news, “Mom, you won’t guess what I just found out! I made the team!”
Namgyu buzzed around his apartment for the rest of the day, telling all his friends and family how he’d make the big leagues. He couldn’t sit down all day. All his mind could think about was how he’d be on the same team as the legend Thanos. The purple haired home run hitter who some people were speculating would catch up to Arron Judge.
Namgyu went to bed that night with his mind spinning. It was still hard to wrap his head around the fact he was on a major league team now. He’d be done with all this minor league crap and finally be a star, just like how he’d dreamed. Another thing on his mind was Thanos. He’d be training and practicing alongside him everyday and there's a good chance they’d become close friends along with everyone else on the team. Namgyu would have to wait a month before spring training started, he was sure it would fly by.
As he lay in bed, Namgyu imagined himself being up close and personal with the international home run star Thanos himself.
⚾
The hot Arizona air hit Namgyu immediately after he exited his car. He knew it’d be blazing hot while he trained but in the end it’d be worth it.
Todays was the first day of spring training for the Dodgers and Namgyu had made sure to get there early. Only a few people were there before him, Gyeongsu and Kang Daeho. Namgyu introduced himself to the two. He told them about his past career as a minor league player and how excited he was when he got accepted. More and more players showed up, but Thanos was still nowhere to be found. Namgyu was disappointed since he was really hoping to see his baseball idol today.
Right as players were told to leave the dugout for warmups, he heard a loud voice behind him, “Skrrrrrt! The legend thanos is here!”
Namgyu stared with wide eyes at the purple haired superstar.
Apparently Subong took notice of his staring, “You new here, boy?” He asked.
“Oh! Yes, yes I am,” Namgyu scratched the back of his neck. “I uh- really enjoy watching you on tv. I mean not in a weird way, but like you know. I’m like- a fan,” He tripped over his words awkwardly. Namgyu internally cursed himself for acting like this in front of Thanos. He’d practiced this a thousand times in the mirror but now when he’s face to face with Subong, it’s a lot harder to keep his composure.
Thanos just laughed and patted his shoulder, “I’d be excited to see me too.”
He wasn’t sure what it was going to be like talking to Thanos, but Namgyu sure hadn’t expected this. He watched Subong walk away to go warm up and followed him.
After hours of training Namgyu was spent, but all the other players seemed to be completely fine. While packing up their stuff players collectively agreed to go out for food and drinks at the bar nearby. Not wanting to miss out, Namgyu reluctantly agreed to go with them.
After ordering, the team talked amongst themselves.
“You know, my boy Namgyu over here told me he’s a big fan of me,” Thanos nudged Namgyu, who was coincidentally sitting next to him. The statement made Namgyu’s face heat up.
“Yeah, I am,” He spoke quietly. Namgyu looked at the table, hoping no one would see his face tinted with pink
“No need to be nervous, we’re a team here,” Subong looked down and smiled at him. Namgyu looked back up and Thanos put his arm around him.
The night continued but Namgyu couldn’t stop thinking about that small gesture. Maybe he was over analyzing, but could that have meant something? He tried to stop thinking about it by reading, which was one of his hobbies outside of baseball, but nothing he did seemed to take his mind off it.