Chapter Text
**
Tae @ripmyskatingcareer -21m
so. apparently. they still keep it arctic cold in skating rinks. who woulda thought.
If you asked Taehyung what he enjoyed about sitting in on Jimin’s hockey practices, you’d have a very short list as your answer:
1. Somehow it’s never as crowded or as loud as the university library, so he can finish all his bio homework
2. Sometimes Jimin wipes the fuck out, and it’s hysterical
3. Hot cocoa
4. Jimin getting hit with hockey pucks is also entertaining as hell
Taehyung had an earbud in but was only half listening while he scribbled in his notebook, because he was mostly listening to Jimin’s captain, a small but insanely attractive fourth year called Min Yoongi, lead the team in practice drills.
5. Min fucking Yoongi
Min Yoongi always had his hair a different colour, and sometimes Taehyung would organize his bio notes not by date, but by hair colour of the month. And, okay, listen. He knows how pathetic that is. He really does. But he hasn’t had a proper crush since high school, so he’s a little unfamiliar with appropriate behaviours. Besides, most people colour coordinate their lessons anyways. Bite me.
Today it was a bold new fire engine red. Taehyung stuck an according sticky note on the top of his page above the actual date, shaking his head at himself.
Yoongi had this way of coaching his team without actually yelling, which was refreshing. Jimin said he was only capable of raising his voice when he was really happy about something, like free food or having time to take a nap. He said only then could Yoongi squeal like a teenage girl at a Big Bang concert.
“Imagine him during sex though,” Taehyung once said.
“Taehyung! Holy shit, shut up!” Jimin yelped in horror, smacking Taehyung so hard in the chest he was winded.
Jimin was currently speeding up and down the length of the rink with the rest of the offensive line while the defensemen tried to hurtle themselves in their way. The amount of collisions in the last four minutes was rather shameful for a university league offence.
Yoongi called for a break a few minutes later and Jimin was taking a seat on the lowest bleacher near Taehyung within seconds.
“Yo dweeb! Finished my homework for me yet?” he called up to Taehyung, removing his helmet and shaking his hair. Taehyung didn’t even dignify him with a response and Jimin huffed. “At least come down here and talk to me then, ugh.”
“You think I’m here for you?” Taehyung quipped, shutting his highlighter in bio text anyways and climbing down a few bleachers to stand over Jimin.
“I know very well you’re not here for me but like. Pretend at least? Make me feel loved?” Jimin pouted.
“Ew.”
Jimin shoved at Taehyung’s legs, and if his balance wasn’t ridiculously above average there would have been a hell of a scene for Yoongi to witness. He dropped down and sat next to Jimin to prevent any such mishap.
Worse than Yoongi seeing him eat shit, would be that Jungkook kid seeing it. Even though Yoongi called for a break the kiss-ass was still skating around pylons on the ice, pushing the puck lazily but with an amount of accuracy Jimin longed for.
“Y’know, he’s a really talented kid, you gotta give him that,” Jimin said, catching Taehyung glaring at Jungkook through the plexiglas.
“I’ll give him nothing at all, especially not you,” Taehyung said bitterly.
Jimin sighed, but there was a smile on his lips. “Tae, he’s not trying to steal me from you. You’re always going to be my best friend, dumbass.”
Taehyung pointed a finger in his face dramatically. “He’s trying to break us up Jiminny. Ever since your dance team last semester he’s been trying to get between us. I’ll fight him, I swear, I’ll fight for you.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. But you’d die,” Jimin said, laughing at the look of hurt on Taehyung’s face.
“Ow, have some faith? Shit, I’m out here baring my deep insecurities and you’re wounding me like this? What kind of friend are you?”
“The best kind, duh? Who was it that bought you Chicago style pizza at 3am last week because you felt sad?”
“Ah, Namjoon. What a great pal for doing that for me,” Taehyung mused, leaning back to rest his elbows on the bleacher behind him. Jimin, insulted, jabbed a finger under Taehuyng’s ribs for his utter disrespect. So, naturally, Taehyung flinched and whacked his head off the metal seat.
“Worst friend ever!” Taehyung wailed. Jimin tried to apologize through his laughter but it was weak.
“Careful Jimin,” a voice says somewhere behind Taehyung’s back. “We wouldn’t want to kill any more of his brain cells. Not quite sure he’s got many left.”
“Eat my ass,” Taehyung snaps back, still rubbing the back of his skull. Jimin was laughing, and seriously, what the fuck kind of friend was he?
“Absolutely not,” Jungkook replied with a look of total disgust.
“Go catch on fire.”
“How would I even-”
“Figure it out if you’re so smart.”
“I hope you step on a lego.”
“Excuse me, I’m 20 years old, I don’t own any lego, you dirtbag-”
“Moron.”
“Ugly ass-”
“Unintelligent little-”
“Guys!” Jimin hollered, halting the vastly immature name-calling that erupted. “Cool it. Be nice to each other, oh my god? You two are ridiculous, I swear. I’m embarrassed to know you both.”
Honestly, Taehyung couldn’t really pin down the moment he started hating Jeon Jungkook. To him, it felt more like something he was born with; the hate fire inside of him was his destiny. He was put on this planet to fail as a competitive skater, eat a lot of carbs, sometimes do enough homework to pass a course, and inexplicably and unconditionally loathe a boy called Jeon Jungkook.
And it’s not like Jungkook made it hard to be hated. Every time they met there was a smart remark aimed at Taehyung, or a joke made about him behind his back that he heard everyone laugh at. Some days Jungkook would steal Jimin for hours to ‘practice some choreography’ or whatever, but Taehyung was convinced he was slowly brainwashing his friend to cut him loose. All-in-all, Jungkook was just this show-offy first year that waltzed into Taehyung’s life uninvited, via his best friend, so he couldn’t even get rid of him, because Jimin (being the saint he was) took a liking to the kid.
“How come you two manage to make the most noise at my practices when one of you isn’t even on this team?”
In all his Jungkook-fueled anger, Taehyung completely missed Yoongi wobbling his way over to them, and like, okay no one really looks cool walking in skates off the ice, but Yoongi did look hella cute and Taehyung may have blushed instead of apologizing.
“You should make a rule hyung,” Jungkook said. “Players only during practice hours.” Taehyung returned the glare Jungkook sent him with just as much force.
“As distracting as he may be, the university rink is open to anyone attending the university so.” Yoongi shrugged at Jungkook, who scoffed while Jimin stifled a laugh. But then (and honestly Taehyung swears it happened) Yoongi looked down at him, spotlight illuminating the pair, Jimin and Jungkook washed into darkness and long forgotten, and winked at him.
Taehyung was so close to having a heart attack that he didn’t notice Jimin offering him a water bottle. He shook it in front of his face and Taehyung came crashing back to reality. Yoongi was wobbling over to some other players and Jimin was clapping him on the shoulder, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like smooth.
To combat his embarrassment and to get the hell away from Jungkook, Taehyung climbed the bleachers and returned to his bio homework. He was only half a chapter from the end of his lesson and damn him if he would let Min Yoongi with shoulder pads distract him from his studies.
Twitter however, managed to draw his attention away from both his textbook and Jimin calling something up to him. He scrolled his timeline, favouriting tweets from his old skating friends, and retweeting all the memes he could get his hands on.
Tae @ripmyskatingcareer -5m
loving him was red~ burning red~~~
Jiminny @puckjimin13 -4m
replying to @ripmyskatingcareer uh I see exactly what youre doing you gigantic loser
Jiminny @puckjimin13 -4m
replying to @ripmyskatingccareer also change your handle back, youre being over dramatic you baby
Tae @ripmyskatingcareer -3m
replying to @puckjimin13 stop bullying me im reporting you
Tae @ripmyskatingcareer -3m
maybe i’ll change it to taeslutzislegendary
Tae @ripmyskatingcareer -2m
HOW IS THAT TAKEN ALREADY I HATE YOU VULTURES
Taehyung closed the app with a loud sigh. Sometimes he wished he was faded from skating history already, smeared off the page by some newer, younger prodigy. But for some reason, the few sports media pages he followed still tried to keep a tab on him. They claimed that a six month hiatus was really nothing to be worried about because Taehyung was still so young and had plenty of opportunities open to him. And his 30k followers certainly wouldn’t leave him alone either. They would clog his mentions, hoping to be noticed, and begging him for a comeback. It was ridiculous for him to think that he still had supporters and fans but the proof was evident. It honestly made him feel like a piece of shit.
Yoongi called the team back to the ice. Chin resting on his palm, elbow on his knees, Taehyung watched Jungkook help Jimin readjust his padding and place his helmet back on his head. He rolled his eyes and blew his hair out his face. This fucking kid.
He started packing up his bag. There was no way he’d finish his work if he was distracted not just by Min Yoongi, but also by best-friend-stealer Jeon Jungkook. He shouldered his bag and tramped down the metal stairs and up to the edge of the rink. He hoped to catch Jimin’s attention for a second to let him know he was leaving.
Though, Taehyung’s pride was weak these days, and it’s probably why he pressed his nose against the plexiglas of the rink, blowing hot air on it and telling himself he wouldn't be able to look Jimin in the eyes ever again if Jimin caught him making fog hearts with little Y's in them (which he really wanted to do if he's honest). So he peeled his eyes off Yoongi for a moment (he's not sure why) and caught Jungkook staring at him, head tilted like a confused mutt.
Taehyung drew a dick on the glass instead, and then winced at Jungkook as he held his thumb and forefinger a centimeter from each other.
Jungkook aimed a slapshot at Taehyung's face. It smacked the plexiglas close enough to it’s target to make Taehyung jump back and give Jungkook the finger.
Jimin yelled to Jungkook about focusing then, and Taehyung’s chest swelled because, if not for anything else, he was proud to have Park Jimin as a best friend.
**
