The Babysitting Contract | j.jk

10 • basketball

a/n: sry in advance for such a long chap haha!! hope the content makes up for the length tho and i hope you cuties will enjoy it!!

◦ ◦ ◦

The air is hot with the promise of rain.

Jeongguk stands a ways away in the middle of a basketball court, hands shoved in his pockets, face upturned towards the inky sky. The street lights cast a shadow over his figure, cloaking him in darkness.

I start gingerly towards him. I don't know what drove me to follow him in the first place, and yet now here I am: standing silently beside him.

If Jeongguk notices me beside him, he doesn't let on. His eyes flutter shut as he inhales a deep mouthful of sweet air, seeming to grow more at ease as the moments pass. The fresh air looks to be doing wonders for him.

The rustling of leaves and the sounds of city nightlife twine through the silence, bringing some life to the atmosphere. Which is good, because I don't really know what to say, or if I should say anything at all.

I awkwardly scratch at my head, looking around. At the edge of my peripheral I spot a basketball lying dejectedly in the grass. Desperate for a distraction, I pick it up and bounce it for good measure. The sound of sturdy rubber hitting concrete is almost deafening.

I eye him curiously as I smack the ball. It's weird because throughout our time in high school, he's always been an annoying ray of sunshine; a teasing, mocking and smirking boy hell-bent on driving me up the wall.

But he's different now. He seems exhausted; tiredness that almost alludes to a sort of forlorn sadness. It's a look I know all too well from our lifetime together, but it's been ages since I've seen him look so helpless.

I feel like an intruder for noticing such a shift in his emotions: as if I'm prying into something I have no business knowing. This feeling fills me with discomfort and awkwardness, so much so that I fervently search for something - anything - to say that could help ease the tension.

"It looks like it's going to rain," I say dumbly, finally settling on the neutral topic of the weather. Nothing could possibly go wrong with talking about the weather. "I should have brought an umbrella."

Jeongguk's jaw flexes, his gaze distant. "What are you even doing here?"

"Playing basketball."

To prove my point, I hold out the orange ball in my hand like it's a prized trophy before sauntering up to the center of the court. Facing one of the basketball hoops, I blow a stray strand of hair from my face, determination setting in. Using both hands, I bring the ball between my legs before swinging it forwards and launching it into the sky.

She shoots and she-

The basketball ricochets off the backboard with a resounding smack! and would've damn near hit Jeongguk in the face if he wasn't so quick to catch it.

Misses. She misses by a long shot.

He shoots me a stinging glare before flinging the ball back to me. Unlike him, my catch isn't quite as elegant. I wobble in my heels, flailing for the ball with a shriek as it nearly plows into my stomach.

Graceful.

Collecting myself with a huff, I begin to pass the ball between my hands. As I do so, I silently observe Jeongguk once more. He kicks at a stone, lost in his thoughts.