together, we'll race for the gold.
TOGETHER, WE'LL RACE FOR THE GOLD {PART ONE.
⇾ tvxq | yunho/changmin
⇾ 7,656 words
⇾ R
yunho braces his arms on the edge of the pool and pushes himself out. water sloshes out, disappears into the drainage, and yunho makes his way towards the changing room, water dripping in his wake.
grabbing a towel off the racks, yunho blots at his face as he passes rows of lockers in search of his own.
"hey yunho," one of his teammates call, "a bunch of us are going out clubbing tonight, you in?"
"can't bro," yunho replies, rubbing at his hair. "i have a ton of homework and my mother's been nagging about chores that i've been putting off."
"ah too bad," comes the reply, "but after we win nationals, yeah?"
yunho grins at that. "definitely. we'll have to get wasted after that."
the locker room's filled with sniggers for a short while, and when it fades, yunho steps into the shower.
---
yunho heads home straight after practice like a good mama's boy, does his chores like a good mama's boy, and finishes all his homework like a good mama's boy.
yunho sighs as he closes his notebook and drops his pen. dragging his feet to his bed, yunho collapses on it, face up. it's a friday night, yunho thinks gloomily, he should be out partying, getting some action. but instead he's stuck at home, face buried in a pile of books.
an to top it all off, he can't have a normal teenager weekend, because he has to train for nationals. yunho groans and stuffs his face into a pillow.
---
yunho pushes the doors to the pool open, his sports bag bouncing off his leg, and makes a beeline for the locker rooms. but along the way, his coach stops him.
"yunho, hold up, there's someone i want you to meet," the middle-aged man says, an arm thrown out.
"yes coach?" yunho asks, curious. their coach never talks to them unless it's an order, even yunho, the team captain.
"this here is shim changmin," the coach says, and pulls someone out from the water. "he's a new addition to our team, and he'll be in the starting lineup."
yunho's eyes grow big. "the starting lineup?"
the coach nods, half-distracted with getting shim changmin to hurry up and get out of the pool.
yunho's gaze shifts from the coach's face to the figure emerging from the water.
yunho balks.
as shim changmin flicks his hair out of his face, water droplets fly off and land on yunho's face, the temperature serving as a mild shock. that startles yunho enough for him to give changmin a once over - something yunho comes to regret in the future.
shim changmin is tall, lean, an ver well built. and he has a nice face.
"hey," changmin says, sticking his hand out. "i'm changmin, as you already know."
"yunho," yunho replies, taking changmin's hand and nodding his head. "you new around here? haven't seen you in school."
"yeah," changmin answers, absentmindedly running a hand over his face. yunho watches his biceps ripple. "moved here from out of the country. just enrolled actually, starting classes monday. admissions made an exception for me regarding the swim team. didn't know i'd make it in the team, actually."
"why not?"
"i was bench in my old school," changmin says with an embarrassed smile.
yunho simply jerks his chin.
"go change and get the others out here," coach barks, "we're running behind schedule. changmin, go do more laps, i want to see your endurance."
"on it," yunho says, and heads off. a couple of steps later, he hears a soft splash and turns to see changmin disappearing under the water.
---
as yunho and his fellow teammates walk out of the changing rooms, they stop in their tracks.
"wh i that?" someone asks, but yunho's too busy staring to answer.
shim changmin's a blur underwater, a flesh-coloured bullet flying through light blue.
"dude, yunho," someone else nudges him.
"what," yunho manages to say.
"i think he's faster than you."
"shut up yoochun," yunho mutters.
"he's right dude," another voice pipes up. "let's go see what his time is."
yunho's the last one left, as all of his members head towards the pool. begrudgingly, yunho follows. the moment he joins the rest, their coach blows on his whistle and changmin's fingertips touches the edge of the pool.
yunho watches on as his coach presses down on the stopwatch.
everyone listens with bated breath.
"three minutes fifty-two seconds."
"what?!" comes the collective response.
changmin, seated on the pool edge, gives them a weird look. "is that a bad time?"
no one answers for a second, and yunho sees a worried expression cross changmin's face. he finally speaks up.
"uh," yunho says. all eyes flick to his face. "no, it's actually a really good time. you beat my record."
"oh," changmin says, "sorry. i thought it was a bad time. my times were always in the middle or at the back of the team in my old school."
yunho shrugs. "doesn't matter."
yunho looks away; he feels changmin's eyes on him for a second longer.
---
yunho breaks through the water surface and inhales the moment the whistle sounds. in the lane next to him changmin's pulling off his goggles. yunho chances a look at the bench - the members gathered there are grinning at yunho. yunho scowls.
"psst," yunho hears, and he turns to his right.
"what do you want, jaejoong?"
jaejoong grabs onto a pool lane divider and leans in. "he' really ood. are you mad?"
"tch," yunho says, and splashes jaejoong in the face with water. "i'm not that petty."
but when yunho climbs out of the pool and watches as changmin heads towards the showers, goggles and swimming cap in one hand and towel in the other, he can't help but feel a slow burn of jealousy.
yunho's the last one in, taking his time on purpose with ushering everyone into the locker rooms and pretending he has to talk to the coach. in actuality, he just wants time to simmer down, less he gives changmin unneeded attitude, which might lead to team conflicts. h is eader, after all.
yunho eyes the door to the locker room before pushing it open.
the room's filled with the usual chatter, and as yunho passes row after row of lockers, he keeps an eye out for changmin. little did he know, as he rounds the corner of a particular row to head into the one that's his, he nearly runs right into changmin.
"sorry," changmin says, jumping back. "my bad."
"it's cool," yunho says, and inches around changmin.
"you're not pissed off at me, are you," changmin asks bluntly.
"what?" yunho exclaims, taken aback.
"are you pissed off," changmin rephrases.
"no," yunho says. "what kind of person do you think i am?"
changmin shrugs, "just wondering. didn't want to stir up any bad blood on my first day."
with that, changmin heads for the showers. yunho watches his retreating back.
after retrieving his toiletries from his locker, yunho slams the door shut with a lot more force than necessary. it reverberates through the air.
---
sunday night, yunho's on his bed, computer in his lap, and shim changmin on his mind. he'd just gotten home from another practice session, and that day, coach had set changmin against yunho just to see how he fares against you, as the reason.
yunho had done his utmost, used up all his energy, and by the end of the session, he was the most exhausted he has ever been since he joined the team years ago.
and yet, changmin's times all beat his by a couple seconds.
yunho grits his teeth as the surprised sounds of his teammates echo through his head he beat yunho i ever event.he's gonna get us the gold at nationals, i know it. about time we got someone like him! he could probably make it to the olympics…
yunho throws his head back against the headboard. the resulting throb causes stars to appear behind his eyelids. yunho swears.
---
at school the next day, yunho steps into his homeroom to find changmin in the seat next to his. he's got his headphones on, and apparently oblivious to the stares he's getting. yunho stops at changmin's desk, taps the desk, and gives changmin a polite smile when changmin looks up at him. changmin smiles in return, and yunho's momentarily disoriented.
jaejoong, and another member of the swim team - junsu - walk up to yunho's desk.
"you have an odd look on your face," jaejoong says, sliding into the vacant seat in front of yunho and propping his chin on his hands.
"don't you have anything better to do than to bother me," yunho says irritably, and pulls his binder out of his bag, pretending to flip through it for something.
"ooh, someone's cranky~" junsu sing-songs, and yunho flips him off.
just then, from the back of the class, comes a whisper emitted from amongst the regular group of girls.
"i heard he's a better swimmer than yunho!"
"no way, yunho's the best the school's ever seen!"
"well my ources are reliable."
yunho rolls his eyes and glances at changmin out of the corner of his eye. the newbie's busy writing intently, and yunho averts his gaze. there's nothing to look at, he tells himself.
the first half of the day passes smoothly - changmin's not in any of his other classes - and so when yunho heads to lunch, he's in a better mood.
he joins his swim team at their table and isn't surprised when he sees changmin there.
"so new boy," a member by the name of eunhyuk says, leaning forward. "how's school so far?"
"pretty good," changmin replies, picking through a salad with his fork. "the people are relatively nice, teacher's aren't as snobby as i would've expected. classes are pretty easy, too."
"easy?" half the team exclaims.
"…it' not asy?" changmin asks slowly.
"i'm failing bio," another member - donghae - tells him.
"failing math," yoochun offers, raising his hand.
"oh," changmin says. "well, i haven't had either of those subjects yet, so…"
"just let him eat his lunch and shut up," yunho says, unwrapping a sandwich.
"jeez," yoochun says, leaning back in his seat. "fine, Mr. Pissy-Because-His-Record-Got-Beat-By-The-New-Boy, be that way."
yunho glowers at him. changmin gazes at yunho furtively from behind his bangs.
---
with every passing day, with every passing practice, yunho gets a little more used - although he still refuses to accept it - to that fact that changmin is better than him. his teammates have stopped their teasing, what with nationals coming up and the increasing need to practice.
one tuesday, the team's all ready to leave when yunho sees changmin turning back towards the pool.
"hey, changmin," yunho calls. "are you not leaving?"
"no," changmin says, pulling his goggles back on. "i need to practice. nationals are soon and it's getting to me."
yunho pauses. across the pool, their coach is getting ready to leave. yunho glances back at the locker rooms and then at changmin's who's sitting at the edge of the pool and stretching out his shoulder muscles.
"i'll join you," yunho says impulsively, tugging his goggles on as he walks back towards changmin.
"what?"
"yeah," yunho says, "apparently i have to practice more, seeing as you've beaten all my records."
with that, yunho dives into the pool. behind him, changmin bites back a grin and slides into the water.
two hours later, they're floating on their backs, goggles around their necks, and panting heavily.
"that," yunho gasps, "was the hardest i've ever swam in my life."
"same here," changmin says, exhaling heavily. "possibly, anyway."
"how long have you been swimming for?" yunho asks, genuinely curious.
"eight years, maybe?"
"wow," yunho remarks, mildly impressed.
"you?"
"five," yunho answers. "i feel a little better now."
changmin laughs. "you shouldn't be feeling bad in the first place. you're one of the best swimmers i've seen."
"but you said you were bench in your old school," yunho says, confused.
"yes, but that didn't mean the starters in my old school were better than you. yes, they were faster, but you have better form than most of them."
yunho turns his head to look at changmin. the other has his eyes closed, and his hair is floating around his head.
"well," yunho says, suddenly unsure of what to say, "thanks."
"anytime," changmin replies easily.
they lapse into silence, the both of them staring up at the high ceiling.
"i didn't want you to be… jealous," changmin speaks up out of the blue.
"don't worry about it," yunho mumbles. "i just wasn't used to being second best."
changmin's quiet for a while, and yunho finds himself wondering what the other's thinking.
"sorry," changmin says, voice clear.
"it's okay," yunho assures. and he means it.
---
it's a week until nationals, and yunho's secretly glad his weird jealously towards changmin has subsided. he really doesn't need that plaguing his mind as he's swimming.
in order to reduce the stress of his members, yunho suggested they all gather for a movie night, complete with food. every single one of them agreed without a second thought.
so on a friday night, the twelve of them gather at jaejoong's house - more like a mansion, really; yunho always says it's because of jaejoong's wealth that jaejoong's so weird. settling down in jaejoong's built in theatre, they turn their eyes towards the screen.
"what're we watching?" junsu asks, grabbing a handful of chips.
"there's this movie i saw at a clearance sale," yoochun says, standing up and rummaging through his bag. "it's all action with a tinge of romance. action's bloody awesome though Assassination Games."
"i've heard of it," changmin says, stretching out his legs on the floor and leaning against the wall. "heard it was pretty good."
"then we're watching it," donghae announces, and grabs the disc from yoochun's hands, rushing towards the DVD player.
yunho's the last one in the room, having gone to the bathroom earlier. stepping into the home theatre, yunho takes one look around before frowning.
"no one thought of saving me a seat?" he asks, eyebrows raised.
every one with a seat simply smiles broadly back at him.
"that's why i'm on the floor."
yunho turns towards changmin's voice, spying him, indeed, on the floor.
"i guess i'll join you," yunho says, and heads over. "but if my back ends up sore, one of you will have to give me a back rub." he points to the members with seats. they nod solemnly in return.
the movie starts, and changmin rips open a bag of crisps. offering some to yunho, changmin refocuses his attention on the screen. the guns and fighting cause the other to emit "manly" sounds, but changmin and yunho stay silent throughout, their only reactions being widened eyes and clenched fists in light of intense scenes.
as the credits roll on the first scene, yunho falls asleep. changmin's about to stand and stretch when yunho's head lands on his shoulder.
changmin freezes. the others, unknowing, begin to bustle about for more movies and food. changmin simply remains in the shadows, unmoving, afraid of waking yunho up.
"hey, changmin -"
changmin shushes eunhyuk, pointing with a finger at yunho's head. eunhyuk's lips form an 'o' and he turns away.
yunho shifts slightly, and changmin gets a whiff of yunho's shampoo.
changmin feels his face flush, and something stirs within him.
"yunho," changmin says softly, "hey, wake up."
"mmph," yunho mumbles.
"don't sleep like this, you'll hurt your neck."
yunho lets out a low groan and lifts his head.
"here," changmin finds himself saying. "lie on my lap."
mentally, changmin's gaping at himself as he reaches out for a pillow to place on his lap for yunho to lie on. when yunho automatically readjusts his position to lie on changmin's lap, changmin immediately looks up at the screen and starts to wonder what he should do with his hands.
then, yunho turns onto his side, his back to changmin's chest, and changmin lets out a puff of air. he places his hands in-between the gap of their bodies, and turns his attention back to the big screen for the moment.
---
yunho wakes up when there's a particularly loud explosion. light comes flooding out of the screen and it hits yunho square in the face. the bass bursts forth from the speakers, and it rings in yunho's ears. he doesn't move though; he doesn't show a sign of reaction.
probably because before he had the chance to react, he'd felt hands on his shoulder and covering his face, as if it were an attempt to block both light and sound from bothering him.
yunho lies still, eyes wide open. the scent leads him to conclude that he's lying on changmin - he was too out of it before to realize what went on.
yunho tries to go back to sleep, but his heart's pounding too erratically for him to do so. so he stays awake, extremely aware of changmin's presence, especially with the hand still on his arm.
---
changmin reflexively shoots out a hand to cover yunho's face from the light, another coming to rest on yunho's shoulder to calm him down should he wake from shock.
after the explosion fades, changmin takes away his hand that's covering yunho's face, but the one on yunho's shoulder stays at it is.
"hey, jae," changmin stage whispers.
"what?"
"can you lower the volume a little? yunho's fallen asleep."
"aww, poor captain's too tired~" junsu sing-songs.
jaejoong turns the volume down just a notch, and changmin nods his thanks.
---
yunho goes red.
---
when the night ends, changmin gently shakes yunho 'awake'.
"it's time to go home," changmin says quietly.
"yeah," yunho says, and scrambles to sit up. "thanks for… you know."
"not a problem," changmin says easily, and stands.
as changmin turns to collect his things, yunho finds himself calling out for him.
"do you need a ride home?"
"me?" changmin asks, turning around, seemingly surprised.
"well, yeah," yunho says. "you don't have a car, right?"
"…yeah," changmin replies. "well, then i guess if it's not a bother..?"
"not at all," yunho says, a little too quickly.
so that's how yunho finds himself in an enclosed spaced with shim changmin by his side.
"where do you live?"
"just a few blocks down and to the left, actually. i could've walked home, but if my mum found out i walked home in the middle of the night by myself, she'd flip."
yunho lets out a small laugh. "i know what you mean."
they drive in silence, changmin looking out the window and yunho gripping the steering wheel hard till his knuckles go white.
"you can stop at the light," changmin says, unbuckling his seat belt.
"here?"
"yeah."
yunho slows to a stop and tugs on the handbrake.
"thanks," changmin says, and opens the door.
"anytime."
yunho watches changmin walk up his driveway and into his house. at the door, changmin turns around and gives him a wave. yunho waves back.
ii.