Inevitably Jimin began to avoid him.

At games.

Texts.

Calls.

Knocks on the door.

Life.

It was as if Jimin never made a reappearance in baseball. The only thing that assured Jungkook that Jimin was most definitely alive and in his life was when he got promoted.

Jimin was now a hitter.

And boy did it piss Jungkook off.

The news spread like wildfire and soon his old stats from when they were kids began to surface. It turns out that Jimin was not just above average at baseball. He could have excelled with kids 5 years older than him when he was only 11.

All throughout his childhood Jimin put him under the impression that they were on the same level. He made him believe he was a baseball legend just like Jimin was. It was to protect Jungkook and keep him going, but if he knew Jimin was better than him, he would've worked so much harder.

After consistently hearing Jimin chatter in the locker room for a week, Jungkook's lips were in a permanent grimace. One day his lips finally lifted at the corners into a smirk.

It was the next game they played the Lions; Jungkook was the starting pitcher, and Jimin was the starting batter. He would teach Jimin a lesson.

He would show him whose field it was.

He would tear him apart.

~~

Jungkook's plan wasn't working as he heard the echo of the bat hitting the ball and the cheers of the crowd. Jimin shot the ball into the audience that Jungkook had pitched to him.

A home run.

A home run by Jimin that held nostalgia to what drew Jungkook to this game in the first place.

It was time for Jimin to learn a lesson.

He never should have come back to baseball.

A couple innings later, Jungkook gets to pitch to Jimin again. He knows Jimin's batting weak spots now so he's going to strike him out. Jimin's uniform is full of dirt and he has sweat caked everywhere, but the look of determination never leaves his face. Like Jungkook, a smirk lies delicately on his lips.

The younger throws the first pitch and smiles almost hysterically when Jimin gets a strike. The older, on the other hand, looks frustrated and takes a few practice swings before fixing up his stance. The second pitch is thrown and Jungkook is pleased with another strike.

The two meet eyes as Jungkook goes to throw the third ball, but he's thrown off guard at what lies there. The look in Jimin's eyes show fear and pleading for Jungkook to let him hit the ball, but as the ball leaves the younger's fingertips the pleading is consumed by fear, and soon Jungkook is too.

The loud echo of the ball crashing into Jimin's helmet is terrifying. It was louder than the bat hitting the ball, and even louder than Jungkook's heart pounding in his ears. In seconds the bat was flying and Jimin was falling to the ground.

Jungkook royally fucked up.

As if he had been struck by lightning, Jungkook dropped his glove and sprinted over to where Jimin now laid. He pushed everyone out of the way and slid down right beside the boy.

Jimin's face had paled and his eyes were barely opening. His breaths were shallow as he tried to focus on anything but the pain. Jungkook felt the pain too, right in his chest.

"Jiminie?" Jungkook managed to choke out past the lump in his throat. A doctor leaned over the two. He opened Jimin's eyelids to find his eyes not dilating properly. Jungkook made the next move and carefully took off his helmet that had a significant crack in it. His eyes began to fill with tears at the very large bruise blossoming over the side of Jimin's head.

"No, no, no. Jimin oh god—"

He's cut off by Jimin's eyes opening only slightly to look into his own. Jungkook waited patiently for his next move. He leaned down closer to him in case he had anything to say.

"Jungkook...I-"

He took a moment to swallow and breathe.

"I never want to see you again."

And in that moment Jungkook knew his chances were over. His chance at being team captain was demolished like his heart and love for baseball.

He and Jimin were nothing but history now.

~~

Jungkook wasn't allowed in the hospital, but he heard Jimin had a major concussion. He'd be out of baseball for three weeks. In the meantime Jungkook avoided Taehyung like the plague. He knew he'd have to explain why he got so emotional over Jimin if he didn't know him.

He also went to his coach and retired.

He was done with baseball.

Jimin was his reason he played for all those years, but without Jimin he had no purpose to keep playing.

He found himself at clubs getting his senses fucked out of him for merely something to do. He enrolled in a university to try to get a degree in sports medicine, but even that was hard for him to do. He took up smoking and drinking, he did everything to keep Jimin from invading his mind.

He did pretty well too.

He ignored the news about Jimin coming back too. He ignored the interviews and on television with the said boy after he made an international record breaking hit. He ignored his teammates' texts and calls. He just kept to himself and was fine with it too. He was fine for two months;

until a particular boy with now blonde and fluffy hair found his way into Jungkook's porch in the middle of the night.

~~~

A/N: here's this idk which fic I'll update next
Also,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN YALL! COMMENT WHAT YOURE DRESSING UP AS THIS YEAR!

I'm doing Pennywise makeup :) 🤡