Practice on Monday was quieter than normal, mostly because Yoongi wasn't saying much. He'd grumble something under his breath every now and then, but he didn't yell. Jungkook wasn't sure if it was because of the conversation they'd had on the bus Friday night or if he was still struggling with his recent breakup. Even when Hoseok would taunt him about something, Yoongi would just cast a glare and continue on.

It was odd, and it made Jungkook sort of uncomfortable.

There were only about five minutes left of practice when they each broke off to grab their stuff, and Jungkook hesitated before wheeling over to Yoongi, who was shoving some papers inside his bag and yanking at the zipper in a harsh motion.

"Um, hey, Yoongi-"

"What." His voice was as cold as ever, but he sounded tired, too.

"Um, I was just wondering..." Jungkook hesitated. He had been planning to talk to Yoongi, ever since they lost the game. But he wasn't sure if it was a good time, considering how he was acting. "You know, never mind, it's fine-"

"Whatever you want to say, say it," Yoongi said, turning to glare at Jungkook, and he flinched a little at the intensity of his gaze.

"I just- you're great at shooting, and I'm...obviously not...so, I was wondering, it's not a big deal really, but maybe if you wouldn't mind teaching me a little bit-"

"You want me to teach you to shoot?" Yoongi asked, and although his gaze was still cold, his eyebrows rose in slight surprise.

"Well, I mean, only if you don't mind..."

Yoongi scanned him from top to bottom and back to top. "Well...if you learn how to shoot, then maybe we'll actually stand a chance at winning something," he mused, and Jungkook just nodded, content with whatever justification Yoongi needed to get him on board. "Fine," he agreed after a moment, and Jungkook clenched his hands on the handrails, somehow sensing that Yoongi would be pissed if he acted excited. "But listen," he said, crossing his arms and fixing Jungkook with a tough look. "I'm not going to be nice, and I don't care if your feelings get hurt."

"That's fine," Jungkook immediately said. He wasn't that sensitive of a person. Comments like Yoongi's didn't hurt him much at all, mostly because he was his own worst adversary, getting frustrated at himself when he wasn't doing as well as he should.

"I don't care if you think it's fine or not," Yoongi continued, and Jungkook resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Yoongi's macho behavior.

"When can we start?" he asked instead, and Yoongi gave him another slow look as though he were seeing a side of Jungkook that he hadn't expected.

"HEY YOONGLES!" Hoseok shouted from the other side of the gym. "Don't you have to get going? Isn't your girlfriend waiting for a ride?" he said, laughing good-naturedly, but Jungkook cringed because he realized that he was the only one that knew. He knew in the rational part of his brain that Hoseok was just razzing Yoongi like he always did, but he felt like he had to speak up.

"Hey, let's not-" Jungkook began to intervene, but Yoongi just clenched his jaw and ditched his bag on the ground, pushing off to the center of the court.

"Today," Yoongi said firmly. "We're starting today."

--

An hour went by, somehow faster than the normal hour of practice. Jungkook was sweating, which he wasn't used to since he hadn't been trying very hard before. He'd also put up with a straight hour of Yoongi yelling somewhat demeaning phrases at him, but he'd been able to channel his annoyance into focus. Every now and then, Yoongi would demonstrate the proper form, and between the insults and disparagement, he would tell Jungkook what he was doing wrong and how to fix it.

Jungkook had taken maybe ten shots during the first hour of practice with the full team and had only made two.

In the second hour with just Yoongi, he'd taken at least fifty shots and had made about twenty.

He wasn't good yet, but he was getting better.

"Can we do this again tomorrow after practice?" Jungkook asked Yoongi after they'd both put away their wheelchairs and were collecting their bags from the side of the gym near the bleachers.

Yoongi looked over at him, perspiration beading on his brow and the very edges of his bangs sticking together as a result of sweat. "Okay," he agreed with much less resistance than Jungkook had expected. Maybe, after belittling Jungkook for an hour, he'd gotten most of his astringent nature out of his system. "Do you have all your stuff?" he asked, most likely eager to leave the gym behind, and Jungkook nodded as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Got it. Thanks again, Yoongi, for-"

"C'mon," Yoongi said, heading for the double doors, and Jungkook's mouth fell open for a second before he hurried after Yoongi, kicking around the thought that maybe Yoongi had something planned for a third hour of practice.

"Um, what are we-"

"You need a ride, right," Yoongi said, not really stating it as a question.

"Oh." Jungkook blinked several times as he followed Yoongi out the main doors and stepped into the parking lot. "I mean, I can always just take the bus-"

Yoongi double-clicked the unlock button on the key fob, and there was a soft snick from ahead as his car unlocked. He stopped beside one of the only vehicles left in the lot, a sleek black car. Jungkook knew next to nothing about cars, but he could tell that this one was expensive. "Get in," he said as he put a hand on the driver's side door and slipped into the seat, tossing his bag into the back.

"Oh, uh, yeah, okay," Jungkook mumbled, still caught off guard by what almost appeared to be nice behavior coming from Yoongi, but after a second, he grabbed the passenger door handle and took his seat, setting his backpack on his lap and shutting the door. He took a quick look at the backseat. He wasn't really sure what he was expecting to see – fast food wrappers, old receipts, maybe – but the car was spotless. "Nice ride," he said, feeling like he had to say something since Yoongi wasn't saying much of anything and he didn't know how to handle a quiet Yoongi.

"My dad got it for me," Yoongi said as he put the gear into reverse and looked over his shoulder before pulling out. He shifted gears and headed across the parking lot, ignoring the yellow lines that said where he could and couldn't drive. "For being the star player on the basketball team, after I started getting scouted."

"Oh. That's nice," Jungkook said after a moment, still not sure how to interact with Yoongi in a non-confrontational environment. His thoughts quickly turned to his own father, who had never bought him a car and likely never would. He still didn't know exactly why he'd left. He wondered if his dad would be proud of him for something one day.

"Sure it is," Yoongi said back in a way that made Jungkook think it was anything but. He wanted to ask Yoongi more about it, but he sensed that he'd be crossing a line, so he held back.

They were quiet for the rest of the ride, only talking when Yoongi asked for directions, but Jungkook found that the silence wasn't particularly uncomfortable. There wasn't an expectation for him to fill the quiet with small talk. He could just look out the window and watch the town pass. He liked that.

--

Yoongi pulled into his driveway ten minutes later, and Jungkook grabbed the straps of his backpack as Yoongi shifted into park. Jungkook hesitated for a second, feeling that the unspoken rules of etiquette required him to say something at this point – thanks for the ride, thanks for practice, etc.

But Yoongi was the one to say something. "Hey," he said, and Jungkook flinched, knuckles tightening around his backpack.

"Yeah? Yes?" he asked, looking over at Yoongi, who had his left hand on the wheel and his right hand on the gear stick like he was ready to pull away at any moment. He was staring straight ahead, almost as though he didn't want to have spoken but couldn't quite take it back now.

"Sorry," he said after a long moment, and Jungkook unconsciously leaned in slightly, the words so unexpected that his first assumption was that he'd misheard them. "For throwing the ball at your head the other day. I didn't mean to. Well, I meant to throw the ball, but not, you know, break your face. So yeah."

"Oh," Jungkook said, still processing. He realized that he didn't know what the response was to an apology. Phrases came in pairs; please and thank you, sorry and...what? "It's all good," he said after a moment after coming up blank. "It's fine, really. It didn't hurt that much, so-"

"Great," Yoongi said, cutting him off just as Jungkook's mom stepped out the front door and squinted at the unfamiliar car in the driveway. But then she saw Jungkook and waved, and he turned to Yoongi.

"Thanks again for the ride. And for the extra practice."

Yoongi nodded, and Jungkook took that as his cue to leave. He stepped out of the car and waved as Yoongi reversed out of the driveway and sped off down the street.

"Who was that?" Jungkook's mom asked as he went up to the door.

"That was Yoongi."

She scrunched her nose. "Isn't he the one that hit you in the face the other day?"

"Yep," Jungkook confirmed, smiling as he watched the black car disappear.

--updated 06/25/20 (mm/dd/yy)--