Later that night, Jaejoong found himself standing in the foyer of the local hockey rink with Yoochun, Boa, Taeho, and Jihye as they arrived with the other students to watch the first hockey game of the season.

“Oppa, I’m so nervous.” Jihye said to her brother. Taeho looked down to her and smiled.

“Don’t be. I’m sure Yunho-goon and the rest of the team are worrying enough for everyone.” He told her, trying to get her to calm down. Once Jihye giggled, he knew it had definitely worked.

“I wonder if we’ll see him before the game.” Jaejoong asked before Jihye combed the crowd, his comment making her eager to see if she could spot her brother.

“I don’t think so. He’s probably in the locker room getting a pep talk.” Boa said as Taeho pulled her closer, his hand holding hers.

“We should probably go in and find somewhere decent to sit.” Yoochun said, finally joining the conversation. Everyone else looked at him and nodded as they walked with the rest of the student body into the arena. On their way in, Jihye stopped and began to call someone ever.

“Changmin-ah!” She called, trying to get the boy’s attention. A young boy with his hair tied into a ponytail looked from side to side until he spotted Jihye. She waved him over and he walked toward them, waving at her before putting his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hey Princess.” He greeted cheerfully. Jihye smiled at him.

“Did you come alone?” She asked as she looked around him. He gazed at her as he nodded.

“None of my friends wanted to come so I came by myself.” He explained. Jihye’s expression dropped slightly before she perked up again.

“Why don’t you watch with us?” She asked him. Changmin hesitated.

“It’s okay, I don’t want to impose.” He told her.

“We don’t mind Changmin-ssi.” Boa said to him, hoping to change his mind. He looked at the brown haired girl before looking back at Jihye.

“Okay!” He finally agreed, his voice rising in excitement. The boy stepped closer to Jihye before the group of friends began to move again. As they walked up the stairs to the bleachers, Jaejoong nudged Yoochun.

“Do you think Jihye likes him?” He asked in a hushed tone. Yoochun looked at his friend before looking back to Jihye walking in front of them with Changmin.

“It looks like she might. I don’t like this.” He said before the two of them looked at each other again. “We need to find out what we can about this kid.” Jaejoong nodded before they looked back in the direction they were walking.

Luckily, they found a block of seats close enough to the ice that they would be able to see the game comfortably. Once they all sat down, Jaejoong was the only one who remained standing.

“I’ll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom.” He said as he gestured to the side. Everyone nodded in acknowledgement as Jaejoong turned and bounded down the flight of stairs. Caught up in the motion, he tripped at the last stair, causing the people around him to laugh. At least I didn’t fall. He thought to himself.

Once he was outside of the arena, he looked from side to side as he tried to figure out where the bathrooms were located. He sighed in frustration just before he saw what he was looking for. He walked quickly in the direction of the bathroom, looking down at his feet to make sure he wouldn’t trip again. Once he was in the bathroom, he managed to bump into someone. He bowed almost immediately, telling them that he was sorry.

“Jaejoong?” the voice asked. The chef’s son looked up and found himself staring at the face a very familiar face.

“Yunho.” Jaejoong said, his voice breathy. The hockey captain smiled, making the older boy blush.

“Did everyone come?” Yunho asked. Jaejoong nodded, a smile gracing his lips.

“We’re all sitting together. By the way, do you know a kid named Changmin? He looks like he’s in Jihye’s year.” He asked. Yunho’s brow furled, confused by the question.

“I don’t think so.” He said. As much as he wanted to ask Jaejoong for the reason behind the query, he remembered that he had to get back to the locker room. He stepped closer to Jaejoong, noticing the other boy jump slightly before he adjusted his gaze. “I have to get back.” He said, skipping the explanation.

“Okay.” Jaejoong said, nodding. Yunho quickly glanced behind Jaejoong, checking to see if anyone was coming into the bathroom. A tiny smile tugged at his lips before leaning into Jaejoong, placing a quick kiss on his lips.

“Wish me luck.” He said with a smile and a wink before leaving the bathroom.

“Good luck.” Jaejoong whispered as he blinked rapidly and put his hand to his lips, completely taken aback by the kiss.

~~~

Once Jaejoong returned to his seat, he talked with his friends before the announcer spoke, beginning to introduce the hockey team. As each name was declared, each player received loud cheers. But when they announced the last player, those cheers put the others to shame.

“Finally, defenseman and your captain, number nine, Jung Yunho!” The announcer shouted unto the crowd, encouraging them to cheer louder. Boa, Jihye, and Changmin stood up as they clapped while the rest of the boys stood and cheered boisterously, fists pumping in the air. The girls and Changmin noticed and laughed. Boa, caught up in the adrenaline emitted by the boys, began to cheer like them. Just then, the announcer declared that the national anthem was going to be played and the crowd immediately quieted and joined together to sing. Once it was over, everyone cheered before sitting and watching the game in anticipation.

The first period was uneventful – there were many hits and penalties given out, but not a goal was scored. The second period started the same way, but in the last five minutes, things became interesting. The opposing team had managed to score a goal, which caused a great uproar.

“What the hell?!” Yoochun yelled out in frustration.

“That was totally goaltender interference!” Jaejoong shouted. As if he had been heard on the ice, Yunho skated up to the player who had crowded the goalie’s crease and got in his face.

“What does he think he’s doing?” Taeho said loud enough for the people around him to hear. They all looked at the crown prince before returning their eyes to the scene on the ice, and just in time. As Yunho was about to make a move, the goaltender came up beside him and managed to coax him out of doing anything stupid. Jaejoong saw the glare that the captain directed to the interfering player before play resumed. The final minutes of the period passed quickly and everyone was beginning to feel nervous going into the final period.

“Do you think we’ll win?” Jihye asked quietly. Boa and Changmin were the only two who had managed to hear her.

“I hope so.” Boa told her as the intermission began. Yoochun sat down and released a heavy sigh.

“We better win. I don’t really feel like dealing with a pissed off Yunho.” Jaejoong looked at his friend and nodded.

“At least you won’t be under the same roof.” He commented. Yoochun looked back at him and chuckled.

“You better start praying now then.” He said, making Jaejoong laugh uneasily.

Finally, the third period began and their entire group was up on their feet, watching every move carefully. In the first five minutes, nothing happened, but when the timer ticked to the sixth minute, that all changed.

Yunho was gliding up the ice with the puck, carefully maneuvering it away from the other players trying to steal it from him. When the opportunity resented itself, he passed it to another player on his team. As soon as the moment was right, the other player took a shot and got the puck past the goalie. As the siren rang, every student was on their feet jumping and cheering.

“They tied the game!” Jihye screamed, first turning to her brother before turning to Changmin. Jaejoong and Yoochun looked at the princess as she jumped around with her friend, watching the young boy like a hawk.

“Can you see his face?” Jaejoong asked once he stopped cheering. Yoochun stopped cheering and looked at the back of the older boy’s head.

“If you can’t see his face, what makes you think that I can?” He asked. He turned to look at Yoochun with a thoroughly unimpressed glare. It wasn’t until the referee blew the whistle for the faceoff that the two friends returned their attention back to the game.

The next few minutes following the goal passed without anything exciting happening, until player number nine was thrust against the boards. The sound of the impact rang through the arena. After the whistle blew, every student watching got up and looked, awaiting the aftermath.

“Oppa!” Jihye screamed once her older brother fell onto the ice. Unsure of what to do, Changmin reached for her hand with worry dancing in his eyes.

“Oh my god.” Boa said as he covered her mouth with her hand. Taeho wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his chest.

“Yunho” Jaejoong gasped when he saw that the young prince wasn’t getting up. Yoochun, although he hadn’t intended to, heard him and he looked at the pale boy’s face. He furled his brow in concern.

Suddenly, Yunho began to move and a wave of relief washed over his friends and family. The entire crowd began to cheer once he was back on his skates and skated off to the bench where he rested for a while.

It took a few more minutes for Yunho to return to the ice. While everyone else seemed calm, Jaejoong felt himself worrying about the young prince. What if he’s really hurt? He kept wondering. The raven beauty was pulled from his thoughts when the crowd began to roar. Jaejoong looked at the ice, noticing that the young prince had returned to the game.

Yunho was skating up the ice, staying near his approaching teammate as he made his way to the opposing team’s net. Just as the other team’s defensemen began to gang up on the approaching forward, he passed to Yunho. The captain took advantage of the cleared crease and took a shot, easily settling the puck in the top corner of the net. Once again, the sirens sounded and the students were cheering. Yoochun turned to Jaejoong and the two shared a high five before punching the air.

When Jaejoong glanced to the scene on the ice, he saw Yunho being hugged by all of his teammates in celebration. Since there were mere seconds left in the game, the young prince took off his helmet and hook his head, drops of sweat spraying everywhere. The referees blew the whistle signaling the end of the game before both teams lined up to exchange handshakes.

“I knew Yunho would win!” Jihye exclaimed excitedly as she jumped up and down next to her other brother.


“Why don’t we leave now and wait for Yunho to come out?” Taeho suggested to the group. Without hesitation, they all agreed and tried to vacate their seats as quickly as possible.