Kyungsoo prefers to think it is his indebtedness to Jongin for taking care of him that led him to visit the rink today, rather than something else. 

(It could very well be something else.) 

The automatic doors slide close behind him and he is fanned with a wave of cold wind. At least it jolts him out of his daze and he wheels himself further into the facility, figuring there is no use turning back now. 

He knows Jongin is here. A call to Jongdae earlier had confirmed this. Also, it is the weekend and he knows the other does not have classes and would likely be here on the ice if he is as committed a skater as he said he was. 

“Pass the puck to Sehun too, Minhyun-ah. This is a team game.” 

Kyungsoo hears Jongin’s loud voice even before he turns the corner. True enough, the latter was standing in the middle of the ice, dressed in full ice hockey gear, seemingly supervising a mini game for his under-10 class. He cannot stop the embarrassed flush of his cheeks when he sees Jongin. He doubts he will ever forget about what happened two nights ago. 

Now if only the other has somehow developed short-term memory loss to spare them both of any further embarrassment.

“But Sehun always loses the puck!” one of the bigger kids in the group of approximately ten protests, but a strict look from Jongin forces him to concede the puck on the end of his stick to the smallest person on the ice. 

“T-Thank you, hyung,” Sehun pauses to right his helmet, and Kyungsoo stops just short of the ice, choosing to watch them in silence. He can wait until the lesson ends before making his presence known. He is not particularly pressed for time anyway. 

He cannot help but smile when Sehun manages to pass on the puck he is given. But because the boy swings his stick so hard to ensure that there is sufficient power behind his pass to reach his teammate, he goes off balance completely and ends up falling on his . Kyungsoo snorts. He could see the quivering of the boy’s bottom lip because the rest of the children are laughing at him, but somehow he feels proud when Sehun gets up on his own and dusts off his pants before skating away slowly. 

He gets so immersed in watching the game that he gets the shock of his life when Jongin’s face pops up right in front of him suddenly. 

“Kyungsoo hyung?” 

Kyungsoo almost screams and socks Jongin in the face, blame his natural defence mechanism (the best defence is a great offence right?) , but he barely contains the urge to by gripping onto his wheelchair hard. He ends up letting out a soft gurgle and Jongin gives him a worried look at once. 

“Hyung, are you still sick? What are you doing here? You should go back and rest.” Before he can even furnish a reply, there is a warm hand pressing against his forehead before gentle fingers make their way down to feel his cheeks and the side of his neck. “Oh, I think your temperature has gone down quite a bit since I last saw you. Thank god.” Jongin withdraws his hand and gives him a smile, but all Kyungsoo can manage is to look right back at him with shocked, wide eyes. 

“Awww… Teacher Jongin has a boyfriend!” a girl yells. 

And that is all it takes to break up the little moment they were having. Kyungsoo jerks back so fast he almost gets whiplash, while Jongin splutters and his face slowly turns red as he waves his hands strongly in denial at the converging group of children. It is a commotion with everyone trying to speak at the same time, and there are some even making kissy faces at them. 

Kyungsoo wants to drill a hole in the ice and bury his head in it. Or die, whichever works best. 

“N-No, I don’t! What are you saying?” Jongin breaks out into a round of nervous laughter. 

It is so awkward it just seemed to be making things worse. Kyungsoo thinks maybe he should kill Jongin instead.

“But this ahjusshi came last time as well,” the girl who had started this whole train of conversation earlier points out accurately, narrowing her eyes at Jongin in suspicion. She must have recognised Kyungsoo by his wheelchair, but rather than feel offended by it… 

Ahjusshi?! Kyungsoo frowns and gives the girl his best evil eye. How am I an ahjusshi? I’m only 22 years old. He glares at Jongin when the other catches his reaction to the girl’s statement and ends up giggling into his hand. 

“This ahjusshi’s name is Kyungsoo, Soomin-ah,” Jongin says. 

“Wait, KYUNGSOO HYUNG?!” comes an excited shout from the very back of the group. That is when Kyungsoo spots little Sehun trying his very best to stand a bit taller on his skates so that he can see him over the shoulders of his friends. “HI HYUNG!” The boy’s face practically lights up in excitement when he makes eye contact with Kyungsoo and the former skater gives him a small wave. Sehun waves back enthusiastically, even raising his arms high above his head. Perhaps he thought Kyungsoo will see him better this way. 

“Alright everyone… just back up a little. Be careful,” Jongin instructs.

Since the game has been abandoned and there is barely enough time left in the session, the Coach claps his hands together and orders everyone off the ice next. “I’ll see you guys on Wednesday, okay? Remember to put your helmets back in the basket over there before leaving.” 

Kyungsoo stays back as Jongin busies himself, alternating between greeting each parent who came to pick up their child and helping the children out of their protective gear. 

“Did you come to see me, Kyungsoo hyung?” A small tug on his shirt alerts him to a beaming Sehun who immediately releases his grip and clasps his hands tightly in front of his chest. “I’m so happy!” the boy squeals and twists his body left and right excitedly. 

And Kyungsoo does not have the heart to let down that face again. Not anymore. He recalls treating Sehun harshly the first time they had met, even though the little boy had probably given him the biggest compliment anyone could give him then by telling him he was his hero. Kyungsoo feels apologetic, and somehow the need to be nicer today is overwhelming. 

“Yes, buddy. Did you enjoy class today?” He holds onto Sehun’s arm when the boy plants his onto the ground and starts to take off his helmet and skates himself. Kyungsoo looks around for the boy’s parents, but they must be late again because the last adult is just leaving with the girl called Soomin. Jongin glances over at him from where he is standing over a basket full of helmets, tidying them up, and the Coach gives him a gesture to let him know he will come over once he is done. 

“It was okay ,” Sehun pushes his helmet into Kyungsoo’s hands. “I didn’t score though… I always fail to.” The boy pouts. After watching Sehun struggle to untie his laces for the longest time, Kyungsoo leans over and does it for him, earning himself a shy “thanks” and a gentle peck on the cheek after. He jumps back at once, hand placed over the area Sehun had kissed him, and the boy giggles.

“Your mom is here, Sehunnie!” Jongin interrupts them as he marches over to help the said boy up. “Say bye to Kyungsoo hyung.” 

Sehun actually looks sad that his interaction with Kyungsoo is being cut short, but he also looks hesitant over making his mother wait, so he waves at Kyungsoo at the last second before letting Jongin lead him away. 

“Will you come to see me again, Kyungsoo hyung?” the boy yells at him once he is by his mother’s side. His face is filled with so much hope, of course Kyungsoo cannot say no.

“Of course I will,” he promises, waving at Sehun until he can no longer see him. Kyungsoo’s face reverts to his default stoic expression the second he spots Jongin eyeing him weirdly. The other is almost gaping even. “What?” Kyungsoo snaps at once, forgetting the rules he had set for himself to play nice. “I mean—” he clears his throat and quickly corrects, “why are you staring at me?” He then proceeds to look anywhere but at Jongin. 

The question stirs the other from his daze. “N-Nothing… you just have a beautiful smile. That’s all.” Jongin’s voice trails off towards the end and a shy blush appears on his cheeks. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo stares even harder at the piece of gum stuck to the side of the rink walls, willing himself to not show he is affected by the other’s words in any way. God forbids his own face is mirroring Jongin’s. 

“Uhm, hyung…” 

There is a movement to his left, and Kyungsoo’s eyes dart to the side of his peripheral vision at once. It seems like Jongin has moved even closer to him. 

“You haven’t told me why you’re here yet,” the other reminds. 

I am here to thank you for that night, and also to tell you I agreed to be your Coach. But somehow, the words find themselves stuck at the tip of Kyungsoo’s tongue. He wants to run away from the awkward silence growing between them, and apparently so does Jongin because the latter sighs and takes a step away from him. 

“Never mind.” Jongin clearly sounds put off by his stubborn silence. “Guess I’ll see you around, hyung.” 

Kyungsoo is a little surprised the other has not taken this opportunity to badger him to be his Coach especially after the extent he had gone to over the past weeks. He did not think Jongin would give up so fast, especially since he had soldiered on for the larger part of three years himself. 

“Where do you think you are going?” He blurts out the second he sees Jongin packing away his helmet and removing his jersey. He wheels around and parks himself right in front of the other. 

“The showers?” Jongin freezes with his jersey half hanging off his arms after having gotten his head out of the hole. He seemed startled to find Kyungsoo in his way. “I was thinking of heading to the dance studio after lunch. Felt I need to start working out a routine for the ice,” he removes the jersey completely and adjusts the straps of his tank top before bending over to free his feet from his skates. 

Kyungsoo looks away because he could see down the front of Jongin’s chest in this position. The younger has a nice physique, he admits. Although, if anyone is to ask, he will say his glancing away is done purely out of politeness. Kyungsoo clears his throat. “So you have a choreographer?” 

“Unfortunately, no,” Jongin pouts. “I learn off the internet myself.” He makes to side-step Kyungsoo and continue on his way to the showers, but the latter easily blocks him off again.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. He should have known better than to ask Jongin that, especially since it was pretty apparent when he first saw the other skate he did not have a well thought out routine. We have tough days ahead , he thinks. Forget the past three years of Jongin teaching himself how to skate. They will have to start from scratch. 

“Great. So since no one is waiting for you, I suppose your afternoon is free then,” he looks up and locks eyes with Jongin. “Put on the trainers I know you have in that bag of yours—” the other’s jaw drops. “I’ll go easy on you for now since it is only our first day… I want you to run fifty laps around the perimeter of the rink.”

“W-What?” Jongin makes a sound that oddly reminds him of a deflating tyre, but Kyungsoo begins to snap his fingers at the other impatiently. 

“Are you deaf? I said fifty laps. Did you not want me to train you? We’ll start off with off-ice work.” 

A slack-jawed Jongin continues to stare at Kyungsoo like the former skater has just grown another head. “You’re willing to train me? Really?” he whispers eventually. 

Kyungsoo’s face softens for a second when he recalled his own reaction when Junmyeon had agreed to be his Coach all those years back. Jongin looks in disbelief, but under that layer of emotion he spies elation and b confidence. It is a pleasant feeling knowing that he is responsible for putting that bright smile on the other’s face. 

“Better believe it, rookie,” he says. “Now get moving or I’ll up the number of laps to a hundred.” 

The threat works to great effect. Jongin rushes to retrieve his trainers from his bag at once, and after putting them on carelessly he surprises Kyungsoo by wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. A tight, very sweaty , hug. Kyungsoo grimaces.

“Thank you. Really, thank you… Thank you so much,” the other whispers into his ear. 

“One hundred laps,” Kyungsoo declares loudly. Jongin yelps and releases him at once, as if he had just been burnt. Kyungsoo must say he delights in the way he feels so powerful; having so much control over another person. He watches as Jongin starts on his run — his steps light and his strides long and positive. Jongin looks so happy at the moment. 

“Is that what you call running?” he yells. “Pick up those knees higher, you sloth!”

The other startles and actually attempts to correct his posture after waving over apologetically.

Well, let us see if he can still run like that after twenty laps , Kyungsoo smirks to himself. What shall I have him do next? He looks around for inspiration. 

Meanwhile, Jongin can barely contain how high he feels right now. The happiness blooming within coupled with the adrenaline of the run makes him feel invincible. He feels like he is running on clouds; he feels he can even complete a thousand laps if Kyungsoo orders him to. (Not really.)

He wonders what had made the other change his mind, but he dares not ask for fear it would spark something off and scare him off again. After all, this Kyungsoo is that unpredictable. Jongin decides to focus on being thankful for now. 

“One!” He yells out in an excited voice when he passes by his Coach after completing a lap, flashing the man a brilliant smile. 

His Coach. 

It feels awesome being able to call Kyungsoo that.

~

It has been a month and Jongin still cannot figure out if Kyungsoo is doing this on purpose. 

“I don’t think I can do this anymore,” he heaves and waves his hand weakly. “I feel faint! Send help.” 

“Again!” comes the annoyed shout from the sidelines. “You need to push yourself harder, Jongin. What are you? Do you think you’re still a junior skater? Heck! I think junior skaters can do it better than you.” This type of verbal onslaught is not something he likes, neither is it good for his confidence, but it is something he finds he has to endure learning under Kyungsoo. 

Tough love is how he would like to describe his Coach’s methods. Crazy is how Minseok calls it that one time he decided to follow and watch one of Jongin’s sessions out of curiosity. 

“He’s driving you to the ground, Jongin. Are you sure this is what you want?” the other had asked him with nothing but worry marring his brows. 

“Yeah,” Jongin had replied before stepping onto the ice again, taking the initiative to start his new circuit lap early. “I can take it.” He has to take all the hardships; he has to persevere. After all, he had promised himself. He had also promised his father he will succeed.

Jongin swings around the bend and sets himself up for the take-off into a triple lutz. Come on, you got this, he tells himself before taking a deep breath and pushing off the back outside edge of his skates. 

To him, take-offs are easily the scariest part of a jump because he never knows how it will turn out until he is already in the air — if he gets enough height and distance under it, he knows he will successfully pull the jump off, but the second he feels his center of gravity tilting, that was it ; he will crash and he will burn. However, Jongin’s sole consolation for himself even if he does a bad jump is that he can enjoy the brief moment he gets to fly through the air. 

“Catch!” Kyungsoo shouts out a warning mid-way through his third rotation, and Jongin gets his other skate beneath him just in time to land a textbook finish. He lets out a loud whoop in celebration and comes to a stop in front of Kyungsoo to catch his breath again, bending over his front with his hands on his knees. 

After training his off the past weeks, and after countless falls and nights sleeping on his front or side because it hurts lying down and putting pressure on his , he finally did it… he can finally say he knows how to do the suite of triple jumps apart from the axel. 

“Good job, Jongin.” At least his Coach is smiling, and Jongin finds himself mirroring the smile. 

“Finally!” He cheers. “Are we done for today then?” 

“Of course not,” the smile on Kyungsoo's face disappears in the blink of an eye and Jongin sighs. He should have known better than to think the other would let him rest, even though they have been going at it since morning. The only break he was afforded was when he needed to attend his 2 o’clock lecture, and since when was studying ever associated with the word break ? It was straight back to the rink after his professor had dismissed the class. “That was just one time you succeeded,” Kyungsoo frowns. “Do it again and again until I’m certain you have the technique mastered.”

“But I’m hungry and tired,” he whines, leaning his upper body over the walls of the rink, hoping it buys him some pity. But Kyungsoo only sighs and stares at him sternly, and that is when Jongin braces himself for he knows the other is about to go off on another one of his lectures .  

“Did you think it would be a walk in the park, Jongin? Do you know what I went through, all the hardships I had to endure, before my professional debut?” 

Jongin hangs his head in silence, and the more Kyungsoo rants on, the lower his head bows; the more he curls his body into himself. However, he snaps upright the second he hears the other asks, “Are you a quitter, Jongin?” 

He shakes his head furiously. 

“Do you want to stop training under me?” 

“No!” he yells so loudly in Kyungsoo’s face the other squeezes his eyes shut and has to wipe away the little bit of saliva he is sprayed with. “Sorry,” Jongin winces. “I’ll carry on then,” he adds after a second, pushing himself away from the wall, mind already set on his new personal target of completing the jump successfully another ten times.

“Just another half hour, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says in a much gentler voice this time. “Just push yourself more. I know you can do it.” 

And even though his legs feel like lead and his nose is runny from the cold, Jongin nods in determination and starts to get back into the rhythm of skating again. Because if Kyungsoo is to have faith in someone, that someone knows not to let him down. 

~

It has been the same story since he started training under the other — every day was a challenge, and every day he was pushed to his limits by a Coach who told him he can do better. Some days he gives himself a pat on the back after the long hours he had spent on the ice. But there are also some days he retires to bed at night, shedding tears, because he felt as if nothing in the world was going right for him. 

It is no wonder Kyungsoo tells him it takes great mental strength to compete, and only a few would ever be able to bear the crown and mentality of a champion. The Coach had caught him crying in the carpark one day after an intense session ( how embarrassing! Jongin does not think he will ever get to live it down) and thought it would be good encouragement to hear. And it is! Because he no longer cried after that. Not when he failed to execute spins, and not after his countless falls attempting a level of jumps he is yet to accustom his body with. 

Jongin started to think like a champion, and with that switch in mentality, it was only a matter of time before he started to grow in leaps and bounds. 

It was torture when Kyungsoo had refused to let him on the ice, instead focusing on off-ice training during the first two weeks. According to his Coach, he needed to lose body weight and most of the muscles he had grown back in his ice hockey days, so they had dived into a lot of conditioning work and it was not quite a walk in the park as many would think especially after Kyungsoo began to control his diet too. 

Jongin thinks he has never missed fried chicken and pizza as much as he does now. 

When the other finally allowed him to put on his skates, he had felt so accomplished and ready to conquer even though it meant he now has to do both on- and off-ice training. Only, Kyungsoo needed just one sentence to clip his wings and keep him grounded. “From this moment on, forget everything that you think you know about figure skating and let us start from the basics.” 

A good foundation is what they need to build off on, and given the nature of his training these past three years, Jongin can only admit the ground he stands on is not as stable as they would have wanted. And so he abandons what he knows and goes to Kyungsoo with his hands modestly clasped in front of him, eager to learn. 

It is a tad humiliating when the other tells him to start with perfecting his crossovers, both forward and backwards, before working on his edges, mohawk and three turns. When Kyungsoo said they will start from the basics, Jongin was expecting the simpler steps and spirals, not the extent of How to Teach Figure Skating to Dummies basics. 

Thankfully, that lesson lasted not more than a day and he was soon exposed to even more difficult moves — the jumps especially. A tough wall he had to cross thereafter was the leap between learning double jumps and triples , and this was where Kyungsoo had to spend quite some time guiding Jongin. 

Sometimes, it got quite hard for the Coach to explain in words just what he wants Jongin to learn to do as well, so they find themselves depending on their friends a little — Yerim, in particular, visits his training sessions quite often to help demonstrate since it is the off season now and she can spare him some time. Also, Jongin supposes the National Team skater uses these sessions to keep herself in shape so it is not like she gains nothing from it. 

And now with him finally perfecting the triple lutz today, Jongin cannot help but smile and think it is a commendable achievement. He feels like what happened during the three years he spent winging it will never compare to how much he has grown in this one month under Kyungsoo. 

Somehow, there is a bittersweet feeling as well. If only he had a capable Coach back then… would he already be standing on the world stage now?  

He stays under the hot water for as long as he could, allowing the pressure and heat to heal his body aches, and he only leaves the stall when the hot water runs out and his hunger proves impossible to ignore. What should I eat for dinner? Jongin wonders, patting himself dry before wrapping the white towel around his waist and making his way back into the changing room. 

He finds himself stopping by the body-length mirror hanging along the corridor along the way and checking himself out. It is obvious he has lost a lot of the muscles he used to have in his upper body, but it is necessary, after all most male skaters are lean. Jongin feels up his biceps and strikes a pose in front of the mirror, frowning a little when the mound is not as high as in the past. Well, at least he still has his abs going so he supposes it is fine. 

He spins around to continue on his way and he lets out a blood-curdling scream the second he finds Kyungsoo parked in front of him, giving him a very judgemental look. It also does not help that when he jumps back because he is startled, the towel around his waist loosens and flutters to the ground, leaving him standing there bare as the day he was born. 

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops, and upon realising the Coach has not averted his eyes yet, Jongin lets out another horrified screech. 

“Stop staring, you ert!” he yells and quickly bends to pick up the towel, thereafter shielding his family jewels with two modest hands clasped in front of him. 

“Hey, watch it. Who are you calling a ert?” Kyungsoo scowls. Still he does not look away. “You were the one who flashed me all of a sudden,” he points out. 

“W-Well, I didn’t mean to!” Jongin squirms in his spot awkwardly, wishing he could run away from this embarrassment. “You scared the hell out of me!” 

Kyungsoo scoffs. To be honest, he quite enjoys watching the younger squirm uncomfortably. 

“Anyway, why are you still here?” Jongin asks. “I thought you would have already left.” 

“I was waiting for you actually,” the Coach clears his throat, and this time , he finally looks away. 

“Oh, what for?” 

“I figured we can have dinner together at the Japanese place two streets over.” 

Jongin swears his heart almost stops or he almost drops his towel again (either one), because are his ears playing a trick on him? Kyungsoo is voluntarily asking him to dinner? His idol, and the man he has looked up to since way back, is saying he wants to spend some time with him, on his own accord? 

“Why?” he blurts out. 

Jongin sincerely hopes this is a sign of Kyungsoo warming up to him. Their relationship dynamics over the past month has been nothing short of a roller-coaster — there were days when the Coach treats him kinder and is more forgiving of his mistakes, but of course, there were also days when everything and anything triggered Kyungsoo and he would lose his temper, often lashing out at Jongin in the form of harsh words and added training. 

“It’s just odd that we have yet to have a meal together even though we see each other everyday. Forget it if you don’t want to,” Kyungsoo rushes out, almost as if he was trying to take back his original offer. Strangely, his cheeks are also flushed, and Jongin cannot fathom why. Perhaps the other finally realised his invitation to dinner sounded quite like one asking out another on a date. “I’ll just see you tomorrow.” The Coach spins around and starts to make his way down the corridor. 

“Wait! I want to!” Jongin shuffles forward in as dignified a manner as one can get clutching a piece of towel over his nether regions. “Let me change into my clothes and I’ll be right out,” he says. And without waiting for an acknowledgment from Kyungsoo, he continues shuffling forward until he reaches the changing room. He immediately slams the door behind him after he takes a quick glance back and spots the other still watching him. 

“What do you think you are doing, Kim Jongin?” he mumbles to himself and lets his forehead rest against the back of the door with a loud thud. The pain barely resonates in him. He knows he should probably not think too much into this dinner; he should just take it at face value that it is a dinner between a Coach and his student. You know… one of those bonding activities. Kyungsoo clearly views it like that. 

But the faster the beat his heart drums, the more unconvinced he gets. 

~

They should have known from the pink frilly banner outside and the pretty interior decor that their planned dinner at the Japanese restaurant in their neighbourhood tonight would be different.  

“I swear I didn’t know they had a couple event today,” Kyungsoo insists, only for the hundredth time since they had set foot inside. “We can still leave if you’re uncomfortable… maybe when the waitress goes to take their order,” he points to somewhere at the back of the restaurant before ducking his head to hide behind the long menu board. 

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Jongin chuckles. On the contrary, he is finding himself quite enjoying their funny situation. “Are you uncomfortable?” he shoots back. “It’s just food, hyung. Don’t think too much into it, and don’t think too much into what others think… unless you did bring me here on purpose?” he teases. 

Kyungsoo surfaces from behind his menu and glares at him over the top of it. “There is a knife on the table,” he says. “I can still kill you,” he adds slowly when Jongin’s only reaction is to let out a chuckle. “Let’s just order, eat fast and leave,” Kyungsoo finally caves to the silence, whining in exasperation and waving the waitress over.

The blush on the waitress’ face obviously tells that she recognises Kyungsoo from his skating days. “W-What can I g-get you, gentlemen?” she stammers through her nervousness and holds her pen over a notepad. 

“The chashu ramen set, please. And a glass of hot green tea to go with,” Kyungsoo says before glancing at Jongin. “What about you? The chashu here is really good… you should get that.”

“Hmmm…” he flips through the menu briefly before pausing. “What happened to my diet?” he smiles at Kyungsoo. And it takes the other only half a second to shrug and dismiss his comment. 

“I suppose you can have a cheat day,” Kyungsoo says. 

With that blessing, Jongin makes a happy noise and points at an illustration of another type of ramen. “How about I get this spicy one and we share?” he asks excitedly. 

“Uhm—” Kyungsoo does not look like he wants to share, but Jongin hurriedly turns to the waitress to order. 

“Do you two want to get the couple set instead?” Jongin praises his good sense to raise his menu and cover his face in time because Kyungsoo chokes on his sip of water and nearly gives him a facial cleanse. “It’s only a thousand won more and you get to have fresh sashimi and a mixed tempura set to go with your two ramens,” the waitress adds, shooting Kyungsoo a worried look after because he has not stopped coughing after choking on his drink. 

“Yeah, let’s have the couple set please!” Jongin rushes out. He figures he might as well go all out since his Coach has given him a free pass for tonight. Kyungsoo swallows hard and tries to get the attention of the waitress, but he ends up coughing again when Jongin quickly sends her away to key in their orders. 

He fills Kyungsoo’s glass of water in silence and gestures for the other to drink up, all the while not daring to look him in the eye despite knowing that Kyungsoo is giving him the death glare. He can almost feel the hole being drilled on his forehead. 

“I’m a poor college student with little to no income… cut me some slack,” Jongin wheezes out a minute later. “It’s a thousand won savings, after all.”

He does not get a reaction out of the other until their waitress returns with Kyungsoo’s order of hot green tea. 

“You know I can afford to pay for both our individual set meals right?” the other asks. “Now they will definitely think we’re a couple. Well done.” His sarcasm is not lost on Jongin. 

“Please. How do you expect me to want you to pay for my meal? You’re not my sugar daddy,” he scoffs. “Neither are we on a date. Unless—” 

“Just drop it before I stab you with this fancy knife, Jongin,” Kyungsoo cuts him off with a warning, and all he can do is laugh in response.

“Anyway, what’s your plan for tomorrow?” he asks. “Now that I’ve got the triple lutz down, are you going to teach me the axel next or do we aim higher and try quads? Not that I’m looking forward to it either way…” he shudders because he remembers the one time he tried to imitate Kyungsoo executing a quad flip in a video, he had ended up breaking his ankle rather spectacularly. 

“I don’t care if you’re looking forward to it or not,” Kyungsoo says bluntly. “We start work on quads next week. I’m trying to get you into a small local competition organised by members of the National Skating Academy in October in Busan. It will be good exposure and a good platform to see where you stand after having worked with you for over the period of a month.” Jongin gulps when the other gives him a once-over. He does not expect Kyungsoo’s next question at all. 

“Do you think you’re ready for it?” 

“I-I—” Jongin is given temporary respite when the waitress returns with their ramen and sides and bids them a good meal. He can see Kyungsoo’s eyes are still fixed on him despite the many bowls and plates being laid down in front of them. Knowing that the other is patiently waiting for an answer, he takes the time to recollect his thoughts.  

The truth is… I have to be ready , he thinks. This chance is one more than three years in the making. 

Once the waitress leaves them to their meal, Jongin says firmly, “I am.” 

Kyungsoo holds his stare for what seems like the longest time before he nods and picks up his chopsticks, and Jongin cannot help the smile that breaks out on his face. The other must be satisfied with his answer. 

“Although, I will need the help of a choreographer,” he adds midway through slurping down his noodles. 

Kyungsoo nods and sticks an ebi tempura into his mouth. “Of course,” he murmurs. “I already put some thought into it. I cannot trust you to come up with your own choreography,” he snorts. Jongin blushes. The other must be referring to that time when he had skated in front of him for the very first time — the trial he had bombed, as he likes to describe it now. It was really haphazard then, with him randomly adding elements here and there because he thought it suited the music. 

“You have classes tomorrow morning right?” Kyungsoo asks. 

“Yeah, I do.” In fact, it is a lecture he cannot miss… not that he has not skipped lectures he could not afford to skip before. “Why?” Jongin adds. “Don’t worry, I’ll still make it the rink in time for our training in the afternoon.” 

“It’s not that. I’ll get my driver to pick you up outside the main doors at 3pm. We’re taking a break from the ice tomorrow,” Kyungsoo says. “We’re visiting my friend and he’s going to be choreographing a routine for you. He’s a little eccentric… but really, he means no harm.” 

“Wow… okay,” Jongin’s only reaction is to stuff his face with more food because Kyungsoo is fixing him a look, and he cannot understand why there is a shadow of a smile on the other’s face. It almost seems like a foreboding sign of what is to come. Oh no. He starts to worry. How eccentric is this friend of his exactly?  

They eventually drop the conversation to satisfy their hunger. In fact, dinner with Kyungsoo is turning out to be quite a pleasant experience barring the small blips when he had tried to sneak in a spoon of Kyungsoo’s soup and almost ended up with a chopstick jabbed in his hand (so it is true the other is really not keen on sharing). There was also their mini chopstick battle over the last salmon roe sashimi, which Kyungsoo had won eventually , much to Jongin’s dismay as he returns to pouting at his empty bowl. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to split the bill?” Jongin leans down to whisper in Kyungsoo’s ear for the umpteenth time as they make their way from the back of the restaurant to the doors. He jerks his head back when his lips actually make contact with warm skin for a second and Kyungsoo glares up at him. 

“Yes,” Kyungsoo growls. “I can afford to pay for you too, Jongin. I was the one who asked to have dinner together anyway, so will you just drop it and get me out of here?” Jongin quiets and quickly grabs the push handle to help as the other starts grumbling about the difficulties of maneuvering his wheelchair in the restaurant. 

At least his wallet in his bomber jacket heaves a sigh of relief because he would have blown a hole in his monthly allowance if Kyungsoo had not settled the bill earlier. Not that he would admit this to the other now since he was previously boasting that he had the means to pay his share and he did not need a sugar daddy. Who knew some ramen and sashimi could cost so much? The couple set promotion was obviously a rip off , he scowls to himself.

Just as they reach the exit, their waitress from before stops them and gestures to the lovely backdrop set up to the side of the doors — clearly a couple backdrop, with hearts, romantic quotes and the likes. 

“Do you want to try out our photo booth and get a photo to remind you of your date tonight? It’s free.” She must not be good at reading situations because she even smiles at them, despite Kyungsoo scowling and transiting into his mean mode. However, before the other can correct the waitress snidely that they are not on a date, Jongin quickly wheels him into the set-up and bends down so their faces are level. He ignores all of Kyungsoo’s heavy protests.  

“Smile hyung,” he whispers, whipping out a big smile on his own face. “There are people watching,” he says from the corner of his mouth. The reminder forces Kyungsoo to quiet down and cooperate, just in time as the waitress clicks on the shutter. 

But Kyungsoo does manage to punch him on his side awhile later, when Jongin had burst into laughter looking at their photo because the other had looked so grouchy . On the other hand, there was Jongin radiating sunshine just a couple of inches beside him.

“Throw it away,” Kyungsoo tells him when they were waiting by the road for his driver to arrive later. “Or burn it.” 

But Jongin manages to slip it into his wallet when the other is distracted, and he smiles to himself on the achievement. He cannot wait to look at it every time he needs some cheering up now.  

~

“Why have you decided to accompany me today?” Kyungsoo asks Baekhyun as the latter wheels him out of the lift and down the corridor to Yixing’s office, whistling a tune he does not recognise. Must be a red velvet song , Kyungsoo thinks. After all, he knows his best friend best — he and Junmyeon are the worst when it comes to those girls. “It is so unlike you to volunteer,” he adds in a suspicious voice. The other’s happy mood also throws him off slightly. 

“I’m hurt, Soo. Can’t I want to spend some time with my best friend?” Baekhyun stops them and places a palm over his heart, giving him a faux pout. Now only if Kyungsoo could reach high enough to wipe that disgusting look off his face. “I feel like I’ve not been back in Seoul for the longest time.” 

Kyungsoo snorts but struggles the second the other envelopes him in a hug. Although, credit must be given to Baekhyun for being brave enough to tighten his hold. 

“You better let go right now,” Kyungsoo warns in a soft voice because there are people watching them weirdly, and surely they would be recognised, especially Baekhyun who is fresh off a win from Skate America. Kyungsoo has seen the scale of the media coverage on the event. 

And all it takes is a pinch to Baekhyun’s waist and the other is soon yelping and jumping away from him. 

“Come on. I’m already late for my appointment,” Kyungsoo wheels himself down the corridor, trying his best to ignore the soft puppy sounds his best friend is making as he catches up to him, hurt from the attack.

“Alright, the truth is I decided to come with you today because I heard about what happened the last time you got this jab okay?” Baekhyun admits. “And since it is my rest day, I had time to spare. It is totally not like I missed you or anything.” He gives Kyungsoo an unconvincing side look.  

The former skater comes to a stop in front of a familiar set of doors and looks up at his best friend. The look of worry is obvious in the crease of the other’s brows and he is touched. Because he knows even though Baekhyun has a naturally playful personality and he likes to joke around all the time, the way he treats the people closest to him is always with utmost sincerity and kindness. It is exactly this that he appreciates the other’s presence in his life. 

Kyungsoo reaches out to hold Baekhyun’s hand and gives it a squeeze. “You know I’m fine now right?” 

“Yeah, after you almost died on us,” the other frowns, but at least he squeezes back. And that is enough to bring a smile to Kyungsoo’s face. 

“Yixing said he is going to reduce the dosage this time. Me fainting and turning delirious will not happen again,” he reassures. 

“Alright, enough with the lovey doveyness…” Baekhyun breaks them apart a second later and knocks on the door with what Kyungsoo thinks is excitement? He is confused at the other’s sudden mood swing. “Time to see our favourite doctor!” the other sing-songs and pushes open the door when Yixing’s voice can be heard from inside, telling them to come in. 

Oh. Kyungsoo thinks he gets it now — the true reason why Baekhyun had volunteered to bring him to the hospital today. 

It is pretty obvious when his best friend leaves him at the door and dashes into the room to greet Yixing with so much enthusiasm. 

“Hello, doc! I have missed you! Have you been treating my Soo Soo well?” 

“Don’t call me Soo Soo.” 

“Soo Soo, what are you still doing by the door? Roll yourself in!” comes Baekhyun’s cheeky reply. 

“You little bastard,” Kyungsoo says when he finally reaches the pair. “You came for—” A hand to his mouth shuts him up pretty quickly, and he glares up at Baekhyun. At least his best friend had the decency to look away guiltily. Too bad Yixing misses this interaction for he only turns around from rummaging in his cupboards now. 

“Hey Soo,” the doctor greets him. “It’s going to be the same procedure as last time, although I have reduced the dosage quite a bit. You really scared me last time. Why didn’t you call the second you felt unwell?” Kyungsoo gets a scolding look from Yixing and he hangs his head with a shamefaced expression. “If not for Jongin, I fear what could have been the outcome.” 

Yes, he needed this reminder that he is indebted to the younger. (No, not really.)  

“Alright, enough with the sad vibes,” Yixing claps him on his shoulder. “Why don’t you take your shirt off and we get you on the table?” 

“Ooh… are you going to take off your shirt too, doc?” Baekhyun asks shamelessly. Silence permeates the room at once, and Yixing and Kyungsoo eye him in shock and an emotion that screams you are an idiot respectively. It is then that Baekhyun yells, “just kidding!” and tries to laugh off the awkwardness. 

But Kyungsoo sees the sad pout that settles on his best friend’s face, probably because he is not getting the attention he wants from the object of his affection, and he curses himself for being soft. “Ha. Ha,” Kyungsoo says monosyllabically. “Isn’t he funny?” he points out to Yixing in an attempt to brighten the mood in the room again.

And thank god Yixing is a genuinely nice guy because he chuckles and gives Baekhyun a smile, which in turn has the other feeling happy again. Kyungsoo gives himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. 

Baekhyun owes him one for saving his .

~

“I couldn’t quite believe it when my assistant said you called yesterday, but oh my god you’re really here… Doh Kyungsoo in the flesh!” A young guy dressed in a sleeveless black mesh shirt and sinful black tights that accentuates all his curves saunters up to them and bends to give Kyungsoo dramatic air kisses. Jongin almost laughs when he spots the look of irritation and discomfort on his Coach’s face. “To whom do I owe the pleasure, my darling?” 

Well, he is definitely eccentric alright., Jongin thinks. Kyungsoo was right after all. 

“Tae—”

Jongin freezes when the man ignores Kyungsoo and turns to look at him, eyeing him up and down with a smile growing on his face with every passing second. 

“And you brought along a hot piece of as well. I should thank you,” the other coos.

Jongin gulps, covers his with his hands and shuffles sideways to hide partially behind Kyungsoo. As if that would provide any shelter at all. He can see his Coach rolling his eyes at him. 

“Your name, pretty boy?” 

Jongin shakes his head in fear.

“Enough,” Kyungsoo lets out an exasperated sigh and gestures between both of them to get the introductions out of the way. “Taemin, this is the guy I’ve been training, Jongin. Jongin, this is my friend, Taemin, who may not look like it, but he is actually a world renowned dancer and choreographer.” 

A cocky look appears on Taemin’s face when Kyungsoo lays that praise on him. 

“You must be wondering if he’s always so flirty and touchy.” He cannot help but nod lightly when Kyungsoo glances at him. But is the latter seriously asking him this right in front of the said guy? “Sadly, the answer is yes . He’s always flirty and touchy.” 

Taemin scoffs. 

“But don’t worry too much about it… that is just his personality. His mother dropped him on his head when he was a baby. Also , I know for a fact that he has a boyfriend who doesn’t like his flirting one bit—” Taemin rolls his eyes exaggeratedly at this “— so get yourselves acquainted, but not too acquainted. Taemin will be choreographing your routines, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says. 

Jongin jumps when the dancer claps his hands twice. There is now a look of seriousness on his face that was not there before. 

“Get changed, pretty boy. I hear you have a competition coming up in only two months’ time, so let’s get those y hips moving. Hurry along… the bathroom is over there.” 

He yelps when Taemin slaps him on the as he passes him with his tights clutched to his chest. He even glances back to shoot help me glances at Kyungsoo, but the latter merely sighs and runs a hand over his face. 

“What’s the theme you want to go for, Tae?” Kyungsoo asks while Jongin is still preoccupied in the bathroom. “I know that look on your face. You already have something in mind, don’t you?” He makes a noise when Taemin comes closer and perches himself on the side of his wheelchair. The other even pats his head, and Kyungsoo has half a mind to chew his hand off. Shoving him on the floor seems another viable option.

“Yes, I do have an idea for Jongin already… I am referring to the short programme by the way.” They turn their heads collectively when the door to the bathroom swings open and the said guy steps out. 

Jongin has to pause a bit to take in the sight of Taemin hanging all over Kyungsoo, but he must eventually think it is safe to come closer for he steps forward. “But I’m not spilling yet. I want to see how good a dancer he is first,” Taemin says, popping up and stepping in front of Jongin who cannot help the nervous fidget of his fingers clasped in front of his tights because the other does not say a word while assessing his body. 

“Look at those hips, baby,” Taemin lets out a slow whistle eventually. 

Jongin sees Kyungsoo retreating to a quiet corner and whipping out his phone, so he knows he is not going to get any help there. He whimpers. He is well and truly at the mercy of the dancer now. 

“Kyungsoo said you used to do ballet?”

“When I was a kid, yes,” he shuffles forward when Taemin beckons him over to the barre. “Then after I quit ice hockey, I started to practise it again.”

“Good,” the dancer hums. “You must be pretty flexible then… well, what are you waiting for? Start stretching!” Jongin startles slightly when Taemin raises his voice so he quickly props one leg up. “Have you tried other genres of dance?” 

He shakes his head nervously. 

“Really? Not hip-hop or anything y… more sensual?” He gets a surprised look from the other and he does not know why. Does he give off the impression that he knows how to y dance? Taemin has on a contemplating expression next, and somehow Jongin knows where this is leading. 

“Well, I guess that will change soon then,” the dancer smirks and taps his thigh, although Jongin notes his fingers linger for longer than necessary. Jongin finds he longer minds; already used to the other’s touchy behaviour. 

After all, he trusts Kyungsoo would not have brought him here if Taemin was not but harmless. 

“Bend lower, pretty boy. What is the point of doing just a leg raise?” 

Jongin takes in a deep breath of air and folds his upper body till he feels the stretch in the back of his thighs. He certainly tries not to blush when he catches Kyungsoo staring in the mirror. 

Somehow the only thought that comes to his mind is I hope my looks fine .

~

Meanwhile across the studio, Kyungsoo is finding it extremely hard to concentrate on the page he has pulled up on his web browser. 

He lets out an awkward cough and brings his phone right up to block his face when he sees Jongin looking at him through the mirror. Must pretend everything is normal, he tells himself. But who is he kidding? He squirms uncomfortably when Jongin looks away with a telling blush on his face, which meant the other had probably caught him right in the act of checking him out. One second! He had only looked for a hot second, he swears.  

“General requirements to enter the competition…” Kyungsoo reads off the website in a bid to distract himself from the even more distracting sight some feet away. He does not know what had gotten over him actually. Before today, he could have sworn he would not have been able to put Jongin and the word attractive in the same thought. 

Kyungsoo cannot help but sneak another peek at the other who was basically showcasing his to the world, however he almost breaks his neck at the speed he looks down at his phone once more when Taemin catches him looking and smirks at him.

“You’re an idiot,” he berates himself and forces himself to actually read through the registration page of the skating competition he intends to register Jongin for at the end of the year. The event is meant for skaters of beginner to intermediate level skills so he thinks it is a good platform to test Jongin. What he has not told the other is that if he does well here, he is actually considering registering him for regionals next.

To be very honest, Kyungsoo does not know what to think of Jongin’s standard of skating yet. Some days, he appreciates the other’s effort to push himself and he feels a sense of accomplishment whenever the other does what he tells him to without any errors. But, of course, there are the bad days when he has to control himself from cursing and chewing Jongin up for still being way off competitive skating standards. 

He fills in the required fields of the online form diligently when it loads, but just as he was about to type out his name in the coaching staff field, Taemin calls out to him. 

“Kyungsoo!”

And because he knows his friend very well, he utters a silent prayer for the sanity of his mind before looking their way. 

“Do you think Jongin is y?” 

He should have known it would be something along the lines of forthright and partially embarrassing. Thank god Jongin is blushing up a storm too from where he is frozen in a weird stretching pose on the floor. If Kyungsoo did not know better, he would have thought it was one of those tantric positions. 

“W-What’s with the question?” He wants to smack himself for stuttering.

“I’m trying to convince Jongin to go with a y routine,” Taemin replies. “This bad boy will steal all the judges’ hearts with a smirk on that handsome face.” The dancer goes around Jongin and his neck. “Don’t you think so?” The question is directed at Kyungsoo. 

“I s-suppose so,” he says. Maybe with his hair styled up and a killer outfit on, Jongin does seem to fit the bad boy bill. 

There is a frown that naturally appears on Kyungsoo’s face when he sees Jongin trying to lean out of Taemin’s touch. He understands that. The other can be quite overwhelmingly touchy. The first time he ever met the dancer, Kyungsoo had almost skated over his fingers intentionally because the other kept poking his cheeks and calling them squishy, whatever the hell that means?! If not for Junmyeon stopping him in time, he is sure he would have been put in jail by Taemin’s overprotective boyfriend who is coincidentally (or not) a police officer. 

“I don’t think he is quite right in the head, but sshhh… we don’t want Minho to sue us,” Junmyeon had whispered to him a little later and made a finger-to-lip gesture. And Kyungsoo does not know if the other had meant it as a joke, even until this day.

“Stop touching him,” he snaps at Taemin, taking both the dancer and Jongin by surprise. 

“Why not?” Taemin gives him a -eating grin, and of course he has to place not one but two of his hands on Jongin’s shoulder and starts giving him a massage out of nowhere. Kyungsoo’s eyelid twitches. He cannot put into words the weird feeling he feels in his chest when Jongin looks up at him with a pleading look; so vulnerable and yet entrancing. “Are you jealous?” 

The “of course not!” slips out too quickly to be believable, so Kyungsoo decides to spin his wheelchair around and face the wall instead. Like this, he can continue to fill in the registration form without any distractions. 

Naturally, he does not notice the way Jongin’s face falls. 

~

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” 

“What?” Kyungsoo asks. But from the smile he is trying to hide, Jongin knows the other is feigning it. He sure as hell knows what Jongin is about to say.  

“You never told me I will be competing against kids ,” Jongin continues to stare with wide eyes at the skaters warming up on the ice. 

“They’re not kids,” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes in irritation. “Granted they are a couple of years younger than you, but they’re still teens… were you not still one just a year ago, Jong—”

“And is that a grandpa doing a shotgun spin?!” 

True enough, there is a short white-haired man with a hint of a pot belly peeking out from under his dazzling outfit, showing off his moves at the other end of the ice. Kyungsoo sighs. “You will catch flies if you don’t close your mouth,” he says. 

At least that warning has Jongin snapping his jaws together, although he does not lose the look of utter shock and disbelief on his face. 

“I thought I told you this small local competition only has an open category? Anyone can join, and I mean anyone .” He presses his hand against the small of Jongin’s back and nudges him to get him to start walking towards the registration booth as he wheels himself forward. “Don’t look down on your competition just yet… who knows, that old grandpa might just whoop your ,” he teases. 

“Have a little faith in me, okay?” Jongin scoffs and gives Kyungsoo a look. “I trained hard these past three months with you, and Taemin has practically turned me into a professional dancer with the hours I have spent under him. I will crush the competition. Just you wait,” the other says haughtily. 

Kyungsoo shakes his head and follows after Jongin who is clearing the way for him. He wants to tell the other to not be cocky, because cocky and confident are two different things altogether, but he misses the timing to speak because a staff member greets them when they reach the front of the booth. 

“Oh my god, are you Doh Kyungsoo?” She starts to slap the arms of her co-worker sitting beside her excitedly, and Kyungsoo tries to shush her because he does not want to draw attention to himself. But the pitch of her voice only elevates. “You’re Doh Kyungsoo right! Oh my god… can I take a picture with you, please?” By now, the people around them have already noticed him and are stepping closer, talking amongst themselves while giving him glances. Some have even whipped out their phones to take pictures, and Kyungsoo feels his blood drain from his face. 

This was not the scene he had expected before today. He can already imagine the news of him appearing at a public rink after months of him staying away from the limelight spreading like wildfire on social media. 

“Sorry, I don’t want to—” he means to say he is uncomfortable with the request, but the girl cuts him off. How rude. 

“Just one photo! I promise.” She stands and tries to lean over the table to do a selfie with him, and that is where he draws the line. Kyungsoo backs away quickly and lets out a sigh of relief when Jongin steps up to block him from the staff. From behind, Jongin’s wide back makes him look so dependable… and that is what he needs right now — safety. 

“I’m here to collect my competitor’s tag,” the skater says. “My name is Jongin, Kim Jongin.” Kyungsoo tries to hide his smile when Jongin unabashedly, and quite obviously on purpose, continues to shift left and right to block the staff’s view when she tries to peek around him. “Hey!” the skater finally snaps. That effectively startles the staff. “Eyes on me, okay? I am the star today. I’m the one who is finally competing after years of training. Can you get me my name tag now? You are cutting into my warm up time.” 

“I-I’m so sorry!” The girl quickly turns red in the face and flips through her list to locate Jongin’s name. Meanwhile, Kyungsoo can only roll his eyes (in amusement) when Jongin glances over his shoulder and winks at him. 

“Come on, hyung,” the younger practically snatches the tag from the staff’s hand when she hands it over and leads Kyungsoo to a spot where there is lesser people. 

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo whispers when they come to a stop. 

“Come again?” 

He almost repeats himself until he catches sight of the teasing look on Jongin’s face. “You heard me fine. I’m not saying it again,” Kyungsoo scowls. 

Jongin laughs and does his seal claps. “What a rare phenomenon — hearing you thank me,” the other says. “Let them look, hyung.” The expression on Jongin’s face gradually softens. “Just ignore them… and if it gets too uncomfortable, we can always leave.” 

“What nonsense are you spouting?” Kyungsoo frowns, breaking his silence at this point. “I’m not letting you leave without skating in this competition. Were the past three months of hard work a figment of your imagination, or are they so easily dismissed? What are you waiting for? Start stretching! Don’t think you can take it easy just because this competition only requires short programs.” 

There is the Kyungsoo he is used to seeing, not the one who looked so uncomfortable and vulnerable when the staff and the people around them had been crowding around him by the booth earlier. 

Jongin snaps to attention at once and does a mock salute. “Yes sir!” he smiles and starts to prepare himself. 

“Guess what?” Kyungsoo’s voice makes him look up while he is holding his legs open in a split. “You’re skating tenth in the field of fifteen—” Jongin hums. That does not sound all that bad. “—and the grandpa is skating before you.” 

He splutters. 

“Just try not to get your handed to you,” Kyungsoo laughs. 

“Shut up,” he scowls.

~

“Deep breaths, Jongin. You look like you’re about to vomit out your lunch,” Kyungsoo places his hand on the younger’s back and gives him a couple of soft pats hesitantly, as if afraid exerting too much strength will actually make him puke, which is the opposite of what the Coach wants. 

“I don’t think I can do this,” Jongin panics, still watching the grandpa who is halfway through his routine. He is next on the ice, and the sudden realisation scares him a ton. 

“Why are you acting like this now?” Kyungsoo says in a soft, calm voice. “Where was the confident and determined guy from earlier?” 

He shakes his head. He does not know where that part of him has gone either. While waiting for his turn, and while watching the rest of the skaters before him, gradually Jongin had felt his heart rate pick up and his fingers turn clammy. 

“What guy? I don’t know him.” 

It is not because the rest are really good and it adds pressure on him to deliver — there were a couple of amateurs who skated simple routines and there were some who had big falls; there is no doubt that this is considered an amateur-standard competition. It is also not because of the crowd that has gathered to watch in the hall. There are only about a hundred pairs of eyes that would be on him shortly. He is used to larger crowds from his hockey days. 

It is in fact the fear of disappointing. 

It is the fear of letting down Kyungsoo, and more importantly, letting down himself. Because he knows the outcome of this skate will have a significant influence on the rest of his path. His insecurities and his inner demons from having failed to achieve anything in the past three years is creeping back into the picture now.

“Kim Jongin-sshi? Please head to the holding area now. The skater before you is almost done,” a staff holding a walkie-talkie runs up to them, and after confirming Jongin’s tag pasted over his black pants, he barks into the device and hurries off again. 

Kyungsoo must notice the way his eyes widen, expression on the brink of losing it, as Jongin realises he has run out of time. 

“Jongin, come here,” his Coach commands. And before he even has time to do as told, Jongin feels himself being tugged down by his sequined collar and then warm hands press up against his cheeks. With Kyungsoo holding onto his face like that, Jongin’s eyes are drawn to the other’s at once and he slowly starts to calm down because the look in the Coach’s eyes anchors him instead of allowing him to let his fears consume him. 

“I know you are scared, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says. “I myself was terrified the very first time I skated in front of a crowd.” Jongin blinks. “But you’re strong. You have proved that in the past months. Believe in yourself more, okay? Because I believe in your ability,” the other pauses. 

They can see from the corner of their eyes the previous staff waving at them to get their attention. It seems Jongin’s turn has finally arrived. “Remember why you skate, Jongin. Remember who you skate for, and you will be fine.” 

“Okay, okay…” the younger mutters to himself. 

Remember why you skate. Remember who you skate for.

Jongin straightens up when his face is released, and when he opens his eyes, Kyungsoo sees from the fire within them that the skater has found his answer. 

“Kim Jongin-sshi!” 

“I’m ready!” He yells back to the staff waiting by the entrance of the rink before looking at Kyungsoo. 

“You’ll do well,” his Coach says. “Taemin’s choreography is nothing short of amazing and I have faith you will pull it off. To quote him:make your audience fall for you .” Jongin nods and Kyungsoo gives him a reassuring smile before nudging him in the direction of the rink. “I’ll be waiting for you at the kiss and cry.”  

~

DOH KYUNGSOO SPOTTED AT NEIGHBOURHOOD SKATING EVENT IN BUSAN

Many were stunned to see the former World and Olympic champion turning up at the small competition meant for amateur skaters yesterday. Officials we spoke to shared that Doh Kyungsoo was in attendance as a Coach to 20-year old Kim Jongin, who is surprisingly a former National Ice Hockey Team player. What an interesting pairing. 

Doh Kyungsoo was involved in a major car accident in November 2015 that paralysed him from the waist down. The famous lyricist and composer, LOEY (real name: Park Chanyeol), Kyungsoo’s boyfriend at that time passed away in the same accident. This public appearance at a competition, albeit a small one, marks the first time in almost a year he has returned to the rink. 

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post response:

[+293][-61]

original post: here

[+112][-9] KYUNGSOO-YAH… It has been so long. My heart hurts seeing you in the wheelchair, looking out onto the ice, which was once your life TT TT thank you for coming back after all you have gone through! You are the strongest person I know. I hope you will continue to show us your beautiful smile. 

[+88][-3] That Kim Jongin kid he is training is no joke! I was there yesterday and Jongin-sshi skated to MOVE by Taemin. THAT SONG ASDFGHJKL ! The temperature in the hall just shot to the roof. He was so y! Some of my girlfriends almost fainted when he winked. Too bad he only got second because he fell… Where is he competing next? I am definitely going to cheer him on! 

[+69][-6] Sis, I agree. From the video, he looked like an experienced playboy HAHAHA… But why was he staring at Kyungsoo throughout his routine?! All those smirks and sensual looks ;; HOW IS KYUNGSOO STILL ALIVE AFTER THAT?! If I were him, I will definitely fall for him!!! 

[+25][-41] Wait, so that Kim Jongin is a former ice hockey player? Why is Kyungsoo-sshi training him for figure then? Is he not a little too old to be starting the sport lol  

~

“What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo growls the second he swings his door open. He hopes his glare is sufficient to ward off the poor soul that had rang his doorbell. And he does indeed gain a little bit of satisfaction when he manages to scare Jongin to take an involuntary step back. Gominnie runs up to the door and barks in excitement. 

That puppy traitor. 

“I don’t have time for you today,” he says as he reaches for the door to slam it in Jongin’s face, but the latter is obviously prepared. 

Jongin jams a foot forward desperately and lets out a whimper when the door hits his foot hard . He should probably have thought this through more before offering up his bad leg as sacrifice. 

Seeing this, Kyungsoo quickly holds the door for him. “Are you crazy?!” he roars at Jongin. “Why did you do that? Do you want to add an injury to yourself while we are in the midst of preparing you for regionals in three months’ time? Let me see,” he reaches for his foot.  

Jongin steps further into Kyungsoo’s apartment so that the Coach will stop fussing over him. The other does not know of his old injury and he intends to keep it that way lest he angers him again. He moves away from the door also because he does not want to give Kyungsoo another chance to chase him away.

“Seriously, I’m fine,” he tells the man trailing after him, ignoring the throbbing in his ankle as he pats Gominnie. “Why weren’t you at the rink?” He finally gets down to the real reason why he is here in Kyungsoo’s apartment. “I thought we had morning practice.” Jongin whirls around to look at Kyungsoo, who is remaining oddly silent. “I waited for you, and when an hour passed I decided to come looking. I was worried… You weren’t even answering my calls or replying to my messages,” he pauses for a short while before adding, “are you okay, Kyungsoo hyung?”  

Kyungsoo lets out a sigh and tries to ignore how he feels about Jongin looking genuinely concerned for him. 

“Did I do something wrong?” the skater worries his bottom lip. “I know I was really frustrated at training yesterday and might have said some stuff I didn’t really mean… I’m sorry. Please don’t be upset at me,” Jongin reaches out for Kyungsoo’s hand, but the latter calmly shifts it out of reach. 

“It’s not you, Jongin. There is no training today. I’m giving you a rare day off so you better treasure it,” Kyungsoo says. “I have stuff to do so be on your way now.” 

But Jongin refuses to move even though the other shoves at him. The news that his Coach is cancelling his training for the day surprises him. After all, it has been full steam ahead since he won silver at that competition in Busan a month ago. 

Without the distraction of college anymore — his graduation date had flown by at the start of winter, leaving him with a generic business degree he does not know what to do with — Jongin had found himself shuttling between the rink and Taemin’s studio every single day, without a break. Of course, there were days he had protested Kyungsoo’s insane schedule for him but the Coach has never yielded. 

Now that he is offering Jongin rest voluntarily , it throws the skater off. 

“What stuff?” the question slips out of his mouth easily. Gominnie barks and hops up to place his paws on Jongin’s thighs, seemingly bored at the fact that their visitor is not giving him the attention he wants. 

“None of your business.” Kyungsoo makes for the kitchen, and it is then that Jongin notices the flowers and packed food lying on the dining table. 

“Wait, are you going on a date?!” He cannot help his pout. Somehow, he does not want to think about the other seeing someone else. 

He regrets asking the second Kyungsoo turns around, small knife in hand and a murderous expression on his face. 

“Do I look like I’m dressed for a date?” the other snarls and slices the roll of kimbap with probably more strength than needed. 

Jongin looks Kyungsoo up and down unabashedly since the other had practically given him the permission to. White dress shirt and black formal pants — a look he sees on the other quite regularly. He briefly wonders if Kyungsoo’s wardrobe really consists of only this outfit. 

Although boring, men do go out on dates dressed like that so he cannot be sure. The choice of flowers is somewhat surprising to him though. Rarely does one gift white flowers to their dates because of the meaning they carry. 

“If you’re done loitering around in my apartment, get out,” Kyungsoo shoves the wrapped kimbap and all the food containers into a big paper bag before picking up the bouquet of white lilies and making his way to the door. “My driver is already here.” 

“I’m coming with you,” Jongin blurts out. 

Kyungsoo pauses midway through sliding on his shoes. “Uhm… no, you’re not,” he deadpans. 

“You said it wasn’t a date,” Jongin avoids eye contact. “So I don’t see why I cannot follow you to wherever it is you are heading to.” He shrugs. 

“Do you not have anything better to do?” Kyungsoo cries out exasperatedly. “Even if it is not a date, which yes … it is not, you still cannot come.” 

“But hyung!” He whines and rushes up to the other as he wheels himself out of the apartment. The last thing Jongin wants is for Kyungsoo to lock him in. “You cannot just take me by surprise and give me a day off without letting me have some advance notice. What am I supposed to do now? Go home and play video games or something? I need to practise my jumps!”

“Don’t be dramatic, Jongin,” Kyungsoo sighs and pushes Gominnie’s head back into the apartment so the puppy does not get hit by the closing door. They can hear Gominnie’s sad whines at being left behind and Kyungsoo gives the door an apologetic look. “Do you not have friends? Family? Perhaps go home and spend time with Jongdae and your father for once?” 

“Jongdae hyung and my dad are in Sweden now, and I have no friends,” Jongin holds the lift door for Kyungsoo as they get in. “I only have you.” 

“I’m being serious!” he rushes out when the Coach snorts. Jongin quickly helps the other with his bags, despite there being some protests. “For some time now, my life has revolved around you,” he raises his voice to get his point across. 

Jongin is agitated, and rightly so, because Kyungsoo is just not listening!  

He only realises he could have worded his sentence better when he sees the blush on Kyungsoo’s cheeks. 

My life has revolved around you. 

The blood drains from his face at once, not because it is not the truth (it is quite literally!), but rather he is unprepared to make known the truth to Kyungsoo now. After all, there are more important things on their daily agenda than his feelings. 

“I mean my life has revolved around skating because of your insane training, and I see you every single day,” Jongin quickly clarifies. “So don’t push me away, okay? I’ve nothing and no one else.” He hurries out of the lift without waiting for Kyungsoo the second the doors open on the ground floor. 

Kill me now, he gives himself a mental slap. That was by far one of the most embarrassing moments of his life! Although for the rest of the walk to Kyungsoo’s car, Jongin is too distracted by his own thoughts that he does not realise the other is no longer protesting his company. 

Kyungsoo allows him to climb into the backseat after his driver stows away the wheelchair, and their whole journey to a destination Jongin does not have a clue where is spent in awkward silence. 

~

It is almost an hour later, when they are pulling into the carpark of the national cemetery, that Jongin thinks he is one of the world’s most ignorant and insensitive bastards. 

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…” his voice trails off when Kyungsoo turns to look at him. Suddenly, the bouquet of white lilies in the other’s hands makes so much sense. It is November after all. Jongin wonders how he missed this detail. 

“It’s his one year anniversary today,” Kyungsoo says in a soft voice and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Come on, let’s not keep him waiting.” 

“M-Maybe I should just stay in the car—” he means to offer the other some time with Chanyeol, but he also realises it would be rude if he does not go and pay his respects. “Uhm…” he pauses to weigh his options.

“You should go say hi at least,” Kyungsoo makes the decision for him. “You’ve met him before, right?” he asks as he hauls himself onto his wheelchair with practised ease. “I suppose since you are already here, I cannot just expect you to leave alone. Come on then… grab the food for me. I have the flowers.” 

Jongin steps out of the vehicle and rushes to follow after the other at once.

“He’s down this way,” Kyungsoo tells him as they make their way down a more private path.

Despite it being almost the dead of winter, the sun overhead is mercilessly today and the lack of wind makes him want to scratch the uncomfortable spot below his arms. But Jongin feels even more tortured when he sees how Kyungsoo’s face changes when they finally reach Chanyeol’s resting place. He stands back to allow the other some space, not knowing what to do with himself after having bowed and said a greeting in silence. 

“I’m here, Yeol-ah,” Kyungsoo moves closer to lay the flowers by the headstone, and the way he stares at the photo of a smiling Chanyeol makes Jongin’s heart aches. He almost drops the basket he is holding when Kyungsoo mentions him. “You also have another visitor today… Jongin’s here as well,” the other beckons him forward with a wave of a hand and he shuffles forward awkwardly. “Do you remember him? He is Jongdae’s little brother, and perhaps what is more surprising is that I’m now his Coach,” Kyungsoo lets out a slight chuckle. “He has taken up figure skating.” 

“Hello, Chanyeol hyung,” Jongin bows again and sets the basket down by Kyungsoo’s feet. “That is true. I’m very grateful to have Kyungsoo hyung by my side. I hope you’re doing well up there—” he pretends he does not see Kyungsoo face away and wipe at the corner of his eyes “—don’t worry about Kyungsoo hyung. As you can see, he is living well. We’ll take good care of him.” 

I’ll take care of him, he means to say too. 

Jongin feels like he is still intruding into Kyungsoo and Chanyeol’s private space so he decides to take his leave first. “I’ll wait for you by the main hall, hyung. Take all the time you need,” he says, only stepping away after he receives a small grateful nod from Kyungsoo. He does not notice the other staring after his back until he is no longer in his line of sight, assuming that Kyungsoo has already forgotten his presence since he is in front of Chanyeol. 

When Jongin disappears past the row of rose bushes, Kyungsoo trains his eyes on his ex-boyfriend’s photo again. 

“He’s the reason why I’ve been too busy to visit you these past months actually,” he sighs. “I miss you… I feel like a lot has happened that I need to update you on.” Somehow, spreading out a mat on the pathway and unpacking the food he brought along reminds him of his old dates with Chanyeol — their picnics at Hangang whenever their schedules allowed them some rest, with falling cherry blossoms adding a beautiful backdrop to their dates — happy memories. 

Maybe in another lifetime and at another place, they can go back to what they once were. 

But not here and not now. 

“Firstly, Jongin is right. I’ve decided to get my act together,” Kyungsoo says. “I didn’t want you to feel sad whenever you look down at me and see me in a bad state.” He takes a bite of the kimbap he had prepared earlier. “In fact, I bet you will be happy to hear that I have been diligently following Yixing’s rehabilitation programme.” He squeezes his thighs gently and the minute tingle he feels puts a smile on his face. “Who knows? I may be able to walk again someday,” he shrugs. 

“Let’s see what else happened since I last came here…” his voice trails off before he makes a noise halfway between surprise and a grunt. “Ah! Can you believe Baekhyun has a crush on someone?” Kyungsoo laughs to himself, and the conversation is all a blur to him from then on. 

“Jongin happened next,” he shares. Again, Kyungsoo does not leave out a single thing about his story with Jongin. Beginning from that first time he saw the younger skate, he does not spare Jongin’s blushes at all, he tells Chanyeol everything , even laughing when he recalled some of the more dramatic falls the other had experienced during training and their most recent competition. He does not even realise how much time has passed as he shares every single detail.

It is only much later when Kyungsoo gets a phone call from his driver that he realises just how late it had gotten. The sun has long disappeared below the horizon and he is only able to see his surroundings because of the soft glow from the nearby lamps lining the path back to the main lobby. He starts to pack up at once. 

“Bye, Yeol. I’ll come back to see you again soon,” Kyungsoo gives Chanyeol a small wave when he is done and starts to make his way back. 

Somehow, he feels that he is leaving with a lighter heart this time as compared to all his past visits. The hours had flown by while he was talking to Chanyeol today, whereas in the past, his time spent was always hijacked by occasional periods of painful silence with him either breaking down in tears or not knowing what else to say besides “I miss you” and “Why did you leave me? Come back, please.”  

Kyungsoo briefly wonders what has sparked this change.

He was definitely not expecting to find Jongin sleeping on a bench when he approaches the carpark. Apparently, the younger had fallen asleep while waiting for him. There are even two take-away cups of what he presumes is (now cold) coffee near Jongin’s head. He glances at his phone and wonders why the other had stayed the entire four hours he was occupied with Chanyeol when he could very well have left earlier after asking for a ride from his driver. 

Why are you being so nice to me, Jongin? 

Kyungsoo wheels himself closer until the distance between them allows him to touch the other’s face if he wishes. 

He thinks the answer to his earlier question on what has changed is right under his nose now. He also realises belatedly that he had spent almost the entire time with Chanyeol talking about the young skater and he only feels a tad guilty now.

“Kyungsoo hyung?” 

He jerks his fingers away from where they were about to make contact with Jongin’s cheek when the other stirs and looks up at him. At once, he tries to put on a blank face, although the blush on the younger’s cheeks makes him wonder if Jongin knew how close he was to touching him. 

“I’m leaving. You can either catch a ride with me or stay the night here. Whatever,” he spins around while trying to hide his embarrassment and wheels himself away furiously. 

Jongin yelps and jumps off the bench at once. 

“Wait, don’t leave me here, hyung! It’s scary at night. What if there are ghosts ?” he whispers the last word, eyes frantically sweeping the area.

Kyungsoo does not even need to look to know Jongin has a pout on his face. He shakes his head when he realises why he would know. 

Get a grip, Doh Kyungsoo. He is your student, he emphasises to himself. Friend at best, he concedes. But when Jongin catches up to him and gives him a smile, warm hand on his shoulder, Kyungsoo thinks he will not be able to fight this battle of feelings for much longer. 

~