Upon entering the bar, the first thing that entered Kyungsoo's mind was that a lot of athletes seemed to want to let off steam too. The place was packed. Of course it was the only one within the Olympic village so it was filled with athletes, but there was quite a chunk of the South Korean team there, much to both his pleasure and annoyance. He had wanted to be alone, to wallow in his misery by himself, but with this many fellow Koreans around, the chances of that were slim.

 

Already, just after he had walked through the door, he had had to dodge the rather boisterous and loud table full of the Ice Hockey team. The tallest of which, Sungjae, if Kyungsoo was remembering his name correctly, was clambering on to the table and declaring to everyone within earshot that he was a god and that they should bow down before his ing prowess. Not that anybody was. The only results he received was the rest of his team-mates howling in laughter. One of which, Changsub, was making a rather drunken attempt at throwing peanuts into the back of Sungjae's hood.

 

They were too loud for Kyungsoo, and he quickly hurried away from them with a wince, immediately heading towards the actual bar and taking a seat at one of the bar stools. It took a while before the bartender turned to him, finally free to supply him with a bottle of beer which he took to nursing between his hands as he idly looked around.

 

It almost seemed to him as if nearly the entire South Korean team was there. On the other side of the bar, pretty much the complete opposite from the ice hockey team, was the bob-sleigh team. They were a really young team, the oldest of which only being twenty one, just like he himself was. They were considered rookies too, this being their first official Olympic competition, but they showed strong potential. He didn't know all of their names, only two of them who seemed to be glued to each other's hips. Kim Jongin and Oh Sehun. They seemed to currently be in an intense staring match. And Kyungsoo suddenly felt like he was intruding on a private moment between them so he hurriedly moved his gaze away.

 

His eyes then spotted a familiar face. Byun Baekhyun was back, though this time he seemed to be in deep conversation with the Korean Skeleton rider, Park Chanyeol. They were huddled against the wall, stood rather intimately if the snowboarder was being honest, but at least they both seemed happy. Good, he didn't want anybody else to be feeling as miserable as he was.

 

After taking a small swig of his beer, he idly followed that by throwing some peanuts into his mouth, relishing in the saltiness. Maybe coming here hadn't been the best idea. It was so noisy, and he was surrounded by people having fun, by people that were happy, people that wouldn't want to be around someone as miserable as him. But still... he needed this beer, he needed to lose himself in alcohol, even if just for one night.

 

"Hey, Do Kyungsoo right?" Came a voice from just behind him. Kyungsoo immediately turned to look and was greeted with the sight of another athlete dropping down onto the barstool next to him. "I'm Lim Hyunsik, member of the ice hockey team and friends with that lot there." He said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the noisiest table in the bar before offering the young snowboarder his hand.

 

"Nice to meet you." Kyungsoo responded, his voice quiet though he did take the offered hand. It was only polite after all. He didn't want to talk, he just wanted to be left alone and he hoped that Hyunsik would clue in to that soon.

 

His hopes were in vain though for the other seemed to be settling onto the stool with intentions to stay. "Why do you look so glum? Training not going well?"

 

"You could say that." Kyungsoo sighed, his fingers tightening on his bottle of beer, making marks in the condensation.

 

Hyunsik, taking hold of his own bottle of beer, turned to Kyungsoo with an understanding gaze in his eyes. "Did you want to talk about it?"

 

The snowboarder's immediate reaction was to say no, to shake his head and refuse. But he didn't. Maybe talking about it would actually help? Yeah, he had come here to wallow in his misery and to try and take his mind off of everything before he started to look into how to return home the next day. But maybe actually talking the situation through with someone who was willing to listen, who wasn't a part of it, might be beneficial. Plus, what harm could it really do? So letting out a quiet sigh, he let his shoulders drop as he opened his mouth to speak. "It's just... You know Kim Joonmyun right?"

 

"The pro-snowboarder. Got injured after qualifying. Yeah, I know him." The other athlete said, nodding softly in confirmation.

 

"Yeah well. After his injury, I was the next to qualify. I'm here in his place." He explained, idly tapping his fingers on the glass of his bottle. "And... he's my coach."

 

A look of understanding passed through the other's eyes, and a knowing smile appeared on his face. "Let me guess... he's being a little hard on you in training?"

 

"More than a little. It's been brutal. I'm beyond exhausted. I'm in endless pain from all the falls I've been taking. I'm emotionally a wreck... He's... He's bullying me, every session, and I can't take it any more." Kyungsoo said, frustrated tears prickling at the side of his eyes. "I know that I'm nothing compared to him. I know that he should be competing and not me. But everyone, especially him, seem to be taking it out on me and I can't... I can't handle it."

 

Hyunsik listened to him quietly, occasionally taking a sip of his drink as he took in what he was saying. Once Kyungsoo had finished, he looked up, that same smile still upon his lips. "Now I doubt it's been that bad. He's just trying to prepare you."

 

"Prepare me? He's trying to break me more like." Kyungsoo huffed, a scowl passing over his features as he sulked down at his beer. He had been pushed too far, he wanted to go home, so he was well entitled to sulk, at least in his opinion.

 

"Kyungsoo-ssi... I think you need to try and see things from his point of view a little." Hyunsik started, his hand having moved to gently rest on the snowboarder's shoulder where he gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm assuming that you haven't done that yet, am I right?"

 

Silence. He remained silent, unwilling to speak and give a verbal response. The hockey player had made a good suggestion really. Kyungsoo hadn't yet stopped to think things through from any other position than his own. He had been completely focused on himself and how the training schedule was affecting him. And he didn't want to! He wanted to just sit and sulk, moping about how hard it was for him. He didn't want to think it through differently. But still... he couldn't just not answer, so he rather reluctantly nodded his head.

 

That seemed to be enough for Hyunsik though who, in turn, nodded his head in understanding as well. "Thought as much. I think you need to give him a bit of a break, Kyungsoo-ssi. He worked so hard for his qualifying spot and then it was ripped from him so suddenly due to injury. That's got to be hurting him in more ways than one. He lost his dream, and now has to watch somebody else achieve it instead."

 

This was all things that he had heard before. The thoughts had even passed his own mind before he had become so self-focused. But he hadn't really stopped to think it over completely. Joonmyun had every right to be angry, hurt and upset. Especially with then having to help train him in his place. That must have felt like the final nail in the coffin, the last twist of the sword buried up to it's hilt in his stomach.

 

"You can't tell me that if your positions were reversed that you would feel and act any differently?" Hyunsik continued.

 

Kyungsoo pulled his lips to one side, a silent sigh caught in his throat which he soon swallowed down with a mouthful of beer. The more that the other was saying, the more he had to admit that he was right. "No... I would be the same." He finally admitted, his voice quiet.

 

"Exactly." The hockey player continued, nodding yet again in understanding. Kyungsoo felt his shoulder being squeezed again before the hand was removed, and the other took a moment to have another sip of his drink. "And, I hate to say it Kyungsoo-sii, but this is your first real competition. You don't know what it's really like to compete with the big dogs like this. Didn't you think that maybe, with all of the comments he was shooting at you, and with how hard he was pushing you during training, that he was just trying to prepare you for what the real competition will be like?"

 

Now that made even more sense. If anybody would know the harshness of a real competition it was Joonmyun. Kyungsoo was only a rookie and was pretty much unprepared and unaware of what was in store for him. The older athlete was preparing him not only physically but mentally too for what he was about to face. He had been so blind not to see that. But now, with Hyunsik's prompting, it made perfect sense. And with that realisation a wave of guilt passed over the young snowboarder. He needed to speak to Joonmyun and soon.

 

Before he could open his mouth, and tell Hyunsik such, a rather loud voice interrupted them and a body draped itself clumsily over the hockey player's back. "Hyunsik~!" The guy called in what could only be described as a very drunken way. "What are you doing... over here. You're missing all the fuuuuuuuun. Peniel has forgotten how to speak Korean and keeps swearing in English. Come on~!"

 

"Eunkwang, get off. I'll be right there." Hyunsik laughed, pushing his team-mate off of him with probably more force than needed. The other male immediately lost his balance and went careening onto another table. There was a startled gasp, which was soon followed by laughter and Kyungsoo looked over to spot Kim Jongdae, one of the South Korean ski-jumpers, and Kim Minseok, a speed-skater, sat with two members of the Chinese team, Zhang Yixing, a figure-skater, and Lu Han, another speed-skater. That was an interesting combination, but it was good to see rival team members enjoying each other's company in a non competitive way. The two speed-skaters looked rather cosy actually.

 

Kyungsoo didn't have time to muse on that more though for Eunkwang drew everyone's attention with a rather loud and drunken apology once he had regained his footing. His forehead nearly smacked into the table as he bowed low, encouraging even more laughter from everybody watching. The hockey player didn't seem to care though, merely straightening himself again and giving a jaunty salute as he returned to his own table, immediately curling himself around one of his other team-mate's, Ilhoon.

 

A sigh from next to him caused Kyungsoo to look back at Hyunsik who was smiling at him sheepishly. "Sorry, I think they've all had a little too much to drink. Believe it or not, that was our Captain." He said, giving a helpless laugh as he placed his palms flat on the bar. "I better go try and get them all into bed. But just... think about what I said. Think about it and use everything you are feeling to fuel your practices. You might find that it will help you even more than wallowing like this."

 

"I will. Thank you." Kyungsoo said, flashing the other a gentle smile. Hyunsik merely returned the smile before standing and hurrying over to his drunken team-mates, leaving the snowboarder alone again. Now, though, he wasn't feeling half as miserable as before. If anything he just felt more determined. He needed to speak to Joonmyun when he could, maybe apologise for his outburst even if he did still feel like it was deserved. He wasn't going to leave though. He wasn't going to quit and return home a complete failure. No, he was going to fight. Not only for himself, not only for his country... but for Joonmyun too.

 

---

 

The next day saw Kyungsoo out on the slopes bright and early. He had only had the one drink the previous night before leaving and retiring to bed. Thus when he had woken he felt fresh and raring to go, his new resolve burning brightly within him. And with how yesterday's practice session had finished early, he felt the need to try and catch that time up.

 

That was why when Joonmyun eventually showed up on the training course too, Kyungsoo had already been hard at work for a few hours. He didn't really say anything, merely moving into the spot he usually took up during practice and watched the younger snowboarder work through his half-pipe routine. The only time he spoke was when correcting his form, but even then it was only constructive comments. Gone were the insults and the jabs. Anything that had made training more personal was gone. Joonmyun had turned completely professional, like he was training somebody from another country or something.

 

It was jarring to Kyungsoo at first. He kept preparing himself for the comments but they never came. And by the end of the session he just felt incredibly confused. He should have felt relieved but he didn't. It felt odd not to hear Joonmyun's voice calling out to him every few minutes. It felt weird not to be sat listening to the older lecture him during their breaks. In fact when he did call a break Joonmyun would disappear, leaving Kyungsoo alone until training picked back up again.

 

He had expected some tension between them after their bust up, it was only natural that they would feel uneasy around each other for a while. But Kyungsoo's hopes that it would only last a single day were dashed when he turned up for the following sessions only to receive the same treatment. They barely spoke to each other and when they did it was only about the training and the upcoming competition. Every time that the younger had tried to talk to Joonmyun about the fight, to try and smooth things over with him the older male was nowhere in sight.

 

Eventually he just gave up. Maybe this was all that his training sessions was going to result in now. Perhaps it was better to have a professional only relationship with the other snowboarder. He still wanted to talk to him, and apologise at least for not listening to his side of the story properly, but if Joonmyun was just going to keep running away from him, then fine.

 

At least his skills were improving. He hadn't really noticed it before, with his focus being more on his hurt feelings than his actual snowboarding, but now that he didn't have the scathing words to distract him, Kyungsoo realised that since training with Joonmyun had started, he had come on leaps and bounds. Hope was beginning to build in him again that maybe he could do this after all. Though the older's methods maybe weren't what he was used to... it was definitely getting results out of him.

 

And he wasn't the only one to notice his improvement either. About a week after their more strained training sessions had begun, the head coach for the South Korean team stopped by to check on their progress. Kyungsoo ran through his half-pipe routine as well as the downhill route, putting his all into his moves and displaying everything that they had worked on in the coach's absence. As soon as he reached the base level again, and had removed his helmet so he could hear properly, he was gifted with a beaming smile from the older man.

 

"Well, Kyungsoo-ssi, you've certainly come a long way since I left you. You've tightened up your landings, you're pulling off tricks that you blanched at the idea of before... You're looking like a professional athlete now. Well done, you must have worked hard." He congratulated, clapping the young snowboarder on the shoulder.

 

Kyungsoo knew that it wasn't all because of him that he had improved so much. Yeah, he was the one to put in the physical work to improve himself, but he never would have made it this far if it wasn't for the other snowboarder. So lifting his shoulders, he shrugged softly as he spoke up, his voice confident. "I wouldn't have gotten this far if it wasn't for Joonmyun-ssi. He's been training me really well." He said.

 

Apparently his words were shocking for the other snowboarder to hear, for Joonmyun was practically gaping at him. Part of Kyungsoo wasn't surprised to receive that reaction from the older male, considering the last time they had spoken properly was when they had fought... His words then had been completely opposite of what he was saying now. But since then, with a little help from his new friend Hyunsik, he had come to realise that actually Joonmyun's training had been perhaps the best he could have gotten. He just wished he had realised that long before so that they could have avoided their fight. So they didn't have this permanent tension between them. So he hadn't have felt his heart breaking because he thought his idol wasn't everything he had believed him to be. So he hadn't have possibly lost a future friend.

 

"Really now?" The older coach said, a proud expression passing over his face as he turned to face the injured male. "Well then, Joonmyun. Congratulations. You've worked well with him. We might actually stand a chance of medalling now."

 

"T-Thank you, sir." Joonmyun replied, clearly still taken aback as he shook the older man's hand. Kyungsoo couldn't help but smile softly himself and when the other snowboarder caught his eye, he didn't turn away or drop his gaze. Instead he let his smile grow bigger as he bowed his head in gratitude.

 

They didn't have chance to speak again before the coach quickly hurried Kyungsoo into putting his helmet back on so they could continue working. As the younger followed his instructions and made his way back towards the half-pipe he missed the inquisitive gaze that Joonmyun was sending him that was coupled with a faint blushing of his cheeks.

 

---

 

Training after that was a lot more relaxed in Kyungsoo's opinion. That thick tension which had been obvious between them seemed to have vanished. Instead it was replaced by an almost shy awkwardness. They still weren't talking freely or anything of that sort but they were at least more relaxed and able to occasionally offer each other gentle smiles.

 

The head coach had left them to it again, confident that Joonmyun was doing a perfect job in training the younger. And if Kyungsoo was being honest... he was relieved that the coach wasn't around. He felt less intimidated with just Joonmyun, less pressured, which was something he hadn't believed he would ever feel when being left alone with the other snowboarder. He just wished that he could cure this awkwardness between them too.

 

That was why, after another week of training, and around a week before the official Olympic competitions were due to start, Kyungsoo tracked down where the other athlete was staying within the village and knocked on his door, determination filling him with confidence. Of course that confidence immediately wavered as soon as Joonmyun opened the door. The other male was wearing a simple pair of jeans and a rather snuggley looking sweater. This coupled with his tousled hair was enough to distract Kyungsoo from his plan and cause him to swallow.

 

"Kyungsoo-ah!" The older almost yelped, blinking his eyes in shock. "What are you doing here?"

 

"I, uh... I wanted to talk to you." He eventually managed to reply, forcing his brain to cooperate. He had to concentrate. He couldn't revert back to being a starstruck fan. He couldn't act like a young man in the presence of another startling handsome young man. No, he had to be the athlete that was talking to his trainer... his incredibly good-looking trainer. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

 

But it was too late, for the injured snowboarder nodded gently and stepped to one side, allowing Kyungsoo to enter the room. Looking around, the younger couldn't help but smile softly. The room was very Joonmyun, in his opinion. It was tidy, and clean of course, but there was also a few picture frames dotted around, as well as personal trinkets that made the room feel more homey. He himself had similar things back in his own room. Being so far from home, having anything familiar with them was practically a life-line.

 

What caught the younger's attention though was the open laptop on the bedside table. It wasn't the laptop itself but what was displayed on the screen. The older athlete had apparently been watching a video before Kyungsoo had interrupted and had paused it to answer the door. The video, from what he could guess, was one of his own previous rookie competitions, the one where he had won with quite an impressive score. The video was paused on a close up of his face after he had pulled off his helmet with a bright beaming smile on his face.

 

It was a scene so reminiscent of what he himself had done in the past, watching videos of Joonmyun's achievements, and it filled the younger with a rather confusing feeling. He had felt butterflies when being around the other before, but never quite to this extent. All of his bravado had completely flown away, and a wave of shyness struck him mute for a moment as he floundered.

 

The older snowboarder took pity on him though and indicated for him to sit on the bed as he too took a seat. The rooms were quite small, only containing a bedroom, bathroom and a kitchen, so there was limited places to actually sit. And Kyungsoo mentally cursed this as he did sit down, having to be so close to Joonmyun was more than a little distracting. He had to focus though. He had things he needed and wanted to say to him.

 

"I..." He started, immediately pausing to take a deep breath. "I just wanted to say thank you, really. For everything you've done for me. And that... I'm sorry for lashing out at you. I know now that you were only trying to prepare me for what I would have to deal with. You were only trying to help me but I threw it back in your face and... I was horrible to you. I'm sorry.

 

"I didn't expect you to continue training me, but you did. And I'm so thankful and grateful to you for coming back. You've helped me a lot, Joonmyun-hyung. And I should have thanked you long before this." It seemed that once he had started talking, he just couldn't stop. It had all come pouring out of him in a rather heartfelt rush. And all the while he had spoken, he had kept his eyes locked onto his hands which he had nervously clenched in his lap.

 

He only looked up when Joonmyun started speaking himself, and when he did he saw guilt and apologies swimming in the other's eyes. "No, Kyungsoo. You weren't... You weren't completely wrong. I did lash out at you in anger. I was just so stressed and upset about not getting to compete that I did take it out on you. And then once I had started, I just couldn't stop. The comments kept slipping out and I didn't know what to do. I had intended to prepare you for the remarks you would likely have to cope with during the competition, but I took it too far. And for that, I am sorry Kyungsoo. I was out of line and you had every right to be angry at me and confront me like you did. I'm thankful that you did, actually, it snapped me out of the depressed funk I had fallen into."

 

They fell into a rather awkward silence for a few moments, both mulling over each other's words. They were both so stupid really. They had let everything fester between them for longer than needed. If they had just spoken up before this, then they could have repaired their relationship long ago. Maybe, though, they still had a chance to.

 

Looking up, Kyungsoo offered the other a warm, slightly amused, smile. "It seems we both got something out of a bad situation then." He stated before offering his hand. "I'll accept your apology, if you accept mine."

 

The older snowboarder let out a relieved chuckle as he took the offered hand, shaking it gently. "Deal." He nodded, his eyes turning into happy crescents as he smiled and the younger felt as if his breath had been knocked out of him. Being this close and the sole recipient of the other's smile... It caused those butterflies to flip flop rather dramatically in his stomach. He was shaken out of his thoughts again as Joonmyun continued to speak. "You're actually really good, Kyungsoo. You've come a long way and I'm actually really proud of you. Hyung was right, you stand a really good chance of winning a medal."

 

"Really?" He asked, blinking in disbelief at the pure praise he was receiving. Joonmyun believed in him. He thought he was good enough to medal. That was... big. But what was even more heart-warming and confidence-building for him was the fact that the experienced snowboarder was proud of him. He had made him proud. "T-Thank you. That... That means a lot to me actually." He admitted, almost cursing at his traitorous cheeks as they blushed.

 

"You're welcome." Joonmyun smiled before a teasing glint appeared in his eyes. "You're good. Of course not as good as me but then I've been in the field longer than you have. You have potential though." He teased, gently elbowing Kyungsoo playfully in the side.

 

The younger couldn't help but laugh brightly, swatting at the other's shoulder in retaliation. They continued to playfully shove each other for a few moments, laughs slipping from their lips before they both flopped backwards onto the bed, shoulders pressed together and the backs of their hands lightly brushing.

 

Joonmyun's cast was resting across his stomach and Kyungsoo glanced at it for a moment before asking in a much quieter and gentler voice. "How is your arm? I... never asked before."

 

"It's okay." The other replied, looking to Kyungsoo for a moment before smiling softly. "It hurt a lot in the beginning but as it's healed the ache has eased a lot. I get the cast off after your competition has finished, and then it's just a case of going through physiotherapy."

 

The young snowboarder couldn't stop himself from pulling a face. Physiotherapy. He had gone through that himself as a kid after he had fallen out of a tree and broken his leg. It had not been fun... at all. "Sounds rough." He replied, his tone sympathetic. "If you want anyone to go with you... I could?"

 

Joonmyun turned his head to face Kyungsoo, blinking at him silently and curiously before he spoke up. "You don't have to, 'Soo-ah, I'll be okay."

 

A deep blush spread across the younger's face at the nickname. It sounded almost endearing coming from the other athlete's lips, and he kind of wanted Joonmyun to call him that more often. "I know I don't have to but... I want to." He replied simply, unable to shake off the blush. They really should have just talked like this long before. They could have saved themselves so much hurt and upset. And then maybe whatever this truly was between them could have developed into something more.

 

He liked Joonmyun. He always had. It had started off as idol-worship but that had changed over the course of training. Even when the older was being overly harsh to him, shooting him cruel words every time he looked at him. Even after all of that, he had still liked him. And Kyungsoo had been almost ashamed of that. But now that they had cleared the air, actually talked and spent some decent time together... he was relieved that his feelings had never changed, only deepened. Because if he was reading the signs correctly... then Joonmyun liked him too.

 

This theory was reinforced when the older gently took his hand in his, their fingers automatically and rather naturally slotting together. That didn't help the younger to get rid of the blush on his cheeks, but it did help to encourage a rather shy smile to spread across his lips.

 

"Thank you." Was all Joonmyun said then, his voice no louder than a whisper. They led there in silence for a while then, just enjoying being in each other's presence, with their fingers entwined. It was nice. It was relaxing. It caused the butterflies in his stomach to go into a manic buzz.

 

Eventually Kyungsoo spoke up again though, his voice quiet, unwilling to break this companionable silence too much. "Hyung... One day, when you're better, could we compete against each other?" He didn't know why he had asked that. He was way behind the other male in terms of skill. But without even thinking the question had slipped out. Maybe it was just his want and longing to spend more time with him?

 

The older athlete chuckled, squeezing his hand gently, before he gave a verbal answer. "Sure... but only if you win the gold medal next week."

 

Kyungsoo smiled warmly, returning the gentle squeeze. "Deal."

 

---

 

A week later saw Kyungsoo stood on the podium, a medal placed around his neck and a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. It wasn't a gold medal, but he didn't really mind. He had performed to the best of his abilities and had managed to win the bronze. He knew that the chances of him winning gold were incredibly slim, and he was overjoyed to have even medalled at all. Bronze was more than enough for him.

 

He had done himself proud. He had done his family proud. He had done his country proud. And he had done Joonmyun proud. He would be returning home a winner, and with the hope and potential of winning an even bigger medal in four year's time.

 

Joonmyun was nowhere to be seen after he had stepped down from the podium and Kyungsoo hadn't been able to find him at all, not until the after party to celebrate his win.

 

He had been heading to the confectionery table when an arm had looped around his waist and pulled him back. He had spun in the embrace, ready to confront his 'attacker', but before he could even see who it was who had grabbed him, Kyungsoo had felt lips pressed to his own. The kiss was sudden yet gentle, and without even meaning to, the young medallist had melted into it.

 

"Congratulations, 'Soo-ah. I'm so proud of you." He finally heard, after the kiss had come to an end, and Kyungsoo opened his eyes only to see Joonmyun gazing at him with pride and affection, his cheeks flushed. It had been him to kiss him. It had been him to hold him like he was the most precious thing in the world.

 

Kyungsoo felt his heart leap in his chest and he couldn't help but smile at him bashfully. "Thank you. But... I didn't win gold, we can't compete now."

 

"Good." Joonmyun replied. Kyungsoo felt himself being pulled closer and he happily lifted his own arms to slide around the other's neck. "I'm glad you didn't. You see... I don't date my competition."

 

Kim Joonmyun. Twenty three years old. Born in Seoul to two doting, loving and incredibly supportive parents. One older brother who was not into sports. A snowboarding champion who missed his chance to compete at the Olympics due to injury. Instead became a coach to one Do Kyungsoo, bronze-medallist. An idol to many.

 

Not the tallest of people, but that was okay...

 

He was the perfect height for kissing.

 

Kyungsoo should know.