CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
A SECRET about yoo kihyun: he was never good at sports.
okay, it really wasn't much of a secret, and it was a pretty obvious giveaway because he was terribly uncoordinated at literally everything.
moving on—it was another night at the skating rink, however, kihyun wasn't in the middle of mopping or cleaning the bathroom mirrors, he was skating with changkyun. or, at least, trying to. all they had achieved so far, was for the dark haired boy to stand without having to hold onto changkyun for support. it wasn't an extraordinary accomplishment, but kihyun's grin never seemed to vanish from his face, much like the other boy's. his hands were held out in front of him, eyes looking down at his feet, until his gaze settled upon changkyun's face; and just like any other night, the boy was as beautiful as ever.
"try to skate towards me," changkyun told kihyun.
kihyun's feet didn't want to move, legs pleading with him not to slip.
"what if i fall?"
changkyun swiftly skated over to him, reaching out his hands in front of himself for kihyun to take. which, he quickly got the message, holding the boy's hands. the navy-blue haired boy started to skated backwards, kihyun had to shift his feet to the sides to keep up with him.
"when i let go, keep moving your feet just like that, okay?" changkyun's voice was gentle.
almost too gentle.
"wait," kihyun tightened his grip on the other's hands, he inhaled in a deep breath of air. "okay, i'm ready."
slowly, changkyun let go, skating out of the way to find the railing and wait there for kihyun. the latter shuffled his boots across the ice, attempting to push his arms through the air, as well, in a way to assemble up some momentum. he commented on his skating- it mostly involved him excitedly saying i'm actually doing it over and over again.
"i bet you look amazing," changkyun suddenly said.
his voice was the same soft tone, making kihyun's stomach twist and turn, vision momentarily gone blurry.
completely forgetting every single thing changkyun had taught him, kihyun lost balance, slipping sideways onto the ice. there was a prominent thud noise, and changkyun hurriedly asked if he was okay. the boy curled his fingers into his palm, shakily saying that he was fine - a part from feeling a tad bit embarrassed - and not hurt anywhere. he spoke, guiding changkyun to where he was now sitting upright.
changkyun knelt down on the ice directly across from him. "i'm sorry, i probably shouldn't have said that."
"no!" he blurted. "i mean, no, it's okay. really."
cheeks burning, kihyun wished he could stop being embarrassing.
changkyun smiled. "want help standing up?"
looking at changkyun, then down at the ground, then back to him, kihyun quickly muttered: "yes, please."
the other pushed himself up first, before lowering his hands for kihyun to grip onto. changkyun carefully helped him to his feet again.
kihyun's legs felt a bit wobbly, which wasn't from the cold. brain still tingling from what the other said a minute ago. his mind was all over the place, he could barely process that changkyun was still holding his hands, bringing himself closer. suddenly, it felt hot in the arena, convinced the ice would definitely start melting any second if changkyun didn't stop. said boy moved his hands away, before they traveled up to the scarf that was placed around his kneck. he removed it, now putting it around kihyun's neck, hands still lingered against the fabric. it felt really hot inside the arena.
"your hands are cold," he began, "so i thought the scarf could make you feel warmer."
i'm already warm with you here, he almost said.
"thanks," kihyun mumbled.
bringing his arms back down by his sides, changkyun just smiled, turning away from kihyun.
that crimson colour that bloomed on changkyun's cheeks glowed under the rink's lighting, capturing kihyun's full interest. he swore, to every living soul, that it was one of the most stunning sights he had ever seen. but, changkyun was always the most gorgeous sight, inside and out. kihyun didn't even exaggerate that.
scarf around kihyun's neck smelt like flowers, like the boy it belonged to. it was soft, too, when he ran his fingers along the material, gripping it slightly. he wanted to lean forward, cup changkyun's cheeks, tell him that he was incredibly grateful for the sweet gesture, and maybe throw in that he also had really good taste in perfume and was wondering where he could purchase some. he didn't do that, of course, remaining composed as changkyun suggested practicing ice skating some more.
and for the rest of the night, before changkyun went home with nayoung, it was like that: giggling that never seemed to cease, and skating. including a lot of stumbling from kihyun's part.
hand-holding was involved, too.
though, when the navy-blue haired boy left for the night, kihyun continued attempting to skate. he fell on the ice more than ten times in one minute than he would have if changkyun was still with him. perhaps, that was probably a good thing, because that way, the other wouldn't have had to witness how ridiculous he honestly was. changkyun already knew, he sighed, right.
yet, he still didn't tease, laugh mockingly at him. changkyun's giggles were soft, eyes held something beautiful in them, actions so incredibly gentle.
and without a doubt, kihyun loved everything about him.
