"I'm going to die."
Any sudden movement and he was sure the ground beneath him would vanish instantly. With the nerves kicking in, he attempted to put up a front as he uttered the quick sentence to the girl.
Yeona stood there patiently, watching Taeyong shake his head furiously, not wanting to move from his spot. "Taeyong, you're not going to die. I'm standing here with you perfectly fine."
"Yea, until the ground cracks open and swallows us whole." He held onto the icy cold rails, trying to keep himself balanced.
"Are you afraid of falling?" Yeona asked, eyes turning soft seeing his anxious state. She glided closer to the boy and held out her hand, "You can hold on to me, I won't let you fall."
Still clinging onto the metal rail, Taeyong couldn't bring himself to it as he stared at her hand. He didn't think she could read him at all.
At first he felt the thrill of stepping onto the rink for the first time, excitement rushing through his body even before arriving. Until he actually got there, fear crept over him and he struggled to get rid of the feeling.
It was just an ice rink, not a bottomless lava pit.
Glancing back at Yeona, he was met with a comforting look, one that was full of trust. She wasn't going to let him get hurt and fall. So he took a deep breath, taking her hand and slowly started skating towards her, one foot at a time.
Yeona grew a smile across her face, "See, you're doing just fine! Now let's start with taking small glides."
Taking his hand, she dragged him across the rink slowly, dodging fellow skaters as they passed by. She giggles quietly, seeing him focused, wearing a timid smile as his confidence grows.
She was not expecting this side of him but she couldn't help but admit she loved it.
Taeyong and Yeona were still on winter break, they've been hanging out together ever since the wedding, which happened to be almost every single day. Hangouts would vary between brunch dates or movie nights. Though Jeno would tag along every now and then, which they both didn't mind at all.
The word 'date' wasn't a specific term they used whenever they planned meetups, especially if Jeno was joining them.
Overall they still enjoyed each other's company.
It was nightfall in Seoul and the two decided to try something different and go ice skating, something Taeyong hadn't done before but was excited to try– or so they thought. Clearly he was a little hesitant getting on the ice, unlike Yeona who naturally enjoyed the sport since she was a kid.
Along with her help, Taeyong got the rhythm in his feet, keeping a decent pace for the two of them.
"Wow, you're a pro already." Yeona joked teasingly, watching Taeyong give his full attention to his skates and ice below him.
"This isn't so bad, I think I can keep myself balanced now." He forced himself to look at her, trying to prove his point.
"So then, is it okay if I let go of your hand?" She asked, slowly wiggling her hand out of his. But Taeyong quickly grabbed it back, gently gripping her hand again.
"Just because I'm steady doesn't mean you can let go of my hand," He said and pointed towards other people skating around the rink, "Other people are holding hands too, so there's no reason for us not to."
"But... most of them are either parents with their child or couples." She stated.
"So then what category do you want us to fall under?" He raised an eyebrow knowingly, wanting to hint her at the obvious choice.
Yeona realized her mistake and turned away before he could notice the light blush on her cheeks, "Well considering you turned into a giant scaredy cat even before you got onto the ice, so much so that I have to hold your hand, I guess that makes me your mother."
"Mother?" He repeated, to which Yeona just nodded innocently.
A smirk had suddenly made its way onto his lips, he leaned closer to her ear and whispered, "I'm honored but I think we should save these mommy and daddy kinks for when we're alone."
Yeona stumbled, her skates slipping uncontrollably on the ice. She was not expecting Taeyong to say that whatsoever, of course her reaction would cause her to fall flat on her face.
Taeyong held her still by placing his hands on her shoulders. He smiled triumphantly seeing her flustered.
He took her hand once again, "See now this is why we need to keep holding hands. So let's stay like this until we get off the rink, okay mommy–"
"Taeyong!" Yeona squeaked, trying to keep him hush, "Don't say that, people can hear you!" She turned her head around before burying her face into his jacket, afraid the family behind them heard.
He chuckled, "Why? It has a nice ring to it. Plus I'd love to hear you call me d—"
"Stop!" She scrunched up her face and slapped his arm lightly. She was literally begging at this point for him to keep quiet. She had no idea where this came from and so desperately wanted to skate away from him.
But instead he linked their arms together with a laugh, locking her in with no room to escape, "Okay okay, I'll stop. But only on one condition."
Yeona slowed down her pace, bringing the two towards the edge of the rink away from the rushing skaters. She looked at him nervously, afraid to know what he could possibly want.
It could be anything, even role playing those kinks into a reality.
"What...?"
He looked away shyly, a meek smile crept on his face as he said, "Teach me how to spin."
She was muddled, she was truly expecting to fulfill his fantasies at the rate things were going. She craned her neck to the side, "A spin? Really? That's it?"
"Uh yes, why are you so surprised?" Taeyong looked back at her, giving off the same expression, "It's not like I'm asking you to kiss me... unless you want to—"
"—So the first thing we should start with is your position." Yeona immediately cut him off. She clasped her hands together and skid slightly in front of him, demonstrating his first initial moves.
Taeyong cracked a smile, shaking his head amusingly before following her instructions on perfecting a simple spin.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
"Did you see that guy's face? He looked so confused!" Taeyong laughed remembering the grouchy, unamused glare that the employee gave them, his hysterics hadn't stopped since they left.
"Well of course he was, you gave him a broken skate!" Yeona cried, also baffled that Taeyong had managed to break off the blade from his right skate.
Nothing could describe the horrified expression on their faces as they both stared at the single boot and the detached silver blade in Taeyong's hands. The blank stare they gave each other quickly signaled the end of their ice skating adventures.
He scoffed at the memory, "And I almost got the landing for that spin, until the cheap metal snapped off."
"Cheap? Taeyong, that was some pretty thick metal."
"So you're calling me fat?"
Yeona tried not to laugh at his question. She glanced at his eyes then down to his hands, "Mmm, if I say no will you let me eat the rest of your fries?"
He looked at her in disbelief, but ultimately caved in to the sweet puppy eyes she gave, handing her the small carton.
After the ice skating incident, the two had a quick bite at a small diner with burgers and fries. They decided to end the night by visiting the Christmas market happening close by. Yeona happily ate the last few fries he had left and tossed the empty box into a nearby trash can.
They chatted quietly down the busy street of families and couples exploring the market. There were food stands and little shops with festive decorations on display. The two would always point out cute Christmas decors, picking out their favourite displays from the street. The overall feeling was magical, the festive aroma created a warm feeling that helped distract many from the frosty weather around them.
"Let's take pictures by the Christmas tree!" Yeona tugged on Taeyong's coat, pulling him over to the giant tree that had also caught attention from other people. It was wrapped with sparkling, colourful lights as well as various shaped ornaments. On top, the brightest star that was seen miles away from the market.
The two found an open spot by the tree, Yeona took out her phone and snapped a few selfies with him, the usual piece signs as well as silly faces were taken.
Taeyong then pulled out his own phone, "Let me take some of you."
He took a step back and started clicking away. She posed shyly, giving him a variety of photos.
He glanced away at his screen for a second and over to her. His thumb continued taking pictures, but his eyes focused on her figure in front of him, a small smile forming.
"You okay?" Yeona asked, puzzled as to why he was only staring at her and not the camera.
He quickly got out of his trance, looking back at his phone, "Uh yea, I'll send you these later." Taeyong motioned her to follow him, even though she wanted to ask him again she complied.
They continued their way through the market, trying to find something they could do next. That's when they spotted a few people walking in and out of a small store, they looked at each other and instantly directed their path towards the spot.
The two entered a small gift shop, Christmas souvenirs and other small items filled up the shelves on each aisle. From journals to pens to small electronics, this place seemed to be selling it all.
Yeona was busy looking at miniature snow globes till she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head around to see a mischievous Taeyong.
"Let's split up for a bit."
She took a second to understand what he meant, before grinning, nodding her head. He sent her a wink before disappearing down the aisle.
It was clear that they were both going to use this opportunity to get the other a small Christmas gift seeing it was only a couple days away. They weren't able to meet up on the few days before and after the holiday, wanting to spend time with their respected families.
Yeona turned into a different aisle, this one filled with small phone accessories and such. Her eyes scanned high and low, looking for something appropriate to get him.
Her eyes landed on the middle shelf, she was sure this was the perfect gift. She quickly picked out the ones she wanted, looking around the aisle hoping he wasn't close by.
From the corner of her eye, she thought she spotted Taeyong entering the same aisle. When she turned her head, her eyes widened when she actually spotted him.
He hadn't noticed her yet so she threw her arms behind her, "Don't come any closer!"
Turning in her direction, Taeyong immediately put up his hands, watching her slowly back away from him. "It's okay! I didn't see what you had in your hands, Yeona."
"But did you pick anything out yet?" She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. When he shook his head, Yeona took another step back, "T-Then I'm leaving, I'll wait for you outside." She warned him not to peek when she was about to turn around, bolting out of the aisle as fast as she could.
She could hear his laughter echoing in the store, making her smile to herself a bit.
She grabbed a small festive gift bag before walking over to the register and paying for the items. Once she was out of the store, she put everything in the bag and waited by the door for Taeyong.
In a few minutes, he walked out the store and over to her. He spotted the bag in her hand, "Cute reindeer."
She looked down at the print of her bag, before pointing out his, "Thanks, that's a cute snowman."
Taeyong smirked, "You can call me cute, we're basically the same thing."
She shook her head tiredly, "Whatever you say Jack Frost. Come, let's sit over there."
They walk over to a small open area with an evergreen tree rooted in the center. Sitting down on a park bench, they faced each other while trying to hold back their smiles.
"So... who should go first?" Taeyong asked. Yeona couldn't wait any longer, and pointed to herself, "Me! Here!" She gave him her gift, bringing her hands together in excitement.
He grinned fondly at her before opening up the gift. At first glance he looked surprised, seeing the Grizzly designed airpod case and an added puppy charm sitting at the bottom of the bag.
He started to laugh, a simple laugh turning into hysterics as he pulled out the items.
Yeona's smile started to fall, her eyebrows raising out of concern, "What's wrong? You don't like it?"
Taeyong, still in giggles, shook his head, "N-No, I... I love it, really."
"Then why are you laughing?" She was genuinely confused and almost upset since this wasn't the initial reaction she was expecting.
Without answering the question, Taeyong simply handed his gift bag to her, "Open it."
Still in her puzzle state, she accepted the gift and hesitantly opened it up. Her eyes dilated in shock, she finally understood why Taeyong could not stop laughing and soon started giggling too, "I can't believe we got each other the same thing."
She pulled out a Panda designed airpod case, she remembered seeing it next to the Grizzly bear one she picked. She had no idea Taeyong had the same idea as her, and in a way it made her heart flutter, seeing their minds connected in a way.
"Well at least we have different characters," Taeyong mentioned, "I wonder who should get Ice bear."
"I actually bought it the same time I got your stuff and I know exactly who I'm giving it too." She already had in mind the person to give the last remaining we bare bear character to and was hoping he'd like it.
"There's still one more thing you didn't look at yet." He nudged her arm, making her look back inside. She smiled as she pulled out a sleeping koala charm. "I picked the sleepy one since it reminded me of the many times I've seen you asleep in class or the library."
Yeona snorted, finding his reason ridiculous but amusing. The two attached the charms on their new airpod cases, admiring what they got from the other. "Thanks Taeyong, I'm sure we both weren't really expecting to get each other the same thing, but this is probably my favourite gift I've gotten so far."
"But it's not even Christmas yet, what if you get something better?" He pouted, not believing if her words were sincere.
She rolled her eyes playfully, taking his hand and pulled him off the bench, "Let's keep walking."
Taeyong tried to continue his facade, hoping the girl would take notice. Though when she did, she only laughed and convinced him she meant every word.
The night goes by with no plans on leaving the market, still finding things to do. Though at some point they were growing tired, their pace slowed down as they trotted down the street.
Yeona was already reminiscing about the entire day, from ice skating to the gift exchange. She never really thought that her and Taeyong would ever become as close as they are now. Sure every now and then they'd bicker and still call each other by their infamous nicknames. But even though their friendship was growing, she didn't know if it was on its way to something more.
She always had thoughts on this topic almost every time they hung out. Taeyong always acted sweet towards her and displayed actions of endearment. But surprisingly the two hadn't brought up the kiss. She only didn't want to bring it up thinking it'd be too awkward, and maybe hoped he would be the first one to say it.
But two weeks had gone by and they were still in this unknown, unnamed stage.
Was it too early to start a relationship with him, or even confess her feelings? It had been much longer than a month since he broke it off, word spread fast that he was newly single thanks to his wonderful friends. Still, was that considered too early?
Yeona didn't even know if that's what she really wanted, but she couldn't deny that her feelings towards him were strong.
This night would be the perfect time to bring it up, they were both in high spirits and the mood was cheerful. The atmosphere was just meant to spark the first ignition between them.
So she bundled up the courage, taking a deep breath before asking, "Taeyong... can I ask you something? What are we—"
"Hey look there's people caroling over there, let's check it out!" He interrupts her unknowingly, gently dragging her to a crowd of people. Yeona tried to hide the small frown on her face, seeing Taeyong genuinely intrigued about the singing.
They find a spot near the front of the crowd, Yeona stepping beside Taeyong to make room for others. Looking ahead, there was a group of around six carolers singing a Christmas classic, putting a bit of a twist of their own. Everyone seemed to enjoy their performance, even Taeyong who kept complimenting them every second.
After the song had ended with the start of a new one, Yeona noticed a little girl with a basket in her hand, handing out something to a few people in the crowd. She soon walked her way over to the two, stopping in front of Taeyong.
He smiled, finding her adorable in her white fluffy coat and bright red dress that sparkled from the lights around. The reindeer antlers with tiny bells rang as she bounced in place. He knelt down to her height, lightly pinching her cheek. The little girl giggled, feeling shy from his action. She reached into her basket and handed Taeyong a pink rose and subtly pointed to Yeona, though there was no hiding it from her.
"Thank you sweetheart." Taeyong gushed, the girl waved at the two before continuing down the side of the crowd.
He pushed himself back up and glanced at Yeona and then the flower. "For you m'lady." He held out his hand, presenting her the rose in a somewhat sophisticated manner. Her stomach churned with butterflies, the cheesy gesture flurried a storm within her.
She took the rose, forcing herself not to scream, cry or throw up, "Thank you, good sir."
They chuckled amusingly at their little bit before turning back to the caroling, a remix of jingle bell rock continuing the night.
After a few songs the two decided it was time to go back home, taking one last look around the market before hopping into Taeyong's car.
Not wanting the mood to die down, they turned on the radio and started singing all the songs that played, varying between festive tunes and the hottest kpop tracks. They were still energetic the whole ride home, it felt like the night could continue on for hours without them ever getting tired.
But soon enough, the two made it back to Yeona's house. Taeyong, who claimed to be a gentleman, insisted on walking her to her door. Side by side, they took slow strides up the driveway, they weren't ready to say goodbye so soon.
Yeona's mind was wrapped with previous thoughts from earlier. She didn't have a chance to tell him in the car ride back, but now that they were alone with no distractions, this was probably the best time to ask the question.
Standing in front of her door, Yeona turned around to face Taeyong. Wearing a cheeky smile, he charmingly spoke, "After a long night I have brought you home safe and sound, m'lady."
Yeona let out a small laugh when he pretended to tip the edge of his invisible hat. She decided to play along and curtsied, "Thank you good sir, now my little brother won't have a reason to behead you."
"Mmm I think his father would convince him otherwise, the tag team they got going on is pretty terrifying." Taeyong joked halfheartedly, he was slightly more worried of her dad than Jeno, even though the boy sent him threats every now and then.
Trying to hold up her smile, the thoughts overtook her mind again. She couldn't hold it back any longer, it was just eating her alive. She dreadfully wanted to know if they were something more than friends, or if she could get his thoughts on what they were or wanted to be. She didn't know how long they could last in this stage they were currently cruising in.
Taking a step forward, her voice quivered as she called his name. "Taeyong..."
He raised an eyebrow, noticing her slight change in mood, "Yes, Yeona?"
"I just wanted to know, um..."
He took a step towards her, "Hey, you can tell me anything. Just take a deep breath."
She followed suit, taking a deep breath, "Okay so, I was doing some thinking. Well a lot of thinking, pretty much the entire night. I just wanted to ask, I wanted to know, what exactly are—"
The sound of music broke through, interrupting the quiet and intense atmosphere. Taeyong's cellphone, something Yeona didn't expect to stop her from talking about something so important. She almost wanted to let out a scream of frustration, being the second time she got interrupted in one night.
She finally understood how he felt whenever someone or something stopped him from kissing her.
"Taeyong, I...." Yeona sulked, trying but slowly giving up on the thought entirely. She sighed as she watched him reach into his trouser pocket and pulled out his phone.
Upon seeing the caller ID, his expression seemed to drop, his eyes wavered over his screen. Yeona suddenly became curious about the caller, "Is everything alright?"
The ringing stopped shortly, Taeyong shaking out of his daze before directing his attention towards the girl. "Oh, um yeah everything is fine. Listen, I have to get home now, it's pretty late." He rushed out his words almost too fast, making her uneasy.
He took a step forward, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Yeona." He whispered, waving to her while backing away.
Once she waved back, he turned around and made his way towards his car, not forgetting to look at his phone on the way there.
Yeona watched him back out of her driveway, only seeing him wave to her for a brief second before speeding away. Gone without a trace.
She let out a shaky breath that she had been wanting to let out for what felt like forever. It was just a phone call, she told herself, it could've been anyone. But it didn't sit with her right, the way he looked at her before he walked away.
She hugged herself as she entered her house, hoping her gut feeling would go away soon. But little did she know, it was here to stay.
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