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Jeongin was flashing Seungmin the nastiest eyes he ever had in their entire relationship. Which held a lot of weight, given that his resting face looked like he wanted to kill everything around him and then himself.
Seungmin thought that it would be a cute date idea for them to go to the skate rink. He and Jisung used to go all the time as kids, and even though he had moved cities and had far less free time on his hands, he still found occasional refuge in the neon lights and beat up blades. Being in the rink gave Seungmin a sense of freedom that he couldn't really find anywhere else, with the wind rushing in his air and the feeling of lightness in his feet. He felt like a new person, someone with a lighter heart and a softer outlook of the world
Still, it might not have been the best idea to bring Jeongin here, given the fact that he was somehow more clumsy than Jisung. He would be lying if he didn't say he didn't find Jeongin's initial struggles amusing, with his disgruntled pout and furrowed brows. It was clear that he wasn't feeling the same rush Seungmin did, but you couldn't blame him for preventing it given how cute Jeongin looked frustrated.
However, if there's one thing that gets Jeongin going more than anything, it's repeated failure. He likes when things are planned one way and then proceeds to go that exact way— which is why skating is an absolute nightmare for him. Seungmin has to admit, there are a lot of factors that go into simply moving forwards properly, let alone doing any fun moves or added quirks.
As the night went on, Jeongin's frustrations began to start to genuinely irritate him and sadden Seungmin. He may rejoice in his friends' suffering every once and a while, but he wasn't a bad boyfriend that would watch as his love embarrassed himself more so to his own dignity than to the middle-school kids rolling laps around him. It took a while to get Jeongin to accept Seungmin's help, with his pride and self-consciousness both running high.
"I won't drag you, since you still have to get momentum yourself, but I'll make sure you don't fall on your ass."
Jeongin pouted at him, sipping on the last of his overpriced Slurpee with wide, onyx eyes that Seungmin always found himself getting lost in like black-holes. He carded a hand through his platinum white hair, the initial fading from his black roots basically gone. Despite the numerous bruises and scrapes littering his body, Seungmin still found himself so endeared by the younger. It would be so easy to cup his puffed out cheeks and kiss him stupid, but it's more comfortable to do that in the safety of their apartment. Oh, and public indecency or whatever.
"I'm a lost cause, pup," he popped the "p" as he sighed, successfully throwing the empty cup in a trash can no less than two meters away. "You go have fun doin' your twisty-spinney nonsense, I'll be okay."
"I can't have fun if you aren't, Jeongin-ah." He knelt down slowly, holding Jeongin's clasped hands and close to his chest. He always loved holding Jeongin's hands, studying them softly at night when the younger couldn't tease at him. Seungmin truly found them to be works of art, hand-carved by the heavens to be instruments of true joy in the world.
"Just hold my hands. Trust me."
Moments later, Seungmin began almost regretting solely giving Jeongin one basic command— he should've added "no screaming in my ear" before he got distracted by his love's lips and ballad song playing in the background.
"Hyung! I can't do thi— hyung!"
"Steady, fox boy. If you fall, you're bringing me down with you."
"Maybe I should, since you're being so mean to me."
Jeongin's hands shook even as they were cradled within Seungmin's, and despite his best efforts over the past hour, it seemed that Jeongin might really be unable to make any progress. Would Seungmin ever admit that to anyone? Obviously not, but it hurt even more to feel it— he couldn't imagine Jeongin's sad, dejected self being expected to skate properly ever after all this time.
He let his boyfriend keep talking, though. It seemed to be a bit of a coping mechanism for him, and if it would help Jeongin focus more than he would let him. Hearing aids couldn't be taken expensive anyway, right?
"I'm gonna kill you when we get home. No mercy, no nothing after this absolute disaster you're putting me through— why did I let you convince me this was a good idea—"
It was at this point, just when Seungmin had begun tuning out his love's nonsensical rambles, the deathly grip on his hands seemed to automatically loosen, a reaction of his body and not mind. Jeongin's movements finally felt like they were following a flow, his bubbles getting cleaner and cleaner.
He was doing it. Jeongin was doing it.
Seungmin could recognize the signs anywhere, since he'd already had his roller revolution when he was younger. The first time he managed a full lap around the rink, he couldn't believe it. Jisung looked over the rail from the advanced rink with a proud twinkle in his eyes. He had done it all by himself, he could finally play properly with his friend, and he had fun with it.
As a small smile crept up Jeongin's lips, Seungmin knew he was feeling the very same thing.
"Jeongin. Look."
"And this would never— what?"
Seungmin let go from his end, and Jeongin's hands naturally left his hold. Though he missed the contact, nothing could beat the warmth that bloomed in his heart when Jeongin's momentum transferred into actual forward movement. He didn't even seem to process it, exactly as it's supposed to be.
"You're doing it! Without me!"
Jeongin's eyes lit up, looking around like the truth of him being upright and stable and moving was so shocking, lit deserved an audible gasp. "I— oh my God hyung I am! Seungmin, I'm skating!"
Jeongin's face broke into a wide, toothy smile, his dimples deep and telling. His gliding wasn't the smoothest, and his form was still a bit rough, but it didn't matter to either of them when Jeongin was skating and was so, so happy.
Seungmin thinks that he would do anything for that smile. The one that made his life worth living, for all the times he falls down with no railing to hold onto. Jeongin is his railing, his hand extended out over him like a guardian angel. Without him, he wouldn't have as much joy in his life as he does at this very moment. And while it sounds silly, he wouldn't have Jeongin. His love just meant that much to him now; he couldn't fathom a reality without that smile brightening his skies.
"Look at me! Look, hyung, look look look!" He tried his best spinning around, and while it was possibly the worst attempt at one Seungmin has ever seen, what did it matter? Jeongin could skate, something that brought Seungmin so much comfort. It was like his two worlds were merging, with both of his biggest sources of joy in the world finding a space to coexist. He could think of all the future dates and antics already, his already fond smile growing into something dumb and endeared.
"How could I look anywhere else, Iyen-ah?"
Jeongin was still the clumsy little idiot that Seungmin, as he proceeded to forget what was directly in front of him and rolled straight into the wall. The two of them giggled and smiled until their entire bodies hurt with a kind of ache that soothed the heart. While Seungmin was grabbing his stomach, he felt Jeongin skate over slowly. He didn't have to look to know that he was gazing at him fondly, blush rising in his cheeks like he was a teenage mess all over again. The truth was, he never stopped being a mess; he just found another one that matched him perfectly.
"C'mon, hyung." Jeongin nudged Seungmin's chin up lightly with thumb, pressing softly on Seungmin's bottom lip. "Race ya?"
"You are absolutely fucking crazy," he scoffed, both at the faux audacity and from the pure happiness radiating from Jeongin. He lets his love cup his cheeks softly and press their lips together, like this was how they were always meant to be. They have all night now to do as they please, Seungmin's joy and freedom intertwining with Jeongin for the first time.
Skating would just be one form of that, one that could last for a long, long time between just the two of them. Seungmin relished in every little crevice of private affair and affection between the two of them, but more than anything he cherished the fact of the two of them more than blades keeping him stable.