Archive of Our Own

“This performance is going to be the best one yet. First place is yours for the taking.”

Han Jisung managed a smile and nodded, walking briskly beside his coach into the arena where he would soon compete. He was aware that there were high expectations for this performance, for him to climb up the rankings from second to first. But he knew that Hwang Hyunjin, the current first place, wasn’t going to be at all easy to beat. 

Minho wrapped an arm around his waist reassuringly, hugging the young skater closer to his side as they made their way through the place, towards the change rooms. “We’ve been practicing this performance for months, Sungie. All that hard work is going to pay off.”

Jisung shrugged, “I don’t know, Hyunjin is pretty hard to beat now that he’s got that long blond hair.”

“This isn’t a beauty pageant, it’s a skating competition.” Minho opened the door to their change room for him, offering a cheeky smile. “And even if it was, you would win.”

Jisung’s cheeks heated up and he quickly made his way over to the love seat to the right of the small room. His coach just laughed, “Seriously, everyone loves your new blue hair, Sung.”

Jisung shook his head and smiled, “How long until I’m on? Do I still have time to meet with Channie and ‘Lix?”

The coach was rummaging through one of the many bags he had on him, his face illuminated by the round bulb lights lining the big, spotless mirror on the wall. “Yeah, you’ve got about half an hour to see them before you’ll get dressed, go out for a short practice and then perform.” He was organizing their stuff, making sure Jisung’s outfit was intact and that all of the products he would use to do his hair and makeup were already set out neatly on the desk, ready to go. 

Jisung sighed gently, giving his coach a half-hearted smile. “Why don’t you come to see them with me? I’m sure they’d love that.” 

“I don’t know, isn’t it kind of like fraternizing with the enemy?” 

“The enemy?”

“Felix. I swear to god he and Hyunjin have been doing unholy things together behind the-“

“Minho!” Jisung shouted, eyes wide as a grin grew on his face. 

Minho laughed melodically, “What? I’m not lying…” 

Jisung just shook his head, trying to suppress the smile on his face. “Even if Felix and Hyunjin have some sort of relationship, Felix isn’t the enemy. We’ve been best friends since kindergarten.”

“That could just be a part of his whole scheme. You never know when he might try to sabotage you.”

Jisung grabbed his coach’s arm, pulling him out of the room and into the hall. “Enough of that, I know you’ve been depressed because you missed them last time.”

Minho pouted, “Have not.”

“Have to.”

“Have n- oh, hey! Jeongin!” Minho suddenly called, and a boy in the hall looked up from his phone, his face lighting up at the sight of the two. He quickly came over, giving them his usual bracey smile. Jeongin and Minho were good friends, they met through Kim Seungmin, who was a competitive skater and was being trained by Minho’s old coach. “Where’s Seungmin? I need to make sure my prey is intimidated by me before he goes on the ice.”

Jeongin laughed, his dimples became more prominent, paired with his eyes turning into little crescents. “He’s talking with his mother on the phone right now. Anyway, how are you guys? Nervous?”

Jisung shrugged, “As nervous as you can be for someone who’s about to compete.” He gave a dry chuckle. 

“How’s Seungminnie holding up?” Minho asked, smiling. 

“Better than ever. His mother just got promoted and he’s in high spirits, so be prepared for him to take your place, or even Hyunjin’s.”

Minho held Jisung closer to his side, a competitive grin on his beautiful face. “Don’t be too sure. Sungie is here to win.”

Jeongin smirked, “So is Seungmin.”

Minho scoffed and rolled his eyes playfully, “Anyway, we’re going to go visit some friends. See you later? There’s a dinner party tonight, right? Are you guys going?”

Jeongin nodded, “We’ll need to celebrate Seungmin’s win, of course.” 

Minho just laughed and ruffled Jeongin’s hair, making him cringe and reel away. “Keep telling yourself that, see you there.”

“See you.”

And they continued down the hall to the arena, Jisung still held tightly to his coach’s side. 

“Talk about fraternizing with the enemy,” he said, smiling up at Minho. “If you forgot, Jeongin is literally dating Kim Seungmin, who is competing against me.”

Minho shrugged, chuckling. “That’s different.”

“How so?”

“Look. Seungmin is good, but he’s young.”

Jisung narrowed his eyes, “He’s only a week younger than me.”

“You’re both young.”

“So… your point is?”

“You’re both young, but you’re better.” 

Jisung smiled bashfully, bumping into Minho’s side. “Now you’re just exaggerating.” 

“No really, Seungmin is amazing but does he have your beautiful gazelle legs? I don’t think so.” 

Jisung burst out laughing, “Gazelle legs?”

They arrived at the stadium, where they found Felix and Chris sitting close beside one another, wrapped up in warm-looking jackets with snacks and everything. They beamed when they saw the two walking over. Felix stood up and engulfed Jisung in his arms, holding him tight. 

“Sungie, your blue hair looks amazing!” Felix grinned, “I love it.”

Jisung ran a hand through his newly dyed hair, his face heating up. “You think so?”

“Yeah, you look like… an anime character or something!” 

Jisung laughed, “Thanks, Lix.” He turned to Chris, who was greeting Minho with a carefree and happy expression. When their eyes met, Chris’s expression turned fond, and he hugged Jisung as well. 

When he pulled away and smiled, his dimples were on full display. “You look beautiful, Ji.” He gently stroked the skater’s hair, taking in the sight of the new colour. “How are you feeling? Did you eat enough today? Did you get a good rest last night?”

Jisung laughed, feeling his mood instantly boost now that he knew Felix and Chris were supporting him from the stands. “Don’t go all dad mode on me, Channie. I ate and I got a good rest. I’m ready to give a good performance.”

Chris nodded, “Of course you are. It’s going to be incredible.”

Chris and Felix were Jisung’s ultimate best friends. And Changbin, who was supposedly running late. He and Felix met in kindergarten, and Chris came into the picture a few years later. They were all really close. Jisung met Changbin the previous year, during his training. He became a big part of Jisung’s life, helping him to evolve as a person and a skater. Changbin, Chris and Felix clicked instantly when they met. The four of them were like a squad. 

Jisung spent his full half an hour catching up with Chris and Felix. But soon, Minho reminded him that he needed to go get dressed and ready so he had time for a short practice. Felix and Chris wished him luck before he left, assuring that they would be anticipating his performance. 

The skater and coach got back to their change room and Jisung got into his costume. It was a black, skin-tight, full bodysuit. But the shirt was a mesh material adorned with gems and sequins in an intricate pattern, making it shimmer beautifully. Minho helped him style his hair and apply some light makeup, and after he just stared at Jisung, an unreadable look in his eyes.

“What?” Jisung asked, frowning. “Do I look stupid?”

Minho simply shook his head, the light on his face doing his skin wonders, accentuating his godly features. “You’re stunning, Sung.”

Jisung’s eyes widened, heart skipping a beat. He and Minho were just friends, coach and skater, their relationship was professional, nothing more than that. But somewhere inside of Jisung, he wished they were more than that. Sometimes he hoped that all the little touches were more than just platonic and that Minho’s compliments were more than friendly. But he knew Minho was way too good for him.

Jisung was lucky to have him as a coach. Minho was a skater himself, and one of the best. No, the best. It was pure luck that he ended up instructing Jisung. Or at least, that’s what he always told himself. 

He smiled sadly, “Thanks.”

Minho seemed to pick up on his unhappy tone, and he stepped closer, a concerned expression on his face. “What’s wrong? You don’t like the outfit?”

Jisung shook his head, “No. The outfit is beautiful. Nothing is wrong.”

Minho stared at him, eyes narrowed, and he slowly moved closer, gently placing a hand on Jisung’s cheek. “Sung, you know you… you’re beautiful. And I…” Their eyes met, faces closer than Jisung ever remembered them being. Minho’s thumb hovered over his bottom lip, “I-“

There was a sudden knocking on the door, and they both flinched away awkwardly. Someone on the other side of the door called out, “Mr. Han, Mr. Lee? Just letting you know that your practice time starts now.”

“Thanks,” Minho yelled back, and the person left. He faced Jisung again, who was anxiously wringing his hands, bottom lip between his teeth. “Guess we should get out there, right?”

Jisung nodded, managing a smile. “Yeah, let’s do it.”

They left the room with Jisung’s skate bag and made their way to the rink. When they got to where the other skaters were getting their skates on, all prettied up like Jisung, they stopped and Jisung sat on a bench. Minho handed him his skates, the guards still on. 

Hyunjin was only a few feet away from them, his own coach helping him to get prepared. “Did you get a drink of water? I’ll get some for you,” She said, going off to fetch his water bottle. Hyunjin sat there with a blank expression, Jisung watched him, taking in the sight of the man. 

Hyunjin was quite literally a piece of art. His long blond hair was wavy, done up with intentionally messy braids. He was wearing a white costume, with blue and pink material and feathers stretching across his thin waist. They looked quite the opposite, Jisung being decked out in all dark colours, and Hyunjin light, like an angel. He caught Jisung’s eye, and he smiled. 

“Jisung, you look amazing. I love your hair!” He exclaimed, his eyes forming into little crescents. Jisung and Hyunjin weren’t especially close, but they were on good terms considering they were competitors. They talked a few times, at dinner parties and competitions. They couldn’t exactly avoid one another. 

Jisung was slightly taken aback, “Oh, thanks. I love your hair, too. It really suits you.” 

Hyunjin’s smile grew, “Thanks. It’s definitely not easy to deal with.”

Jisung let himself ease up, smiling as well. Minho was tying up his skates, making sure they were done up properly before Jisung got onto the ice. 

Hyunjin’s coach came back with a water bottle, and he thanked her before gracefully taking a sip. After he was done, he gave Jisung a genuinely kind look, “I hope you do well out there,” He said, and Jisung simply stared at him. “Us skaters need to stick together, right? It shouldn’t just be about the competition, but about having a nice time and enjoying ourselves, too.”

Jisung nodded, “Yeah… you’re right.”

And with that, Hyunjin stood up and glided onto the ice, making the audience shout out happily. He was one of their favourites. How could anybody not like him? He was beautiful, talented and kind. 

“Do you think he’s just saying that because he’s confident from being in first?” Minho asked from his feet, finishing up with the skates. Jisung shook his head.

“No. I think he’s being honest.”

Jisung stood up and took off his guards, then he looked at Minho, who smiled. “Have a nice practice, Sung. Don’t worry too much, you’ll give a great performance when the time comes.”

Jisung nodded and stepped onto the rink as the fans cheered, instantly feeling his body become one with the ice. He felt free, fluid. Like he was meant to be there, gliding gracefully. He did a few laps, waving at Felix and Chris from their spot in the stands. He avoided Hyunjin, hating how amazing he looked. Compared to Hyunjin, Jisung felt like nothing. 

It was as he was thinking those thoughts that Seungmin skated up beside him, moving with elegant ease. He smiled, “Your hair looks nice.”

Jisung smiled at him, “Thanks. I didn’t think people would notice it this much.”

If someone personified a puppy, the result would be Seungmin. He was easily excitable, smiley, and kind. But he had a serious side when it came to his career. He was wearing a black and white outfit with matching jewelry. His eyeshadow was darker than usual. But it just made his eyes look bigger and more puppy-like. “That’s a good thing, right?” He asked. 

Jisung shrugged, “For a famous competitive skater, I actually don’t really like the attention that much.” 

Seungmin laughed, “I understand that.” He glanced into the stands, and Jisung followed his gaze to Jeongin, who was watching them with his hands folded together like he was praying, a smile on his face. “Jeongin is the reason I decided to start skating. I was always afraid of being the center of attention, but he helped me to be more confident.”

Jisung nodded, and Seungmin smirked. “Watch out, I’m coming for your spot. See you later, Jisung.” 

He laughed, “See you.” 

And Seungmin skated away, leaving Jisung to glide all on his lonesome. His mind drifted, and he thought back to that moment in the change room. Minho’s touch on his face, his big brown eyes, the way his lips glistened tauntingly. Jisung didn’t know what he felt for Minho, but he knew that his heart swelled at that moment, when he thought that they might get closer, that their lips might touch. Minho was trying to tell him something but they were interrupted. Jisung wondered what it was.

He would just ask Minho after his practice, before he performed. 

“He looks so beautiful, doesn’t he?” Felix muttered to Chris, his head resting on his shoulder. Minho was at his side, having come over to keep them company while Jisung practiced. Chris nodded. 

“He does. I love the outfit, Minho. Did you pick it out?” Minho nodded. Chris smiled, “It’s gorgeous.” 

The three of them watched Jisung as he did a small jump, loosening his body up before he had to perform. They sat there in silence for a moment, until Minho spoke up. “Okay- his ass looks amazing in those pants. I’m sorry- I just had to say it!”

The two others laughed, and Chris shook his head. “Stop perving on our best friend.”

“But like, not only his ass but his legs! They’re so-”

“Minho?” Felix interrupted.

“Yes?”

“Did Channie stutter?”

Minho sighed, a small smirk on his face. “No.”

“So stop perving.”

And they all shared another laugh, going back to watching Jisung as they sobered up. His gaze was hard as if he was lost in thought. Minho wondered what he was thinking about. He looked so beautiful. Minho had come to terms with his feelings for Jisung a while back, but he hadn’t mustered up the courage to confess to him. Until earlier in the change room, but of course, fate had other plans and he was interrupted mid-sentence. 

Maybe he would just have to tell Jisung after he finished his practice.

He watched the skater, a gentle expression on his face, and drank up the sight of him. Jisung was angelic. The way he glided was almost too perfect, too graceful. It was like Jisung was born to be there, on the ice. It was where he belonged. 

Minho felt a sense of ease wash over him, and he knew everything would be fine. Jisung would give an amazing performance. He watched the blue-haired boy glide, turning as he got into position to do a jump, and everything seemed to be alright at that moment.

Until Jisung did the jump, and his back was turned to the other skater that was headed directly for him. Minho’s smile fell, he leaned forward, opening his mouth to yell, but then the audience gave out a shrill shriek, and Minho watched with horror as the two skaters collided with one another, and Jisung’s body crashed down onto the ice. Minho didn’t move until Jisung slid to a stop, lying there on the ice, curled up on his side. The audience was gasping, yelling, and Minho vaguely recognized a cry from Felix, but he couldn’t decipher what he and Chris were saying to him before he was sprinting. 

Nothing else mattered at that moment. Minho tore onto the ice like his life depended on it, narrowly avoiding worried-looking skaters as he ran straight for Jisung, nearly slipping multiple times. Jisung was lying there alone, the skater who smashed into him was already making his way off the ice. And when Minho reached the boy, he dropped to his knees, tears stinging his eyes. Jisung was heaving, choking on small sobs. Hyunjin and Seungmin were skating over, concerned expressions painting their faces.

“Jisung? Sung? Can you hear me?” Minho gasped out, carefully running a hand through his blue hair, trying to see his face. His heart dropped when he saw the blood. “Oh god- Sungie, I’m here.”

The crimson liquid was spilling out of his chin, onto his cheek and down his neck. Jisung’s eyes were tightly closed, he was whimpering like a hurt animal, and he weakly moved from his side and onto his back. Minho took him in his arms. Seungmin and Hyunjin were trying to come over, but were being ushered off the ice like all of the other skaters. Minho continued stroking Jisung’s hair to comfort him, and his eyes widened when he felt something wet. More blood, but this was coming from his head. 

“Sung? I’m here. Can you hear me?” Minho begged, Jisung’s face was contorted in pain, but the scariest part was his breathing. Minho could spot this type of breathing in one second with Jisung. His chest was rapidly rising and falling, and he was practically gasping for air between his cries. He was having an asthma attack. Minho immediately moved into action, still holding Jisung in his arms but now with him between his legs, head against his torso. 

“Breathe, Jisung. In and out. Like me.” Two medics arrived, and Minho directed his next words towards them. “He’s having an asthma attack, his inhaler should be in our skate bag, it’s pink and purple with cheesecake and kitten pins on the front.”

One of them scrambled off the ice, and the other crouched down, just as Jisung’s wheezing started to get worse, becoming even louder and rougher. Minho - quite frankly - didn’t care that there was a medic there. He knew that he would be much more helpful to Jisung in this situation, anyway, considering he had dealt with Jisung’s asthma before and had gotten miniature lessons from Chris and Felix regarding his attacks. They had both known him for almost his entire life, knew all of the ins and outs of his asthma, and they had passed that knowledge down to Minho.

He placed his trembling hands on Jisung’s rapidly rising and falling chest, and spoke calmly, even though he was vibrating all over. “You’re okay, baby. Just follow my breathing, feel my chest. Breathe like me, in and out.” Minho could feel Jisung’s hands clutching onto his pants, fisting them and letting them go over and over. “I know it hurts, but you can do it- I’m here.”

The medic was pressing gauze onto Jisung’s head to staunch the pool of blood forming in his hair and Minho could see and feel his surroundings as if he was hyper-aware of everything around him. The ongoing shouting of the audience, Jisung’s choked, painful breathing, the feeling of Jisung’s trembling body against his, the flashing lights of cameras and the cold of the ice soaking into his pants. All he could say was, “You’re okay… I’m here, I’m here.” Over and over again as if it would solve all of his problems. Jisung’s hands clenched down on his jeans so hard Minho knew he was holding onto them as if they were some sort of life force. Tears were still streaming down his face, eyes shining with fear, and Minho wondered what exactly he was feeling at that moment. 

And then, slowly but surely, his breathing began to even out. Minho felt so much pride at that moment, “That’s it, Sung. You’re okay.” The other person arrived once again, now holding Jisung’s inhaler in their hand. After Jisung used it once and then twice, his breathing calmed down significantly. When he released Minho’s jeans, they were crinkled from how hard he was holding them. He started to attempt to sit up, Minho supporting him the entire time. “Baby, can you hear me? Do you want to stand up?”

Jisung nodded, he seemed to be a little loopy, and Minho tried to the best of his abilities to shield him from the watching eyes and cameras. The two medics and Minho assisted Jisung so that he was standing, leaning heavily against Minho, who wrapped an arm around his thin waist and supported him. The skater lifted a hand to his chin, eyes downcast, and touched the blood coating his skin. He stared down at it for a moment, then dropped his hand to his side. “Let’s get off the ice, okay, Sung?”

They made their way off the rink, where more medics, cameramen and Chris and Felix were waiting. Just as they stepped off the ice, Jisung collapsed, and Minho held him tighter so that he didn’t fall, with the assistance of Chris. Felix was blocking them from the cameras. It was like that, that they made it into a hallway and then a separate room where they got Jisung to sit down on a couch. His eyes were closed, head resting against the back of the couch. Medics practically pushed the three friends out of the way and started to clean up the blood, assessing the damage. Chris held Felix to his chest, carding his hands through his hair soothingly. Minho realized that tears were running down the boy’s freckled cheeks, lips tugged down in a devastating frown. 

“It looks like a minor concussion and two lacerations, one on his head and the other on his chin. The asthma attack appears to have subsided,” one medic said, and Jisung's eyes started to flutter. “There will most likely be facial bruising.”

Minho moved closer, “What about his performance?”

“It’s recommended that he rests, the performance would put a strain on his concussion and other injuries.”

Chris spoke up, “So he can’t perform?”

From the couch, Jisung mumbled, “No… I’m performing.” His eyes were open, and he was sitting up straighter, wincing slightly. His head was wrapped up with gauze and there was a bandage covering his chin, paired with his pale and clammy skin, he looked like quite the wreck. 

Before anyone could say another word, Felix was sitting beside Jisung, his lip trembled, hands shaking as he brought Jisung into an embrace. “I- I was so, so scared.” He sniffled, and Jisung hugged him, frowning. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” With that, he let out a small cry, but willed his tears to stop, wiped his wet face, and pulled away to get a good look at his best friend. “And don’t even think about performing- not in this condition.”

“He came out of nowhere… I couldn’t react fast enough.” Jisung muttered quietly, a frustrated yet distraught look on his face. “I- I didn’t plan for things to go this way. I want to perform- no- I need to perform. This was never supposed to happen…”

“About that,” Minho said, “What if it actually was supposed to happen? It clearly looked like sabotage to me. The guy literally left you there on the ice- he didn’t even fall or get injured.”

“That’s a major accusation, Minho,” Chris said, his arms crossed and eyebrows scrunched. “You would need some sort of evidence.”

Minho shrugged, “My evidence is the accident. He was facing forwards, skated right into Jisung and didn’t help him afterwards.”

Just then, management came through the door, taking in the scene before them. It was a man and a woman, wearing professional-looking suits. The man spoke up, “Mr. Han’s performance is scheduled in half an hour. We included an additional short practice period for him if he chooses to perform.”

Before anyone could protest, Jisung spoke up. “Yes, I will perform.”

“Excellent,” The man said, and the woman beside him nodded. “The public will be notified of the situation. We are currently assessing footage of the accident, but it seems that both skaters involved will be competing.”

Chris asked, “Was the other skater injured?”

“It seemed he had a cut on his chin.” The woman answered. 

“I would like the footage to be investigated for sabotage,” Minho said, and everyone in the room froze, completely shocked that Minho would bring things this far.

Jisung protested, “Minho, that’s absurd-”

“No, Sung, it’s not.” Minho shot back, eyes narrowed.

The man and woman shared a look, then the man spoke up. “I’m afraid we are unable to delay the performance at this point to begin the investigation.”

“Then start the investigation afterwards.”

The managers shared a look again, and the woman nodded. “We will see what we can do.” They took their leave, reminding them as they left, “Thirty minutes!”

“Jisung, you’re just going to hurt yourself more if you perform,” Felix muttered, shaking his head. “It’s better if you just sit this one out. Nobody will blame you.”

“I already told them I am going to perform, and I will.” Jisung struggled to stand up, and with the help of Minho, he was up. “I’ll be careful.”

They arrived at the rink like that, with Minho subtly assisting Jisung as he regained his ability to walk normally. Felix and Chris followed close behind, nervously watching the two. They watched as the skaters performed and received their scores, and then it was Seungmin gliding onto the ice. After him, it was Jisung’s turn to skate.

Seungmin moved gracefully to the sentimental music blaring through the arena speakers. Every move he made was full of passion, full of meaning and emotion. Jisung watched him as he did his jumps, landing them all with a sort of ease that only comes through years and years of practice. When he finished, the crowd shouted out to him and gifts began to rain down onto the ice from the stands. Jisung took a deep breath, glancing to his side when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. 

“I believe in you, Ji.” Chris smiled sadly, “And if it ever becomes too much, you can stop, okay? Promise me, you will stop if it becomes too much.”

Felix and Minho listened wordlessly, and Jisung gave a small nod, sending Chris a reassuring smile that turned out to be more of a grimace. “I promise.”

Seungmin’s score was announced and Jisung found himself clapping when Seungmin got - as expected - an incredible score. All of the judges were pleased with the performance, there were very few deductions. Jisung had a bitter feeling at that moment. He was happy for him, yet it pained him to think about how Seungmin could perform so perfectly when Jisung himself had been contemplating sitting his performance out because of how bad the consequences could be. Seungmin had few deductions, but how many would Jisung have? He shivered.

“Alright, Sung. Time for your practice.” Minho’s tender touch on his lower back encouraged him to move forward towards the ice. All of Seungmin’s gifts had been cleared off, leaving the ice clear for Jisung. It almost appeared to be a battlefield at this point. Would Jisung get on the ice and injure himself further? Would he make even more of a fool of himself to the whole world? Would he make a wrong move that rendered him unable to skate for the rest of his life? 

When he was right at the rink, the audience cheering and yelling his name, he felt slightly lightheaded. Chris told him that if it became too much he could stop. Chris would never lie to him.

“Hey, Sungie? Are you alright?” 

Jisung looked over to see Minho watching him, he looked worried. “Yeah, uh, sorry. I’m okay.”

“Jisung.” And now Minho sounded serious, each of his hands placed on Jisung’s shoulders. “Don’t be a hero. You don’t need to do this.”

Jisung took a calming breath, shaking his head to rid himself of that weird feeling he had. He answered, “I want to do this.”

He and Minho stared into one other’s eyes for a moment and then his coach nodded. “Alright. Get out there.”

Jisung nodded as well and stepped out onto the ice, ignoring the ringing in his ears caused by the noise from the audience. He skated a little unsteady for a moment, then he started to get back into the feel of it. He did a loop around the rink, glancing at Minho, Chris and Felix still standing together, watching him. 

He forced any negative thoughts back and attempted a jump. In the air, as he spun, he felt completely blank. When he landed, it was rough, and he basically fell, touching the ice to keep himself from completely wiping out. The audience still cheered for him, and he skated over to his friends. He decided then that he was just going to do his performance as he would have if he wasn’t injured, and if he fell, he fell. He just needed to finish the performance.

“I’m ready.” He said to his coach as he reached the edge, and Minho nodded. They intertwined their hands for a moment, and Jisung took a moment to regain his composure. Minho was supporting him. Felix and Chris were, as well. He let go of Minho’s comforting hands, and Chris gave a small nod. 

“You can do it, Jisung.” Felix smiled, it was sincere, yet Jisung could detect the uncertainty behind it.

When he got into the middle of the rink, he blocked out the fans and listened to only his own heartbeat. He got into position, and when the music began playing through the speakers, he allowed his body to move to the performance he had worked so hard to perfect. 

At first, it wasn’t too bad. He did the starting sequence properly, attempting to keep his body fluid. He couldn’t look tense, he couldn’t be tense, or he would fail. But when the first jump came, he knew even before he jumped that he wouldn’t finish it successfully. He landed on the ice, sliding on his hands and hip, but he forced himself to stand immediately and continued. At the very least, he had completed all four rotations.

He felt dizzy, but kept skating and got prepared for his next jump. Again, he fell and stood immediately. But like last time, he had completed the rotations, so that fueled him to carry on. His head started to pound, the whirring and ringing in his ears getting louder every second. He did another jump, this time landing it shakily but successfully. The audience screamed with delight.

One successful jump gave Jisung more confidence despite the worsening throbbing he felt behind his eyes, and when he did the next one he thought he might land again. But instead, he hit the ice and forced himself to get up for the third time, speeding up his skating to gain more momentum. He knew he wouldn’t be able to complete the quad he had scheduled ahead, so at that moment he switched it to a triple. He landed!

The following sequence of three different jumps was successful as well, despite his body beginning to feel heavier and heavier. He could feel the audience getting more restless now that he was completing his jumps, but as they gained excitement, he only grew dizzier, his nerves felt electrified, pulsating and vibrating and burning. Only one minute of the four-minute performance remained, his jumps would now be counted as a ten percent bonus and he knew he needed that. 

As he prepared to leap once again, he felt his momentum rapidly declining, mid-air he was aware that he wasn’t going to land this one. When he hit the ice this time it felt like his whole body was shocked, his brain felt as if it was bashed with a brick. This time, he hesitated in standing up, his breathing becoming more and more aggressive as he continued. 

The next time was worse. He landed so hard his vision darkened, and he took a lot longer to get up. His limbs were protesting. They felt weak, like jello. The ice was swaying even though he was still, staring down at it, and the audience went dead quiet. Jisung stared down at the ice and thought, you can stop if it becomes too much.

Minho had his hands clasped together tightly with a pain-filled expression on his face, he watched as Jisung struggled to get up. Felix was practically vibrating beside him, wanting to help his friend. Chris was frozen, watching with what appeared to be a blank expression. Underneath it all, he was panicking probably more than anyone else.

Jisung sucked in a breath, reminding himself of one thing. Just finish. All he had to do was finish, and he was almost there. He had to finish. For Minho, for his friends, for the audience. For himself, he had to finish.

When Jisung stood and continued skating, it seemed as if the audience let out one consecutive sigh of relief. The blue-haired skater went through every sequence he had planned, nearly falling during the spinning parts. It only made his dizziness worse. But he had his will to keep him going, to remind him that this was where he belonged, on the ice. He worked so hard for this, and he was going to give it his all.

And finally, he got into his ending pose and stood there with his chest heaving, sweat rolling down his face and tears gathering in his eyes. The audience screamed and applauded, throwing gift after gift onto the ice for Jisung. He didn’t know whether staying in that position or forcing himself to move again would hurt his aching muscles more, but he ended up dropping into a bow. He turned to the other side of the arena and bowed again. All he could think was that he finished. It was over and he didn’t stop the performance, even when it all felt like too much.

Minho was already waiting for him with his inhaler at the edge of the rink. When Jisung arrived, he practically fell into his coach’s arms. “You did well. You did so well, Sung.” Minho was saying, but Jisung heard it muffled as if he was underwater.

Minho and Chris helped him to the bench where he would receive his score. He used his inhaler a few times and allowed Minho to wipe away the sweat from his forehead. As his breathing evened out, and after drinking almost a full bottle of water, his dizziness faded away as well, and he started to come back to the world again. Chris and Felix were waiting on the sidelines, talking quietly with one another. Minho was right at his side, rubbing soothing circles into his back. He was still murmuring about how proud he was of Jisung and how he gave a great performance. Jisung wouldn’t exactly call it great, but he was thankful for Minho’s kind words nonetheless.

“Sung, can you hear me? Everything is alright?”

Jisung nodded, managing a small smile. “I’m okay, Lino, calm down.”

Minho returned the gesture, “Alright, just making sure.” Then he took a breath, a serious expression overtook his face. “No matter what the score is, I want you to know that I am proud of you. You should be proud of yourself.”

Jisung mutely nodded, gnawing on his bottom lip nervously. The score would most likely be under average or just plain bad, so he didn’t have high expectations for himself. He fell five times, which would give him quite a few deduction points. 

“Sung?” Jisung glanced back at Minho, his beautiful brown eyes were watching him with affection. “What you did out there is incredible. You know that, right? I am so, so proud.”

Jisung managed to nod and intertwined his fingers with Minho’s. They held one another tightly as the announcer began speaking, meaning that his score would be revealed momentarily. Jisung’s heartbeat picked up, he knew the cameras were all on him and he was suddenly very anxious. His reaction to his disappointing score would be broadcast to the entire world and he detested that.

Everyone and everything was quiet, the only sound Jisung could hear was his heartbeat and the announcer’s voice. 

It doesn’t matter. Finishing was all that mattered.

Jisung chanted those thoughts over and over in his mind, prepared to the fullest to be disappointed. But at least he performed his best and finished, right?

And it took him a moment to register what was going on because suddenly the audience was screaming and Minho jolted beside him. The world froze for a moment, Jisung’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. 

Nothing in the world could have made sense to Jisung at that moment, except that he was currently in first place.

Han Jisung was first.

He gasped and felt a huge wave of emotion hit him. He couldn’t believe his eyes or ears or anything else, for that matter. First? First place? How had he managed to achieve that?

Minho was so excited, smiling, congratulating him and praising him. But Jisung’s heart was clenching, and his hands shakily came up to cover his mouth.

He let out a sob before he even realized he was about to cry. Minho was there, holding him and rubbing his back and telling him everything was alright. And all Jisung could do was weep. His entire body was trembling, and his body was begging him just to collapse into Minho’s arms completely. He wiped away his tears just for them to be replaced by new ones, and the throbbing in his brain persisted but even worse. 

Everything became so overwhelming at that moment, every sound seemed to be amplified, his sobs and deep, heaving breaths mixed with the voices of those around him and all he could think was that he did it. He actually did it. 

And, if placing first wasn’t enough of a shock, Changbin had somehow materialized at his side and was guiding Jisung to his chest. As Jisung attempted to calm down, he stroked his hair and whispered sweet nothings to him. Jisung knew that Changbin was going to be late, but he hadn’t really thought about when he would show up. Changbin was a professional when it came to the skating industry. Performances, choreographies, music, outfits, he knew everything about. So it was expected that he would have the authority to come right up to them. 

Jisung was thankful. Changbin had been a support system for him in the past, so having not only him but also Minho, the best skater and coach in the world to support him, he felt so incredibly lucky. 

“Sung, it’s alright.” Came Changbin’s soothing voice, “You were amazing. You deserve this score. I’m here, you’re alright.”

And eventually, Jisung did calm down, partly out of embarrassment for everyone watching him break down, but mostly because of all the support he was getting. There were still tears streaming down his face when he looked up and saw Felix with his hands pressed against his mouth, eyes wide and pouring out tears like a faucet. Chris was holding him as his shoulders jerked with every cry, his own eyes shining. 

Changbin was attempting to smile, and Minho was still on his other side with his two gentle hands on Jisung’s back like a support system. “How about we get you up and go talk in private, yeah?”

Jisung nodded and allowed his coach and Changbin to assist him into a standing position. He relied on them to walk a little more than he would like to, but at that moment he just couldn’t bear to do it all on his own.

The privacy of their changeroom was glorious. He was set down on the couch and Minho took his skates off, massaging his feet wordlessly afterwards. It was just him and his friends, and now that he could think a little more clearly after having broken down and then calmed down, he was able to speak. 

“What the fuck just happened?”

And after a short moment of silence, Felix broke out into an almost pained-sounding laugh, and the rest of them followed. Jisung laughed as well, wiping his tears during the process. Even if Hyunjin earned a higher score than him, he would still be in second place, and that’s all he could ask for.

“Jesus, Ji.” Chris sighed, staring at the skater with an overflowing amount of pride and affection. “You really are the best skater ever.”

“Hey- I’m right here!” Minho barked out, but then softened and smiled at Jisung. “But, I can agree with Channie somewhat. You may very well be the… second-best skater ever. Only behind me, of course!”

Jisung laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever you say, Lino.”

“I don’t know, I’m going to have to stand with Chan here.” Changbin smirked, “Minho, you better catch up to Jisung soon or he will leave you in his dust.”

“Okay, let’s not start Minho hating now.” He pouted.

Felix didn’t have anything to say at that moment, so he simply walked over to Jisung and hugged him. “But seriously, are you alright, Sung?” Jisung could see the puffiness in Felix’s eyes, an obvious sign that Felix had also cried when he heard the score. “How’s your head feeling?”

Jisung shrugged, “I’m just extremely tired, I think. A bit of a headache.” He sighed, “I’ll probably sleep like a rock tonight.”

“Please do, Jisung,” Changbin said, shaking his head gently. “You deserve it.”

Then, Jisung’s eyes narrowed. “Hey! How come you showed up so late? It was like you just teleported beside me a minute ago!”

Changbin’s eyes widened, “I- I accidentally lost track of the time at the gym earlier-”

“So the gym is more important than me?”

“Hey! It takes a lot to maintain this beautiful body, alright?” Then he added, “Besides, you know you mean more to me than even myself, brat.”

Jisung stuck his tongue out and Changbin rolled his eyes. Chris watched this whole ordeal happily, pleased to see the tense atmosphere becoming goofy. When it had been announced that Jisung was in first and he began crying, Chris himself couldn’t help but cry as well. He couldn’t even imagine the mental and physical rollercoaster Jisung had been on, so he was just grateful that Jisung could calm down and relax for just this bit.

“Hey, I’m going to go see what’s going on out there. I’ll be back in a second, alright?” Felix said, and Jisung knew exactly what the hidden meaning behind that was.

Minho appeared to know as well because he snorted. “You mean you can’t resist Hyunjin and you just have to see his performance, right?”

Felix’s face reddened, “What? I- that- that’s crazy!”

Minho only slapped Felix’s back, “Go and see him, loverboy!”

“Loverboy?!”

“Just go, Felix. Before it’s too late.” 

Felix narrowed his eyes as he got to the door, “This conversation is to be continued!” Then he left.

“Told you, Felix and Hyunjin are doing it.”

“Minho!”

As it turns out, Hyunjin did in fact receive a higher score than Jisung, placing him in first and Jisung in second in the current rankings. But Jisung knew he could come back from this. They had a final performance soon, which would decide who would officially take the first place win. But until that performance, Jisung dedicated his time to healing.

A few days were spent simply lying in bed all day, pampered by Minho who insisted on making all of Jisung’s food. At that point, Minho felt more like a slave than a coach, considering he would essentially do anything Jisung asked of him. But he wasn’t complaining.  

The investigation for sabotage had been done, yet was dropped after there was no solid evidence against the other skater. Minho was pissed over it, but Jisung reassured him that it was alright. “I still got a good score, right? And I’m okay now. That’s what matters.”

But, it was most unsettling when Minho would wake up from nightmares. They were sharing a hotel at the time, their rooms directly beside one another. But most of the time Minho would fall asleep on Jisung’s bed after having been massaging the boy or something of the sort. Two times Jisung witnessed his coach wake from bad dreams. The first time he jerked up and gasped, eyes wide and full of tears that eventually spilled out as Jisung comforted him. The second time Minho ran into his room after falling asleep in his own bed, to make sure Jisung was alright. 

“It’s when the collision happened,” Minho explained one time. “I always dream that you just… You hit the ice and don’t move. And when I get there, you’re covered in blood and- you’re just- you-”

“I’m dead?” Minho froze, eyes wide with horrors Jisung wouldn’t know. He knew that if their places were reversed, he would have been absolutely terrified to see Minho there on the ice, injured. So Jisung knew it was hard for his coach. “I’m okay. I’m honestly fine, Lino.”

“But- you weren’t. You weren’t… fine.” Minho took a deep breath, “I was so scared.”

Jisung’s heart ached hearing those words, and he moved in the sheets to take Minho into his arms. “Just come to me, alright? If you’re ever scared, I’ll be here, okay?”

Minho nodded, closing his eyes and burying his face in Jisung’s chest. His next words were muffled, “You aren’t allowed to get hurt ever again.”

Jisung laughed, “If you say so, Lino.”

And later, before the final performance, the skaters had a get-together. A party of sorts, where the skaters could invite friends and family to just have a nice night together before the upcoming performance. 

Minho said they didn’t have to go, but Jisung insisted. He invited Chris and Felix, only to find out that Hyunjin had invited Felix. Of course he had. Changbin already had an invite considering who he was in the industry. So, Jisung was at ease knowing his friends would be there to support him. They all deserved to let loose and have fun, anyway. 

Minho and Jisung met up with Chris beforehand, so they arrived together. Changbin had found his way to them at some point, and they all stayed together as they conversed with other skaters and different people. Jisung was unintentionally getting lots of attention, mostly from concerned people asking how he was doing and congratulating him for his performance and score. 

Seungmin and Jeongin joined them, the skater having walked right up to Jisung when he noticed him. “Jisung, how are you?” He asked, Jeongin nodding along beside him.

“I’m completely fine, really! I’m basically fully healed now, so don’t worry!” He assured them.

Seungmin nodded, “That’s good. I was really worried, honestly! Regardless, you gave an incredible performance.”

Jisung smiled, “Thank you. Your performance was beautiful, you did an amazing job.”

Seungmin returned the gesture and then went to sip out of an empty glass. “I’ll be right back, Innie. Going to get more water.” Jeongin smiled, nodding, and Seungmin took his leave.

“He’s drinking water!?” Minho burst out laughing, and Jeongin nodded, laughing as well.

“He’s a lightweight, I had to convince him not to drink for his own sake!”

Speaking of drinks, Chris arrived with a beverage for Jisung just then, exactly what he had asked for. “Here, Ji. Don’t go too crazy.” He said as he handed it over, and Jisung thanked him. He took a sip, gaze flitting around the room, when he began choking. Chris slapped his back, “I told you to be careful!”

When Jisung was able to speak, he began frantically pointing across the room. “Is that- is that-”

“Felix and Hyunjin!?” Jeongin exclaimed, and everyone in their small group looked over to see the two boys practically on one another, Felix’s hands all through Hyunjin’s hair as they kissed. “What!?”

Minho burst out laughing, “You didn’t know? They’ve been at it for, like, a month.”

It seemed the two boys noticed them because Felix was dragging Hyunjin over, a huge grin on his face. “Sungie!” He hugged Jisung tightly, and Hyunjin smiled.

“Nice to see you in one piece.” Jisung nodded, smiling bashfully. It was weird, the whole Hyunjin and Felix thing. His best friend dating his rival. But it seemed Hyunjin held no sort of grudge to Jisung, considering he was being so nice. “That was a nasty fall. I’m… I’m really sorry that I didn’t come to help you on the ice at that time.”

Jisung immediately grew confused. It seemed as if Hyunjin carried a lot of guilt about that day. But it wasn’t Hyunjin’s fault, and he had no obligation to come to Jisung after he had fallen in the first place. Considering they were rivals, and they weren’t exactly close, that showed how good of a person Hyunjin was. “Wow- I didn’t know you felt that way. But don’t worry about that, I’m thankful for your support regardless.”

Hyunjin smiled, and Felix hung off of him like a koala. “Let’s go dance, Jinnie!” He was definitely drunk, or at least tipsy. 

Hyunjin complied, saying, “Good job, by the way, Jisung. What an inspiring performance!”

Before Jisung could voice his thanks, the two boys were gone and Seungmin was back with his water. “Are they together?” He asked with wide eyes, and Jisung began laughing.

“You didn’t know, either!?” Minho shouted, “Seems like I’m the only smart person here!”

Jeongin yelled, “Hey, are you calling Seungmin dumb!?” And proceeded to attack Minho.

It was all around a fun and eventful night. Seungmin ended up drinking and he definitely was a lightweight, after one drink he was drunk. He draped himself over Jisung and cried out, “I really was terrified when you got hurt! It’s your fault I didn’t perform as well!”

And Jeongin had to chime in gently, “Seungmin was really shaken up after the collision. Don’t feel too bad about this, but Seungmin was thinking of you while performing, and, well… you know.” Jisung frowned. So, Seungmin didn’t give his performance his all because Jisung was on his mind? He tried not to feel bad about it but instead thought about how he was getting closer with Seungmin and Jeongin, and it seemed as if they actually cared about him. So that was a good thing.

Not long after, Chris and Changbin had a rap battle with Jisung, which was certainly something. Apparently, the three of them were actually pretty good. It was most likely because they had been drinking. 

Hyunjin and Felix did this whole dance performance that Jeongin caught on camera. They even ended up almost stripping one another before Chris ran in and stopped them.

And that left Minho, who was by Jisung’s side the whole night, making sure the skater didn’t make any bad decisions. 

Later, when Jisung needed a break from all of the noise and people, the two of them took refuge in an empty hallway together. It was as they were sitting there, both a little tipsy, that Jisung remembered something.

“Hey, Lino?”

“Hm?”

“Remember back in the change room when you were going to tell me something?” After a long moment of silence, Minho answered him again with a hum. “What did you want to tell me?”

Jisung looked over at his coach, sitting with his legs stretched out, hair a tousled mess, his big brown eyes full of light. Minho was smiling to himself, staring up at the ceiling. Jisung watched him, enamoured by how effortlessly beautiful he was.

“That really was bad timing, huh?” Minho laughed to himself, and Jisung watched him, confused. “First we were interrupted, then you had that whole accident. The world is really against me.”

“Nothing will interrupt us now, just tell me.” Jisung managed to say, but his heartbeat was racing faster and faster every second. He had an idea of what he might say, and the idea was thrilling.

Minho looked over at him and their eyes locked. Minho took in the sight of Jisung. His blue hair, his doe eyes and the mole on his cheek. “I mean, Felix gets his own hot skater, why don’t I get mine?” Jisung’s eyes widened, and Minho said, “I wanted to tell you that I like you. As more than a friend.”

Jisung’s heart skipped a few beats, his entire body tingling with excitement. “You’re serious?”

He just had to be sure. 

Minho nodded, “Dead serious.”

They sat in silence for a while, Jisung letting it all sink in. When he opened his mouth to speak, he could hardly form any words at first. “I feel the same way.”

Minho burst out laughing and Jisung stared at him, eyebrows narrowed. When Jisung didn’t start laughing, Minho sobered up. “Wait- shit- you meant that? You’re being serious?”

“Yes? Are you?”

Minho’s eyes were wide. “Holy shit- yes- yes, I’m being serious! You, you like me, too?”

Jisung began laughing, “Yes! I already said so!”

Minho sat up and crawled over to Jisung so he was right in front of him. “How long have you liked me?”

Jisung’s cheeks heated up, “What? I don’t know? For a while now.”

“Are you telling me we could have been dating way before this but we were too stupid to notice!?”

“Maybe you were too focused on Felix and Hyunjin?”

Minho stared at him blankly for a moment before shaking his head, “Can I just kiss you already or what?”

Jisung laughed and nodded, “I’m not stopping you.”

Sure, the kiss was messy, a little too much… teeth, probably. But it was beautiful. It was exciting and scary all at once, new to both of them. And yeah, they both had been waiting for this moment for a long time, so now that it was actually happening it was hard to believe it was real. Minho had moved so he was practically straddling Jisung, their bodies were pressed together, sharing their warmth. They kissed and kissed, then realized they needed oxygen to live, so they stopped and what had just happened hit them like a bag of bricks. 

“That was honestly better than I imagined,” Minho muttered, and Jisung was so flustered he simply said,

“You’ve been imagining this?”

“Probably every time I see you.”

“You sap.”

Minho shrugged, “I mean, I call you baby all the time, that should have been a hint.”

Jisung winced, “I thought it was platonic?”

“Platonic baby? Make that make sense.”

Jisung laughed and held him closer, relishing in the feeling of his coach. Not just his coach, his friend, his, what? Boyfriend? Lover? And Minho savoured this moment as well, the feeling of Jisung here with him. He remembered running onto the ice, holding Jisung in his arms. Then, he was hurt, cold, and broken. But now, here he was. Warm, safe, alive. They had one another, and that was real.

There was so much Jisung could imagine for their future. They could skate together, go on trips together, try out new foods and meet new people together. They wouldn’t need separate beds in a hotel room, they could simply share one (as if they didn’t already). Jisung’s heart swelled thinking that the Lee Minho liked him, Han Jisung, back. How in the world did it happen? He didn’t know.

And Minho, too, could picture their future together. He could buy Jisung presents and flowers, he could take him out to restaurants and tell everyone proudly that Han Jisung was his boyfriend. He could stare at Jisung’s ass without Chris and Felix attacking him. He could buy Jisung’s skirts to wear, as well! 

Suddenly, Minho sat up, a huge grin on his face. “Wait, Jisung. Does this… does this mean I’m allowed to perv on your beautiful gazelle legs?”

Jisung reeled back, “What is it with you and calling them “gazelle legs”!?”