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Kakyoin almost couldn’t believe his ears when Jotaro agreed to go ice skating with him. He tried to imagine the man on the ice, as big and tall and stoic as he was.
Would he be good? There was no way, Kakyoin thought to himself. Someone as big and stiff as Jotaro was bound to slip and fall.
Kakyoin mischievously smiled to himself. He imagined himself giving Jotaro pointers, holding his hands, steadying the big guy, and guiding him as they skated.
It was a sweet fantasy. It propelled Kakyoin through the days as he waited for their agreed time to skate.
Kakyoin dressed to impress before they met up. He spent an ungodly amount of time touching up his hair. He had a vision of gliding across the ice with elegance and ease. Jotaro was going to be so impressed by him.
When they met up, they rented their skates and put them on. The skates themselves were already putting a damper on his mood, as they were big, bulky, and smelled of feet from who knows how many strangers.
But it wasn’t enough to ruin Kakyoin’s day. He tied up the skates and balanced on the ground, ready to step into the rink.
Jotaro joined him. With the extra few inches that the skates added to his height, he looked absolutely massive.
Jotaro gave him a nod. He held Kakyoin’s hand as they stepped onto the ice together.
Kakyoin then promptly fell flat on his face. When he tried to get up, he fell once again on the cold, hard ice.
He was sure his face was bright red when Jotaro managed to finally get him to his feet. He stood stiff and wobbly as he clutched onto Jotaro for dear life.
Meanwhile, Jotaro was as graceful on the ice as he was off. He was able to move fluidly with seemingly no effort at all.
Sure, Kakyoin hadn’t been ice skating since he was a young child, but he had been able to do it then with no problem. How could he have gotten so bad at it in such a short period of time? Had his center of gravity really changed that much?
Jotaro tried his best to guide Kakyoin while they skated. It would have been sweet if Kakyoin hadn’t been deathly afraid of falling on his face in front of his boyfriend and a bunch of strangers again.
People stared at them. They were probably assuming that Jotaro was a nice young man, doing his best to assist some loser who had no idea what he was doing.
Anxiety swirled around Kakyoin’s head until he couldn’t stand it any longer.
“I need to get off,” Kakyoin told Jotaro. Jotaro had been holding onto his arms while skating backward, trying to lead him. He had a glint of concern in his eye. It just made Kakyoin feel worse.
Jotaro helped him toward the exit. Kakyoin sighed with relief when he finally stepped onto solid ground again. However, before he could say a word to Jotaro another teen boy around their age approached them.
“Hey man, do you want to play a game of hockey? We’re short a player and you seem like you really know what you’re doing!” The boy called out.
“He’d love to!” Kakyoin answered for Jotaro before he could say no. Jotaro frowned at him.
Kakyoin turned toward him. “I want to watch you skate,” he mumbled to him. “I’ll just sit on the bleachers right there.”
If Kakyoin was being truthful with himself, he was far too embarrassed and overwhelmed to look Jotaro in the eye at the moment. He craved to just sit alone and gather his thoughts before trying to have a conversation.
Jotaro frowned at him for several seconds before eventually nodding and skating toward the group of boys, who cheered at his arrival.
Kakyoin blushed again. There was no way that Jotaro wasn’t onto him.
Kakyoin quickly took off the skates and held them away from his body with great disdain as he made his way toward the bleachers.
He sat down by himself and bundled his scarf tighter around his body, chasing its warmth.
He watched as Jotaro played hockey with the boys. He was easy to spot, as he towered over the others. Every time Jotaro scored, which was fairly frequently, the boys cheered in excitement and adoration. Even the boys on the opposing team cheered.
Kakyoin felt ashamed of the jealousy that itched at the back of his head as he watched Jotaro play. Jotaro effortlessly attained admirers wherever he went. He didn’t have to do anything to get other people to like him. Sometimes he would even actively discourage others from clinging onto him, but they still did. There was something about him that just drew people in.
Meanwhile, Kakyoin had to work so hard to get anyone to look at him at all. He wasn’t spectacular like Jotaro was. He was mediocre. He tried his best to be charming, agreeable, talented, and interesting, but he didn’t feel like he had achieved any of those things.
It was easy to forget when he was alone with Jotaro. His boyfriend had gotten very good at distracting him from his racing mind. However, when they were together in public, Kakyoin was often reminded that he was just an ugly duckling following a swan.
His thoughts were interrupted when a boy his age sat right next to him. He was holding two cups.
“Hey,” the boy said. “The concession stand accidentally made me two cups of hot chocolate. They gave them both to me, but I really don’t need two. You looked kind of cold, so I was wondering if you’d want one?”
Kakyoin blinked at the boy. He was fairly handsome. He had dark hair and dark eyes. He was around the same height as Kakyoin. He wore a nice tan coat.
“Um- sure,” Kakyoin answered. He accepted the hot chocolate and appreciated the way that the cup warmed his fingers. “I don’t recognize you. Are you from the area?” Kakyoin asked once it was clear that the boy wasn’t going to leave.
The boy shook his head. “I’m here to visit family.” He pointed at the small girl on the ice doing jumps and spins. “I’m just here to look after my cousin.”
Kakyoin nodded. “You didn’t want to skate, too?” he asked.
The boy laughed. “No way. I’d fall flat on my ass.”
Kakyoin giggled in response. “Well, you’re not alone. I did just fall on my ass out there. And my side. And my face.”
They made light conversation as they watched the skaters glide over the rink. It was nice to have someone to talk to. Kakyoin lost track of time as they spoke.
During a lull in the conversation, the boy leaned toward Kakyoin. “I like your scarf. What material is it?”
Kakyoin smiled. He loved the scarf. It had been a gift from Holly that he greatly cherished.
“It’s cashmere,” he shyly answered. Although he appreciated the expensive gifts the Joestar family often gave him, he wasn’t one to flaunt his things.
“Whoa,” the boy said. He leaned closer. He reached over and gently adjusted the scarf around Kakyoin’s neck as he felt the material. “That’s really nice!” He gushed as he continued to touch the scarf.
A loud bang made them both jump in their seats. Kakyoin nearly spilled his drink. He glanced over the ice to see Jotaro staring directly at him. The boys around him yelled excitably. Much of the ice rink had turned to look at the commotion.
Jotaro had launched the puck so hard against the protective glass surrounding the rink that the glass had cracked. The crack was right in front of the bleachers where Kakyoin sat.
Kakyoin watched with wide eyes as Jotaro handed his stick to one of the young boys and made his way toward the exit.
“Geez, what a brute,” the boy next to Kakyoin muttered.
Kakyoin stood. “Thanks for the hot chocolate,” he called over his shoulder. He threw the cup into the trash can on the edge of the bleachers. The mostly full cup thumped loudly when it hit the bottom of the can.
Jotaro nodded at him as he stepped out of the rink and began to take off his boots as if he hadn’t just nearly broken the very sturdy glass in front of Kakyoin. Actually, Kakyoin was certain that Jotaro had been showing restraint. If he wanted to break the glass, he certainly could have.
They returned their skates and walked away from the rink towards a nearby market.
Kakyoin leaned toward Jotaro and slipped his hand into his. “So what was that all about?” He asked. “Was the game getting heated?”
Jotaro frowned. “You were supposed to be watching,” he muttered.
Kakyoin paused. Was that petulance in Jotaro’s tone? Kakyoin couldn’t believe his ears.
“I was watching,” he argued.
“You weren’t,” Jotaro returned. “You were talking.”
Kakyoin shrugged. “That guy said that the concession stand accidentally gave him two hot chocolates. He gave me one and it would have been rude if I refused to speak to him afterward.”
“That’s bullshit,” Jotaro grumbled.
“It’s true!” Kakyoin rebutted, slightly offended.
“People don’t just accidentally get two drinks.”
Kakyoin paused. He blinked. “Wait, what do you mean?” He asked.
“He bought them both,” Jotaro answered with a deep frown. “He was hitting on you.”
Kakyoin scoffed. “No way,” he said. Jotaro gave him a look. “He wasn’t hitting on me! He was just being nice, and I was being nice back.” Kakyoin insisted.
Jotaro sighed. He didn’t look angry anymore, just exhausted. It made Kakyoin feel kind of bad like he had done something wrong.
He squeezed Jotaro’s hand and leaned against him. “I’ll tell you what. The next time someone tries to be nice to me, I’ll tell them to fuck off. Does that make you feel better?” He asked light-heartedly.
Jotaro pouted at him but squeezed his hand back. “No,” he answered. He paused for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. “You’re too good at talking to people,” he eventually murmured. “People like being around you and talking to you.”
Kakyoin blinked at him. “I’m sorry?”
“I like that about you,” Jotaro quickly added. “But other people like it, too. It’s… shitty.”
It started to click in Kakyoin’s head. He wasn’t the only one in their relationship who felt jealous from time to time.
Kakyoin giggled. Jotaro frowned at him. Kakyoin giggled and pulled Jotaro into a hug. He giggled against his shoulder. Jotaro eventually hugged him back. “It’s not funny,” he grumbled as he squeezed Kakyoin back.
Kakyoin stood on his tip toes and pecked Jotaro on the cheek. “That hot chocolate sucked,” he said. “I want to go get hot chocolate with you.”
Jotaro nodded. He squeezed Kakyoin’s hand as they walked further into the market.