Chapter 3: Pairs Partner

...Taehyung joined the team to stand in a semi-circle around their coach, Namjoon, as he explained how to do a footwork drill that Taehyung has already mastered....

...Taehyung was drifting in and out of focus as he thought about the boy that was currently standing opposite to him....

...Unable to help himself, Taehyung sneaks a peek at the younger boy, who Taehyung found to be not paying attention either. Taehyung allowed himself to check out the muscular boy a little longer, thinking back to the two times they had talked and cringing when he thinks about the 'Nacho incident'....

...Jeongguk seemed nice, albeit rather shy. Taehyung was shocked when he found that nacho-stalker-boy was the Jeon Jeongguk who was his biggest competition, but weirdly it relieved Taehyung to meet him. Ever since Taehyung had heard of Jeon Jeongguk, Taehyung thought the boy was some sort of superhuman because of his ridiculously high scores. Meeting Jeongguk in person made Taehyung realize he was silly for thinking that, because Jeongguk is a person just like Taehyung. A person who Taehyung can beat....

...Taehyung watched as Jeongguk's head snapped to attention comically fast at something Namjoon said. Taehyung turned to his friend Jonghyun, who was standing next to him, to ask what was going on,...

...“We're doing pairs work today and we have to find our own partners,” Jonghyun replied when Taehyung questioned him, looking somewhere in the distance with a slight blush on his daydreaming face....

...Taehyung raised and eyebrow and waved his hand in front of the shorter man's face. Jonghyun blinked rapidly and looked at Taehyung questioningly....

...“Do you want to be partners?” Taehyung asked casually, expecting Jonghyun to say yes since they were usually partners for pairs work....

...Jonghyun rubbed the back of his neck looking away awkwardly. “I would Taehyung, but Taemin waved at me! And you know I've had a crush on him for forever! This is my chance to get to know him!” Jonghyun explained apologetically and made his pouting puppy dog face....

...Taehyung opened and closed his mouth a few times in shock before looking over to a smiley Taemin waving at them. Taemin and Jonghyun both like each other, but Jonghyun has always been too shy to talk to Taemin. Now that Taehyung thinks about it he vaguely remembers himself encouraging Jonghyun to talk to Taemin and giving him a pep talk about it. ...

...Taehyung curses as his own kindness backfires on him and he sighs defeatedly as he watches Jonghyun skate toward Taemin. Taehyung resigns to look for a new partner while he grouchily grumbles about true friends and cute boys ruining everything....

...Taehyung feels lost and awkward as he sees that everyone has a partner. He's about to give up and go tell Namjoon when he feels someone tap his shoulder. Taehyung spins around, excited that someone is a loner like him, but freezes when he sees Jeongguk standing there with a cute bunny smile....

...‘Oh my god he is so cute I just want to pinch his cheeks.’...

...Taehyung just stares at him unblinkingly and almost chokes when Jeongguk simply holds his hand out. Taehyung gulps as he takes Jeongguk's warm, rough hand and tries not to seem like he's totally memorizing what it feels like against his. They skate over in line with the rest of the team, who are taking turns doing a pairs drill and getting critiqued by the coaches....

...The drill is simple enough but it involves a lot of touching and teamwork because Jeongguk will have to lift Taehyung. When Taehyung thinks of Jeongguk’s muscled arms lifting him, he shivers and grips a little tighter onto Jeongguk’s hand. Immediately after, Taehyung realizes what he did and he glances at Jeongguk to see if he had noticed, his face heating up. ...

...‘Crap, he thinks I'm weird. Why did I do that?’...

...Jeongguk smiles at Taehyung when they meet eyes, stopping Taehyung's internal freak-out. He squeezes Taehyung’s hand back and Taehyung blushes. Flustered, Taehyung pulls his hand away....

...Taehyung gets butterflies when he sees they are at the front of the line and Jeongguk turns to smirk at Taehyung. ...

...“Ready?” Jeongguk asks with a smirk still on his face. Taehyung takes a deep breath and nods, ignoring the stupid, sexy, distracting face of his partner....

...They get into their starting positions and Taehyung tries not to become distracted by Jeongguk’s hands on his waist. ...

...Taehyung closes his eyes and focuses on not fucking up....

...…...

...Jeongguk is glad that he can finally be around Taehyung in a normal situation....

...When Jeongguk saw that Taehyung didn’t have a partner he was beyond happy, and his excitement gave him the courage to go up to Taehyung....

...After Taehyung took his hand, Jeongguk was back to his shy self and could only stare at the ground as he stiffly skated in line with Taehyung for the drill. Taehyung’s hand is soft and cold and Jeongguk really wants to grab his hands and warm them up, but he restrains himself. ...

...Jeongguk was busy staring forward trying not to look too affected, when he feels Taehyung squeeze his hand. Jeongguk looks over to see Taehyung looking at him with dazed eyes....

...‘holy. shit.’ ...

...Jeongguk smiles shyly and squeezes back, snapping Taehyung out of his daze....

...Jeongguk watches Taehyung flush red prettily and he quickly pulls his hand away. Watching his reaction, Jeongguk gains some confidence that maybe, just maybe, Taehyung finds him attractive (and not creepy)....

...When they get to the front of the line, Jeongguk feels more confident than ever. Skating is what Jeongguk does best and he’s more than happy for the chance to show off....

...He sees Taehyung nervously picking at a string hanging from his leggings before they get into position. Jeongguk smirks at the thought that now Taehyung is the nervous one....

...“Ready?”...

...Jeongguk hears Taehyung take a deep breath and then he nods. Jeongguk is giddy as he sets his hands on Taehyung's waist, staring at the back of Taehyung's head. Namjoon starts the music and together they skate forward a few feet with Jeongguk still holding Taehyung's waist....

...As they separate they both glance at each other at the same moment. Jeongguk meets Taehyung's eyes and they sparkle a golden brown. They jump and do a triple toe-loop in perfect synchronization. At the sound of their blades hitting the ice again at the same time, they look up and meet eyes again....

...Jeongguk is shocked by the concentration he sees in Taehyung's eyes and how seriously he’s taking a simple drill....

...Jeongguk grabs Taehyung's hands and they skate around the rink, gaining momentum. Jeongguk takes a deep breath and gets serious, not wanting to drop Taehyung and kill his crush before he can ask him out....

...…...

...Taehyung takes a deep breath after Jeongguk grabs his hands. They skate around to gain speed and Taehyung gets in position in front of Jeongguk for the lift....

...Taehyung can hear Jeongguk take a deep breath and Taehyung gasps as he is lifted easily above Jeongguk’s head with strong hands gripping his waist. Taehyung blanks for a moment before he remembers what position he is supposed to be in. He arches his back and reaches his arms out over his head, flourishing them as they skate in a circle. ...

...Taehyung can feel Jeongguk's hands supporting him under his lower back and he tries not to look down at the ice, trusting Jeongguk to hold him up....

...The music shuts off and everyone claps. Taehyung grasps Jeongguk’s broad shoulders tightly when Jeongguk begins to let him down, and he carefully places Taehyung back on the ice. As Jeongguk gently helps Taehyung regain his balance, his hands linger on Taehyung's waist, standing chest to back as they wait for their coaches to give them advice....

...Namjoon smiles at them before he begins to talk,...

...“That was fantastic! Just what I expect from my two best competitors, but I have a few things to nitpick.” Namjoon skates over as he talks and proceeds to explain tiny things they can do better to perfect the drill....

...Taehyung tries to pay attention, actually wanting to remember what Namjoon says. But Jeongguk's hand's fidget on his waist and Taehyung ends up missing half of Namjoon’s critique....

...“Got it?” Namjoon asks and even though no, Taehyung did not get it, both he and Jeongguk nod silently and skate back over to the team....

...Jeongguk still stands close enough for Taehyung to feel his body heat and Taehyung tries to distance them slightly, but the oblivious boy unconsciously shifts closer every time Taehyung moves an inch away....

...Taehyung glares at Jeongguk out of the corner of his eye, Taehyung can already tell that the handsome skater will be the cause of many of his problems in the near future....

...Taehyung clenches his jaw and faces forward, forcing himself to concentrate and not think about the hot boy standing next to him....

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