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Minsung arched his back, arms extended as far as they could go. It was almost to the point of breaking, but the quiet sound of skates on ice kept him grounded. He crouched and leaped and spun. When the move finished, he skidded to a stop and bowed to an imaginary audience.
Surprisingly, the benches weren’t empty. Dongho was sitting in nothing but a t-shirt shivering but clapping. He was at every performance, every practice, and every time Minsung was on the ice. He never dressed too warmly. Minsung had gone off on him for it, but it didn't seem to bother Dongho.
Minsung skated over to the edge and waved. Dongho waved back, his dark eyes sparkling with pride. He’d meticulously choreographed the routine Minsung had just performed and it was amazing to see it come together.
“You’re cold!” Minsung huffed, hopping off the ice to hurry over to where Dongho was seated. “You didn’t being a jacket?”
“Didn’t think I’d stay this long, honestly. Just wanted to see you on the ice.”
“Oh. Did you like it?”
“Yeah. You did great.” Dongho gave a smile despite his discomfort. “It’s pretty neat to watch the moves all come together.”
Minsung wondered why, sometimes. He wondered at times like this when he was so cold after a workout and swishing ice. Dongho never complained. Never. Minsung couldn't imagine life without Dongho's support. He knew that he wasn’t paying Dongho, knew that there was no reason for the other guy to show up. Minsung wasn’t even the one who had met Dongho first.
The memory of Dongho being dragged into the Lee house by a much shorter Minsoo was practically burnt into Minsung’s mind. He had been making a snack for Minsoo (apples, peanut butter, and marshmallow fluff) before having his ears assaulted with screeches of “No!” and “Dongho’s allergic to peanuts!”
Dongho had stood outside, heels dragging in the dirt while the offending peanut butter was scooped back into the container and the kitchen was sanitized. No one was going to die of anaphylactic shock when Minsung was in charge. Of course, the shock that Dongho was older than him by several months led a very flustered Minsung to an equally flustered apology.
It had been the beginning of a relationship, that’s for sure. Dongho frequented the Lee house, mumbling something about “Not liking his own house.” Minsung understood, even if Minsoo didn’t. He and Dongho hung out frequently, meeting up at the rink to skate together. Eventually, as what often happened, Minsoo fell out of love with the sport.
It wasn’t his fault, of course.
He just.
It just.
Skating wasn’t his thing. Minsung kept up with it, saving every spare penny on new skates, new costumes, and more lessons. Some doner sent him a letter, eventually offering to fund his lessons because Minsung had caught his eye. Years later, and several bottles of liquor later, Dongho had drunkenly confessed that he’d been funding Minsung’s skating lessons. The two dissolved into gales of laughter, talking about inane things.
Minsoo spent time with them sometimes but was caught up in entering university and he’d met two boys in his major that he was becoming great friends with. They eventually rented an apartment, the three of them to avoid paying for the dorm.
And Minsung kept skating. Dongho kept being there, being with him, being his support in the otherwise ruthless sport.
Minsoo came to his competitions less and less, complaining that it was too cold, too long, too much. And still, Dongho came.
When the letter came, Minsung nearly fainted. Dongho had been over in a matter of minutes, eyes sparkling and excitement alive beneath his skin. He helped straighten a somewhat limp Minsung and read the letter aloud.
“We formally invite Lee Minsung to the XR Ice Skating Rink, in which we hope that he will consider coming to compete for us.” Dongho breathed, eyes skating over the paper. “Oh, Minsung. They think you could make it to the Olympics.”
“You’re kidding .” Minsung snatched the paper away from Dongho and read it himself, nearly bursting into tears. “It all paid off. It all– it all wasn’t for nothing .”
“It was never for nothing, Sung. You did it because you loved it.” Dongho’s face clouded. “You still do love it, right?”
Minsung nodded. He hated the early mornings and late nights, hated the bruises and cuts, hated the way his skin chafed in the cold, but he loved being on the ice and being free. “I– I just can’t believe it, Dongho. I have to do something– maybe this is a dream, maybe this– it’s too good to be true .”
“You sell yourself short.” Dongho laughed. “Don’t– don’t freak out. You earned this, and if anyone is as deserving of it, it’s you .”
“How did they even find me?” Minsung asked, laughter bubbling in his throat.
“Maybe it was the competitions you took first in.” Dongho teased, standing. “Come on, we have so much to prepare for, so much to figure out, so many things to do now that you’re going to be an elite skater .”
Minsung just nodded wordlessly.
– –
XR was amazing. There were several full-sized rinks in the first entrance bit of the area. Minsung almost dropped his skating bag in shock at the sheer size of it all. He didn’t (there were precious skates in there) but it was beautiful. His coach shook his hand and took him on a tour of the area and Minsung felt like he was floating.
The coach saw Minsung’s enthusiasm and shook his head, eyes bright. He’d seen enough young skaters to know that they all wanted to be on the ice and skate.
“Let’s get you on the ice.”
Two boys with brightly colored hair greeted Minsung when he skated out. One had green and red skates while the others were colored a light purple. The coach introduced them as Hyunjin and Taeseok respectively. They grinned.
“Hey.” Hyunjin grinned. “Minsung, right? I’m Hyunjin, but the coach already said that. I’ve been skating for six years!”
Taeseok bowed. “I’ve been skating for 5 years, on and off. I had to take time off cause of injuries, but I work to help out as Hyunjin’s choreographer.”
Minsung spun a little. “It’s great to meet you guys.”
Out of habit, he glanced at the bleachers, and Dongho was there. Minsung didn’t know how, but everything in this strange environment felt right.
Minsung spent every waking moment of the next year at XR. Still, Dongho never missed a practice, competition, or anything. Whenever he was there, Minsung pushed himself a little bit harder, a little bit further.
He met his makeup artist a little while later. The enthusiastic boy flitted around Minsung like a fairy, his long auburn hair swishing behind him. Kyunghun was gorgeous with bright, glittery wings around his eyes and several dangling earrings. Youngjoon emerged from the depths of Kyunghun’s makeup studio and shyly introduced himself as one of the costume makers.
Minsung’s head was spinning.
This was his Heaven on Earth.
With a little prodding, Dongho joined XR as an assistant choreographer. It was a bit of a shock to Minsung to see Dongho move so effortlessly along the ice, but he reminded himself that Dongho had been skating for just as long as Minsung, if not longer. He just had no desire in competing.
And it was perfect.
– –
“Ready?” Dongho asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “You’re ready, right?”
Minsung nodded, clad in blues and pinks and whites. His eyes were lost in clouds of glitter and eyeshadow, while his hair sat prettily on top of his head. There were so many people here, so many watching. At the moment, he reflected on those he was most grateful for.
Kyunghun for helping with his makeup.
Youngjoon for helping with his costume.
Hyunjin and Taeseok for their training.
Minsoo for cheering him on and supporting him and his decision. Even if he didn’t know about the sport as much as he had before.
And.
And Dongho for being there and cheering him on and giving him pointers. For being the constant while he navigated training and practice and the Olympics. Dongho who’d helped him with his love of skating, Dongho who’d choreographed the set he was about to perform for the judges in a few minutes.
Dongho gave him a reassuring smile and Minsung skated onto the ice. The song choice had been fun and classy– something that Minsoo had written for Minsung with his friends from university. Soft piano filled the stadium before a more poppy beat took its place.
Then Minsung lost himself to the ice, to the jumps, to the spins.
Then Minsung took a gulp of air and took his ending pose, fingers bent at a slight angle and head tilted back. His eyes were closed, the light catching on his glittered eyelids. Hold, one, two, three, down.
– –
“Minsung Lee! ”
Minsung stood on the topmost podium, arms filled with flowers and a gold medallion hanging around his neck. He had done it.
Dongho was cheering the loudest, voice roaring above everyone else. He crashed into Minsung, a flurry of congratulations leaving his lips.
“I knew you could do it!”
Everyone else crowded around them and Minsung felt his heart swell with emotion. Everyone had been rooting for him and he hadn’t let them down. Minsoo was behind him, Kyunghun and Youngjoon were off to the side, Taeseok and Hyunjin were somewhere to his right, and Dongho was right next to him.
It was perfect. Minsung gave Dongho a tight hug, eyes prickling slightly.
“Not without you.”