Love & Evil - nomin

Chapter one

Jeno heaves out a sigh. He ties the shoelaces of one of his skates, then moves to the other one until both are wrapped tight around his feet. He zips up his hoodie until the zipper tickles his chin, then stands up. He reaches for his bag and pulls out his gloves, putting them on as well. He locks his bag in one of the lockers. The one assigned to him.

It's too damn early for this.

His coach has been on a roll lately, and now Jeno starts practice at seven in the morning nearly every day.

"Hurry, Jeno," His coach says. "If you don't hurry, the others will take the center."

Jeno nods. "It's too early." He grumbles.

His coach scoffs, a playful smile tugging at his lips. He crosses his arms over his chest. "It's good for you, mister star player."

Jeno stretches his limbs. His shoulder cracks, and he walks over to the door that leads them towards the ice ring, waiting with a hand already on the door handle. "You coming, old man?" He teases.

His coach barks out a laugh. "Yes, sir."

Jeno inhales a deep breath of cold air as soon as he's standing next to the ice. He watches the way his breath turns to smoke as he exhales. He leans over the bar and looks down. He loves it here.

Jeno closes his eyes briefly, enjoying the feeling of the ice cold air hitting his cheeks. His coach slaps a hand on his shoulder.

"I've really never seen anyone enjoy the cold this much." He says. Jeno smiles at him. He leans down to take off the blade sleeves on his skates and stretches his body once again.

"I don't enjoy the cold," Jeno says. He opens the gate and steps out onto the ice. "I enjoy the ice," He rubs the bar he's leaning on, a ritual of sorts. Jeno thinks it gives him good luck. "I'm ready to go."

This, this might be the best feeling of it all. Jeno skates the ice, stretches one of his hands out and lifts one of his legs in the air, and despite the straining position, his face shows nothing but serenity. He feels the cold air brush his cheeks and hair, and he feels alive, like he's flying. It's the best feeling he knows, and suddenly the fact it's seven in the morning doesn't quite matter anymore.

Jeno has been skating since he turned five years old. After begging for skates countless times, his parents finally gave in and Jeno woke up one Christmas morning to a box on the kitchen table. He remembers the red wrapping paper and the look his dad gave his mom. In the box were his first ever skates, and he used them until they were basically falling apart. He still has them in a box somewhere, hidden away.

Jeno's coach instructs him through a new routine from the side of the ring. Jeno follows along well, this is a particularly good day.

"Good job on that spin," Jeno's coach praises. "But stretch your arm out more, you don't look graceful enough yet." He adds, and Jeno keeps repeating the same move until his coach gives him a thumbs up, until he's perfected this too.

"Good job, Jeno." His coach praises.

Jeno has known his coach since he was twelve, and it's safe to say they've gotten to know each other quite well over the years. Jeno's coach knows all of his boundaries, all of his limits, and he knows exactly how to push Jeno a little further every time, he knows exactly how to push him past those boundaries, bit by bit.

Then Jeno sees him, and his thought all jumble together. Jeno's heart thuds in his chest, and he promptly spins around. He nearly loses balance.

Jaemin looks good today, he always does. There's this gracefulness to him Jeno dreams to achieve one day too. He looks like an angel when he's on the ice. Jaemin looks like skating is what he is meant to do.

Jaemin's coach yells out something to him, and Jeno sees Jaemin smile.

"Stay focused, Jeno!" Jeno's coach says.

Jaemin is not a man of many words — Jeno has learned this is his time observing the other. Jaemin was here before Jeno was. He's a bit of a prodigy, similar to the way Jeno is. Despite that, they don't talk.

Jaemin is a bit cocky, at least that's what Jeno has convinced himself of, and it's one of the reasons Jeno is a bit apprehensive talking to Jaemin. He's afraid reality will catch up to him.

There have been these little moments here and there though. There was this one time, when Jeno finally built up the courage to actually talk to Jaemin instead of admiring him from a distance. Jaemin hadn't really said anything, he'd just raised an eyebrow and smiled. Jeno made the decision right then and there to make Jaemin his mortal enemy.

He failed, of course.

Jeno believes there's always good in others, Jaemin included. Diamonds are only rough rocks before someone takes time to polish them. He knows Jaemin is not what he is portraying himself to be.