Puppy Love • Seungchan/Chanmin

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Chan hovers close to Seungmin, trying not to laugh as the younger grips the barrier wall. His small groans and grumbles about the ice being slippery unexpectedly helping Chan to forget his earlier dalliance with his brother. Now instead of a frown he wore a smile, and it was all because of Seungmin.

It was kind of crazy just how cute the boy was, dressed in straight cut jeans, a brown hoodie with little paw prints embroidered into the pocket and sleeve, and a beret. Yes. A BERET. Chan wondered whether Seungmin even considered himself cute since he'd been so shocked only moments earlier when he'd made the suggestion.

"How is it you make even the most basic task of standing look easy?" Seungmin whines, adding to his cuteness as a small child whizzes in between them. While Chan doesn't flinch, Seungmin pulls himself impossibly closer to the wall.

Chan sucks in his lips, biting them back so he wasn't grinning like an idiot. "Because it is. The hard part begins once you start moving," he then adds matter-of-factly.

Seungmin pouts and Chan takes this as his cue to come closer. He wanted to give Seungmin the space to have a go on his own, but almost 10 minutes had passed now and Chan was sure if he didn't step up and give Seungmin a guiding hand, that the boy was never going to leave the wall and their date was surely going to go sour again.

Summoning his chivalry, Chan sweeps one hand around his waist pulling him away from the wall, and with the other he gently lifts Seungmin's arm until he is- reluctantly -leaving the wall.

Chan stands firm in his skates, trying to remain calm and maintain his confidence, But as Seungmin looks into his eyes and pleads "Channnnie" in the sweetest whiniest tone, he crumbles.

Suddenly his legs are jelly, and his heart sets to self-combust into a thousand pieces. If it weren't for Seungmin squeezing the life out of his hand and anchoring his consciousness, Chan was sure he'd be abandoning the boy and gripping onto the wall himself.

Chan takes a deep breath. Regardless of his own heart causing his skills to falter, he still had this overwhelming need to look after Seungmin, to help him and guide him. "Trust me Min, I won't let you fall. Promise." he says, trying to keep his voice steady and not give away his nerves.

To aid both Seungmin and calm himself, Chan takes Seungmin's hands in his own, giving them a comforting squeeze as he puts his training cap on.

Gently Chan skates backwards, pulling Seungmin along. All the while showing the younger pointers on how to move and glide and also showing him how to stop. Seungmin whines, but he persists to Chan's pleasure and holds tight.

Slowly the grip Seungmin has on his hands loosens, not enough to let go, but just enough to show that he was getting used to being on the ice.

Every few seconds Chan looks over his shoulders just to make sure the path he was skating was clear, and each time he looks back his heart skips as he watches Seungmin's smile turn from a frightened one, to one of joy. It made Chan happier than he'd ever expected at seeing Seungmin enjoying himself on the ice.

To Chan, the ice rink was like a second home. He'd spent his youth going to games with his father, and his entire teen years training on the ice; he lived it, he breathed it. He loved that spark of blades, the slice of the puck sliding across the ice, the joyful cheers anytime his team made another score.

If it weren't for tearing his PCL during senior year quarterfinals, and being told by his doctor that any repeat impact could hinder his ability to walk, let alone play hockey, he was sure he would have chased a professional career in the NHL.

While Chan had prioritised his health and chose a different path, he had no regrets in pursuing Social Sciences, since being able to help people is something he prided himself on. But he would admit, he missed being on the ice training with his team mates.