His Scarf | taekook ✔️

e i g h t

Jeongguk never thought he'd ever set foot here again, the familiar surroundings reopening a wound in his chest and bleeding bittersweetness.

But he had to do something. He couldn't be there for his father's last Christmas. He wanted to be there for Taehyung's.

The older must've noticed his unease, squeezing his hand. "You've been here, haven't you?"

"Yup." Jeongguk sighed, then offered him a weak smile.

"With... your dad?"

"Yup."

"Where'd he take you?"

Jeongguk scanned the square until his eyes fixed upon an ice rink. Taehyung followed his gaze and instantly pulled him along.

"Ice skating it is, then."

The younger didn't know what happened.

He woke up that morning with a mild heart attack, his brain failing to process the fact that he was at someone else's home. Taehyung just laughed at him and offered him toast and coffee. And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, his feet were gliding over slippery ice, with a handsome stranger clinging onto him for dear life.

"Okay, first off, spread your legs a little more," Jeongguk instructed at the side of the rink. He demonstrated for Taehyung. "Second, when you push off, angle your feet sideways. Kicking backwards isn't going to help."

"You should just carry me." The older suggested as a couple youngsters skidded by.

Jeongguk scoffed, though there was a playful edge to expression. He led the older back onto the ice. Taehyung stared down at his feet, paying attention to the way it glided and immediately losing his footing. The younger caught him before he fell face-first and Taehyung's face warmed at the lack of space between them.

"Okay. Let's try that again." Jeongguk grinned, grabbing onto Taehyung's gloved hands. "This time, don't look at your feet. By doing so, you're shifting your weight forward and tipping the balance." He dipped fingers under the older's chin and tilted his head upward. "Just keep your eyes on me, okay?"

Taehyung felt as if his cheeks could melt into his skull everytime the younger's hands found his arms or his waist, holding him snug against his body.

Jeongguk stayed close to the edge for Taehyung's sake, but also because he didn't want to knock anyone over as he skated backwards, staying in front of the older and monitoring his moves.

"Remind me never to let you ice skate ever again," Jeongguk said solemnly as they sat outside the rink and undid their shoelaces.

"I wasn't that bad," The older protested, earning a chuckle from Jeongguk, "Besides, that was my first and last time on ice."

The younger placed his skates to the side, dusting snow off his jacket and pulling his boots back on. "So you really planned on staying indoors for the entire Christmas by yourself?"

"Until my roommates come back, yeah."

Jeongguk pursed his lips. "You should tell them, Tae. They obviously care for you."

"They wouldn't like blind Tae," The older stated, "I'm boring enough, spending nearly every second of the day at a nursing home. How much more boring can I get?"

"It doesn't matter if you're blind Tae." Jeongguk frowned at him. "You're still Tae."

"That's cute of you to say." Taehyung smiled, obviously not taking him seriously, "What's our next stop?"

The younger stared off into the distance, suddenly remembering a bookstore down the block that might interest the pair. "How are your arts and crafts?"

Taehyung hummed. "Better than my ice skating skills."

"Well thank god."

After about a five minute walk, they arrived. Jeongguk pushed open the heavy door and went into a room with a tiled chessboard floor and about fifteen oak wood shelves fanning out from a central reception area.

Taehyung leaned closer to him. "Why are we here?"

Jeongguk lifted his empty hand. "You seem to be breaking a rule."

The older huffed adoringly before slipping his hand into Jeongguk's.

"Let's see what the children's center is up to." The younger grinned, and before Taehyung could protest, he had pulled him into the far end of the children's aisle, where kids gathered around the plastic tables with glue stuck to their tiny fingers.

A woman was instructing them, and her face lit up when she spotted him. "Oh Jeongguk! I didn't think you'd show up this year."

The children stared at the two newcomers with curious eyes.

"Me either, but it's nice to see you again, Miss Hak." Jeongguk nudged his head towards Taehyung. "Do you mind if we steal some of the materials?"

"Take what you want. There's plenty to go around, dear," Miss Hak offered before leaning closer and lowering her voice, "I heard about your father. I'm sorry. I offer my condolences."

The younger felt Taehyung's grip on his hand tighten and he squeezed back has reassurance. "Thank you. I appreciate that," He told her.

"Jeongguk," Taehyung murmured, trying not to disturb the group of toddlers, "Is this another one of those places you and your dad visited?"

"We used to volunteer at these workshops, so yes," The younger explained, taking a couple pieces of red and white paper, cotton balls and markers, "C'mon, Tae. Make a Santa Claus ornament with me."

Taehyung almost laughed at how ridiculous it seemed— two grown men sitting in a group of toddlers and having an equally hard time with glueing shit together. But Jeongguk seemed to be enjoying himself, familiar with the steps, and the older wondered if the sparkle in his eyes were real or was it a fraction of his imagination.

"I'm done," Taehyung announced, planting his chin on the younger's shoulder and peering up at his face, "Are you proud of how ugly it turned out?"

Taehyung's final product differed from Jeongguk's. His was chubbier around the edges with rounder eyes and a beard that completely covered his mouth. Jeongguk's had bushy eyebrows and he even added eyeliner to "make his eyes pop".

"That's a very pretty Santa Claus, Tae." The younger grinned before getting onto his feet. "Are you ready for the grand finale?"

"What?"

At the very back of the shop was a cork board with a few dozen ornaments pinned to it— the work of children.

Jeongguk took Taehyung by the shoulders and stood him a couple feet in front of the board. "They're pretty, huh?"

"Beautiful."

"See how literally none of them look the same?" The younger asked.

"Yeah, of course."

"And what are they?"

Taehyung turned to Jeongguk with an arched brow, convinced that the younger was messing with him. "Uh, Santa Claus ornaments."

Jeongguk nodded. "Now tell me— if all of these Santa ornaments are pretty in their own way, why can't blind Tae be accepted and loved the same?"

Taehyung's lips parted in an oh. "So this is why you made us do children's arts and crafts?"

"I think I'd like to get to know blind Tae," Jeongguk said lightly, "I think he'll be the strongest version of you."

"That's... really sweet of you."

The younger smiled before approaching the board and pinning his ornament for display. "You want to put yours next to mine, Tae?"

Taehyung looked down at the ornament he had deemed ugly and smiled. "Actually... I think I'd like to keep it."