Ice rink
Kai was a bit taken aback when Donovan said this. He nudged his arm with a smile trying to lift the gloomy mood he had created,
"Don't be like that, you weren't good for her doesn't mean you aren't a good person and I'm sure you never killed anyone, right?"
"Hmm? What was that?" He feigned ignorance and instead let out a small smile in response.
Kais smile soon fell and his steps halted.
"You never killed anyone, right?" He asked again but Donovan didn't reply.
Kais eyes widened with concern and he took a cautious step back. " Oh gosh...Aiden was right, he was right when he told me to stay away from you... " he muttered under his breath.
Before Donny knew it, Kai turned and took to his heels, running as fast as he could away from him. Donny was stunned.
"Eh?... KAI!" He called out and ran after him.
A sophisticated man in a suit and glasses running after someone on the open street was really a sight to see. Everywhere they ran past, they drew the attention of the passers-by.
"KAI!" He called, almost out of breath
"Stay away from me!" Kai yelled, increasing his speed so Donny wouldn't get him, but the latter was faster.
Donny closed the gap between them and was finally able to reach him.
"Ahhhh!" Kai screamed when Donny grabbed him by his turtle neck and pulled him back,
"Stay away from me!" He yelled, flailing his arms desperately trying to break free
"I was kidding!" Donny said, his tone carrying a hint of mirth.
"Eh?"
Kai froze as the words sank in, and his face churned up. He clicked his tongue and suddenly smacked Donny's hands away, creating a safe distance between them, "What kind of joke is that?!" He fumed, a vein popping on his head.
"I had a smile on my face, why would you take it seriously?"
"You look so serious most of the time, how was I supposed to know it was a joke?!"
He rested his hand on his knees, causing his hair to fall over his shoulder, and drew in his breath, trying to calm his racing heart.
"I didn't expect you to run away. You really took me off guard."
"What was I supposed to do? No one jokes with murder." Kai retorted, still trying to catch his breath.
"Sorry," He chuckled and ruffled Kais blonde hair but Kai swatted it away.
A bitter smile appeared on his face when Kai did this.
"Seems Aiden Clein told you to stay away from me, huh."
Kai flinched when he heard this. He looked up at the latter and noticed the pained expression on his face.
"Ohh... you heard?"
Donny sighed and raked his hand through his ginger coloured hair. "No, you said so before you ran away." He replied and Kai scolded himself internally.
"Let's go if you don't plan to run away again." Said Donny, fixing his smile and Kai nodded.
Kai kept a safe distance between them as they continued down the side walk, fumbling with his fingers wondering how he would ease the awkwardness between them.
"He was the one who called yesterday right?"
Donovan suddenly asked, breaking the silence between them.
"Huh?"
"Aiden Clein. He was the one who called you the other night."
"Ah... yes." Kai replied, still fumbling with his fingers.
Donovan remember the faint marks he saw on Kai's wrist and an unsettling feeling welled up in him.
"You seemed really out of it back then. I know its none of my business, taking care of you?"
"I like Aiden and he's done a lot for me. It was my fault we had a little argument, he just behaved that way because he was angry so don't blame him."
"Because he's done a lot of things for you, that doesn't mean you have to be with him and put up with everything he wants. You're a person too, you have your own life to live, don't let that stop you." Donny said with his heart easing smile.
Those words really weighed heavily on Kai and it made him wonder, did he like Aiden or just felt indebted to him because he's been under his care for a long time?
"Don't think about silly things. At least focus on the person in front of you." Donny added and poked Kai on his cheek.
"Okay." Kai smiled. "So are you going to tell me where we're going?"
"An ice rink." Replied Donovan,
"An ice rink? What's that?"
"You really don't know what an ice rink is?"
Kai shook his head. "Is it a bad thing?"
Donny chuckled
"How cute." he placed his arm on Kais shoulder and pulled him close. "You'll know when we get there."
In the end, they decided to take a cab to the central part of town.
When they arrived at the outdoor rink, they were met with the vibrant and lively atmosphere.
The rink was located in a spacious park, the surrounding trees covered in white snow provided a scenic backdrop to the view and filled the air with a cheery festive feel. The wide icy surface was surrounded by a railing adorned with lights which provided support for the inexperienced skaters. Outside the railing, along the edges of the rink were benches where very few sat and watched the people twirling and gliding on the ice.
"Wowww," Kai muttered, his eyes wide with awe as he took in the beautiful scenery of the outdoor rink.
"It's much prettier at night because of the lights, but we can still work with this," Donovan explained, but Kai was too captivated by the enchanting icy heaven before him to fully register his words. Donovan smiled at Kai's mesmerized state and decided to make the experience even more magical. He gently slid his hand into Kai's, catching him off guard.
"Come on, let's go get some skates," Donovan said, leading Kai towards the skate rental area just adjacent to the rink.
They paid for two pairs of skates and made their way to the nearby benches to put them on.
Donovan laced up his own skates and then turned to assist Kai who had been fumbling with the laces for some time now.
Donovan squatted down, taking Kai's feet and placing them on his thigh, offering a stable platform to work with.
"How come you don't know how to tie your shoe laces?" Donovan asked with a hint of amusement as he skilfully tied the laces, securing the skates on Kai's feet.
"I don't usually wear shoes with laces. If I do, Aiden helps me tie them."
Donovan chuckled. "You're really pampered, aren't you?" he teased.
Once the laces were tied, Donovan stood up and extended his hand to Kai who gratefully took it.
"How do people even walk with this?" Kai asked, looking down at his skates buried in the snow with furrowed brows
"We're not even on the ice yet and you're so wobbly. At this rate you'll break a nose." Donny smiled and Kai paled in fear.
"I don't think I can do it, I'll just sit here and watch you."
"Don't worry, I'll teach you." He cooed gently.
"No, I like the scene better." Kai said firmly and sat back down on the bench. It would be better to sit there than fall on his face in front of so many people... that would be embarrassing.
Donovan sighed when he saw this. In one swift movement, he lifted Kai up and slung him over his shoulder before making his way to the ice,
"You're really light." He commented with mirth.
"Waaaaahh! Put me down! I don't want to go! I DON'T WANT TO!!!" Kai whined and squirmed in Donovan's grasp.
He had stopped struggling when the attention on them became too much to handle. As they reached the edge of the ice, Donovan carefully lowered Kai onto his feet, making sure he had a stable footing and held his hands gently.
"If I fall I'll kill you." Kai threatened and Donovan smiled.
"Don't worry, I won't let you fall." He smiled.
Kai took a deep breath and hesitantly placed one foot on the ice while still gripping Donovan's hands tightly.
When he placed both his feet on the ice, Donovan quickly let go of his hand and gave him a little push so he was gliding along the ice. Kai panicked as he watched the distance between him and Donovan grow bigger and bigger.
The shoes didn't have brakes!
"Donovan!" He yelled, "YOU LIAR! YOU SAID YOU WON'T LET ME FALL! I CAN'T STOP IT!" Donny couldn't help but laugh at his current state. He got on the ice and went after Kai, his movements graceful.
"You won't fall. Just move one feet at a time." Donovan said but Kai was having none of it. He frowned and stretched out his hand, signalling Donovan to hold him and stop him from moving.
Donny sighed and did as the boy wanted. When he did, Kai smacked his arm and let out a loud cry.
"WAAHHHH. I'M REALLY GOING TO KILL YOU!" He cried... literally.