Chapter Text
It all started off with a dare. And Riki was never one to back down from a dare.
His lovely hyungs bet that he, The Nishimura Riki, could not be as graceful on ice as he was on the dance floor. The youngest vehemently denied this false accusation. He knew that he’d be able to achieve anything; another state of water wasn’t going to come in his way.
And that’s how he found himself grappling onto the handrails as if his life depended on it. It was safe to say that Riki underestimated the power of frozen water.
Okay okay, let’s backtrack a bit. The beginning of this particular dare was when their friend group was binge watching the beloved anime series, Yuri!!! on Ice. The youngest had offhandedly made a comment on how Yuuri moved so fluidly on the ice rink and that he would be just as graceful all thanks to his dancing background.
Jake argued that it seemed easy simply because it was animated, but our boy Riki got a bit too cocky and claimed that there was no way that skating on ice was any more difficult than moonwalking.
Upon hearing the faux arrogance in his voice, Heeseung immediately challenged the raven head; the redhead bet that the youngest could not even last a day on the glacial surface. Riki huffed right away and took up the challenge, the conditions were that he was to be treated, the entire week, when he wins, and he will win, for sure. Jay and Jake immediately protested, stating they had no participation in this bet, but it fell on deaf ears. Riki was absolutely sure he would win.
. . . ⛸ . . .
It was D-Day and Riki was super pumped to prove his hyungs wrong. Not only would he get the satisfaction of being good at everything but he will also be able to feed off his hyungs’ wallets for the rest of the week, and there was nothing he loved more than draining their riches!
The young boy bounded all over their apartment, unable to contain his excitement during breakfast, much to the annoyance of Jay. “Riki, I swear to god, if you do not stay still until we leave the house, I will tie you up and leave you in our closet.” I guess you could say that Jay was not exactly a morning person.
Not wanting to risk the opportunity of missing out on the ice rink trip, Riki finally sat down. He decided to play some games on his switch while waiting for the other three to freshen up and have breakfast. However, his patience dwindled really quickly, the thrill of ice skating overpowering his undying love for gaming.
Riki couldn’t tell if his eagerness was to prove his hyungs wrong at this point or whether it was just the idea of trying something so novel. He too wanted to look super cool on ice, just like Yuuri, and who knows, he might even find his very own Victor.
Alright fine… maybe he is getting a little ahead of himself at this point, but a boy can dream. And chances of his ‘dream’ coming true will only happen if his hyungs would just get ready and leave their house already!!
“Hyunggggggdeulll,” Riki whined, signalling his impatience to his roommates. Almost immediately all three boys came to the living room. He preens under their attention. Sure he’s not the same 16-year-old kid he was a couple years back, but it’s good to know that he still has them wrapped around his finger.
. . . ⛸ . . .
Once Heeseung parked, Riki all but jumped out of the car. The panicked shouts from Jake went unheard as Riki quickly made his way to the ice rink, determined to prove everyone wrong.
Eventually, the rush was futile, since the rink itself had not even opened yet. Jay smacked him on the head, while Jake was busy reprimanding him for the stunt he pulled. Heeseung was nowhere to be found, yet Riki couldn’t be any grateful because it was better to be scolded by one less person.
The missing hyung soon appeared in front of them with the tickets in hand. Riki went to grab it from the older, but Heeseung simply stepped back and told him to calm down, “Riki-san we get that you are excited, we all are, but please don’t act irrational, you are an adult now!”
Feeling ashamed of himself, Riki trained his gaze onto the floor, “Sorry hyung.” Jay simply ruffled his hair and pushed him towards the opening doors of the rink. Riki smiled at them appreciatively and sprinted to get his ice skates.
The initial steps on the ice were a struggle but Riki was slowly getting a hold of himself, much like how a baby giraffe was slowly learning to walk on its feet. Having finally found his balance, he turned around to show off to his hyungs.
The sight he was met with was probably the most entertainment the ice rink had going on. Jay and Jake were grasping onto one another as they struggled to find their footing, all while a panicky Heeseung skated around them trying to help, but failed miserably.
Always one to lose his mind over his hyungs’ silly antics, Riki cackled like crazy and promptly lost his balance. Thankfully, he was right next to the handrail, so he just grabbed on it immediately, narrowly missing a near-death experience. A slight exaggeration, but it didn’t matter at the moment; all that mattered was that Riki was still standing on the ice.
Just as he was praising himself for getting a good grip, a little girl passed by giving him weirdly judgemental looks. She then huffed and skated on as if she owned the rink. This tiny human triggered the competitive spirit in Riki. He refused to be one-upped by a child!
He swiftly let go of the handrails and started to skate backwards, at an extremely slow pace, still trying to find his balance, as he faced his hyungs. They were in a much better state than before. However, it seemed as though they were telling him something.
He couldn’t figure out what they were trying to say, but all he knew was that he was elated at the fact that he could maintain his balance while skating backwards! Riki tried to increase his pace to show the little girl who really was better.
A fatal error on his part. The last thing the boy saw before crashing into something was his hyungs’ panicked faces. Riki saw his life flash as he screwed his eyes shut, bracing for the impact. He quickly sent a prayer to his parents, accompanied by an apology to his sisters for breaking their favourite dolls when they were kids.
This was it. This was how Riki was going to pass. He let the darkness consume him. An oddly stupid way to die, but it seemed fitting to Riki.
. . . ⛸ . . .
Riki gently opened his eyes; it was completely white. He must’ve reached heaven. He landed on something soft too! I guess heaven was made of fluffy white clouds, Riki thinks.
A soft groan pulls the boy out of his thoughts. While still laying on the soft surface, the raven head turned his head only to be met with the prettiest set of eyes. Well, this just confirms that he is in heaven, as there’s no other possible way he would be in the presence of such an ethereal being.
Said being softly giggled, and Riki felt like he heard the sounds of the bells inviting him into the gates of paradise. His reverie is abruptly cut off by an amused voice, “I hate to break it to you dude, but you are not in heaven.”
It suddenly dawns on Riki that the fatal accident never happened. His dumb ass did not crack his skull on the hard cold surface. The impact of the fall never came. All because his fall was cushioned. By the most beautiful boy he has ever seen. And he was still lying on top of him.
Snapping out of his daze, Riki scrambled to get off the boy as elegantly as possible. If you must know, he failed miserably and ended up falling on the boy again, but this time with them facing one another.
Luckily for Riki, his reflex skills were good because his hands managed to hold on to the icy ground to prevent colliding with the pretty boy’s face. And oh my god, pretty is an understatement. Riki was finally able to observe the angelic boy under him. Surely he must be an angel, for God definitely took his time carving out his features.
Oh, the angel even blushes so prettily! Wait, why is he blushing… Riki suddenly realises their compromising position and how he has been shamelessly staring at the other boy for longer than necessary. He hurriedly stands up, successfully this time.
“Oh my god, I am so so so so sorry!! Are you hurt anywhere?” Riki frantically asks as he holds out a hand for the white-blond boy. The boy takes the offered hand and stands up; Riki giddily notes that the other was shorter by mere centimetres.
His saviour finally looks up at Riki and gently squeezes his hand, “Don’t worry about it, I’m just glad you’re not injured.” Riki notes that the blush still remains on the other’s cheeks; it must’ve been freezing cold for the pale boy.
But, the blush wasn’t enough to distract Riki from the immense guilt he was feeling, “But I am merely a stranger, you could have hit your head! Got a concussion and then I’d have to take you to the hospital and then–”
The blond boy lightly held onto Riki’s shoulders, “Hey, hey, take deep breaths.” Once he noted that the younger had relatively calmed down, he rubbed his shoulders in comfort. “It is all okay, I am here standing perfectly, that’s proof of no concussion! I wear thick layers at the ice rink for a reason,” he giggles.
Riki remained unconvinced; despite the giggle, he still felt very guilty. It seemed as though the other saw it on his face because the blond looked at him with the softest pair of eyes. “Tell you what, you can buy me coffee after we are done at the ice rink.”
This made Riki quirk a suggestive eyebrow. The boy’s blush darkened under his gaze, “Not as a date! No, oh my gosh, no.” He quickly let go of Riki’s shoulders as if his flailing hands would help prove his innocence. “Just something in the form of payment for practically saving your life,” he states with a pout. The blond beauty just couldn’t get any more endearing in Riki’s eyes.
He couldn’t help but chuckle at the pouty boy. Riki really should have known; chuckling and ice skating do not mix well because he was losing his balance, yet again. This time he feels arms wrap around his waist to prevent his fall.
The raven head opened his eyes, that he had screwed shut reflexively, only to be met with his Prince Charming. “Hello again,” the boy says with a shy smile, and Riki is too mesmerised to say anything. He simply holds on tighter to the prince’s shoulders as a furious red blush takes over his face.
Laughing softly at the growing blush, the ice prince brings Riki to his feet, helping him find his footing on the slippery surface. They both hold their shy gazes, afraid to break the fragility of the moment.
Suddenly a loud voice disrupts it all, “Hoooniee hyunggggg, it’s time for the showwww!!” With wide eyes, the pretty boy suddenly whips his head towards the source of the call. He looks back to Riki with an apologetic look, “I'm so sorry but I have to run, it was great meeting you! Rain check on the coffee?”
Riki was thoroughly confused but he was still able to nod slightly, “Yeah okay great, I gotta go. Sorry for ditching you, take care byeee!” and the ice prince disappeared.
The raven head stood there dumbfounded. What just happened? Did he just get ditched by the prettiest boy ever? He then smiles to himself; it was remarkably endearing how the other rushed out as many words as possible to get his message across. Ah, he was so darn charming, and Riki couldn’t wait to meet up with him soon.
He turns around to get back to his hyungs. The trio seemed to have caught on to whatever happened since they all had eerily identical teasing smiles on their faces as the youngest approached them.
Ever the opportunist, Jay teasingly asked, “Rikiiii~ who was the gentleman who managed to sweep you off your feet twice?” In a normal circumstance, Riki would deny the sweeping part while the others just laughed at him, but he was currently faced with the worst epiphany ever.
He never got the boy’s name or number.