Chapter Text
“Come on, King! Hurry!” She looked back at him shortly before skipping off again, her pink boots crunching in the snow with each skip. Her pigtails whipped lightly on her ear muffs and her skates bounced on her bag.
“Diane! W-wait up!” He huffed as he braced his hands on his knees, his body heaving with each wheezing breath. Each lungful of air felt like tiny ice shards dancing in his lungs. He cursed his petit body as he ran to her again, slightly tripping due to wobbly knees. Catching up to a vibrant soul like Diane is incredibly hard for the non-athletic Harlequin. Soon enough, his legs caved in and he fell face-first into the snow with a muffled yelp.
However, he could run for longer than he normally would this time. His legs normally give out after a 10-second run. But just now, he ran with Diane for 30 seconds. He guessed that the weekend morning jogs with her are starting to pay off.
He groaned into the snow as crunchy footsteps approached him. Diane grinned smugly at him. He pouted as he pushed himself up off the ground and sat up, brushing the snow off his hair and coat.
“You were too fast!”
“Nah, you were too slow.” Diane reached her hand out to him.
King scoffed playfully as he grabbed her hand. “Whatever.” She pulled him up and giggled with a mitted hand on her mouth. He chuckled at her, his eyes narrowing slightly in endearment for Diane. He felt his heart soar as she pulled him up. Diane never fails to simultaneously make butterflies flutter in his stomach and make waves of tranquility wash over him.
It will be their first Christmas vacation as a couple and they’re both excited. Their friends went away to other places in Britannia to spend their Christmas vacation. They obviously went in couples. Meliodas and Elizabeth decided to spend their Christmas in Camelot as suggested by Arthur and Merlin. Of course, Escanor tagged along. Gowther declared on spending his whole vacation in the dormitory to read all the novels he bought. Ban and Elaine travelled to the countryside as he promised to show her more of Britannia. King was worried, of course, much to Elaine’s annoyance.
As for King and Diane, they decided to spend the Christmas vacation in King’s hometown and for a good reason.
In the early days of their relationship, they talked about everything and anything under the sun. Sometimes, they would talk about some silly shenanigan Meliodas and Ban did that earned them another detention. Other times, they would talk about intellectual topics and other deep philosophical ideas. They find themselves agreeing with each other more often than not. But their disagreements always end up in an enlightening discussion.
Diane once told King about her experience with ice skating when she was a kid over a cup of caramel macchiato and homework. Her hometown used to have an ice rink and her stepmother would take her there whenever possible. She feared the ice at first, but her stepmom encouraged her to continue. Three weeks later, she was gliding on the ice with no care in the world. Diane fondly narrated the first time she tried to do a bunny hop. But before she could try another jump, the rink closed. It can’t really be helped; no one else aside from her was interested in skating. And they didn’t have enough funds to let her skate on.
But if Diane was given the chance, she would have been a figure skater.
King saw the look on her face and the melancholic glint in her eyes masked by a gentle smile. He can tell that she wanted to skate again. So, he decided to ask her out on a skating date for their first Christmas vacation.
And what better place to skate in than the lake in his hometown? One of his town’s myths says that a guardian deity looks over the lake. Every winter, the deity amplifies the cold around it so that the ice will be too thick for someone to fall in. So, no matter how many times they fall down on the natural rink, the ice will never break. An account 15 years ago said that a fat man fell down on the icy lake so hard that the ice shook. But when they came to look, not a single crack was seen.
He would have invited her to skate in the skating rink in the mall, but she insisted on seeing his hometown instead. Besides, the skating rink at Liones mall is jam-packed during the holidays.
They looked over the frozen lake. The banks that used to be vibrant with lush green grass every summer and spring is now gleaming white with snow. The dark silhouettes of the trees from afar complement the gray sky overhead and the cold wind that caressed their clothes. But it didn’t look gloomy at all. To them, it was exactly how winter should look like.
Diane sat down on a nearby log and started to put on her skates. She hummed a familiar tune; On Love: Agape. Despite not being able to ice skate for a very long time, Diane’s interest in figure skating never died down. She would sometimes drag King to watch skating competitions online and he would just sit there in front of her computer. But instead of watching her favorite skater, he would just stare at her, admiring the way her face lit up every time the skater flawlessly executed a jump or spun gracefully.
King decided to explore figure skating recently too, for Diane. He had to admit that figure skating has its charm. It also got him to finally spend his well-saved money on a pair of aquamarine-colored skates.
“King, you haven’t put on your skates yet.” Diane snapped him out of his reverie. He gulped as he eyed her. To King, Diane is a rose-colored princess.
His admiration, however, morphed into anxiety out of nowhere because oh my god, I don’t know how to skate.
She giggled at him. “It’s okay, King! I can teach you how to skate.” He let out a little yelp as he jumped away from her and fell bottom-first into the snow. Harlequin looked up at her in a mix of alarm and embarrassment.
“Y-You heard all of that?!” He felt his body rise a few degrees, his clothes suddenly feeling a tad too warm despite the chilly weather. She simply smiled and reached out to him, pulling him up for the second time that day. King started stammering, his eyes darting all over the place, anywhere but Diane’s face.
“Nope. But come on. We both know that you can’t skate.”
“I-I…uh…” King ducked his head and placed his hand on his nape. Diane stepped towards him but her legs wobbled as she tried to balance herself on the blades. He was more than ready to catch her. But she got back on her feet at the last minute.
“That was a close call.” She smiled at him. He was about to say something but Diane gently pulled him at sat him down on the log.
“D-Diane?”
“Here, watch closely, okay?” He tilted his head in confusion as she took his skates from him. A thought vaguely pinged in his head. It’s when she started removing his boots that his mind went from single bell chime to a multitude of school bells ringing at the same time.
“W-W-Wait! D-Diane, what are you—“
“Calm down, King. I’m just going to teach you how to put skates on.” King felt his temperature spike up in embarrassment.
“D-Diane, you don’t really need t-to! I-I can put them on myself!” He gently swatted her hands away and tried to put them on to make a point. But when he tried to tie the laces, Diane intervened.
“No, that’s not how you tie them.” She giggled as she stretched his leg out so that the front part of his skate is pointing upward. Diane moved beside King’s leg and clutched the laces. “Here, let me show you.”
King watched as Diane deftly tied his laces. Every loop and every pull has him mesmerized. He stared on as she did the same loops and pulls on his other skate. If Diane told you that she stopped skating years ago, you wouldn’t believe her.
“All done!” Diane clapped her hands and stood up. King looked at his skates in awe as he slightly moved them. They’re snug around his feet and ankles, heavy enough to feel secure but light enough to move.
“Okay, King, hold my hands.” She held out her mitted hands to her dazed boyfriend. She chuckled lightly as he flinched in surprised and his cheeks turned into a bright scarlet for the nth time that day.
“What?”
“How can I teach you if you won’t hold me?” Oh, curse King and his weakness for Diane’s pouts.
King shakily held Diane’s hands and let her pull him up. She felt his grip tighten as he swayed ever so slightly. She watched as he let out a shaky, nervous breath and screwed his eyes shut as he heard their skates touch the ice.
Needless to say, King is scared. Even though he knew that the ice will not break, he was simply scared of something else. Regardless, he threw it all away for her. Rather, he pretended not to be scared.
“I-I’m ready, D-Diane.” She pouted sadly at him; he saw it when he looked up because they weren’t moving one bit.
“Diane?” King felt his heart skip a beat.
“Listen to me, Harlequin.” He gulped, wondering how he could possibly listen if his blood is rushing in his ears because holy shit, our foreheads our touching and did she just call me by real name?
“You said it yourself, didn’t you? The ice of this lake is too thick for anyone to fall in it. So why are you scared?” His eyes widened. Diane is more receptive than she takes credit for. Even though she and King have only been dating for seven months, she can read him like an open book. She knows when he’s happy or sad or angry, regardless of whether or not he puts on a mask. Diane knows what King is feeling at any time and at any given place. Some could say that she is born with clairsentience.
She pulled him closer, breaking the contact between their foreheads so they could look at each other properly. King averted his eyes and sighed.
“Well…I…I am trying something new. So…it’s normal for me to get scared.” He chuckled nervously and closed his eyes. Admitting his fears made him feel light. She is looking at him with such intensity that he feared that she will see façades he might not be even aware of.
But Diane remained silent and smiled patiently at him. It’s fascinating how she knows when King still has something to say, even if he doesn’t notice it himself.
He chuckled again, this time, soullessly. “It’s funny, isn’t it? I should be the one leading us on this date yet…I’m a scaredy-cat who doesn’t know how to skate or even tie skates. You think…that before all this I would’ve…at least made the effort to learn how to skate. I could’ve done something to impress you. You love skating and I should’ve—“
“King.”
“—made a little more effort to—“
“King.”
“—learn more about—“
“Harlequin!”
King snapped out of it with a gasp, unaware of a few stray tears falling from his eyes and dropping on Diane’s mittens. She looked at him with deep concern and with a gentle smile. All of his thoughts died down and his senses are directed to the soft, woolly warmth on his cheeks.
“Listen to me.” Her smooth, mellow voice calmed the storm inside of him. King stared into her amethyst-colored eyes.
“You’ve made a great effort to learn about something I love. You made the effort to ask me out on a date, even though you’re shy. And do I have to mention that you asked me out on a skating date? That’s two birds in one stone! Asking me on a date is wonderful in itself, Harlequin. And mixing it with something I love is a lot more than I could ever ask for.”
King tried to open his mouth to say something, anything at all. But all sound is stuck in his throat. Instead, tears came spilling down his cheeks and Diane patiently wiped them away.
“Harlequin, just know that…there is nothing you can do that will make me love you less.”
With that, King threw himself at her and buried his face in her shoulder. Luckily, Diane caught them both and they landed on the snow. Her back feels cold, but King’s warm hug makes her forget all that.
His warmth disappeared when he braced himself on his hands on both sides of Diane’s head. She looked at him with pink cheeks and curious eyes.
“Diane, I…I love you…and I always will. I’ll stay by your side. I-I will never stop making you happy. I will never stop making you safe in my arms. I will—“
When he thought his heart could never beat faster than it did before, Diane proved him wrong.
Her lips are soft and warm against his. It faintly tasted like the hot chocolate they had for breakfast and boy, he does love chocolate. King returned the kiss as gently as he could.
They broke apart when Diane shivered from the cold. King snapped from his senses as well.
“Oh god, I’m sorry, Diane! I shouldn’t have tackled you.” Her laughter rang around the quiet lake and lightened his heart. Soon, he was laughing too.
“Wanna make snow angels after this?”
“Sure.”
They got up and brushed the snow off their clothes. Diane held his hands once more and this time, there was no hesitation. They heard their skates touch the ice once more. King is still nervous, of course. He gulped as he looked down on the ice. But a light squeeze on his hands prompted him to look at her.
“Do you trust me, King?” He gulped and nodded.
“Okay.” She pulled him a little farther from the edge but not too close to the center. The whole time she pulled him, he was looking into her eyes. The wind slowly caressing her hair made her look all the more beautiful.
“Alright, just look into my eyes, and follow me. Okay?”
“Okay.” Diane bent her knees and urged King to do the same. “Now, King, don’t try to straighten up. Keeping your knees like this is the best way to stay balanced.” He nodded vigorously. As much as he wants to get lost in Diane’s eyes, he can’t afford to embarrass himself.
It took him some time to get used to the skates and balance on them. But when he did, he breathed a sigh of relief and satisfaction.
“Now, let’s try marching in place. Baby steps, okay?” King felt his cheeks heat up a little but he nodded and did as she said. Left, right, left, right; King and Diane marched in their places with small steps, their skates lightly crunching against the ice.
With every step, King starts to get more and more embarrassed while Diane felt her lips curving into a smile.
“Okay, that’s enough.” She giggled before letting go of his hands, sending him in a panic.
“Diane, wh—“ As he reached out for her, he felt his foot slip. If she wasn’t close, he would’ve smacked face-first into the ice.
“Diane, why’d you let go?” His whimper was muffled by her coat. She gently pushed him off her.
“King, I want you to try and do it yourself. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure nothing bad happens.” But she got no response from King. She sighed inaudibly.
“You know, we can go back tomorrow and try this again.”
“No!” He looked up at her with determination in his amber-colored eyes, surprising her.
“I-I’ll do my best.” King took a deep breath and started marching with baby steps. When he stretched his arms on his sides, she pulled them to his front and vaguely mumbled about balance and how he’s doing good.
“Okay, stop. Can you try balancing on the ice? Maybe try walking to me?” She skated a little farther from him. King tried his best not to panic and tried to walk to her. Okay, Harlequin. Baby steps, just like she told you a while ago.
He took the first step and wobbled slightly. He took a deep breath and took another step. He gulped.
“King, I’m right here.”
He looked up to see Diane’s encouraging smile. She was only a couple of feet away. “Just keep looking into my eyes.” He nodded and tried to take another step, and another, and another; each step getting less wobbly than the last. He didn’t even notice that Diane was skating away from him little by little.
It is when his hands finally met hers that he felt waves and waves of relief wash over him. Diane held him close as he slumped on her and laughed out the last of the tension that sat on his muscles.
“You did it, Harlequin!” She beamed. But before he could say anything, she bent down and carried him bridal style. King yelped and immediately wrapped his arms around her neck as she skated to the edge of the lake. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment. How couldn't he? I'm the guy and I should be the one carrying her, damn it!
But Diane's hold on him calmed him down. King let himself get lost in her eyes, making the trip feel like an eternity even though it only took her five seconds to get to the edge of the lake. Before he knew it, they were both sitting down on the log again.
“You were great out there, King.” She hugged him, startling him for the nth time that day.
“I…I did?”
“Yes!” Diane giggled as she swayed them back and forth while King wheezed for a few seconds before chuckling. King felt his heart soar because Diane showed him that she is proud of him, even though it was only a small feat.
She pulled away only to rub their noses together and making their foreheads touch again, catching him off guard. He smiled and closed his eyes. Diane never fails to be so sweet.
“Well, King, next lesson: teach you how to fall.”
Wait, what?
His heart started hammering in nervousness. He somehow understood why he needs to learn how to fall, but that doesn’t mean he’s not anxious. Diane squeezed his hands again.
“King, it’s fine if you don’t want to do it yet.”
“No! I’ll do it, j-just for you, Diane!” It took everything in him to not hide his face as a smile and a blush crept up his face.
“Good! Well, let’s take a rest before we do it.” With that, they lapsed into silence. It wasn’t exactly an awkward silence as there are time where they’re comfortable saying nothing at all. However, King wants to start a conversation to pass the time.
But Diane beat him to it.
“Hey. If I’m a rose-colored princess, then does that make you an aquamarine-colored prince?”
“Huh? What are you saying?”
“Well,” She started twirling her hair, hiding the blush on her cheeks. “After I put on my skates, you looked at me and…called me a rose-colored princess.”
King swore that he was going to faint.
Two topics and a snack later and they’re back on the lake. Diane skated happily to where they stood a while ago while King simply walked like a baby to her, hoping not to fall. As embarrassing as this is, it’s better than trying to skate and breaking a bone.
“Alright, King. I—“ He took a deep breath to ease his nerves and looked at her with determination.
“I’m ready.”
She chucked and put a hand on her hip. “King, I can teach you how to fall tomorrow and go directly to the skating. Last chance.”
King started stammering. “N-No, I’ll be fine with you teaching me how to fall. After all, I did fall for you and I didn’t get hurt.”
It was when the silence went on for more than three seconds that he realized what has been said.
Curse you, Ban and Meliodas. Curse you and your fucking pick-up lines.
“Diane…I didn’t mean to….” He hid his face behind his hands and whimpered. King hung around the two for too long that their skills in making corny jokes and pick-up lines rubbed off on him subconsciously. It did not help that Elizabeth and Elaine just condone them every time it happens.
Diane hugged him while laughing hysterically. “Oh, King, that was so adorable!”
He was taken aback by the sudden warm embrace. He slowly looked up to her only to be greeted with a kiss on the nose before she pulled away.
“Alright, King.” She skated beside him. She made sure she was close enough to watch him but far enough to make sure her skates don’t hit him.
“Watch me do it then try to follow me, okay?” He gulped and nodded.
Diane bent on her knees like she taught him. Then, she started to lean forward and sideways. And when gravity increased on her, she rolled on her hands and knees with a grunt.
“Diane!”
“I’m fine.” She pushed herself effortlessly and smiled at him. He smiled in relief.
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Yes. L-Let me try.” King takes pride in his sharp memory, sure. But when it comes to physical activities, he leaves room for doubt. Regardless, King tried falling over like she showed him. It took a few seconds for the impact to register to him. But when it did, he was grateful that he wore an extra layer of pants and that he didn’t smack his face on the ice. He pushed himself up and picked up his fallen bonnet.
“That still needs a little more improvement. But you’re getting the hang of it.”
“Really? Thanks!”
“Now, let’s try falling together!”
“What?”
“I said, let’s try falling together. That way, you won’t be as scared anymore! And you’ll learn more quickly.”
“But Diane, what if you get hurt?” Diane scoffed and rolled her eyes playfully at him.
“I’ll be fine, King. We’ll be fine.”
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