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“Don’t let go, oh my god, don’t you dare let go!”
“I won’t, I won’t! I promise!”
“This is the most terrifying moment of my life. Ever. I’m gonna die. Tell Saeko she’s the best sister ever and I’m sorry for hiding crushed twiglets in her sock drawer that one time.”
“Ryuu. You’re not going to die.”
“No, seriously, I can feel it. Don’t question me, Noya.”
“We’re ice-skating, not clinging to a cliff.” Noya huffs fondly, although it’s tinged with annoyance. He’s been skating backwards inch by inch, clinging to Tanaka’s hands for around half an hour now, and he still won’t come away from the edge.
“What if I fall on my ass and it breaks my spine, sending multiple shards of bone into my brain?” Stunned into silence, Noya stares at him with wide eyes and a vacant expression. That’s… A relatively good point. He looks over his shoulder, towards the centre of the rink, where most of the rest of Karasuno are gliding around with ease.
“Hey, Suga! Can you really pierce and die from falling on your butt!?” Sugawara glides to a halt, unimpressed and undeniably exasperated.
“Not unless I throw you out the plane home first. How did you even come up with that theory?” Noya jerks his head towards Tanaka and that explains everything. With a sigh, Suga skates over to them, hands folded behind his back and gleaming smile on his face as the picture of innocence. Tanaka clings to Noya tighter, knowing that Sugawara’s angelic aura is a cover-up for his demonic ways.
“Ta~Na~Ka~.”
“No.” Suga pouts, giving them the roundest puppy eyes he could summon.
“Don’t you trust me?”
“... Is this a trick question? No, I don’t know why I’m asking. That’s definitely a trick question.”
“Damn it, I was hoping you were too stupid to catch on.”
“Wha-?!” For a split second, Tanaka’s expression of uneasiness and hesitation jerks into his normal, playfully angry face, catching the jibe in Suga’s mutter. Noya laughs loud and free, catching Hinata’s attention as he spins around the ice.
“Noya-senpai! Show me how to do the loopy thing again! Please!”
“Sure thing, Shouyou!” Noya shoots Tanaka a lopsided grin with no apology whatsoever, skating off and leaving him in Suga’s capable hands. Capable, devious hands. Tanaka narrows his eyes and clings to the edge of the rink, not daring to take the hand Suga offers him with a sugar-sweet smile.
Never trust the sugar-sweet smile. That’s the first thing Tanaka learnt at Karasuno.
Noticing the nervousness in the tension of Tanaka’s stance, knees shaking and feet wobbling as his skates slip the slightest bit, even when he’s standing still, Sugawara softens his smile and quietens his voice. He puts a gentle hand on Tanaka’s shoulder.
“Come on, Ryuu, it’s not that bad.”
“That’s what you say, doing all those jumps and splits and spinny things.”
“A Biellmann spin~. But don’t worry, I’m not going to force you to do any of that.” Tanaka’s mistake is relaxing. Because as soon as he does, Sugawara grabs him by the elbow and drags him away from the edge with a laugh.
“Wah! No, no, Suga, no! Put me back! Put me back! Let me go, please!”
“Let you go? Okie dokie~.” He pulls both hands away and holds them up in surrender with a devious grin, leaving Tanaka wobbling on the ice and struggling to stay upright, babbling nonsense in a pitch much higher than usual.
Immediately, like he can sense the rising distress, Asahi is there, arms sliding under Tanaka’s and pulling him against his chest from behind. It stops him falling over, and Tanaka clings to Asahi’s sleeves with a death grip. The Ace just about manages to hold back a wince before pouting at Suga, disappointed.
“That wasn’t very nice, Koushi.” Sugawara snickers, flashing a double peace sign as he glides backwards, before he spins around elegantly and skates away to go and bother Tsukishima in the seating area. If Yamaguchi couldn’t convince him to come out onto the ice, then Suga was going to drag him out, or challenge him.
Asahi sighs, lifting his arms a little higher as Tanaka sags, skates having absolutely zero traction on the ice.
“You okay?”
“I haven’t been okay since getting on this stupid rink. It would be okay if I wasn’t the only one who can’t skate!”
“I don’t think you’re the only one…” Asahi laughs nervously as Kageyama slips and lands on his front, splayed like a star as he slides across the ice again, Hinata gliding effortlessly alongside him and laughing as Kageyama scrambles to try and grab at his ankles and pull the orange gremlin down with him. He only stops when Daichi and Ennoshita help him to his feet.
“At least he can stay upright for like, a minute.” Rolling his eyes at the bitter mumble, Asahi shuffles across the ice until he deposits Tanaka at one of the entrances, near the chairs. Tanaka quietly thanks him, honestly grateful but more upset than anything, and sinks into the chairs with a heavy pout.
He watches with high hopes that Tsukishima might be just as bad as him, but his hopes are dashed when the blond gives Suga a snarky, smug grin and effortlessly does a serpentine step sequence over to Yamaguchi’s side.
Growling under his breath, Tanaka wrenches off his skates, not bothering to untie the laces until he’s wrenched them off.
“You know they’re supposed to be tight enough that you can’t do that, right?” He jolts his head up to see a very amused Kinoshita leaning with his arms on the barrier, smile growing the longer Tanaka stares at him, melting from anger to confusion.
“... What?”
“The skates. They’re supposed to be super tight. Y’know, for stability.”
“Well no one ever told me that.” Kinoshita laughs, stepping to the side and through the little gate-door thing, taking one of Tanaka’s skates and crouching down with perfect balance on his own blades.
“Wriggle that back on.” Obediently, he does. As Kinoshita pulls the laces tight enough to cut off his blood supply, Tanaka wriggles the other one on too. The laces are tied, his poor feet feeling awfully constricted yet remarkably comfortable, and he takes Kinoshita’s hand to stand up.
“I’m not… I’m not wobbling as much…”
“Nope! That’s because your skates are on right this time.” Kinoshita backs onto the ice, leaving enough space for Tanaka to try stepping down, but he hesitates.
“... You sure the problem was just tightening the laces?”
“That and the fact you can’t skate.” Kinoshita only tilts his head and grins at the dry look he gets in return, gesturing to the ice invitingly. Cautiously, Tanaka puts one foot on the ice. It feels… Much easier and less dangerous than before.
So, in a true state of ‘Tanaka-ness’, as the club referred to, he shrugs his shoulders, and throws himself straight into it, as if saying “fuck it” and accepting whatever fate comes his way. It’s such a Tanaka thing to do, and it’s no surprise that as soon as his second foot is on ice, disaster strikes. He sneezes and slips.
He crashes sideways onto the ice, right on his hip, and groans.
“Tuck your fingers in!” He automatically does as Kinoshita says just as Hinata barrels past, apparently unable to stop at such a high speed. That could have been a couple of lost fingers and a trip to the hospital.
“Hinata!” Daichi very angrily chews him out for reckless behaviour in the background, whilst Kinoshita help Tanaka to his feet. He isn’t dejected about it, instead taking it in good humour, since it was a sneeze that caused the whole thing. He is, undeniably, still uncomfortably at being on the ice though.
“Maybe I’m just not suited to skating.”
“Wanna do a food run instead? We’ll probably end soon.” Relieved at the opportunity to do something else, Tanaka steps off the ice with a grin on his face. Kinoshita skates off, smiling to himself as Tanaka starts whistling.
Tanaka turns in his skates to the front desk, heading over to the small food outlet round the corner from the lockers. He’s much more comfortable with normal shoes on.
“Tanaka, wait up!” He looks over his shoulder to see Narita jogging after him, socks on his feet and ice skates on the chairs with the rest of their belongings. He waits until Narita catches up, flashing him a dazzling grin.
“Aww, didja miss me that much~?” Narita rolls his eyes and slaps his hand against Tanaka’s shoulder.
“I came because my feet are too sore to skate for the moment. And bring everyone else’s orders.”
“... Oh. I didn’t think about that.” An eyebrow curves at him, faint amusement sparkling behind genuine curiosity.
“What were you going to do?”
“Honestly, I was jus’ gonna get a fuckton of cheesy chips. Everyone loves cheesy chips.”
“That’s pretty much what most of them want.”
“Ha! I’m a genius!” Shaking his head fondly, Narita eyes up the prices on the board. Unlike Tanaka, he’d remembered the grab the pot of money for food the group had all contributed to for this trip.
“Let me order. There are some people who’d rather have battered sausage, or fish ‘n’ chips.”
“I bet that’s… Daichi and Tsukishima.”
“How do you know?!” Tanaka laughs, loud and free, not caring if any passing strangers give him looks for it.
“It’s a feeling! ‘Sides, doncha think it kinda suits them?” Narita rolls his eyes once more, accompanied by shaking his head with a small smile. There’s no limit to Tanaka’s supply of happiness and cheer, a warmth that keeps the whole team comfortable even in the chilly ice rink.
It doesn’t matter that he can’t skate alongside them. Passing out the food and shouting encouragement from the side once they’re back on the ice, Tanaka is the gift that keeps on giving, a candle in the darkness on a cold winter’s night, and a big hearted friend with very little skating talent.
They’ll tease him - with love - for that all the way home.