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Shawn knew that Carlton had figure skated when he was a kid, but he never expected Carlton to be this good. The fact that skating was a skill that Shawn had never mastered made this whole situation even more embarrassing.
Shawn glared sullenly down at the ice as Lassiter performed graceful spins and jumps and other ice skate-y things that Shawn hadn’t cared about until today.
He glowered harder as he felt Lassie slide to a stop by his shoulder.
"Come on," Carlton laughed, breathless and exhilarated. "It's fun."
Shawn made the mistake of looking up incredulously. He met big blue puppy eyes, and his resolve crumbled. He sighed, "Fine. But I have to warn you: I'm awful."
Lassie's grin widened and Shawn imagined that if he hadn't been wearing skates he might actually bounce with excitement. "That's fine. I'm a great teacher. Here, grab my hand." He stepped in front of Shawn, offering his hands to the other man. "Now, you just have to shift your balance from one foot to the other. Use one to push and then just glide along. I'll help you."
Shawn nodded determinedly and pushed off only to collapse in his boyfriend's arms as his skate caught the ice.
"That's alright," Carlton laughed. "Try again. This time a little gentler."
After the first mishap, it went fairly well. Shawn still felt like a newborn fawn struggling to find its legs, but at least he was moving. Lassiter loosely gripped his hands as he skated backwards, giving him encouragement and tips.
Shawn barely even noticed when Carlton let go of his hands, only realizing that he was on his own when Lassiter turned around and fell in beside him. He wobbled a little.
"You ok?" Lassie asked, ready to catch him if he fell.
"Yeah," Shawn nodded as he regained his balance. "This is pretty fun."
Carlton grinned. He paused for a minute and then raced away from the other man. "Catch me if you can!" he called.
Shawn laughed and gave chase.