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“Are you sure this is a good idea?” you asked nervously. You already felt disoriented, the heavy skates tightly strapped onto your two feet.
“What are you talking about, _____?” Kida joked. “Getting cold feet already, eh?”
You rolled your eyes. “Do you ever not have a bad joke?”
“What fun would that be? Don’t think I’m punny enough?” He stood at the edge of the ice rink. “Come on, _____. It’s really not that bad.”
“But it’s so cold in here,” you said, wrapping your arms around yourself. You had a thin jacket on, gloves, and a scarf, but you were still feeling the chill.
“Of course it’s cold, you silly girl.” He took a hold of your hands as he pulled you closer. “We’re ice skating. What did you expect?” He stepped onto the ice, gently tugging you with him.
You had never ice skated before. In a city like Ikebukuro, there were many other things to do. You had your schoolwork, and on the weekends, you often explored the city with your friends, enjoying the park or even going to the movies. But no one had ever suggested the ice rink. It was mostly reserved for athletes and performers anyway -- there were only a few weeks every year when it was open to the public.
“I-I don’t know…” you said, though you fate was imminently sealed when Kida glided backwards. You were forced onto the ice so you wouldn’t fall forward on your face.
“No time for second thoughts. Just have some fun.”
You flailed toward the edge of the rink where there was a ledge you could hold onto in case you fell. You felt wobbly on the carpet, but now you felt as though you could barely stand at all. The ice was formidable, one smooth sheet of pristine white. There were kids there of all ages, gliding back and forth, seemingly having fun with their escapades.
Kida skated toward the center of the rink immediately, showing off his skills. It made you wonder how often he came here; he had to issue with being on skates at all, despite how limited the activity was to the citizens of Ikebukuro. He was surprisingly graceful, his blonde hair lifted by the momentum of his forward movement. He glided around the rink as you watched, still clinging to the edge as though your very life depended on it.
“Hey, come on,” he said as he offered you his hands. “You should be enjoying yourself. Might as well now that you’re here in the rink.”
“I almost think I’d rather stay here,” you replied.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked well-naturedly.
It was a good question. What were you afraid of? You supposed that you were afraid of falling on the ice and having someone skate over your hand and slice your fingers open. That was a reasonable concern, right? But that was just the surface of the issue -- really, you weren’t sure what to do with the butterflies in your stomach, and if you ungrounded yourself, you were afraid you might do something stupid.
“I’ve just never done this before,” you said with a sheepish grin. “I’m nervous. That’s all.”
Kida returned with a bright smile of his own. “Well, that’s easy! You’re here because you wanted to try something new, aren’t you?”
“Actually, I’m here because you invited me.”
“And I promised you’d have a good time, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, I suppose you did.”
He offered his hand again. “Well, you’re just going to have to trust me, then. I’ve never let you down before, have I?”
“Well, there was that one time when you said you were going to pick me up and it started to rain--”
“--oh, enough of that!” He laughed. “No use in airing my dirty laundry in public now, _____. That’s all in the past! I’m here so we can have some fun! So why don’t you let going of that wall and take a leap of faith with me?”
You looked at his soft eyes, the boyish cut of his hair, and you couldn’t help but nod. “All right, but if I fall…”
“I won’t let you fall. I promise.”
You reached out, your gloved hand touching his, and you felt the warmth. “Okay,” you said. You already felt like you were unbalanced, though Kida kept his word and steadied you with a strong grip. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Just relax.” He checked behind him to make sure no one was there. “I’m going to move backward. Follow me by sliding forward one foot at a time. There you go! See, that isn’t so bad, is it?”
“No, I guess not,” you breathed.
This continued for several more minutes. He would tell you what to do with your feet, and he would hold onto your hands, making sure that you could awkwardly hobble forward on your own two skates. By the time you were comfortable doing this by yourself, you had made it halfway across the rink.
The expression on his face was a mischievous one, though you had no idea what he was planning. It was then that he pulled you toward him in such a sharp motion that you couldn’t catch yourself -- you landed right in his arms, gripping him tightly.
“Damn it, Kida!”
“I promised you I wouldn’t let you fall,” he said as he helped you straighten up.
“What the hell are you doing, Ki--” You were silenced by the warmth of his lips as he leaned in for a quick kiss.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m flirting.” He gave you a cheeky grin. “I had to do it somewhere where you couldn’t run away from me. Looks like you’re still stuck, _____, huh?”
You slapped him lightly on the arm. “Trust me, there are better ways to flirt, and they involve hot chocolate and being in normal shoes.”
“Hey, you can’t say this wasn’t a good experience. If anything, it was rewarding.”
“For you maybe.”
His hand was still in yours, the smug smile on his face. “Come on, admit it!”
“Get me out of this freezing hell, and I’ll say anything.”
“It’s a deal!”