Chapter Text
Skating was the only way he could wind himself down. The sound of his blades on the ice was the only thing – beside chocolate, of course – able to calm the turmoil he kept feeling inside.
That’s why, every time he could, he would sneak out of Wammy’s House to go to the ice rink right beside Winchester’s Cathedral.
He had the rink all for himself. Even better. He could do whatever he wanted without fearing to stand out among all the people who barely knew how to glide without falling. All alone, there was no need to hold himself back. He could skate just the way he wanted. He could feel the rush of adrenaline right before a jump. He could feel the tension of a spin.
He could feel free.
It wasn’t just a hobby, or a mere link to his past before everything went to hell. It was the moment he could really be himself: no L, no successor’s program, no Mello. Just Mihael Keehl.
On the ice was the only place he really felt unstoppable.
He was so immersed in his own little world that he didn’t notice someone had been spying on him, safely hidden behind the boards.
He turned backwards, preparing himself for a triple Lutz. But right when he took off, a loud gasp distracted him, and he ended up botching the landing.
Matt was on the verge of jumping over the boards. “Mello are you alright??” he shouted.
Mello was laying down on the ice face first. He sighed, defeated. He wasn’t hallucinating as he had hoped, then. Great. His secret was not a secret anymore.
He could tell the panic was rising within Matt as he cried his name again, so he grunted a “yeah” before getting up to assure him he was fine.
“That was amazing! I didn’t know you could skate!” Matt said as soon as Mello reached him.
“Well, it’s pretty common where I come from.” Mello tried to shrug it off.
“Oh.” Matt replied, feeling quite awkward. “I’ve always wanted to try…” he confessed chuckling, trying to lift off the embarrassment.
“Wait, you’ve never been skating?”
“Nope. There weren’t any ice rinks in my hometown. And even if there were, my mother would have never allowed me to attend skating courses…” he admitted sheepishly.
“Then let me teach you.”
“What?” Matt’s eyes were popping out from his head.
“C’mon, take a pair of skates over there!” he pointed at a shelf near the lockers.
When Matt came back, Mello was waiting for him near a bench. He put the skates on, and Mello kneeled in front of him to help him lace them up. Matt noticed how Mello’s skates were different from the rest of the rental ones. They even had a blade guard, unlike the others. But the question died in his throat. Mello was up and ready. So, he followed him quite goofily.
Mello stepped onto the ice with ease. Matt, on the other hand, had managed to grip the boards just in time to save himself from falling flat on his ass. The scene was so comical Mello had to suppress a laugh.
“Alright, now you have to move your feet just like this.” he said, showing him what to do. “Don’t point your pick.” He knew it was too early to show him the purpose of the toe pick, it would have only made him more confused. Better to save it for another time.
He let Matt make some laps, just to get used to the smooth surface. And then, when he seemed somewhat able to stand on his feet without tipping over, he told him to let go of the boards.
“Take my hands. I’m not gonna let you fall, I promise” he added, seeing Matt’s hesitation.
Matt nodded and followed Mello’s lead.
His gaze kept falling at his feet unwillingly, despite Mello’s suggestion to look straight ahead.
“Just look at me. Trust your instinct.”
He met Mello’s eyes. The confidence painted in there made him less nervous.
Matt understood quite quickly how to glide around. That is, until Mello decided to move behind him.
“What are you-“
“Trust me, it’ll be easier for you.” Mello replied, reassuring.
Always keeping a firm hand on his hips, Mello helped him, correcting his posture. And when Matt seemed confident enough, Mello stealthily loosened the grip, letting him skate on his own.
“Mel! Oh damn I did it! I-“
As expected, Matt’s excitement made him lose his balance. Mello promptly reached him, hugging him from behind and preventing his fall.
“I told you I wasn’t going to let you fall.” he whispered in his ear.
Matt smiled, enjoying the warmth of the embrace, but then it broadened into a grin when he turned around overbalancing on purpose, making the two of them fall on the ice with Mello ending on top of him. Mello could only manage to sneak a hand behind Matt’s head so that he didn’t hurt himself while hitting the ice.
“Oh really?” he replied, arching an eyebrow before laughing.
Mello rolled his eyes and snorted right in Matt’s face. “You really are a dumbass.”
“Oh my God! That is brand new information!” Matt remarked sarcastically.
It took all his willpower to get up. “C’mon, that’s enough for today. We gotta go before the old man gets back.”
Now it was Matt’s turn to roll his eyes. He pouted, but he took the hand Mello was offering him and got up nevertheless.
Still hand in hand, they slowly started moving towards the rink exit.
“Will you skate for me?” Matt blurted out of the blue, catching Mello off guard.
“What?!” he replied, a bit too loud.
“Well, you were in the middle of doing something before I interrupted you … I’d like to see you skate” he repeated without having the strength to look at Mello. He knew he shouldn’t have asked it, considering he had been spying on him, but…
Mello sighed. His cover was already blown up anyway. “…alright.”
Matt’s head shot up. His eyes were shining, and Mello knew right away he had made the right choice.
He helped Matt out of the rink and handed him his mp3 player, letting him plug it into the speakers. “Please press play when I’m ready.”
Matt nodded and Mello hit the top of the boards with his hands before gliding towards the center of the rink.
When he got in position, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was about to do something he hadn’t done for so much time. Since his parents-
The music started, snapping him out of his train of thoughts. And he started his program.
When the music ended, he held his finishing pose for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. Even after all those years, he still managed to perform as graceful and clean as back then.
Still panting, he turned his head to Matt who was staring at him speechless, his eyes and mouth agape.