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Alvar had a pretty low standard of getting around. Rule number one was not falling. Unfortunately, as he was coming to learn, roller-skating made it very difficult to follow that rule.
He knew that he shouldn’t have said yes when Ruy offered, but saying no to that boy’s puppy dog eyes hurt more that falling on his ass. And he was doing a lot of that recently.
But even as he scrambled towards the railing to hold himself upright, Alvar reluctantly had to admit, he’d made the right choice.
They decided to go to the local bowling alley-turned roller-skating rink one Wednesday afternoon, since neither had classes that day. They’d arrived, Alvar fully expecting to embarrass himself in front of a crowd, however when they walked in, they found that they were the only two people on the rink.
So, after paying up at the desk in the front—and putting his shoes in a little cubby that brought him back to his pre-school days—Alvar slipped on some beaten up roller-skates and expected that he’d pick up the skill pretty quickly.
He was wrong.
Even on the cheap arcade-like carpet, Alvar almost faceplanted. If Ruy hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have stuck his nose in a surface so covered in germs it made his throat burn just thinking about it.
But Ruy, being the sly romantic he was, leaned in and whispered, “I knew you fell for me Vacker, but I didn’t know I’d need to catch you.”
Alvar’s face went nuclear, but he rolled his eyes and mumbled a little “Shut up.”
He pushed himself upright and followed Ruy fearfully onto the rink itself. The floor looked like it was made of the same thing that his sibling’s gym was, but he wasn’t going to complain out loud.
So, that’s how Alvar Vacker, who prided himself on being able to walk correctly, was now gripping onto a railing for dear life while watching in amazement as Ruy rolled past him.
The boy glided across the smooth floor, making it look like the skates were a part of his body. His eyebrows furrowed, and his tongue stuck out a little in concentration, making Alvar’s heart flutter. He loved when Ruy did that.
Alvar stayed transfixed with Ruy’s graceful state until the two locked eyes. He immediately looked away, but it was too late.
Ruy slowed down and made his way to the outskirts of the rink.
“What’re you doing out here?”
Alvar mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, refusing to meet Ruy’s eyes.
“What?”
Alvar sighed. “I said, I’m gonna break something.”
Ruy looked at him for a second before laughing. “You haven’t even tried it, dumbass.”
Alvar crossed his arms indignantly, forgetting that they were the only things keeping him upright.
He let out a surprised yelp before flinging his arms around the closest thing near him, which unfortunately, happened to be Ruy. How the other boy was able to stay upright with another person dragging him down, Alvar didn’t know, but he sure as hell was good at this.
Ruy gently took Alvar’s hands in his, all of the amusement cast out of his gaze. “Would you like me to help you?”
It took a second for the words to register in Alvar’s brain.
“I-I’m sorry?”
“If you’re scared of falling, would you like me to help you skate?”
Alvar felt a soft smile light up his face. “I’d love that.”
Ruy put one hand on the railing and put the other on Alvar’s waist, making a shiver crawl up his spine. If Ruy noticed, he’d chosen to ignore it. He turned towards Alvar, their faces inches away from each other.
“Ok,” He breathed, a light pink dusting his cheeks.
“I’m gonna push off, and you’re going to push your legs forward like your skiing, okay?”
Alvar nodded, feeling his stomach tighten with nerves, but kept his mouth shut.
“One,” Ruy started.
“Two,” Alvar took a deep breath, hoping that at least his sister would come to his funeral.
“Three,” He squeezed his eyes shut, and stuck his arms out like the wings on an airplane and propelled his legs in the way Ruy suggested. Somehow, he didn’t fall. After a few moments of nothing, he cracked open one eye before blinking a couple of times.
He was doing it! With a little help, of course, but nevertheless Alvar felt his heart hammer in his chest as they glided across the rink. He was sure that the staff thought they looked ridiculous, in their odd formation, but it was working, and that was all that Alvar asked for.
He turned to Ruy, who had a big dopey grin plastered on his face. “I told you.”
Alvar was tempted to shove him, but figured it wasn’t worth having to flail on the floor. He looked back in front of him and felt the rush of adrenaline that kept his legs going. Before he could stop himself, a little laugh bubbled out of him.
“I feel like we’re Jack and Rose.”
He could feel Ruy’s giggle vibrate from where he was beside him. “I can see it. But we’re like- the mock buster Jack and Rose.”
Alvar snorted. “The rainbow mock buster Jack and Rose.”
After a couple laps, Alvar felt Ruy’s grip loosen around him, and all though it added to the exhilarating feeling, he also felt a little colder. Soon it loosened so much that he could barely feel it, and when his grip slackened even further, Alvar knew what he was doing.
“Ruy Tonio Ignus, if you let go of me you will regret it later,” Alvar yelped, as Ruy pulled away even more.
The other boy smiled, mischief sparkling in his eyes. Alvar felt his stomach drop a little as Ruy loosened his grip all the way.
He prepared himself for the worst but- it never came. He was slow, and clumsy, and even fell, but each time he did, Ruy would help him up.
Once he got the hang of it, Alvar felt the corners of his mouth turn up. A pang of guilt washed over him as he sped up, almost to Ruy’s cruising pace. But he stamped it down, knowing that he’d warned the other boy earlier.
Unfortunately for Ruy, he was too focused on his own skating to see Alvar coming up behind him. And too late to recover when he crashed into him. They both fell to the floor, Alvar taking most of the fall.
Ruy looked at him with wide eyes, his eyebrows raised in confusion and concern. But before he could get a word out, Alvar smiled.
“I told you you’d regret letting me go,” Alvar shrugged.
Ruy’s face twisted in a scowl, but the amusement twinkling in his eyes gave him away. “So, you crashed into me, risking injuring us both?”
“No,” Alvar said, even though he knew fully that crashing into Ruy was a big part of his plan. He leaned in closer to Ruy, smiling when his eyes widened in surprise.
“I got to kiss you first,” he murmured, pressing his lips against Ruy’s. The brunette squeaked in surprise before relaxing and cupping a hand on Alvar’s cheek.
Alvar ran his fingers through Ruy’s hair, thoroughly messing it up. His lips tasted like honey, and he could faintly smell the shampoo that Ruy used. Mini explosions ricocheted through Alvar’s spine, making him feel like the whole world had turned bright.
But as soon as it had started, it was over.
Both boys pulled back, gasping for air as they met each other’s eyes. Alvar very suddenly remembered that they were in a public place and whipped around, trying to see if any of the staff had caught them in their- moment.
But the coast was clear. He turned back to Ruy, noting that with his hair all mussed up he looked like a rockstar.
“So, how was that?” he whispered, locking eyes with Ruy again, trying to read the boy’s expression.
“Delightful,” Ruy responded after a minute, his gaze flicking to Alvar’s lips. They both leaned in again before Ruy pulled back.
“But for the record, I’d never let you go.”
Alvar groaned. “Just kiss me again, you idiot.”