Chapter Text
Whitley shoves his hands in his pockets as he follows Weiss into the building, looking around. The lobby is nearly empty, save for a couple of younger boys playing in the arcade room, and the teenager behind the counter smiles at the new arrivals. “Hello, how can I help you?” He’s far too happy, as though his customer service attitude is the only thing he has left keeping him clinging to sanity, and Whitley really wouldn’t blame him if that’s the case.
“I’m here to ice skate,” Weiss answers, holding up skates.
He nods and gestures toward a door near the concession stand behind him. “You may have to wait. The hockey team is practicing right now, but they should be finished in about twenty minutes.” When Weiss nods, he smiles. “That will be ten lien.”
Weiss pays him the fee with a polite “Thank you.” The siblings walk through the door, and Weiss sighs. “I’m sorry that you had to come with me.” He knows it translates to I’m sorry he forced you to come with me.
Whitley shrugs. “I actually asked him to let me come with you.” She raises a brow. “It was the only way to get him off your back. I told him I would come with you to make sure you weren’t running off to do anything else, but honestly, I just wanted to come and support you.”
There’s shouting on the ice rink and they watch as one player begins shoving another. They begin throwing fists, and a man skates toward the fighting players, blowing his whistle before yelling and grabbing one of the players, shoving him away. “This was your last chance! Get off the ice and go home! You’re done!” The player yells something they can’t hear, and the coach points toward the exit. “Don’t make me remove you myself!”
The player rushes off the ice, angrily shouting and slamming his fist against the plexiglass as he exited. Whitley glances as Weiss, noticing her thoughtful expression. “Weiss—”
“Are you going to tell him if I do?” He shakes his head. “Good.” She walks down the stairs toward the ice and flags the coach. He skates toward the team box and steps off the ice, and Whitley sits on the bench while they talk. If Weiss wants to join the hockey team, who is he to destroy that for her? If he was in her shoes, he’d do the same, just to piss off their father if for no other reason. Soon Weiss returns, smirk in place. “Instead of doing what Father wants, I’m going to piss him off.” He’d absolutely do the same.
“You’re joining the hockey team?”
“I’m joining the hockey team.”
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“Have a good game,” Whitley tells her before he heads toward the stands, giving her a moment with her girlfriends before she needs to go to the locker rooms. The stands are filling up quickly, and he has to tell a few other fans that someone’s already sitting in the two seats beside him. After a few minutes, Ruby and Maria join him, grinning from ear to ear, and he rolls his eyes.
He’d been present when Weiss had told them she was joining the hockey team, and they’d been just as supportive as he had. In fact, Ruby had even pulled her into a hug and lifted her off the ground and then done the same to him because that’s just how she is. Maria, on the other hand, had been just as happy but less forward with her affection. They had only been able to attend a few of Weiss’s practices, but that doesn’t mean that they support her any less than he does.
The announcer welcomes the crowd and introduces the Vale hockey team before the Argus hockey team, and the arena is nearly deafening with cheers. Though, Ruby loudly rooting for Weiss right next to Whitley’s ear does not help at all, and he shares an eye roll with Maria. Ruby’s enthusiasm is contagious, however, and the three of them cheer for Weiss.
The game begins, the players skating with the puck passing between them, and the three of them gasp when an opposing player slams Weiss into the wall. She shoves the player away from her and continues skating forward, shoving another player and stealing the puck. She’s absolutely aggressive during the game, something that Whitley admires about his older sister, and he wonders why her elbow never finds their father’s face like it does the mask of the Argus player.
After Vale wins the game, the three stand and patiently wait their turn to leave the stands. Maria and Ruby talk about the game as they walk through the open door amidst the smaller crowd, but Whitley stops in his tracks and focuses on the tall redheaded girl signing autographs and talking to fans in the corridor. She laughs at something a fan says, and his heart beats faster. “She’s so pretty,” he whispers, and he hears laughter on either side of him. Oh, right, Maria and Ruby are with him. “What? Like you two don’t think she is?”
“Oh, we know she is,” Ruby laughs. “That’s Pyrrha Nikos, center for Argus. She’s the highest scorer in the Remnant Junior Hockey League.”
“And she’s single,” Maria adds, grinning at him.
He rolls his eyes. “And?” Of course he’s happy to know that information, but he won’t let them know that.
He returns his gaze to where Pyrrha stands, still talking with fans, and an arm wraps around his shoulders, guiding him closer. He protests, tries to dig his heels in the ground, but Ruby is too strong, and Pyrrha smiles when they approach. “Hello,” she greets.
“Hey, Pyrrha, my buddy Whitley here thinks you’re pretty.” He really wishes he could disappear. “He’d also like to ask you a question, if you have time.”
Pyrrha raises a brow and looks at Whitley, and he swallows the lump in his throat. “Would you want to maybe get some food with us?” he asks. Food, yeah, that’s definitely how he should have phrased that.
She stares at him for a moment before glancing at Ruby and Maria. “Skating all over the ice does build an appetite,” she says, smiling. “Yes, I would love to join you.”
Whitley smiles, and Ruby squeezes his shoulder before dropping her arm as Maria joins them. They spot Weiss emerging from the door down the hall and wave her down, and she approaches them, eyeing Pyrrha. “Good game,” she says before kissing her girlfriends.
Pyrrha nods. “You played pretty well yourself. I heard Vale had a new player, and you seem like a much needed upgrade from the one that got kicked off.” She holds out her hand. “Pyrrha.”
Weiss shakes it with a smile. “Weiss.”
“Whitley asked her out for some food, so we were going to go with them. Are you hungry?” Weiss nods, and Ruby wraps her arm around her girlfriends’ shoulders, leading them toward the exit. They talk animatedly about the game while Whitley and Pyrrha follow behind, sharing glances.
“How long have you been playing hockey?” he asks nervously. Why is his heart beating so damn fast? Surely she can hear it now.
“I’ve been playing since I was little. Do you skate or anything?”
He shakes his head. “I mean, I can skate, but I prefer more individual hobbies that aren’t team sports,” he responds. “Plus it’s way more fun watching Weiss letting out her frustration in a healthy way.”
She laughs. “Yeah, hockey is definitely a great place for that.”
They reach the burger joint a couple of blocks over from the ice rink, and Ruby opens the door for all of them, winking at Whitley as he passes her. He rolls his eyes and stands to the side with Pyrrha as they wait for the hostess. “Have you ever eaten here?” he asks, and she shakes her head. “They have some of the best burgers in Vale. I think you’ll really like them.”
When they’re seated at a table for five, they order their drinks and talk about the hockey game. Pyrrha and Whitley discuss more in-depth topics to get to know each other, laughing at the funnier parts of the conversation.
Their food is served, and he watches her intently as she takes the first bite of her burger. “Oh my god, Whitley, you were right.”
He grins. “I know I am, but I’m glad you like it. This has always been one of my favorite places to eat for a reason.”
They continue talking while they eat, and they miss the look their three companions share. It isn’t long before they finish, and the five of them leave the restaurant after paying their check. “We were thinking of going to a movie, if you two wanted to go with us,” Weiss offers.
“That sounds like fun,” Pyrrha answers, and Whitley nods.
They choose a comedy, something Maria had suggested and the rest of the group had agreed to. The three girlfriends sat two rows in front of Pyrrha and Whitley, and they talk while waiting for the movie. “I have a confession,” she whispers, and he raises a brow. “I’ve never seen a movie in theaters. I never really had time because of hockey, and none of the few friends I had stuck around to do much of anything.”
Whitley frowns. “I’m not really sure what to say, but you have friends now that won’t leave you. Weiss and I more than understand not being able to do some things but for other reasons.”
She reaches for his hand and squeezes it, and he wishes his heart would stop beating so damn fast. Why is it always beating so fast? “Thank you, Whitley. You’re a really sweet guy.”
The lights dim, and the previews of upcoming films begin to play. Whitley can barely focus on the screen at all, glancing at Pyrrha’s hand on his that she hadn’t moved. His palms are sweaty, and his heart is still beating too fast, and he’s pretty sure he’s about to have a heart attack. A few moments later—he doesn’t actually know how long because he hasn’t really been watching the movie, laughing half-heartedly when Pyrrha laughs—he holds his breath and turns his hand under Pyrrha’s, spreading his fingers so hers fit in the spaces.
She looks at him with a smile that he returns, and he releases the breath he’s been holding when she returns her attention to the movie. He watches as something funny happens on the screen, and this time, his laugh is genuine. Pyrrha rests her head on his shoulder, and he rests his cheek against the top of her head, smiling.
The movie ends eventually, and the lights turn on. They blink to readjust to the brightness as they leave the theater, Pyrrha’s hand still in his. Ruby, Weiss, and Maria grin upon seeing the pair, but they say nothing. “I hate to stop hanging out with you all, but I really have to get home now,” Pyrrha informs them. She looks to Whitley. “Walk me home?” He nods, and she hugs the other three.
Whitley and Pyrrha begin walking in the opposite direction, still holding hands, and talk about the movie, laughing about the funnier scenes and lines. They reach the other side of town, near Argus, and she leads him up the path to the front door of a cozy little house. “Thank you for walking me home, Whitley. I had a great time with you and your sister and friends.”
“I’m glad that you had fun. I had a lot of fun too, Pyrrha.”
“Are you going to be okay getting home?”
He nods and smiles. “Yeah, I think I’ll be okay getting home. I’ll let you know when I get there.” He hugs her and turns to leave the entryway, but she grabs his arm and turns him to face her, kissing him. When she pulls away, he smiles. “So, do you maybe want to go out again sometime?”
She nods. “I would love that.”
