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Ice skating wasn’t necessarily Takumi’s strong suit. Well in fact, he doesn’t remember the last time he went ice skating. Maybe when he was younger, when his hair was squished in a winter hat and his dad made him wear multiple layers that felt suffocating. Even then, that could just be his memory fogging.
Of course winter had rolled through though, the nights got longer and the air grew colder. Many people flocked to the comfort of their own home to warm their cold bones but it seems as though his girlfriend had other plans for the winter. Natsuki loves all seasons, there was always some way for her to enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of the season. So when she suggested on going ice skating, Takumi could only just agree even with a hesitant smile.
The eight-six revved up to a higher gear as they climbed up the mountain. Lake Akina had frozen over, and it was the hangout spot for many kids and teens in the area. Takumi pulled into a vacant spot in the parking lot and pulled the parking brake up. He sat there for a moment, taking a moment more to warm his hands on the plastic vents. Natsuki ejected the tape in the cassette player and put it back into the small center console. Looking over at Takumi she gave him a small smile, "You ready?“ her tone filled with excitement. He chuckled nervously and nodded his head, shutting off the car and pulling the key out of the ignition. Mogi pulled her mittens on and opened the car door to the brisk air. The sun was peaking through the clouds as they rolled by, and the soft snow crunched underneath Natsuki’s boots. Closing the door, Takumi appeared by her side, and she instinctively grabbed for his arm. They walked side by side towards the small building next to the lake with a "Skate Rentals“ sign above.
The man at the counter greeted them as they walked inside. They tap off their shoes at the entrance, the snow melting on the floor-mat. Natsuki’s eyes wander around the small place. It was warm inside, and it smells strongly of pine. A small collection of trinkets and souvenirs were placed neatly on the shelves.
Takumi walked up to the counter to the shorter man, "Just two pairs of skates sir.“
"What sizes?“ His voice sounding of sandpaper.
"Twenty-six and twenty-eight.“
The man nodded and went to retrieve the right size skates along the back wall. Natsuki walked up to her boyfriend, "Isn’t this cute?“ she asked as she held up a replica of the swan boats that they’d keep out in the summer. He smiled at her, "Do you want it?“ he asked without hesitation, admiring the little model in her hands. She shook her head, "Maybe another time, just thought it was neat.“
The worker returned with their skates and placed them on the counter carefully. "That’ll be 2,200 yen.“ Takumi let out a nervous sigh that he didn’t know he was holding as he paid for the skates. Natsuki picked up her pair, and they both thank him as they walk out the door. A pathway was cleared that lead down to the lake. Kids with their parents skate along the edge of the ice, some even fell over. Takumi cringed at the fall, but the kid gets right back up, with only a laugh.
"I, uh… should probably tell you now that I haven’t gone ice skating in a… long time“ Takumi’s voice croaked out with a light blush, but that could just be mistaken for the cold air on his face. He hesitantly looked over at his girlfriend, and she chuckled. "It’s okay baby, I can teach you!“
They sat on the bench in front of the lake to take their shoes off. Natsuki laced her skates up and stood up straight in the grass waiting for Takumi. He slipped on the skates, leveraging himself on the bench to get up. His ankles wobbled a bit, the uneven ground not giving him any stability.
"Hey wait, your laces aren’t tight enough,“ Mogi exclaims quickly, motioning him to sit back down. "Like, they have to be almost suffocating your ankles,“ she told him as she kneeled down to re-tie them. "I can do it myself,“ he replied with a nervous chuckle. She shushed him and pulls on the laces hard. The skates tighten around his feet, almost cutting off the blood flow, well not really, but it felt like it.
"There!“ she announced loudly, almost jumping up from the spot she was at. She puts her mittens on and stretched out her hand, "C’mon!“ a grin on her face. Takumi took her hand confidently, getting up from the bench again, being stable this time. One foot in front of the other, nothing to worry about. The grass was easier to walk on, but as soon as Mogi lets go of his hand and gets onto the ice, Takumi is unsure of himself as she glided on there effortlessly.
"Now getting on the ice is probably one of the harder parts but if you fall, I’ll catch you. But you want to keep your balance and feet parallel.“ She reached out for his hand again and he holds on tightly. One step, he slips but Natsuki balanced him with a firm grasp. Another foot, and he’s on the ice. A smile appears on his face, and he looked to his girlfriend who was smiling as well. "You did it!“ her cheery voice sending butterflies to his stomach. He tried to move, but his muscles tense up. "Here Takumi, watch,“ Natsuki demonstrates, using her one leg to start off. "You gotta leverage yourself on one foot to start off, then once you get going you’re good.“ She skates off then turns around elegantly, "Try this distance“ she faces him again, about two arms lengths away from him. Takumi’s facial expression was unreadable, but he still felt tense. He moves his one foot and tries to push off. It all happened so quickly that when he felt an arm holding him he realized he almost fell.
"Are you okay?“ a sweet voice pierces through his heavy breathing.
"Y-Yeah, sorry,“ he lets out, trying to stand upwards again. He leverages off of her again, he doesn’t know how she could be so stable on ice.
"Lets try this differently,“ she took his hand and he held it tightly, moving beside him. "I’m gonna move forward, you let me know if you want to slow down but, just keep me as an anchor.“ She starts to skate, and Takumi almost felt like he was slowing her down. She moves so smoothly on the ice, and he tried to copy her, pushing his weight to skate. „You got it baby! Keep going!“ she lets go of his hand, but he takes it right back. He looks over at her, the winter air added a rose tint to her face. Her eyes were lit up with excitement, and Takumi felt himself relaxing into the movements. Natsuki stopped on the ice, and he slows down, trying his best to stop, still using his girlfriend as an anchor.
She faces him, "I’m really glad I can teach you Takumi.“
"Thank you, I feel a lot more comfortable,“ she put her arms around his neck and he’s a little bit taken back by it. He holds her closely and leans down to kiss her. It was only a light peck, because after he opened his eyes, she was
already gone from his arms.
"You have to catch me for a real kiss!“ she yells out, skating away.
"Hey! That’s unfair!“
He stumbles a bit but manages to start off again, skating away after her.