Work Text:
Eijirou loved a lot of things: meat, the color red, Crimson Riot, his family, sunrises with morning coffee. But most of all he loved Katsuki. He smashed into his life so unexpectedly and it was like Eijirou was seeing color for the first time. Suddenly everything was new and exciting and Eijirou couldn’t stop smiling. The best part was getting to experience all his firsts with Katsuki. First date, first kiss, first time cuddling, even the mundane first grocery shopping trip together was leagues better than any other grocery trip he’d had in the past.
Today marked another first in their relationship: the first time going ice skating together. Though they had been dating for nearly four years, Katsuki had always managed to get out of going ice skating. Eijirou wasn’t sure why he was always so adamant on not going but this year Eijirou wasn’t having it. Besides, it's not like Eijirou asked him to buy thousands of dollars of equipment and join the Olympic hockey team!
Eijirou whistled a happy tune and swung his and Katsuki’s arms along to the melody. He held his skates in his free hand, they were typical hockey skates but he did seek out a pair with red accents along the boot. Eijirou also got matching red laces because of course he did. Katsuki’s hands were empty of skates, they would find some to rent at the warming house. He could feel Katsuki dragging his feet but Eijirou’s determined steps didn’t falter and soon enough they were at the outdoor ice skating loop.
Though it wasn’t as large as the one he went to as a kid, it was still decent enough and since it was ten a.m. on a Tuesday, the loop was empty. Eijirou squealed in delight and pulled Katsuki inside. Eijirou set his skates down near one of the benches and threw an arm around Katsuki’s shoulder before kissing his temple.
“You ready?”
“No,” Katsuki grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting adorably.
“Aww, come on, babe, this is gonna be so much fun!”
“We’re going to go around in circles for god knows how long, how is that supposed to be fun?”
Eijirou rolled his eyes humorously. “Because we’re going to hold hands, and talk, and maybe even kiss a little,” Eijirou teased, sneaking in another kiss to Katsuki’s temple.
Though Katsuki pushed him away, Eijirou saw the small smile he was fighting back. It warmed Eijirou’s heart, even though Katsuki would never admit it, they both knew he secretly loved the PDA. They headed up to the counter and Katsuki got his skates before heading back to the bench. While Eijirou’s skates were old, at least he was the only one wearing them, Katsuki’s skates looked like they were one strong gust of icy wind away from disintegrating.
“Are you sure these are safe?” Katsuki asked as he apprehensively looked at his skates.
“They should be fine, if they don’t we’ll get another pair and they can throw these ones out.”
Eijirou kicked off his boots and loosened his skates. He methodically loosened the laces then tightened them back up once his foot was inside. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Katsuki watching him while trying to be discreet. Eijirou tied the second skate and turned to Katsuki, who jolted and went about tying his skates.
“Hey, are you ok? You seem a little… off.”
“Fine, just cold,” Katsuki muttered, tying his skates quickly.
Before Eijirou could comment on it further, Katsuki stood and wobbled a bit. Eijirou stood and grabbed Katsuki’s arm, stabilizing him. Katsuki wobbled again but was able to right himself quickly, shrugging out of Eijirou’s loose grip. Katsuki held out his hand and Eijirou gladly took it before guiding them outside.
Though they were only inside for all of five minutes, Eijirou took in a greedy lungful of the cold winter air. It was the best kind of winter day, cold yes but also sunny with only the occasional fluffy white cloud to dot the sky. He was already sweating so Eijriou unzipped his jacket and draped it across his boyfriend’s ever apparent chilly shoulders. Katsuki slumped in relief a little as the extra warmth enveloped him. Eijirou pulled Katsuki close to the ice loop but Katsuki seemed to be dragging his feet. Eijirou made it to the gate and then turned to Katsuki.
His smile slipped and his brow furrowed as he looked at his boyfriend. Sure, Eijirou wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer but he knew Katsuki, he knew when something was wrong and something was very clearly wrong at the moment. Eijirou opened his mouth to voice his concerns but Katsuki beat him to the punch.
“You go on ahead, I think I need to re-tie my skates, they still feel a little loose.”
“Are you sure, I don’t mind waiting.”
Katsuki urged Eijirou forward. He took the hint and opened the gate, taking one last look at Katsuki before stepping onto the ice. Eijirou couldn’t help the wide grin that split his face once he was finally on the ice. He took off and expertly skated around the loop, loving the way the wind cut his face and how his lungs burned with exertion. After two times around the loop, Eijirou stopped and laughed at the large arc of shaved ice his skates created. He looked and saw Katsuki standing near the gate, a small smile gracing his lips.
It was Eijirou’s favorite smile because it seemed like it was the one that was only saved for him. His chest bloomed with love and he lazily skated towards the gate before leaning on the rail. Eijirou looked up at Katsuki adoringly, if his irises could form different shapes then he was positive that they would be hearts right now.
“Hi,” Eijirou sighed, resting his chin on his palm.
“Hey,” Katsuki replied with another small smile.
“You going to join me or just stare?”
“In a minute, I wanna keep watching.”
“Do you need help with your skates? I can re-tie them for you and then you can-”
“I can tie my own fucking skates, dumbass,” Katsuki cut in, rolling his eyes. “I just like watching you, is that such a crime?”
“Watching me or my ass?” Eijirou teased.
“Your ass is still a part of you.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I do.”
Eijirou straightened and leaned towards Katsuki, pressing his lips against his boyfriends in a sweet kiss. Katsuki quickly kissed him back and Eijirou couldn’t help the smile. Who needed a jacket when his love for Katsuki warmed him up just as much? Eijirou pulled away and unlocked the gate, letting it lazily swing open before holding out his hand expectantly. Katsuki’s smile faded and he looked between Eijirou’s face and his outstretched hand.
“I…”
Eijirou’s hand dropped a little and his eyebrows creased. “You ok?”
“Yeah!” Katsuki said quickly, too quickly. “I need to piss,” He announced before awkwardly making his way back to the warming house.
Eijirou stood there, in the open gate with his hand still outstretched. His eyebrows furrowed and his lips curved downward. What was going on? Did he do something wrong, say something wrong? He didn’t think so. Eijirou stepped through the gate and headed back to the warming house. He didn’t see Katsuki in his preliminary glance, maybe he really was just using the bathroom, but his gut was telling him that wasn’t it.
The worker at the counter saw Eijirou looking around and nodded his head, silently directing Eijirou. He followed the worker’s nod and saw Katsuki tucked into a corner of the warming house, hidden by shelves and benches. Dread pitted even deeper in his stomach as he walked over to where Katsuki was sitting on the floor, knees tucked close to his chest and chin resting on top of them. Eijirou sat down silently on the bench next to Katsuki. Neither of them said anything at first, both of them silently watching the massive fireplace in the center of the room.
“Did I do something wrong?” Eijirou asked hesitantly.
“No, why do you always assume you did something wrong?”
“Because you’re mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“Well, at the very least you’re upset and I feel like you’re upset at me,” Eijirou said, finally looking at Katsuki.
“It’s stupid,” Katsuki grumbled.
“It’s not stupid if it’s upsetting you.”
Katsuki pouted and muttered something under his breath. Eijioru tilted his head and leaned forward, fighting the urge to smile. Katsuki always looked especially adorable when he pouted though he would never in a million years tell him that, he didn’t want his ass kicked after all. Eijirou waited patiently for Katsuki to repeat himself, giving him all the time he needed to gather his feelings.
“I can’t skate,” Katsuki spat, refusing to meet Eijirou’s eye.
“Ok… and?”
“What do you mean ‘and’?”
Eijirou shrugged. “Is that it? I don’t understand why that’s upsetting you so much.”
“We’re on an ice skating date, we’re on a date specifically for ice skating and I can’t do the fucking thing we literally set out to do!”
“But why is it upsetting you so much?”
“Because I don’t want to make an ass out of myself out there!” Katsuki shouted, standing up so suddenly that he wobbled violently on his blades.
Eijirou shot up and steadied him before sitting them both down on the bench. He pulled him close to his side and wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders. Katsuki, rather begrudgingly though Eijirou suspected it was all an act, melted into his side and buried his face into Eijirou’s neck.
“Are you afraid of falling?” Eijirou asked quietly.
Katsuki nodded.
“You know there’s no lake underneath us right? So the ice won’t really hurt when you fall and you especially won’t fall through since it’s only a couple inches thick.”
“That’s not why,” Katsuki muttered.
Eijirou waited patiently for Katsuki to explain, knowing that he just needed to sort out his thoughts. Katsuki huffed and puffed but Eijirou didn’t react, that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Eventually, Katsuki rolled his eyes and looked at his ice skates, hands fiddling with the hem of his jacket.
“I don’t like being bad at things,” He muttered. “And I know that once I go out there all I’m going to do is fall and look stupid.”
“Of course, you’re going to fall, you’ve never been ice skating before.”
Katsuki’s head snapped up and he glared at Eijirou but he raised his hands in mercy.
“Falling is just a part of learning, and just because you fall doesn’t mean you can’t get back up. Do you know how many times I fell when I was learning? Hell, I had so many chipped teeth from hitting the ice that my mom banned me from ice skating.”
“Then how the hell did you get so good?”
“I kept practicing, and falling, but eventually I stopped falling less and you will too. Babe, you’re not going to master everything the first time, that’s just life, but are you really going to let that stop you? I thought you were Katsuki Bakugo, the most headstrong and determined man I know!”
Katsuki side-eyed Eijirou with an amused glare, he knew what trick Eijirou was trying to pull, but that didn’t mean that Katsuki was above it. Scoffing he stood, still a little wobbly but less than before, and jerked his head to the door. Eijirou smiled brightly and took the hand Katsuki offered him. He led Katsuki to the rink and opened the door. Katsuki hesitated, looking at Eijirou with worry.
“Promise you won’t laugh when I fall.”
“Oh, I’ll definitely laugh.”
“Eijioru, you ass!”
“Hey, you’d have laughed at me if it were the other way around.”
Katsuki scowled but didn’t argue, they both knew Eijirou was right. Sighing, he stepped onto the ice and immediately ate shit. As promised, Eijirou laughed and it was so infectious that Katsuki couldn’t help laughing as well. Eijirou helped him up and brushed some of the snow and ice shavings off him before grabbing his hands.
“Here, just glide first, I won’t let you fall.”
Eijirou began skating backward, watching Katsuki grow more and more excited. He kept watching his feet and the way his blades easily glided across the ice. Eijirou’s smile grew wider and he began skating faster, occasionally checking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t going to ram them into a wall or anything.
“Quit looking at your feet, when you skate yourself it’s gonna make you trip. Also, tip your body forward slightly, it helps you balance.”
Katsuki nodded. “Are you going to let go?”
“Do you want me to?”
Katsuki took a moment to think before slowly nodding yes. Eijirou slowed and guided them near a wall for Katsuki to hang onto. He latched onto it and looked at Eijirou expectantly.
“Just work on pushing and gliding, again, it’s ok to fall.”
Katsuki did as he was told and slowly began ice skating. Eijirou cheered and hollered, never getting too far from Katsuki even though they were going at a snail’s pace. After a couple of laps, Katsuki skated a little faster and then faster, and eventually he pushed himself away from the wall. He made it halfway around the loop before slipping and falling again. Eijirou skated over and helped him up again.
“Kat that was amazing, you did so well!” Eijirou praised.
“Please,” Katsuki dismissed, brushing Eijirou off.
Eijirou easily took Katsuki’s hand and started skating next to him. “I’m serious, you’re doing really well! And we’re having fun, you’re having fun right?”
“Yeah, I’m having fun.”
Katsuki managed to slow himself enough that they both stopped, he turned to Eijirou and wrapped his arms around Eijirou’s neck. He leaned forward and kissed Eijirou slowly. Eijirou smiled and kissed him back, wrapping an arm around his waist to pull him closer.
Which, of course, caused Katsuki to slip and they hit the ice, hard. They both groaned in pain but it was quickly replaced by laughter and more kisses.
“You’re gonna have to take me here again, gotta get more practice in so I can smoke your ass in a race.”
“Is that a challenge?” Eijirou said wryly before pressing another kiss against Katsuki’s lips.
“Nope,” Katsuki said popping the p. “It’s a promise.