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It was early spring in Linkon City, and you and Xavier had just finished a week-and-a-half long field mission.
You’d returned home late last night, savoring warm showers and a few hours of sleep before stumbling into the Hunters Association first thing in the morning. You had your reports filed away by lunch. Captain Jenna had congratulated you two on a job well done and promptly mandated a four-day weekend so you could rest and recover.
You and Xavier were all but shoved out of the building with orders to relax, but Tara had quickly stopped you to show you a Moments post on her phone as you and Xavier were walking outside. You called for Xavier to wait while you huddled next to Tara, looking down at her phone screen.
Linkon Public Ice Rink:
Pop-up cheap skate today from 1pm - 2pm! Skate rentals 80% off!
“You two should go! Weren’t you just talking about the figure skating competition from last week?” Tara asked excitedly.
“Yeah, but I haven’t gone skating since my freshman year of college,” you said, laughing nervously. “And I think I did more falling than skating.”
“Well, you don’t have to be a figure skating champ to have fun,” Tara countered. She raised an eyebrow, glancing over at where Xavier was waiting by the door. “Plus, falling isn’t so bad when you have someone to catch you!”
Heat crept up your cheeks, which Tara of course found particularly amusing, laughing and waving goodbye as she walked into the Association building. You took a moment to collect yourself, definitely not thinking about being held in Xavier’s arms because you totally weren’t still giddy like a schoolgirl for your boyfriend even though you’d been dating for months. You were calm. You were chill.
That didn’t stop you from passing the message (minus the falling) onto Xavier, though.
“How about going skating before we head home?” you proposed. “It’s on the way home, and it’s the middle of the day so it’s probably not busy. I haven’t skated in years, though, and I don’t know if you even like skating, or if you’ve ever gone, and you might just want to go home and sleep after such a long mission, that’s okay too-”
Xavier huffed out a quiet laugh and reached forward, holding your hand and weaving his fingers between yours. Your rambling instantly fell silent.
“I haven’t gone in a long time, but I think it would be fun to go with you,” he said, his voice instantly soothing you. “I can’t promise I’ll be very good, though.”
“Me either,” you replied with a small laugh. “I’m prepared to fall a few times. But it’ll be fun! We can pick up food on the way home after, and then spend the rest of the day relaxing.”
Xavier was all for that, so the two of you caught a bus to the public ice arena. Xavier had brought a duffel bag to the Association building to drop off the extra gear you two had been using during the mission, and you both stored some of your extra hunting gear in it, since you didn’t have time to stop by home and change before the short skating window.
Xavier stowed away his outer jacket, leaving him in his white button-up over his black turtleneck, and you unhooked your corset and holsters, leaving you in your white button-up. The pair of you still didn’t look like typical ice skaters, but it certainly felt a bit more casual than trying to skate in your full hunting regalia.
A few bus stops later, you and Xavier were walking up an empty sidewalk to the small ice arena. The large building housed a large main rink and a few smaller practice rinks for figure skating, hockey, or public open skates like the one going on this afternoon, but with it being the middle of a weekday, it looked almost abandoned. The bus ride had taken a little longer than expected, so it was a few minutes past when the skating started, but you’d still expected to see at least someone else heading to the rink as well.
As he often did, Xavier stepped forward and held the door open for you, and as you often did, you thanked him while trying to keep your fluttering heart under control. It seemed that everything he did set it ablaze, and sometimes with his knowing looks, you felt like he could hear your heart threatening to beat right out of your chest.
A college-aged student sat at the front desk, a textbook propped up that they were glancing at while replacing the laces on a pair of skates. When they saw you two approach, they perked up, setting the skates down and getting to their feet.
“Welcome in! Are you two here for the open skate?” they asked.
“Yes, please,” you replied, glancing over at a wall clock behind the desk. “I know we’re a few minutes late, is that okay?”
“Oh, yeah, no problem!” the student replied, waving their hand nonchalantly as they typed out a few things on a tablet mounted to the desk. “You can start whenever you want, you’ll just have to be off the ice by 2pm.”
They flipped the tablet screen around, showing the grand total for two skating passes to be less than what you’d pay for a drink at your favorite cafe. Despite the low price, Xavier beat you to it, pressing his card against the reader before your hand even reached your pocket. You let out a huff, not at the fact that he’d paid (you’d accepted defeat in that realm shortly after you started dating) but at the smug look on his face for being quicker than you.
The student got both of your shoe sizes and retrieved rental skates for you and Xavier.
“The open rink is just down the hall, first door on your right. Once you’re in, you can wear the skates anywhere the floor is cushioned, but not on the bleacher areas,” the student rattled off, glancing at a ‘Things to Remind Skaters!’ checklist next to their textbook. “Since it’s mostly beginners or casual skaters, no jumps or anything where your skate blades are coming up in the air. The hockey scoreboard is on with a timer so you know how much longer there is in the skate session. I think that’s it- have fun!”
You and Xavier thanked them and followed their directions to the rink. You were practically buzzing with excitement- you were sure you’d be anything but graceful out there, but it had been so long since you skated, and you remembered enjoying it years ago. Now you had someone to enjoy it with.
Upon pushing open the doors to the rink, you and Xavier found that you weren’t the only ones at the open skate, but it certainly wasn’t busy. The ice bleachers around the ice rink were empty, and only two of the benches in the cushioned first level had items like backpacks and jackets from other skaters on them.
Through the plexiglass walls around the ice, you could see another couple, a few older adults, and one father-daughter pair skating around.
“There won’t be many witnesses to our amazing skating,” Xavier noted as he led you over to a bench to sit and change into your skates.
“That’s probably for the best. We wouldn’t want everyone to see the great hunter Xavier getting lapped by that little girl,” you teased, gesturing to where the little girl, clad in a helmet and tutu, was in fact speeding along like skating was second nature. Her dad skated frantically behind her, noticeably more wobbly on the ice than his daughter, but he still looked mostly excited at the little girl having fun.
“I have a feeling she’s going to lap both of us,” Xavier said matter-of-factly. He somehow already had his skates tied while you were still tightening your first skate. He shifted off the bench onto his knees without missing a beat to work on tightening and tying your other skate for you. “She has the power of a pink tutu.”
Your hands stalled on your skate laces for a moment, your heart skipping a beat at how naturally he’d transitioned into helping you, but you quickly recovered, tying the laces into a sturdy knot.
“Now we know for next time,” you reply lightly. “It’s ‘bring your own tutu.’”
Xavier huffed out a small laugh, tying your other skate and inspecting it before deeming it worthy and getting to his feet. He held a hand out to you, a small smile on his face.
“Ready?”
You smiled back at him and nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull you up off the bench. The two of you carefully made your way to the hip-height door that led onto the ice. A sudden bout of nervousness panged in your chest, which was frustrating to say the least- you were a hunter, you could handle some ice.
Still, you looked down at you and Xavier’s joined hands warily.
“Maybe we shouldn’t hold hands, at least at first,” you suggested. Xavier’s lips turned just barely downward, into that little pout you’d come to find endearing.
“Why not?” he asked.
“If I fall, I’ll probably just yank you down, too,” you explained, trying not to laugh at his crestfallen expression. He seemed to mull over your words for a moment before shaking his head and squeezing your hand a little tighter.
“Then I’ll fall with you,” he said simply. And you couldn’t really bring yourself to argue with that.
You nodded and Xavier stepped forward, pushing the short door open and stepping out onto the ice first. He didn’t falter, but he clearly wasn’t as steady as he was on solid, not-slippery ground. Regardless, he turned toward you with ease and kept a hold of your hand as you stepped onto the ice.
A nervous laugh escaped your lips as you wobbled slightly before finding your balance. The comfortable chill of the ice rink enveloped you and Xavier. You waited for the little girl and her dad to pass by (she seemed to be singing to herself as she skated, and while she was barely swinging her arms around, you were sure in her head she was in the middle of an Olympics-worthy performance) before the two of you started forward.
Xavier kept you on his right so you were closer to the wall as you slowly made your way around the rink counterclockwise. You both found yourselves stumbling a couple times, but luckily Xavier didn’t fall down, and you were able to steady yourself on the wall if needed. Even though you felt a little silly, especially when one of the other few skaters flew by going backwards, you couldn’t keep a smile from your face.
As you skated along, you found yourself growing more and more confident, reaching for the support of the wall less and less and allowing yourself to skate closer to Xavier, your hands still together. You didn’t have enough hubris to think you could compete with the tutu girl, but you at least weren’t nervous.
Accompanied by soft instrumental music playing over the arena speakers, you and Xavier leisurely skated laps around the rink. You occasionally chatted about your plans for your long weekend or about the other skaters’ impressive moves around you (you’d been partially joking about the little girl lapping you, but she actually did… twice), though you didn’t feel compelled to fill the air around you with noise. It was nice to just enjoy being close to Xavier in a non-combat setting and savor holding his hand.
“When we get home, we can get an early dinner,” you suggested, your head down as you watched your skates glide over the ice. “By the time we both get showered and cleaned up-”
And oh, maybe one day you two could just get that step out of the way together- no, focus!
“We’ll probably be hungry. Well, you’re always hungry. I’ll be hungry, though,” you rambled, forcing your mind to get back on track. “I don’t think I’ll feel like cooking, though, so I can order takeout, and then you can come over to my apartment if you want and we can put on a movie.”
Putting on a movie was really just going to end in the two of you cuddling together, asleep in each other’s arms under your fuzzy blankets, but that was the goal.
“Anything with you sounds great,” Xavier replied softly, and your heart swelled at the genuine fondness in his voice. Your smile widened and you looked up from the ice to meet his blue eyes-
And it wasn’t the first time you hadn’t been just staring down at where you were skating, and it wasn’t the first time you’d looked at Xavier while skating, so you weren’t sure what happened, but one moment you were steadily gliding across the ice, and the next, the pick at the front of your right skate caught on the ice and you jolted forward.
In that moment when you were mid-fall, you didn’t have time to form many coherent thoughts, but your body reacted on instinct. You weren’t sure if you actively pulled your hand away from Xavier’s, or if it naturally freed itself when you jolted, but either way, it was loosened from his grip, and you pulled it back to avoid trying to catch yourself and hurting your arm.
What you couldn’t control, though, was your legs, and in the moment before you crashed down onto the ice on your left side, you saw the bottom half of your right leg jolt to the right while the top half stayed moving with the rest of your body to the left. A sharp pain shot up your right side, and you thought, oh, that’s not good, before you heard a distinct pop and you hit the ice hard, skidding forward several feet before slowing to a stop.
A wave of nausea and pain rushed over you and you screwed your eyes shut, trying to push the sensations and the image of your leg bending wrong from your mind. The blood drained from your face and you bit your lip to keep yourself from whimpering.
Xavier called out your name, panic clear in his voice, as he slid down to his knees in front of you, his hands hovering over your body in hesitation for a moment before he gently grabbed your shoulder.
“Look at me,” he urged, and you forced your eyes open. Your heart dropped at his frightened expression, and you swallowed thickly before forcing a small smile to your face.
“Ow,” you laughed, ignoring the shake in your voice. You could feel how pale your face had gotten, but you felt like it should be bright red with embarrassment. It was bad enough that you’d fallen and scared Xavier, you were not going to get sick or pass out on the ice too. “That wasn’t very impressive of me.”
Xavier looked unconvinced of your joking, looking over your body. He rested a hand on your cheek, his frown deepening.
“I don’t like how pale you are. Where are you hurt?” he asked urgently.
“I…” your voice trailed off and you forced yourself to sit upright, wincing. Xavier’s other hand was immediately on your back, holding you steady. There was no point in lying. You definitely weren’t going to be able to hide it. “My knee, that’s all. It bent funny when I fell. And I heard a pop. I definitely sprained it.”
Xavier nodded and looked down at your right leg. You followed his gaze, relieved to see it wasn’t clearly out of place or bent at a funny angle. It just had a light coating of powdery ice and hurt like nobody’s business. Xavier pulled away slightly, still keeping one hand hovering in case he needed to catch you as he scooted down further to check on your leg.
The dad and daughter were the closest skaters, and they both stopped, looking down at you sympathetically. You fought to keep your sheepish smile on your face while the dad talked with Xavier.
“We don’t need an ambulance, but we should get you off the ice,” Xavier said. When he talked, his gaze kept flicking back to your pale face, and he looked not only concerned, but also still genuinely upset. “Do you think you can stand?”
You nodded and started to reach up for the nearby rink wall to pull yourself up, but Xavier quickly grabbed your hand.
“No,” he reprimanded, clutching your hand tightly, as if you could get up and skate away without him. “Not by yourself.”
He carefully got to his feet and pulled you to your feet, staying on your right side. You let yourself lean into him, but you were still wobbly and a little dizzy, and you swayed slightly. Xavier turned toward the dad and asked something you couldn’t make out over trying to keep control of your body, but you pieced it together when the man held a hand out to you on your left side.
You mumbled a thanks and took it, steadied from both sides, and the two gently guided you off the ice while you focused on not putting any weight on your right leg. Your mind vaguely drifted to the fact that Xavier of all people had just let another man help you. You must have really worried him.
The three of you slowly slid off the ice, the man’s daughter following behind. The man and Xavier half carried you to the bench where you’d left your shoes and carefully lowered you down.
“Thanks,” Xavier sighed, sitting down next to you on your right, one arm wrapped around behind you and holding your left shoulder. “I think we’ve got it from here.”
The man nodded and gestured for his daughter to follow him back to the ice. According to the scoreboard timer, there was still 25 minutes left for the skate. The little girl paused on her way out, straightening out her tutu.
“I hope you feel better! I still fall a lot,” she said reassuringly.
You thanked her and kept your smile on your face until she and her dad were back out on the ice and nobody could see you. Then you groaned and brought your hands up to your face, your eyes prickling at the edges with tears of frustration and pain.
“I can’t believe I did that,” you hissed. “I kill Wanderers for a living, and I sprain my knee ice skating? That’s so stupid.”
“That’s what you’re worried about?” Xavier asked, bewildered. You sighed and lowered your hands, meeting his gaze guiltily.
“You’re right,” you mumbled, wiping at your eyes and thinking back to Xavier’s upset expression on the ice. “I’m sorry. We got a few days off and I just ruined it with something dumb-”
Xavier started and shifted off the bench so he was kneeling down in front of you again like he’d been when he was tying your skate laces. He gently took your hands in his, looking confused and concerned.
“Why are you apologizing to me?” he asked, frowning. You faltered for a moment.
“I mean, you’re probably upset, we were going to have a nice few days, but now I’m probably gonna just be stuck on the couch, and you’re probably tired from being so busy lately but now you have to deal with me-”
“I’m not dealing with anything. Of course I’m going to help take care of you,” he said, as casually as if he was stating a simple fact of life. “But I’m not upset about it, and I’m not upset with you. I’m just worried. You look better now, but when you fell, you were clearly in pain, and your face was so pale… I don’t like seeing you like that.”
He let go of your hands and started untying your skate laces.
“I don’t like you getting hurt, but it happens. I’d love it if it didn’t happen ever again, but I know you,” he added, a small smile forming. “So I’ll just always be there for you.”
More tears threatened to spill from your eyes, but you got them under control, taking a deep breath and smiling back at Xavier. You reached forward and gently tugged Xavier up by his shoulders, wrapping your arms around him and hugging him tightly before pulling your head away and planting a quick kiss on his lips.
You laughed when you finally let him go and straightened back up in your seat, enjoying the red dusting his cheeks and ears while he looked like his brain had temporarily shut down. Finally, he seemed to snap back to reality, rubbing the back of his neck and clearing his throat.
“I’m still making you go to the hospital.”
“Aw, man.”