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The sound of skates tearing up the ice were laced between joyous giggles and shrieks as the New Directions made their way around the local ice rink. With hockey ending among the school districts, the multiple practice rinks were finally open to the public once more, which the club decided to take advantage of amidst their recent regionals loss. While the disappointment still hung heavy, they at least were lightened by the fact that the club had not been forced to disband, which help kept friendships as tight as they’d been before the competition.
Despite it being mid spring, the club had decided to dress in the most winter getups their closets held and joined each other at the rink. Some members proved more skilled at skating than others, and the bluffs of “I’ve skated before” had started to show as half the club continuously stumbled onto the ice, into the walls, or into each other.
Finn was sitting in one of the sets of bleachers outside the rink, finishing a cup of cocoa he’d bought once his hands had started to go numb from the freezing air. He chuckled as he watched Mike and Mercedes wobble together past him, Mike profusely apologizing for apparently crashing into her just moments before. Across the rink, he watched Rachel skate past with ease, smiling at how simply content and beautiful she was on the ice.
As she rounded the corner, she passed Kurt, who was clinging to the wall as if his life depended on it. While the group had been there for over an hour, Kurt was one of the few who still lacked any handling on the ice, and Finn was starting to feel bad.
Pulling himself up, Finn tossed his empty cup into the trash before making his way back onto the ice. He waited as a father and daughter slowly skated by before stepping up on the ice, quickly pushing his way into the center of the rink. Cutting his way across, he slowed as he approached Kurt, who had barely moved from where Finn had first seen him.
“Need a hand?” Finn asked, coming to a stop beside the other boy.
Kurt glared in response, but reached for Finn’s offered arm. “How you of all people manages to be an avid skate, I’ll never know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn said, a little hurt.
“You can barely walk and sing at the same time.”
“I guess that’s fair. But skating’s different.”
“Which is exactly why I can’t do it,” Kurt grumbled, barely moving his feet as Finn began to slowly skate. “I must have weird posture. Or bad feet.”
“Have you skated before?” Finn asked, which Kurt shook his head to. Finn felt the other boy’s hand tighten around his arm. “Did you want to get off the ice?”
Kurt sighed beside him. “I’m fine now that I have a very large crutch. I’m sure this looks at least a little bit less embarrassing than me clinging to the side.”
The pair moved slowly, Kurt’s blades alternating between sliding awkwardly and stomping on the ice. Finn could feel Kurt trying not to put all of his weight on Finn’s arm, which was probably contributing to the other still struggling heavily despite the help. Frowning, Finn picked up his shoulder, which forced Kurt’s arm to instinctively switch to linking under Finn’s in a panic.
“I got you,” Finn reassured him, holding back an amused grin.
“I’m surprised Rachel hasn’t recruited you into rehearsing some figure skating routine yet,” Kurt said after a few moments, the two otherwise skating in silence as their friends began passing them by, caught up in their own conversations and fun.
“She said something about some movie we needed to watch first.”
“ The Cutting Edge , I’d imagine,” Kurt replied, raising a brow as he kept his gaze focused at his feet.
“Yeah, I think.”
Kurt let out a small laugh. “You’re way too sweet to be Doug. Though you both have the same boyish jock charm. Rachel, however, is exactly like Kate.”
“Is that a good thing?” Finn asked.
Kurt looked at him, a playful smile on his lips. “You tell me. You’re the one dating her.” The boy’s smile faded at that, just slow enough for Finn to catch it before Kurt dipped his head again. Finn winced slightly as an awkward air quickly took it’s place between them.
As if it were planned, Rachel skated around the pair, turning to face the two. Her feet barely missed a step as her direction changed, slowing enough so she could skate backwards comfortably in front of the two boys.
“You know, Kurt,” she started, eyeing his awkwardly shuffling feet. “While not officially licensed, I’m very much trained in teaching others how to learn to skate-- both blade and wheel. For a friend, I would be open to a few free sessions, if you’d like.”
Kurt barely glanced at her. “I’ll have to pass, for now,” he replied, loosening his grip around Finn’s arm slightly. “I don’t see myself needing the skill any day but today.”
Smiling, Rachel nodded. “Let me know,” she said, turning her attention to Finn. Her smile widened, and she turned, waiting for Finn to pass her before reaching out to grab his hand.
Finn smiled too, brushing his thumb along hers as she joined him and Kurt in their slow skate. On his other side, he felt Kurt’s grip loosen further, only to immediately tighten as the boy’s blade slipped inwards, nearly causing a stumble. Finn brought the arm Kurt was on in, keeping his friend on his feet.
“You okay?” he asked, watching as a deeper blush spread across Kurt’s face, more than the pink tint that already graced his cheeks from the cool air.
“Fine,” was all Finn received back, along with a well disguised grimace.
“You should take a break,” Finn said, concerned. Turning to look at Rachel, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she nodded, returning it before dropping Finn’s hand to skate away once more. “Just for a few minutes,” he added, already correcting their direction towards an open corner of the rink.
Kurt said nothing as he was directed off the ice, but his grip around Finn’s arm had returned after his stumble, only loosening once the two had made it to the door. Kurt cautiously stepped off of the rink, which sent a small feeling of relief to Finn when his friend appeared much more stable on the rubber matting. Following behind him, Kurt shuffled his way towards a nearby bench.
“Do you need anything?” Finn asked Kurt as he sat down. Looking around, he was sure he had seen a handful of vending machines nearby, but couldn’t seem to locate them through the glass doors that lead into the lobby.
Kurt shook his head, however, his blush still lingering as he began to fumble with the laces on his skates. Without much thought, Finn bent down in front of the boy, moving to unlace Kurt’s boot himself. Kurt’s hands lingered for a few moments, but pulled them away as Finn’s fingers grazed against his, and let the other finish for him.
Once Finn loosened the skate, he pulled his hands away, resting them on his own knees as he looked up at Kurt with a smile. Kurt held his gaze for a moment before giving a sigh and a small smile. “Thank you,” Kurt said, his hands clasped in his lap. Finn nodded, standing up.
“I think I’m gonna skate with Rachel for a bit,” he said, turning to look over his shoulder at the rink. Rachel was once again gracefully skating at the opposite side, this time alongside Tina. Finn couldn’t help but feel his heart light up as something Tina said made Rachel laugh, and only when Kurt dropped his skate to the ground behind him could he pull his eyes away again.
Kurt was staring intently at his own foot, his brows slightly furrowed. “I’ll be here,” the boy said, rubbing his ankles. His tone was clipped, which Finn was about to ask about when a voice from a few feet away spoke up.
“I’ll be too,” Mercedes said, pulling herself off of the rink. Her exit was less grateful than Kurt’s as she had only the wall to hold onto, but like her best friend, she seemed far more stable on the mats than she was on the ice. “I saw my life flash before my eyes out there. I think Mike was trying to kill me.”
Both Finn and Kurt let out a short chuckle, and Finn turned back to Kurt. “I’ll come back in a little bit, dude. Consider me your official crutch,” he joked, reaching out to tap Kurt’s arm playfully. Kurt just shook his head in response, but Finn could see the smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
“Will do,” Kurt said. Nodding, Finn gave another small smile at both of them before heading back to the ice, catching Rachel just as she was about to pass the doorway.
“Is Kurt okay?” she asked, slipping her arm around Finn’s elbow as he pushed off onto the rink.
Finn smiled. “Yeah.”
Rachel returned the grin, pulling herself closer to Finn’s side.
Kurt watched as Finn easily slipped back onto the ice, almost immediately being swept away by Rachel. Scoffing to himself, he continued rubbing his feet as Mercedes came to sit beside him.
"Still not over him?" she asked quietly, sitting so she was flush against her friend.
"Not in the slightest."