Work Text:
“What the hell is this?” Katsuki glares at his stupid dragon, waddling like a newborn duck up the snowy slope with pieces of plank strapped to his feet and some more wood and sticks in his hands.
“It’s skis and poles! For skiing,” Eijirou says as if that explains anything. He holds most of his pile out. “I got these for you.”
Katsuki scowls and crosses his arms. “This still doesn’t explain anything, idiot.”
Eijirou’s eyes widen in realization before he laughs. Katsuki would yell at him for that if he didn’t know Eijirou’s laughing at himself. Still pisses him off a bit. Eijirou looks up and sees his expression.
“Sorry. Sorry,” Eijirou rushes out, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Forgot you’re not from around here.” He lifts his feet, “These are skis,” and shakes the two sticks in his right hand, “and these are poles. You slide downhill on the skis and use the poles to turn or stop.”
“Sounds stupid,” Katsuki grumbles.
He doesn’t understand why anyone would do shit like this, especially when it’s this fucking cold out. Nobody should want to spend long periods outside where they freeze their balls off. If Katsuki had his way, they’d be holed up in a cave or tavern until all the snow melts or, even better, in the south where this type of bullshit weather never happens.
“It’s ok, Katsuki. I get it,” Eijirou says, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “If you’re afraid that I’ll be faster, you can just-”
“Like hell I’m afraid!” Katsuki barks out, snatching the skis and poles out of his hands. “And don’t you dare think I won’t kill you with my speed, you shitty bastard.”
He crouches down to strap them on, then stands up, stabbing the poles into the snow. Katsuki glares down Eijirou who smiles brightly back. The dragon shifter insists on demonstrating how to ski. He covers turning, slowing down, speeding up, and stopping.
After Katsuki yells that he’s got this, they head uphill and stop by a scraggly tree, their starting line. On the count of three, they both push off, leaning down as far as they can to pick up speed. Katsuki focuses on the designated end point, a pile of boulders half way down the mountainside. He curves around rocks and trees, only clipping his side against them the first few times. He hears Eijirou next to him and sees a red blur out the corner of his eye.
Katsuki crouches down further and tucks the poles under his arms. With his hands free, Katsuki lets out a few small blasts, enough to propel him forward faster without causing an avalanche. Eijirou shouts at him, and Katsuki laughs, turning back for a second to smirk at his annoyed look.
Suddenly, Katsuki is airborne. His stomach jumps to his throat as he processes his free fall over a cliff neither of them noticed. Several rocks jut out of the snow below. He tries to explode to soften his fall, but only a few sparks come out. Katsuki curses this godsforsaken weather once more as he braces himself for impact.
Heat radiates behind him, steam filling the air, and a roar shakes the mountain. His body hits his dragon’s clawed hands instead of a rock. Eijirou flies them back up by the village they’re temporarily staying at. He gently drops him down as he shifts back. Eijirou runs his hands over Katsuki, checking for injuries, until Katsuki shoves him off.
“I’m fine,” Katsuki huffs. A realization crosses his mind, and he lets out a victorious grin. “And I won.” Eijirou stares confused. “I made it farther than you and I was faster.”
Katsuki ignores Eijirou’s cries about cheating as he heads back to the village. Adrenaline courses through him, heating up his blood, his ferocious grin still on his face. Maybe winter up north isn’t completely horrible after all.