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Harry shivered as he stepped out onto the ice. It had been years since the last time he’d laced up a pair of skates. He pushed away from the wall and tested his balance. He smiled when he realized how quickly all the lessons came back to him.“It’s like riding a bike.” He beamed to the man still wobbling towards the rink.“This is nothing like riding a bike.” Tom pouted.“Aww. What’s wrong Tom?” Harry glided smoothly to the wall to meet with the pilot. He rested his elbows on the ledge and watched as Tom took slow, tentative steps toward the ice.“Oh, I dunno...My shoes have steak knives strapped to them and you want me to stand on frozen water in them. Couldn’t we have gone just to dinner?”“Nope. Date night was my choice this time, remember? Now c’mon.”“My ankles are already killing me Har.” Tom whined. He leaned all his weight on the wall and lifted his legs off the ground for effect.“Good grief. You’re worse than B’elanna at trying something new. Have some fun!”Harry took Tom’s hand and slowly, painfully slowly, led the blond man to the edge and onto the ice. Tom placed one bladed foot on the smooth surface and panicked as he started to slide.“Oof! Harry. Harry! I’m-” Tom grasped at Harry’s shoulders and tried to pull himself up, which only made him flounder more.“Whoa!” Harry grabbed him around the waist and hoisted him up. “Calm down. I’ve got you.”“So you do.” Tom smiled and stood upright, sliding his arms around Harry’s shoulders. He placed a hand on the back of the shorter man’s neck and gave him a light, sweet kiss on the lips. Tom shifted slightly and his feet slid in opposite directionsHarry laughed as he tightened his grip around the blond man’s waist keeping him from falling. They stood like statues on the ice until some of the native people skated past them.“How about I show you a few moves?” Harry asked amused.“Maybe you could just show me how to stand first?” Tom replied.Harry beamed, thankful that Tom had at least stopped complaining about their date and maybe, just maybe, was having some fun with something he wasn’t good at.“Well, first you need to bend your knees.” Tom smirked and wiggled his eyebrows at him.Harry rolled his eyes as he pushed back from Tom. He took the taller man’s hand in his own and placed his free hand on the small of Tom’s back. Tom locked his other hand onto the short wall and stood upright.“Ok. This doesn’t seem so bad.” Tom adjusted his shoulders and bounced his bent knees, forcing himself to balance on the ice.“Good. Now you’re gonna point your skate forward with your left leg.” Harry patted Tom’s left leg. “And turn your right skate to the side, like this” He placed a warm hand on Tom’s right leg and drew it back slightly into position.“Afraid I forgot my left from right? Or are you just trying to cop a feel?” Tom teased. “Not that I’m complaining.”“You wouldn’t dream of complaining about anything would you?”Tom smiled brightly. The smile that was only for Harry. He leaned forward and gave Harry peck on the cheek. “Never.”Harry grinned and bit his lip as he tried to remember the next step. He had planned on an innocent, if not romantic evening. He really hadn’t meant to fondle his boyfriend in public.“Ok. Um… so your right leg goes back like that. And then you’re going to push off and keep your weight on your left leg.” He demonstrated and turned in a tight circle to return to Tom’s side.Tom took Harry’s hand and held on to the wall with the other. He tentatively pushed off, only moving two feet forward before wobbling and stumbling forward.“Whoa!” Harry said as he grabbed hold of Tom’s hips to steady him. Tom held still a moment.“Wanna try again?”“Why not? I’m already out here.”Tom readied himself again and pushed off. This time going an extra few inches without faltering.“Hey look at that! You’re a quick study.” Harry beamed. “Or maybe I’m just a damned good teacher.”“Yeah. Y’know. I feel like I’m really getting the hang of this. I feel like…” Tom released his hold from the wall and spun in a perfect circle, never releasing his hand from Harry’s.“Wait…” Harry narrowed his eyes.Before he could finish, Tom pushed off from the wall. He glided out to the center of the rink before arching back and swooping in behind Harry. He came to a halt right by the shorter man’s side before shifting in front of him.“Just like riding a bike.” Tom gave Harry a lopsided grin as he started skating backward. He crooked his finger, beckoning Harry to follow him around the rink.Harry pursed his lips, but he couldn’t hide his amusement. I should have expected this. He quickly caught up with the blond man.“Where’d you learn how to skate?” he feigned annoyance.“New Zealand. They’ve got a great hockey team there. Fantastic teachers. Not as touch-y feel-y though.”“You learned to ice skate in prison?”“Penal rehabilitation settlement, thank you very much.” Tom corrected. “But yeah. I took classes four times a week. I got pretty good if I don’t say so myself.”Tom stopped suddenly and twirled around Harry. He spun in circle after circle before returning to his spot in front of Harry and continued skating backward.“Show off.” Harry teased.“Yours.” Tom turned to face forward and waited for Harry to reach his side. The taller man took Harry’s hand in his and laced their fingers. They fell into silence as they glided across the ice, swaying in unison. Harry leaned his head on Tom’s shoulder and let out a heavy, contented sigh.
“This is way better than dinner. You should pick date night more often.”