"Come on, Saihara-chan! It isn't going to be that hard!" Kokichi grumbled, tugging him by his sleeve. The latter was somewhat in a conflict with himself. A part of him wanted to join Kokichi in his antics for the better of their date, while the other half wanted to save himself the embarrassment. The pair had been walking around town after dinner for their first date when Kokichi had spotted a local outdoor ice skating rink.

 It was winter after all, he expected to see as much. But he had never gone ice skating before, and frankly, he was more than nervous to start on his first date. 

 Shuichi flickered his eyes to the side, contemplating heavily whether or not he'd go through with it. "I-I don't know Kokichi. What if we get hurt? Plus, I don't know how."

 "That's what I'm here for, silly! Come on! Don't be such a stick in the mud, Saihara-chan." His eyes pleaded with Shuichi, Kokichi tippy toeing with his hand now placed fully on his arm. Shuichi lifted his head as high as he could to avoid any eye contact. But a quick glance downward made him lose all sense of willpower. 

 Their eyes locked and he knew immediately he had caved. He groaned, tilting his head back in immediate regret. "Fine!" 

 Kokichi grinned wickedly, his cold hand wrapping around Shuichi's sweater as he dragged him over to the rink. "I knew you'd cave."

 The rink was filled with a variety of people. From old to young, tall to small, couples to families, there was a lot of people there. A few of them looked so graceful on the ice, skating like it was instinct. It was definitely a sight to see.

 Maybe this wasn't half as bad as he had initially pictured it to be.

 Saihara smiled as he noticed a family holding their child's hand, skating slowly over to the walls with grins on their faces. 

 Shuichi looked up slightly as Kokichi dragged him over to the registration. Above the rink were fairy lights, both blue and gold, which were strung up by the surrounding street lights. Speakers were also aligned near the lights themselves, blasting Christmas classics. 

 They had finally reached the registration. They paid their fee and grabbed skates in their sizes. A bench had been near the registration, allowing for both of them to put on their skates. 

 He could feel anxiety begin to pool at the bottom of his stomach the minute he had begun lacing up the skates. It was just ice skating. How bad could it be? Besides, he's here with Kokichi. He should allow himself to let loose a bit.

 "You ready?" Kokichi grinned proudly, his hands balled up at his sides. Shuichi gulped before nodding, taking Kokichi by his hand and following his lead into the rink. Kokichi started slowly, inching his way onto the ice and allowing Saihara more room to follow along.

 "Let's start near the wall first, yeah?"

 "Yeah." 

 "Okay." Kokichi tugged Shuichi by his hand, making him jolt forward and face first onto the ice. The ice was cold against his face, and it was not smooth either, it was rather rough. He knew this wasn't Kokichi's fault, so he didn't mind. He just didn't expect the ice to be that slippery.

 "Holy shit!" Kokichi laughed, helping Shuichi up with his hand. "Are you okay?" He continued laughing as Shuichi attempted to steady himself against the wall. Shuichi laughed along with him, "I'm fine."

 "I shouldn't have tugged you that hard, my bad. I didn't expect you to faceplant straight away."

 "How are you still standing?"

 "This isn't my first time 'round these parts. Just… shift your weight to your heels and you'll be fine."

 Kokichi took him by the hand, feeling his face heat up as he intertwined their fingers. "I'll skate with you so you don't fall." Shuichi stared down at Kokichi, feeling his heart warm despite the cold air surrounding him. Kokichi was really cute under all of this lighting now that he thought about it.

 And in the midst of his staring session, a bit of snow had begun falling down gently. The small snowflakes laid down gently on Kokichi's messy hair, some dissolving and others remained untouched. He gazed up at the snow, using his free hand to catch a few snowflakes. 

 Shuichi thought he looked really pretty. 

 He found himself blushing at the smaller male, feeling his heart pick up speed when Kokichi innocently glanced back at him. "Pretty." He spoke softly. Kokichi tilted his head, before smiling. He used Shuichi's arm to steady himself as he tiptoed to wipe away the excess snow that had fallen on his hair. "The snow? Yeah, it is."

 "I wasn't talking about the snow. I was talking about you." 

 Kokichi slowly retracted his hand, now blushing back a bit in return. He wasn't expecting that answer. Kokichi turned to the side swiftly, his back now facing Shuichi. Shuichi couldn't see it, but he had his face buried deep in his scarf, face redder than an ornament. 

 He stuck out his hand one more time, "Let's just skate, alright?"

 Shuichi stared at his hand, and then back at him. He grinned and took it, intertwining their fingers as he skated a bit forward. 

 The rest of the date went smoothly. Shuichi was thankful he was a quick learner. He was a bit wobbly at first, but that later turned into him becoming more and more stable. They left the rink eventually once everyone else had left. 

 The two laughed together, stumbling down the street leading to Kokichi's apartment. 

 "I still can't believe you accidentally pulled down that lady's scarf! Shumai, you're so clumsy!"

 "What do you mean me? You're the one who made that kid cry when you bumped into him!" 

 "That kid should've known better! That wasn't my fault in the slightest!" Kokichi said in between fits of laughter, wiping excess tears from his eyes as he stood on the steps of his front door. Shuichi's laughter eventually died down as well, wiping his own tears with the back of his finger. "Right, right."

 The two stood in a comfortable silence, grinning from ear to ear as Kokichi stood a step above Shuichi. "I had a lot of fun."

 "I did too. I didn't expect you to be so good at ice skating. Why didn't you tell me?" Shuichi smirked, playfully hitting Kokichi in the shoulder with his fist. "Because that's top secret information, Mister. And you better not tell anyone, got that?" Kokichi leaned forward, tugging him closer by his collar. "Heard loud and clear."

 Shuichi's expression softened when he noticed how close Kokichi was. He took a final step forward, practically pining Kokichi by his door. He towered over Kokichi, his hand firmly placed on the red door. He leaned forward, feeling Kokichi do the same as hands wrapped around his neck. 

 They shared a quick yet simple kiss. 

 Both smiling as they released on another from their grasp. Shuichi stepped down the stairs reluctantly, waving goodbye to Kokichi who had a lovestruck daze over his eyes. "I'll call you."