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As much as Karkat can't stand the cold, Dave seemed so goddamn excited about ice skating that he'd resigned himself to marshmallowing up for the day. He had to admit, watching kids and adults alike flailing and zooming around is pretty great. It's hard to be grouchy when you're too busy laughing at yourself and those around you falling on their asses. Of course, there were plenty of people who seemed like they were born in skates, spinning and skating backwards and even doing small jumps. Karkat used to be a lot better too, as a child, when his dad had taken him every week during skating season. But that was ages ago.
"Dude, shit, why did I think this would be cute, I'm going to die here."
"And it will be a just death, fuckface. Toddler incoming, to your left."
"BALLS," Dave exclaimed loudly as the kid, who was admittedly a little bigger than a toddler, just barely avoided Dave, cackling. The little shits had been tormenting them since they entered the rink. They can smell incompetence like rabid animals smell fear.
"Good job, definitely not the worst word you could've thrown out there for those sensitive little baby ears," Karkat teased.
"Let Dave say fuck," Dave replied, like a public protest mantra. Karkat scoffed.
"You said it 6 times on the car ride over."
"What, are you keeping track, dude?"
"Just gauging the co-OO-mpetition," Karkat said, almost losing his balance due to a miniscule lump of ice.
"Don't worry, babe, I doubt I could ever out-fuck you." A few seconds pass.
"I-I mean, with the word, not.. but also, no complaints whatsoever, I just wanna clarify-"
"Isn't it painful, shoving your foot in your mouth when there's an ice skate attached to it?"
"Can't be much harder than sword swallowing," Dave replied, grateful for the way out but cheeks now red from more than just the cold. Karkat smirked and bounced his eyebrows at Dave.
"Oh, fuh- futon off, asshole," Dave said as a girl who looked about 6 years old zoomed between the two.
"You still said ass! Sucker!" Karkat exclaimed triumphantly, laughing.
"Whatever bro, It's not like you won't screw up sooner or later."
"I don't know, Strider, some people actually do have one self-aware bone in their b-SHIT," Karkat finished in a shout as Dave purposefully knocked into him. Unlucky for them, Dave had miscalculated the force in which he swerved, and the pair of them both landed flat on the ice.
Karkat rolled over onto his back and took a moment to stare up at the colorful spotlights on the ceiling, the light not burning him nearly as much as the sheer humiliation. He'd had a good run. But now it was time to succumb to the cold and the mockery of the children surrounding them.
Dave, who had rolled onto his side, slid over to nudge Karkat's shoulder, and when the latter didn't react, he grabbed one of his hands and kissed it. This did get Karkat's attention, obviously, and he turned his head to look at Dave. Dave then started to get up, first sliding up onto his hands and knees, and carefully made it up on his feet. It only took like, 30 seconds. Karkat had elected not to move the entire time, but he sat up and took the hand Dave had offered once he'd regained his footing. Granted, they did almost fall all over again, but they both made it up safe and sound. Karkat didn't let go of Dave's hand.
"I think I remember this trick my dad had for keeping balance. I think you'll like it."
They moved in unison as Karkat started counting. one, two, one, two. Right foot, left foot. They only fell twice more after that.
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Why. The fuck. Do they sell slushies at an ice skating rink.
"We should get slushies," Dave leans in to suggest, like he'd read Karkat's mind.
"This isn't the time to indulge your 'ironic' impulses, asshole. I for one am done freezing my bulge off. We're getting hot chocolate."
"Ugh, fine. But I want extra whipped cream."
"Anything for my dear sweet sweet SWEET precious boyfriend."
"Yesssss," Dave says in a loud whisper, pumping one fist and squeezing Karkat's hand with the other. They'd rarely let eachother's hands go since Karkat remembered his secret to keeping.. near perfect balance while on the ice. Karkat squeezed back before letting Dave go to carefully pull off his gloves with his teeth. Dave copied him, shoving his gloves in his jacket pocket and making a grabby hand motion at Karkat until the other rolled his eyes (while poorly fighting a smile) and took his hand back.
They walked up to the counter of the sports cafetaria, Karkat taking a little more time to look around the place while they waited to be served. The whole room was somehow empty, and seemed to be decorated in a wintry lodge theme. Dark wood panelled walls with group photos and skates hanging off them, even a moose head that Karkat hoped wasn't real. Fake snow and string lights by the windows looking out over the free-skating rink they just left behind. Wooden chairs and tables were spread throughout the room, and a cushioned bench with a red and green pattern lined the wall by the windows. No matter how tacky it all was, it made Karkat wonder if he and Dave should rent something like that for a vacation sometime. Definitely something with a fireplace.
"Hi there boys, how can I help you?" Said a bubbly woman who looked to be in her 50's. She set down the final glass she had been drying, and leaned forward on the counter.
"Two hot chocolates please," Karkat answered, sticking up two fingers on his free hand.
"Both with whipped cream."
"Sure thing, coming right up!" Said the bar lady, turning around to put two reasonably sized mugs under the hot drinks machine. Next, she grabbed a large can of whipped cream from the little fridge under the counter and gave it a couple good shakes.
"Dude," Dave mumbled, following the can with his eyes. After a few more seconds, he seemed to be done planning his next move and asked the bar lady, "How much for the whole can?"
"Dave, no," Karkat protested, but the woman behind the counter just started laughing. The few wrinkles she had perfectly matched the expression she was wearing as she looked back at Dave, damn near clutching her stomach.
"Tell you what," She began after a few beats, regaining control over her speech. "I'll let you have it just for asking that. There's not a whole lot left in it anyway."
"Yessssssssss," Dave said again as she handed him the can, both parties grinning ear to ear while Karkat snickered, expression fond.
He grabbed his wallet as the woman set their steaming mugs on the counter. He paid her for the hot chocolates, including the regular price for whipped cream, and took the mugs as they exchanged cheery goodbyes.
They sat down on the bench by the windows, enjoying their whipped cream with cocoa while watching the people skating below.
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"Thanks babe, this wasn't such a bad idea after all," Karkat told Dave as they walked back to the car, hand in hand once again.
"Bold of you to assume I ever have bad ideas," The latter replied smugly, smiling at his boyfriend. "Think you'd like to do it again sometime?"
"Yeah, definitely. Though there's still one thing I haven't had the chance to do, and I wanna do it before the date's officially over."
"And what's that hot stuff?" Dave asked as they reached their car, turning to face Karkat expectantly.
Karkat let go of Dave's hand, took off his scarf, folded it in two, and finally wrapped it around the back of Dave's neck to pull him in for a kiss. He didn't let his boyfriend go for a solid twenty seconds, though the latter didn't really pull back himself. It was definitely the sweetest kiss they'd shared all day.
Once they did pull back, Dave immediately clutched both his heart and the roof of the car, pretending to succumb to a terrible case of the vapors, which made Karkat laugh outright and playfully thwap him in the arm. Dave started laughing too, and pulled himself up to plant another kiss on his boyfriend before walking around the car to get in the driver's seat.