Gagamaru is good at a lot of things—ice skating is absolutely not one of them. So when he caught sight of ice skating on your carefully planned Christmas itinerary, his first instinct was to bail. He fumbled for excuses, all half-baked and see-through, but you dragged him out anyway. Of course, you did. Once your mind’s made up, even a freight train couldn’t stop you, and Gagamaru knows that better than anyone.

“Teach me?” he scoffs, leaning against the rink railing like it might save him from his impending doom. “Come on, don’t be ridiculous.” He tries to laugh it off, but the way he’s avoiding stepping onto the ice says it all. He’s stalling, digging his heels into the snow-dusted ground like a kid who doesn’t want to go to school.

You’re already out there, gliding with ease—or at least, more grace than he could ever hope for. But he’s still hovering by the edge, hands stuffed deep in his coat pockets, looking every bit like a deer about to step into a very slippery road.

It’s not long before you take matters into your own hands. Grabbing his arm with the determination of someone on a mission, you pull him onto the rink. The gate clangs shut behind you, sealing his fate. He stumbles immediately, feet sliding out like a newborn fawn’s, but you’re quick to catch him.

He steadies himself, hands gripping your shoulders. “You’re really not going to skip this whole ice skating thing, huh?” His voice carries a mix of resignation and embarrassment, his cheeks dusted with something that’s not just the cold. “How humiliating for me…”

The way he stands there—half-defensive, half-terrified—makes you laugh. And maybe it’s the way you’re grinning at him, or maybe it’s just Gagamaru being Gagamaru, but he eventually lets out a reluctant sigh and loosens his grip.

“Alright, alright. Just… don’t let me fall, yeah?” He grumbles, but there’s a flicker of something soft in his eyes. Something that says, despite all his protests, he’s glad he’s here—with you.