Glide

“I’m going to break my neck,” Will whined as he walked hand-in-hand with Leo into the Glide, their local arcade with a skating rink.“No, you’re not,” Leo laughed as children screamed and darted around them.

“I’ll guide you,” he added as they walked up to the booth to get skates.

“This is terrifying,” Will said as he stepped one wheeled foot onto the hardwood floor. The blaring music didn’t help his nerves much either.

“Just take it slow,” Leo said, skating in front of Will and offering his hand to guide him forward, where Will immediately fell to his knees.

Leo laughed and bent to help him up, brushing the hair from Will’s face.

“Oh, Will,” he giggled. “Come on, try again,” he said, beginning to skate and dragging Will along gently.

Will wobbled at first but started to get the hang of it.

“How is everyone going so fast?”

“Practice,” Leo chuckled.

“Ugh,” Will rolled his eyes and almost fell again, gripping Leo’s hand for safety.

“You’ll get better,” Leo reassured. “Wanna try letting go?”

“Not really.”

Leo laughed. “You’re doing really good. All you have to do is balance.”

Will mocked him under his breath before sighing.

“You don’t have to,” Leo added gently. “I just feel like you can if you try.”

“Fine,” Will muttered, skating closer to the wall and slowly releasing Leo’s hand.

“Good job!” Leo encouraged him as he skated beside him. “Now just step and slide.”

Will nervously put one foot forward, arms stretched out to balance, but to his surprise, he didn’t fall.

“You did it! Keep going!” Leo cheered, skating ahead. “Come to me.”

Will stumbled his way toward Leo and caught his hands just in time.

“Woo!” he shouted as Leo stabilized him, a huge smile on his face.

“I need a break,” Will said shakily.

“Alright, come on,” Leo said with a giggle, and they skated toward the exit together.

“I got extra quarters from work just for this,” Leo said as they walked into the arcade.

“What do you want to play first?”

“Remember when we played whack-a-mole at the fair with Harley?” Will said, pointing to the machine.

“Of course,” Leo grinned as they walked over hand in hand.

They took their spots and inserted the coins, waiting for the music to start.

“I’m nervous,” Will admitted, gripping the hammer tightly.

“It’s just a game. It’ll be fun,” Leo reassured him, squeezing his hand.

The game began, and they started whacking the moles as quickly as possible, laughing and shouting over the noise.

“Ahhh!” Will yelled as the timer ticked down.

“Almost done!” Leo laughed.

Will got frantic as the clock neared zero, wildly swinging and missing most of the moles. Leo couldn’t stop laughing as the buzzer sounded.

They stepped back to check their scores. Leo had almost doubled Will’s.

Will pouted dramatically, and Leo pulled him into a side hug.

“Don’t give me a pity hug!” Will laughed, shoving at Leo’s chest.

Leo grinned and scooped up the tickets.

“We got forty. Twenty each,” he said, folding them and tucking them into his pocket.

“What next?”

“Hmm… air hockey, then back to skating?” Will suggested, a little shyly.

“You wanna try again?” Leo asked, eyebrows lifting.

Will nodded, his cheeks flushing.

“I’m definitely going to beat you at air hockey, though. I’m sneaky,” he said, grabbing one of the mallets.

“We’ll see,” Leo teased.

The round started, and Will immediately scored.

“Hey! I wasn’t ready!” Leo whined.

“Get ready!” Will grinned.

“Take your time,” Leo said as Will stepped back onto the skating rink.

“I want to try,” Will said, letting go of Leo’s hand and balancing as he took a few steps, gliding across the floor effortlessly.

“Perfect!”

“I’m getting better,” Will said quietly, stumbling a little.

“You are.”

Will skated a little further before falling into Leo’s chest. Leo wrapped his arms tightly around him and skated them in slow circles.

“This is nice,” Will murmured, nuzzling into Leo’s chest and breathing in his calming scent.

Leo rubbed his back, and they swayed gently to the music, lost in their own little world as everyone else skated by.

Will pulled back slightly, looking up at his boyfriend’s blue-green eyes and smiling.

“This feels like something I’d dream about.”

“It’s real,” Leo said, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

“I know. That’s what makes it scarier.”

Leo smirked and pulled Will even closer.

“You’re safe here. I promise.”

The corners of Will’s mouth lifted into a warm smile as he blushed.

He looked up again, the music making time feel soft and far away.

“What?” Leo asked innocently.

Will stood on his tiptoes and kissed him, firm, confident, surprising Leo into stillness before he melted into it, threading his fingers through Will’s messy hair.

They stayed like that, surrounded by the echo of laughter and rolling wheels.

When the kiss parted, Leo chuckled.

“What?” Will asked nervously.

“That was our first kiss in public.”

“Oh,” Will said, blushing deeper.

“You’re so cute when I make you blush.”

“Stop,” Will protested.

“Come on,” Leo smiled. “Let’s go turn our tickets in and head home.”

“Alright, pretty boy, what do you want?” Leo asked as they walked up to the prize counter.

“How many you got?” the worker asked.

“Forty,” Leo replied.

The worker showed them their options, and they ended up choosing two little stuffed animals and a pair of plastic rings.

“You ready?” Leo asked, his teddy bear tucked under one arm.

“Yeah,” Will nodded with a soft smile as they walked to the car.

“Hey,” Leo said as they crossed the parking lot.

“Hm?” Will asked.

Leo stopped, took Will’s hand, and slid one of the plastic rings onto his ring finger. Then he kissed it.

Will stood speechless, watching Leo with wide eyes.

“Stop,” he said, blushing so deeply it reached his ears.

Leo smiled and interlocked their fingers.

They kept walking, quiet, close, content.