There are a lot of things Kris is better at than Tao. Not big things, mind; they’re pretty well matched in terms of intelligence and self-discipline, for example, but the small things, like soccer and making things fit into the dishwasher, Kris is undeniably better at.

He reminds himself of that now, as he clings to the perimeter of the ice-skating rink and tries his hardest not to move at all. I am better at some things.

A young girl skates easily past him. She’s probably about six, outfitted in a yellow puffer jacket, a small stuffed penguin dangling from a keychain attached to its zipper, and Kris stares at her retreating back, venomously thinking to himself show-off.

“Hey,” a voice says to his left and Kris turns his head as much as his no-fast-movements stance will allow. Tao leans against the rail beside him, cheeks flushed and grinning. “You ever going to actually skate or were you planning on just standing here the entire time?”

“I’m going to skate,” Kris says defensively. “I’m just stretching my limbs.”

Tao takes a silent moment to glance down at Kris’ body which is locked into a tense, rigid line, the exact opposite of a relaxing stretch, and nods slowly.

“Okay.” He turns away from Kris and then, on second thought, pivots easily back around, sending a delicate spray of ice from the back of his blade, a move that would probably take Kris no fewer than eight years to achieve. “You know, ice skating can be kind of intimidating if you’ve never done it before. I can help you, if you want?”

“I don’t need help, Tao,” Kris lies easily. He shoos the man off and then immediately grasps the railing again when the action nearly topples him. “Go on. I’ll join you in a minute.”

When ten minutes pass and Kris has done nothing more than haltingly step his way closer to the exit, still with a death grip on the railing, Tao appears back at his side.

“Let me help you, Kris.”

“I don’t---” Tao thins his lips and Kris sighs. “Yeah, all right.”

Tao takes Kris’ gloved hands in his (“Kris, you have to let go of the railing”) and they start a slow pace around the rink, Tao gliding easily backwards and Kris being more or less pulled by him, flailing, but managing to stay upright through Tao’s balancing force. They’re fine for a few minutes, long enough for Kris to let his guard down, when something happens. They’re going around a corner, so maybe it’s the change in the angle of the blade against the ice. Or maybe it’s their increased speed. Or maybe some unseen force just hates Kris (mark Kris down for that option), but suddenly they’re going down in a painful crash, Tao on his back and Kris collapsing on top of him on the ice, both of them letting out pained grunts.

“Ugghh,” Kris groans into Tao’s shoulder, wincing at the pain in his elbow, and Tao laughs beneath him, body rumbling.

“That was good.”

Kris pushes himself up on his palms and stares down at Tao. “Until the extremely embarrassing crash, right?”

Tao grins and grasps the sides of Kris’ face with his hands. Ice sticks to the fabric of his gloves, cold against Kris’ cheeks. “Right.”

Kris leans down and kisses him, nipping at his lower lip as they smile against each other, until a small chorus of giggles and sing-song “ooooohs” rises from the kids surrounding them.

Kris glances to his side, catches sight of a mother staring at him and Tao disapprovingly, and chuckles to himself.

“Come on,” he says, pressing another quick kiss to Tao’s lips before helping him up. “Let’s take this somewhere a bit more appropriate than a child’s skating rink.”