"It's not fair that you're better at skating than me. Your land barely has any freaking ice!"

"You do remember I live next to Antarctica, correct?" Kyle said, ignoring his bitching boyfriend.

"So what, you go ice skating with penguins?" Alfred said, clearly uneasy as he watched Kyle tie on his skates. Kyle could swear Alfred had been muttering the entire time in the car about 'don't let Matthew be there please God!'

Kyle sighed. "If you really don't want to skate, you don't have too."

Alfred suddenly turned a deep red color. "Kyle, I didn't mean that! I just... promise not to laugh?"

Kyle paused, then nodded. "Sure."

"I'm really bad at ice skating. It's why I can't play hockey against Matt. He just shoves me and over I go, sprawling onto the ice."

Kyle winced, having competed against Matthew once in hockey. "Brutal."

"I can't keep my balance worth shit, Kyle."

Kyle smiles. "No, it's okay. Come on, get your skates on."

Soon enough, Kyle was guiding his nervous boyfriend out onto the ice. Alfred stuck near the edge of the rink like it was his lifeline.

Kyle smiled, looping an arm through Alfred's. "Come on, center of the ice."

"No, no, no, no!" Alfred said, tightening his grip on the edge of the rink.

Kyle paused and smiled. "Alfred, I don't do speed skating or hockey. I'm a figure skater, and a pretty good teacher if I say so myself."

Alfred pauses and tries to make a jibe. "Awfully fat figure skater."

"Excuse me, this is a body made of pure muscle, unlike you, Mr. Muffin Top." Kyle says with a laugh, and slowly Alfred lets go of the edge, following Kyle.

They head out towards the middle, Kyle keeping him upright. "Hey, you're not half bad!"

"You're only saying that because I haven't fallen over yet. It's bound to happen."

"Hey, the first time I took the kids, Oscar didn't even make it onto the ice before he went face down. Zoe was about to bust her seams laughing."

"Are you serious?" Alfred said, not believing Kyle's story' but Kyle nodded.

"Yeah. He finally got it, and now he and Zea like to race each other. They're both speed skaters."

The tone he used was a truthful one. Alfred shook his head. "Hard to believe."

Kyle chuckled. "Zo takes after me, though. She's a little figure skater."

They did a few small loops, and Kyle grinned. "Awesome. Now, Alfred, I'm going to ask you to trust me."

"What are we going to do?" Alfred asked.

"We are going to do a figure eight. Hold my hand. I'm not going to let you fall."

Alfred felt the reassuring tone and allowed it to wash over him. He nodded, and Kyle grinned.

"Awesome. Now do as I do."

Alfred carefully followed Kyle until Kyle pulled him out of the figure eight. It was a little shaky, but it was indeed shaped like an eight.

Alfred smiled. "We did that."

"Yeah, we did." Kyle said, skating to the front of Alfred, and Alfred realized Kyle wasn't holding him up anymore.

He carefully tried to move, and Kyle nodded, slowly skating backwards. "Come on, you can do this!"

"Kyle, if I fall on my face or my ass, you're getting it when we get home." Alfred muttered, conscious of the other skaters around them.

Kyle suddenly did one of those mischievous grins he was famous for, skating just close enough to be heard without being grabbed. "Am I getting it in my face or-"

"There are children here, I'd like you to refrain from-actually, I demand you refrain from finishing that sentence." Alfred said, cheeks turning scarlet once more.

Kyle laughed. "Once a puritan, always a prude, huh?"

"I'm going to get you for that one of these days." Alfred growled, but suddenly Kyle grabbed his arm, both to keep him from colliding with the edge of the rink, which he had just noticed, and to kiss him on the cheek.

"Love you too."