A/N: Sakuno Bday Fic 2016! – Prompt: Ryoma and Sakuno go ice-skating. Ryoma sucks at it, and Sakuno has to help him. I wrote this hurriedly so I apologize for any technical errors. Enjoy! Features a very prominent Tomo-chan in the matter of things.

(N)ice Skating

"Gambatte, Ryoma-kun! I just know you can do it!"

Sakuno watched Ryoma breathe heavily. He panted as a drop of sweat trickled down the soft surface of his forehead. This was it, she mused. This would be the deciding factor that determined it all, and if he were to fail, it would do great damage to Seigaku's pride-

Or so she thought. While thinking these thoughts, she observed the object of her recollection just as he slipped onto the icy rink.

"Damn it…" she heard it grumble. Sakuno attempted to stifle a giggle, wondering how they even ended up like this. Her current situation, she decided, could be traced from earlier that day when Tomoka gave Sakuno her "surprise." But if it was going to be based on that, she might as well start from the week before: when she herself perpetrated the idea.

1 week prior:

"And did you know that he even tried to spoon-feed me? I mean, looking back now it's kind of cliché-ish in a way, but at that moment all I could think about was whether I would be able to make it through the night without going love crazy! And did you know that- "

Osakada Tomoka was enlightening her best friend on her weekend which included a very affectionate date with one of their senpais who had transferred the month before. He and Tomoka had hit it off like that, and whenever Tomoka wasn't trying to set Sakuno and Ryoma up she was gushing about everything she and her boyfriend did together.

Sakuno listened attentively to Tomoka and ran a hand up and down one of her braids, a habit she formed whenever her mind started drifting onto something else in her head. "That's… nice, Tomo-chan. It must be fun to have someone like Senpai."

Tomoka, who was already used to Sakuno's quirks, smiled in excitement as she probed Sakuno about her wandering mind. "Ne, ne, Sakuno! I can tell that you're thinking about something else – what is it? Or wait… who is it? Don't tell me it's Ryoma-sama – ah, you're totally blushing! You are SO dead; did something happen between you that I don't know about? Sa~ ku~ no~"

A rosy blush painted the delicate frame of Sakuno's cheeks. Was she that easy to read? "Ah, i-iie, Tomo-chan! It's just that… I don't know, I was thinking about how enjoyable it must be to be able to spend those kinds of moments with someone you really treasure. And I wasn't thinking about Ryoma-kun! Mou, why do you have to make it all about me and him?" Sakuno dipped her head at her last to statements, vulnerable to the cooing from Tomoka.

"But Sakuno, dates are really amazing. I feel like I'm floating on Cloud Nine when I'm with him. Don't you ever want to feel that way? On that note, what would be your ideal date?"

Finally free from Tomoka's teasing, Sakuno gave the question some thought. "I haven't really thought about it, but now that I do, I think I'd like to do something. That sounds stupid, but let me explain; I'm not really up for movies and watching sports games together but I'd want to actively do something together. Like… um… oh!" She clasped her hands together, a smile making its way to her happily pink lips. "Ice-skating!"

Unbeknownst to Sakuno, the gears in Tomoka's match-making mind had begun spinning the moment Sakuno had uttered the first syllable in her response. And so, one week later on Thursday, January 14 (a day they luckily had off due to exam scheduling), Sakuno had ended up in an ice skating rink with none other than the Ice Prince of Seigaku. She'd soon learn that while the title of "Ice Prince" was befitting of his demeanor, it wasn't quite as applicable to his actual skills in said department.

A long story short, Osakada Tomoka was capable of getting what she wanted; whether that may be for her own benefit or that of the person most important to her.

That same day:

Sleep. Eat. School. Tennis. Go home. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and repeat.

Echizen Ryoma's lifestyle was a routinely one, and it was the perfect habit for someone who kept things simple. Whether that be in crushing his opponent in tennis or flawlessly passing his English exams, Ryoma effortlessly and practically naturally set himself goals and went through with them. It wasn't something that could be said for the more social aspects of his life, though.

"Hey, hey, Ryoma-sama!"

It was almost 5:00 in the evening when a familiar voice provoked a slight eyebrow twitch. Ryoma took a deep breath before deciding to leave the club room and face the source of irritation. He was really not in the mood for dealing with people that day. His usual domination at practice had been challenged and broken when Fuji-senpai practiced a new technique on him. To make things worse, Tezuka-buchou had made all the first-years run 50 laps after a certain monkey-faced idiot accidentally pushed over the tennis ball bin causing their stoic captain to slip. Luckily, the only thing broken was his usually calm conduct, but that could also be a negative. Ryoma's comforting daily routine was ruined, he was tired, and he was ready to go home and take a warm bath. The only thing that stopped him from doing so was her.

Kicking at the loose pebbles in his pathway, Ryoma made his way to the pig-tailed loudmouth (she was and always will be, in his eyes). Glaring at her, he silently prompted her to speak her purpose.

"Heh, Ryoma-sama doesn't seem to be in the mood for love – but you don't seem to be in the mood for anything."

"Get on with it, Osakada."

Smiling at his pissed reply, Tomoka relayed her plan to him. "So you know how next week we don't have to go to school that Thursday? It just so happens that next Thursday the birthday of the main character of your love story happens then! Okay, so this is what I was thinking and I am so EXCITED,"

Ryoma listened half-heartedly to her meaningless spew of words until he caught one sentence: "And then you and Sakuno are going to have an amazing time and maybe even do something more! So, what do you think?"

"… look, I don't have time for this. I'm tired. I'm going home," Ryoma muttered. Walking away from wailing protests, he pondered her words in his mind. So Ryuzaki's birthday is next week…

If Ryoma had to name one person that had been constant in his fixated routine, he would hands-down say Karupin. But Karupin wasn't a person, so his next bet would have to be Ryuzaki. Ever since they met three years ago, she continuously supplied him with bentous even when she appeared discouraged by his "mada mada dane's." Whenever her grandmother had to stay an hour longer at school, the older Ryuzaki deemed him fit to accompany her home. One day led to another, unsuccessful monologues on Sakuno's part eventually grew into actual conversations, and when the sports clubs had their annual Winter Ball, Ryoma had asked her to be his partner. The two found themselves in a special relationship of their own. It was something that couldn't just be dismissed, yet it wasn't up to an actual boyfriend/girlfriend level. Ryoma didn't give it much thought. Ryuzaki was there and that was all that mattered.

One more week until the both of them were sixteen. A faint memory of Echizen Nanjirou preaching the glory of a sweet sixteen love came to mind, but Ryoma shook it off – after all, most of the things that came out of his perverted father were not to be trusted.

I guess I'll go with Loudmouth's plan. For Ryuzaki.

Yeah, that sounded good.

The brisk sensation of the abrupt cold enveloped the two teenagers when they entered the ice-skating arena. Sakuno shivered, the warmth of her body being stolen by the greedy air. She glanced down to make sure her laces were tightly fastened. Confirming its security, she stepped onto the rink.

"Ah!" she screamed. Ryoma smirked at her almost-fallen figure.

"If you're clumsy on the sidewalk, it's a given that you're clumsy on the ice. Mada mada dane," he remarked.

Sakuno sighed as she picked herself up. Not giving in to Ryoma's bait, she steadied herself before beginning her gliding pace. She skated around the rink for a couple minutes in bliss of the tingling from the mix of body warmth by moving met with the chilliness of the resulting wind. About two minutes into her skating, she realized that the only one doing so was herself. Sakuno looked at the entrance and sure enough, Ryoma stood there just observing her.

"Ano, Ryoma-kun can join me, too," she called out. Receiving a "hn" in response only worried her. What if he didn't want to be here? Was she boring him? Oh, why why why? Her plaguing frets led her to skate back to the entrance. She held out her hand to him, her face getting very warm despite not moving. Ryoma's eyes noticeably widened, to which she blushed even more.

"Skate with me, onegai."

Tingly feelings exploded inside Ryoma. He watched Sakuno animatedly babbly apologies for her incompetence (what for, he wasn't sure) and if she was boring her he could leave because really she didn't want to inconvenience him and take his precious time and whatnot. This all flew in one ear and out the other because all Ryoma could comprehend was the fact that her hand was held out for him. Oh, shit. Before, things like this didn't shake him up. But now that he was alone with this girl, who was blushing like crazy and was offering to hold hands, his mind blanked out.

"Arigato," he mumbled as he grabbed her hand tightly. He hesitantly stepped into the rink, and it was then that he did a Ryuzaki. Completely slipping, he dragged the poor girl with him. She landed on top of him, and their faces were dangerously close to each other.

"I- Ryoma-kun, um…" Here it came. Ryoma was sure he knew what would come next. Slowly leaning in, he got swept away in the moment when-

"You really suck at ice-skating!"

The remainder of the time spent there was Sakuno trying to teach Ryoma how to successfully move and stay up at the same time. It appeared that he could only do one or the other at a time which prompted her to randomly laugh at him.

An hour passed by in a flash before the two decided to take a break. Sprawling out on a bench, Sakuno was let out a relaxed exhalation. Tomo-chan was right, dates really are amazing… wait, date? No, not date, um, hanging out with friends and- "Ryuzaki, your face is getting really red. You should probably sit up."

Sakuno shot up like a bullet to the amusement of Ryoma. Self-conscious, she tried to excuse herself. "I w-was just thinking that, well, you know how if you go on a date with someone you really like it's awesome? Or Tomo-chan was telling me so and now I can say yes it's true I feel so good and what I find ironic is that usually in situations like these the boy would ideally be teaching his girlfriend how to skate but like now you suck at skating and yeah it's ironic but funny and I'm having so much fun right now." She took a deep breath after going on for so long. She just let her mouth ramble on so that Ryoma wouldn't think odd of her – but now, she imagined that he would find her creepy after what she said.

In response for her contemplations, Sakuno received a smile. She was embarrassed by her sort-of accidental confession in her run-on thoughts and now that Ryoma smiled? What could this mean?

"First of all, thanks for telling me I suck at skating. Again." Ryoma said. Seemingly encouraged by her obvious twitch, he continued. "And secondly – I didn't know that we were a couple. You should have told me that earlier, Ryuzaki."

The best presents truly are from those that know you the best. Some are unexpected. For Ryuzaki Sakuno, she got gifts from people important to her that she would never even considered possible.

I hope you'll appreciate my work! I wrote this in about two hours because it's already past (or almost) 11:00 PM by the time I post this and I have exams tomorrow. It may be a bit rushed like my previous RyoSaku bday fic (for Ryoma) but I hope it is good enough nonetheless! Please leave a comment, and I'll do my best to stop procrastinating!

~AoG~