Prompt #9 :: Ice Skating
Prompt: Ice Skating
Words: 989
Summary: A bit of friendly competition gets a little out of hand as the gang goes ice skating.
Kiria soared across the ice, the blades cutting into the slick surface. "It's like she's flying!" Trucy said, watching as the lawyer spun gracefully in the rink before straightening and traveling again.
"Wow," Phoenix said. His eyes were glued to her graceful figure. "Are we expected to keep up with that?"
Nathan shook his head. "I think she's got a few years on us. Coming, Edgeworth?"
Edgeworth finished the final lace on his skates before clomping over to Nathan. "Ready. Shall we?"
"Why aren't the others here again?" Phoenix asked, standing unsteadily.
"They'll be here later. Now stop complaining and get out here!" Nathan took his first step onto the ice, almost falling as the ground seemed to slip out from under him. He grabbed onto the railing, keeping himself up and waiting for the others.
Phoenix held Trucy's hand as they stepped into the rink. Kiria skated up, taking Trucy's other hand as Phoenix clung to the railing. "Finally," she teased, supporting the younger girl. "I thought you guys were going to sit up there forever!"
"Not our fault that you were so excited you left us behind," Nathan grumbled as Edgeworth stepped onto the ice, seemingly undisturbed by the change in the ground. "Why aren't you slipping around like the rest of us?" he asked, his eyebrows knit together.
Edgeworth shrugged. "I may have done this a time or two as a child."
"A time or two?" Kiria's eyes sparkled as she handed Trucy back to her adoptive father. "Want to race?"
"Race?"
"First one done with five laps around the rink wins?"
Edgeworth shook his head. "I will hardly do something so childish."
Kiria shrugged, beginning another lap. "Up to you."
"Geez, Edgeworth. Chicken?" Nathan asked.
"No! I'm merely noting there are other children in this ice rink, and setting a bad example for them might be dangerous."
"Uh huh," Phoenix said, unconvinced.
Kiria pulled back up to them, taking Nathan's elbow as she slid past. "Come on! Move your legs; it's all about balance and movement!"
"Aaaaaah! Shit, Kiria! Wall! Please! Damn, lemme go! No, wall!" He finally shouted as he slid across the ice on his backside. She skated up to him, hands on her hips as she halted feet from him.
"Don't be a wimp! Come on; time to try again!"
"I don't want to try again!" he protested, hauling himself up using the wall.
She sighed, skating up to Trucy. "You want to try?"
Trucy glanced down at her skates. "They're kind of unstable."
Kiria shook her head. "It's like magic; the more you practice, the better you get."
"But I don't wanna fall!"
"Edgeworth!" she shouted across the rink. He skated up beside them. "She's afraid of falling," she explained.
"So?"
She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Surely you did this as a kid! Take her other hand."
"And do what?"
"We'll skate with her!"
He sighed before taking the girl's free hand. "One lap."
It was easy to match their steps, and before long, Trucy was traveling around the rink smoothly. "Wow!" she said, looking around at the other skaters who seemed to be going slowly.
They slowed before stopping in front of the door. "Now go practice," Kiria said, handing her back to Phoenix, who wasn't much farther along than when they had started the lap.
"You're not bad at this at all," Edgeworth said as they matched strides again.
Kiria locked her fingers behind her back. "Lots of practice. My sister is excellent at ice skating, so, naturally, I wanted to be too. What about you?"
"It was an activity to do between studying for the bar exam."
Kiria nodded in understanding. "A little bit of exercise, a little bit of thinking. I get it."
Maya, Franziska, and Pearl appeared outside the rink. "Come join us!" Phoenix invited, but Maya shook her head.
"The rink is closing soon; they wouldn't let us get skates. They'll probably ask you guys to leave soon too."
Phoenix climbed out in relief. "Thank God. I'm not exactly the best at this."
"Then you should practice!" Franziska chided.
Trucy soon followed her father, sitting on a bench with Pearl, drinking hot cocoa from the concessions bar. The intercom announced the closing of the rink, and one by one, the patrons exited, soon leaving only Kiria and Edgeworth in the rink.
"Still want that race?" he asked her, a smirk on his face.
"You are so on!"
"First one to five!" They lined up at the door, Nathan counting off. At the shouted, "Go!", they both took off like bullets. Edgeworth gained an early lead, but as the laps counted down, Kiria started catching up steadily. The sounds of the crowd were meaningless at this speed. They were soaring across the rink, knees crouched, hands clasped behind their backs. As they reached the final lap, the lead disappeared. They were neck and neck.
One wrong step, and Kiria slid, taking them both down. She shrieked as he fell on top of her, their limbs tangled together as they fell.
"Owww," she complained when they finally stopped.
He rubbed at his knee where it had struck the ice. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," she said, trying to get to her feet and falling again. "We were going pretty fast," she said, looking at how far they had slid.
Edgeworth nodded, standing and helping her to her feet. "It's a good thing no one else was on the ice." Kiria laughed, skating her way to the exit. He was right next to her, exiting the rink just after her.
"So, who won?" Trucy asked.
They looked at one another before Edgeworth chuckled. "I believe I fell last."
"No way!" Kiria said, and they bickered the entire way back.
A/N: Another bit of Kiria/Edgeworth fluff. It's easy to write, and I was lazy. Now I'm going to go to bed so that I can work for my 6a shift tomorrow, because I don't get paid for writing fanfiction, so I have to work instead. c:
Reviews!
Blaze :: You're always so lenient with me! I'll agree that he's quite harsh in the original series. Here's another bit of softer Edgeworth for you. c:
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