Pen and Ink week day 7: Fall

They go ice skating.

"Don't look at the ground, look at me."

Gordon's eyes left the ice beneath their feet and back up at Penelope's face. She gave him a calming smile that steadied Gordon's nerves.

"What if I trip over?"

"You are not going to trip over," Penelope reassured him, although Gordon didn't know if he believed her. "And if you do, I'll stop you from falling."

She squeezed his hands where they were clutched tightly in hers between them, and he knew that she would be there to help him if he fell.

"How are you so good that you can skate backwards? I can barely even stand." Gordon wobbled slightly as if to demonstrate.

Penelope was facing Gordon as he skated forward and held onto his hands to guide him, which meant she had to skate backwards. She couldn't even see where she was going, and yet she seemed so confident.

"It's just practice." Penelope shrugged it off like she had been learning to ice skate longer than she had been learning to walk, like she had been skating as long as Gordon had been swimming. "I can't believe you haven't ever been ice skating before."

"Not like there's a lot of ice in the Pacific."

Gordon tripped again, but was held upright by Penelope's tight grip on his hands.

"I thought you said I wasn't gonna trip over!" Gordon complained as he found his footing again.

"I also said I wasn't going to let you fall," Penelope replied with a wink, and Gordon could have collapsed for a whole other reason.

They skated around the rink several times. It was slow and other skaters in the rink easily flew right past them, which made Gordon wonder if it was some kind of birth right for everyone in England to learn to skate.

"Ready to skate on your own?" Penelope asked him after they had been around the rink a third time. Penelope had never once let go of him.

"Sure," Gordon replied with all the confidence that he did not have, but he couldn't not agree. Penelope might leave him if he couldn't move a foot in a pair of ice skates.

Penelope's hands slowly left his, but they stayed hovering nearby in case they needed to steady him if he fell.

But after several moments, Gordon managed to keep himself standing with only a slight wobble. He even managed to move a step forward, and he was starting to think he'd finally got the hang of this.

Until he fell flat on his back a second later.

"Gordon!" Penelope hurried over. "Are you alright?"

"Just leave me here to die in shame." Gordon continued to lay on the cold ice, his dignity shattered, as other ice skaters glided past him.

Penelope laughed, and Gordon looked up at her. Her cheeks were red from the cold and her mouth was slightly hidden by the scarf around her neck. It was clear she was trying to stifle the laugh, but she was unsuccessful.

Despite the embarrassment, Gordon smiled.

"Let's get you up." Penelope held her hands out for him to grab when her giggles had lessened, although there was still a smile on her face.

Gordon grasped onto her grip and allowed her to help him up, his skates slipping slightly on the ice, but she kept him upright.

This time, Penelope did not let go of his hands, and Gordon would be lying if he said he didn't appreciate that for a multitude of reasons.

"Do you want a break?" Penelope offered as she started to lead him over to the side of the rink, and Gordon gladly nodded.

"I think in the future, I'll stick to water that isn't frozen," Gordon said as they exited the rink and moved over to a bench to take their skates off. Even off the ice, Gordon almost tripped over.

"You'll get the hang of it soon," Penelope reassured as she placed a hand on his arm. "Do you want to get some hot chocolate?"

"Sure! But I'll pay; I need to redeem my dignity somehow."

They returned the skates that they'd rented and put their own shoes back on. Then, they made their way over to the trailer that had been set up near the rink. Gordon could already smell the caramel syrups before they'd even reached the short line outside the trailer.

Once they had their drinks, they started to make their way down the path that would take them to the rest of Hyde Park.

Penelope looped her arm around Gordon's and rested her head against his shoulder as they walked. Gordon's head fell onto hers, and he sipped on his warm drink as the two of them walked arm in arm into the night.

Thanks for reading! This week has been so much fun to write for! Big shout out to eirabach, hodgeheg, and avengedbiologist for organising it!