"But- but John- I don't know how," Sherlock protested as John dragged him onto the rink. The detective balanced precariously on his skates, glaring down at them as if he expected them to vanish or trip him at any moment. John only smiled, taking the man by his elbow and showing him how to move his feet.
"You can learn. If you can teach me to dance, I can teach you to skate," John insisted, sliding his free arm around Sherlock's waist to support him. "Just like this, step and glide," John illustrated, taking Sherlock along with him. The detective nodded, his face taking on a serious cast as he studied John's movements. The doctor couldn't help but laugh seeing the studious expression. "Relax, Sherlock, it's not a case, you needn't focus so hard."
Sherlock looked at him askance. "Of course I do, how else will I learn?" he demanded, stepping out of John's arms to take a shaky glide forward. He promptly fell, his coat fanning out around him and his expression thoroughly shocked. John couldn't help it, even as he helped his partner to his feet he was laughing. Sherlock glared, but allowed John to brush him off and kiss him good-naturedly on the cheek.
"Perhaps you should stick a bit closer to me this time?" John suggested with a grin. Sherlock only nodded, settling back into the smaller man's embrace as John pushed them forward and around. Soon Sherlock had gotten the hang of it, and was moving with ease around the rink, tugging John after him with a laugh.
They cut around other, younger couples, and few looked at them with irritation, but John couldn't care less what they thought. When he started to get a bit cold –he hadn't thought to wear his good coat, just his jumper- Sherlock immediately shed his scarf and wrapped it tenderly around John's throat.
John smiled happily, letting his partner lead him around gently by the hand. Once Sherlock started showing signs of cold, John insisted on buying them both large cups of hot chocolate, which they drank while resting on a bench inside the rink, Sherlock's arm warm around his shoulders.
"Admit it," John began, bumping Sherlock playfully, while being careful not to slosh the cocoa onto his coat.
"Admit what?" Sherlock asked, taking a sip of his drink and pretending he didn't know what John was on about. John smirked.
"This was a good idea," John stated.
Sherlock tried vainly to mask his grin, but eventually just let it show before swooping down and pressing a light kiss to John's temple. "It wasn't an altogether awful idea," he compromised. John was having none of it.
"Good idea," he insisted, kissing Sherlock's cheek.
"Not awful," Sherlock argued, kissing John's jawline.
"Good," John replied, a kiss landing on the tip of Sherlock's nose.
"Brilliant," Sherlock finally agreed, kissing John squarely on the mouth, ignoring the few around them who gazed on in annoyance, seeing only his John.