A/N: Why did I think this 30 day challenge was a good idea...Fun fact (or not): the first "ice" rinks were made of hog lard and salt. I'm not the only one who thinks that's disgusting, they were short-lived (due to the smell).
Day 7: Write about someone learning to ice skate.
"Well, well, well, little Miss Ziva David doesn't know how to ice skate," Tony said with a smug smile on his face while standing up from the bench.
"It's not as if the Red Sea freezes over in the harsh Israeli winters," Ziva deadpanned, tightening the laces on her skates.
Tony was itching to get on the ice, and she was taking too long to get ready. He looked down at her, then at her skates.
"Huh."
She looked up at him, pausing her fingers momentarily. "What?"
Images of a blood soaked ice rink flashed through his mind. He closed his eyes for a second; he shouldn't have fallen asleep watching a horror movie last night.
Tony tilted his head and shrugged casually. "I'm starting to rethink the combination of you and literal blades on your feet."
Ziva wrinkled her nose at him and stood up. "It was your idea to go skating."
She headed towards the rink entrance, with remarkable stability, and he followed. As was to be expected, she ignored his advice to let him get on the ice first, or to hold on to the wall. She was down on all fours before his skates even touched the ice.
He resisted the urge to laugh—or tell her he told her so—and held out a hand instead. After a failed attempt at getting up on her own, she conceded and accepted his help.
"Should I have gotten you a helmet?" Tony said with a teasing smile.
Ziva pursed her lips and tried to slap his arm but lost her balance once more. She grabbed onto his coat and left arm, and if he hadn't expected it, she would've taken him down with her. He held her by the waist, until she was stable again.
She fiddled with the lapel of his coat. "Can you teach me?"
"That depends, are you going to do as I say?"
Her gaze snapped to his and he couldn't contain a smirk. He took her grumble for an affirmation and told her to relax, get a feel for the ice, while he skated backwards pulling her with him.
Balance and flexibility had always been Ziva's strengths, and half an hour later you couldn't tell she had never set foot on an ice rink before. Which is why it was rather suspicious that she kept grabbing his arms, or hands, or accidentally slamming into him.
The twinkle in her eye and the obviously fake apologies rolling from her tongue every time, made his knees weak. They should definitely do this more often, he clearly needed to strengthen his leg muscles. And judging by the way his pulse was racing looking into her eyes, he really needed the cardio workout, as well.
A/N: Many thanks to all who are still reading and reviewing.
