thin ice | childe x reader

one. chirpin'

tw/cw: brief mention of injuries, swearing

the ice was the most beautiful part of the archon ice arena. it wasn't the sunlight flooding from the wide and curved windows. it was not the flood of people coming for their lessons and free skate. it was not the hot cocoa that you get after a long skate session. undeniably, the shiny, glistening ice was the best part of working at the archon ice arena.

as you walked in to the empty arena, void of any skaters, or coaches, or god forbid, the hockey team, there was a soft feeling of content. being able to access the arena before anyone else could was the best advantage of your job. that, and the flexible hours to pay off your ever-climbing student debt.

the saturday, seven am sun colored the ice hazy colors of orange and yellow, filling you with the distant yet familiar feeling of competing on the ice. quickly, you brushed the thought aside. there was no use to dwell in the past now.

you stretched as you put headphones on, rolling your shoulders as you prepared to prevent any soreness. skating for more than eight hours, as your freshman self would tell you, would lead to sprains, tears, and a whole lot of pain. as you pulled yourself up from the floor, you began lacing up your skates. they were long broken in, and the shoe was shined like new. they had been with you, all the way to nationals and the olympics. but now, they were nothing more than just skates to you. they weren't embedded into your soul like they used to.

as you stepped out onto ice, you shifted. every morning, this brought back memories of being alone on the ice. just the ice, the music, and you. bubblegum pop blasted your headphones as you glided on the ice, making your way around the rink a couple times over.

soon enough, just as he did every weekend, the hockey coach, mr. zhongli, walked through the doors. "good morning, y/n!" he called with a straight face, shifting the heavy bag on his shoulder. "it's nice to see you up and skating. if any of my boys were here, they'd call this a perfect start to the weekend."

you only smiled in response, continuing to skate.

yes, this was the perfect start to the weekend.

--

10 am brought in the younger skaters, and the rest of your coworkers. as they ushered in, you and the other skating guards watched as they fumbled on the ice. pre-season skating lessons had started the first week of august, and seeing as it had been less than month since any of them had begun skating, you couldn't blame their clumsiness.

you placed your whistle at your lips, alerting all the children. "alright, match up with one of the instructors. we'll try letting go of the skate guard this time around, but don't be afraid. we'll be right here when you let go."

a kid burst out crying. it's just until 12, you thought before sighing and skating over to them.

--

at noon, the other skate guards left to get lunch. you, on the other hand, didn't leave the arena. you sat and ate your lunch while watching the zambonis glide on the ice, leaving it slick and shiny. between lunch and free skate, you wandered the ice complex aimlessly, going from the practice arena to the game rink.

you climbed up the stairs from the lower rink and up into the upper stands of the bigger arena. it was bright, stadium lights beating down on the ice. the boys' hockey was in full swing, playing a practice game between themselves. you watched as they glided in sync, making quick hand motions at each other before moving forward. shrill whistles constantly filled the air as you heard their coach call out names and numbers. they moved in a swarm, blue and white jerseys flying across the ice.