On Thin Ice

Third Skate

The next day, Kageyama sat behind the counter of Yuka's ice rink, staring out blankly at the wall, chin resting in the palm of his hand, mind wandering. It was Sunday, so not many people were skating. Just a mother and her two kids and a giggly teenage couple. Not much work for Kageyama to do.

Yuka herself had run off to grab some lunch at the nearby convenience store since it was nearing noon. Her kids were staying with Kageyama's parents back at the house, and her husband was still MIA. (He'd forgotten to ask Yuka where he was.) Daichi was visiting one of his friends in Tokyo and wouldn't be back until later in the evening, so that left Kageyama all alone with absolutely nothing to keep him entertained.

Except maybe watching the couple fall on their asses repeatedly. They didn't seem to grasp the fact that if they held on to each other when one fell, so did the other. They kept stumbling around, giggling like idiots, trying to stay upright and looking like baby deer trying to stand for the first time. Hell, even the kids were doing better. (It was pretty funny.) But aside from that, there was nothing.

The ice was freshly smoothed-over and had that pretty reflective sheen it had whenever fresh, and Kageyama found himself with that same irritating tug in his chest that seemed to pull him towards it. He really did miss skating. A lot. But any time he thought about stepping foot on the ice, that familiar fear overtook him, and the idea quickly dispersed. He couldn't gather enough courage to even pick up a pair of skates.

It was insanely frustrating. Daichi's words from the beach kept getting to him, too. He got that it was selfish of him to quit. He got that he was being a wimp. He got that fear was the only thing holding him back. He got that his time limit was running out for getting back on the ice. Sowhy did Daichi have to keep reminding him?

It pissed him off just thinking about it.

"Tobio, you'll get wrinkles if you frown like that all the time." A finger flicked him between the eyes and Kageyama yelped, looking up to find his sister staring down at him incredulously, holding a plastic to-go bag. He glared at her as she swung herself up over the counter and plopped down a plastic container in front of him. "Seriously, you scare away all our business. And you're so cute when you smile." She reached out to pinch his cheek and Kageyama slapped her hand away with a scowl. "Shut up."

Yuka puffed out her cheeks poutingly. "Aw, c'mon, you're no fun! And I even got you your favorite, too." As Kageyama checked in the container suspiciously, she put on her nametag and started eating and rearranging skates at the same time, chopsticks in one hand and shoes in the other. "By tfe vay, ew need to close up vor me. The kids haf a skafing reciptel."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Kageyama said, pulling a disgusted face as he dug into his own food. "Who's supposed to be the older sibling again? And why do I have to stay late? Can't we just close up early?"

"Because I said so," Yuka said, swallowing her mouthful of food. "Just make sure all the skates are put away, the ice is clean, and the doors are locked at the end of the night." She paused, chopsticks halfway to her mouth. "Oh, by the way, there's this kid that usually stays late, so make sure he's out before you lock up."

"Yeah, yeah," Kageyama waved her off. "I got it. Dad taught us both how to close up when we were toddlers. I think I can manage one night."

Yuka smiled, and for some reason, there was mischevious note behind it that made Kageyama glance at her suspiciously. "Whatever you say, little brother. Finish eating so you can help me. There's a shipment of new skates coming in." As she passed him to exit the counter she poked him in the chest. "Don't forget about the kid!"

"I won't!" Kageyama yelled defensively, shooing her away. He watched her skip off, eyes narrowed. Something about the way she was smiling was making him nervous...