synflux | do a figure eight for me (closed)

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do a figure eight for me (closed)

WHO: Bakugo and Raidou
WHAT: Ice skating after hours
WHERE: Shinjuku Shrine
WHEN: Day after that Synder swipe
WARNINGS: None at present. It's not like it's a date or anything...

[No one would ever peg Bakugo for being someone who wanted to bond with others. So that raises the question how he found himself here. In the cold of the evening air, the setting sun's base dipped into the horizon as golden glows make shadows through the trees beside the Shinjuku Shrine. His breath ghosts white in the air, accenting the warmth inside beneath the wrap of his scarf and jacket. Thirty minutes after 1700, enough time for Raidou to get off work and make his way to the frozen rink.

... Why the fuck did a simple mingle have to be covered in a damn dating app? Because it was February? He knows better than to think it was an accident by Synthia. That AI did it on purpose, forcing confessions of interest and setting up dates between people just for the cost of interaction. Bakugo's never been on a damn date before. He's never been interested enough to go for one, and anyone else has been too intimidated by him to express interest. The only experience he has in these things came from the random chick flick his mother occasionally made him watch with her when he was younger.

But if it's with Raidou... Just a casual date, someone told him. Was it? Who the hell knows. Raidou's not someone Bakugo distinctly dislikes. He gets along with the guy, despite the severe clash in their personalities, and he's been actively involved in helping the summoner a few times. Bakugo's the one who expressed surprise and interest in Raidou knowing how to ice skate in the first place... before that quick joust of who asks.

Waiting outside the rink, Bakugo watches the few people lingering upon the frozen surface, not surprised a few came from the shrine itself. It would be a good way to enjoy the peace of the nearby area, quiet as those in the shrine carried about their serene duties. Though that doesn't stop his eyes from glancing around, searching for Raidou and half expecting the guy to just appear behind him.]

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[It's been a whirlwind of a 24 hours for Raidou, who before that, didn't know what Valentine's Day was, didn't know what a dating app profile was, or had ever even thought about dating, let alone been on one. A lot's changed in a day.

Part of him wonders if he should still attend, considering how last night went for him. But, then again, Bakugo did insist this wasn't a date. Insistently. So, fine. Not a date. Just some skating. Either way, Raidou is glad to have someone join him, since he's usually here alone after his volunteer gig. And he really is interested in seeing if Mr. Jack of All Trades Bakugo really can skate.

To his credit, the quiet summoner doesn't sneak up on Bakugo, but gives him a nod in greeting when he spots him. He has his skates over his shoulder, tied at the laces.]

Hi. Have you gotten skates yet?

[All it takes is one day, as the saying goes. Whether for good or bad is the ideal thought. Bakugo can't say he's spent much thought on dating, always too busy with school and heroics to consider something like that. And of course dating apps were a piece of shit, so to hell with them. Combine both those things, and now he's standing here, waiting to ice skate with another guy on a very much not!date they set up via the app. Funny, huh.

Bakugo isn't entirely sure how this is going to go either, considering the developing activities and time spent with the other guy. It's not like he ever dwelt on it. But they're just here to skate. No one said shit about anything other than that.

Footsteps behind him alert him to the other's arrival and he turns to look over his shoulder when Raidou approaches him. The nod is all he needs, brows furrowing slightly in his usual expression.

"Hi." ... ? ... That's casual for Raidou.]

I was waiting for you.

Alright. Let's get you a pair, then.

[Hi, indeed. Raidou's looking more lively than he has since he's gotten here, outside of combat anyway. Though this is still Raidou, so it's still a very muted emotion. But someone like Bakugo who's seen him at his most dour, it's definitely an improvement.

Once Bakugo is waiting to get his rentals, Raidou will sit down to get his skates on and waits for him.]

How long as it been since you've last done this?

[Bakugo thought about doing it on his own, but since Raidou's been here before, and the point was to do this together, he waited until the guy arrived. Besides, if he knows the workers and could get a discount, no shame on Bakugo's part for being thrifty.

He's curious what's gotten Raidou's mood comparably upbeat though. Surely it's not the not!date going on. He's never been like this when they met up before. Bakugo doesn't dislike it though...

He peruses the skates that are offered, checking a few that are his size. Naturally he picks the black ones and then returns to Raidou to take a seat beside him.]

Probably three years. [And even then, that wasn't a frequent occurrence.]

It had been a few years for me too before getting here. You should be fine.

[One might say it's like riding a bike, unless you're Raidou Kuzunoha, who's terrible at that. Can't be good at everything.

He's pretty swiftly up and onto the ice. It's the first time he's gotten here since the kaiju attack, and in a few weeks it will be closed for the season, so he's glad to have gotten here. There are a few others on the rink, but it's sparse. Once Raidou's out there, he turns around to skate backward to keep an eye on Bakugo to see how he's doing.]

If you fall down, I'll laugh.

[Then maybe help him up. Because of course there's no risk of Bakugo falling down. Nope! ... He did fall down a few times as a kid and was very mad about it. But thanks to it, was stubborn and conquered the challenge by the end of the day.

Bakugo laces up the skates, storing his boots behind the counter, then heads for the ice. He pauses at the outskirts. Tch, should've come here earlier and tested his skills. While he's confident he'll get it quickly, showing a poor front to Raidou would be fucking embarrassing. So he steps out onto the ice, lingering by the sides, and stands to keep his balance. Working that out internally before taking another step.

Raidou can probably figure out Bakugo's deliberately delaying to get his familiarity back...]

I won't. [simply stated. He's practiced it enough, coming here several times a week since he discovered it not long after arriving. So while Bakugo is getting started, he jumps forward, and takes off around the rink, only to come back past Bakugo in short order, backwards again. He knows he's probably not as good at a lot of things that Bakugo is, so he'll take this win.

He slows down, arms behind his back.]

Worry about yourself first.

[Don't take this as a win, dammit! He just hasn't done it for a few fucking years! You had some practice already, goddamn Shashou! One push sends him forward, quickly getting his other leg in front to balance it. Small steps, working into a glide that's deliberately avoiding sending himself into a wobble. His core's as hard as a rock to keep his balance. The last thing he wants is to go dow-]

I'm not worried, Shashou! It just takes a minute! [Rawr! That's just the cold making his face momentarily pink. JUST THE COLD!!]

It does. Just relax.

[That's like telling the tide to stop, or the sun to stop shining, but he says it anyway. He turns forward now, slowing to come up next to Bakugo. He looks at his footing, then demonstrates with himself.]

Bend your knees a little. Weight on one side, then the other.

[As usual, his voice is even and patient. Even though he knows he'll probably get groused at.]

Don't give me orders. [Bakugo glares at him, but there's only silence after as he glances down at Raidou's feet. Tch, but rather than make himself look like a fool to the other scant people around here... He bends his knees slightly and puts his weight to one side as told, building the side to side motion and unconsciously timing it with Raidou's voice. Though he's heard him before... right now, it's rather... um... not igniting.]

[He gives him A Look for a moment.] It's not an order. It's advice.

[If he notices Bakugo looking down too much, he skates ahead, turning around again.]

Huh-uh. Eyes ahead. You don't want to run into someone. [Or a wall. Even if he knows the only thing that would get hurt in either case is Bakugo's pride.]

Is it coming back to you now?

Tch. [He'll give him a worse look if he notices that Look given. Luckily he's focused on the skates and the ice in front of as he moves, getting a feel for the push and sway again. He took directions as a kid far better...

Bakugo's attention gets pulled from his feet back to Raidou, finding the guy skating ahead. Again, that advice is met with a quiet growl, but no comment. His pride is more determined to pick this back up than it is to resist. Even as Raidou watches him, it's clear to see Bakugo's getting the hang of it once more. Three years is a long time to go without, but he's quick.] Of course it is. I just need some time.

[And apparently some... advice.]

We've got plenty of it.

[Raidou keeps paces ahead of him, partially to keep an eye on him and partially to help keep their path clear or other skaters. Beep beep, newbie coming through.

He knows words or encouragement would fall on deaf ears, or even get him more growls. Raidou waits until they make one lap before turning backward again to see where Bakugo is at.]

So? How does it feel?

[WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING A "NEWBIE", DEAD MAN?! Bakugo continues to gain ground quickly, muscle memory and pure athletic skill putting the pieces back into place. Shoulders rock under his jacket, thighs move and calves flex as his body weight shifts to and fro. It's only a matter of time before he starts getting faster, deliberately intending to gain ground on Raidou.

By the time the other boy turns to look at him, Bakugo is right there behind him, a few paces away from his heels. Not riding on his butt yet, but suggesting he's going to start racing soon enough.] Told you it'd come back quickly.

[Raidou slows to to give Bakugo a quick look over, then nods, satisfied at his progress.]

There is one last important thing to remember, though.

[He starts to speed up to get just ahead of him for a moment, looking over his shoulder. Goading Bakugo into doing the same, really.]

Do you remember how to stop?

[And then he takes off around the rink.]

[Bakugo glowers slightly when Raidou gives him a look over, feeling slightly judged (the word's "evaluated" but whatever) for his performance. At least the satisfied nod rubs his bruised pride.]

Oh really? What "important thing" do you remember than I don't?

[Ground out in a petty snarl between a teeth-grit grin. Just daring Raidou to say it. As soon as the summoner picks up speed, Bakugo pushes off again, determined to keep pace with the other boy. He's got the motions down now, enough to lift a foot off the ice for a push to boost himself.

It's now a chase, bastard.]

OF COURSE I DO! GET BACK HERE!!

[Who the fuck wouldn't know how to stop once they got started?! He's gonna cover Raidou in ice!]

[Raidou is feeling pretty confident he can keep ahead of Bakugo, since he's been practicing for months again now. On top of that, he's a very lithe sort, and fast. He's practically built for this hobby. The few others out on the ice have to move aside to let these two speed through.

At one point, Raidou turns around again, attempting to skate backwards for just a moment at this speed. It will slow him down a bit, but mostly he's proud that he could do it at all while staying in his feet. He shoots Bakugo a slight smirk, feeling pretty proud of himself before jumping forwards again.]

[Bakugo's not using his explosions, so that should say something to his pride and thoughts about Raidou. Blast over a pool to win the swimming competition against his classmates? Sure! It's fucking "freestyle" bitches! But using them against Raidou when it's a skating competition for speed? Nope, he's going to win this on pure talent alone!

Though Raidou's definitely got the body for this... Wait- what the fuck?!

He shakes the thought off and powers forward, glaring daggers at the other boy when he pivots to stake backwards. Brat! It'd serve him right if he tripped and fell. That smirk makes his head twitch back in surprise, not having seeing that kind of expression on Raidou's face before. WHO THE FUCK IS THIS PERSON?! Serious doubts now!

And he's catching up, closed the gap during that backwards showboating.]

[Just when it looks like Bakugo is about to catch up, Raidou turns forward and takes off again. He could do this all night, really. It's very entertaining. It is to some of the skaters around them as well.

When he gets in some semblance of a lead, that's when he all of a sudden comes to a halt. He turns sideways to slide, and comes to a stop rather quickly, showering ice out ahead of him.
He's only doing it to see if Bakugo can do the same at this speed. No using super powers in public!]

[Thi-! ... This asshole's toying with him! He gapes at the realization for a second before-]

YOU'RE DEAD!! [Now he's mad! Bakugo digs the tip of his skate into the ice and shoves off, swerving around another skater and dashing after Raidou. He's putting on the speed like a champ, arms moving to accent his momentum and body lowered like he might be trying to tackle the other boy.

Which is a very bad thing considering Raidou suddenly STOPS!! Bakugo's eyes widen as he shoots right past the guy. He immediately turns sideways, slams a skate down, and almost break an ankle as ice shaves and he skids across the surface of the ice a few feet. Almost does down, one hand swinging towards the floor, before he uses the momentum to swing his body back up and wobbles.

Fuck... that was close.]

Rrrrgh! [Someone's gonna die!]

[Raidou stands there looking perfectly innocent, catching his breath. Maybe the sudden stop wasn't the best idea once he sees how hard Bakugo skids to a stop - let's not get hurt here - but hey, he's fine.]

Ah, good. You can stop.

[He's actually not being sarcastic. Not a thing he ever really does. Teasing, though?
Maybe a little.]

I'd say you definitely have the hang of it again.

["Perfectly innocent" his ass. It's better to hard skid than it is to trip and fall on his side. He'd be embarrassed as hell if he fell down in front of Raidou. The guy will probably notice Bakugo shifting onto one side to take the weight off the leg he used to brace himself. Gonna just... let that one hang a bit and swing it a few times. Roll his ankle. What a pain...]

I'll stop on your face. [Childish despite the teasing rib. Bakugo sets his foot down and moves forward, skating slower towards Raidou. At least he doesn't look a threatening menace.] Told you I knew how.

[Raidou has learned long ago to let Bakugo's insults slide past him. Not commenting on them is now his usual course of action, otherwise it'll never end.

Oh. Did he stop a little too hard? Raidou looks at him with his head cocked slightly.]

Are you alright? [He already knows the answer he'll get to that.]. We can take a break. Or at least go slower for awhile.

[Class 1-A likewise learned to shrug off their classmate's angry barking, letting it slide or countering with something casual or nice. It's the better way of handling Bakugo, even if it kind of irritates him. Then again, he's used to Raidou's blase responses. The guy's quiet. It's nice when it's not aggravating.

Seeing that head cock, Bakugo assumes what's coming before Raidou even gets it all the way out.] I'm fine! The skate just needed to readjust after I stopped! [It's not him; it's the skate. Of course.] You really ready to race now?

[Raidou huffs lightly, because while he does want to race, he wants to do it fairly. He doesn't like being cut off like that, either.]

If you insist. Do you need to retie it before we go?

[Raidou looks around at the rink, thinking for a moment. He didn't want to interrupt the others out on the ice too much. Any more than they already have, anyway. He slides over next to Bakugo to get ready to go.]

Three laps. That should be good. Just say when you're ready.

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