Author's Note: So have I ever mentioned how much I love this fandom? Seriously, Dasey shipers make my life happier. You guys spoil me, you really do. This fic goes along with a peice of personal canon I've had floating in my head for awhile now- Casey can't skate. I don't use Derek's love of hockey nearly enough in fics, so I decided to fix that.
Does anyone know, when you're at an ice/roller skating rink, and there is like that barrier thing around it? you know, that you can lean against or crash into if you fall, what that is called? Yeah I had no idea. For the purpose of this story, its called a ledge. You'll all know what I mean.
Author's Note: Its funny, writing all this fic about them has NOT given me ownership of LWD. Hmph.
"So then Ryan tried to beg for another chance and coach told him my word was final." Derek said with a self satisfied smirk. Casey rolled her eyes, Derek had monopolized the entire dinner conversation with stories of that afternoon's goalie tryouts. She knew it was childish, but it really annoyed her that no one had bothered to ask about her day. She let a long dramatic sigh as Edwin asked Derek yet another question.
"Problem?" Derek asked, quirking an eyebrow at her.
"I just think its so sad the way this family values athletics over academics." She sniffed.
"Actually Casey, they just favor me over you." Derek said, smirking.
"Derek, be nice." George chided.
"Casey did you want to tell us something about your day?" Nora asked.
"Well-" Casey began.
"Hey!" Edwin interrupted, "Derek never answered my question." he protested.
"Yeah!" Lizzie agreed.
"Lizzie! You're supposed to be on my side!" Casey said, pouting again.
"Sorry Case, I like hockey." Lizzie said, she was rewarded with a gin from Derek and a shoulder pat from Edwin.
"Me too! I'm a hockey lucky charm right Smerek?" Marti bubbled.
"You sure are Smarti," Derek said, beaming at his baby sister.
"Well I hate hockey!" Casey said, trying to bring the conversation back to her, before it turned into Derek and Marti bonding time, because that was just irresistibly cute, and she was in no mood to find Derek irresistible.
"Like your opinion counts?" Derek replied.
"What does that mean?" Casey asked.
"Have you ever even watched a full hockey game?" He asked
"No, why would I?" She asked.
"Uh-huh. Have you ever tried to play hockey?" He asked.
"No. But I'm sure I could if I wanted to." She said stubbornly.
"How? You can't even skate." Lizzie pointed out.
"Casey can't skate?" Edwin repeated gleefully.
"Nope." Lizzie said.
"Its true," Nora put in, "Dennis took the girls out once when they were little. Lizzie came back beaming, Casey came back in tears," she said smiling fondly. Casey wondered how she could go about finding a new family, craigslist maybe?
"One time my class went on a field trip to the skating rink, and we could all skate. How come you can't Casey?" Marti asked.
"I tried once and I hated it, so I never went again." Casey said flatly.
"Why did you hate it?" Marti persisted.
"I just did." Casey spit out, "Can I be excused now, or would you guys like to insult me some more?" She said.
"Aw Casey we weren't-" Nora began, but Casey had already stormed away from the table.
"Casey!" Derek, who'd be uncharacteristically quiet during the 'Casey-can't-skate' conversation, called out.
"What?" She snapped warily, turning on her heel to face him.
"You really can't skate?" he asked getting up to stand in front of her.
"I really can't skate. I didn't know it was a crime!" She said, a slightly hysterical note in her voice.
"Chill. I teach you." He said.
"You'll what?" She asked, ignoring the twin gasps from Lizzie and Edwin, who were watching this exchange looking fascinated.
"I'll teach you to skate." He repeated, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Why?" she asked.
"Because I can't have you not knowing how to skate, it might get out and reflect badly on me." He said.
"But I don't-" Casey started.
"Besides you don't want to be pathetic forever do you?" he asked.
"I'm not-" she started again.
"Good. That's what I thought," Derek interrupted, "So two o'clock tomorrow. You and me. We're going skating."
"You can let go of me now Derek," Casey snapped feeling cold and miserable. Her ankles hurt, her butt was bruised from falling so many times, and every time Derek grabbed her hands or waist to steady her, it made her entire body tingle maddeningly.
"If I let you go now, you'll fall again." He said, tightening his grip on her waist.
"I will not." she said, wiggling a little and trying to create space between them
"You've fallen the last 12 times I let you go, why would this time be any different?" he asked
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" she asked, as they moved across the ice together.
"Enjoying what? watching you fall?" he asked.
"Watching me fail miserably." She said.
"If I wanted to watch you fail miserably, I'd just watch you try and talk to Max's lame friends," he said moving his hand from her waist to her back, keeping her steady.
"Some of them are your friends too, and I do not fail!" she said.
"Yes, you do, and no not really, they're just people," He said, moving his fingers in what she could have sworn was a purposeful circular pattern on her back.
"So why are we here then?" she asked, willing her self not to lean in towards him.
"What?" he asked.
"If not to watch me fail miserably then why are we here?" She asked.
"Casey, not being able to skate is like, I don't know, not being able to read or something. Its appalling, and if you can't skate it might make me look bad, us living in the same house and all." he said.
"Did you just compare ice skating to reading?" she asked.
"Its true! Everyone should be able to skate!" He said, then he shifted away from her a little, "I think you have your balance, so I'm gonna let you go and skate a few feet away. You skate towards me and try not to kill yourself. Got it?" he asked, moving his hand away. Casey was annoyed by the sudden chill she felt at the loss of his hand.
"Reading is a vital life skill, skating is-"
"A vital life skill?" he suggested cutting her off and skating away, "ok, go." he said.
"A recreational activity," she corrected him making tentative strides across the ice.
"People-people like you- read for recreation," he said as she reached him. He placed a steadying hand on her elbow and said, "that was pretty good."
"Thanks," she said, "and whats your point?"
"That reading and skating are comparable." he said.
"If you ever actually read anything, you would know that's an absurd argument." she said, "Can I try again?" she asked, putting a hand on his chest to steady herself.
"Yeah-here," he said, letting go of her and moving back several paces. "Go head. And I do read." he said.
"Playboy is not reading," she said, skating towards him again, pleased with herself for not falling.
"Well you know what they say," he said smirking, "A picture is worth a thousand words." he finished as she reached him and placed a hand on his chest again. "You're getting better. Lets make a lap with me not holding you." he said.
"Ok," she said, shifting away from him, "You're ridiculous," she said as they began their lap.
"I think the word you were going for there was charming," he said with a smile.
"If only I had inhaled enough brain cell killing hair spray to believe that one." she said rolling her eyes.
"As opposed to your 'gets-hit-on-the-head-a-lot' football player boyfriend?" he asked.
"Hey. Max is smart!" she said.
"Oh yeah. Guys a real genius." Derek said sarcastically.
"So tell me Derek how many classes have you almost failed this year alone?" she countered sweetly.
"That's different. I don't try." He said smoothly.
"Right, of course not, because reading is only a recreational activity right?" she asked with a grin.
"Exactly." he said.
"And skating is a vital life skill- Oh my god!" she interrupted herself.
"What?" he asked, bemused.
"I just made a whole lap! Without falling!" She said clapping her hands together excitedly.
"I noticed," he said, grinning.
"That's more than I've ever done in my life combined. I can't believe you actually taught me to skate!" she bounced.
"What can I say? I'm just amazing." he said.
"Thank you!" she said, pulling him into a hug. To her surprise, he didn't pull away, instead he placed his hands around her waist and pulled her in closer, returning the hug. Her skin tingled again at his touch, and before she could stop herself, she was leaning up to kiss him, tentatively, slowly. "Sorry!" she said pulling back, "I didn't mean to-" her words were cut off as he leaned down to kiss her.
She threw her arms around his neck and let her fingers tangle in his hair, he tightened his grip on her waist and pulled her even closer to him across the ice, deepening the kiss as she was pressed up against him. His hands traced up and down her back, and then reached her hips, where they lifted her off the ground. Almost instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and he skated them to the ledge where he placed her down and began kissing her in ernest again. His hands moved to her thighs, fingers tracing circles and making her heart race, she moved a hand from his neck down to his chest, suddenly desperate to touch him everywhere. To be touched everywhere.
"Derek-" she breathed when he pulled his mouth away from hers, seeking her neck. She gasped when his lips found the space between her neck and shoulders, "Derek" she said again, her voice almost a whimper.
"Casey," he said, moving his head up so his eyes met hers, hands still on her thighs, "this is defiantly a vital life skill, one I think we should practice together," she opened her mouth to respond, but he put a hand up to quiet her, "In fact we should we should have been practicing this for months now, we're going to have to make up for lost time." he said.
"We'll have to work long hours, late into the night," she said, grinning and deciding to save a serious conversation for later.
"Maybe even all night long." he said, raising an eyebrow suggestively.
"Well it is a vital life skill, we should prefect it." she said.
"You are a perfectionist." He said.
"Lucky you," she returned.
"Very lucky me," he affirmed leaning in to kiss her again, causing the world to fall away.