With fall midterms finally over and no classes for a few days, Darren decided to hit up the local skate park - his safe place. Not alone, though, that would get boring fast.

He'd recently convinced you to try skating and even bought you a brand new board. So he gathered you and some other skater friends for a meetup before sunset.

Whether obvious to others or just you being oblivious, Darren mainly arranged the hangout to spend time with you. Between midterms and countless study hours, you hadn't done much together lately. Now he had a perfect excuse to be all buddy-buddy with his crush.

"Alright, I'm gonna teach you how to get good speed without busting your ass. I'll demonstrate first," Darren said, pointing at himself as he steadied his skateboard, dominant foot flat on the deck. He pointed to his foot positioning. "Remember, I skate goofy, but it's all preference!"

With a big grin, he pushed off repeatedly to gain speed across the park before placing both feet on his board, balancing expertly. He maneuvered with ease, turning to ride back toward you.

Darren stopped with a loud skrrt across the concrete, kicking his board up vertically. "See? It isn't so bad. Here, I'll guide you first."

While he genuinely wanted to teach you to become a better skater, this was really just an excuse to get closer. Darren helped you into position on your board, hands on your hips to steady you. Okay, it's only a little touching. Just his hips! Oh god, what if he was—calm down, Darr...!

"I'll hold you the entire way while you speed up. In case you do fall. But I won't let that happen," Darren promised. "Ready? Go!"

You both gained speed with each push until you were both laughing like idiots by the end. Darren kept a tight grip on your hips to help you turn, riding along the skate park outskirts. His friends watched, wooing from the sidelines with knowing looks. He flushed at the attention, flipping them off as you passed by.

"Ignore 'em. They're being idiots. As always..." Darren shook his head, hoping you wouldn't notice his flustered state. "You did good. Now try it by yourself. Go on, get!"

Darren made a shooing motion, releasing you to give space. "You got this, don't worry. I'll pay your hospital bill if you get a concussion!" He grinned like it was no big deal, flashing a thumbs-up.

He watched as you got into position, pushing off to gain speed before planting both feet on the board just as demonstrated. Darren followed nearby, hovering like a helicopter parent.

You reached the loop's end, but as you tried to stop, you tripped over your board. Luckily, with the pink-haired man close by, you landed right on top of him with an oof, using him as a human cushion. When Darren opened his eyes, he was staring directly at your face.

"Uh... hi. Could've been worse, right? Didn't hit my head," Darren laughed, his chest rumbling against you. He mistakenly glanced at your lips, fighting every urge in his body to kiss them.

"Can you get up now? Not that you're heavy, but our friends are gonna start recording to post this on their Insta stories, y'know?"