Another very fun one to work on, bit longer than the previous drabble.
Vamp is definitely OOC but I mean. I feel like you kinda have to write some characters OOC for this.
Also Fatman is the funniest character to write he's such an ass
Vamp / Fatman (Roller Rink)
Surely, rollerblading can't be that difficult a skill to learn, right?
This was what Vamp had assumed when slipping on his brand new pair of black and red inline skates. Wrongfully assumed, of course. Because no matter how well he could walk on water or up vertical walls, the moment he tried to stand upright in his new gear it seemed as though his feet gained a mind of their own and wanted to go anywhere but forwards. He had been trying (and failing) to regain control of them for the past hour and only managed to stay off the ground for a whopping 8 seconds, before flying almost face first into the nearest table. He was in fact currently sitting on said table, undoing and redoing the straps on his rollerblades in the hopes it might, somehow, fix all of his problems.
Vamp had originally planned to practice on the base’s helipad as it was relatively out of view ; but Fortune had talked him out of it, kindly reminding him of the high winds, cold temperatures, risk of rain and the fact that if he accidentally slipped under the safety rails, the fall all the way down into the ocean would be… Unpleasant. That ; and the mess hall was where Fatman liked to skate anyway, so the almost-vampire might as well start there.
Vamp finally finished fiddling with his roller skates and rested his feet on the ground.
He liked Fatman. He never cared to figure out why ; maybe it was the man’s lust for violence and his innate capabilities for destruction ; maybe it was his physique ; or maybe it was his understanding and views of combat as an artform. Maybe it was all of these, or none, or something else entirely- it didn’t really matter. Vamp knew he wanted to get closer to him and rollerblading seemed like a good way to do so…
Although, he’d need to actually be able to stand first.
With a deep breath and focus on his balance, Vamp slowly rose to his feet. He waited a few seconds, remaining steady, then gave a small push with one foot. He slid forwards a few inches, ever so slowly coming to a stop when the momentum ran out. Tentatively, he gave a push from the other foot. A few more inches. He straightened his back, taking in another deep breath. This was good. Very good-
He gave a third push and the world spun backwards.
Vamp’s knees buckled unexpectedly as one foot rolled out from under him and the other was left with too little surface to compensate. He tried desperately to kick his legs- to no avail. The loud clacking of plastic wheels against the floor was only interrupted by a sharp and short cry of surprise as the rogue slipped backwards towards the unforgiving ground. But before either his head or back could make contact with it, he felt a strong grip around his upper torso preventing him from slipping any further.
“You are horrible at this, you know that?”
Shit. Shit. Shit shit shit. Fuck. Shit.
“-Fatman… Good afternoon…
-Good afternoon. Your posture is terrible for skating, your straps are far too loose and as much as I appreciate you looking into professional equipment, high-wheeled racing triskates are the worst possible pick for a beginner.”
Vamp, wisely, opted not to contradict him.
The vampire felt the grip around him tighten as he was pulled upright and guided back towards the nearest table and as he turned to sit down, he got to take a proper look at Fatman. Rather than wearing his usual heavy blast suit, the expert in explosives was dressed much more casually with a Hawaiian shirt neatly tucked into a pair of black cargo shorts. The pattern on the shirt was unusual, blending the typical tropical flower motif with drawings of comically cartoonish bombs- a gift from Fortune from a couple of years ago. He was also carrying a messenger bag over one shoulder and in his other hand holding a wine glass, large, full and adorned with a long twisty straw. And, to Vamp’s initial surprise ; he was wearing his rollerblades too. Fatman was mounted on wheels and yet displayed perfect balance when crouching to put his bag on the ground, not spilling a drop of wine or showing the slightest bit of unease.
“-Quad skates are more stable so we’ll work with that for now, Fatman explained as he set his wine glass down and pulled a different pair of skates out of his bag, These have a higher boot too so they’ll hold on to your ankle better. Once you’ve actually mastered these, then we can give your skates a go.
-You’re going to teach me?”
The question sounded almost more like a statement. Fatman glanced up at Vamp briefly, before grabbing the rogue’s leg and getting to work removing his black and red skates.
“I am, yes. I cannot let you sully the art of roller skating by letting you make a fool of yourself…”
The bomb expert finished unlatching the rollerblades as he spoke. He pulled them off, before slipping the new pair he had brought onto Vamp’s feet.
“... And even if I know it wouldn’t kill you, I’d rather make sure you don’t slip and break your neck…”
He carefully laced the quad rollers and stood back up, giving the vampire’s leg two pats on the way.
“Get up. I’ll show you how it’s done.”
Vamp looked at his feet, took a deep breath and put his wheels to the ground. He found that he was indeed more stable, but as he tried to stand up straight his knees began buckling again. Fatman offered him his arm after having picked up his glass of wine and the rogue gladly clung to it.
“-How did you know I was here?, Vamp asked while awkwardly pulling himself up, I thought you only skated in the mornings…
-Fortune told me. When I heard you were trying to learn how to skate, I ran to grab a pair of quads and came here as fast as I could.”
Even though Vamp could guess this was still about not allowing him to fail at skating specifically, it felt… Nice, that he felt the need to come and help him.
“Alright. Squat, lean forwards, heels in, toes out. We’re working on your posture first.”
The vampire did as he was told while still clinging to the other man’s arm.
As it turned out, despite being rather dry and even rude at times, Fatman was an excellent teacher. He got Vamp to stand on his own in about 10 minutes, mostly through letting go of him or pushing him without warning to force his reflexes into action. Learning to move forwards was a little more difficult and cost quite a few more bruises- mostly from falling onto his side or slamming into tables and chairs. But little by little and with Fatman’s gentle encouragement (dryly pointing out everything he was doing wrong), he slowly got the hang of the proper movements. He even received a reward after finishing his first lap of the mess hall on his own- a few sips of wine. It had taken him by surprise- not because of the drink itself ; Vamp certainly enjoyed a nice glass of wine occasionally- but because Fatman had offered it to him by holding up his own glass, leveling the straw with the rogue’s thin lips. A little hesitant at first, he’d taken a few small sips ; and the other man’s approving gaze and playful smile as he did caused an unusual feeling of warmth to spread across the vampire’s face.
By the time the sun had begun to set over the ocean, Vamp had gained enough confidence to pick up the pace and skate alongside Fatman. The pair made small talk, occasionally passing the large wine glass back and forth.
“Oh, are we out?” Vamp asked as he watched his skating partner finish what little liquid was left in the bottom of the glass.
They had already refilled it twice using a flask Fatman kept on his belt, but it seemed like even that had run dry. The bomb expert nodded and turned, effortlessly skating backwards as he spoke.
“-It seems like it. But… I do have a bottle of Château Margaux I was hoping to open for dinner, if you’d care to join me.
-Is that an invitation?, Vamp asked, raising an eyebrow, Then I’ll take it.
-Good!”
Fatman gave a hard kick and pushed himself backwards, reaching the door in one swift motion.
“My quarters, 7:30 sharp. Bring your roller skates. And don’t be late!”
And with that he disappeared into the corridor, leaving Vamp smiling proudly to himself as he slowed to a stop. Never had he been this excited about a glass of wine before…
