Off The Ice

Chapter 38

~Suga~

"An aquarium?" Suga asks, eyes light as they pull into the parking lot.

"Yeah, as long as you want to." Daichi parks and glances over at Suga a little anxiously. But then Suga meets his gaze, eyes wide with excitement and smile big and any uncertainty Daichi had instantly vanished.

"Yes I want to!" Daichi laughs a little before they both get out of the car.

"Good, seems like I chose well." Suga grins at him as he walks around to the car to the ecstatic boy.

"Yeah I umm, I've never actually been to one before." Suga bites his lip in hopes to stop smiling so much.

"Really?"

"Nope."

"Well then you are lucky you have an expert here. Having 4 younger siblings leads to lots of trips to aquariums and zoos." Suga laughs as Daichi sticks out his hand for him. "Shall we?" Suga glances at his hand, a pang of anxiety entering his mind.

"Umm, are you sure you want to hold my hand?" Daichi gives him a soft questioning look while Suga shrinks in a little on himself. "I just mean, there are a lot of people around..."

"Well, personally I couldn't care less. But, if you are worried we don't have to." Suga looks around anxiously and then at Daichi, who still smiles at him sweetly.

This isn't like back at the rink. Being harassed by the same group for years. Them knowing their names, knowing them. Here, no one knows him. It's very unlikely anyone would say anything. And besides, he has Daichi now.

Suga relaxes and smiles before taking the boy's hand. "Lead the way." Daichi grins and they start walking, fingers intertwining while Suga stays close, their shoulders brushing as they walk.

~~~

"Okay so, what do you want to see first?" Daichi asks once they paid and got through.

"Well, what is there to see? Like I said I've never been before." Daichi hums before smirking.

"There's fish." Suga rolls his eyes.

"Shocking." Daichi laughs and slowly starts to lead them down a carpeted hallway.

"Basically there are different sections. There are of course areas with all the tropical and colorful fish. Then there are areas with crabs and starfish. There's also an area where you can actually touch things like starfish and manta rays. And then there's the rehabilitation area, where you can see the dolphins they rescue and take care of before releasing them." Suga hums thinking.

"Can we start with the manta rays?" He asks hopefully, making Daichi's heart melt a little.

"Of course." Suga grins and jumps a little, swinging their hands as Daichi leads the way.

They walk through the lightly decorated hallways, carpets with animal designs, and lights imitating water on the walls. There are children, running around and laughing while tired parents try to get them to calm down. The sight makes Suga smile a little, letting Daichi lead them to an open, almost echoey room.

There are pools around with different aquatic animals, employees keeping the animals safe, and managing all the children who are trying to grab the poor creatures. Daichi leads them over to one of the bigger pools, where there are also fewer kids, and stops once they reach the glass that reaches their waist height.

Suga's eyes widen a little as he watches the gray creatures glide through the water, coming close to the surface before gliding back down. Daichi glances at the boy next to him, smiling at his bright, fascinated expression.