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mekachu04He can't sleep, so he skates.
As a kid, he snuck out to a frozen pond to skate at night; not always anything fancy, just... to skate.
As an adult, living in the city, there's no pond. But he's got friends in odd places, and Shadwell not only has keys to a rink, but doesn't even mind cleaning the ice when he's done.
Well, maybe the man did mind, but he never said anything to Crowley.
Sometimes he skates with Crowley. Some times laps, sometimes they dance. But sometimes he just sits in the stands and smokes, reading a newspaper or a book. plays on his phone. on occasion he'll opens the rink up for Crowley and tells him to call when he's done before disappearing for the night.
Still.
When he can't sleep. He skates.
With blades on the ice, he just drifts, letting the chill of the air take the for front of his thoughts and lets anything else in his life fall away like it just.. in the end... doesn't matter.
He doesn't let his growing aggravation with Lucian's captain choices continue to fester. He lets his frustration with the ISU slip away. He skates until the only thing left if the ache in his legs and the burn in his chest, and Shadwell has gotten the Zamboni ready and has it sitting at the open corner.
By the time he's drying off his skates and packing them away he's to physically tired to think anymore, and it's all he can do to stay awake while Shadwell resets the ice. He doesn't have to wait, but he does. Shadwell is one of the strangest friends Crowley has - and he roomed with Hastur for a year before he was traded out so Ligur could move in - but he is a friend none the less, and he knows the man doesn't have many. And if Shadwell will come open the rink up for him after hours, it is the very least Crowley can do to stay until they both leave for the night.
Plus, Shadwell - the straightest straight man Crowley has ever met - doesn't give two shits if sometimes Crowley wants to skate in a skirt, and is a strong enough skater no matter which blades he's on that he's willing to dance with Crowley just as much as he's willing to skate with Salley. Well. Maybe the lovely Mme Tracey - a coach that works with adults that want to skate but never learned how as younger more flexible children.
As a kid, he snuck out to a frozen pond to skate at night; not always anything fancy, just... to skate.
As an adult, living in the city, there's no pond. But he's got friends in odd places, and Shadwell not only has keys to a rink, but doesn't even mind cleaning the ice when he's done.
Well, maybe the man did mind, but he never said anything to Crowley.
Sometimes he skates with Crowley. Some times laps, sometimes they dance. But sometimes he just sits in the stands and smokes, reading a newspaper or a book. plays on his phone. on occasion he'll opens the rink up for Crowley and tells him to call when he's done before disappearing for the night.
Still.
When he can't sleep. He skates.
With blades on the ice, he just drifts, letting the chill of the air take the for front of his thoughts and lets anything else in his life fall away like it just.. in the end... doesn't matter.
He doesn't let his growing aggravation with Lucian's captain choices continue to fester. He lets his frustration with the ISU slip away. He skates until the only thing left if the ache in his legs and the burn in his chest, and Shadwell has gotten the Zamboni ready and has it sitting at the open corner.
By the time he's drying off his skates and packing them away he's to physically tired to think anymore, and it's all he can do to stay awake while Shadwell resets the ice. He doesn't have to wait, but he does. Shadwell is one of the strangest friends Crowley has - and he roomed with Hastur for a year before he was traded out so Ligur could move in - but he is a friend none the less, and he knows the man doesn't have many. And if Shadwell will come open the rink up for him after hours, it is the very least Crowley can do to stay until they both leave for the night.
Plus, Shadwell - the straightest straight man Crowley has ever met - doesn't give two shits if sometimes Crowley wants to skate in a skirt, and is a strong enough skater no matter which blades he's on that he's willing to dance with Crowley just as much as he's willing to skate with Salley. Well. Maybe the lovely Mme Tracey - a coach that works with adults that want to skate but never learned how as younger more flexible children.
