Chapter Text
Ice dancing is beautiful. Magical. Intimate.
It’s about trusting someone so much you fall into perfect rhythm with their every skate, every movement, every gesture. It’s knowing the exact move your partner is going to make ten paces before they make it. It’s knowing they won’t let you down in the middle of a lift. It’s trusting someone to make each step in perfect synchronization.
Two bodies. One mind.
Lumine wasn’t sure she had that anymore.
“Have you finished unpacking yet?”
“Uhhh… no,” She admitted, feet hanging over the back of her living room couch, sky blue cell phone pressed against her ear. She cast a lazy glance over towards the kitchen, wincing at the sight of the still unpacked containers. “Half of the boxes are still stacked by the front door. Turns out, I have too much stuff.”
“I’ve been saying that for years,” Aether mumbled on the other line. She could see him now, blonde brow pinching as he lounged on his near-identical couch. “Do me a favor and have it all unpacked by December? I don’t want to trip over it when I come to visit.”
She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “So picky.”
“Is my sweet kitty doing okay?”
Lumine scoffed again, glancing at the one thing she had set up the moment she’d gotten here. On the top of the cream colored cat tree, Paimon lay on her back, her little pink tongue sticking out of her fluffy white lips. “Figures you’d be more worried about her than me.”
“You can handle yourself,” Aether teased, the sounds from his busy apartment in the background. She wondered what Lyney and the others were arguing about this time. Part of her wished she were there to put them in line, since Aether wouldn’t. “Paimon would die of starvation if she didn’t eat every two hours.”
“Mhmm.”
“Lumi.”
“What?”
“I can hear it in your voice,” He said simply and she knew she’d been caught. Her face twisted as he asked, “What’s the matter?”
So, so much. She didn’t know what she wanted. She didn’t know why she’d come back. She didn’t know if she should continue.
“I’m just thinking ahead,” She lied, chewing on her bottom lip. As if sensing her discomfort, the kitten in the cat tower across the room poked her head up and stretched. The present from Aether to accompany her on these lonely Snezhnayan nights was already proving most helpful. “I wish it were December already. Actually, I just wish you were here.”
“You wish that every time you go back,” Her twin said, a heavy sigh in his voice. “And yet, you’re the one—“
“I know, Ae. Thank you for the daily reminder.”
“Besides,” He continued, unbothered by her interruption. “Soon you’ll be so busy you won’t have time to call, let alone miss me. In between practices and media events and school—“
“You’re supposed to be comforting me, not making me more nervous,” She grumbled, glancing down at the fluffy white kitten now settling on her chest, purring softly. Lumine couldn’t deny the wonders it did to soothe her frayed nerves.
“Oh please,” Aether said, and she could see him rolling his eyes despite being three countries away. “You love being busy. Especially this year, since being busy will keep your mind off the Teyvat Twelve.”
“You’re making it worse.”
“This is why people call me the optimist, Lumi.”
She let out a gasp of faux horror. “I’m optimistic!”
“Hardly,” Aether purred, chuckling under his breath. “Why don’t you text Ajax? He’s great at calming you down.”
It took all of her not to physically recoil at the suggestion, even if her twin brother wasn’t here to see it. “No he isn’t.”
“Yes he is?” Her brother scoffed. Another wince— she couldn’t lie to him to save her life. “Sometimes he’s better at calming you down than I am.”
Lumine only sighed, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She hated how accurate that was.
“Did you even text him that you were back in town yet?” Aether continued, ignoring her bout of silence and breaking down every wall she still had remaining.
Her stomach churned so violently that Paimon lifted her head, deep blue eyes narrowed. A silent warning to get it together before she decided comforting her was not worth the stress. “…I’ll see him tomorrow at the rink for team meeting—“
“Lumine!”
“What?!”
“He’s your ice dancing partner!” Aether shouted so loudly that the background noise of his busy apartment died in an instant.
This time, she didn’t bother trying to hide the scowl on her face— after all, he couldn’t see it on the phone. “And?”
“And you used to be joined at the hip!”
Another flip of her stomach. Paimon let out a high-pitched meow. “Things change.”
Like the annoyance on her partner’s face when they’d come in fourth at finals last year. Like the boredom he wore in between practices. Like how dramatically he had been changing since he was fourteen. Eight years later and it just kept getting… worse.
Worse wasn’t the right word to describe what had happened to Ajax. But it was the only way she could think to understand the change he’d undergone. From a shy but determined boy to something chaotic and dramatic and aggressive.
Lumine knew she was one of the only people to really see it. His parents and siblings had noticed– probably. She’d tried to explain the change to Aether, but he hadn’t really seen it. All he’d said was that Ajax finally seemed comfortable in his own skin.
And then had come his blasted first true love in a sport she didn’t understand.
“So he got signed to play pro-hockey at the end of last season,” Aether tried as she ran a hand over her face and sighed into the phone’s receiver. “That’s a good thing! You both knew ice dancing had an expiration date, he’s just looking ahead—“
That was not what Ajax was doing.
She chewed her bottom lip. “What if it distracts him from this year? We have to be perfect.”
“It probably will, but—“
“—Choose your next words very carefully—“
“But you’re just as focused on school,” Her twin said, ignoring her empty threat. “If anyone can balance classes or hockey and training for the biggest event in ice dancing, it’s you two. You’re going to win gold this year.”
The first hint of a smile toyed at her lips. “You’re just saying that as my brother.”
She could hear an identical smile in his voice. “Is it working?”
“No,” She lied.
“Well,” Aether continued, unbothered by her answer. “After this season, you won’t have to worry about him being distracted. How’d he take the news?”
Silence.
“Archons, Lumine.”
“I figure he’ll be happy anyways, so there’s no reason to rush it!” She shouted, desperate to defend herself. The move annoyed Paimon one time too many, the fluffy white kitten yowling at her and hopping off her chest.
“Ajax hates surprises.”
“It depends on the surprise,” She explained softly, watching the kitten as she padded over to her little bowls. In truth, she wasn’t sure she could handle seeing the look on her partner’s face when she told him she’d made a decision. Crushed wouldn’t even begin to describe it, even if he did have a fancy new hockey career to focus on.
“You know him better than I do,” Aether sighed. Then he cursed as she heard a tiny beep come through the phone. “Fuck, that’s Albedo calling.”
Another small smile played on her lips. “Go talk to your not-boyfriend.”
She could already picture her twin’s vibrant red cheeks as he stumbled through his usual excuse of Albedo isn’t my boyfriend! Then with a grumble, he said, “Fuck you, text Ajax. At least let him know you made it back safely.”
Lumine rolled her eyes. “Goodnight, Ae.”
“I love you!” He shouted down the other line as she hung up on him, leaving her alone in the silence of her apartment once again.
Despite the late summer nights of Snezhnaya, the sun had already faded behind the ring of mountains surrounding Zapolyarny City. The sky was alight with auroras, the greens and blues dancing amongst the stars a comfort wrapping itself around her. No matter how far away her twin brother was, she knew she could always stare up at the sky and imagine him asleep under the same patterns in the heavens.
Lumine glanced back down at her phone as she rolled off the couch, finger hesitating on Ajax’s name. The last time she’d texted him was for his twentieth birthday, saying she was so proud of him and couldn’t wait to see him. It had been the truth. He’d eagerly responded and they’d talked for hours, just like they used to. But the moment he’d offered to call, she’d chickened out and lied that she was about to go to bed.
Ajax wasn’t the only one who had changed in the past few years, just the most noticeable.
She let out a shaky breath through her pouty lips as she stared at her phone, biting and chewing them raw. Aether was right; it hadn’t always been this way and they used to be utterly joined at the hip. She missed the days where she could call him over and he’d be at her side in an instant without feeling like she was interrupting the new life he had without her.
She thought once he’d signed on with the Harbingers last season, he’d have told her he was quitting ice dancing to focus on his job. And as heartbroken as she would have been, she would have accepted it. It would have given her the chance to focus on her school work and finally graduate after far too long with her nose buried in a book.
Her finger fell away from his name as she clicked her phone off and began turning down the lights in the apartment. After all, there was still a lot to do before her early morning start.
***
Whatever nerves Lumine still had lingering after a long night’s sleep dissipated the minute she stepped foot in the rink.
The chilly air, the hum of the fluorescent lights, the smell of the freshly paved ice— all of it settled her worries in a split second. The ice rink had been her home for nearly thirteen years now and she loved every second she spent here. Sometimes, it was the easiest way to clear her jumbled thoughts, all by putting in headphones, lacing up her skates and throwing herself into the song without a routine or an audience.
Her muscles hummed to life as she stretched, some ethereal alternative song playing on shuffle. She spotted him moments after he noticed her, his long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck, his jacket pulled up to cover his exposed neck; her coach had never done well in the cold, something that had constantly made little Ajax and Lumine laugh and taunt Zhongli that he’d chosen the wrong career.
“Ah, Lumine!” He waved as he hurried over, long legs easily closing the distance. “Glad to see you made it back from Mondstadt safely.”
“Hi Zhongli.” She waved back, pausing her music but not her stretches. “How’s the rink been since I’ve been gone?”
“Very busy,” He admitted, coming to stand in front of her as she grabbed one skate and stretched her lower back. Her muscles ached with a stiffness she hadn’t expected; she’d skated several times during the three month off-season, but even that didn’t do enough to maintain her flexibility. She needed to head back to the gym soon. “Lots of up and coming dancers, all eager to get ahead.”
“I’m sure.”
The smile he wore was gentle and reassuring, a relief especially today. “How was your summer?”
“Also very busy!” She cheered, lacing up her skate. “I took two extra courses and also did an internship in Liyue. Trying to graduate before I turn 40.”
He chuckled under his breath, patting her shoulder in approval. “You have plenty of time. When do you start classes?”
“Tuesday.”
“How many credits?”
“Ten.” At the tilt of his head, she cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to overwhelm myself again.” The last year had nearly broken her as she pushed to take as many classes as she could fit, while also including a very busy skating schedule. The amount of times she’d had a breakdown on the ice…
“Courses?” Zhongli interrupted her train of thought, as if he could see her spiraling into the past season all over again.
“History of Teyvat and Teyvat Geopolitics.”
The old rock’s amber eyes danced. “Sounds like a wonderful semester!” He offered and she beamed at the approval. Then he gave one slow glance around, his brow furrowing. “Have you seen Ajax yet?”
Ugh. There went her good mood. “Nope.”
“He’s probably running late,” Zhongli mused, tapping his finger to his thin lips.
“As usual,” She grumbled, nose scrunching. She glanced down at her laces and frowned at the haphazard way she’d stitched them together. With a sigh, she quickly undid them to start again.
Her coach watched her in silence for a few more moments, then stood and cleared his throat. “Well,” He said, his brow still furrowed. “Why don’t you begin warming up and I’ll go search for our new team addition?”
Lumine whipped her head up to look at him. “New team addition..?”
“A secret weapon, I believe.”
“Ah, so you still have some tricks up your sleeve, old man,” She teased, finishing lacing one boot and returning to the other side.
“Absolutely.” Another soft laugh from Zhongli, though she doubted it was from her ‘old man’ comment. “If you want this year’s gold medal, you have to take it to the next level. I’ll return in just a moment.”
Lumine studied his broad shoulders as he walked away, then put her headphones back in and went back to her normal routine. A new addition to the team was never a bad idea, especially after Zhongli dismissed their old choreographer at the end of last year’s season. Not that there was anything wrong with her methods, she was just… different than what they had all expected as a team. Still, there were only a few choreographers she could think of that hadn’t been snatched up by other ice dance groups, and almost all of them did not live in Snezhnaya.
She finished lacing up her other skate and let out a breath, ready to feel the fresh ice under her feet once again. Just as she was about to take a step into the rink, though, a wall slammed into her from behind, lifting her off her very-shaky feet and spinning her around.
The shriek that escaped her was not natural.
“Hey girlie~”
“Ajax!” She shouted, elbowing him in the ribs. His muscular arms only tightened around her, the air leaving her lungs as he squeezed. “Put me down!”
“And if I don’t?” He purred in her ear, his breath hot against her neck. She could practically see the wicked grin on his face.
Lumine frowned, nudging him in the chest again. “I’m wearing skates and will slice your leg open.”
“Ha!” He barked a laugh, but he did put her down on the ground again. “That would put an end to our season pretty early.”
She whirled around to glare at him as soon as she was back on stable footing, her brow pinching at the same time her stomach flipped. His grin was electric, his warm fingers resting against her hip and spreading his infectious heat throughout her core. Little droplets of water clung to his wild red hair, the dark freckles spread across his strong, straight nose in a pattern she’d studied for years. The scent of pine, sea spray, and sweat clung to him, and despite herself, she let it comfort her the same way the dancing auroras did.
Something in her chest screamed with longing and joy.
Lumine frowned, quickly glancing away. “You smell like a dirty locker room,” She lied, using the excuse to put space between them.
The joyous smile on his face instantly vanished. “Eh? I showered!”
“Then either you did a terrible job or you just naturally stink.”
“Counter-option,” He teased, wrapping his muscular arm around her shoulder and tugging her close.
She yelped, trying not to instantly fall over on the skates. Not that Ajax would let her stumble. “What’s that?”
“You missed me,” He whispered, his voice dropping an octave directly into her ear. “And you’re trying really hard to hide it behind that cute mask of annoyance.”
Heat flooded her face. What?! She wanted to shout, but instead she pushed his body hard and used the moment of surprise to slide onto the ice, putting just enough space between them to relax. “I’m annoyed that you’re late.” She said when she finally felt confident enough to meet his gaze.
“Hockey,” He shrugged, dull blue eyes shimmering in the fluorescent light as he sat down to hurriedly start lacing up his skates. He’d always been eager to join her on the ice, something that made that thing in her chest scream all over again.
She cleared her throat and tried not to let all of the emotions in her frazzled brain get to her. “Let me guess. 6:30 practice?”
“Which meant a 5:00 wake-up call.” In a split second, he was onto the ice beside her, the song of his skating music to her ears, a melody she was so intimately familiar with.
“Do you ever sleep anymore?” She asked, watching him do a lackluster stretch routine.
A flash of that same, dangerous smile. “Nope,” He hummed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he swirled around her. “When did you get back?”
Lumine failed to hide her wince, glaring at their path with feigned interest. “Uh… Wednesday.”
“What?!” Ajax shouted, his voice echoing across the empty rink, coming to an abrupt stop. “And you didn’t call?”
“It was late and then I got swept up into unpacking and…”
“Did you move all those boxes upstairs by yourself?”
Her brow twitched. “What, are you surprised?”
“Well, yeah.” A flash of his dangerous smile sent shivers down her spine as he slowly moved closer, their lazy movements a perfect match. “Your arms don’t have that much muscle—“
“Shut up, yes they do!” She swatted his chest and he threw his head back and laughed, his messy red hair flinging in every direction.
Nevertheless, he continued. “And you always whine about carrying them up all those stairs before…”
The rage rippling off her may as well have been a wildfire. “I hate you.”
“No you don’t.”
“Shut up.”
“Next time, just text me,” He booped her on the nose, then took off to skating a warm-up lap around the rink, as if he hadn’t been on the ice since earlier that morning. “I’ll be over in a split second.”
Lumine swallowed the knot in her throat, threading the edges of her frayed scarf through her fingers. “Right,” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Next time.”
“Look who finally showed up,” Zhongli’s deep, resounding voice echoed off the rink walls, demanding attention back to him. “Tardiness is still frowned upon.”
Across the rink, Ajax made a noise of indignation. “You know I’ve always been a rule breaker!” He shouted, going back to his warm-up lap. Her eyes followed him as he slowly spun to skate backwards, lazy C cuts as he returned to her side. He came to a screeching halt right beside her. “Besides, I thought you and my coach talked.”
Zhongli’s liquid amber eyes narrowed. “Yes, I spoke to the Tsaritsa. We’ll cover the details of your schedules in a bit, as both are incredibly complex this year.” He slipped a clipboard out from underneath his arm and ran a long finger down the bullet points. “As for a more important matter—“
“Oh my gods!” Lumine interrupted, catching a glance at the man lingering towards the rink tunnel. “Venti?”
At that, the shadowy figure stepped into the light, ever the one for dramatics. His deep blue and teal hair glowed in the fluorescents as he waved. “Hi Lumine!”
“What are you doing here?!”
Her friend beamed, gesturing to himself. “I’m the secret weapon!”
She went to skate towards him to throw her arms around him in a big hug, utterly overjoyed to see another familiar face from Mondstadt this deep in Snezhnaya. Before she could, though, Zhongli put a finger to her face and shook his head. “Ahem,” He said through clenched teeth. “Let me start from the beginning so Childe stops staring at the two of you like you’re flopping fish.”
Lumine looked over her shoulder, amusement thrumming in her veins at the sight of her wide-eyed partner glancing between them. “Sorry,” She whispered, though it didn’t hide the laugh in her voice.
His blue eyes found hers and he offered one of those rare, gentle smiles. She thought those had disappeared years ago.
“As you are aware,” Zhongli began, calling attention back to him as she returned to Ajax’s side. “This year’s skate season includes the grand finale of the Teyvat Twelve, the six year celebration of winter sports around the world. This year’s competition is in Fontaine, and taking home the gold is your goal.”
“Right,” The ice dancers said in sync. One look at her partner and she spotted his extended hand, a silent offer. It was no different than any move he’d made before, and yet something about it hit her in the chest. Was this a sign he fully intended on throwing himself into the season headfirst as he did most things?
She bit her bottom lip hard, then slowly intertwined their fingers together.
“The best of the best ice dancers will be there and they will all be putting their best skates forward,” Zhongli continued, glancing down at his regimented clipboard. “You two are already at a disadvantage, what, with Childe splitting his time between the two rinks and Lumine’s dedication to her schoolwork. So I called in an old favor.” With a sigh, the old rock invited her friend to take his place by his side. Venti easily bounced forward, as fluid as the wind compared to her coach’s rigidity, straight white teeth spread into a wide smile. “Venti, as apparently Lumine is already aware, is our secret weapon.”
“Awesome,” Ajax said, giving her fingers a squeeze. “So… what do you do?”
It took all of her not to swat him as Venti giggled, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. “I will be your new choreographer,” He explained. Whatever reservations she had for this season were quickly vanishing like smoke in the wind, replaced by absolute excitement. “I’m also well versed in the more technical aspects of skating.”
“He’s choreographed several of the top routines in the Teyvat Twelve,” Lumine explained, leaning in to whisper to her partner as if their two coaches weren’t listening. “Plus, he’s known as one of the best ballroom dancers in all of Mondstadt— maybe all of Teyvat. He trained Aether and I when we were younger.”
Ajax blinked in awe as Venti continued. “Sure did! But I’ll leave all the technical work to Master Zhongli here.”
“That is correct.” Their coach tapped his ballpoint pen to the paper. “But first, both of us agreed before we started planning this year’s routines that it would be best to start from the beginning. Start with the basics and go from there.”
Whatever excitement racing through her body dissipated in an instant, her stomach flipping. “Oh.”
Beside her, Ajax tilted his head. “Can I ask why?”
“I saw your performance at the Grand Prix last year,” Venti explained, crossing his arms. “It was… nice.”
Another punch to the stomach. “Nice,” She whispered through clenched teeth, earning her a simple squeeze of the hand.
“I saw a lot that needed work,” Her friend finally finished, followed by a very noticeable wince.
Lumine was going to be sick. She pulled her hand away from Ajax’s to wrap both arms around her body, looking anywhere but at the reality in front of her. Fourth place seemed to still haunt them to this day.
“Don’t get me wrong, you two had the technical aspect down perfectly,” Venti continued, sing-song voice bouncing off the rink’s walls. “But this isn’t pair skating, it's ice dancing. A lot goes into making a performance compelling, and a refresher course isn’t exactly unheard of. It’s nice to return to the basics every once in a while.”
“It couldn’t hurt,” Ajax explained, voice level. So he wasn’t upset about being directly called out for a lackluster performance, then. “Especially in facial expressions. Lumine needs to stop looking like she swallowed a lemon wedge whole.”
She whipped her head to glare at him, ignoring the wild look in his eyes. “Well if you practiced your nuances more—“
“Honestly, you two,” Zhongli sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You’ve been back together for maybe ten minutes and you’re already fighting.”
Yeah, but that was nothing new. “I think it’s more bickering, old man,” Ajax explained.
“Besides, Zhongli,” Lumine continued, hand on her hip. “You’ve dealt with us for thirteen years now. You should expect it by this point.”
“I love it!” Venti clapped, much to their coach’s droll disappointment. “I want to see this energy on the ice! I’m already getting a good idea for your choreography.”
“Don’t encourage them,” Zhongli tried.
Venti ignored him, snatching the clipboard from his hands. “For this year’s rhythm dance , I’m thinking of something loose and modern. A mix of hip hop and jazz. Fun to watch, fun to perform!”
Lumine and Ajax exchanged a look, smiles spreading across their faces. Whatever glimmer of excitement slowly returned as her partner said, “I’m already liking you more than our old choreographer.”
When one of Venti’s brows went up in confusion, Lumine rubbed the back of her head. “We did.. some pretty stuffy and gentle pieces in our career. Nothing either of us considered fun.”
“Madame Ping did a lot of work on those,” Zhongli tutted, hands on his hips as Venti scribbled some notes on the clipboard.
“And they were pretty, but…”
“But when have Lumine and I ever been gentle?” Ajax finished, a dangerous glint vibrant in his deep blue eyes.
At that, Zhongli sighed. “You have a point.”
“For the free dance,” Venti continued when he finished his notes. “I’m thinking a mix of a tango and a love ballad. Something really powerful, raw, and sexy.”
Silence.
Lumine and Ajax took a not-so subtle step apart.
“That’s not the response I was expecting,” Her friend admitted, teal eyes flickering between them as they pointedly avoided each other’s eyes.
As usual, Ajax started first. “It’s just…”
“We can’t do sexy,” Lumine explained, clearing her throat. “We go back to seven and nine years old whenever we try.”
“Nonsense.” Venti rolled his eyes and made several large strokes of his pen on the clipboard. Whatever he was writing must be important. “You’re practically oozing chemistry right now, even in your little arguments. Especially in your little arguments.”
“What?” Lumine’s voice cracked.
“What?” Her partner mimicked, his voice jumping a few octaves.
“Regardless, I agree with Venti,” Zhongli said, ignoring their discomfort as he snatched the clipboard back from the much shorter choreographer. “These two dances will be top level enough to compete against the best of the best.”
“And we can teach you the nuances of being sexy and unlocking that aspect of your dancing you say you can’t do,” Venti explained. “That’s why it's important to return to the basics. So, are you in?”
Two dances, both with vastly different stories to be told. One more modern, one more old-fashioned, both targeting aspects of themselves they hadn’t focused on. Could she even do this? She wasn’t a hundred percent sure she was ready for the intensity of their regiments, not with the goals Venti had in mind.
And yet, she knew she could do it, could put on the best show and strike for gold at the Teyvat Twelve. All she’d wanted since she was nine years old was to share the top of the podium with her partner, both of them beaming with pride that they’d put on their best show.
Lumine allowed herself a glance towards Ajax only to find him already watching her. Something in his azure gaze reached inside her in a way that only he could— not that she would ever tell him that. It seemed to be saying he’d follow whatever decision she made, a silent conversation in this years-long partnership.
“…I don’t disagree with it,” She finally said, watching the smile spread across Ajax’s face even further.
“Me neither.” His eyes were only on her, even if he was answering Venti. “I can keep my hands in respectful places.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that.”
The ice dancers whipped their heads around to glare at their new choreographer. “What?”
“We’ll start our work on the basics on Monday,” Zhongli interrupted, not allowing them a chance to ask more questions even though there were so many more things she wanted to know from Venti’s little comment. “As for now, I’d like you to take to the ice and get a feel for skating again. After all, it’s been a couple months since you had the opportunity to skate together, and I’d really like to hit the ground running.”
She blinked away the lingering cobwebs of shock, glancing up at her coaches. “No routine?”
“Do you need one?” Venti asked, tilting his head.
“She likes the structure,” Ajax explained, crossing his arms. She would roll her eyes, but he wasn’t wrong.
“Then absolutely not. Today, just feel the music. Create your own routine.” With that, Venti and Zhongli peeled away, leaving them alone on the ice.
Nervousness spread through every fingertip as their new choreographer shifted through the music, finding a surprisingly soft tune. Lumine swallowed the knot in her throat as an extended hand filled her vision— Ajax, ever the lead no matter how much they had fought for control. He offered a warm smile, as if he didn’t feel the lingering tension between them. Something about seeing that same grin eased the frayed rope that was her nerves.
She took his hand and let him pull her into the song, letting the sensual music flow around her. It wasn’t immediately easy, but it never was whenever they reconnected. Unfamiliar and shaky in their companionship, their movements a little jagged and a little hesitant, that wavering trust between them a fine line.
But as the music heightened and their skates sang across the ice, Lumine felt her anxiety fleeing, as did the tension in her movements. Ajax’s hands didn’t wander as he hummed along to the tune, terribly off-key. His fingers slowly slid down her spine as he spun her into the curve of his body, pressing her against him.
“How was your summer?” He asked during a lull in between songs, hands on her waist but not daring to try a lift this early into their reconnection.
“Busy,” She breathed as they parted and skated in line with each other. “I did an internship with the Liyue Qixing!”
“Really? That’s awesome, Lumine!” He easily recaptured her hand and spun her against his chest, long fingers gentle in their grasp despite the excitement in his deep blue eyes. “You’ve been trying to do that for years now!”
Heat flooded her cheeks. “It was actually really eye opening. They were so nice— but so focused.”
His smile only grew wider. “Sounds familiar.”
“What about you?”
“Hockey, all day, every day.”
Ugh. “That sounds exhausting,” She said before she could stop herself, spinning around him in a quick twizzle.
A gasp escaped her as he caught her at the end of it, hands at the base of her spine and keeping her right against his firm chest. She glanced up to see him already watching her, a gaze of raw tenderness pulling over his features. Gods— she hardly knew the look, despite years of studying his face, especially these days.
Then he grinned again, flashing a hint of his canines. “It was fantastic,” He explained, keeping her close as they spun slowly on the ice. “I’ve improved so much, they’re starting me as center this year.”
Despite the way her heart lurched, she was happy for him. “I know you’ve really pushed for that.”
“It’s an incredible honor.”
“How do you like your teammates?” The music picked up speed, and so did their movements, separating and returning again and again, no story to be told on the ice other than their quiet conversation of reconnection. “I heard most of them are… ruthless.”
A wild look crossed his face as she skated away. “Aww, you've been keeping tabs on me?”
Lumine frowned. “Kind of hard not to.” In between all of the advertisements plastered across the billboards in Snezhnaya, during every commercial break of her favorite murder mysteries, even on the back of soda cans at her local shops. He was everywhere for a sport that wasn’t even one they shared.
Nevertheless, Ajax beamed. “I’m touched!”
“You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah, but I’m still your idiot.” He used his speed to catch up with her nearly all the way across the rink. “Anyways, they’re… intense. In a really good way, most of the time. They want to win and so do I.”
His scent of pine and sea spray spun around her as they swayed to the beat of the music. She cast a careful glance over her shoulder up at him. “I’m… happy for you, Ajax.”
“Tartaglia.”
“What?”
“My nickname is Tartaglia.”
“Ha, I’m not calling you that,” She laughed, pushing away from him and skating backwards. Her stomach flipped as all the excited puppy energy left his face, replaced by something colder, something she didn’t recognize. “What?”
“It’s my name,” He grumbled, hands on his hips. The music turned frantic, strings hurried and loud as they echoed throughout the rink.
“It’s not,” She corrected, crossing her arms. “You’ve been Ajax to me for years.”
“And now I’m Tartaglia. Or would you rather call me Childe?”
Whatever synergy they had earlier quickly vanished.
“Why do you insist on being called a nickname?”
“Why do you refuse to call me one?”
“Because!” She snapped, throwing her hands up. For a brief moment, there was nothing in the room but their frustration, the rushed pace of the music, and the grating of fresh skates against the ice.
“Real professional, Lumine.” Ajax ran one of his hands through his mess of red hair, his blue eyes narrowed. His jaw clenched the same way it did whenever he got angry; she’d seen it countless times in their career, but very few times had it been directed at her.
“It’s your hockey nickname.” Her words were barely audible, but from the way his brow rose, he’d heard her.
They stood opposite sides of the rink the same way they had done the last time they’d taken the ice together only months ago, having a very similar argument. It hadn’t been resolved then— it likely wasn’t going to be resolved now. Tension rolled off her shoulders as he held her gaze, not backing down from this fight.
The music came to an end very abruptly, not that either of them were really paying attention.
“I think that’s a good place to stop for today,” Zhongli said, walking from center ice.
At their coach’s words, all the anger on Ajax’s face faded, his brow pinched. “What? But we only—“
“I agree,” Lumine interrupted, looking anywhere but at him. Instead she settled on Venti, who was back to scribbling notes on a clipboard.
“You two are fascinating to watch!” He exclaimed as he adjusted his cap. “You really captured my attention.”
Her brow furrowed. “Really? But we weren’t even trying.”
“Exactly,” Her friend’s teal eyes glimmered, a small smirk toying at his lips. From all her time knowing him, she knew that couldn’t be a good sign.
“There is one more thing I want you two to do this season,” Zhongli said, taking the clipboard back from Venti and glancing over the last few notes, giving a subtle nod.
“Sure,” Ajax said, skating back to center ice. “Anything to win. Right, Lumi?”
She refused to meet his gaze, the lingering strand of tension still taut between them. “Right, Ajax.”
“Girlie…”
If either coach noticed their discontent for how that skate had gone or for the obvious mismatch in their energy, neither said a thing. Instead, Venti simply clasped his hands together and raised his chin. “Both of us think it would be beneficial if you two spend time together outside of the rink.”
Where the hell would that fit into her schedule? Into Ajax’s? “Why?”
“I find it really deepens the connection and intimacy partners have, which can in turn deepen the movements on the ice.”
Beside her, Ajax let out a pathetic whine. “Intimacy? What, are you trying to play matchmaker?”
Zhongli shot him a look that quickly shut her partner up. “Do you want to take home the gold medal this year?”
“Yes,” They said in sync, golden eyes meeting blue for half a second, then quickly looking away.
“Then you need to listen to us, down to even the most ridiculous things,” Zhongli continued, handing out the complicated schedules he must have put together while they were in the middle of their skate. “Understood?”
Silence.
Finally, it was Ajax who conceded. “Got it.”
“Yeah,” Lumine mumbled, even though the ache in her chest made the words feel exceptionally hard.
“Good,” The old rock said with a sigh. “Get some rest. We’ll see you two bright and early Monday morning. 9 A.M., sharp.”
It took all of Lumine not to sigh along with him, especially as she watched Ajax skate off the ice in a flurry and disappear into the locker room without even taking off his skates.
Gods. This was going to be a very long six months.