A/N: Written as a Chocolate Box 2018 exchange gift for vivaforever597.
The dull sunlight shines on the ice's surface and reflects back at her. Carefully, she ties her laces and thinks about each loop. She takes her sweet time to prepare. She had been so excited to come here and skate with everyone as a chance to unwind, but…
Downtrodden, Hanamaru stares out at the ice-laden. She hears a familiar cute squeak in the distance.
There is a devastating problem.
Ruby moves gracefully out on the ice. She jumps, wobbles, twirls to the sound of her own beat. Her pigtails fly alongside her and her smile is infectious. The ice yields under her feet and she leaps. Her lips round and she yells out something to Riko nearby.
Hanamaru wants to be out there with her, enjoying the freedom and fun Ruby is having without her.
How could this have happened? And she had gloated to Ruby on the train ride that, given time to practice, she would be an excellent skater! Ruby had given her a wide-eyed, admiring look, noting to Aqours how amazing her girlfriend was. Everything that made Ruby happy was right. At the time ice skating seemed so similar to Aqours' practice.
Now, Hanamaru sits on the sidelines. She frets.
She doesn't know how to skate, and she doesn't know who to outright ask for help. Hanamaru can't put her feet where her mouth is this time. She has read books on the subject—just keep a firm posture, keep your feet balanced and spaced out—but the advice flies over her head put into motion. Either way, she must get over the initial embarrassment.
Sighing, she pushes herself to her feet. Hanamaru walks to the rink's opening and hesitates.
You glides into view towards her on the ice. She does an expert leap and a smooth landing. A pang of jealousy flares up in Hanamaru that things are so easy for her. But she shouldn't be upset at her, she knows, because You is far more athletic than her.
"How was that, Riko-chan!"
Riko smiles and cups her hands over her mouth like a cheering fan. "You look beautiful, You-chan!"
You's cheeks redden. Running on her praise, her lips twist into a goofy grin and she skates backwards. She raises her arms above her head in victory.
Hanamaru crosses her arms. She wants Ruby to tell her that, too. And cheer for her on. Even louder!
Then, You spots her. You momentarily leaves Riko and Ruby and drops her arms over the rink's ledge next to Hanamaru. She leans over for a break.
"What's up?" You pants. She rests her chin on her open palm and gives Hanamaru a look-over. "Why aren't you out with Ruby-chan? Having trouble?"
"N-no! Nothing like that at all!" She hears her voice crack. Hiding her feelings for Ruby is impossible.
You shoots her a skeptical look. She tilts her head thoughtfully, smirking. Hanamaru's face heats up. She doesn't see another lifeline around that may save her. And You… You is not easily fooled, and she is good at so many sports. You did so well out on the ice a minute ago. She guesses she can tell You her dark insecurities. You won't judge her.
Hanamaru hopes she doesn't, anyway.
"I have a confession."
"Which is?"
Hanamaru leans back against the wall. Here goes nothing. "I'm too scared… I'll keep falling…" There it was out into the open. Cool girlfriends didn't fall and ruin the moment! They were supposed to show off.
You sizes her up. She puts a finger to her lips and shakes her head. "Oh, that's all? I knew that."
Hanamaru balks. "How did you know!" She didn't tell anyone. Is You a psychic? A mind reader? She must be considering how often she seems to read Riko's thoughts more often than Chika can manage to do.
"I kind of figured when we rented out our skates," You muses. "You were pale and didn't want to touch them. From the corner of your eye you kept looking down at the ground, and you kept closing your eyes. It was weird because you love new stuff like that."
Hanamaru pouts. She pegs her feelings spot-on, but she can't let her spirits go down with the ship.
"Anyway," she replies, steering from her obvious frustration away, "I want to skate with everyone."
A bit sly, You asks, "Everyone?"
Hanamaru glares at her. You doesn't relent.
"Ruby-chan," Hanamaru corrects, wanting to yank her blue-red scarf. She was doing this on purpose.
You hums to herself. She glances out to the rink. "Why not ask Ruby-chan for help, though? It's a good way to spend together if you're honest."
Hanamaru shook her head vigorously. She covered her stinging cheeks. "No! I can't do that, zura!"
"Why not?"
Quite honestly, she knows it's stupid. Ruby keeps looking in her general direction, as if asking when she'll be out there, but she can't face her. She didn't want to disappoint her. "Well, this and that reason. That's all." She taps her fingertips together.
You blinks. "'This and that'?"
Indignation finally hits. "Stop asking me questions!" Hanamaru huffs irritably. And she points at Riko, as though that would clarify everything on her mind.
You's face lights up.
"Ohoho. In that case…" Mischievously, she winks at Hanamaru. You places a hand over her heart and strikes a post with her leg out. "I'll teach you!"
"R-really?" Her heart flutters in triumph after You's incessant teasing. The torture is worth it for Ruby.
"Yeah, sure. It's no problem." You clenches her fists, fired up. "Come out here and let's start, okay?"
Straightening herself, she takes a deep breath, placing her shaking foot out in front of the entrance to the rink. The light on the ice reflects back once again, calling out for her. It was so bright and true like the shining future Chika believes in. But this was Hanamaru's light no matter how fragile it was.
Trepidation floods through Hanamaru's veins despite You's assurances. Her foot hovers above the ice helplessly. As soon as her foot hits, she'll...
"I'll catch you if you fall. Count on me!"
Hanamaru imagines falling headfirst into Ruby's outstretched arms. Ruby's arms are safe and warm. In her fantasy, she buries her face in her shoulder.
"That's easy for you to say," Hanamaru counters. But she doesn't stagger anymore. She steps on the ice as her first warm-up. She swerves, completely off-balance. Her face breaks out in surprise, and You looks like a proud mother hen first thing.
"I really did expect you to fall. Progress!" You says.
Hanamaru's eyes narrow. "Be quiet or I'll tell Riko-chan you've just been trying to impress her, too."
You whistles innocently, but she shrugs and no longer argues. The ball is in Hanamaru's court.
Hanamaru calms down whilst You leads her out further out on the ice. She slowly adjusts to the way her skates cross and drive into the ice, her balance the worst part of it. She hunches over, arms out as though she is a predator about to attack her prey, her fingers splayed out, praying she remains upright. The white puffs of breath in front of her face give her something else to divert the panic she might fall.
Meanwhile, Ruby notices that Hanamaru is finally on the other side of the rink. Ruby's concern melts away at this, though, and she makes a beeline towards her and You. She waves her hands.
"Maru-chan!"
Hanamaru freezes in place. Her face darkens, and she glances in her general direction. She can't see straight; she doesn't want to look her In the eyes. Hanamaru gulps and turns away before Ruby can make it to her side. She sloppily skates away.
"Ruby-chan, go away!"
"Eh?" Ruby's face flashes in hurt for a second. She doesn't expect that reprimanding response. She skids to halt and watches her, outright rejected.
You backtracks while Hanamaru isn't watching and sees her chance. She cups her hand in front of her face. Winking, she whispers to Ruby, "She's trying to impress you and doesn't want you to know she's being stubborn. Watch us from a distance until I call for you and shower her with your praises, okay?"
Ruby's mouth rounds. The reason for her girlfriend's odd behavior is clear. "O-oh! Oh, okay!" It's a bit cute, actually, although she wishes she had known earlier.
Ruby still wishes she could talk to her, because she doesn't mind that Hanamaru isn't good at skating. She is not that amazing of an ice skater yet either. Nonetheless, she supports her on the sidelines.
You skates away before Riko arrives.
"What's that about?" Riko asks.
"Um, you'll see," Ruby tells her, rubbing her palms together. And her stomach does a little flip-flop.
You finds Hanamaru hugging herself, hollowed eyed, staring out at the Christmas trees in the distance. The lights sparkle and she seems engrossed. She takes this whole thing too seriously and You wants her to have fun with the experience. Not fearful.
"You're too rigid." You gets into a no-nonsense teacher mode. She puffs out her chest and inspects Hanamaru's posture. "I see. Bend your knees a bit, and put your weight on the heels of your feet."
Well, those instructions were simple enough. Hanamaru juts out her knees, nearly squatting, leaning backwards. It's wholly uncomfortable and she doesn't think she can keep up this pace.
"Not so dramatically, or you'll be all over the place. You won't be able to catch yourself," You reminds.
Hanamaru paws at the air until she is stable. She straightens herself and manages to keep her feet from collapsing underneath her. A mild victory.
"This is hard," Hanamaru growls.
You nods. "As long as you keep yourself facing forward you won't go too off track. First, walk with your feet like this—" You takes three steps, feet outwards a bit to the sides—"and push in like this when you want to speed up—" Smoothly, she puts her feet in a parallel. With a push to her center, she speeds up in front of her with a graceful arc.
Warily, Hanamaru watches her. So perfect! How can she measure up to that? She spends some time walking and adjusting herself to the ice, the way her blades slice into the ice, the way her feet move even without her permission. She grins when she glides in a straight line and doesn't fall. Then it hits her that she doesn't know how to go anywhere else.
"How did you turn?"
"Oh, you use your shoulder for the side you're not going in." You shrugs her right shoulder and goes the opposite direction. "So if you want to go the left, use the weight of your right shoulder to help you."
Hanamaru rotates her shoulder. At first it's hard to make her body align, push herself, and keep her knees bent all at the same time. She manages to swerve a bit to the right but it is still a weak effort.
You still looks proud of her and it is a start.
Suddenly, the rink wall looms close in her path. Hanamaru doesn't know how she has gotten so close without noticing. She tries to move to the side again, but her feet cross a bit, and she puts her arms in front of her as though she expects to nosedive headfirst, keeping hold of herself.
"How do I stop?" she asks, urgently.
"Bring your feet back to the center and push your heels back to the sides," You says behind her.
But Hanamaru's feet feel like she's flying on pit of tar. She struggles to move her shoulder, her feet wobble and tangle, and she can't seem to bring them into a neat parallel. Her feet stay pointed out to the sides without her consent, and she hurriedly tries to skip the first step and push back like You instructs her.
The world spirals around her. She sees the sky, and she tumbles and sees the flesh of her skate's blade. The frigid ice meets her legs and lower body.
"Zura!" Pain shoots through her backside. Hanamaru groans. She reaches back and rubs at her side.
"It really is rough sailing for a while." You does a flip in the air before landing in front of her. She grabs her hand and helps pull her friend up to her feet
Hanamaru shakes her aching body. Her eyes snap shut. "Stop using advanced moves to annoy me!"
You wags a finger at her. "Tch, tch."
Hanamaru sighs. If only talent magically made her invisible to failure. Just for Ruby, of course.
You's it's-time-for-main-event expression spreads across her face. "I think you need your confidence. Your confidence is Ruby-chan for all this, right?"
"Well, yeah." Hanamaru doesn't even have to think about that. Ruby was everything to her, and if she had Ruby near her, she could lift a mountain.
And that was when fear struck. You flashes a traitorous smile at her, and she turns around.
"Ruby-chan!" You calls. She waves at her. "Your girlfriend has something she wants to tell you. Can over here and let her tell you, it's important!"
At that point, Ruby isn't skating around much at all. She idly chats with Riko a little, but she's watching Hanamaru's progress, excited to see how much her balance quickly improves. Hanamaru looks at her—she doesn't think she notices?—and finds herself immersed. She jumps and squeaks at her name.
"Ah! Tell me what?" Ruby moves towards them.
Immediately, Hanamaru panics. She can only envision herself not impressing Ruby and the thought hurts. She still can't see her like this.
"What is wrong with you!" Hanamaru's eyes narrowed at You. "I told you I'm not ready!"
"Well, too bad, Hanamaru-chan. You're going to have to get good in the next minute, so take your revenge," You told her, and she skates away.
Numbly, Hanamaru's jaw drops. She watches her scramble away, bewildered. But a sudden surge of adrenaline soars through her body and, before she knows it, she is in flight. She zooms across the ice towards You. Her movements are shaky and ready to give into gravity. She nonetheless stands upright.
It is a liberating moment. For that instant, Hanamaru wonders if she's flying on a sea of clouds. Faster and faster. She pushes her feet back and back and then springs forward. The world feels like it's rushing towards her and there's nothing hindering her path. The skates keep going untethered. Wind ruffles the locks of her hair and tosses it behind her shoulders.
Quickly, she reaches for You's shoulder, but she misses and pulls on her scarf. The scarf unravels around her neck. She bats it away, and the scarf soars to the wayside. It drifts on the ice away from them both. You is baffled at her daringness.
You veers off in in the scarf's direction. She hunches over, the tips of her fingers grazing it as she passes.
"No fair," You whines.
This is her chance!
Hanamaru is still high on speed, however, and she turns to fly after her. But the long, snake-like scarf is now in her path and nobody is there to pick it up. She tries to stop but her skates don't keep up with her command. Next, she tries to turn but her skates screech on the ice. The skates are difficult for her to maneuver as far to the left as she silently pleads.
She had it a minute ago! Why!?
On instinct, she covers her face and pushes hard on the ice before she raises up her feet. She flies over the scarf, just a little close to bumping into it herself, and the blades land soundly on the other side of it. The impact nearly undoes her balance again, but she firmly plants the blades in the ice, arranges her feet into a parallel like You says she must do.
She breathes. Stunned, she decides it is pure luck.
You seeks safety behind Riko. She winds her arms around her waist and draws her against her chest as though she was shield. Riko yelps loudly, her eyes bulging, arms flailing. You hides herself behind her.
Ruby tilts her head curiously. During the heartbeat of tension between Hanamaru and her two obstacles she skates towards her. Instead of dodging her, Hanamaru bumps into Ruby's side. She reaches out for something for leverage and automatically grabs Ruby's hand. They spin in a circle while Hanamaru loses her speed. Ruby shakes her head at the cute quirk of her lips as she skids to a stop. To Ruby, she is so off-put at You's tricks but equally playful.
Hanamaru pauses in front of You and Riko with her hand tightly cupping Ruby's, glowering. She debates whether she will be successful if she tries to tackle them both. It is likely she may have a better chance if she launches a counterattack from the rear end.
"You're really good, Maru-chan," Ruby interrupts her train of thought to diffuse the tension, smiling ear to ear. She latches onto her arm and looks cheerful.
Hanamaru's heart melts faster than ice ever can, like the dawn's sunlight over a frosty night. "I thought I was going to crash there. I'm not good at tur—"
"No! You are really, really good. I kept falling the first time I started to skate, but you're not. And that jump was amazing for a first one!" Ruby insists. The strength in her voice shows her praise is not an empty compliment. "You don't have to worry about impressing me and doing complicated stuff in the beginning. I know you'll get better. Let's keep working and get better at skating together!"
Hanamaru's body warms and she suddenly forgets how her breath mists in front of her face, more pleased without worry. She grits her teeth, however. So Ruby had caught onto her plan (which hadn't been especially well-concealed from the start), or…
You stops next to Riko and waves knowingly.
You, that little… Two can play that game.
"Riko-chan!"
Riko double takes at her intensity. "What?"
"I know you've both noticed, but, You-chan showed off earlier because she has a huge crush on you!" Hanamaru reveals, triumphant. Telling Riko is not outing You as much as making You's flirting more obvious than it was; Hanamaru is sure they were close to holding hands anyway. You asked for it.
You's face pales, and the startled look on Riko's flustered face affirms she's… Is that relief?
Hanamaru grabs Ruby's hand. She swings into action for their dashing escape. "Let's run!" She doesn't know where she wants to go on the wide rink. But they have the winter wonder world under the soles of their feet. She will get used to it.
Ruby is whisked away. Riko sputters something incoherent behind them, and You laughs nervously. Neither Hanamaru nor Ruby listen. Hanamaru is no longer fighting to keep herself upright. Her eyebrow is wrinkled in determination, even if she isn't perfect or graceful. And that much makes Ruby content.