I wanted to get this up yesterday but I think it's safe to put it up the day after Christmas because the holiday vibes are still here, folks! I hope you all had a great day and, if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a fantastic day anyway because those are few and far between this year, I feel. Enjoy!

Forward Momentum

"You don't have to do this."

Crystal almost choked on her words; her sharp inhale sucked them back in, lodging them in her throat when she pitched forward. The tip of her blade stuttered against the smooth ice and her grip, once so relaxed and loose, tightened in a vice. If I weren't for the two-sizes too big gloves, she supposed she would've cut circulation to his hands in one fell swoop.

Her heart stuttered, syncopated and heavy and a harsh burn deepened the maroon staining her cheeks. She could wave it off as the bite of cold wrapping around them, but then he wouldn't care enough to question it. Still, she lifted her eyes from the tips of the blades tied to her feet and—

Goddamnit, Kai!

His half-lidded gaze coupled with the arch of an eyebrow and unamused pull to his mouth made her stick out her tongue and blow a raspberry. The affect didn't land the way she wanted with bits of her own spit turning around and landing on her face. It fit. The day hadn't turned out like she thought it would as well.

Max had gotten her excited about the idea of participating in Christmas traditions, especially ice skating. The way he described it, it sounded as if they would be granted the ability to fly over ice. In fact, she had been! …The minute she set foot on the slick surface, she sailed five feet and faceplanted. Hard. Tyson's hooting laughter still echoed in her head, growing in hysterics every time she tried to get up only to crash land time and time again. And, of course, Ray somehow made it look so easy.

Honestly! They grew up in the same village; if he could learn to play basketball or ice skate or…or ride a damn bike with such ease, certainly that skill should've translated over to her too…

By the time she threw in the towel, practically crawling off the ice to safety, she had a bruise on her thigh the side of a grapefruit.

"Yes I do," Kai said. He shifted his grip, keeping hold of her palms rather than the limp and empty sections of the gloves' fingers, bending over in such an unnatural way. He briefly glanced over his shoulder, a formality she was sure for no one else occupied the ice but them and hadn't been for the last…however long he'd been dragging her along the ice, skating backwards as if he had eyes in the back of his head. His skates carved into the slick surface as he pulled them in a smooth turn at the top of the rink, legs crossing over one another. Turning back around, crimson eyes locked with electric blue and he stated, "You're a safety hazard."

A laugh burst out of her throat, rolling and curling in a hazy cloud when it collided with the cold air. Still she shook her head, her ponytail brushing against her coat-covered shoulder blades. "I wasn't that bad!"

Kai grunted. "You nearly bulldozed through a chain of children."

"Yeah, well…well…their parents shouldn't have let them play that game. I mean, Crack the Whip sounds dangerous. I was just…" Crystal's eyes lifted to the sky as she thought, "…helping them learn that lesson."

"Mhm." Kai nodded. "I'm sure they appreciate the unsolicited attempt on their kids' lives."

"They bounce back. Literally! One kid ran into a sign and jumped right back up."

"That was Tyson."

She smirked. "My point still stands."

Kai laughed a short, breathy chuckle, easing his puckered brows, curling his lips, and crinkling the corners his eyes.

Her heart stuttered again, this time at the smile on Kai's face. A rarity even with the levity of the season buoying spirits. She'd seen the beauty of fresh fallen snow, gazed upon the stunning display of bright lights wrapped around a tree, gotten lost in the hypnotizing dancing flames of a crackling fire, and none of that compared to the stunning peace found in Kai's open face.

Clearing her throat, she looked away, her eyes resting down on his hands. On the scars racing up the sides of one palm—ripcord burns—the crisscross hashing coating his knuckles—hard launches—the grooves and etched into his fingers—unsafely stopping a blade with bare hands—and the reddened skin fighting off the biting cold. Hands used to curl into fists or tucking into the crooks of his crossed arms. Hands gently holding her own, guiding her, leading her. Heat crawled up her neck as a shot of a strange and pleasant warmth bubbled in her stomach.

"Let go." Crystal licked her slightly cracked lips and held onto Kai's brief inquisitive gaze. "I want to try," she explained, quieting her brain which descended into poking and questioning at her sudden need for space.

Without a word he dropped her hands and backed out of the way, shoving his hands into his pockets as his shifting weight dragged him to an easy stop. The wind tossed around the ends of his blood red scarf, the only swath of color against his dark jeans and black hoodie.

Arms out to steady herself, she concentrated on keeping her knees bent like he'd instructed, but not too bent, pulled her shoulders back to keep from leaning forward, kept her weight on the balls of her feet, and pushed off on one foot. Her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth, her eyes narrowed, and her focus, razor sharp, lay on gliding forward and pushing off with the other foot.

She moved slow, barely shifting forward inches at a time, but it was progress. Steadily, her glides elongated, and she moved further across the ice, the wind pushed against her back, and…wow, Max was right. It really did feel like she was flying.

A sparkle of pride settled in her eyes and she beamed a wide, fanged smile. She was doing it! She was really ice skating! On her own! "Hey Kai! Kai! Look! I can do it! I—"

Her feet flew out from beneath her and, before she could scream, she crashed onto the ice. The thin layer of water ontop soaked into the knees and elbows of her clothes, the patches growing while sliding to a stop. Groaning, she rolled onto her back and peered up at the star-dotted sky through blinking watery eyes.

Shit.

Kai's blades cut into the ice as he slid to a stop near her, looming into view. "You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Crystal replied, still staring upwards. Cold seeped into her clothes and her muscles ached but, as she settled beneath the starry sky, the pain faded. Her breaths streamed out in steady plumes; the brief white haze ebbed and flowed as her heart rate slowed, lost within the grip of the celestial map above. The moon, so full within the crisp black blanket, ignited the stars and put them on display. And she was a willing and captive audience. (Plus it was better than hurting her ego more than the damage she already inflicted.) "I'll get up, just…give me a minute."

He leaned out of her view; the scrape of his blades filled her ears. Movement fluttered out the corner of her eye; blinking, she turned her head to the side when Kai lay down on the ice next to her, lacing his fingers together to rest on his stomach. He crossed one skated ankle over the other and blew out a stream of a breath, resembling a fire-breathing dragon. Pressing her lips together, suppressing a giggle, she rolled her head back in place, sinking into the netting of peace and contentment wrapping around them.

It wasn't Rockefeller Center.

It was her and Kai, lying in the middle of an ice-skating rink, looking up at the blanket of stars stretching into infinity.

It was better.

It was perfect.