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All the ways Waru was surprised in himself for doing a skate date part du'. It felt like changing bandages on old wounds. Something that'd long since healed, but he didn't wanna peel it off, because then he'd have to acknowledge that it'd healed. That he didn't need the band-aid anymore. Could live with skinned knees and scabs from -- the ache that existed for where 'old friends' would always hold places in his heart.

He'd fill it over with -- new friends -- newer enemies.

He'd fill it with, Alexa. With her ever-soft curls, bright as birdsong laughter. With her smiles. He got ******** toothaches from 'em. He loved it. Wanted to wrap it up warm and safe, tuck it in a pocket for every rainy day and cold wind that'd taken up his minutes in-between one hang session and the next.

He was gonna start making up for it though, right this minute. Right now.

Had a gear bag fully packed. Used Albite as a convenient lifehack to teleport him to the little red pin on the google map. Dropped the powered guise with a shiver for the way the brisk cold always washed over his half naked a**. He didn't know how the ******** most Senshi did it.

Didn't matter though, because as Waru? He was bundled up warm, for once. Mink-bunny scarf, tucked under brown bomber jacket, thrift bought. A tip he'd picked up from Dee. Stole her shopping choices for getting warm on the cheap (because if it worked for ball gowns, then it'd work for winter), stole Lionels penchant for fashion sense. Stole, what was either Haru or Hina's socks. Knee highs and colored in overwatch print. Fangift that he'd plucked off a living room floor. Worn shamelessly. Hidden under black jeans tucked into high-tops laced tight.

He'd switch 'em into blades for feet in a moment -- once Alexa showed.

Until then?

It was kinda nice, to just...Watch the moon and stars catch bright over placid skies, where the image met land, water, and reflected back over the ice. To hang back and breathe while pretending to be a dragon.

Chased heated-breath turned frost with one lungful, another.

Creak of ice off the lake's borders. The crunch of fresh snow being broken. Waru turned, all the slack awe on his face from watching the stars above, sprung straight up into a smile.

"Alexa!!" call returned gladly, broke stance into a run. He kicked up a flurry as he skid up to meet her. Swept her charging form up into a solid hug.

"Hey" soff soff sound, spoken warm and sweet as honey-butter on hotcakes. Practically purred while he spun her slow and squeezed. Held her like he could've imparted 'I missed you' in muscle and morse.

He was so happy to see her. It felt like months, even if it'd been more like days...weeks? How time lost all its track, flew right the hell by. Until he was with friends. With her. He liked the way it dragged on slow, then. How it stood still long enough that he could enjoy it.

Alexas chaste kisses were perfect, warmed him head to toe. The softness of it would bring him to blush, every damn time, he’d find a million other things to blame it on. Crisp air, dry cold. Couldn’t express in words how his heart turned into one big, mushy, beating butterfly of a thing whenever she was near.

Her little squirm prompted him to squeeze her one more time, as he laughed while he let her loose. Snagged her hand in a gentle hold, and waded through the path he’d trudged up to get lakeside.

“Don’t worry. If all else fails? I get extra excuses to hold you. That makes this all worth it.”

It was the truth. He was happy to be greedy for it. To create reasons for them to share closeness and time.

“Really tho…I used to suck at…anything like this? I like outdoorsy s**t. Ski-ing, snowboarding, and if you put my a** on a pair of roller skates — I become Bambi on his worst day. Okay, not like the one when his mom died…but, yanno?”

Run on sentences as he crouched down, cleared a path enough that he could sit without feeling wet. Pull out paraphernalia, skates.

“Then Elliot took me out, rollerblading at this local arcade park…I’m still no good at it, but it got me thinking? So, winter bit and I got really into these. N blades are more our speed..something about gliding along on ice. It’s all the best things.”

Reloooed black laces strings, tossed his boots into the bag, pulled on blades of a similar shade — only glittery.

“Mostly because you’re here and I get to..like..try n be competent at teaching you…but, yeh.”

Warus thoughts got caught between *‘-I don’t wanna bug you- and -yes, please, absolutely!-’* because he knew right then that he would’ve been texting her all the damn time!

He would’ve, he knew.

Because casual was his favorite thing by far, and having the option? An open invitation to it? He was almost worried he’d invite himself too often. Alexa was a General, a student, her time was a valuable thing.

“I’d like that a lot, actually.” Was what came out instead, soft enough to border on bashful. He’d test it n see, would try for blanket forts and movie nights. Might even take her up on it after? He could already imagine cozy pink panda laden fleece throws.

A night spent just sleeping, because sometimes another person’s heartbeat was exactly he needed. A warm metronome beat to bring on good dreams.


But she was talking about skating, so he was listening. “It’s not too different really. It’s a little more of a thrill — since it’s ice. All the adrenaline — and falling down the first hundred-dozen times.” Spoke as he scooted himself to the edge, swept his hand over it and pressed. He knew it’d be frozen solid - thick - checked the edge, because even then? Even if it was freezing cold out? If the edges where the lake met the shore were slushy — he wasn’t about to risk it.

It held though, blue-black reflective sheen with snow bits whipped across its surface.

Took his second chance and stood, kicked the surface with the toe pick - and took a step, another, pushed off and good in a small tight little circle. Before swirling back to wait for Alexas hand - “It’s just like walking on a slip n slide. Except frozen…” stance wide as he held himself ready.

Waru thought of all the differences between them, height and grace and skills. Alexa's secretive small frame that held such core power. The way she managed so quickly what he'd been baby-deer clumsy at in the beginning. He could've cooed for how cool she was. Seconds ticked by and she was standing, gliding, he watched her with growing pride, shifted his weight enough to give her just a bit of space as she inevitably slid forwards.

Managed to be the cutest damn thing while doing it. With all her easy smiles, endless joy that he siphoned like a sponge. It almost hurt, for how hard he smiled back at her.

He was happy though. Even at the thought of her falling; especially if it was into his arms. How the whole of it felt the same as diving into deep waters, off of high ledges that lined cityscapes. Into love. He'd catch her, for sure. Had a nice Alexa shaped space ready in his heart to hold her in after. Dotted outline that spelled her name with pastel pink hearts.

Such a silly thing, but he sighed for it. Puffed soft breaths of fog into the night air around a smile that wouldn't quit.

"Ohmygod, ********, yes! Like, okay - It's Disney princess s**t? But also. I'd love to." Carved a glacial little circle around her form, slow n steady circle at arms length. As much a 'just in case' as a 'wouldn't it be nice to'; because what if she did waver? Fall?

And if she didn't, he could tug her out further onto the ice. Where the blacks and blues of depth got darker still. Could spin her round until up looked like down. How easily the sky became a lakebed on nights like this.

"Nights get late, n when I'm staying up - usually it's all static, right? I watch things without seeing them, because dozing off needs to happen at some poitn. But man, Disney movies are the best thing to fall asleep to. Wards off all sorta bad juju, turning on something sappy in the background. Hero stories n chick flics."

"You're a little cooler than Disney Alexa." low chuckle for all the ways he couldn't begin to imagine her singing - the only winter time song anyone seemed to know. "Unlike a princess, you get to wear black, and look really pretty doing it."

Waru'd always figured that she was pretty, as a General, right now, with every little wobbly step and slide's forewords. The whole General outfit thing, poof's, poms n bows. That? Was pretty - made her stand out in the way a slit skirt up past the hips or military button down coat wouldn't have.

Sylvite was her own person - punk rock pink princess with a heart of sugary dough - and he loved her for it.

He'd been distracted enough, watching her feet, watching his own in-between bites of conversation, he'd nearly missed how she called him prince. Felt his face sear for it as he slid before her, and nearly went down along with for the surprise of her light, compact, frame colliding with his.

Open armed skitter as gravity sent them sliding back, where Waru scrabbled to keep a hold, out of sheer surprise for the unexpected stumble. The least graceful thing he'd ever done - but he had her now - had to laugh until he nearly cried for it.

Because holy hell.

"Alexa! You're....you're too damn good for me..." cracked little thing he echoed while the momentum tugged him along, better to go with it than fight. To play solid wall than wrangle Alexa up any further - she could climb him back to standing all on her own.

He could pull her along properly then, into a better hug, a better hold. Hopefully without ending up on his a** alongside her.

The skitter of blades and laughter echoed, drifted softly over the eerie crackle of ice under pressure as they slide. Waru caught his balance, splayed his legs a bit and dug into the ice enough to kick them into a wobbly little spin.

It meant he could pull Alexa in closer, hold her tighter, decrease their resistance and twirl with her. While they caught speed, her momentum propelling them on.

They could dance. All tangled up in one another. Cuddled close enough to be dangerous.

Just like that.

Awkwardness be damned, Waru stuck his tongue out, because he was ******** weird and he loved it. Because, everything? Knives, magical girls, the fact that he had a whole damn planet floating in the exosphere somewhere in space!?! Weird. But only if he made it so, and he killed the urge to do it, because nothing in the whole of the world could've been wrong right then, not when Alexa said it was 'right'.

It helped that she was warm and vibrant in his arms, that his attention couldn't have been anywhere else, but her pink cheeks and lovely laughter.

"Okay."

Faster felt good. Best. The breeze whipping by that screamed 'free' - of prying eyes - of other people. The shoreline raced back and away like the beating of his heart. Waru knew --- if he didn't kiss the smile off her face? Right then, right there?

He surely would've died.

“I feel like you can do both? Ice skating, stabbing things. Ohman—stabbing things with your feet? S’not like we’re powered n knifed up all the time. Though we totally could be!” laced his fingers through hers as he spoke, twinned glove laden hands and wished it were warmer so he could have them in his - skin to skin — maybe he’d request a beach day when the weather got warm?

He’d take her snorkeling, they’d get sand in between their toes. Little mermaid instead of Aladdin. Except his Princess was a killer Queen in pink lace.

He could only imagine what Alexa would wear to the beach. The idea made him instantly long for cold lemonade — scalding rays. Deeper waters beyond the reef.

After dark carnivals and Ferris wheels.

The soft kiss warmed his soul, he didn’t ask for more, didn’t need it. Was grounded enough by her words, pulled back to earth because he was supposed to be teaching — something — he was sure of it.

“I can always baby walk you along. You’ve got the basics — and of steel — you can stand.” He had endless excuses to keep from unlatching, had to work on simply asking - for more - for cuddles - for endless time to pull her along while the stars whirled across the ice — bright above as it was below.