Chapter Text
kissing is common in Snezhnaya.
newlyweds kiss during the wedding, as a symbol of their love and goodwill. women kiss each other on the cheeks three times as a greeting. Tsaritsa kisses her lover before bed.
lazily, slowly. first of all, on the forehead, brushing the silky purple hair aside. Ei takes good care of it, she's seen it herself: dozens of shampoos and lotions of all kinds. with their length, Ei has to rely on other people to wash it for her. Tsaritsa doesn't mind helping whenever she's visiting.
then comes the little mole under her right eye. they say it's a sign of misfortune - Tsaritsa thinks it's a sign of blessing from the archon of beauty themself. her cold lips touch the delicate, fair skin. Ei places a hand on Tsaritsa's waist. her hand is cold, but not in the way Tsaritsa's one is.
Tsaritsa is cold like the ice. Ei is cold like an abandoned under the autumn wind plastic toy.
Ei pulls her closer, kissing the fragile, pale neck. Tsaritsa had always been the sickly child, relying on others to do the fighting, to carry her books, to carry her, in the end. able to plan world domination, not able to even lift a training sword.
...
it reminded of Makoto to a painful degree. Ei kisses harder, trying to forget.
don't think about that. this is Tsaritsa. cold, gentle and agonizing at the same time.
she kisses her neck again. and again. just one more time, untill her cold skin warms up at least a bit. untill her cold skin doesn't feel like a corpse.
...
the corpse.
Tsaritsa takes her face in her hands. makes Ei look in those bottomless blue eyes.
"let's not think about that now, aha?" she murmured. Ei only nodded. she can't say no to that woman, be it a domestic request or a political deal. especially when she's looking at her like that. especially when she's touching her like that.
one more kiss. Ei feels herself dozing off.
she sees bittersweet dreams that night.