Chapter Text
He took a deep breath of the winter air. He loves the way it chills his lungs and makes his bones rattle. But more than anything else, he misses the scent of his hometown. As expected, it is still quiet, even with Christmas approaching. After all, everything only gets festive a couple of days before the actual holiday. No one even seems to be skating in the lake recently. Maybe there was a while ago, but no one is right now.
It’s been a while since Helbram last went home. He decided to study somewhere else, at least for a couple of years. Of course, leaving his best friend behind was the hardest part, albeit temporarily. It’s not that he’s tired of Liones Academy, no. He just decided to take opportunities as Harlequin so strongly suggested.
He shook his head and scoffed playfully as he trudged on the snow. His best friend can be such a worrywart at times. You’d think that he would grab the opportunity to study in Camelot instead of letting Helbram take the chance. But no, he said he still has someone to court.
Speaking of which, when was the last time they talked? Helbram had been so busy with his schoolwork that he hasn’t gone on FaceTime with him these past few months. All he remembers before he left for Camelot is that he can’t just leave the person he’s crushing on. Diane, was it? Whatever. He remembers waving his best friend off dismissively, confident that his crush will end up with some other guy that is hotter and sexier than his dorky best friend.
Helbram decided to drop by his favorite café and maybe pay Gerheade a little visit. He felt his insides warm significantly as he stared at the vintage wooden plaque hanging above the door, Fairy’s Delight. He turned his head to the huge glass window beside him and started searching for Gerheade. Soon enough, he did find her wiping glassware by the counter. But something else made his jaw drop and alarm bells ring in his head.
He unceremoniously dropped his luggage and made a mad dash to the café’s door.
No way, he thought. They have been best friends since time immemorial. They know what ticks each other off, what makes their eyes sparkle like diamonds, and anything and everything under the sun that revolves around the two of them. He knows damn well that whenever Harlequin claims that he will be able to do something, 99 percent of the time, Helbram will be right about him either being too late or not being able to do it at all.
He, in any point in his lifetime, did not expect his best friend to hang on to the one percent that will prove him wrong.
Then again, it has been a while since they last went on FaceTime.
Helbram slammed the door open and yelled at the top of his lungs.
“HARLEQUIN!”
Diane and Harlequin yelped at the sudden loud bang from the doorway, the bell still chiming from its hook. Gerheade squeaked from the counter, almost dropping the cup she was wiping. The sudden brightness made them squint at him. Thankfully, it’s just the three of them in the café or else it would be embarrassing on Helbram’s part, not that he cared.
His back heaved with every lungful of air he takes, the aroma of pastries and coffee wafting around the café and into his nose with every whiff.
“Helbram? Is that…really you?” Instead of responding verbally, Helbram marched over to King, put him in a head lock, rubbed his fist on his head.
“So, my hopeless romantic of a best friend actually got together with his crush without telling me? That’s so cruel of you, Harlequin.”
“H-Hey! Let me go!”
“So you guys were the ones skating here a while ago.” Helbram commented while he munched on a couple of biscuits. “We used to skate here when we were kids, but we never got Harlequin here to join us because he’s too scared to skate.”
King glared at him. It would’ve been intimidating if he wasn’t blushing and marching on the ice to Diane like a toddler. Admittedly, he commended himself for doing it a bit better than he did a while ago. But his legs are starting to burn a little.
“W-Will you stop it already?!” He only cackled loudly as his best friend wobbled and fell on the ice. Diane chuckled and skated over to him.
“Don’t mind him, King.” She reassured him and held her hand out to pull him up. “Your fall improved. That’s good.” Helbram snickered as he watched him chuckle and blush at her compliment. King loves his best friend and all that. But with great love comes the great urge to strangle Helbram.
“Follow my lead, okay?” He grasped her hands firmly and smiled up to her. They ignored the puking sounds coming from several feet away and Diane started to give him tips.
“Try to imagine that you’re skating on the floor with your socks on. But do it one step at a time.” He nodded and did as she suggested. King stared at his feet. He pushed himself with his right foot and his left foot glided a couple of inches forward. A few seconds later, he pushed himself back with his left foot this time, letting his right foot glide a couple of inches.
He looked at Diane and she smiled. “You’re doing okay. But I would suggest keeping your pushing foot at an angle. Your pushing foot was flat on the floor.”
“Okay.” King looked down again but Diane gently lifted his chin up. “Don’t look down. Just keep your eyes on me.”
“Your stance too, King. Dip down a little further. And make sure your feet are pointing outwards.”
“Now, try it again.” He gulped as he stared straight into Diane’s calming eyes. He placed his right foot at an angle and pushed against the ice, propelling himself forward. He did the same with his other foot and back to the other, again and again in slow, alternating strides, each one longer than the last.
“That’s it! You’re learning!” She grinned brightly at him, making his heart gradually swell with confidence with each glide. It definitely feels different from sock skating in a good way, which makes today all the more fulfilling for him. The sound of blades grating on the ice and the pressure of balancing himself as he glided sent an electrifying spark of adrenaline. The burning sensation in his thighs and legs starts to intensify and his mouth feels dry, but he hid it as well as he could, not wanting to ruin the fun.
“Alright. Let’s see if you can keep up.” Diane let his hands go and she skated backwards, her pace a bit faster than King’s. In that one split second, all the noise died down, his heart skipped a beat, his adrenaline spiked up, and his mind went blank. Not even Helbram’s jeers and cackles went through the shock.
“D-Diane! Wait up!” King instinctively reached out for her and his body straightened up, her face turning into one of worried surprise before he realized that gravity is starting to increase on him.
Shit. He flailed as he felt his feet stepping out of rhythm from the smooth glides of a while ago. One final unbalanced step and he found himself falling forward. Once again, he felt the world stop for a second.
Holy shit, am I going to die? He asked himself as he fell. However, a voice nagged at him from the back of his head, telling him to do something. But what was that something?
As he fell, King saw Diane, the concern etched on her face spurring him into action. He can’t help but rack his brain for something and curse himself in the end. How couldn’t he when Diane taught him basic stuff just this morning?
And then it hit him out of nowhere.
In the nick of time, he managed to maneuver his body to the right and roll over on his hands and feet. A disheveled King looked back at him from the ice as he panted, recovering from the shock of falling down. His throat and mouth felt dry, and the burn in his lower limbs felt too hot in his clothing. His heart pounded wildly in his chest and thundered in his ears, so loud that he barely registered the sound of skates approaching him. He can’t help but slump on the ice, his face hidden in his woolly arms and his legs starting to feel like jelly.
“King, that was close!” He looked up to see Diane’s hand in front of him for probably the second or third time that day. He grabbed her hand and let her pull him up. But before he could even utter a ‘thank you’, Helbram started clapping.
“Nice save!” King was torn between chuckling his nervousness off or glaring at his best friend. While he did sound supportive, knowing Helbram, there’s probably underlying mockery in his tone. But he decided to ignore it.
Diane’s voice broke him out of his train of thought. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” He smiled gently at her to make a point and took her other hand, startling her.
“King?”
“C-Can I try again? But give me a warning this time.” Diane blushed at the comment and chuckled. But she still gave him a concerned look.
“Okay.” And with that, they started to skate again. King started with small strides again, albeit a bit more stable. However, Helbram seemed to notice that he is starting to get tired. King’s face is a little red due to exhaustion and the cold weather. His posture is a little more crooked.
“What time did you guys start skating?”
“I think around 9 AM. Then we took a break at around 10:30…I guess?” Helbram glanced at his watch. It read “11:33”. He whistled at King, visibly impressed.
“Wow, Harlequin. You’ve gotten a bit more endurance than before. I wonder why.” King turned to look at his best friend, a bit puzzled by the curious drawl in his voice. His eyes went wide with livid realization as soon as he saw the knowing smirk on Helbram’s face. He yanked his hands away from his girlfriend’s grasp to prove a point, only to wobble and fall forward. For the nth time that day, Diane caught him in her arms.
Helbram cackled at the scenario. King was glaring at him under his messed-up bonnet while Diane just put on a smile. She can only chuckle as she wondered how these two became best friends in the first place.
She felt him get a little heavier in her arms. Diane saw King’s back heaving up and down, his hand clutching her arm and his back is slumped. She smiled tenderly at her boyfriend and without warning, she carried him bridal style, making his face explode in different shades of red. He flailed his arms before wrapping his arms around her neck and consequently, he found his left cheek slightly pressed to her chest. Helbram giggled hysterically at the sight, almost falling off the log.
“D-D-D-Diane?! W-What are you—"
“You’re tired, so I’m taking you home.” Diane felt as if her heart is going to burst as she watched King hide his warm face in his mitted hands. She giggled quietly as he groaned about how it’s still too early for them to stop or how he can still skate.
“You’ve been trying so hard since this morning, King. Maybe we can nap and skate again later. How’s that sound?” Honestly, to him, it sounds like a great deal. His thighs and legs feel like lava jello at this point.
He peeked from between his mittens and nodded. King still can’t help but get embarrassed at being carried by his girlfriend. He groaned internally, mentally taking note of going to the gym.
“Let’s go then.” She chirped as she skated to the edge of the lake. He instinctively leaned closer to her warmth as the cold wind started to pick up, smiling contentedly as he did.
King sighed blissfully the moment he hit the bed. The cool sheets felt heavenly on his warm skin. He rolled around on the bed to cool himself, physically and emotionally. Even though he and Diane have been dating for more than six months already, all the things she does make his heart go crazy sometimes. He can’t help but curse his nerves.
He sighed again as he stopped rolling and lay there like a starfish. He smiled gently as he replayed everything that happened this morning; he got to go on a skating date with Diane and his best friend went home after a long time.
He rolled over again and hugged the nearest pillow, sighing contentedly at how cool it is. The room eventually got colder for his taste and he pulled up his comforter. King closed his eyes as his mind slipped from the world, vaguely hearing a soft waltz lulling him into dreamland.
Everything is pristine. It’s almost like a winter wonderland, what with all the snow surrounding him. The sky is a light blue instead of gray. King checked himself, and he is wearing a long, aquamarine tunic with dandelion-colored hems. He wore midnight blue pants and brown boots. Even with the lack of winter-appropriate clothing, he can’t feel the cold.
The snow crunched under him with every foot step. He slowly scanned the landscape looking for a sign of life other than the tall leafless trees behind him. King walked farther away from the trees, the wind making his tunic flutter, yet he didn’t feel cold.
He spotted a figure in the distance, a lady clad in pink. Even from far away, he can see her dancing and twirling in the snow with no care in the world, her rose colored dress flitting and her brown hair lightly flapping against her back with every twirl. The cold didn’t seem to bother her either. He walked faster to see the dancing princess better.
He felt air leave his lungs in a rush when he did. A gentle smile found its way on his lips when his eyes locked with her amethyst ones. King chuckled lightly as he ran to her and took her hand. As if by instinct, Diane place her free hand on his shoulder and King placed his on her waist. They danced on the snow to an inaudible melody, simply following the rhythm of their soft heartbeats. Their bodies inched closer and closer towards each other until they were basically hugging each other tightly. Her warmth felt heavenly enough to seep into reality.
He blinked blearily as the winter wonderland was replaced with the walls of his bedroom. But it wasn’t cold anymore. The warmth from Diane’s embrace as they danced in that snowy meadow stayed with him. King turned around only to find himself face-to-face with his girlfriend. His cheeks exploded in various shades of red which quickly simmered down as he watched her sleeping face.
Her lips are slightly open as she breathed softly. Even though she isn’t awake, happiness still rested on her features. He gently swept her now untied brown hair away from her face, so he can see her better. Her lips instinctively curled into a small smile as she snuggled more into his covers.
King let out a deep, contented sigh before burrowing deeper into her embrace, letting her warmth take him to dreamland once more.
-XXX-