Work Text:
Runa rubbed her mitten hands together before cupping them to her mouth to blow on them. Attempting to create some warmth. Though her frosty breath didn’t help much.
She scowled as she looked around the snowy plains. “What’s taking them so long…” Runa muttered to herself.
Not too far away, Cyril and Audrian were carefully making their way to Runa. Their cautious pace only caused her scowl to deepen.
Runa glared at them. “Oh look who finally decided to show.” She sarcastically remarked with a dignified huff.
Cyril winced at her words.
“What took you so long, huh?” She questioned. The annoyance in her voice clear as she reprimanded the two.
Audrian just shook out the snow from his ashy brown hair and grinned.
“Oh nothing. We were just running some errands for Leo real quick.” Audrian explained, brushing off her irritation before holding out a warm, fresh beignet wrapped in a paper towel. “We brought you a fresh bayg-net though!”
Cyril slipped slightly from the frosted ground, but regained his composure as he treaded carefully to his friends. He rolled his eyes at Audrian’s grammar. “It’s pronounced ben-yay .” Cyril corrected.
“Tomato, Tomatoe.” Audrian shrugged, thrusting the warm dessert into Runa’s hands.
Runa paused. She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips. It was a small gesture from them, but sweet. She brought the pastry to her mouth, savoring the warmth that emitted from the sugary treat.
Cyril adjusted his scarf, taking in the wintry clearing. Snow-covered pine trees lined the frosty plains, along with the small plants that were scattered across the snowy landscape that gave off a small glow. In the middle of it all was a beautiful frozen lake that glimmered in the soft lights of the moon. Audrian gawked as he also took in the terrain.
“Woah! This is sick Runa!” Audrian exclaimed excitedly as Runa mumbled through her pastry an “I know.”
Audrian then ran down to the frozen lake, letting Mica out of their mark, who only ran on all fours beside Audrian down the snowy hill.
Cyril snickered slightly at Audrian while he stood beside Runa who was still nibbling on her snack.
Cyril glanced at Runa. His expression turned slowly from amusement to something that looked suspiciously like fondness. He silently studied the contours of her face. Taking in the way her eyes almost glowed like diamonds in the moonlight, and how her hair fell messily over her shoulders. As Runa finished her beignet, she caught Cyril’s gaze. She raised a brow, wiping the powdered sugar from her mitten hands onto her coat.
“What?” She questioned.
Cyril snapped back to reality, shaking his head slightly before looking away.
“Nothing.” He responded blandly.
Runa stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly.
“Woohoooo!” Audrian called as he skated across the ice, his hair blowing across his face as he slid gracefully across the frozen lake.
Runa tensed as she instinctively averted her gaze from Cyril to Audrian before letting herself relax. She then laughed at Audrian’s childish behaviour.
As if knowing the spotlight was on him, Audrian spun a twirl on the ice. Though Mica struggled slightly to keep balance, the two almost looked like professionals while skating.
Runa grinned and ran down the hill to skate alongside Audrian, who was halfway down the lake by now.
But Cyril didn’t move from his spot. Instead shifting uncomfortably before crossing his arms. He couldn’t skate that well. Hell, he couldn’t even walk right the whole way to the clearing, almost slipping on any small thing of ice that laced the ground. And even if he wanted to skate, which he did, he’d rather not make a fool of himself in front of his best friends.
Runa paused at the edge of the lake, looking over her shoulder confused. Her gaze, once again, caught Cyril’s. Though this time, he didn’t look away. But he did frown slightly.
“Aren’t you coming?” Runa called to him from the bottom of the hill, the cold air blowing softly in her face, making her hair float slightly in the wind before falling back over her shoulders.
Trying hard to keep hold of her gaze, Cyril called back, “I can’t skate!”
There was a pause.
“Well you’re also terrible at lying, yet you still decide to do it!” Runa finally snickered. “What? You scared or something, Cee-Cee?” She called back, amusingly.
Cyril, taken aback, scowled and flipped her off.
Runa just stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. “Scaredy Cat!”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
Cyril’s eye twitched slightly as they stared each other down.
Audrian stopped skating for a second, skidding to a stop beside Runa. He looked up at Cyril, then Runa, then back at Cyril. Audrian then suddenly made a mocking, funny face at Cyril, causing Cyril to snap.
“YOU SON OF A-”
Audrian grabbed Runa wrist and pulled her to the ice as they skated off quickly while cackling.
Cyril ran down the hill to catch them, but stopped at the bottom of the lake. He froze for a moment before slowly approaching the frozen lake. He looked down at the ice, staring at a reflection of what should've been him that stared back. Lately, he felt his life changing in ways he would never have thought a few years ago before he became an apprentice.
And if he was being honest,
It scared him.
His birthday was just a week from now and he would be seventeen. Which also meant that in less than a few years, him, Runa, and Audrian would probably all be guardians. What if that meant they would all be separated? What if they were sent to different points of the world and never saw each other again until they were as old as Orla?
Cyril sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat.
He looked back up to his friends, who were getting farther by the second.
He watched how they laughed with each other without a care in the world. How they were able to smile as if they didn’t sense the change that was just yet to come.
Like... they just didn’t care what the future held for them...
Cyril stayed where he was for a moment, then a small smile formed on his lips.
He then mischievously grinned as he took a few paces back, before running to the ice, savoring the feel of the cool wind in his face before skating off after them.
“You both’ll regret that!” He called as he skated after his friends.