Work Text:
December 2025
It was the first time in a while that the Limers had a free weekend in December. The past few years had been spent out of town to participate in Showdowns, thus any kind of formal Christmas get-together hadn’t been possible. While their Christmases were always spent with their respective families, the team members usually tried to do some kind of small trip with just the five of them to cap off the year.
This year for the occasion, Sublime had gotten a good deal on a rental ski cabin in the Appennines from a friend of a friend, and insisted that everyone split the cost. Sublime was always stingy about any non-work expense. He, Goolime, and Limelime had already carpooled and driven up earlier that day.
Slimelime was already out on the porch with his suitcase when Lemonlime’s gray Fiat rolled into the driveway. She stepped out of the car to pop the trunk. She was wearing a yellow turtleneck sweater and long wool coat. It wasn’t quite wool coat weather in Sotsevsa – like most of the country, it was fair well into winter – but Lemonlime wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity to look stylish.
“Who’s ready for the mountains??” Slime asked, before coming in for an embrace. Lemonlime was only a couple centimeters taller than him, but in her high-heeled boots, she had to bend down to reciprocate the hug.
“I’ve got my snacks and I’ve taken my nausea pills. Let’s ride!”
There was room in Sublime’s car to to fit the whole team, but Lemonlime had errands to run and Slime didn’t want to leave his best friend to make the drive alone. And she was better company anyway.
Lemonlime plugged the aux cord into her phone so the map directions could play over the speakers, as well as her travel playlist. They’d both heard it many times, but that just made it easier to sing along.
When everything was settled, they headed up the highway towards the mountains.
***
About an hour away from their destination, the music suddenly cut out.
“Ah, crap,” said Lemonlime. “I think my phone just died.”
They pulled off the road into a mostly-empty parking lot. Lemonlime took out the aux cord, muttering how the shitty thing could never charge, and plugged her phone into a portable power bank. Slime offered to use his phone for directions instead, but found he had no service.
It had gotten significantly darker and chillier as dusk started to fall, so Lemonlime left the car running as they idled. “Cold fingers,” she said, grabbing Slime’s hand. Her fingers didn’t feel cold, but Slime didn’t mind her holding on. Lemonlime did this a lot, mindlessly holding onto his hands or arms. It was rather endearing. “I don’t think I’m built for this climate,” she continued. “I hope the cabin gets some sun.”
“They’ve got to send you to the seaside for your weak constitution,” Slime teased.
Lemonlime pretended to feel faint. “I’m simply wasting away back at home!” She lived in an apartment that was quite a ways from the the beach.
“Sounds like a retirement to Cyprus is in order.”
Lemonlime’s brow furrowed. That was a dirty word. “I’ll retire when you do, jackass.”
Slime fumbled. “I, uh- no, like, I would love to live there! Hypothetically!” That wasn’t helping. “I mean, I- I do look at real estate a lot… not like, seriously… It’s nice to imagine! But I have no idea when that time will be. Do you never imagine?”
This wasn’t the first time he had brought up retiring to another country. It had come up last year during a work trip in Vellis, admiring the houses along the harbor. Lemonlime was equally unenthused then.
“I can’t really imagine changing my path right now,” she said.
“Really?”
“Yeah, what would I even do if I’m not an athlete? Do I go back to school? Be the random 40-year-old in a college class?”
This was a much different vision of retirement than Slime had. “You don’t have to do anything at all,” he tried to reassure her.
“It’s just been my entire life. I’m glad you’re able to be more free, but…” Lemonlime hesitated. “I sometimes think I made too big of a commitment when I was young. To go into sports.”
“Well nothing has to be a lifetime commitment… and especially not sports.”
Lemonlime looked more sad than angry now.
“Can you humor me, Lemonlime?”
She nodded.
Slime conjured up a fantasy for her. “Picture yourself in the future. You own a cottage on the coast… You wake up at noon with no obligations… You go to the market each week and you eat your meals outside on your patio to the sound of lapping waves… You watch the sunset over the water every night. Sports are only for leisure.”
She remained pensive.
“Maybe you have a couple of dogs, too.”
“I’ll retire when you do,” Lemonlime repeated.
Slime realized what her hangup was. “Lem. There isn’t a version of my future that doesn’t include you.”
Lemonlime was quiet as she returned Slime’s gaze. Her eyes flitted briefly towards his mouth and back up. “Likewise,” she replied. They paused for a few moments just to look at each other.
His body responding before his mind could, Slime pulled himself towards Lemonlime and pressed his lips to hers. It wasn’t the sort of sloppy, desperate kiss that spontaneous rushes of passion usually led to. He was almost surprised by his own tenderness.
Lemonlime gasped sharply in surprise, but she leaned into him in response. She was gripping his hand so hard that he could feel her pulse racing as if it was his own.
She let go as Slime drew away, and whipped her head around, shielding her face with her hand in what appeared to be embarrassment.
Panic flooded Slime as realized he may have misconstrued Lemonlime’s signals. He searched her for some confirmation that he hadn’t just ruined a twenty-year friendship. Running a finger over the marks her nails had left in his palm, he stuttered, “Lem, no, I- I thought-”
Beet red, Lemonlime parted her fingers to peek over at him. Expecting a look of disappointment, Slime was preparing his apology when he noticed her mouth curl into a smile.
Lemonlime clasped both of her hands around Slime’s. “It’s fine,” she said with a giggle.
Slime’s panic subsided.
“You’re shaking,” said Lemonlime.
The tremor carried into Slime’s voice. “I thought I just fucked everything up, Lem…”
Lemonlime hesitated for a few seconds, biting her lip. In a swift movement, she kissed him again and shuffled back into her seat.
“No fuck-ups here.”
Slime wasn’t sure how to proceed, but he at least had the reassurance that he wasn’t completely hopeless at interpreting women’s body language.
Lemonlime murmured, “Well, one…”
“…Huh?”
She looked at Slime as if the meaning was obvious. “Waiting so long.”
Slime hastily tried to conjure up memories of earlier hints that he might have missed, but came up short.
“I don’t think I got the memo,” he responded, sheepishly.
“Slime!!” Lemonlime shouted. “On New Year’s two years ago I literally told you I love you and you just smiled and nodded! Most embarrassing moment of my life!” She mimed choking him with her hands. “Motherfuckerrr…”
Nevermind, maybe he was hopeless.
The anecdote didn’t ring a bell for Slime, but it was probably for the better. He had never really thought of Lemonlime romantically back then. There was always some teasing from family and mutual friends, but Slime invariably dismissed it, as they wouldn’t be suggesting the two couple up if Lemonlime were a man. Furthermore, Lemonlime had always been the only woman on the Limers’ team, so in early days there was an unspoken agreement among the boys that she was off limits.
How long had she been thinking of him?
Lemonlime retrieved a bag of fruit gummies from the center console and placed it in the cup holder. She chewed some while checking the charge on her phone. “Eight percent…” she mumbled.
“Hey, sorry I’m so dumb,” said Slime.
“No!” said Lemonlime, her head snapping up from her phone. “No self-deprecation!” She stuck a gummy into Slime’s mouth to stop him from replying. “You are a dumbass, but only I’m allowed to say that.”
Slime swallowed the gummy. “Ugh, that one was raspberry…”
Lemonlime nodded knowingly.
“What do I need to say to get a lemon one?”
“This doesn’t come with lemon ones.”
“Really? I could’ve sworn I just had one.” Slime touched a finger to his mouth.
Lemonlime rolled her eyes amusedly.
They sat sharing the fruit snacks as snow fell and melted on the hood of the car. Most winters they wouldn’t even see snow unless they were far into the mountains. Lemonlime stared absentmindedly out at the evening sky.
“I’ve got your Christmas present with me,” she said.
As was the nature of a Christmas meetup, Slime had also brought presents for Lemonlime and the rest of the group. “Yeah, I have yours too.”
“I want you to have it now, though,” replied Lemonlime.
“Why’s that?”
She looked away shyly. “Because everyone will think I’m so corny.”
Slime thought it was silly of her to be so self-conscious. Corny Lemonlime was his favorite Lemonlime.
“Aw, they won’t care.”
“Well I also, um… I might not have actually… gotten them anything…”
“I take it back,” Slime chuckled. “What is it?”
Lemonlime twisted around to retrieve a gift box from the backseat. Slime opened it to find a small golden pendant shaped like a star.
“See, it… it matches mine.” Lemonlime held up the silver crescent moon from around her own neck. “And I can’t get you a medal, but… it is gold. Well, not gold gold, but…”
Slime didn’t like admitting how much the rest of his team winning a gold without him actually bothered him. It was a selfish thought. Lemonlime hadn’t needed to make this gesture. But at this moment, it was more important to him than any color of medal.
“Lem…”
“You’re a gold medalist in my heart.” She laughed, knowing how cheesy that sounded.
Slime put the necklace on. “Well that about upstages anything I was going to give to you.”
Lemonlime squeezed his hand. “Don’t worry.” She plucked the bow off of the gift box and stuck it on Slime’s cardigan. “I already got what I wanted.”
Her eyes drifted towards his mouth again, but lingered expectantly. Slime didn’t need to guess what it meant this time.
Cradling the back of her head, he went in for another kiss. Lemonlime held onto his arms to steady herself. She continued to hold on even as Slime backed out to take a breath. In this close proximity, Slime couldn’t help but focus on the way her eyes crinkled as she grinned. He found himself awash with warmth. He could live in this feeling.
Slime had never denied that Lemonlime was beautiful. There were many times where he had admired the way a dress flattered her hips, or the way her hair glowed golden in the sun. The soft curve of her jaw, her high cheekbones, and her gentle brown eyes were just as lovely as they were when she was young. But he preferred the Lemonlime with crow’s feet, laugh lines, and wrinkles on her forehead. It was the face of a woman who has handled a rough career with a grace and resilience that Slime himself could never possess.
He didn’t know yet where all this was going to go. Or how it might affect their professional lives. But what he did know is when seeing the creases around her mouth, creases which would only deepen with time, he wanted the privilege of making her smile.
He would only be returning the favor.
After many long seconds of getting lost in Lemonlime’s face, he felt her grip loosen as she reached to unlock her phone.
Oh right, they had somewhere to be.
The phone was almost at thirty percent power now. “Do you think that’s enough to make it to the cabin?” Lemonlime asked. She answered herself before she could get a reply, with the same thing Slime was about to say.
“I don’t really want it to be.”
The prospect of revealing his new feelings with the rest of his teammates wasn’t very appealing to Slime. Hell, it hadn’t yet been twenty minutes since they’d stopped the car. He wasn’t even able to describe them himself.
“So, Lemonlime… what, um, what can I call you now?”
“You can call me Lemonlime.”
Slime frowned.
Lemonlime put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m not gonna rush you into a label, goofball. We’ll see where it goes. I dunno. I wasn’t going to tell the guys yet, anyway.” Blushing, she broke her feigned nonchalance. “...But for what it’s worth, I’ve been yours for years.”
She had been his as well. His friend, his teammate, his rock. The lifeline that brought him back down to earth when his emotions got the best of him. She was already written inextricably into his life. It was only on this day that he let himself realize that pursuing something more with her would be worth it.
It hadn’t been the right time two years ago, or ten, or twenty. He commended Lemonlime’s patience, waiting for him to come around. A fool’s errand, really.
There were still scores of things Slime wanted to apologize for, and equally as many questions he wanted to ask her. But that didn’t matter right now. They would be answered in time.
It was only the beginning of the chapter.