Archive of Our Own

"Come on, Alyosha!" Lumine exclaimed. "We're almost there."

"Just in time, too. I think I saw some color in the sky."

Snow that had fallen hours ago gathered in soft layers along the branches of evergreen trees, turning them white. It was powdery, and it muffled the sound of their footsteps. The sky was a clear cobalt blue, and the first few stars had winked to life by the time the two of them reached the clearing. An ice cold breeze nipped at Lumine's wind-bitten cheeks. As she adjusted her earmuffs, she caught a flash of green in her periphery. She turned toward it, seeing nothing but darkness surrounding her. Then, a ribbon of green light pulsed and twisted across the sky.

"There!" She pointed toward the aurora. They found a fallen log near the edge of the clearing and brushed the snow from it before sitting. The green was joined by a second band of pink, before a thin streak of blue and purple curled across the two shades in the inky dark. She'd heard numerous tales about how they could enshroud the sky in swaths of brilliant color. Her Snezhnayan friends had even offered to take her and see them when she came to visit. Alas, they just so happened to be some of the busiest people in the nation of Cryo, which meant only one person was available to take her.

Tugarin let out a soft whine as he curled up in a tight circle beside their feet. Alyosha's full lips were parted as he watched the northern lights in awe, and his nose and freckled cheeks were ruddied from the cold. There was something gentle in his expression, so different from the seriousness he wore while tracking prey through the snow or when he'd gotten sucked into the Shadow Realm with her. 

Lumine quickly averted her gaze. "I've been wanting to see the northern lights for a while," she said.

"They're a sight to behold." A puff of air left his lips. "I don't get to see this often."

Lumine glanced at him. "Are they common?"

"I don't think so. At least, not this far away from Snezhnograd." He tipped his head back, studying the lights. "When I'm out hunting, I'm not looking up much."

"You're not?"

"Not if I'm actually tracking something. Most things I hunt don't reside in trees."

"What do you look for, then?"

"Depends on the target. Tracks, mostly. Gait patterns, direction… and other environmental cues, too. Broken branches. Bent grass when there isn't enough snow to cover it. Tufts of volkodlak fur. Things like that. Even here, there are signs that something, or someone, has passed through."

Lumine looked down. He had a keen eye, because everything around her looked like one unbroken sheet of snow. The darkness didn't help much, either.

He let out a soft laugh. "Here, I'll show you what I mean. That line of little divots by your boots are the footprints of a lemming."

Lumine looked down. "Oh. They are?"

"It's all in the shape of the print." Alyosha leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "See how they're grouped together? Two larger prints, then two smaller ones. They hop when they move through loose snow."

Lumine crouched in front of the log for a better look. "I still don't see it."

Warmth pressed into her side as he shifted closer. "Look here." He pointed to one of the impressions. "The front paws land first, then the back ones come down farther ahead. That's why the tracks look uneven."

She leaned closer. "Oh."

"See it now?"

"A little." The indentations seemed less like an arbitrary mark in the snow and more like a tiny record of movement. There were faint edges around it, almost erased by the wind. "I think I see it?"

"Good."

She glanced at Alyosha, who was still looking at the tracks. His gloved hand was now resting beside hers, and she looked back down before he could catch her staring. "What else can you tell from them?"

"That the lemming wasn't in much of a hurry."

"How do you know that?"

"The spacing between the prints." He pointed again. "If it was running, the gaps would be longer, and it would've been moving in a straighter line, too."

"So this one was just wandering around?"

"My guess is it was looking for food."

Tugarin lifted his head, ears twitching at the word. Alyosha reached down and scratched behind the dog's ear. Upon realizing no snacks were present, the dog's head fell, accompanied by a disgruntled huff, before he closed his eyes.

"He was hoping for a sausage," Alyosha said.

"Tugarin's a hard worker, isn't he?"

"He is, except when he sleeps for over half the day."

"Then he must be very good at his job."

"He is." Alyosha's gaze fell to his companion. "He's a good boy."

Tugarin's tail gave a few lazy thumps against the snow.

Lumine smiled. "He's lucky."

"I think we both are."

She looked at him, but he was already watching the aurora. The colors had brightened above them, green spilling across the snow. She looked up again. The still silence that had fallen between them wasn't uncomfortable. It rarely was with him. She'd expected it to be when they'd first met. Alyosha wasn't particularly talkative; he'd even admitted as such. She, on the other hand, filled quiet spaces with whatever came to mind. It was a habit she'd developed recently, a result of not having Paimon around to do the talking for her. It was an odd feeling to turn to where her chatterbox of a companion normally hovered, only to be greeted with silence. 

She pulled her hands further into her cloak. Alyosha, ever the observant one, asked, "You cold?"

Though she'd worn gloves outside, a numbness had crept from her fingers to her palms. "A little. It's mainly my hands."

"Try putting your hands in your armpits. That can help keep them warm."

Lumine blinked. "That sounds..."

"It works. Trust me."

She considered it, then tucked her hands beneath her arms. The feeling began to return to her fingers, slowly at first. Lumine flexed them beneath her cloak and let out a content sigh. She looked back toward the sky, settling more comfortably against the log. The cold no longer seemed quite so nippy.

The lights had changed again, and a broad ribbon of green stretched overhead, slowly twisting through shades of blue and violet. The colors reflected faintly in Alyosha's eyes when she glanced at him. Her gaze must've lingered a second too long, because he noticed. "What is it?"

Lumine blinked and quickly looked back at the sky. "Um. Nothing."

Alyosha's golden gaze bore into her. "You were looking at me."

"I was looking at your eyes, I mean—the lights. They were reflecting in your eyes."

"Oh."

"They're pretty."

"They are."

Lumine stared at him for a second. He couldn't possibly have misunderstood her that badly. Or maybe he had. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I meant your eyes."

"O—Oh."

Alyosha looked away. For perhaps the first time that evening, he seemed unsure of what to say. She pulled her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You didn't, don't worry." A thin strand of pink appeared between the green and violet, stretching across the sky before fading into blue. Beside her, Alyosha shifted on the log. "Your eyes are pretty, too."

Lumine's heart skipped a beat, and suddenly she found the snow at her boots to be very interesting. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The aurora continued above them. Tugarin stirred at their feet before settling back into the snow with a quiet huff.

Lumine glanced sideways. Alyosha had pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, hiding most of his expression from view. A small smile tugged at her lips. He only covered his face with his hood for one reason, and she hadn't expected that as a response to her compliment. It was… adorable.

With a cheeky grin, she nudged his boot with hers.

"Don't tease me," he said.

"I'm not."

"You are." He pulled the cloak further down his face. "It's… making things difficult for me."

Her smile faded slightly. "How so?"

"The things you say and do, it makes me feel—"

A rustle came from somewhere behind them. Tugarin let out a noise as their head whipped toward the sound, and he got on all fours. All she could see were dark trees and snow, but Tugarin's stare into the forest was unwavering. Alyosha's expression hardened, and his hood came down as he got to his feet. "What is it, boy?"

Tugarin's ears pricked forward. He took a cautious step toward the trees, nose raised as he drew in the cold air. Alyosha's expression sharpened. He crouched beside him, resting a hand against the dog's shoulder. "Easy."

Tugarin's attention remained fixed on the forest, then without warning, he growled.

Lumine jumped up, but Alyosha stuck a hand out. "Stay here."

"What is it?"

"I don't know."

They watched the tree line for another moment, then a small animal darted out and between the trunks from the corner of her eye. Tugarin took off after it.

Alyosha closed his eyes and sighed. "It was just a rabbit." He lowered his head, rubbing a hand over his face. "He does this every time."

"Does he catch them?"

"Yes, but that's if he's working. If he's not, then he likes the chase." Alyosha shook his head. "I should've known. He'll come back when he's had his fill of running. We can sit down again for now."

For a moment, neither of them spoke as they returned to the log. They sat with less distance between the two of them; Lumine was suddenly aware of just how close they were now. Their shoulders were almost touching. She shifted her hand without thinking, and her knuckles brushed his.

Alyosha looked down. He turned his hand over slowly, and she slipped her fingers between his.

His breath caught. "Lumine…"

"Yeah?"

"I…" Redness lingered on his cheeks. "The things you say and do… I feel like I don't know what to do with myself." Alyosha gave a quiet, almost embarrassed laugh. "I was trying to tell you before. You make me nervous."

Lumine's heart fluttered. Her fingers tightened around his, and Alyosha glanced down at their joined hands before looking back at her. "You don't have to be nervous around me," she said softly.

"I know." His thumb moved once against the back of her hand. "That's the problem."

Her heart gave another unsteady flutter. "Why?"

Alyosha hesitated. "You're a larger-than-life individual that isn't afraid to throw yourself into danger for people you've barely met." A faint smile touched his lips. "You go wherever you're needed. You help people. You keep moving." He glanced down at their joined hands. "You don't think twice about helping someone when they need it. Even when there's nothing in it for you. It's just… I already think about you more than I should, and when you tease me like that, it doesn't help. It makes me want to do things that I probably shouldn't." His gaze lingered on hers, and he swallowed hard. "Like this."

He leaned closer, and her heart leapt to her throat. His face was close enough that she could count the freckles scattered across his nose.

His eyes flicked down to her lips and back to her eyes. "Lumine."

She swallowed. "Yeah?"

"Can I—"

A sharp bark tore through the clearing. They both jumped back. Tugarin stood a few feet away, clueless as to what was about to occur, with long pink tongue lolling and curly tail wagging.

Alyosha closed his eyes. "You have got to be kidding me."

Lumine pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh. Tugarin trotted over and sat before he butted his head against Alyosha's leg, tail sweeping back and forth through the snow. Alyosha stared down at him for a moment before sighing and crouching to scratch behind his ears. "You couldn't have waited another thirty seconds?"

Tugarin responded by licking his chin.

Lumine finally laughed. "I think that's a no."

"Apparently."

Tugarin opted to lie down, settling at at his feet. "For what it's worth, I wasn't going to say no."

His expression went still. Then, slowly, a smile appeared. "I was hoping you wouldn't."

The words left her warm in spite of the cold. Above them, the aurora had faded into softer shades of green and violet, drifting lazily across the stars. Alyosha sat beside her again, this time close enough that their shoulders touched. After a moment, Lumine felt his hand find hers beneath the edge of her cloak. Above them, the aurora shifted again, the green giving way to a faint wash of pink and violet. She tipped her head back to watch it. The interruption had left something unfinished between them, and she could still feel it—the question he'd never gotten to ask, the way he'd looked at her just before Tugarin barked. She glanced at him, and without so much as a second thought, she pressed her lips to his cheek. It was a brief peck, and his skin was cold from the nippy wind. When she pulled back, Alyosha was turning his head toward her, and their lips met.

Lumine's eyes widened. Alyosha made a quiet, surprised sound, and for a second neither of them seemed to know what to do. It was hardly a kiss, more a startled brush of lips before they both pulled back.

"Sorry," Alyosha said immediately.

"No, I—" Lumine stopped herself, suddenly aware of how close they still were. "You don't have to apologize."

Alyosha's shoulders relaxed a little. His eyes lingered on hers before dropping briefly to her lips. "Okay, I... is it fine if I kiss you, then?"

Lumine's smile grew. "Yeah."

He hesitated for just a moment, as if making sure she meant it, before leaning toward her. Her eyes fluttered shut just as his lips met hers gently, lingering for a few seconds before he pulled back enough to breathe.

Lumine's hand tightened around his. She leaned closer again, and he met her halfway, kissing her a second time. It was soft and chaste, but neither of them seemed quite as uncertain now. His thumb brushed over her knuckles while her eyes slipped closed, the cold forgotten for a moment beneath the warmth of his touch.

Neither of them moved for a few seconds after he pulled away. Then Lumine leaned in again, slower this time, and kissed him again. His hand came up to rest lightly against her cheek, his touch careful. She held his hand there with her own. His face was cold against hers, yet his breath was warm. A few loose strands of hair tickled her cheek, and Alyosha carefully brushed them away, his fingers lingering for just a moment.

When they parted, they stayed close, their foreheads nearly touching. Neither seemed in any hurry to move away. Alyosha's breath was warm against her face, and for a few seconds they simply looked at each other. Alyosha's thumb brushed once along her cheek before his hand slowly fell back to his side.

The quiet returned around them. Snow stirred softly in the trees, and the aurora continued to drift overhead. Lumine let out a small breath and shifted closer, resting against his side as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Lumine leaned her head against his shoulder. "Is this okay?" she asked quietly.

He went still before relaxing beneath her. "Yeah."

Their hands remained intertwined beneath her cloak. Every so often, his thumb moved against hers. Tugarin shifted at their feet as he settled into the snow. Alyosha glanced down at him, then up at the sky.

"He's asleep again," he murmured.

Lumine let out a quiet laugh. "He worked hard tonight."

"He did."

She lifted her head just enough to look at him. "Thank you for bringing me here."

Alyosha looked down at her, golden eyes softened by the events of the night. "You're welcome. It was worth the trek, coming out here."

She rested her head against his shoulder, and he leaned into her. Above them, another ribbon of color unfurled across the sky. "It really has been."