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They go camping on a whim like they’re normal kids, just You know what would be fun and My parents have some tents and We can use Anton’s car, and the next day after morning practice they scrounge supplies from the kitchen and dash into the tiny supermarket outside the base for snacks, marshmallows, and a truckload of candy. Aliya trails behind, watches her teammates careen between the store’s narrow shelves and listens to the loud argument Vika and Masha are having about whether to buy sour or regular gummy worms. When Vika comes by to dither over chocolate-covered raisins or chocolate-covered almonds, Aliya says, “We’ll get all of them. Sour, gummy, raisins, almonds.”
"All of them? But—"
"We’re camping,” Aliya says, and Vika pauses long enough to grin at her before she dashes off to the chips aisle to rescue Nastya from making poor snack choices. Aliya peruses the shelves until she sees Ksenia dump an armload of food onto the counter in front of the frazzled-looking clerk.
"I don’t know who the hell’s paying for everything," Ksenia says. "But I’m starving; someone throw cash at the gentleman so I can shove all of this in my face."
"I’ll pay!" Nastya says, clearly eager to whip out her card like a real adult.
Aliya nudges Nastya to the side. “You brought the tents and Ksyusha’s paying for gas. Vika and I will get the food.”
Nastya looks around. Vika’s nowhere in sight. Neither is Maria. “What about Masha? What’s she contributing to the trip?”
"She owes Vika about a million dollars already. I’ll just add it to her tab."
Maria pops up behind Aliya. “Um, hello, I’m contributing my face. Is that not enough or…?”
"Can your face carry the charcoal, Paseka, because that would actually be helpful."
Vika jumps out at Aliya as they leave, half-tackling her and all her plastic bags. “Boo!”
"Saw you," Aliya says, even if she didn’t. Vika giggles and slips a hand into the crook of her elbow—not offering to carry any bags, of course, just there.
They drive for a while, singing and talking at the top of their lungs. The wind whips at their ponytails. They’re going to be camping at this place Ksenia knows. It’s not too far out of town, just a field and some trees and a fire pit, but the girls aren’t picky.
Once they arrive, Ksenia bustles about, organizing the food and flapping her hands at anyone who gets in her way. Vika and Maria scamper off to explore the perimeter of their field. They’re useless at camping-type things, so no one minds too much. Aliya helps Nastya set up the tents. Things have been easier with Nastya lately. Galina hasn’t been coming around as much and Nastya is beginning to open up a bit more. Where before she would have been silent on the subject, now she asks if Aliya and Vika want one tent to themselves.
"That would be nice, but we don’t have to share. Ksyusha and I will take one tent if you want to stay with Masha and Vika. Or if you want some sleep, you could stay with us and let the terrible two giggle away all night.”
"Oh, I think it’s probably best to separate them. And you and Viktoria should be together," Nastya says.
Aliya smiles at her. “Thank you, Nastya. That’s very thoughtful.” Nastya beams and Aliya thinks that her teammate is finally starting to feel like part of the team. Which is maybe why Grebenkin let them go with a minimum of fuss. They can’t always be in the gym, confined to the base, stuck in the dorms, worked like automatons. Alexander’s face flashes before her mind’s eye. She dismisses the image resolutely. She’s here to have fun and bond with her team, not think about how uncomfortable and political things are becoming with her coach.
Vika dashes back into camp and catches Aliya around the waist. “I’m so hungry I could eat an entire cow. Do they have cows here?”
"No, silly, ‘they’ do not have cows here. Go help Mama Ksyusha, she’s getting the kebabs ready."
"Kebabs?! They’re only my favorite."
"What a coincidence," Aliya says, smiling. She and Ksenia might have put their heads together to do some actual meal planning last night. If the food had been left up to the others, they’d be eating nothing but candy.
Ksenia’s swearing under her breath as she tries to chop vegetables and chicken on a plastic plate. They’ve forgotten to bring a cutting board. Bits of food keep sliding out from under her fingers. “Should I get the hot dogs ready?” Aliya asks her.
"You’d better," Ksenia mutters. "This is going to be a disaster. Bars is hard enough even with all my fingers.” Thankfully, she manages not to slice off any extremities, and the girls all sit around the fire chatting and threading chunks onto skewers.
"I want a hot dog too," Vika says, propping her chin on Aliya’s shoulder.
"Are you sure?"
"We’re camping!"
Aliya shrugs and hands her the packet with her free hand. The hot dogs look rather less than kosher. “Masha, tell your boyfriend in the kitchen to sneak us better hot dogs next time.”
"So demanding. Aleksei does what he can. Unless you’d like to assist him in overthrowing Olga?"
"I can’t back your candidate in this culinary game of thrones until he first gives us a sign of good faith."
"Oh my god, are you for real."
"Just saying. Next camping trip, he better deliver," Aliya says, turning her kebab. Juices drip from the roasting meat and hiss against the coals. Her mouth waters and she pulls the heavy skewer from the flames.
"You drive a hard bargain, Mustafina."
"Hey," Vika says, pretending to bite Aliya’s shoulder. The hot dog’s disappeared already, as Vika’s idea of cooking is to light things on fire briefly. "Stop bantering with Masha and pay attention to me."
Aliya slides a piece of beautifully roasted chicken off the skewer and pops it into Vika’s ready mouth. “I always pay attention to you, my love.”
"Get a tent, you two," Maria drawls.
Vika flips her off cheerfully. “Goo’ chicken,” she says before she swallows and opens her mouth again. Aliya feeds her the kebab piece by piece. Vika’s so damn cute it’s easy to forgive her for constantly eating Aliya’s food.
"I think I like Andrei," Nastya says suddenly and rather uncharacteristically. The girls all look at each other. In the lull that follows her outburst, Nastya hugs her knees and doesn’t say anything more. Finally Ksenia reaches over and pats her. "He’s very cute."
"He seems nice!" Aliya says.
"I’d hit that," Masha says supportively. They all nod in approval and Nastya smiles shyly.
After supper, they throw around the Frisbee Maria borrowed from one of the boys (“Borrowed,” Vika says, air-quoting the word, and Masha looks unrepentant). Aliya throws it to Viktoria a little more often than is quite fair to the others. She likes to watch Vika bounding after the Frisbee, thin limbs flailing and that infectious giggle sounding when it lands just out of her reach.
"Give the rest of us a chance, Mustafa!" Maria yells. Aliya aims the next one at Maria’s head.
They toss the Frisbee until they have to squint to see the disc spinning against the dusky sky. One by one they trickle back to the campsite. Ksenia leaves the game first to lay out the fixings for s’mores. Aliya follows soon after. She crouches to stoke the fire, finds a nice spot and settles in with a few marshmallows. Aliya watches the coals silently, feeling content and quiet inside. She forgets for a moment about upcoming competitions, internal politics, and everything at Round Lake. Being outside on a warm evening is enough.
She looks up in the darkness to see Viktoria approaching with Maria. Well, approaching isn’t quite the word. Vika keeps dancing around Maria and poking her. Maria pushes her playfully away, and Vika lets out a girlish shriek when her friend lunges at her to tickle her. Aliya feels a smile spreading across her face as she watches them chase each other around the campsite. Vika never fails to make her happy. Even if she has an unerring instinct for avoiding any semblance of work outside of the gym. It’s endearing, actually.
Demonstrating her usual impeccable sense of timing, Viktoria plops down next to Aliya as she’s carefully sliding the marshmallows onto the graham cracker. “Is it ready yet?”
"Almost … there you go."
"Thanks, baby."
"Someone’s whipped," Ksenia says. Aliya sticks her tongue out in response.
Maria pouts. “Where’s my s’more?”
"Unless you’re a member of my harem, you can make one your own damn self."
"Um, ouch. And hey. You don’t have a harem. All you have is Vika."
"All I need is Vika,” Aliya says smugly.
"Damn straight," Vika says, mouth full once again. Aliya winks at Maria, who just rolls her eyes and grabs a skewer.
After they’ve eaten a few too many marshmallows, the girls lounge around the fading coals. Vika gives Aliya an exceedingly sticky kiss before curling up against her. Aliya winds an arm around her waist, kisses her temple and inhales her familiar scent.
"We should always be camping," Vika says sleepily.
"Professional campers."
"Elite campers."
"I support this," Ksenia mumbles, face-down on a blanket.
"Go to bed, Mama."
"Mmph."
They douse the fire and turn in for the night. Aliya arranges the blankets. “Nastya insisted on giving us this tent,” she observes.
"Oh yeah? That was cool of her. You know she ships us hard."
"What?"
"She thinks we’re a cute couple. Because we so are." Vika nuzzles her way into the hollow of Aliya’s neck. "This was a fun day."
Aliya tangles fingers in Vika’s hair. “I’m glad you enjoyed it, love.” She slides her other hand up under Vika’s pajama shirt and lets it stay there, enjoying the sensation of warm smooth skin.
"Oh hey, getting fresh with me?"
"Never."
Vika snorts. And then giggles, and can’t stop giggling.
"What?"
"I just. Had this mental image of … of Nastya lying awake all night in that tent a few meters away. Wondering if we’re banging!" Vika is struck by another wave of giggles.
Aliya starts chuckling too. “Bless her,” she says. In reply, Vika throws her head back and moans. Aliya quickly claps a hand over her girlfriend’s mouth. “You are a horrible person!”
Vika licks her palm. “I know,” she says. “It’s why you love me.”
"Jury’s still out on that one."
"Quiet, or Nastya will hear!"
Nastya doesn’t say anything the next morning. But there’s turkey bacon and blueberry pancakes, so no one’s saying much of anything. It’s a little difficult for Aliya to eat with Vika sitting on her lap and devouring all the best bits first, but the sun is coming up and the birds sound fucking glorious and they don’t have to be home until the afternoon.
"More pancakes?" Vika asks, airplaning the fork to Aliya’s mouth.
Why not. They are camping.