ASTRID BAUDELAIRE

"Uh…" he felt like it was a trap. Like he wasn’t supposed to share anything that made him happy as a result from them being separated. He did like being close to his family, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t enjoying their life together back in New York. He’d do anything to go back to it if he could. "I’ve been spending more time with my brothers. And dad. It’s nice." While he still believed in his father's sobriety at least. And while his brothers still kept hidden everything difficult they carried with them.

"It wasn't a trick question, Theo. I'm not devoid of the ability to understand the concept of love for ones family, just because i don't have any myself." She snapped with a serious bite behind her tone, taking another drink from her coffee as she gripped the mug tightly in her small hand. Nails tapping against it as she returned it back to the table once more. “I’m glad…I’m glad you’re all bonding and spending time together. You’ve been missing that no doubt.” Her mind drifted for a moment wondering what it would be like to actively want to go back to see your family but it was so foreign to her she let the thought go as easily as it arrived. “You’re living nearby?” 

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''The ice cream date was only with one person,'' he specified even if it didn't matter. He thought about it for a second, wondering if he had wanted to sleep with those he went out with. Maybe. In the moment. There was a reason why he didn't. ''If I really wanted to, I would've,'' he simply said. The truth was that he kept thinking about her the entire time, comparing them to her.

@astridskating

“I bet your family are glad you’re home, they won’t be pleased I’m here when they find out though.” She pursed her lips, not really caring but knowing full well they all hated her. 

The moment the hug was perceived as genuine - and Minho had a radar for that, always so socially and emotionally attuned to their surroundings and the people in them - they returned it with more honesty and less of a practiced ease, warming the hug to something more human. That was all it took to personify them, just a little hint of familiarity and affection. Perhaps the hug would’ve lasted longer than it did but they did not know Astrid that well, so a polite hug duration was maintained. “Oh, pfff, nonsense! Compared to you?” They wave off the courteously returned compliment, chuckling under their breath as Astrid denied any later dates as if Minho’s joke was an actual serious assumption. Although undoubtedly, joke or no joke, Astrid did deserve all the dates she could get!

“Right?! Me not having a proper profile picture and, like, zero details in it too!” Minho laughed, a clear laugh, one that cheered up the room with its unassuming yet still noticeable chime. “Oh my goodness, I remember that!! I was very ready to find lemon infused ice cubes right then and there but my manager advised against it! Aaah~ my poor, fragile vocal cords likely would not withstand it. It always gets in the way of my fun.” They continue to laugh throughout the conversation, genuinely amused as they take their seat, gracefully crossing their legs under the table. “Truly a million years ago. A whole age. An era has passed!” They exclaim, tossing an arm out with a flourish. “It is! No one knows I come here! Ennora is my little secret.” They lean in slightly, throwing a little wink Astrid’s way. “But what about you? How come you’re here? I do know you are American but I vaguely recall a different city called out when you went on ice.”

“Well exactly, I was skeptical to say the least. Plus it’s been so long,  but I’m glad you didn’t turn out to be some weirdo who was just poaching for an interview or something. Truly.” The sound of his laugh made her break out into a small, small laugh of her own though it was a little breathy with disbelief that he sounded exactly like he had all those ears ago. Unchanged, frozen, it was remarkable really. “I don’t think I was really thinking about your vocal cords at the time, because citrus would have caused havoc on them. I swear it wasn’t some kind intentional sabotage!” Hand to her chest as she leant forwards a little bit towards him, warming to their conversation as the two started to catch up. “It sure has, an era…it feels like a lifetime ago.” A pained expression flittered across her face so briefly it would be entirely undetectable but it had been there, because that was the ‘before’ and she was now very much in the ‘after’. She hated it here. 

“In Ennora? Oh yes, well I’m not from here originally but my husband is. Theo. We moved to Michagin when I was training because of the superior facilities there - it was just the best career move but ever since uh…” She broke off, wrinkling her nose with a brief shake of her head. “Since the accident it’s no longer necessary that I be there. Or near a rink at all actually, and he works as a firefighter here so…his whole family is from Ennora.” She didn’t mention the divorce in progress just yet, wondering if she should present her marriage as solid to him so she at least had one thing she appeared to not be failing at. Unlike everything else in her life which was falling apart brick by brick. “What about you, why are you here? No offence but it seems a little big fish, small pond for you.” 

Lately Ezra started spending more time at the library, whenever he didn't find himself glued to his desk. He mainly went there to deepen his knowledge about work but also because the library’s silence echoed in his mind, bringing him a quiet sense of peace. Besides maintaining his interest in work, the man also developed an interest in psychology books. He found it fascinating how the human brain worked and what it was capable of—something he had never really thought about before. Sauntering around the organized and spacious place, Ezra picked up a few books. He wasn’t planning on staying long today, so he gathered a couple of books to take home with him. Lost in his thoughts, he hardly noticed the world around him. As he turned the corner, he bumped into someone. “Oh—” he said, pulled back to the present. “I’m sorry. Are you alright?” he asked, genuine concern in his voice as he bent down to pick up the books he had dropped.

Luckily Astrid managed to just save herself, holding onto the edge of the shelf to catch herself. “Yes, yes I’m alright. Just a little off balance.” And flustered but she quickly smoothed out her skirt and stood back up again with the book firmly in her hand. “Do you often walk around libraries with your eyes closed?” 

Aurora pushed off again, building speed across the rink, the sound of her blades carving clean, sharp lines behind her. She set up without thinking, letting muscle memory take over where her mind had been failing her all morning... and then a jump. The jump came harder than usual. She over-rotated slightly, not enough for anyone watching to notice, but she felt it. A split-second where her axis tilted just a fraction off, where the landing jarred a little too sharply up through her leg and into her spine. Her blade bit into the ice, catching, correcting, but it took longer than it should have.

Aurora stilled for a second. Her head dipped, eyes unfocused as that familiar pressure settled behind her left ear, dull at first, then sharper, like something tightening slowly. The rink did not spin, not really, but it shifted just enough to make her aware of it, of her body, of the fact that something was… off.

She clenched her teeth, ignoring it, as usual. It was nothing. She needed to keep going - another pass, another attempt. This time it turned out cleaner, then once more and then once more until she finally got it right. Only then did she let herself slow.

She was breathing hard as she finally skated towards the outer wall of the rink, ready to be done for today. She had no coach to explain or correct, and she was probably even a worse judge than her. She leaned onto it, stretching her leg and arm into a ballet form... and then saw a woman standing off to the side.

"…You've been there long?" she called out, voice steady as her brows drew together, thinking she might be going crazy for seeing one of her past idols sitting there, watching.

Instead she carried on walking towards the edge of the rink, resting her arms along the barrier as she watched the woman practice, giving her kudos for a moments her form was on point but not missing the seconds when it wasn’t. She was sure they hadn’t either. There was an expression rippling across her features that showed as much, she knew it from having the same one on her own a million times over, often coupled by a coach yelling at her but this girl seemed to be here alone. 

Astrid stayed there and just watched, drinking it all in as her legs twitched with the want to get out there herself but that wall she’d slammed up less than a year ago stopped her so instead she just lived vicariously though the other. Head tilting, arms ever so often moving a fraction to mirror their movements, but not enough to notice unless you were watching. 

And then just before Astrid left she heard her speak to her, giving her a tight smile. “Long enough to know you have the skills to have landed that Lutz without your weight being that far back on your heel, but you already know that. You threw your arms too far behind you, your balance was off before you even hit the ice again. If you'd kept your fingers tighter together it would have made all the difference.” Astrid shrugged, her voice flat, devoid of emotion. 

She looked up when the door opened, her own lips turning up into an easy grin when Astrid walked into the room. "Hey, you," She said, reaching out to wrap an arm around Astrid's waist instinctively. She gladly returned the cheek kisses, her hand coming to rest on Astrid's hip. "Well, we have to make sure the needles are clean, we don't want anyone getting infections."

She pulled her phone out and held it up to Astrid, showing the screenshotted design she'd sent her. "This one, right? Is there some sort of significance to it? It doesn't have to be important of course, but I figure you wouldn't get a tattoo just because."

Smiling in a way that softened her hard features she raised an eyebrow, nodding her head. “We sure as hell don’t, I don’t want to have to sue you.” A joking tone laced through her words as she glanced over the various needles trying not to give them too much thought. She wasn’t squeamish but they still weren’t really her favourite thing in the world. 

“That one, yes.” Nodding as she saw the familiar pattern on the screen, head tilting slightly to one side as she weighed up the choice of wether or not to explain honestly why she wanted that specific tattoo before finally plumping for a middle ground. “It’s an illustration of the pattern my ice skates made during the movie that pushed me over the edge in the points and won me gold in Beijing.” Her voice quieter than it had been before, speaking almost with a reverence. 

''The hotel is not so bad,'' he said instead. Her smirk made him weak. He wanted to kiss those lips so badly.

''How have you been since... the last time we saw each other?'' they spent weeks if not months away from each other. They had enough time to grow apart and do their own thing. He knew what his own thing had been, but he wondered what she had done during that time. He hoped she missed him as much as he missed her.

“No, it’s fine. I wouldn’t pick it if there was any other option but sadly commuting down from New York for every divorce meeting isn’t feasible.” Long lashes fluttering as she flicked her gaze down to her coffee for a split second, then back up to him. 

“Fine.” A lie, she had not been even close to fine but what was she meant to say? Spill her heart out to her soon to be ex husband? She hadn’t even engaged properly with her therapist she was hardly about to get emotional in the middle of a coffee shop. “You must be enjoying being back at home, near your family.” The family that hated her guts, that much she knew. 

Just as arranged, Minho was at the Bean with barely a minute or two of tardiness and that was only because they had an argument with their manager, who insisted on Minho being dropped off everywhere in a car, no matter how close or far away their destination was. It wasn’t too much of a bother and it was usually only insisted on in between their frequent travels in and out of the country, in case someone tracked their location and finally discovered Ennora as their second home. The idol was used to always being in someone’s company, never alone and constantly with an escort but at least in Ennora they wanted to take an opportunity to just be ordinary. However, they were bad at not mixing work and pleasure with their everyday life and ever since their childhood, Minho had trouble drawing a line between what would be considered ordinary and what was privileged, unless it was explicitly pointed out and explained to them.

At least they’d managed to win the battle of banning anyone from actually attending their meeting with Astrid, even on the sidelines to observe from afar. So it would be just the two of them enjoying their brunch, like a pair of regular old acquaintances. Minho was grateful for her being careful about their reputation as a pop star and couldn’t resist giving a proper, warmer hug, wrapping their long arms around her petite frame in a smooth, practiced way one who socialized a lot in the entertainment industry would be proficient at.

“I am so glad to be back. Ennora is my haven, I love it! And you are here too, oh my god, you look stunning! You must have a real date later, this can’t be just for me.” They give her a little knowing wink and a smirk that was conspiratorially naughty. “I really couldn't believe when I found you online, it was so random.” Their perfectly plucked eyebrows rose as they move to draw the chair out for Astrid to sit down, ever a proper gentleman. Literal years of formal etiquette and table manners at his parents’ home had made them a perfect example of proper, and they always chose to be proper. With Astrid, they don't even bother to cover up for anything, she'd already heard them speak fluent English on a number of occasions before. "Gosh, how long has it been... 2018-19? Time! It's flying! Like a bird!"

Astrid hadn’t seen Minho for years, it truly felt like they where a ghost from her past life because so much had changed since the two of them met. She’d be remiss if she didn’t admit that part of her was terrified this was going to spark some kind of relapse in the progress she’d made since her injury because it was such a clear reminder of a life she was forced to leave behind. A career she’d worked so hard for that ended up slipping through her fingers like it was nothing more than water she didn’t have a hope of grabbing onto no matter what she tried. 

Still she carefully put her outfit together so not a strand of hair, nail, or scrap of clothing was out of place. Apparently the local newspaper had a habit of taking photos of people without their consent because she’d ended up on the front fucking page of it so if she was going to get stuck with he same fate today she wanted to look every inch a put together olympic medalist. Gold medalist to be specific. Sliding her sunglasses a little further up her nose the woman did everything in her power to ignore the way her stomach was bubbling with anxiety and anticipation all at the same time and pushed into the cafe. Having arrived first just a couple of minutes early she sat sat one of the tables with her lips pressed hard together, only brightening a little when the familiar (if aged) face came into her line of vision. 

Warm hugs weren’t something she was always the biggest fan of but for Minho she would make an exception, hugging him back just as tightly with a genuine smile on her features. His might be manufactured but hers wasn’t, it weirdly felt genuinely nice to see him all of a sudden. “Thank you, thank you so do you. What? Oh god no. I don’t have a date later I just…” She gestured to herself with a shrug, suddenly bashful which was so unlike her, she always commanded the room when needs be. “So random, I must be honest I thought you were being a catfish or something at first, I’m sure you have so many people pretending to be you all the time, but then you just knew such specific things I knew there was no way. Like how when we first met I tried to convince you of the benefits of sucking on lemon infused ice cubes for superior hydration - I stand by that by the way.” She laughed softly. Thinking for a second before she nodded, confirming his timeline. “Eighteen, which feels like a million years ago at this point. So did you say you find Ennora to be your haven?” Unseen skepticism filling her eyes even behind her sunglasses.