once bitten (and twice shy)

2. how to (not) get vindication from vindictiveness

🎄HOW TO (NOT) GET VINDICATION FROM VINDICITIVENESS🎄

Lin let out a breath, watching as it fogged the air around him. How the hell did he let himself get talked into this mess?

A body brushed up against him, moving up to his side, thrusting a to-go cup in his direction. His eyes darted to his left to see Gen, offering him one of the two cups she was holding without sparing him a glance, clearly looking for the rest of their ragtag bunch.

"Good morning and Merry Christmas Eve's Eve to you too, Genevieve," he drawled, reluctantly accepting the cup. "Is this-?"

"My homemade hot chocolate," she finished for him. "Do you know where the others are? And Merry Christmas Eve's Eve or whatever."

"They're gonna be late," he sighed, shaking his head to exchange a wry grin with Gen out of old habit. It felt like he was taking a step backwards, but there were so many moments like this, when they still moved in sync, or they exchanged a look they could so easily read off of each other. It made sense; they shared years of life experience.

"You see, that makes sense for everyone but Alex. That woman is chronically early."

"Was," he corrected. "You would hope that her earliness would balance out Nelly's lateness, but instead, the lateness cancels everything else out," he chuckled, bringing the cup up to his lips before pausing, sniffing its contents suspiciously. "Did you poison this by any chance?"

Gen turned to face him, eyebrows raised. "You're seriously asking me that?"

"You're right. Poison isn't really your style."

She laughed at that, taking a sip of her own drink. "You're right there, I would prefer stabbing someone with an icicle."

"That way it would melt and leave no evidence, yeah I remember," he said. Sometimes, their shared memories and years together drew a warm air around them, but sometimes it went frigid, sucking all the life out of the air. The conversation stilled this time, their little bubble bursting, and the truth of the situation pouring down on them.

He knew the gap between them could be mended if they both just reached out, but he gave up on that a while back. There was a time he would reach out, but she never did, instead inching as far back as she could. Which was fair; but if she wasn't going to try, he sure as hell wasn't. He was a petty bitch at times, sue him.

After taking a sip of the delicious hot chocolate, just as rich and creamy as he remembered, he was just about to suggest that they grab some rental skates when she spoke up.

"You know, you don't have to do this is you don't want to. I know why you don't skate."

"You'll really just give it up that easily?"

"I mean," she granted slyly, "You'd have to admit defeat. But between defeat and having to skate in public, you may be better off with the first option."

"You're on," he challenged. "I'm gonna skate so well, you'll eat your words," he added, not sure where any of his confidence came from, fully aware it was complete bullshit. Judging by the grin on her face, Gen knew that too.

"Sure thing, hotshot. Let's get some skates so I can witness your crushing humiliation!"

...

"You know you have to actually go onto the ice for the skates to work, right?" Gen called out from behind him.

"Shut up," he muttered, wobbling a bit as he stood on his skates. Even though he knew that they were the right size, they felt way too tight. "I'm just taking it slow and steady."