The silence didn't sit for long before it shattered. Lukas moved first, not thinking or anything. His body just reacted before his mind could catch up, skates cutting sharply against the ice as he pushed forward. 

His eyes held an expression none had seen. A few of the players turned, confused, but by the time it clicked-

He was already standing before him.

Viktor didn't have time to react... he just stepped forward, lifting his hand to do a proper introduction, his expression calm and polite.

"Hi...I'm Viktor Vol-"

BAM!

The punch landed before he could finish. It was clean and strong. Viktor's eyes widened in horror as his nose leaked blood and his body lost balance, falling against the ice.

For a split second, no one moved, like everyone had forgotten how to react.

Then it hit everyone at once.

"What the hell?!"

"Lukas!! Are you crazy?!"

"Hey-HEY!"

Lukas couldn't care less about any of it because all he could focus on was him... in the flesh, back... after all these years just... smiling there like nothing happened.

Lukas took another step forward. He wasn't done with him, not even close.

"You think you can just-"

He didn't reach him before hands grabbed him, strong grips pulling him back.

"Reiner, stop!"

"Are you trying to get suspended?!"

"Let go of me!" Lukas fought, his voice low but sharp enough to cut through the noise. They didn't listen. It took more effort than it should have, more strength than they expected, because Lukas didn't only resist, he fought it... his eyes still locked on Viktor like if he let go of him at that moment, he would disappear again.

Viktor lifted himself up and wiped the corner of his mouth. Seeing blood, his fingers shook as his eyes quivered in horror. For the first time since stepping onto the ice, his expression changed. He was not calm or polite anymore.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he snapped, his voice soaked with anger.

And that did it. Lukas moved again, sharper this time, more reckless. It didn't matter that people were holding him back... he still tried and still pushed forward like something in him refused to let this go of what he said.

Then-

"REINER!"

The coach's voice cut through everything.

Loud and firm. It wasn't just a call... it was a command and Lukas stopped not because he wanted to, but because despite everything, he respected authority.

The tension didn't seem to ease... If anything, it shifted because now, Viktor had gone still too. He wasn't looking at the others anymore. He was looking directly at Lukas, properly this time.

The name lingered in the air, and something about it felt... familiar?

"Reiner...," he mumbled, quieter now, like he was testing it and a memory flashed in his head. A small boy kneeling, wearing a green shirt "Hi I'm Lukas Reiner" and a smile plastered on his white bruised face.

Lukas heard him repeat it. Of course he did and for a brief second, something flickered across his face... not anger, Well, not completely at least but before Viktor could read it, it disappeared just as quickly as it came.

He pulled himself free from the others, stepping back like he needed space, like he needed to put distance between them before something else slips and he says something he can't take back.

The rink stayed quiet.

The coach exhaled sharply, already very irritated.

"What the hell was that supposed to be?" he asked, looking straight at Lukas.

Lukas didn't answer or even glance at him. His attention had already shifted away like Viktor wasn't even there anymore.

The coach clenched his fists in anger and released almost immediately. "We'll deal with that later. For now-" he gestured toward Viktor, "you'll be training under Reiner."

And that got a reaction immediately.

"No," Lukas said, turning back, his voice firm.

At the same time, Viktor spoke too, just as sharp.

"Not happening."

The coach didn't even blink.

"It's not up for discussion."

Lukas let out a short, humorless laugh, running a hand through his hair as he looked away briefly before facing him again.

"With all due respect, coach, I'm not training him."

"You're the captain," the coach replied. "You will."

"I said I won't!" His voice slightly higher.

"And I said it's final!"

The conversation ended there not because Lukas agreed, but because he knew it wouldn't change anything. Still, the look of hate he sent Viktor was enough. Viktor maintained his gaze for a moment, unreadable, before letting out a quiet scoff. He tilted his head slightly, then spat to the side, dismissive.

He turned and walked off like none of this meant anything to him.

The rest of the day felt off. Lukas sat through his classes like he always did, pen moving across paper, posture straight and attention forward but nothing really stayed. The words blurred together in his head, voices faded into the background, and no matter how much he tried to focus, his mind kept pulling him back. To that moment... to him.

He tightened his grip on his pen slightly, eyes watery as he forced himself to keep writing.

'Why now?'

'Why show up now, after everything?'

'After disappearing like that?'

He exhaled slowly, leaning back just slightly as the lecture continued around him.

It didn't make sense... none of this did but by the time classes ended, Lukas didn't go straight back to class. He needed air, space... anything. He needed to be anywhere else just not there so he sprinted his way up to the balcony overlooking the entire campus, the quiet up there was a sharp contrast to the noise in his head.

The evening air was cooler, brushing lightly against his skin as he stepped forward, resting his arms against the railing.

For a moment, he just stood there... thinking or trying to.

His thoughts kept circling the same thing over and over again. The name, the face, the voice, how did he not notice him before? Was he new? A transfer? How long had he been around? And why didn't he-

Lukas screamed into the evening sky, his voice rough and deep. He made up his mind, he wasn't not asking... he wasn't doing that.

Lukas pushed himself off the railing, turning to leave when he heard it.

"Lukas."

He froze. The way his name sounded, It wasn't like how the coach said it or anyone else... only the person who he loved dearly many years ago called him like that.

Slowly, he turned and Viktor stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets, watching him. Not angry and not exactly calm either... just looking and for the first time since the rink, Lukas didn't know what to do.

Lukas didn't say anything, he simply avoided eye contact and sighed deeply. He looked at the place Viktor was resting and Viktor had started moving closer.

"What's up with you? Huh? Lukas!"

He dived right to it with no hesitation and Lukas let out a quiet breath, turning fully now to face him but almost backed down. The resemblance was worse. It wasn't just his face, it was in the way he stood and the way he pouted at him like he expected something... like a child. He kept acting like they were close and that irritated him more than anything else he had done since he joined the team.

"What's your problem?!" Lukas shot back, the wind blowing up his hair. "Why are you talking like that?"

Viktor frowned. "Like what?!"

"Like we're friends!"

The word hit him like the punch he received to the face and there was a brief pause as Viktor studied him for a second, like he was trying to understand what exactly set him off, but Lukas didn't give him the chance to.

"Whatever you think you're doing," Lukas continued, voice steady, "it's not working, get lost."

Viktor didn't interrupt or argue, he just listened.

"Our relationship," Lukas went on. "Starts and ends on the ice. I'm your trainer and you're my trainee, that's it."

The words were clean and he didn't leave space for anything else. Then, almost like respect, he added, "If you'd excuse me." And turned away.

He didn't want to stay there any longer... and he didn't want to keep looking at the face who left him in the dark alone. It was easier to keep things simple.

He had already taken a few steps when-

"I'm sorry."

Lukas stopped just for a second. It wasn't loud or dramatic .If anything, it was so quiet in a way that didn't match Viktor at all.

Lukas didn't turn back or respond... but something in his head reacted anyway before he kept walking.

Training started that same day and Lukas made sure to keep things exactly the way he said they would be. Strictly professional and nothing more.

Viktor didn't complain. If anything, he adapted faster than expected, picking up on instructions without much repetition. He was already good... Lukas could tell that much. There were little things he needed to fix.

But Lukas didn't take it easy on him.

"Your stance is off!" he said at one point, circling him slightly. "You're putting too much weight on your right side!"

Viktor adjusted immediately without a word.

"Better," Lukas muttered, though his tone didn't carry praise.

At another point, Lukas stepped in closer, reaching out to correct his posture himself. His hand pressed briefly against Viktor's shoulder, guiding it back into place, then down along his arm to adjust his grip.

The contact was brief and cold, nothing underneath. Well at least, that's what Lukas told himself and Viktor didn't react much to it, but there was a slight pause in his movement every time Lukas touched him, like he enjoyed it... even when he pretended he didn't.

The sessions continued like that. Day after day. Short instructions, minimal conversation and no unnecessary interaction. Lukas kept his distance as much as he could and Viktor just watched.

****

Weeks passed but nothing changed or at least, that's how it looked from outside Lukas' head.

Lukas stayed consistent and Viktor stopped trying to push conversations, settling into the routine instead. 

One evening after training, Lukas finished training and moved his bag on the edge of the ice, his movements practiced and precise. The others had already left, their voices fading down the hallway, leaving him behind while Viktor was still there

Of course he was.

He had been saying something about practice, about adjustments, about improving his timing but Lukas paid no attention to him. He gave short responses when necessary, but nothing that encouraged the conversation to go further.

Eventually, he zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Reiner!" Viktor called out and Lukas ignored him, continuing to walk toward the exit without looking back.

"Lukas!"

And that made him pause but not fully. Just enough to turn his head slightly.

"What?" he asked, impatient and he barely saw it coming. Viktor closed the space in a few quick steps, tiptoed and kissed him!

He leaned in slightly and then it deepened as a grunt slipped out of Lukas' mouth as he pulled Viktor's waist.

Viktor's hands trailed down his back and just like that he ended it, pulling back like nothing happened, like it didn't mean anything, like the most normal thing in the world had just happened.

He didn't wait for a reaction or say a word, he just turned and walked out of the room. Leaving Lukas exactly where he was.

Lukas' mind couldn't catch up immediately and couldn't process it the way it should have. All he could feel was the faint reminder that his lips were once pressed against Viktor's and his arms grabbed him like a rare gem. His fingers tightened slightly around the strap of his bag.

"...what the hell?"

The words came out under his breath, quiet and disbelieving because nothing that had happened in these past weeks made any sense.

Lukas wouldn't even call this a thing. The first time had been confusing enough, then there was a second time and a third. It should have meant something, but neither of them said a word about it.

They just... continued.

At first, it stayed simple. Training would end, Viktor would linger just a second too long, he'd tiptoe and lean in... quick and quiet, like he was stealing things he wasn't supposed to take. Lukas never responded, never leaned in, never acknowledged it after. He would just grab his bag and walk out like nothing happened.

And Viktor would follow or sometimes he wouldn't and it didn't matter... because the next day, it would happen again.

******

"You're late, Volkov."

Lukas kept adjusting his gloves as he spoke to him. He got prepared before stepping onto the ice.

"I'm two minutes earlier than last time," Viktor replied, already skating past him.

"You're still late."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It doesn't have to."

Viktor let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head slightly. "You know... you're unbelievable."

"And yet you're still here," Lukas shot back, finally glancing at him.

There was something brief in that look... like if Viktor had said the right things, they'd be fine but he didn't. He just caught it like he always did.

Training went the same way it always did. Very strict and precise.

"Your shoulders are too stiff again!"

"They're not." Viktor would reply quietly.

"They are!"

"Maybe you're just picky."

"Oh? I am picky. Fix it!"

Viktor adjusted anyway, even though he clearly didn't agree. Lukas stepped closer and held his shoulders, correcting the angle himself this time, his hand firm against Viktor's body.

"Relax," he muttered.

"You're the one making me tensed," Viktor replied.

Lukas paused for a second, his hand still holding him tightly. Then he clicked his tongue softly and pulled away. "Focus."

"I am trying."

"Try harder."

Viktor didn't respond this time, but he let out a little laugh. Like all of this was amusing and nothing more... like he was enjoying this more than he should and that was how it always went.

Back and forth. Sharp words and low whispers, tension sitting right beneath everything they said.

And after that was nothing. No conversation or explanation, just the daily kisses they both got like a form of congratulations...

Weeks passed before Lukas realized the situation had changed totally. Slowly, without permission... it had deepened. Now, it wasn't just after training anymore. It slipped into breaks, into cleanups, discussions, into those moments when no one was looking, when the rink felt too quiet, when the distance between was unneeded.

Viktor would step closer without warning, with an expression Lukas only saw when he wanted a kiss like it had always been like this.

"Move," Lukas muttered once, when Viktor stood too close while he was reaching for his bottle.

"Make me," Viktor replied, not even moving an inch.

Lukas turned slightly, ready to snap at him and Viktor kissed him. Quick and clean and just turned around before Lukas could even react.

"...what is wrong with you?!" Lukas asked, his voice lower now. He felt more confusion than hate... his hands played in his hair as he let out a breath.

"You didn't stop me," Viktor said simply.

"But that doesn't mean-"

"What does it mean then?"

Lukas didn't answer him because even he didn't know. It kept happening and every time it got harder for both of them to pretend like it didn't matter. 

Lukas still hadn't forgiven him for abandoning him. That part stayed exactly where it was... buried with all the other things he hated the most. There were still nights when it rained and that's all he could think about. About the rain, about the empty space where Viktor used to live and where he used to be in his heart and how long he waited.

And those feelings didn't go away but somehow... neither did this.

One evening, the rink was emptier than usual but not completely empty but still close enough. Everything made a sound and the skates matched their breathing.

Lukas stepped off the ice first just like always, pulling off his gloves and tossing them into his bag. His movements had become a routine because he'd done it a million times before and behind him, Viktor slowed to a stop.

"Done already?" he asked.

"You're tired?" Lukas replied without turning.

"I didn't say that."

"Then stop talking."

Viktor let out a soft laugh, skating even closer anyway. "You're in a mood today."

"I'm always in a mood."

"Yeah," Viktor said, stepping off the ice as well, "but this one's nasty."

Lukas zipped up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Why don't you leave? ...like you did before."

Viktor moved even closer "Why don't you make me?"

And there it was again. That damn tone... like he was challenging him. Lukas turned this time, eyes memorizing every bit of him. "You really don't know when to stop, do you?"

"No," Viktor said easily. "Do you?"

Before Lukas could respond, Viktor leaned in and the kiss was quick like it was nothing. Like a waste of sin. Just a press of lips and nothing more and that pissed Lukas off. His hand shot out immediately, grabbing Viktor's wrist before he could pull away.

"Don't-" he started, but the words didn't come out right.

Viktor raised a brow slightly confused. "Don't what?"

Lukas didn't answer. He just pulled him back and this time, there was no hesitation.

The second kiss wasn't careful or quick. It was messy, with feeling that had been hidden for far too long finally slipping out. Lukas's grip shifted, one hand moving to Viktor's waist as he lifted him without thinking 

"Hey-" Viktor let out a quiet laugh, legs wrapped around Lukas and his hands on Lukas's shoulders, trying to steady himself. "Since when-"

"Stop talking," Lukas muttered against him and that only made Viktor laugh more but he didn't pull away... not even a little.

Instead, he leaned into him more, letting himself get devoured by their lust and he trusted Lukas with more than himself. When they finally pulled back, both of them were breathing heavier than before, eyes locked in and Lukas' hand had slipped under Viktor's shirt.

Viktor rested his forehead briefly against Lukas's, still smiling slightly.

"You know I'm older than you, right?" He asked, voice softer now, but still teasing.

Lukas didn't push him away and didn't drop him either. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing just a bit.

"Then correct me," he replied.

For a second, Viktor just stared at him in shock... then he laughed properly this time.

"Wow," he managed to say, shaking his head. "You can talk."

"Don't get used to it."

"Too late."

Lukas huffed quietly, but there was no real anger in it this time and that was new. They looked in each other's eyes a little longer and the next kiss came easier, like neither of them needed an excuse not to anymore... Like whatever this was, they had fully accepted it.

Viktor pulled back just enough to look at him, his expression a little more serious now, though the hint of amusement hadn't completely disappeared.

"Have you done this before...?" He paused. "...with a man?"

Lukas' face relaxed a bit. "No... you?"

Viktor shook his head to show he hadn't.

"My place," he said after a second... Then, like he reconsidered, he added, "Or yours?"