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The quiet and understated snikt of smooth blades on ice is one of the few things that has always brought Kai’sa peace.
Even though her jaw clenches at the raucous wailing of a public ice rink filled with children and teenagers on silly dates, even though she doesn’t have her own skates with her.
She knows where they are, she left them at home, too self conscious to show up in custom fitted skates when she’s so many years out of practice.
Even though Ahri isn’t with her to hold her hand and ease the tension she’s carrying around by asking Kai’sa something innocuous like help lacing up her skates.
“Kai-kai, my dreamer, light of my long, long life. Go skating, the kids and I will be here when you get back. Go have fun, I’ll come with you next time.” Ahri had said, bundling her out of the door with a fond smile, only to tug Kai’sa down by her scarf for a kiss as she stood on the threshold.
The hire skates feel brittle as Kai’sa clips them closed, but they’re solid enough and her ankles don’t bow inwards like a newborn foal. So she takes a deep breath, steps through the gate, and can’t resist the smile.
Ice runs by under her blades and she glides into the second ring of people making their way around the rink. Not the new people trying it for the first time, not the people speeding by on skates like the flashing of the stage lights on KDAs tours. Just in the middle, people who are comfortable on ice, because Kai’sa has always been comfortable on ice.
She lets her feet carry her as she digs her phone out of her pocket, back skate slotting in behind her leading foot as she takes the long turn at one of the rink at a relaxed speed. Queueing up an old skating playlist and digging an earphone out of her collar as she comes out of the turn.
Ruby-Ruby-Ruby-Ruby!
The song in her ears is nearly a decade old, but Kai’sa substitutes Ahri’s name into the once-popular pop ballad as she sings along in her head.
Ahri-Ahri-Ahri-Ahri! A-do you-do you-do you-do you! Know what you're doing-doing to me!
She thinks the last time she even heard this song she would have been on an ice-rink in Johannesburg, not remotely knowing that an ageless gumiho named Ahri would be a few years from sweeping into her life and claiming her, body, mind, and soul.
The song switches and Kai’sa just loses herself in the fog of her old musical taste, sliding into the third row of traffic without realising it because these people may be comfortable skating but they’re just so slow.
She takes the next corner at much higher speed, leaning heavily as one leg stamps down intermittently to stop her from falling. It’s an amateurish technique, but it’s fun; and she spins a halfmoon into the ice as she executes a rocker turn on the exit. Skating backwards and taking a deep breath of the still, cold air in her wake because ice-time feels like nothing else but Ahri, and that’s home.
An in-practice figure skater executes a graceful salchow in the centre of the rink and Kai’sa resists the urge to join in, her legs might even be able to handle a jump, but the mangled skates on her feet definitely can’t. She switches again and prepares to take another lap at speed, only for her phone to buzz with an incoming call.
She answers with the hands free button hanging near her jaw and sinks back into the slower stream of skaters in the rink, pulling one leg up to run her fingertips over the blade without thinking, cleaning off the fine sheen of ice crystals as her wife’s voice speaks to her.
“Having fun, Dreamer?”
“Mmm, very much.” Kai’sa answers warmly, before her tone switches to one of wry humour. “What’s on fire? Do I need to come home?”
“Are you ever going to let that go?” Ahri huffs, and in her mind’s eye Kai’sa can see her tail swaying behind her, the way it always does when Kai’sa teases her.
“Maybe in a hundred years. I don’t know.”
“Ugh.” Ahri huffs and again Kai’sa can almost see her soulmate hopping herself up to sit on the kitchen counter.” Well nothing is on fire, I just wanted to talk to you, cause I can feel how happy you are.”
Kai’sa makes a little happy noise in the back of her throat as her heart overflows with just how much she feels for Ahri.
“I love you too~.” Ahri sing-songs on the other end of the line, smile evident. “Are you sure I can’t come and join you, Dreamgirl?”
“Someone needs to look after our daughters.” Kai’sa points out, grinning ear to ear at just how good it feels to be on ice, talking with her wife, about their family.
“That someone could be Eve or Kali-” Ahri says, before she cuts off as cloth rustles in the background, “-what’s up kiddo?”
Kai’sa’s smile, if possible, gets even wider.
“Hop up!” Ahri says brightly. “Your daughter wants to say hello.” She tells her soulmate.
“Your daughter.” Kai’sa responds, before Ahri scoffs and hands her phone off to another person.
“Hello Mommy!”
“Hello.” Kai’sa says, swapping to her native language, the kids spoke Korean and English at home and school, and she was determined to have them speaking Afrikaans by the time they next visited their grandfather. “Are you having fun on your day off with your mum?”
“Lots and lots!” The little girl says and it just warms Kai’sa’s heart. Truth be told she can’t tell which of their twins this is over the phone, but neither the child or Ahri needed to know that. “We-” the little voice stalls and Kai’sa can hear her trying to find the words she wants in a still unfamiliar language, but she manages; “-we made a surprise for you!”
“You did?” Kai’sa asks, and the child makes a sound that could be nodding. “Yup! Auntie Ei and Auntie Miko came to visit!”
Thanks to their bond, Kai’sa can feel Ahri’s sharp intake of air through her teeth.
“Did they?” She exaggerates her surprise for their daughter’s benefit, and to tease Ahri. Could you put your mother back on?”
“Okay!” The phone is handed back and Kai’sa raises an eyebrow, knowing damn well that Ahri can feel it over the bond.
“Well, Foxy?”
“It was a surprise visit! They brought some stuff for the kids, I didn’t want to bother you.”
“But you do want me to come home?” Kai’sa finishes her sentence. “Mostly because if I’m there then you don’t have to be responsible.”
“I will confirm nothing.” Ahri dead-pans. “But yes.”
“I’ll be there soon.” Kai’sa sighs, but she can’t feel too put out about going home to her family. “Next time Ahri, I’m bringing you and the kids with me.”
“I can’t skate.” Ahri protests, and Kai’sa gives a snort of laughter.
“I’m well aware of that.”