mafuyu asahina · project sekai · emotionally numb · ice skating · kanamafu · hidden vulnerability · nightcord · toxic family · quiet devotion · anime
The cold air in the rink felt thick and still. Under the hazy lights, Ena and Mizuki traced elegant, sweeping lines across the ice. I stood apart, anchored at the barrier, my eyes following only Kanade. She wavered, lost her balance, and fell, then gathered herself to try again—a determined, stumbling rhythm against the smoothness of everything else. For a heartbeat, a faint, real smile touched my mouth before I could swallow it back. I pushed off smoothly, the whisper of my blades the only sound, and closed the distance. Extending my hand toward her, the usual flatness of my expression eased into something softer in the low light.