And with the next step comes...?

Horror grew upwards from his gut to his throat at the look on her face. Her mouth was pulled tight, lips pursed like she was trying not to cry.
“No,” Matthew said urgently, “No, Kat! I- I… it’s not that I don’t like it!” He cupped her cheek with one hand, his rough palm brushing against her soft skin. “Nobody had ever given me anything like this before and you have no idea how happy I feel knowing that you trust me enough to let me have something like this… It’s just,” his hand slipped a little lower, thump touching her chin just below her bottom lip. Glancing down at the watch, he shivered slightly. “But this is from your family. I can’t take something this important from you.”
Katyusha had grown up without much of a childhood, he was certain of that. She’d raised her siblings and worked harder than any other person he’d ever met. Something this valuable in both keepsake and money, Katyusha couldn’t just pass on. She’s obviously put a lot of time and effort into painting this. It was amazing! He could barely draw a stickman and here she was, creating something this stunning. So intricately crafted… and she was giving it to him- a young, inexperienced, shy doofus like him. He felt so small all of a sudden.
Did Katyusha really think that much of him…?
“It’s an honour,” he slowly, looking back up at her. Matthew squared his shoulders to her and he sat a little straighter. His calloused fingers closed around the pocket watch, holding it so preciously. He stared into her aqua eyes, “I’ll treasure it. I promise.”
And then he kissed her.

---

I'm sorry it's so short @_@

Katyusha was about to voice a protest when her words were cut off, having not even left her throat yet.
For a quick moment, she only blinked. The warmth had caught her off guard but soon enough, she melted into the familiarity of it all.
She returned the gesture, resisting the urge to smile through the kiss, and couldn't help the skip in her heartbeat. It wasn't intentional! But were they ever, really? She could feel her anxiety ebbed away with the kiss, despite it only lasting a few long moments.
The simplest of moments, the simplest of touches, and the simplest of words. All of these seemed to affect her more than they really should.
However, her worry wasn't capable of fulling leaving her. Pulling back rather abruptly, she searched his eyes briefly for any sign of dislike. If Matthew was lying, she wanted to know. If he didn't like it, that was OK, really! It was OK...
"So...y-you DO like it, right?" A small sheepish smile grew on her lips with the words. It wasn't like she'd completely ignored what he'd said, she knew what he said. He'd said it was an HONOUR...did he really think so highly of the watch? Yes, it was from her family and it was old, but did it really have so much value that he...?
Worry, worry, worry...all of the worry stuck inside her left her questioning him. She knew he liked it, she knew, she knew!
But she just...needed confirmation.
Confidence wasn't exactly one of her strong points.
She allowed herself to just look at Matthew for a few seconds. She probably looked exactly the same; still somewhat tired, wearing the bed-head look, but happy. Happy with the way things were. Sighing a little, Katyusha gave him a quick gentle hug, then pulled back once again. "Th-Thank you, again... Very much."
The bubbley warmth within her soon faded and she was left as her normal self, with an entire day ahead of her. It was Christmas, so it couldn't be all that bad. She gathered up the scraps of wrapping paper and then stood, preparing a small "schedule" for herself. "I-I'm going to go clean myself up. Feel free to do what you need to, it's perfectly fine. Then afterwards, we could talk about what to do next?"
Why her last statement had ended as a question, she wasn't sure.
Katyusha took the blanket from around her shoulders and put it around him instead, heading for the stairs in a slight jog. She stopped, pausing, then came back and - with a blush all the while - kissed his cheek lightly. Returning to the base of the stairs, she bit her lip and shot a shy smile at him. "Th-Thank you, again!"
And with that, she headed upstairs, looking forward to a hot shower and a change of clothes.

________________________________________________________________

Fluff, fluff, fluffffffff =w=/

“Yes, I do like it, very much so” Matthew chuckled deeply, leaning in for another slow kiss. His eyes closed halfway and his lips puckered but he snapped to attention when she suddenly stood. His pucker turned into a pout.
He felt the blanket touch his shoulders and then he watching her walk away. He stood to, not noticing the blanket still clinging to him. Matthew wanted to flop down on the floor and beat his hands and feet like a greedy child.
Noooo…! Come back-!
And she did. Before he could catch his bearings, he felt her body once again become flush against his and her warm lips press to his cheek. His mind went blissfully blank. Her beautiful smile didn’t help either.
Where was he again? Heaven?
No, you're on Earth, house sitting with Katyusha, he mentally kicked himself.
Matthew tugged at the collar of his shirt, trying not to think about how long he’d been standing there with a stupid grin on his face. Katyusha was off to get dress for the day and he figured it was a good idea to do the same. He was still in his clothes from yesterday and his hair could use a bit of taming- not to mention, running a hand across his jaw, he deduced that a shave was in order to.
Still not quite focused on the real world, Matthew made his way up the stairs leiserly following Katyusha’s steps. He snooped out the second bathroom, doing a double take when he caught himself in the mirror. How did Katyusha stop herself from laughing at him?! He looked like a hobo! Red rushed to his face as he insistently tried to flatten it.
I can’t believe she kept a straight face-!
He finished with all his needs, looking much more presentable- Less hobo, more nerd, not much but an improvement nevertheless. He turned back into his room, pulling off his glasses and setting them on the side table beside the bed and then preceeded to pull his shirt up over his head, moving to dig through his bag. It was Christmas, he mused thoughtfully. Grabbing the one nice button up shirt he’d brought –and furiously trying to smooth the wrinkles out of it with no avail- he shrugged it on along with a pair of jeans. He’d forgotten his nice slacks. Carefully, he tucked the watch into his pocket, patting the lump it made meditatively.
“I’ll have to remember to do some laundry soon,” he murmured to himself, ruffling the back of his hair subconsciously.
Matthew scooped up his glasses, setting them back on the bridge of his nose, and tidied his room a little. He turned on the radio to hear the weather report and a few other news stories, debating whether or not Katyusha was done yet. She’d wanted to talk about what they were going to be doing tonight. Straightening his bed, folding his clothes, he worked for fifteen more minutes before he ran out of things to do. Flipping the radio off, he stepped out of his room, lingering in the hall for a long moment, wondering where Katyusha had gotten to.

---

o3o

A hot shower and a fresh pair of clothes had been EXACTLY what she'd needed; she felt more relaxed already. A kiss from Matthew always helped, but that wasn't the point. Her muscles already felt less cramped and Katyusha felt that she could loosen up a bit more. That fact was only proven even more when she did a simple stretch and felt her back crack multiple times.
THAT...was MUCH better.
She spent quite a bit of time musing in her room, doing a little tidying just because she could. And, of course, she got herself ready as well. A simple pull-across shirt and jeans were all she really needed, and makeup wasn't really a necessity. ...Well, maybe just a teeny tiny bit. She didn't want to look sloppy. But Matthew said you were beautiful, and you didn't even look pretty then... Her usual blush returned and she shook her head, trying to concentrate. He was just being nice.
...At this point, she was doubting her own lies to herself. Was she really pretty? Beautiful even?
The heat in her cheeks just wouldn't go away, no matter how many times she told herself to stop thinking about it. It was embarrassing! ...Beautiful...
By the time Katyusha finally left her room, the remaining warmth clinging to her skin from the shower was gone although her hair was still a bit wet. Deciding that it would soon dry on its own, she decided to go find Matthew, but found that he was already out and just heading downstairs. She quickly joined him, her hand finding his and giving it a quick squeeze.
Now...what could they do today?
Exchanging gifts was already done. They could go into town, but she wasn't sure if it would be busy or not. Stores probably wouldn't be open, anyways. They could always go outside again, maybe venture somewhere other than the front yard. If they did that, Katyusha would have to make sure that everything was secure. If something happened to the house while they were gone...!
Oh, no, no, no! Don't even think like that, you'll get worked up!
Soon enough the pair had made themselves comfortable by the fire again, and she was still tumbling through her thoughts. What would be a good idea? She wasn't really coming up with anything special...maybe they could bounce ideas off of each other?
"S-So, Matthew, what do you want to do...? Ah, Matvey, Matvey! I meant, Ma...um...Matthew."
WHY did she panic when she said his full name? His nickname WASN'T his name, obviously, but she'd felt she'd made a mistake. Maybe it was because she called him that so often...

_________________________________________________________________

=3=

Matthew smiled, seeing her emerge from her room, looking simply perfect. He stuttered for a moment, flushing brilliantly. Then her hand reached out and linked with his, towing him behind as she led him back to in front of the fireplace. He sank down onto the love seat that had served as their bed, tucking Katyusha into his arms securely, his chin resting on top of her head. Inhaling, he let out a long contented sigh.
Perfect.
But of course it didn’t last.
Matthew cracked open one eye, taking in her words. There were always things to do. His chest reverberated with a deep chuckle as Kat switched back and forth from his name and the nickname she normally called him by. It was the first time she said his full name since they’d met and it sparked something wonderful in him. But…
“Matvey,” he said, ducking his head so he could speak in low tones right next to her ear. “You gave me that name after all.” His face blushed fiercely, but he meant it with every fibre of his being. His arms curled tighter around her and he dropped his head further until it rested on her shoulder. Why had he done that?! He could have just said it normally… and… and, damn she smells good.
Face beet red, he mumbled into the cloth of her shirt, audibly embarrassed. “Firewood. I think we should find more firewood.” He looked up, eyed trained on the dying flames of the fire. “That is, anyway, if we want to put any more fires on.”
He awkwardly sat back against the arm, listening to it creak familiarly, loosening his grip so that his arms dropped to rest on his thighs. He meant to give her some space.
With one finger he scratched his cheek thoughtfully, “I don’t think much will be open, but I’m sure there’s a convenience store around here we could go to if you need anything.”
Personally, he’d rather stay in, curl up in front of the tv and spend the afternoon lounging around, curled around Katyusha. However, there were probably things she needed to. Katyusha always seemed to have a mental list of things that needed doing, checking on, or work- even when it appeared she was relaxing. Always thinking, always worrying. He could blank out and stare at a speck on a wall for hours and think of absolutely nothing, but that didn’t seem to be a skill Katyusha cared for.
“Was there something important to do?” he asked, forcing himself not to play with a lock of her still slightly damp hair.

---

>3<

She tilted her head to the side a little, humming slightly and musing over Matthew's statements. Katyusha still had her doubts about any stores, but she did make a mental note to herself to restock the firewood when they left the house for good. It was only right; they'd been using the fire, and leaving it unkept would be rude. Besides, it was cold.
It was a little bit hard to keep herself focused on her thoughts. Which was definitely strange, since she seemed to always be thinking.
But...just before...
It was hard to rid herself of the chill that had shot throughout her. What was THAT about...? Well, whatever had just happened - to the both of them, really - it was...it was...
Wow...
What a rush.
She shook her head when she felt her cheeks turn red, trying to shake it off, and brought herself back to the issue at hand. What now? She didn't really know the area very well, but that could always be an adventure. There was bound to be something happening in town, right? Some sort of Christmas event? Even if that wasn't the case, it wouldn't hurt to look around.
...But with that said, Katyusha found herself stubbornly taking Matthew's arms and putting them around her again.
Thank you, subconcious, for doing embarrassing things.
She'd been about to say something but was now fumbling for words. Way to act without thinking...way to be. Biting her lip for a moment, she tried to pull herself together.
What on earth was wrong with her?
"Um...I-I don't think so...I can't think of anything at the moment..." She curled her legs in a little bit in a sad attempt to form an embarrassed little ball and fiddled with the material of his sleeve. She felt a little flustered and didn't trust herself in making eye contact with him. She then forced herself to try and spit out an answer.
"We could always see if there's anything in town. D-Do you want to stay here, or go?"

_________________________________________________________________

I'm sorry, this went nowhere. *sobs*

The cute way Katyusha was coiling into a smaller and smaller ball, cheeks flushed his favourite shade of pink, had Matthew stumbling over himself momentarily.
“You want to go out?” he said, more for his own understanding than hers.
Well there goes my plan of staying in…
Smiling, he took it in stride. “That sounds like fun. There probably is something in town.” He added sheepishly, “I should have listened to the news a bit better, shouldn’t I? They might have mentioned something.” Glancing around for the time, Matthew sighed, crestfallen as he uncurled himself from around Katyusha and stood. “I go call a taxi then. I don’t think it’s really snowing but it’s still too cold for walking.”
He went and found his cell, finding the number and punching it with a little more force than necessary. And operator answered and told them there’d be one waiting outside in ten minutes.
“We’ve got a little bit of time before they arrive,” Matthew said, finding Katyusha again while snapping his phone shut in his hand. Offering his hand to her, he helped her up and they headed to the door to get ready. Matthew was just watching adoringly from the corner of his eye as Katyusha added the finishing touches to her jacket when he heard the familiar honk.
“Ready?” he asked grinning as he held the door open for her.
The ride to the town square was much like when they’d come shopping for Christmas items. Matthew shooed Katyusha away, paying the fair before they exited.
Matthew sucked in a deep breath, feeling the sharpness of the air in his lungs and the sting of it already biting at his exposed face, his violet eyes surveying the area. It wasn’t too busy, but it wasn’t empty either. And if he thought things were decorative before, they’d gone haywire since. Wreaths hung everywhere and though dimmed in the daylight, red and green lights wound their way around almost everything. While most of the stores were closed, leaving the street with only a few mingling people, a couple of blocks down things seemed much more lively.
He took Katyusha’s gloved hand in his own, still looking around. “So,” he said, eyebrows raised appraisingly, “What would you like to do this fine Christmas day?”

---

lololol neither did mine XD

Katyusha puffed out some air, adjusting to the cold, and clenched his hand tightly. She looked around her, eyes browsing her surroundings and taking in everything. She was right about the stores being closed, and it looked like something really WAS going on. Her intuition was just spot-on today, apparently.
She began on their journey forward, scooting closer to Matthew so that they were walking shoulder to shoulder and looked up with a sheepish smile. "I-I...don't know, actually. I guess we'll find out?" She looked down away from him, biting her lip but unable to stop smiling.
Gosh, there must be something wrong with her...she felt so...light.
They walked at their own pace, the noises from the crowd growing louder as they got closer. Katyusha's attention was almost constantly moving from one thing to another; there were so many decorations and the atmosphere was incredible! Was the approaching crowd bigger than she'd first thought?
But of course, her gaze always seemed to come back to the young man who she was practically clinging to.
The red in his cheeks and nose seemed so out-of-sync with the rest of him, - considering that his eyes were violet - and yet she thought that it almost suited him. Matthew's glasses got in the way of her being able to fully appreciate him; the gleam was distracting. Not that his glasses didn't suit him either, it was just...distracting. Her 'appreciation' of his eyes was put on hold when suddenly their gazes had met, and she ducked her head out of embarrassment.
You were watching him, Katya. Just WATCHING! Well done, very smooth.
Her gaze was once again drawn to another sight; a couple who had found their own little 'oasis' near an alleyway. They looked like they'd practically been glued together and the look in their eyes was something most people would call 'head-over-heels'.
She looked away from the pair, blushing and focusing on the ground infront of her when she slipped a little.
...Was that how THEY looked, too?
Katyusha allowed her mind to wander from the topic; it was embarrassing to think about. Eventually, because of the cold sensation around her neck, she remembered that she had automatically put her new necklace back on. And in remembering the necklace, she remembered a curious thought of hers.
She looked back up at him, swallowing her slight nervousness even though her blush was still as evident as ever. "M-Matvey? When did you buy my necklace?"

_________________________________________________________________

=3=

At the edge of his peripheral vision he’d seen the couple glued together and that Katyusha had seen them to, her blush darkening. Checking around, he noticed they weren’t the only ones who were stuck at the hip. There were couples everywhere, some alone, some with kids. Matthew squared his shoulders and puffewd out his chest, just barely smothering a smirk. He wasn’t that awkward, loner, quiet kid anymore. He actually fitted in with all these couples now. Yeah, that’s right! He had a girlfriend- the most perfectly beautiful girlfriend, inside and out- and her name was Katyusha Braginski!
“Hm?” Matthew hummed, pulling himself back to reality and glancing down at Katyusha’s curious expression. The pink flush gracing her full cheeks was even more pronounced by the cold, brightening the sharp blue of her eyes. He moved their hands up so their arms were linked like a lady and gentleman out for a stroll.
Turning to look ahead at the now steady stream of people, Matthew thought over her question sheepishly scratching the top of his nose.
“Um,” he hesitated, dropping his eyes to the ground for a long moment before looking back up to meet Katyusha’s gaze, a small bashful smile pulling at his lips. “Do you remember when we snuck out on Halloween?” he asked. “And we went into that shop? I, er, saw it in the glass case and…” His eyes rolled upwards towards the clouded over sky. “I saw it and thought of you, so…” Matthew finished with an awkward shrug. He darted a furtive look at her neck, knowing that under her heavy winter gear the silver chain hung delicately against her skin. The red on his cheeks darkened as he looked away.
The two of them leisurely followed the flow of people, enjoying the relatively mild weather, well, mild for this time of year. As they came around a corner, though a wall of hedges Matthew spotted something that brought an excited grin to his face.
“Come on!” He tugged Katyusha’s hand, breaths puffing out in a steady stream, striding forward until he came to where the snow covered greenery ended. He smiled, showing her what was on the other side.
The ice rink wasn’t particularly big, but it could hold a few dozen people without anyone tripping over each other. A small building stood a few steps up from the ice, it’s large glass windowed front designed to look like a lodge. Even inside it looked cozy. He could make out the rows of benches and tables and even a small area around a gas fireplace where people could sit and warm up. He could definitely picture him and Kat parked on one of those benches, him holding her hands between his to warm them.
There was a sign hanging off the roof overhand on one side that boasted skate rentals and snacks. Matthew stared at it for a few seconds, and then down to Katyusha one eyebrow raised inquiringly. He rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet like a little kid. “Whaddya think…?”

---

=A=

Surprise had taken hold of her for a moment.
He'd decided on her gift that early? All the way back to Halloween?
It really was surprising...but it was sweet, too. Maybe he worried just as much as she did? Although, that would definitely be saying something.
Soon enough, Katyusha found herself being tugged along and brought to an ice rink. It was definitely more crowded over here; was this what was attracting the crowds? An ice rink? And Matthew was definitely eager about it, she could tell. It really did look like fun. She took another look around, unable to hold back a small puff of laughter.
But there was still one problem.
A bit of an embarrassing problem at that.
Kicking at the snow shyly, she averted her gaze to the rink. "I-It looks really fun, but...I...um..." She glanced up at him, smiling somewhat sheepishly. "I...don't know how to skate." She could definitely feel herself blushing again. She was such an idiot! Who didn't know how to skate?!
...Sure, some people weren't very good at it, but at least they knew how to!
Katyusha pulled her hand from his, fiddling with her gloves, and fumbled for an answer. "I-I'd love to, really, but I...well... W-We still could, but it wouldn't be much fun for you. Y-You'd be dragging me around and I'll probably hurt myself and---"
She eventually just started babbling.
This was becoming a habit, apparently.
Katya, just shut up! Shush! Ahh, this is way too embarrassing...!
She then settled for staring at the ground instead. What a creative way to distract herself, hm? Her boots were a little bit more snowy than she'd expected them to be. Hopefully the snow wouldn't soak through.
But that definitely wasn't the point.
The POINT was she didn't know how to skate, she was embarrassed about it, but she didn't want to impose on Matthew.

__________________________________________________________

=3=

The overwhelming excitement bubbling up in his expression softened at Katyusha’s abashed disposition.
Matthew shifted back slightly, the snow crunching lightly as he took her all in. While her shyness wouldn’t let her meet his eye, he smiled down at her and took her free hand in his.
“It might be fun to try,” he said conversationally. He wasn’t about to force her. “Are you sure?”
Kat looked slightly embarrassed by her admission of not knowing how to skate, but she didn’t seem unfavourable to the idea of trying. He grinned lopsidedly. He was proud of her for wanting to at least give it a chance.
The air was surprisingly warm as they stepped inside and found themselves a seat near on of the windows that looked out onto the frozen over the frozen over pond.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised, squeezing her hand.
He took her shoe size and went to the counter, grabbing a pair of ivory, slightly worn figure skates for Katyusha and a pair of old hockey skates for himself. Figure skates were a little easier for beginners so he asked for the comfiest pair they had, checking to make sure the blade was sharp. The girl manning the skate rental looked slightly disgruntled at his intense scrutiny, but handed both pairs over, no doubt glaring at his back as he returned to Kat.
Matthew knelt on the concrete floor in front of her, taking her skates in hand and undoing the laces until she could slip her feet in. He took her foot and placed it securely between his knees and then began tying the laces back up, asking periodically if they were uncomfortable or too tight.
Finishing, he helped her stand, wrapping one arm around her middle for support. “How do they feel? No painful spots? Good. I know if feels a little weird on the ankles, but you’ll get used to it, don’t worry.”
Matthew quickly pulled on his own skates and stood as well, feeling the familiar shift of muscles as his body shifted his weight in order to balance properly. Grabbing his gloves and checking to make sure they were all set, he offered his arm.
He helped Katyusha walk as they made their way down the steps that lead right to the ice. When they reached the edge, he gestured for her to wait just a moment and then stepped onto the ice. Matthew took two powerful strides, testing the texture as well as acquainting himself with the sudden change in surface (a little rough, as was usual with outdoor ice but not too bad), before he made a sharp turn back, blades hissing as he twisted sideways to stop and a small wave of shaved ice crested before him.
Katyusha looked so sweet standing there in her pair of white skates, blue eyes wide.
He held out both hands, smiling. “Ready?”

---

=u=

Katyusha suddenly felt like a little kid. It was weird having Matthew due up her skates for her, having him direct her and help her... She felt a little bit vunerable because of it, but had she ever been that strong? She felt what little confidence she had fading as she watched him skate out, then come back to her. He made it look EASY. ...Was it easy?
It couldn't be THAT hard, could it?
When he extended his hands out to her, she started having second thoughts about it.
She would already slip on ice with shoes on if she wasn't careful; now, she was wearing shoes with BLADES. Blades! That couldn't possibly be safe! She would definitely fall, and what if she hurt someone? That wouldn't be good at all! Katyusha took a hesitant step back, only to forget that she was still wearing skates and slip around clumsily. After a moment of flailing and sputtering, she took hold of his hands and nearly collided into him because of her flailing.
How very graceful.
...At least she was on the ice now.
Swallowing thickly, she tried to steady herself while clinging to his hands for dear life. Alright, she was still standing. That was good. It was when Matthew started to move - slowly, of course - that she panicked.
J-Just listen to him, and only him! You won't die that way!
...She really did feel like a child. Helpless and being helped...but she wasn't going to back out now, no sir! She wanted to enjoy herself, and this was a good new experience for her.
Maybe her little bubble was trying to expand?
Katyusha listen to his instructions, trying to follow them as best as she could. His hands were her lifeline right now, and even though she had the basics - well, she could stand, really; everything else needed work - she definitely did not want to let go just yet.
Even despite her anxiousness, she couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

_________________________________________________________

o3o

Matthew made a small noise of surprise that turned into a chuckle as their bodies collided, pushing him back slightly. He patted her arms that clung around his neck. “It’s okay. You’re okay. See?”
Not that he didn’t like having Kat glued to him like this, but he waited until she was steady and then cautiously uncoiled his arms from around her waist. He turned around so that as she slowly skated forward he moved backwards, bracing her by the elbows instead.
Patiently, he showed her ropes, expression calm and assuring but mentally he couldn’t stop smiling at how adorable she was, her hands fisted in his jacket nervously, barely moving her feet forward, and blue eyes constantly flashing between him and the ice. They wobbled a couple of times but Matthew dug in his blades, not about to let Katyusha fall.
“There you go. See? You’re a natural,” he said, moving a little further back and switching his hands to hers now instead so there was more space for her to test her strides. Several little kids skated by, some supported by their parents. More than one hot the pair of them strained looks, Kat in particular, clearly feeling her pain of dependant mobility.
They made their way around the curve, people zooming by. Matthew lazily began to skate side to side in a sort of shallow zigzag pattern, making sure not to knock her off balance. There were a couple of speakers set up and were piping in Christmas music. A smooth melody of “All I want for Christmas is You” faded in and out over the noise of the crowd and he quietly hummed the chorus- he didn’t really know the song so he was winging it, sometimes going off-key to which he tried to hide his embarrassed flush. He wasn’t the most musically inclined person anyway.
“What do you think?” Matthew asked after they’d made two full goes round the edge of the rink. The longer they spent on the ice, the more Katyusha’s confidence began to grow, her strides becoming longer and more independent. She really was a natural.
“Ready for the next step? I’m going to let go,” He chuckled good-naturedly as her grip redoubled, an expression he could only describe as ‘Let go and I’ll kill you’ on her normally sweet heat-shaped face.
“It’s okay, Kat, You’ll be fine. I’m right here. Okay…” He carefully pried off her fingers and glided backwards away from her. “Ta-da!”
Katyusha stood there, staring at him fearfully.
“Come on, skate to me,” he said comfortingly. “You can do it.”

---

<A>

It was definitely a bit humiliating, being taught how to skate at her age, and for a second Katyusha thought about leaving, getting off of the ice as fast as her skates would let her and leaving. She'd go and find a nice hole to crawl into, yes. But...she shooed the thought away, gripping his hands tighter when she tripped up for a second. It was nice having Matthew lead her.
...That was, until he let go.
For a moment, she was left gaping and felt the need to flail.
She stared at the ice below her for a few seconds, then looked back up at him. Well, he'd already left so there was nothing left to lose.
...Except for maybe getting a concusion, but maybe it was best NOT to think about that.
Swallowing, one hesitant push was made and then another, and another, a small trip-up - she took a moment to regain her balance - but for the most part she was doing pretty good. She decided to do a little experimenting; she took bigger strides, going up to and around Matthew before clinging to his arm.
She was still wobbley and she wasn't very fast, but she could move now! That was good!
But of course, he wasn't just ready to congradulate her - he was already gone, further this time. She knew it was good for her, but she had to hold in a whine. None the less, she followed him, trying to gain confidence in her strides now that she was on her own. Her once long strides weren't exactly that impressive anymore, but she was still standing!
Standing was good!
Katyusha couldn't help the small bursts of laughter that escaped her; it had been a while since she'd done something so...not stressful. This was a time to relax, a time to finally let go and just be herself for a little bit. And it was Christmas, too! She was spending Christmas day with her boyfriend, - who had given her a beautiful necklace and far too much love than she deserved - her back didn't hurt too much right now, and surprisingly enough she didn't really care about the cold right now. Things seemed to be falling into place PERFECTLY.
Even if she got distracted and had to desperately cling to Matthew to prevent herself from falling, things were still good!
And so, she shot a sheepish smile up at him, hoping that she didn't look like TOO much of a kid right now.

__________________________________________________________

owo

“Look at you go!” Matthew grinned lopsidedly back at her. He sneaked his arm back around her waist, hand settling into his favourite little dip between her ribs and hip so they skated now side by side.
Katyusha’s bubbly mood was contagious and he found that he couldn’t stop smiling either. She seemed lighter than air, eyes bright and face beaming. Hair slightly dishevelled in a happy-go-lucky way, he silently admitted to himself that he’d never seen her so far out of her usually so constraint, shy little bubble. Her tinkling gushes of giggles as she teetered forward made the collar of his jacket suddenly too tight and too hot. He slowed so they were barely moving at a crawl and turn so he was facing her. He’d ducked his head to kiss her temple but something caught his eye.
A group of teens that only looked a few years younger than them sped straight at them, boisterous and howling with laughter and not watching where they were going. The realization of what was about to happen whether he liked it or not barely managed to cross his mind before they were bowled over like a couple of pins.
Matthew yelped in shock, his arm around her middle instinctively clutching her tighter against him and with a none-too graceful flailing of limbs the two of them went crashing to the ground. Katyusha landed half on him, Matthew himself grunting with pain shooting upwards from his tailbone. It was chivalrous to take what he hoped was the brunt of the fall, but damn! He’d forgotten how much it hurt without his hockey padding.
His jaw clenched, whipping his head around to see that only one of the teens had even thought to turn and yell a half-hearted ‘Sorry’.
“Are you okay?” he asked Katyusha, moving them both so they could sit up and helping to brush off her jacket. He had half a mind to skate those idiots down right now and-
No. No murdering rampages in front of Katyusha. Deep breath, that’s it.
Matthew exhaled deeply, checking that Kat was all right. His voice was calmed (at least he hoped it was) but his inside were boiling, temper livid. It was only the fact that he didn’t want to cause an embarrassing scene in front of Katyusha that kept his emotions under control. He didn’t need to scar their- up to this point- wonderful Christmas outing by making those kids pay with nothing less than bodily harm.
Nobody knocks over MY girlfriend!
He stood and helped Katyusha up, gazing at her through slightly askew glasses. “Would you like to head back inside for a drink?”

Well. That had burst her bubble.
Katyusha tried not to let out a pained groan and glanced over at the rowdy group. A frown tugged at her lips and she tried ignoring the pain in her knees; they'd hit the ice despite Matthew being there and they stung rather badly. What ever happened to manners? Just because they were having a good time, didn't mean they had to be so nasty to others...
Of course, she didn't say this outloud - the courage to do that was way beyond her - but instead responded to Matthew with a quiet 'I'm fine'. He sounded a little agitated...but who could blame him. Even so, she didn't want him to be mad, not on Christmas. Maybe going inside would be best...?
So, she smiled up at him and straightened his glasses, nodding. "That would be nice."
The pair made their way back in, going slower because of Katyusha's 'handicap' with skating, but they did make it inside. The warmth was more than welcomed and, much to her own embarrassment, Matthew did have to help her get her skates off. The warm air on her feet really was sweet, sweet relief. She stretched her toes, relieving them from the previous tightness, but noticed that the stinging in her lower leg closer to her ankle hadn't vanished.
It wasn't as intense as before but it was still...there.
Had she sprained it when they fell?
She glanced up at him for a moment, resting her hand casually over the hurting area. She honestly didn't want to worry him, not with something as small as this...
So, she'd walk it off.
Yes, that's exactly what she'd do.
And so, with that in mind - a voice in the back of her head was telling her to just let him know now, but she ignored it - she waited patiently as he went to get the two of them some hot drinks.
It was Christmas, today was supposed to be a good day! If she had to cover up a minor injury, she would. It was lying, yes, and she hated lying to him but...but...! It wasn't something life threatening, she could suck it up.
...She wasn't one for walking off pain. Rather, she'd like to nurse it and make it feel BETTER. But still!
She would NOT make him worry, that was no good! Today was supposed to be a good day, a good day, a good day...
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I'm not creative at all, wheeeeee 8'D
It's so short, sorry. *rolls*

“Here you go.” Matthew offered her the Styrofoam cup, sinking down onto the bench next to her with a quiet sigh. His temper had calmed down to a low simmer, trying to distract himself by yanking off his skates, feeling the odd sensation of blood rushing back to his feet. The side of is leg pressed against Katyusha’s and a wave of calm came over him. It was useless wasting his energy fuming over those stupid punks when he wanted to keep all his attention on Kat. Especially now. He wasn’t exactly sure but he thought Katyusha was favouring one leg.
He was used to seeing injuries happen on the ice, but that was to people who knew the consequences the moment their blade stepped into the rink. His own body had been conditioned to deal with the roughness by his love of hockey. But this was Katyusha’s first time ever trying to skate, for goodness sake! That seemed just too cruel.
Maybe the whole skating thing was a bad idea in the first place. His temper that had been well on its way to disappearing, surged back with a vengeance. His delicate, sweet Katyusha had not only been pushed over but hurt as well. Matthew mentally kicked himself. It was his fault for suggesting coming here in the first place.
Although she'd looked like she was having fun…
He replayed what he remembered over and over again as he sipped his drink, trying to pinpoint when she’d hurt her leg. He definitely recalled her knee smashing downwards, and the more he thought about it, he’d definitely heard a very unpleasant sound that accompanied the impact.
But he’d asked her if she was okay. She would have mentioned it if she was in pain right? Right..?
No, no she wouldn’t. She’d keep it hidden so I wouldn’t worry over her.
Matthew exhaled, running a hand over his face, his emotions trapped somewhere between annoyance and affection.
So like Katyusha…
Setting his cup aside, Matthew leaned forward, looking at her seriously.
“How bad is the pain?” he asked bluntly.
He didn’t know whether to feel smug or hurt by the flicker of surprise that momentarily broke through her carefully schooled impression. Did she think he wouldn’t notice? He rested his chin on his laced together fingers, gazing at her expectantly if not more than a little worried.

---

._.

H-How did he...how did he know...?
She blinked in surprise for a moment, eyes locked with his briefly and frantically trying to find something to say. Matthew had obviously skated more than her, but did that he mean he knew everything about it? ...Even if he didn't, skating injuries weren't exactly invisible. Especially if she was going to be limping, or at least favoring one side of her.
But instead of finding something to say, Katyusha simply looked at her lap; the drink in her hands was really quite interesting right now.
She should've known better. It wasn't like he didn't have any eyes; he had GLASSES too, for goodness sake! Trying to lie was foolish; she could put on the most neutral expression she could and still be given away by her leg.
"I-It's not REALLY bad...I-I'll be...OK." The pain was rather distracting, but she'd had worse...she could get over it. She did her best to look casual, to not be obvious about the fact that she was worrying over the fact that HE was worrying.
Scratching a little at the styrofoam, she also muttered a very hushed 'sorry'. She wasn't even sure if he'd heard it.
...What was with all of the guilt she was suddenly feeling? This wasn't the end of the world. So, she'd hurt her leg a little. Big deal. It would heal with time. But Matthew had known about it while she'd tried to shrug it off.
Why did that make her feel so...bad?
It was a tiny lie that didn't hurt anyone...right?
Katyusha looked up at him again, flashing a quick smile and before speaking, took a long gulp of the drink in her hands. "I-I'm fine, really."
Hopefully he wouldn't worry about it anymore; it was a mistake made by a unruly group, there wasn't anything they could do about it at this point.
She took another glance down at the cup in her hands; her beverage was gone. Empty. Great...no more distraction for her.
...She really was a coward. Using a drink to hide behind! Stupid, stupid, stupid! She'd just have to man up. This was ridiculous.
And how on earth did this become such a huge deal for her? She was panicking, she was definitely panicking. This is what happens when you think so hard about things! Just shut up and tell him how badly it hurts! Don't be so stupid!
There was another pause before she spoke again, not taking her eyes away from her lap, "...Well...it does hurt. I-I'll survive, but...it does hurt."
She inwardly told herself to stop panicking; she was just going to make things way too dramatic than needed.

___________________________________________________________

My fever is wreaking havoc on me. @A@ Crappy post is crap.

Matthew chuckled, a deep gravely noise of fondness and exasperation. “Uh-huh,” he said, voice veiled with faintly scepticism.
Katyusha’s little display wasn’t fooling anyone.
Especially him.
Getting to his feet, Matthew shrugged off his jacket, laying it on the bench and moving around to kneel on the ground despite the melted puddles of ice now soaking into the material of his pants. He released a long sigh, getting down to business.
“I’m not saying I don’t believe you,” he said earnestly, not wanting her to think he was treating her like a petulant child. “I just want to make sure you’re really all right. It may not hurt a lot now but, speaking from personal experience, these type of injuries have a tendency to wreak a lot of havoc if they’re not tended to right away. Um, m-may I?”
He’d hesitated, hand poised just below her ankle, fingers curled to cradle it. Colour blotched across his face. Matthew cleared his throat with a small ‘ah-hem’, trying to focus his attention on the task in front of him- not imagining the long, creamy leg he knew was hiding underneath all that winter gear. Carefully he rolled up her pant leg, up past the top of her sock to just over her knee. He flushed vibrantly, but the red dimmed somewhat when the tips of his fingers brushed her the top of her calf. Her skin felt like it was burning! Blood was rushing to the area, definitely not a good sign. It looked like her knee was starting to swell to. She’d indubitably have a very nasty bruise start to bloom where she’d hit it in the next couple of days.
“Can you bend it at all?” he asked, frowning down at her leg and then turning his gaze upwards to hers, searched her face for any signs of extreme discomfort. He rolled down her pant leg and as gently as he could, he put her boot back on.
“We should get some ice on that,” he said, shoving his arms through the sleeves of his jacket. “We should probably head home. Shall I call the taxi service?” Matthew looked questioningly at Kat, cell phone in hand.
He’d prefer taking her back to the house, elevating her knee and finding a cold press for it as he had said, but maybe he was being paranoid. He wouldn’t force Katyusha, it was her choice. Although, honestly he’d like to make sure she was really okay.

---

I hope you feel better! D:

It was hard not to blush, but Katyusha couldn't help it. It felt weird being 'tended to'. It made her feel vunerable and childish, whether Matthew wanted that or not, which she was sure he didn't. He wasn't like that. Besides, that would be so mean of him!
But that wasn't the point. The point was that she felt naiive and innocent with all of this going on. Things never went smoothly. Things were never perfect.
...That wasn't to say that she WASN'T innocent in some aspects, but that also was not the point.
She almost missed his question about bending her knee; looking him in the eye was quite a task right now. Her bubble had returned and she couldn't help being a little embarrassed. But she could still bend her knee, yet not without some sort of pain. If she really wanted to push it, the pain would be something that definitely made her wince. So, more or less, she could bend her knee but it wouldn't go without pain.
She just hoped that he would get all that from her nod and brief moment of pain.
Probably not, but she honestly couldn't find her voice at the moment.
Shyness had taken over once again.
She did look up at Matthew for a moment when he asked about the taxi. Go home? Now? But...they'd only just gotten here... It wouldn't be much of a day if they went back now. He was over his cold, so they should enjoy their time together. If they went home now, they'd just be worrying over her silly little knee. And ankle. But that wasn't the point! She didn't want to impose on him...
Not that HE'D been imposing while he was sick, no! She was glad to take care of him! She'd offered in the first place! It wasn't like that at all!
...But was that hypocritical of her? It was, wasn't it...?
But...
"N-No, don't call. Can we stay...?" Katyusha looked back up at him, kicking her feet a little - hurting herself in the process - while an ever-shy smile tugged at the corner of her lips. This wasn't something she couldn't live with. They could still do something else, right?
She'd leave that up to him. He knew what he was doing obviously and if he thought that they NEEDED to do something about it, then they would leave. It would be a little sad, but it would be for the best, right?
It would be for the best.

__________________________________________________________

I feel better now, don't worry hubby. C: But now its bedtime for me. *rolls away*

Matthew pursed his lips, mouth turning into a hard, flat line. He stared at her dubiously for a long, tense moment. Then, with a plastic ‘snap’ he closed his phone and shoved it back in his jacket pocket.
“All right,” he conceded, gaze rolling up to the ceiling as he let out a defeated sigh, “all right, we can stay.”
But if I see so much as a wince I’m throwing you over my shoulder and we’re going home! He added mentally.
His frustrated expression melted a little when Katyusha flashed him a cute, girlish smile- the kind that sent his heart into an instant flutter. It wasn’t fair.
Gathering up their skates to take back to the return counter (since skating didn’t seem a very good idea right now), Matthew huffed slightly, wishing the hot flush- now very prominent across his features- would go away. The girl at the skate counter looked at him dryly, expecting him to be like earlier but Matthew spared only a polite thank you before he headed back to Katyusha. He offered both his hands to help her up, careful to be as gentle as possible.
I still don’t like the idea of her put weight on that leg…
“Ready?” he asked, curling and arm around her waist for support.
Blue sky peeked out behind the grey overcast, letting a little sunshine reach through. The new light made the snow so bright Matthew almost had to squint. Snow blindness didn’t stop a group of kids from building forts, and another, larger group was further of up a slope sledding down in blow up tubes and toboggans. A couple of parents stood at the top of the hill, watching the kids shoot down and helping some of the younger kids. Matthew purposely walked slower than normal, keeping an eye out for park benches in case she needed to sit down. He tried to focus on the present, smiling and chatting, but he couldn’t stop worrying about the pain she was no doubt dealing with. Every so often from the corner of his eye, he’d see her flinch or he’d hear a sharp intake of breath, a small little crease appearing between her brows.
He wanted to saying something, to put his foot down, however, Katyusha was a grown woman. If she said she was fine then he had to trust her as much as he wanted to play chivalrous knight. Trust was part of relationships anyway, he’d had to learn it sooner or later. He just wished this lesson in trust didn’t come at the cost of Katyusha in pain. And besides, just because he accepted her denial of severe injury in his mind, didn’t mean he didn’t have his hand curled around his phone in his pocket, just waiting to call for a ride.
Blowing out a long breath and watching it plume upwards in a cloud, Matthew turned his violet eyes towards Katyusha.
“How are you doing?” he asked, gaze whirling with concern.

---

Time to cover the entire house in lights and garland D:
Merry Christmas and happy birthday wifey!

Katyusha was concentrating on doing her best to ignore the pain and look around instead. She was a bit of a gibble now, so they had to find something else to do. ...And she was assuming that it had to be something easy on her leg. When she caught glances of him when he wasn't smiling with her, Matthew looked worried sick.
Maybe they should go home...
No, no! The day had just started, she could tough this out!
But he was worried...
No! No, they'd stay. She wanted to make their time together worth it, so...they'd stay! Too much of it was already spent in awkward silences and being sick.
She blinked at his question, staring up at him for a moment, before smiling somewhat exasperatedly. Standing on her tiptoes and trying not to cringe at the pain in her leg, she planted a solid kiss on his lips. She pulled back, face red and wearing a small pout, muttering, "I'm fine, Matvey. Don't worry. Please?"
It wasn't that she wanted to sound cranky or be forceful or anything, not at all!
Katyusha just wanted to let him know that she WAS OK at the moment.
Now. Back to business.
What could they do now? Sledding would be fun, but there was also the possibility of hurting herself more. It would be fun to do but she wouldn't today, as to not worry Matthew and to also not have to endure more pain. She was already being troublesome... There was lots of snow around, so they could have another snowball fight...but maybe she'd scared him out of the idea... Snowmen, snow angels, snow forts? They could do any of that and she wouldn't mind - it all kind of made her feel like a kid again, doing the stuff she never really had done - but she found herself unable to decide.
Maybe she was a little too excited about everything. Maybe everything was so simple that it seemed complicated to her, which complicated things further and---
...Maybe she just needed a new brain. A new brain that didn't worry so much. All of this thinking was exhausting her mentally. ...No pun intended?
She turned her head to meet with his gaze again, "What would you like to do...?"

__________________________________________________________

Post went nowhere, herp derp derp :'U

The sudden kiss had caught him by surprise. A shock of goose bumps erupted all over his skin along with a searing flush that went down the neck of his jacket and up to the tips of his ears. He was so used to Katyusha’s shy side he hadn’t expected such an abrupt action. It was an understatement to say that it definitely snapped him out of anxious mental ranting. The feeling of her sweet cushiony lips moulding around his own for the very briefest of seconds was enough to make him faintly dizzy.
Matthew grinned a lopsidedly. “Okay, okay! I can’t help it. Just don’t wait until it’s too painful to say something, all right?”
He still didn’t buy her assurances that she was one hundred percent okay, but that kiss had sent his mind on autopilot.
I wonder if she knows what she does to me… probably did it on purpose, cute, sneaky little-
More focused on squeezing her hip a little in a teasing manor than watching where he was going, Matthew opened his mouth to answer her question with (what he thought) was a witty remark but his foot hit a pool of ice that hadn’t been cleared away from the path they walked on- heel first of course. His foot shot out in front of him and his whole body went careening into the snow bank, hands flailing out in front of him. They did nothing to stop his fall, instead he found himself elbow deep in snow, glasses askew.
His face went an instant tomato red and then darker when he heard the familiar smothered giggles of a certain girl standing above him. His embarrassed flush turned into a dry smirk. Cupping his hand in the snow, he sat back on his haunches and flung the handful hitting Katyusha directly in the middle. Normally the idea of hurling snow at your girlfriend wasn’t the best idea in his book of gentlemanly manners but this time he thought he’d make an exception.
He threw a second handful and sat back, eyebrows raised in a dubiously innocent expression.

---

Brain hurts >A<

She'd been a bit shocked at first by Matthew's sudden meeting with the snowbank, but giggles couldn't be helped. Katyusha tried hiding them, but it was rather hard. It was unexpected and she couldn't help laughing at the sight. He wasn't the only surprised one.
But the laughter stopped when a handful of snow hit her middle. Rather, she let out a surprised squeak at both snowballs, the second one having hit closer to her neck. She blinked, taken aback and trying not to stutter. Well...this was interesting.
She couldn't help letting a small curious smile show at his expression. Acting innocent? Is that how he wanted to play? Two could play at that game. With a small puff of laughter, she walked over to Matthew - with a limp in her step - and rested one hand on his forehead. Then, she pushed him onto his back.
She tried not to be rough, of course! This was a game, not a battlefield.
Katyusha quickly gathered her own handfull of snow and held it overtop of him, then let it plop onto his chest.
She sat down next to him, sticking her tongue out and laughing. This wasn't anything like her...how on earth did he do this to her...?
It wasn't long before she had another one ready and moved to stick it into his collar, laughing as the both of them writhed - one of them trying to get away, and the other trying to succeed. Unfortunately, she gave up and moved back a little, biting her lip and throwing the same innocent look back. She was being a bully, but he'd started it!
...How childish of her. But frankly, she didn't care. Not even the pain in her leg mattered.
Well, it didn't matter MUCH anymore.
She felt lighter than before, even with her injury.
What on earth was wrong with her...? Well, whatever it was, it couldn't be possibly be 'wrong'.

_________________________________________________________

<w>;;

“No… nooo…!” Matthew’s innocent expression turned from mockingly doe-eyed to wide and warning as Katyusha advanced on him with a fistful of snow and her gaze locked onto the neck of his jacket.
She wouldn’t-!
But she did.
Matthew lunged backwards, trying to crawl away on his elbows as she moved towards him, grinning and giggling as she did. Well, he shouldn’t call them giggles because they weren’t the cute little demure laughs she usually spared. The sounds she was making now were the most adorable, deep belly laughs he’d ever heard. Hearing her like that made him grin and laugh to- even if she was trying to torture him with snow.
She just sounded so… free. He’d never heard her laugh like this, not when they’d snuck out on Halloween, not on any of their previous dates, not when she was pelting him with snowballs in the front yard of the house. He liked it- no wait, scratch that- he loved it.
Matthew grabbed her round the waist and pulled her against his chest, taking her hand that had the snow in it by the wrist. He’d thought he’d stopped the threat but, being the little troublemaker he knew Katyusha secretly was, her other hand came up with a fresh- and very cold- handful, and with renewed snickers shoved as much as he could down the back of his collar.
Matthew yelped in surprise, doing an odd sort of wriggling jig as the snow melted downwards against the bare skin of his back. “Ah!… Nyyyyyh-!… Ack!”
He relinquished his hold on her, reaching over his head to try and swipe away the snow that hadn’t gotten into his jacket. He knew he looked beyond silly, face twisted idiotically and helpless grabbing at his back. Some people who were walking by spared him a disapproving glance before walking away a little faster.
After most of the cold had gone, though he’d have a wet shirt to deal with when he got home, Matthew righted himself, eyes landing on Katyusha shrewdly.
“You are a cruel, twisted individual,” he said deadpanned, though he left enough humour in his voice so she’d know he was only teasing.
He sat up, dusting off the front of his jacket. The mood between them changed. Matthew grinned enough to show his canines, pushing slowly onto one foot. A flash of realization sparked in Katyusha’s eyes at what he was about to when he lunged.
Mindful of her injured leg, Matthew got hold of both her hands and rolled on top of her, pinning her to the snow. He trapped her hands above her head to, leaving her completely trapped, although his hold was loose enough that if she wanted to get away she could- but not before he gloated… just a little.
He leaned down, smiling with just a hint of smugness. “Now look at the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into Miss Katyusha. Tsk tsk!”

---

D: You've triggered his inner France! Run Kat Run!