Carvings in the Ice

The months passed. There were tours, competitions, ice shows she took part in. Johnny was there sometimes, and sometimes he wasn't. Mirai was there a couple of times, and every time they saw each other they made sure to hang out. But she had school as well, and needed to focus. Annabelle felt herself slipping away as she became more of an automaton than a real person. By the time the stop in Chicago came around, she was sick of skating.
But then she got off of the bus in front of the hotel and remembered what he'd told her. And it prompted her to text him, right away.
"Hey, in Chicago... remembered your promise ;) got some time to kill?"
She received an answer once she'd gotten into her room.
"do I have time to spare??? Please tell me that's a trick ? . Where do they have you staying?"
"Hampton Inn," she texted back, hiding a smile.
"u got a show tonight?"
"Yes."
"I'm coming."
"It's sold out."
"Hon, I'm v.i.p. They hold tixx for me. ;)"
She laughed. "stop lying."
"No, actually I bought them in advance, but it's worth it. ;) I'll see you later. Knock em dead, baby."
She grinned, ending the conversation. Oh, she'd knock them dead, all right.

The United Center held a pretty good crowd for a Thursday night. Annabelle peeked out from within the tunnel at the people there, some holding signs and pictures up, all of them buzzing with appreciation for the spectacle about to begin. "God, why am I nervous," she murmured.
"Because Loverboy's going to be here, that's why." Johnny winked a heavily made-up eye at her. He was reveling in this moment- he had on a whole new self-designed outfit, and he'd even helped Annabelle with hers, too. "I want you to wear this tonight, because Lord knows it's about time people saw that body," he'd told her, holding up the thin, sparkly black fabric on the hanger toward her. "I designed it with you in mind, so it's not TOO slutty. No getting your hopes up or anything."
She'd laughed and accepted it, touched that he thought of her for this show. Now she was tugging at it, the ruffled skirt embroidered with silver and the midriff exposed, coming together in a diamond over her tummy. She felt exposed, but Johnny thought she looked hot. "Stop pulling," he chided her. "You'll rip the fabric. Tulle isn't remarkably cheap nowadays."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine."
They were doing a Lady Gaga song together, Johnny's idea. He would start, and she would jump in from the boards. They'd never performed together, being both single skaters, but they'd worked through it throughout the tour and always made sure to do something different during each stop. Now it was "Bad Romance."
"Ready, dearest?" he whispered. She nodded. Was there a legitimate choice? He skated to center ice and posed, hands wrapped behind his head. Typical Johnny Weir. Diva all the way. Yet she loved him no other way but this way. The music began and the crowd started screaming as they watched him writhe his way through the beats. She grinned, dancing along. At around the one-minute mark, she got set to join in.

Jonathan watched Johnny Weir skate and wondered just how he moved like that. He wasn't a bad dancer, but there had to be some sort of belly dancing lessons involved for a guy to shake like that. He laughed and applauded, and then saw the spotlight swing over to a gorgeous young woman in the corner.
His jaw dropped. That was Annabelle.
She was normally beautiful, but she had been transformed completely into some kind of... vixen, almost. Her hair was pulled back almost into a sort of mohawk ponytail thing, only curly, and she had crazy eye makeup on. And the outfit... her belly showed, tight and curvy and completely irresistible. She was good enough to eat, and incredibly, he thought about how it'd feel to do that right then and there... but then he remembered where he was, and instead cheered louder than anyone else as she jumped into the performance.
They were awesome together, Johnny and Anna. It was almost like a tango between them- not quite a competition, but neither of them let the other take over. They were making the crowd go insane, that was for sure. And Jon felt a slight pang of jealousy when he saw Johnny set a hand on her stomach, to help her vault into a jump, which she landed perfectly. But Johnny was gay, Anna had assured him, and the guy barely hid it, so there was no need to worry... that wasn't the point, though. God, focus, stupid, he thought, shaking his head a bit, and watching the ending, where they went into simultaneous sitspins, then stood up while still rotating. At their final pose, the crowd erupted. Jonathan clapped with them, standing up and watching Annabelle smile brightly at Johnny, taking his hand and bowing with him before leaving the ice. He could barely wait until tonight.

Anna's heart was pounding, her skin hot with excitement. "We NAILED it," Johnny said, smiling and hugging her once they stepped off the ice.
"That was the best one yet," she said, laughing. "God, can we do it again?"
"Not yet." He wagged a finger. "You need to save up your energy, baby doll."
"For what?"
"Oh, you KNOW what." He raised his eyebrows, and suddenly she flushed for a whole new reason.
"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, would you?"
"Honey, I was born thinking this way. It's a little late to break the habit."
"God."
"Hang onto that costume, though. It could double as lingerie... you never know."
She threw a towel at him. Something in her got a tiny bit excited at the prospect of tonight, though... something warm and tingly and every bit as amazing as the euphoria of the performance. Tonight, she loved skating again... and perhaps it was because she knew just who had been watching.

After the finale, Anna had texted Jon to meet her outside the back exit to the buses. He stood there now, fiddling with his phone to pass the time. A slight clearing of a throat made him look up. There she was, in a checkered pea coat, her breath slightly foggy even though it was the beginning of April. "Hey, you."
"Hey," he grinned, and stepped toward her. She leaned into him, her kiss warm and slightly wet. "I almost forgot what that felt like," he said afterward.
"So did I." She smiled and did it again. "It's been way too long."
"I agree."
"So... what are we doing?"
He took her hand and gently pulled her into step. "Well, I've got some stuff back at my place that I'd like to show you. If you don't mind."
"Do I mind... is the sky green?"
He stopped, bewildered. "No." Then he got the joke. She giggled.
"I may have to re-think whether or not this is the smart man I fell for."
"Oh, hush. Smart or not, you're going to like this." He winked, and Annabelle felt chills all over again.