Chapter 2: The boy he left behind

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.