All Chapters of Hearts on Ice: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

They both continued to attend classes but things changed after that…not loudly, not in some dramatic life-changing way where the world suddenly stopped spinning and everyone magically knew they were together.It was smaller than that and softer but impossible not to notice once you looked at it and unfortunately for Lukas and Viktor…people saw it almost immediately.It started with their mornings. When they both don't walk to school hand in hand, Viktor waits outside the gate or Lukas’s lecture hall instead of pretending it was just a coincidence. Sometimes he leaned against the wall scrolling through his phone, other times he stood there half asleep with Lukas’s hoodie swallowing him whole and every single time Lukas walked out and saw him there, something in his expression softened before he could dare to stop it.That alone was suspicious enough, then there was the touching. It was not excessive…not even intentional most of the time but it had become a part of them and it was just v

Lukas couldn’t stop fidgeting. His fingers kept twitching against his knees while the silence in the office stretched longer than he could handle. The coach still hadn’t said anything after the “I see” and somehow that was worse than yelling. He just kept staring like he was disappointed or irritated.The ticking clock on the wall grew louder and louder and more annoying.Tick.Tick.Tick.Lukas swallowed hard, forcing himself not to look away again. His chest still felt tight from the walk there, from the panic that had crawled its way into him the second coach saw their hands intertwined beneath the cafeteria table.The coach finally sighed and removed his glasses, his eyes…dark and sharp.“Relax.”Lukas blinked once.“…sir?”“I don’t care what you date.”The words hit so fast Lukas almost thought he imagined them…none of this seemed real to him. Coach leaned back in his chair properly now, arms folding across his chest.“I’m serious, Reiner. I genuinely do not care if you date Volk

The room went completely silent after the message. Not quiet…not calm. It was silent in the worst possible way…like the air itself had stopped moving.Viktor stared at the phone with wide eyes, his breathing turning uneven almost immediately. Lukas could physically feel the panic settling into him beside him, it happened so quickly…too quickly.“She took a picture…” Viktor whispered, his voice already trembling. Lukas grabbed the phone back quickly, locking the screen like that would somehow erase what they had just seen.“It’s fine.”“No it’s not!”Viktor’s voice cracked loudly enough to hurt and he sat up fully now, dragging both hands through his hair. His breathing had become uneven and messy.“She has proof, Lukas.”“It’s just a picture.”“JUST a picture?” Viktor shouted weakly, almost sounding breathless. “Do you hear yourself right now?”Lukas did hear it. He heard how terrified Viktor sounded and suddenly that fear crawled into him too because this wasn’t just some random rumo

“Absolutely not!”Coach stood in front of them with his arms folded tightly across his chest while Lukas and Viktor stood side by side in full gear pretending to look innocent. Unfortunately, none of them ever looked innocent…not ever a day in their lives.“I mean it,” the coach continued sharply, eyes moving between them. “No bullshit today.”Viktor blinked, a smile slipping beneath.“What bullshit?”Coach stared at him blankly. “The relationship bullshit.”That immediately made Viktor cough to hide a laugh while Lukas looked away, jaw tightening slightly… the coach would kill them both if they laughed out.The coach pointed directly at them. “No dramatic skating, no trying to impress each other, no fighting because somebody breathed too close to the other one.” His eyes narrowed dangerously. “And if either of you forget this is hockey and not foreplay on ice, I will bench both of you myself.”Viktor nearly choked laughing this time.Lukas muttered, “Jesus Christ.”“I’m serious, Rei

The room stayed quiet after that…not awkward quiet and not uncomfortable either. Just soft and heavy in a way the world just was, every sound felt too loud and too fragile at the same time.The machines beeped steadily beside Viktor’s bed while Lukas sat close enough that their bodies touched lightly beneath the blanket. He still hadn’t let go of Viktor’s hand.Not once, but when Viktor woke up again, he noticed..“You know…” his voice came out rough and sleepy, “my hands are starting to sweat.”Lukas tightened his grip immediately. “Shut up and with it.”Viktor smiled faintly despite the bruising on his face. His lips were slightly split too and seeing it made something painful twist inside Lukas’s chest all over again.“You look terrible,” Lukas muttered quietly.“That’s so mean.” Viktor shifted slightly and immediately winced. “…ow.”Lukas straightened instantly. “Please don’t move.”“I literally breathed.”“Roughly.”That pulled the tiniest laugh out of Viktor before his eyes drif