Summary: When you a bored college student signs up for a beginners figure skating class, you never expected to be trained by Wanda Maximoff, the cold and commanding former figure skating champion whose career was cut short by an ACL injury. Wanda’s authority on the ice is absolute, she has no patience for beginners- especially one who seems to struggle with every move. Despite her harsh demeanour you’re more than determined to prove yourself. As Wanda asserts control over the class and over you, a complicated dynamic of power, desire and resistance begins to form. Will you rise to the challenge or crumble under wanda’s unyielding gaze?
Tags/warnings: Mean Wanda, dom/sub, fluff and smut, Age difference, mutual pining, Tension, Kinda enemies to lovers
Author’s note: This is my first series so I’m sorry if it’s not great, all comments/suggestions/critique is welcome but please be kind and respectful. I hope you enjoy the fic and the wild ride we are all in for!
She heard that.
A week passed before your next lesson came around , the class continuing in slow, uneven laps around the rink.
Some people laughed when they stumbled, others clung to the barrier like it might disappear if they let go. The scrape of blades against ice filled the air, chaotic but strangely rhythmic.
You try to focus on Kate’s guidance.
“Okay,” she says gently, skating beside you. “Let’s try it again. Slow this time.”
You nod and begin.
Push.
Step.
Cross.
The movement still felt unnatural, like your legs belonged to someone else. But this time you didn’t panic when your balance wavered. Every time your blade shifted wrong, every time your shoulders tensed, you could practically hear Wanda’s voice correcting you even when she wasn’t speaking.
“Relax your shoulders,” Kate said, noticing the stiffness immediately.
You let out a small breath.
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologise,” she laughs softly. “Everyone falls in this class.”
Not everyone. You glance towards the centre of the rink.
Wanda was correcting another student now, demonstrating a turn with effortless precision. Her movements were controlled, powerful every glide intentional. She made it look easy, which somehow made your own clumsy attempts feel worse.
“Alright,” Kate said. “Your turn to lead again.”
Your stomach flipped slightly but you nodded. You pushed forward, the first crossover was decent.
The second… less so.
Your blade clips the ice wrong again and your balance tilts sharply, you corrected it at the last second managing to stay upright.
Kate grinned. “See? Recovery. That’s progress.”
A voice cuts across the rink.
“Too fast.”
You freeze mid glide.
Wanda. Seriously.
She hadn’t even moved from the centre.
“You’re compensating again,” she continues calmly. “Speed hides mistakes. It doesn’t fix them.”
Heat creeps across your face.
Kate glances between the two of you before stepping back slightly.
“Reset,” Wanda instructs.
You obey immediately.
Push. Step. Cross. This time slower.
More controlled.
Better.
You complete the lap without falling, feeling victorious in your actions.
When you look up again, Wanda is watching, arms crossed her expression unreadable.
But when your eyes meet, she gives the smallest nod.
Approval.
Your chest tightens slightly.
“Alright everyone,” Wanda calls out to the group. “Last exercise.”
The class gathers again, slightly out of breath.
“We’re testing balance,” she continues. “One foot glide.”
A wave of groans is sent through the beginners.
“Don’t complain,” she says flatly. “You’ll survive.”
She demonstrates quickly lifting one blade while gliding smoothly across the rink. She does so effortlessly, making you feel captivated by her fluidity on the ice.
Then she gestures to the group.
“Try.”
Taking a deep breath you attempt it Immediately wobbling.
Kate manages a shaky glide beside you, laughing under her breath.
“Okay that’s harder than it looks.” You nod in agreement.
“It’s not fair, she expects us to be able to do it as graceful as she does after one demonstration. It took me at least 10 demonstrations to learn how to tie my shoe laces as a kid never mind glide on some ice with death blades.”
Kate giggles slightly. “She’s pushing cause she cares. This was her life once, sometimes I think she forgets we’re all not professionals athletes”
“Feels like she’s got a professional stick up her butt”
Kate shakes her head, “common let’s try again”
You lift one foot again.
Glide.
For half a second it worked.
Then your ankle tilted.
Your balance collapsed.
You hit the ice harder this time, your elbow striking first.
A sharp sting shot up your arm.
“Damn ”
Before you could sit up, a shadow fell across you.
Wanda again. Faster this time, her eyes flicker to your elbow.
“Move it.”
You bend your arm slightly.
“Does it hurt?”
“A little.”
“Good.”
You blink at her.
“It means nothing’s broken.” She extends her hand this time. You hesitate for exactly half a second.
Then take it.
Her grip pulls you to your feet with ease.
“Why did you fall?” she asks again.
You exhale slowly.
“I rushed.”
A pause. Then…
“Yes.”
It was quiet, but approving.
“Progress isn’t avoiding mistakes,” she breaths out. “It’s recognising them before I have to tell you.”
Her hand lingers on your wrist a moment longer than necessary before she lets go. The class was already beginning to disperse. People were laughing with one another, pulling off their gloves and heading toward the exits.
Kate skates past you.
“See you next week,” she says with a friendly smile.
You smile back.
But before you could follow the others
“Stay.”
Your heart jumped. Wanda didn’t even look at you when she said it. She simply waited while the last of the class left the rink.
The doors closed.
Silence settled again.
Then she turns to you.
“Private lesson,” she says with an obvious tone.
Her eyes lock onto yours.
“Let’s see what you can actually do when you’re not hiding behind the group.”
Your pulse quickens the ice suddenly felt much larger and much more dangerous.
Wanda skates toward you slowly.
“Why do you rush the second you feel confident?” she asks.
You shrug slightly. “I don’t mean to.”
“That’s not an answer.”
She stops directly in front of you.
“Confidence without control leads to mistakes,” she states calmly. “And mistakes on ice don’t stay small.”
Her eyes hold yours, determination in both of your gazes, though you remain unsure of what hers is for.
“You want to improve?”
“Yes.”
“Then listen.”
She moves behind you, the now familiar placement of her hands return one settling at your hip, the other at the small of your back. Even through the layers of your clothes you felt the warmth of her touch.
“Bend your knees.”
You adjust immediately.
“Lower.”
You sank slightly further.
“Good.”
Her voice was quieter now, controlled, meant only for you.
“Feel where your weight sits.”
Her hand presses lightly against your back, guiding the angle of your posture.
“Forward.”
You shift again.
“There.”
Her touch lingers once again longer than needed, you feel her apply more pressure as though she’s wanting to keep touching you.
“That’s your centre.”
Your breath catches slightly.
Being this close to her made it harder to focus than falling ever had.
You tried to ignore it.
Failed.
“You do realise,” you said quietly, “this might be easier if you weren’t distracting me.”
For a second the rink was completely silent.
Wanda didn’t move.
Then slowly, she steps around in front of you, one eyebrow lifting.
“Distracting you?” she repeats.
Your heart sinks immediately regretting what just came out of your mouth.
“I meant..the correction”
Her lips curve slightly.
Not a full smile.
But close.
“Careful,” she says with a dangerous glint to her tone.
She steps closer again, just enough that you had to tilt your head up to keep eye contact, looking right at you before she moves her mouth to your ear, softly breathing out.
“You’re the one who signed up for my class.”
Your pulse skipped.
“And here I thought you were just enjoying bossing me around,” you muttered.
That earned you a real reaction. A soft exhale that might have been the beginning of a laugh.
Wanda’s face comes back into view her gaze sharpening, something warmer flickering beneath the authority.
“Oh, I am, got to let that professional stick up my ass take it’s bossing around somewhere” she says with a slight smirk on her face.
Your stomach drops, she heard that.
“But if you’re distracted,” she smiles, her voice dropping slightly, “that’s a discipline problem.”
I know you said there's no direct time line from your story but I just wanted to stop by and say its quickly becoming one of my favourite to stop by and check your account if you posted again
The dynamic between Wanda and R already is so interesting especially with how Wanda was watching R with Kate and I cant wait to see this expand
Thank you so much ☺️
It makes me very happy to hear you are enjoying the fic and check in to see if there’s an update.
I also can’t wait too see and write how their relationship and character developments all play out, I hope you’ll continue to enjoy it 🤞🏻
Summary: When you a bored college student signs up for a beginners figure skating class, you never expected to be trained by Wanda Maximoff, the cold and commanding former figure skating champion whose career was cut short by an ACL injury. Wanda’s authority on the ice is absolute, she has no patience for beginners- especially one who seems to struggle with every move. Despite her harsh demeanour you’re more than determined to prove yourself. As Wanda asserts control over the class and over you, a complicated dynamic of power, desire and resistance begins to form. Will you rise to the challenge or crumble under wanda’s unyielding gaze?
Tags/warnings: Mean Wanda, dom/sub, fluff and smut, Age difference, mutual pining, Tension, Kinda enemies to lovers
Author’s note: This is my first series so I’m sorry if it’s not great, all comments/suggestions/critique is welcome but please be kind and respectful. I hope you enjoy the fic and the wild ride we are all in for!
No safety when falling
You didn’t sleep much that night. It wasn’t fear. It wasn’t exactly excitement either. It was anticipation. The memory of her hands at your waist replayed more times than you were willing to admit.
By the time you stepped onto the ice the following week, the rink was quieter than usual. The general class hadn’t started yet, Wanda had clearly meant what she said about staying behind.
Or in this case arriving early.
She was already there. Of course she was, gliding slow, controlled laps around the rink like she owned the ice itself. She noticed you immediately. She always did.
“You’re early” she said, not stopping.
“You said private lessons”
“That starts after class”
Your stomach dropped slightly. She stops in front of you.
“But I appreciate the punctuality”, she pauses before continuing with a small smirk. “ or eagerness”
Heat creeps up your neck. You bend down to adjust your laces just to avoid her eyes. A sudden sharp command is heard.
“Stand.”
Your hands freeze, slowly you straighten. She hadn’t raised her voice, she didn’t need too. Wanda steps closer, eyes scanning you, your posture, your stance, the way you held yourself.
“From this moment on, when I give instruction you execute it. Immediately. No thinking. No second guessing”
Your pulse quickens. There was something heavier in her tone now, something heavier than coaching. “ understood?” She asks. You swallow. “Yes.”
Her eyebrows lift. “Yes..?”
You hesitate. For a second the silence stretches. “ yes, coach”
A flicker of satisfaction passes through her eyes. “Good.”
The word settles somewhere low in your stomach. She pushes off before gesturing for you to follow. “Forward crossovers.”
Your brain try to protest. You’d barely mastered gliding never mind one foot over the other, but you don’t argue, you push, attempt the movement, nearly tangle your blades, recover, barely.
Wanda was beside you in seconds. “Stop.”
You did. Immediately. Her hands come up to grab under your chin, she tilts your face so your eyes are looking straight into hers, not rough, but firm enough to guide your face towards her. “Your thinking again”
Your breath catches, “I can see it in your shoulders”. Her thumb presses lightly under your jaw, lifting your head slightly higher. “Trust me. The words were quiet. Not an order, not quite a reassurance either. Something in between.
She releases you slowly “again.”
You move. This time without waiting for doubt to settle, the crossovers weren’t perfect, but they were disastrous either. When you finish, slightly breathless, she doesn’t speak immediately.
The silence feels more intense than any criticism. Then…”better”. Just that. But it felt like winning something.
“You respond well to direction”she continued. “You just resist surrendering control”
The word lingered. Surrender. Your stomach flips.
“Im not trying to control anything” you mutter. She takes a small glide towards you. Closer.
“Aren’t you?” She says, her voice slightly lowered.
“You fight every correction for half a second before you comply”. Comply. There it was again. That undertone. You hadn’t realised she had noticed. “ I don’t fight” you say quietly.
“ No” she agreed “ you don’t”. Her gaze softens, not warm but thoughtful. “ you just need to be told exactly where you stand”
Those words should have irritated you, coming from anyone else they might have. Instead, something inside you steadied. She steps back.
“Lets go again”, you began to move before she even finished the sentence. This time smoother, cleaner and when you stopped she gives a single nod. “There it is.”
Three words.
Approval.
You feel it all the way down to your fingertips.
The doors to the rink swing open, the rest of the class begin filtering in, breaking whatever tension had wrapped around the two of you. Wanda straightens instantly. Composure back in place and authority restored.
“Fall in” she calls to the others, but before she fully turns away, her eyes flicker back to you, “one more thing” she says quietly enough that only you hear.
“If you’re going to give me obedience” her gaze holds yours, “don’t make it reluctant”
Then she pushes off, leaving you standing there heart pounding harder than it had during any glide.
Wanda’s voice carries across the rink as she calls everyone into a loose semicircle. “Today were working on controlled momentum, not speed, not tricks. Control”
Her eyes flicker to you briefly. You felt it like a touch.
“Pair up”
There was a shuffle of movement as beginners awkwardly gravitate towards whoever stood the closest. Before you could fully process it, someone stops beside you.
“Hey” a soft voice says “we can partner if you want?”
You look up to see a girl around your age, steady stance, dark braid over her shoulder, confidence in the way she balanced on her blades.
“Yeah”, you reply “okay.” The girl smiles as she holds out her hand for you to shake. “I’m Kate”
“Y/n” you respond as you take her hand.
Across the rink Wanda notices, her expression doesn’t change but she’s watching.
“Partners will practise assisted crossovers,” she instructed. “One leads. One follows. Switch after each lap.”
Kate smiles gently “I’ll lead first?”
You nod and place your hands in hers “I don’t know if you’ve heard but I’m notorious for being not good at skating”, her grip was supportive, warm through your gloves. She guides you into the movement slowly, counting under her breath. “We’ll see. One..two…shift your weight, that it.”
It felt easier, safer. You made it half way around without falling. A small, surprised laugh slipped from you. “See, you’ve got this” Kate says.
From the centre of the rink, wanda’s keeps stealing glances. Her posture shifts, not dramatically but enough.
“Switch” she calls. You reposition yourself to lead this time, the confidence from the first lap lingering, far too much of it. You push harder, faster, your blade catches slightly wrong against the ice. The imbalance was immediate. Kate tries to steady you but your weight drags her off centre.
And down you go. Hard.
The back of your hip hits first, cold shoots up your side.
“Are you okay?!” Kate asks instantly, already kneeling beside you, her hand reaches for yours without hesitation with the intention to help you up. Before you could answer…
“Leave it.”
The air shifts, Wanda was there in seconds. She doesn’t rush, she glides controlled and direct. Kate freezes mid reach.
“Ive got her” Wanda says evenly, not raised or angry but final.
Kate pulls her hand back slowly, “sorry I just”
“I said I’ve got her.” There’s no hostility in the way Wanda says it but there was authority, authority that was not to be challenged.
Kate stands and slides back giving Wanda space. Wanda crouches slightly in front of you.
“Look at me.” You did.
Her eyes scan over your faces quickly before travelling over your body, assessing.
“Can you stand?”
“Yes”
“Good. Then do it”
No hand offered this time. You push yourself up, pride bruised more than your hip is. She waits until your steady.
“Why did you fall?” She asks.
“My blade caught..”
“No.” Her tone cut clean.
You opened your mouth to argue but she steps closer.
“You were comfortable being led, the second you had control you overcompensated”
The words hit deeper than they should have.
“It’s not a crime to fall but it’s a mistake to keep on repeating it”
Her gaze flickers briefly towards Kate just long enough to acknowledge her, then returned to you.
“Do it again”
Your heart was still pounding from the fall. “Right now?” Her eyebrow lifted. “Yes coach” you correct quickly.
There it was again that subtle shift in her expression, you extended your hands automatically, not to Kate. To her. The moment lingers, then she takes your hands her grip firm. Grounding.
“You lead” she says calmly, your pulse spikes and you push off. The first crossover was shaky and her hands tighten anchoring you. “Slow” she instructs, you adjust your speed. Second crossover cleaner. “Keep going.” You did.
This time the rhythm settled into something steadier. When you completed the lap she released you slowly. “You see the difference?” She asks quietly. You nod. “You don’t need someone to soften the fall, you need someone who won’t let you retreat from it”
The words settle heavily. She steps back, her composure slipping back into place as she resumes overseeing the group. “Back to your partner” she commands.
You obeyed, but when you rejoined Kate something inside you had shifted. You weren’t looking for safety anymore or compassion during a fall.
Across the rink, Wanda stood with her arms folded. Watching, watching as the shift settled into something steadier in you, something else gleaming. And every time you pushed forward you felt it, her expectation.
Summary: When you a bored college student signs up for a beginners figure skating class, you never expected to be trained by Wanda Maximoff, the cold and commanding former figure skating champion whose career was cut short by an ACL injury. Wanda’s authority on the ice is absolute, she has no patience for beginners- especially one who seems to struggle with every move. Despite her harsh demeanour you’re more than determined to prove yourself. As Wanda asserts control over the class and over you, a complicated dynamic of power, desire and resistance begins to form. Will you rise to the challenge or crumble under wanda’s unyielding gaze?
Tags/warnings: Mean Wanda, dom/sub, fluff and smut, Age difference, mutual pining, Tension, Kinda enemies to lovers
Author’s note: This is my first series so I’m sorry if it’s not great, all comments/suggestions/critique is welcome but please be kind and respectful. I hope you enjoy the fic and the wild ride we are all in for!
Not so graceful
The sound of blades carving into ice echoed around you, uneven and clumsy from the other beginners who had already found something to focus on. Laughter broke out from the far side of the rink where two skaters were more seamlessly skating together.
But you weren’t apart of that. You were still standing where she left you. Still under her gaze.
Wanda hadn’t moved from the centre.
“Why are you watching them” she called out sharply.
Your head snapped towards her, your words stumbling out.
“I, I’m just trying to see what they’re doing”
“If you need to copy other beginners to survive, you’re already behind.”
The words hit hard, but her tone wasn’t mocking. It was precise. Measured. Like she was cutting away excuses before they could form.
“Forward glide,” she ordered. “From that line to me.”
You glanced down at the faint marking in the ice a few feet away. It suddenly looked miles long.
“Now.”
You pushed off.
Too stiff.
Your arms hovered awkwardly at your sides, shoulders tight, every muscle screaming not to fall. You made it halfway before your balance tipped. Your blade scraped wrong, your ankle wobbling…
And then you were down. Cold shot up through your palms as they hit first. A sharpe inhale left your lungs. You didn’t look at her. You couldn’t.
The humiliation was worse than the fall itself.
For a moment, there was only the scrape of other skaters moving and your own pulse roaring in your ears. Then you heard it, the slow, deliberate glide of someone approaching.
Wanda stopped beside you, her shadow falling across the ice. “Get up.” She says while holding her hand out as an offering for help. It’s not unkind. Just firm.
You pushed yourself upright, refusing to take her hand even though part of you wanted to. She noticed that, of course she did.
“Stubborn” she states.
You clench your jaw tight “Determined.”
Her eyebrow lifted almost imperceptibly. “Determination without technique is useless.”
She huffs out a breath before she continues.
“Did you read the poster before you decided to enroll for my class?”
You tilt your head to the side, a confused expression adorning your face. “Yeah, a learn to skate class with Wanda Maximoff.”
Wanda looks at you with a blank expression. “Did you read anything other than the bold words on the poster?”
“This is a beginners class, but taking you hadn’t read the full thing, it did state the basic requirement was to know at least how to move on the ice. You look like Bambi trying to find his legs, going in every direction but forward”
You flushed slightly. Truth being you had not read the full thing. One glance over your face, she knew that immediately.
She moved behind you without warning.
You felt her presence before you felt her touch. Then her hands. One at your hip, one lightly at your lower back.
Your breath stalled.
“Bend your knees,” she murmured close to your ear. Not loud enough for anyone else to hear. “You lock up the second you’re afraid.”
Her fingers pressed slightly, guiding your posture.
“Weight forward. Trust the blade.”
Her body wasn’t pressed against yours, but she was close enough that you were hyperaware of every inch of space between you.
“Again” she said quietly.
You pushed off.
Her hands didn’t leave immediately.
They moved with you for a second steadying, correcting before slowly releasing.
You wobbled, but you didn’t fall.
A few more feet. Then a few more. Your breathing steadied as you focused on the glide instead of her.
When you reached so far she circled in front of you, skating backwards effortlessly.
“Good” she said. “ You overthink. You hesitate right before the push.” Her eyes searched your face like she was trying to see beneath it. “Why?”
The question caught you off guard. You hadn’t expected her to ask why. “I don’t want to mess up,” you admitted before you could stop yourself.
“You will mess up,” she replied. “Falling is part of it.” She skated closer again, forcing you to hold your ground.
“What I won’t tolerate,” she continued voice lowering “is fear dictating your movement.” Something about the way she said it felt bigger than skating.
You swallowed.
“I’m not scared.” A lie.
Her lips almost , almost curved.
“Liar.” Heat flared across your cheeks. But there was no cruelty in it. Just certainty.
She skated past you this time, brushing close enough that your sleeves almost touched. “Again,” she called over her shoulder. “And this time, I want speed.”
Speed? Your stomach flipped.
But you did it anyway. You pushed harder. Faster.
The glide felt wild and unsteady, cold chill brushing your face as panic spiked in your chest
Your balance tipped. You braced for impact, but it never came.
Strong hands caught your waist mid fall. Pulled you upright. Your back collided lightly with something solid.
Her.
Wanda steadied you without strain, blades digging into the ice to anchor you both. For a second, neither of you moved.
“You see?” she murmured near your ear. “You can move. You just don’t trust yourself.” Your heart was hammering so loudly you were certain she could feel it through your back.
She didn’t let go immediately.And you didn’t step away. The rest of the rink faded. It was just the two of you in the middle, suspended in that moment. Then she released you abruptly.
She turned her back to you “again, alone this time” before skating off towards other learners. You began practicing this time on your own, but you were sure every so often you could feel her gaze on you.
The rest of the class filtered back toward the centre as time wound down. People laughed, pulling off gloves, chatting about how hard it was. You felt like you’d just survived something far more personal.
As everyone began filing off the ice, you moved toward the exit too.
“Not you.”
You froze. The rink emptied. The doors shut. Wanda skated toward you slowly, the scrape of her blades deliberate.
“You’re staying,” she said.
Your pulse spiked. “Am I in trouble?”
A faint arch of her brow.
“If you were in trouble, you’d know.”
She stopped In front of you. Close…too close. “From next lesson, you will remain after class for private lessons. You have potential, but your hesitance and fear of embarrassment hinders you. Hesitation on the ice is weakness”
“Do you want to continue?” she asked.
Your answer came before doubt could creep in. “Yes.”
A flicker passed through her eyes. Approval. Interest. “Good” she said.
Then she pushed off, circling you once more.
“Because next time,” she added, voice carrying in the empty rink, “I won’t go easy on you.”
Firstly I’d like to apologise for being gone so long after posting only one chapter of The Ice Between Us. Life unfortunately became very hectic for me and finding time to write how I wanted to became close too impossible.
I’ve recently seen there’s been an influx of attention back onto it. I’m sure this is in recent events of the Olympic ice skating. I’m very sorry people are coming into a fic that is deemed a series but only has/had one chapter for over a year.
I would like to announce that I absolutely will be continuing the fic, it will still take its time and will have no fixed schedule but it is not discontinued or abandoned. I can say that I will do my best to get the second chapter out this week, as you all well deserve.
Summary: When you a bored college student signs up for a beginners figure skating class, you never expected to be trained by Wanda Maximoff, the cold and commanding former figure skating champion whose career was cut short by an ACL injury. Wanda’s authority on the ice is absolute, she has no patience for beginners- especially one who seems to struggle with every move. Despite her harsh demeanour you’re more than determined to prove yourself. As Wanda asserts control over the class and over you, a complicated dynamic of power, desire and resistance begins to form. Will you rise to the challenge or crumble under wanda’s unyielding gaze?
Tags/warnings: Mean Wanda, dom/sub, fluff and smut, Age difference, mutual pining, Tension, Kinda enemies to lovers
Author’s note: This is my first series so I’m sorry if it’s not great, all comments/suggestions/critique is welcome but please be kind and respectful. I hope you enjoy the fic and the wild ride we are all in for!
You weren’t exactly sure what had prompted you in the beginning to sign up to this class. Maybe it was the fact that your college schedule felt endless, or maybe it was the idea of gliding on the ice seemed like the perfect escape from the pressures of exams and assignments. You’d always wanted to learn, but never had the chance. So, when a flyer had appeared on the campus bulletin board for extracurricular activities for adults, you had taken the plunge.
What you weren’t prepared for though, was her.
Wanda Maximoff. You’d heard of her of course, everyone had. She was a legend, practically a household name in the world of figure skating and on your TikTok for you page more than you’d like to admit. That was all until a catastrophic ACL injury had forced her out of the competition scene. Now, apparently she was here, in this small rink, offering to teach beginners like you. Your stomach flipped at the sight of her.
Wanda was standing in the set middle of the rink, her posture perfect, wrapped in a simple black jacket that hugged her curves, but there was nothing simple about her presence. She looked like she belonged to the ice like it was an extension of herself. As she began to glide every movement was sharp and graceful. She was without a doubt beautiful, but it was more than that. It was the way she seemed to command attention without even trying.
You shook yourself out of your daze and looked back down to your laces, you were hesitating, feeling the unmistakable rush of nerves in your veins. Was it really too late to turn around? But before you could make up your mind, her eyes found you.
Her gaze was immediate and it felt like a weight on your chest. You swallowed, heart suddenly hammering as she skated towards you with effortless speed, cutting through the ice with precision and grace that made your stomach tighten. She stepped of the ice in front of you, barely a breath away and your mouth went dry.
“You’re late” she said, her voice sharp. Her eyes were cold like they had already sized you up. She spoke up again “This isn’t the place for latecomers.”
You stammered, caught off guard by her bluntness. “I-I’m sorry. I hadn’t realised the class had already started”
“You’re here to learn how to skate, not to make excuses.” Wanda’s tone left no room for argument. She crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing with quiet judgement. “Hurry up and get in line. We don’t have time for anyone to be behind.”
The words stung and you felt the blush creeping up your neck. She wasn’t even trying to soften her tone. Her presence pressed against you like a weight you couldn’t shake. You were already wishing you could crawl into a hole and hide.
You nodded, unsure of what else to do. Her eyes didn’t leave you, not for a second. You were almost wondering if she was waiting for you to fail. “Laces criss crossed into a bow, be quick about it” she left you with before moving back into the centre.
Forcing your hands into motion you began tying them as she had said criss and crossing until they looks somewhat presentable tying them off with the bow before awkwardly shuffling to the rink where the rest of the class were trying to get into some semblance of rhythm. The other skaters didn’t notice your awkward entrance, but you could feel Wanda’s gaze on you, sharp and unblinking, as if she was waiting to watch every little mistake you would make.
The floor was slippery beneath you, and every step felt like you were about to lose your balance. But you couldn’t let yourself fall, not in front of her. You wanted to be good at this, needing to prove you could be more than another newbie just stumbling around on the ice.
“Don’t just stand there” Wanda’s voice cut through the space. “ Move, this is the beginners class, not the ‘watch people flail’ class. Skate, or get out.”
You froze, not sure if you’d been caught making a bigger mistake or if she just liked to keep her class on edge. That’s until the whole class seemed to stop and stare at you, and for a moment you just wished the earth would swallow you whole. But instead Wanda’s eyes locked with yours, for a fleeting second you’re sure you seen them soften, just barely.
“Try again” she said, her tone still commanding but with a subtle shift, something almost, expectant. “ And this time, don’t waste my time.”
Trying to ignore the way her words stung like a slap, you nodded. There was something about her authority, her control, that both frustrated you and compelled you. You knew she was tough, knew she wouldn’t let anyone slide by easily, but the more she pushed you the more you couldn’t help but want to prove her wrong.
Her eyes remained on you as you took another step, trying again to find some balance to glide across the ice. Every tiny movement seemed to be under her scrutiny and it made you feel both exposed and strangely…alive.
“Better” the word was still sharp, as if she were merely acknowledging that you hadn’t just completely embarrassed yourself. “But that’s not good enough. Do it again and this time, don’t think. Just move.”
It was a command and you didn’t even think to argue. You couldn’t, it felt like you were being bent to her will and you found yourself falling into line whether you wanted to or not.
You glanced around the rink desperate to follow the other skaters but they had already moved on. You were the only one still left struggling, alone in her gaze. She stood there, watching you, every bit the dominant figure that she was. And despite how harsh her words felt, despite the biting coldness in her tone, you couldn’t shake the feeling Wanda wanted something from you, something more than a simple performance.
She wanted obedience. She wanted control.
And for some reason, you couldn’t help but want to give it to her.
