Gold, love and mint tea (Yuzuru Hanyu )

Prologue III: Band aids cover bulletholes

A chill crawls up my spine making me shiver, and I bundle up even more in the fleece blanket I wrapped around myself taking another sip of my mint tea to warm myself up and enjoy the feeling of it slipping down my throat. I haven't moved since the ladie's short program started, which was over two hours ago. I almost regret wearing my converse instead of boots but what can I say? I never listen to my mother so I guess today was no exception. I wince as I readjust the pillow behind my back and put my earphones in while the ice is being resurfaced as I don't have the will to actually move and get a snack during the break.

I put on my reading glasses as I scroll through my phone when I feel someone's presence next to me. Having an idea about that person's identity I don't look up and pretend not to notice him. Instead of getting the hint he taps my shoulder to get my attention. I look up towards the person and as I suspected I see Yuzuru with a distraught look on his face. I don't bother to pretend to be surprised to see him, and just smile absently at him before bringing my attention back to my phone. He taps my shoulder again so I discreetly huff in annoyance before removing my earphones and looking at him expectantly.

"Hi"

"Hey"

"I didn't know you need glasses" he commented.

"They're just reading glasses" I answer mindlessly, thankful that he had the decency not to mention yesterday's incident.

We sit in silence awkwardly until we both say "How are you?" in unison.

I chuckle lightly before responding "I'm okay... What's with the disguise?" I ask, noticing that he's wearing a mask and has his hood up.

"I try to be not recognized" he admits "How is your pain?"

I pause before blankly answering "It's fine."

An uncomfortable silence fell between us again so I went back to my phone, texting Yulia to wish her good luck before her skate. Not like I thought she would reply but I needed to pretend to be busy to avoid continuing that conversation with Yuzuru. I don't need to extensively discuss how I flew down a flight of stairs because some guy bumped into me, and I certainly don't need to discuss how Yuzuru helped me get to the infirmary while I was groaning in pain. And while we're at it I really don't want to talk about the fact that I lashed out at him when he was concerned about me. I believe my exact words were "Why don't you leave me the hell alone, I don't need anyone to take care of me!".

I check the time and realize it's time for me to go, so I get up trying not to show how much pain I'm in. I put my phone in my pocket before turning to the Japanese skater.

"Can you watch my stuff , I'll be back soon" I asked. He looked at me with a puzzled expression on his face so I add "Please?"

"Okay" he agrees skeptically and I slowly make my way to the infirmary, using the wall to steady myself from time to time.

After what would probably qualify as a highly unpleasant moment I slowly move back towards the bleachers. I thank Yuzuru for watching my things and we quietly watch the rest of the competition together exchanging our opinions on the performances from time to time, me sipping on my mint tea to keep myself warm. I visibly cringe when Yulia makes mistakes and we both become pretty vocal after Yuna Kim's performance since she was ridiculously underscored. We waited for the arena to clear up a bit, making awkward small talk, before getting up and walking silently towards the Olympic village.

"This is me..." I say, pointing towards the door I stopped in front off.

"How do you sleep here?" He asks, seeming unsure about how to put his question into words.