Gold, love and mint tea (Yuzuru Hanyu )

18 - Post it notes

I jolt awake when I hear a small scream. I gasp in surprise, looking around me in confusion before remembering where I am and realizing that the scream came from the boy next to me. He was still mumbling something under his breath, I couldn't understand any of it. I figured it was in Japanese, and I could see the fear and discomfort on his face, a small tear slipping down his cheek.

I carefully wipe the tear away before gently shaking him, trying to wake him up. His eyes shoot open and he struggles to catch his breath, heaving harshly.

"Shhh, it was just a bad dream. Just a dream, okay? None of it was real..." I whisper bringing his head towards my chest, stroking his slightly sweaty hair.

"I-I'm sorry... I woke you up. I'm sorry..." he mutters, gripping my arm like his life depended on it.

"Hey, it's okay Yuzuru... Shhh, don't worry about it."

"Sorry..." he mumbles again before suddenly getting up and darting into the bathroom, slamming the door.

I hesitantly get up as well, tiptoeing towards the bathroom before gently opening the door. He's hunched over the sink with the water running, shivering and his teeth clattering. I slowly walk up to him, in order not to startle him and softly put my hand on his shoulder. He flinches at the contact but doesn't look up so I reach for the faucet, stopping the running water.

"How long have you been having these nightmares?" I asked firmly, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"They started a few years ago... They are bad, recently." he breaths out, finally looking at me.

"Do you want to go back to sleep... Or do you want to have something to drink, a cup of tea maybe?"

"I'm so tired... But I-i can't sleep after that..." he says in a guttural voice and manages to force a small smile.

"Come on..." I reach for his hand and he gladly takes it. I pull him back into the bedroom and both of us slide under the sheets. He's still shuddering and his breathing was uneven so I lie down on my back and pull his head in the crook of my arm. He rests his arm on my chest and tentatively swings one of his legs over mine, I was essentially cradling him.

"It's okay... I'm here... Just close your eyes..." I whisper and I feel him relax in my arms, his breathing becoming more even. He slowly drifts to sleep again and I follow some time after, still holding him.

~

I wake up again suddenly at the sound of my alarm on my phone ringing annoyingly. I realize that I'm alone when I sit up, frowning when I feel something weird on my forehead. I pull a pink post it note off my forehead, huffing in disbelief when I see that it's a note from Yuzuru.

'I had early practice this morning, didn't want to wake you.
Thank you for yesterday... And good luck!
See you later?
-Yuzu'

I laugh silently, rereading the note a couple of time before reaching for my phone and tucking the post it behind my phone case. I slip out of the bed and quickly get dressed, gathering my stuff before heading back to my room to get ready for my own practice. I decided not to give too much thought to anything that happened last night, doing my best to focus on the competition instead. I should have known that I wouldn't be able to keep my mind of it, seeing as I'm probably the biggest over-thinker that ever existed.