✔️ Body and Mind 3

Even

They sat there playing chess, chatting about everything and nothing.
Everything that was easy to talk about. About Anya's life full of traveling and researches. About Yuzuru's quad Axel and preparations for the next - Olympic - season that was starting just in two months.
And nothing related to their partners or about the fact that this is their last day together.

Yuzuru was feeling terrible for putting his relationship worries on Anya's head and wanted to make sure that he won't mention Emily to her anymore. He wanted to make the rest of the day as relaxed and easy-going as possible, even despite the fact that the world outside of Anya's room was the very opposite.

-Aaand, we are done.

Anya said as she moved her chess piece and her eyes yet again sparked with the satisfaction of another victory.

-What? I still have plenty of moves left I---- Well...congratulations, I guess.

Yuzuru gave up trying to figure out all the possible moves ahead. If Anya said it's over, it was over. Nevertheless, he still wished he would be able to see it the same way she did.

-But you got so much better, Yuzu. I am truly impressed.

He looked up at her and could see that she does mean every word she said. There was indeed admiration in her eyes and it did make him feel way better about losing another game. Even though he went into each game knowing he won't win, it still didn't feel nice to lose. In anything.

-I wish I could see it all the same way you do. With all the patters just immediately standing out and--

-And I would hate if you did. Because that's where artistry comes from - from chaos. To defy the rules and go against the set patterns. To create something new you need to stand with one foot in chaos.

-Who said that?

-I would dare to say that's actually me. But who knows. There probably was already someone who said it before.

-I like it.

Anya gave him a soft smile and then returned back to arranging the board for another game.

-Oh, actually there was something I wanted to tell you. You remember how we were at my parents' and I asked you to pack the two journals for me? For my Astro and Cosmo thesis?

-Um...very vaguely.

Yuzuru said but wasn't sure if he remembered it at all and couldn't believe that Anya would remember something so dull as what was packed three years ago on their little holiday trip.

-Well, you tossed into the suitcase three journals instead of just the two. And as it turned out, the extra one was holding the answer to the CERN task I was trying to crack. The one that brought me the Fields Medal. So....I just thought you should know.

Yuzuru gaped at her, not believing that such a simple and unimportant action actually resulted in something so significant.
Anya leaned forward and patted his hand, but just very shortly and then quickly retracted back to still keep the polite physical distance between them.

-Thank you, Yuzu.

-I ... am....AWESOME!!

Yuzuru exclaimed and shot his arm up in the air, pointing with his index finger at the ceiling, his head down.

-Yeah...well....I still did the thinking....

Now Yuzuru bent his arm and curled his hand in a fist, making a strike with his elbow behind his back.

-I am SO awesome!

-Calm. Down.

Yuzuru raised his head, beaming with pride and joy, and gave Anya a questioning look.