icing those hurt

Part 18

Niki loves spending money on her boarders.

Sneeg teases her, saying that she's much too kind for her profession, but sports are supposed to be about passion and love- and she's never been more passionate about Tubbo and Ranboo and the talent that they possess. Of course she'll display that by treating them to things every once in a while. They give her one hundred percent in practices and events, it's the least that she can do.

She takes them inside- after going down a few more hills- and offers to buy them all some nice steaming mugs of hot chocolate. When she asks Tommy what kind he wants he shakes his head.

"No hot chocolate?" She questions. "It's really not a hassle at all- I'm already getting some for these two. I might as well make it three."

But still, Tommy shakes his head. "Sorry, I just promised I'd try it with Wilbur first. He's an ice hockey player. We're- um- we hang out sometimes."

Niki hums in understanding. She isn't even surprised that he's trying it for the first time- she knows full well how some coaches restrict certain types of food in training. Especially during the Olympics. "Well," she says, "if you don't get that mug, you come knock on my door and I'll get you out to get some."

They sit at a little circular table and she watches Tubbo and Ranboo blow off their steaming hot mugs. Well, she watches Ranboo blow his- Tubbo just goes straight in without a single care in the world. Niki can tell that he burns his tongue, but he still keeps drinking like a maniac.

"Jack was upset that we went without him," she mentions, and Ranboo grins.

"Jack's always upset whenever anything happens without him." Tubbo huffs, sticking out his tongue like the cold air will un-burn it. "He's annoying, is what he is. Oh, Tommy, you would hate Jack- do you know him?"

Tommy shakes his head.

"Jack Manifold, skier- he skis with Fundy? I think he's friends with Technoblade, or something, but I still think Jack just says that because saying you're friends with Techno is impressive."

"He's not that bad," Ranboo defends lightly, but Niki laughs.

"He's a little bit bad." She says. "Just a bit. But skiers and snowboarders have a bit of a thing. We love to hate on one another. All in good fun, of course. But what about you, Tommy? I can't say that I know much of anything about the figure skating world. How is that?"

Tommy, who seemed content to just listen to them talk, dims a bit. "Oh, it's- uh, it's great. I love it. Events are always really challenging, and my free skate will be a bit hard, but I think it'll be rewarding when it's over, so."

"What music did you choose?" Tubbo asks. Tommy blinks.

"Choose?"

"Yeah, don't you get to pick your music?" He asks. "My sister, Lani, started figure skating a couple years ago, and her favorite part is picking out the music and the costumes. She used to skate to a lot of disney, and now I know all the words to the whole Moana soundtrack."

"Oh, I don't-" Tommy falters a bit. "I don't get to pick the music or anything. I just- I don't know, I just do what I'm told." Niki frowns a little. "I mean, at this level, it's what will best appeal to the panel and what choreography works with the music."

Niki resists the urge to sigh. She's heard rumors about ice skaters and their coaches, but she thought- she hoped- that it would be different. But no, these kids are still just puppets to their coaches' whims.

"How is your coach?" She asks, even though she pretty much has a clear idea. She just wants to see how Tommy sees his coach. "Is he nice? Do you like him?"

Tommy pauses. "He's- um- I appreciate all that he does for me. All that he...teaches me."

Oh jesus. Niki thinks. This is bad. She doesn't need any more context than that to see it.

"He has you practicing all the time," Tubbo says loudly. And it's a clumsy way of hiding his anger and telling Niki what he really thinks and how the coach really is, but Niki appreciates it nonetheless. "He's annoying. I've never talked to him and he pisses me off."

Tommy smiles a little- taking secret delight in his coach's slander. "It's not that bad, Tubbo."

"It's a little bad," Ranboo protests. "I want to hang out with you, man. He's in the way."

"I mean- he just- he wants me to be better, is all. I should be better."

"Practice everyday isn't the best way to go," Niki says softly. "Not always. Consistency is everything, but rest is too. You should rest, almost as much as you work. Just to stay healthy. If your coach doesn't understand that, then he shouldn't be a coach."

He looks uncomfortable hearing that- and Niki imagines so, because how many people have the balls to genuinely bash on an Olympic coach. Niki certainly doesn't give a fuck. Children are children, and she bets if she told Sneeg he'd feel the exact same way. It's so easy for them to get lost in the medals, but keeping track of the players- the children- under their care, is the most important thing.

"But anyway," she says, moving on. "What the heck even is a free skate? How is that any different from anything else that you do?"

Tommy eases, and is able to carefully launch into the explanation, leaving Niki to internally note that Tommy's coach is one that needs to be watched out for- if not casually monitored. 

(word count - 961)