AXIS | Yuzuru Hanyu

7.

Yuzuru settled in the middle of the rink and the music started playing. The familiar sounds of 'Let's go crazy' filled the rink.

Brianna watched him move smoothly across the ice in well-choreographed moves. Until the first jump, the only difference she could see was the speed he gained. When he jumped, though, she was incredulous. She wasn't sure how many times he rotated in the air, but it was certainly more than what Kaori usually did, it looked even crazier than the axel one he did before. 

It didn't stop there, he kept going and soon enough was jumping again, he did two in a row to Brianna's amazement.  The way he did the spins, the choreography that almost made it look like he was dancing on ice, the look on his face, and the speed at which he did all of that amazed her.

When the song finished, Brianna had no words. He was utterly amazing and she couldn't believe her eyes. Maybe figure skating was somewhat interesting after all. 

He also looked exhausted by the end of it, breathy sounds leaving his mouth while he had his hands on his knees, slightly hunched over to try to recover.

"Are you okay?" Brianna broke the silence, slightly worried about how out of breath he was.

"Yes yes. Just need a second."

"Are you always that out of breath after you finish?"

"Depends ... For my shows, I need to be able to perform for a long time, so I hold back a bit and it's easier on my lungs. But when in competition, all the energy goes into those 3/4 minutes and I'm always out of breath by the end"

"You said you were practicing for shows, why go all out then?"

"Because I wanted you to see the real thing"

"Oh"

"So, what do you think?"

"It was amazing, I loved it..."

"You don't have to lie"

"I'm not, I genuinely loved it. Might even lose some time watching those videos of yours to see the rest"

"Don't"

"Huh? Why not?"

"I want to be the one showing you, not a screen"

Brianna looked at him with a serious expression. He confused her, she wasn't sure who Yuzuru was as a person. He could be arrogant but then the sweetest person on the planet. He could be cold and then show affection.

"Why does it matter if it's still you in the end?"

"It's not the same. Please let me do this."

"Can I at least watch other skaters?"

He huffed, not happy with that, but still agreed in the end. " I guess so"

"You do know that implies you're expecting me to watch you again"

He smiled at her. "I know, I guess you have to hate me slightly less"

"I don't hate you"

Yuzuru raised a brow at her. "Pretty sure you don't like me very much after that first day."

"You turned out alright. " she told him honestly, "You didn't seem to like me very much either. You had every reason to hate me that week, I don't blame you. "

"You're wrong, you know?" he told her.

"How so?"

"I had a shitty night, and Kaori is the reason I'm here coaching. When you arrived late I was pissed, sure... But I never hated you"

Yuzuru tried to explain the events of that very first day. They started on the wrong foot and he knew she hated him because of the way he handled things. Brianna was a genuinely nice person and it was clear now that she was trying to fix this bad wave between them too.

Brianna didn't know how to react and was thankfully saved by Kaori showing up. "Let's go Bri?" she asked her aunt.

"Yeah. Thank you Yuzuru, I had a great time."

Yuzuru reacted with a soft smile, glad that they were on better terms now. Maybe they could even become friends eventually. 

Kaori was carefully analyzing their exchange without a word but with a knowing smile.

"I'm glad.  I'll see you girls later"

"Bye, Yuzuru-san" Kaori answered him

"Later?"

"Yes. Mary invited me for dinner."

"Oh... I didn't know that. I guess I'll see you later then". 

This would be the first time seeing each other outside of the rink and she wondered how he would be in a different setting. Would she find the nice or the arrogant and bossy side of him?

🪶

When they arrived home, Brianna was surprised to find Mary in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's my day off..."

"Oh, okay"

"Okay? No objections about me making you take Kao anyways?"

"No, it's alright. I like taking her"

Mary looked at Brianna like she had grown a second head.

"You what now?"

"It's a peaceful place to work"

"And Yuzuru-san lets her watch his practices on Wednesdays" Kaori added, bringing red to Bri's face.

"Kaori! You little..."

"Ohh, I see"

Brianna was fuming, she knew her sister wouldn't drop it now.

"No, you don't"

"Just admit he's better than what you thought..."

"He's nice, okay?"

"Just nice?"

"Mary..."

"Alright alright. At least I know you won't fight over dinner. I was slightly worried when I invited him"

"Yeah, you could have given me a warning about that too"

Mary laughed at her sister, knowing very well that Brianna would make sure she wouldn't invite Yuzuru if someone asked for her opinion.

"Relax... I know he's like a superstar skater, but he's just a regular guy."

"Superstar skater? Sure, he probably has a few medals from what I've seen but it's not like he's a Celebrity... I'm just not comfortable with strangers in the house"

Mary and Kaori looked at each other with knowing smiles, none of them saying a word. Brianna would find out eventually and kill them all. 

It was for the better, Yuzuru came with a lot of baggage, and it was always hard for him to make friends. It seemed like Brianna was enjoying his company, even if she wouldn't admit it. It's only fair to let them explore the connection without outside factors ruining it all for once.

This was also a good opportunity to bring the old Brianna back before her idiot ex-boyfriend decided to force her into the loose sweatpants and shirts. Mary never knew what made Bri change until she heard how their relationship was, it wasn't hard to connect the dots on the timing of the change.

"I think we need to find you something to wear other than sweatpants tonight"