AXIS | Yuzuru Hanyu

24.

The awaited day for Brianna to experience skating has arrived. For once in a whole week, she left Yuzuru's house and slept at Mary's with the argument that "Coaches don't sleep with students" whom he wasn't fond of at all.

Her sister keeps saying she only sleeps at her house when they have an argument, which isn't necessarily true, but she has been, for sure, spending the majority of her time wherever the skater is.

It surprised her that unlike before, she didn't feel like there was a need for distance. They got along well enough to respect each other's space. Even when they fought, he always found a way to stop her from being mad hours later.

The girl was now getting ready for her skating session. The plan was to eat something light for dinner before heading to the rink together, using Yuzuru's private ice time for her to be comfortable.

Brianna felt a bit guilty for stealing hours he should have been practicing to be with her, trying to make her somehow decent enough not to fall as soon as she stepped half a foot on the slippery surface.  Every time she mentioned it to him, the answer was "I stopped competing to be able to layback somedays, I won't slack, but it's not the end of the world if I miss one hour of practice"

So here she was, patiently waiting for him to pick her up in full sports mode, leggings that clung to her body (Kaori says they are more comfortable) a tight top (might as well emulate Yuzuru), and a sweatshirt on top to avoid getting cold while the body warmed up.

After dinner, they entered the rink building and Brianna started getting really nervous, no one likes to fall, but it's part of the learning process.

They both sat on one of the benches where Yuzu methodically taught her how to tie the boots properly, showing the process with his own and helping her mirror his actions.

Soon enough they were both on their feet, he was explaining the basic movements they would go through and quite essentially how to skate.

He took his guard and stepped on the ice, placing the plastic object on the border of the rink.
Yuzuru made it look far too easy but as soon as she grabbed his hand and tried to do the same she almost felt immediately, her only salvation was his arms not allowing her body to fall on the ice.

"I know you love my hugs, but there is no need to throw yourself at me like that" he joked, Brianna not amused at all by his antics.

"Very funny" she retorted "How do you even stand with these?"

"Let me help?"

Giving several instructions like bending the knees and standing up straight while holding her two hands, Brianna found herself able to balance on the blades, doing a little cheer as soon as she was able to let go of his hands.

"See! You're doing it" he said encouragingly"

"I'll be landing triple axels in no time" she said laughing"Seriously, I would be hyper-afraid to even try to do a small hop"

"Maybe if you like this and skate long enough, you will see that the things that seem very hard will be easy in no time. I mean, maybe not triple axels, but the basic skating stuff, I think you could learn it all easily if we work on it often."

"I don't want to keep stealing your practice time."

"We can share the ice, I'll teach you how to skate with other people too"

"I'm over here celebrating being able to skate and you're already far ahead"

"Let me teach you some basic strokes and stops before we think about anything else"

They had been at it for about an hour when Brianna started feeling too warm, going to the edge of the rink at a slow, controlled pace, she removed her sweatshirt and felt her waist being hugged almost immediately, his strong arms enveloping her from behind.

"You wore that on purpose" he whispered in her ear in a teasing tone.

"Wore what?" She saw him rolling his eyes and answering.

"The tight workout clothes, they are distracting"

"Now you know how you affect others," she said with a smirk "The first time I saw you in the Under Armour clothes I almost didn't know how to act, let alone work.

"You secretly love them"

"Not secretly, I do love them on you, but anyone with eyes does... Back to skating, Hanyu-sensei"

Brianna loved the small pout on his face, he was always very transparent with his emotions, it was almost funny.

"You love it, don't you? Skating?"

"It's fun, I just wish I could do more stuff"

"You will eventually. It's just your first time. For all it's worth, you're doing great"

"Thank you"

About half an hour later, Yuzuru suggested stopping, it had been a while already and even if she didn't know, it was sure she would be sore the next day.
She wined but eventually agreed.

"So, feedback?" He asked while they were untieing the boots.

"Loved it, far more than I expected... I can see why you dedicate so much to the ice" she said, placing a kiss on his lips. "Thank you for this, I know it can't be fun to teach someone from scratch"

"I like teaching you, I enjoyed it more than you think"

"You know what?"

"Hum?

"I did well, right?"

"Very well"

"I think I deserve a reward"

"And what is the reward the lady wants?"

"Well, I think it's fair if I have the right to a massage"

Yuzuru laughed at his girlfriend.

"Like the one you gave me?" He asked with a raised brow and a smirk.

"That would definitely be nice"

"Let's go home then"