Sleep

It Takes a Lot to Watch a Person Break

Bungou Stray Dogs/Yuri on Ice - Ikuma Arishima & Rowan McCallum

My Luigi's Mansion fixation has taken over so here

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They were both skater boys.

If you told that to Ikuma Arishima, he would probably punch you. If mentioned to Rowan McCallum, in addition to a punch he'd tell you all about how much he hated Avril Lavigne just because of that song.

The unlikely two just happened to be in the same waiting room after being in different skateboarding accidents, both now sporting matching broken arms.

The nurses on duty mentioned to the other that the two were both skaters, hoping they'd get along until they could get home. They just didn't realize that the two teenagers sitting in the waiting room were both introverts, and spent the last hour in silence.

Ikuma was mostly annoyed. He was 18 and perfectly able to walk home to his flat, but the nurses still had him call his guardian. Of which was the one and only Doppo Kunikida. It was already late, and he wasn't exactly in the mood to be lectured about his dangerous skateboarding habits.

Rowan was half asleep, and couldn't care less about his predicament. In addition to a skateboarder, Rowan was a figure skater. He'd just had a rough few weeks of the world competition, and just wanted to go back to Canada and his own bed. He called his coach, Jean-Jacques, to pick him up. Who, really, was the only person he knew in the country that could drive.

Ikuma, bored, took in the young teen sitting across from him. With his dark red hair and orange parka, he didn't look like most of the skateboarders he knew. Ikuma preferred a hoodie and vest when he went skating.

"They say you're a skater." Ikuma said, nodding towards the busy nurses constantly running down the halls and standing at the reception desk.

The redhead blinked, eyelids drooping. He was probably tired. "Yeah."

"Care to share what happened?"

"The sidewalk was icy and I slipped. You?"

"Wasn't watching where I was going and skated right into an intersection. I was the only lucky one who got hospitalized."

"I wouldn't call having to sit in a waiting room waiting for a guardian hospitalized." He said, air quoting hospitalized with his good hand. He stared at his broken arm. "That's going to get frustrating fast."

Ikuma smiled at the joke. "It's just at first glance you don't look all too much like a skateboarder."

"It's really only a hobby."

"Yeah? So then what else do you do, then?"

"I'm a figure skater."

Ikuma's eyebrows furrowed. He had to admit the kid in front of him did look a tad bit familiar. "You wouldn't happen to be Rowan McCallum, would you?"

He let out a small laugh. "I'm Rowan, yeah."

"Dude!" Ikuma exclaimed with a smile. "I was rooting for you at the Junior's! Your programs were awesome!"

Rowan smiled and looked down at the floor, trying to hide his blush. "Thanks. But wouldn't you be cheering on the Japanese skater instead?"

Ikuma patted his pockets, finding his ID card in his pocket. He showed the green card to Rowan. "I'm Canadian. I just live here."

"Cool."

"And your coach had to switch recently, right?"

"Yeah. It's Jean-Jacques now."