Icy Highness | Yuzuru Hanyu

29.

Yuzuru's plan had one major flaw that he didn't anticipate when he decided to get off the shower.

It was just that he hadn't brought any clothes to change into and his shirt was now completely drenched.

He took the wet piece of clothing and placed it on the basket of dirty clothing that he had in the bathroom. It was one less thing to try to explain to her.

The result?

He got dressed in the sweatpants he used to sleep in and got out of the bathroom like that, chest completely exposed to the wondering eyes of the princess currently laying on the bed.

As soon as her eyes found his half-naked form, she audibly gasped.

"Sorry, forgot to take clothes with me" he said with red cheeks.

"What happened to the shirt you were wearing?"

Of course, Athena had to be smart and ask about it.

"Put it to wash before I realized" He quickly brushed off any other questions by getting fresh clothes and closing himself in the bathroom once again, chest beating rapidly.

Athena didn't expect it at all, seeing his naked torso in all of its glory but she couldn't say she regretted it either, not when he looked like that.

Her suspicions that he had far more muscle than what it looked like ended up confirming themselves without much effort and boy, was it a glorious view.

She had no idea what was the reason behind his awkward behavior, but she wasn't going to complain when it gave her that.

The morning had been confusing enough to linger on yet another thing that could consume her thoughts.

She was still feeling a bit hot from their previous exchange but at the same time, it was hard to deal with everything at once.

Athena had to come back to her hotel soon, she needed her stuff and couldn't rely on Yuzuru's bed for the next two weeks, even if she wanted to.

They were both playing a dangerous game.

👑

The next week was filled with little moments that almost made them lose it all over again. The princess ended up sleeping in her hotel room for the rest of her stay, mostly to avoid the lingering feelings of wanting more of him.

It wasn't as if they didn't spend time together. The two were constantly together, going as far as Athena attending his physio sessions and constantly being graced with the view of his tight workout clothes that left very little to the imagination.

Well, what was missing she could still fill in her brain from the few seconds that she saw his exposed torso.

Handling all of it was a struggle that both of them seemed to be having.
It wasn't as if the feelings weren't mutual, but it was better to ignore them than to face all the consequences that they could bring.

On the first time that she went to Cricket with him, the same receptionist that wanted to kick her out on the first day was clearly surprised to see her entering with Yuzuru.

Athena had told him the full episode and the princess didn't miss the smirk on his face as he grabbed her hand and dragged her inside the building with a proud look on his face.

It was almost as if Yuzu wanted to show her off, even if they were far from being remotely close to being together and giving him that right.

The silent deal that they had going on was obvious.

We like each other but we're not doing anything about it.

Yuzuru would ignore it sometimes, losing it and pecking her lips, usually ending in a more intense make-out session since none of them had the guts to stop once they started.

Still, they were mostly successful in keeping their hands off one another.

Mostly...

It didn't mean that the tension wasn't constantly there, ever so present in everything they did together.

The two weeks went by way too fast, the days going by far quicker than any of them expected given that they barely did anything besides talk.

Obviously, the worst day was the last.

Athena could tell that there was this heavy atmosphere between them, the thoughts that it was going to end all over again constantly on both of their minds.

Even when they were playing Mario Kart together and screaming at the screen when things didn't go as planned, the princess could tell that the inevitable wasn't lingering just in her head.

At the end of the last race, Yuzuru placed the remote on the coffee table and didn't say a word before both of his arms wrapped around her body and brought her towards his, fully leaning on him.

It was the first display of affection that he showed her on that day and she knew why, because she was leaving and none of them knew what was the best way to part.

It had been hours of unspoken words before he finally decided to act and bring her body close. Yuzuru didn't know how he was going to say goodbye, or how his days would be after she was gone.

The last two weeks were as if they were both in an invisible bubble that protected them both from the reality that awaited them in the outside world.
It felt good and freeing to just enjoy that time together without having to worry about anything else.

"Don't go." He whispered in her ear but knew that she couldn't. Not even if she wanted it as badly as he did.

"Yuzu..."

"I know, love. I know."

Love, he called her love. It was probably the first time that he called her anything other than her name or 'Princess' and he chose that over anything else.

"This reminds me of that morning."

Athena didn't have to say which, Yuzuru knew well what she meant and couldn't help but smile at the memories, especially the ones of his embarrassment.

"It was a nice morning."

"Yeah... If only things were as simple as they were on that bed."

"I know."

Yuzuru didn't say anything else. Trying to justify anything in their heads was both useless and painful. It was far better to just enjoy the little things they could have instead of thinking of everything else.

When it was time for her to actually leave his house, tears filled both of their eyes. They were both at the door, Yumi carefully observing the interaction without any words.

Speeches and promises were made. They had to keep in contact, he wouldn't ignore her and she would do her best to reply quickly. He could tell her what was hurting and she could tell him how boring things were.

It was better that way without acknowledging everything else that happened, especially on that bed.

Yuzuru didn't resist pulling her for one last kiss, not when he didn't know when the next time to see her would come.
She grasped in that feeling and saved it in all of her memory boxes. There was no way she would ever forget the incredible memories that she made during those two weeks.

"Please don't disappear" he begged of her.

"Please don't ignore me" she asked as well.

"I will call you."

"You better..."