Icy Highness | Yuzuru Hanyu

39.

Yuzuru's tone as he dragged his friend out of her proximity told Athena that he had plans to either lecture the other man or warn him to keep quiet.

Her eyes had been on Yuzuru during most of their conversation and she didn't see Brian or any other coach calling for Javier, meaning this was probably just a way that he found to take the other skater out of her sight and leave her alone.

It was an interesting gesture, he always cared more about the way she was feeling than he would ever admit out loud.

She also felt guilty that his focus had to be broken once again because of her. Maybe it really wasn't her best idea to just come to Finland and expect him to be like at any other competition without her.

Even so, her handsome boyfriend... Wait... Boyfriend? Can she even call him that? Anyway... He was very serious the whole time, to the point that she even thought to be sexy.

His glare could probably be enough to kill, just by how serious it was.

For Athena, the expression was off character of what she knew about him. Yuzuru always had a smile on his face and tried to look as friendly as possible.

Apparently, not when he was competing. This man was an entirely different beast.

From her side and point of view, it certainly looked like this man liked to dominate, both the competition and the whole psychological effect behind the performances. Winning on and off the ice seemed to be his goal.

The worst of it all was that he looked so unbothered by everything that it stunned her.

Just a few hours before he was panicking and telling her that his belly hurt from all the stress and suddenly it looked as if this was just another day for him.

Either he was very good at acting tough or he had finally calmed down.

Seeing things from this perspective and being at the venue of the competition was an entirely different experience.

Of course, Athena had been at the GP Final more than a year ago, but it was different from where she stood.

Now, the princess could see exactly what happens behind the scenes and it was more exciting than she ever expected.

Even if this was probably due to his presence, it only made her want to be present more and more.

Athena wondered what Yuzu would think if she was to clear her schedule for his every competition.
The likely outcome was being lectured.

As much as Yuzu liked to have her around, if she was to constantly be there, questions would certainly start to arise.

No matter what, her eyes followed his every move in silence as he waited for his turn. Yuzuru looked in her way as he entered the ice and fumbled with his Pooh.

A small wink and smile were all she needed as acknowledgment from him.
It was discrete enough that no one would notice unless they were looking very carefully.

Yuzuru looked completely and utterly relaxed as he glided to the middle of the rink.

It gave Athena peace, seeing him in his element. He hadn't even started and she had a feeling that it would be ok and he could do it.

As the soft music started playing, a smile settled on her face.
He glided effortlessly and every single movement and jump seemed to be perfect.

Somehow, it was one of those skates that seemed that nothing could go wrong and Athena was so incredibly proud to see him strive in front of her.

All of the nervousness that had consumed her in the past days disappeared and the only thing that remained was her happiness.

Because if he was happy, she would naturally be happy as well.

Yuzuru's expression as he finished was one of dominance. He knew what he had just done and even if the princess was far from an expert in figure skating, there weren't many doubts that he had just won that medal.

You see, a perfect Yuzuru is pretty much unbeatable by everyone else.

This was possibly a one-in-a-lifetime performance and experience. It's not often that one can say that everything was perfect.

He hugged his coaches before going to the kiss and cry with them side by side.

Athena noticed the smile he gave in her way and part of her just wanted to believe that the happy expression on his face was just for her, as if they were the only people in the venue.

The replays showed on the big screen and made her even more in awe. The princess couldn't quite believe how incredible his movements were and how easy every jump looked.

It lingered in her head that the Yuzuru that she had seen at the GPF was back and she just wondered if part of it was because of her.

Once the scores were finally out, she heard everyone around her whisper that it was a world record. Not surprising at all given what she had just seen.

Yuzuru and his coaches were in awe at the high score that he had just received. Everything seemed to fall into place at the right time.

That gold was his, he had done it.

She couldn't imagine the pressure on everyone else after that, but it wasn't as if she cared that much.

The only thing that stayed in her brain was the anticipation of what the night held and judging by the way he looked at her, Yuzuru had similar thoughts running through his head.

Now it was just a matter of imagining his touch while patiently waiting for his obligations to be done.