(Hockey BxB) Whistle In The Wind

-𝐈-

╔══《"I'll say I'm happy for her,》══╗
then I'll cry myself to sleep."

        Váli sat with his hands on his knees catching his breath. Practice had been rough that
day, and he found that each skill he attempted to perform ended in a hard fall. His butt was sore and his legs were cramping. He had taken his protective gloves off at some point, now noticing the redness in his bare hands.

       Bringing his cold hands to his face, he sighed heavily. Some days were like this– unavoidable, but annoying. He stood up, heading toward the rink door. Trying to clear his mind, he placed one foot on the ice before pushing off and gliding onto the open rink. It was empty and level, the Zamboni having smoothed the ice the previous night. It was just how he liked it.

       Closing his eyes, Váli slowly began skating around in wide circles. He knew where the walls were, like it was a sixth sense. He would turn and skate backward, letting the cold air hit his face in the familiar and comforting way he was used to.

       He felt completely relaxed, the tension releasing from his body and mind with each new lap. Distantly, he heard the familiar movement and commotion–that had been present all day–die down into a silence. All was still.

       With a final breath, he opened his eyes. The fluorescent light blinded him for a mere second. Without hesitation Váli began skating backward, crossing his right leg over his left in methodological crossovers. When nearing the end of the rink, he brought his feet together and his arms, which were previously up and facing inward, down by his side.

       Swiftly, he bent his right leg like a flamingo before bringing it up into the air and crossing it behind his left leg to tap the ice. Simultaneously, he brought his left arm up and his right arm back to gain momentum. The moment he tapped the ice, he jumped while twisting his body counterclockwise. The momentum spun his body in the air thrice before he landed on his right foot. Delicately, his left foot extended backward as he finished the jump.

       The moment he landed, clapping echoed throughout the large rink. He glanced over to the edge, noticing a frequent face. He quickly but elegantly skated over. Váli t-stopped at the edge, placing his cold hands on the thick railing.

       "Faen (damn) Váli, that was impressive," His brother whistled, causing him to cringe at the words.

       "No it wasn't. It was a flutz." He responded, sighing.

       "Er det et nytt hopp? (Is that a new jump?)" Aksel asked curiously.

       Face palming, Váli could only respond with humor, "Nei, dumt (No, stupid). It was supposed to be a triple lutz but I accidentally turned on the inner side of my skate instead of the outer side. Similarly to how u do in a flip jump. Ville det telle ikke i konkurransen (It would not count in competition)." He responded, shaking his head.

       "Ahhh," Aksel smiled. "If it makes you feel better, it looks syk (sick)." Aksel smirked while        reaching up to bump Váli's arm.

       "Sick isn't gonna cut it in competition," He scoffed, shaking his head.

        Aksel shrugged casually before continuing, "I'm heading home, so if you want a ride, skynd dere (hurry up)." Nodding, Váli skated toward the exit, pulling the door open and stepping out next to the bench with his belongings. Immediately, he put skate covers over his blades before walking over to the shoe locker room. When inside, he quickly unlaced his skates while replacing them with a pair of ordinary sneakers.

       Trying not to annoy his brother, Váli rushed out and headed for the familiar truck. Váli hated his brother's truck. It was big, impractical, and worst of all, it was a stick shift. This meant he couldn't drive it even if he wanted to. He huffed, his mood dampened just by looking at the ugly machine.