Deep Edges | Yuzuru Hanyu

62.

The GP final had a tendency to always be booked on the week of Yuzuru's birthday and it had been that way for a long time.

Even when he used to compete, the skater would often find himself on the ice on that day, becoming like some sort of routine over the years.

When he retired from competitions, the first thing his mother did was joke that he would finally be able to get a birthday for himself so it was a bit crazy that he found himself back to the same routine after just a couple of years away.

Yuzuru had been very cautious after Skate Canada in the way he approached Izumi. He knew very well that when it came to them, a single touch could light up a fire that would be hard to extinguish.

It didn't mean that he couldn't watch her.

Coming to Saitama to watch her on the ice was something he had planned from the moment she left Canada. He was willing to accept the distance between them but he also wanted to see her at every possible opportunity.

A competition in Japan allowed it easily, no matter how many things he had to move in his busy schedule.

On that weekend, he always watched her from the distance as he kept thinking about how lucky the jerk was to have her in his arms every night while Yuzu had to just stay there and watch. It was as despairing as it was sad. He hated the feeling of being a stalker but that was exactly how that weekend made him feel. Like an outsider who had no possible way of belonging in her life.

Izumi didn't even tell him what she had planned or how everything was going. All she kept saying was that it was better for him not to know anything in case things went wrong.

All at the same time, seeing her skate was a blessing to his tired eyes and made it all worth it. The thoughts of her words about leaving the sport because no one would hire or want to watch her were ridiculous in his eyes and he had plans of his own to make sure she had that chance if she wanted to.

His birthday was spent like that, watching her skate an incredible free program and rising to the top of the podium as the Grand Prix Final winner. It was the very best gift he could have asked for, even if it didn't come with her touch or her sweet embrace.

Izumi was one step closer to getting the medal of her dreams and he had already made sure to book the trip to Milano. The organizers were ecstatic by his presence when he asked his team to get him access and he couldn't help but want to be there when she finally made her dreams come true.

Just like a stalker, truly.

Now, however, as he watched her smile and listen to their National Anthem on the podium, Yuzuru couldn't think of all those things that made this experience fill with mixed feelings. 

He saw her wave at him but never expected her to come closer than that. It was the arrangement they planned, the one that she asked for in fear of caving in if he ever touched her.

Yuzuru could see how she was getting more and more frustrated with her current situation. 

Her investigation, as good as it was for her plans, made it so she was now more than aware of the multiple partners her fiance had and just how far the cheating went. The little information that she told Yuzu was enough to disgust him so he could only imagine how the girl felt in the middle of it all.

On that day, and despite every conversation they had before, Izumi broke her own rule after leaving the podium.

He saw her leave the ice gracefully as she placed each guard on the rightful blade and eventually move.

Yuzuru couldn't help but look around to see if there was any other person around him to justify seeing her walk in his direction but he was mostly alone.

She smiled when he was within her reach, removing the medal from her neck and not saying a word before placing it on his own.

"Izumi?"

"Happy birthday." she muttered with a big smile as if she hadn't just placed her medal around his neck. "I hope you have a great day, filled with amazing things and the people you love."

He couldn't be more confused at that moment as he tried to gather every word she said.

When she turned around to leave, he grabbed her arm.

"You need your medal, silly woman."

"It's yours."

And just like that, she left him without another word or look.

Yuzuru stared at the gold around his neck, feeling completely lost about what to do then. Publicly going after her was not something Izumi would appreciate so after a lot of considering, he chose to just text her.

'Don't you need your medal for the press conference?' He tried so it wouldn't be too obvious.

'Nope.'

She answered the message almost right away as if she had been waiting.

'Not even for pictures?'

'Already have enough pics on the podium.'

'But you will come pick it up later, right?'

Izumi never answered that one message, making him feel even more nervous than before.

What was she playing at? What was the end goal of this?

His answer would only come hours later when another message was sent into his chat.

'What's your room number?'