Deep Edges | Yuzuru Hanyu

72.

The days until the Free Program were spent all the same. Ice time, eating, spending time with Yuzu, and sleeping.

Should be boring, but every day was better than the previous. 

Skating seemed to be fun again. She loved every waking moment when she was skating with Yuzuru's eyes on her.

They would go very early in the morning and have the practice rink all to themselves. Izumi almost wished he had brought his skates to be on the ice by her side, just like when they used to be at Tsuzuki's rink.

Yuzuru's tips were invaluable. A simple instruction on a step could make it far easier than any other attempt before. His suggestions of complicated and complex entries to jumps were straight-up crazy but incredibly interesting to look at and even more fun to try.

He warned her to be careful because the last thing they wanted was an injury but it was still fun to risk a little bit. Izumi knew how to fall and the likelihood of getting hurt doing doubles with crazy entries wasn't that big. 

It didn't mean he worried any less when she ended up falling on her ass.

Izumi laughed every single time, having the time of her life exploring new and exciting things that no one had ever suggested to her in the past. Yuzu was a crazy one for sure but it only brought her love for skating back.

A picture of them skating together in a show was instantly on her mind. It was an exhilarating thought that she knew would never happen.

She was retiring, for good.

"Have you thought about what you will do once you stop?" he casually mentioned when she was randomly doing steps on the ice.

"I'm thinking university. Is it weird that I kind of want to study Sports or Physiotherapy?"

Yuzuru smiled right away.

"Why would it be weird?"

"Because I'm an athlete."

"I feel like it makes sense."

"I could be a coach or help other athletes."

"I think it would suit you... even if I do think that you're retiring too soon."

"We had this conversation before."

"I know."

"I don't mean I will never skate..."

"Sure"

His expression told her all she needed to know.

"You don't approve."

She said it so easily that he only smiled before talking.

"I just think you're too good to stop showing your talent to the world." It was the biggest of compliments coming from someone like him but it didn't mean that she didn't feel awkward hearing it. "But I won't pressure you, especially not now."

"Okay."

There was a bit of tension after that as she thought of every single possibility for her career. It was weird for her to have him be so nice and say that she could do all of those things. The truth was that she rarely did ice shows so it just didn't seem like a plausible future.

Then again, he was right. Now was not the time for this.

🩵

The day of the free program started with a bit of fooling around in bed. Yuzu still insisted on no-sex but it didn't mean that they didn't have their fun, especially when they shared a shower in the morning.

They went as far as having breakfast together in the cafeteria, once again ignoring all the looks of jealous athletes who weren't too fond of her apparent bond with the other skater. Even her previous colleagues looked at her differently.

The side eyes were something she could easily endure when the outcome was so much better.

When it came to the time to be in the venue, Izumi didn't rush to warm up, enjoying the time to watch a bit of the pairs competition and walking around every area in an attempt to relax.

Unlike the Short program, she was now very nervous.

It was really happening, she could become an Olympic Champion on that day.

Yuzuru was silent through it all, watching her every move and eying Nanami whenever he thought that Izumi was acting weirder than usual.

He noticed her nerves in the morning but unlike before, his methods hadn't worked this time.

Izumi eventually sat down in the yoga mat she brought and started stretching. Yuzu found that to be a great time to approach her, sitting by her side as if he was about to warm up too.

"Are you alright?" he asked as she eyed him.

"Nervous."

"I've noticed."

He grabbed one of her calves and started massaging it slowly as Izumi stared into his eyes.

"I don't think your relaxing methods will work this time."

"Look at me." She did what he asked right away without a single blink. "It's just the two of us here, I'm relaxing your muscles and helping you stretch. You will get dressed in a little bit and you will look as gorgeous as ever and then? Then you will take that ice and skate for me like you always do."

Izumi noticed what he was doing right away and well, she figured it would work given how much power this man seemed to have.

Imagining they were alone certainly made her heartbeat go a bit lower and her legs shake a bit less. His hands on her legs just made it all a bit more pleasant. 

"I don't know how you do this. If you weren't here..."

"You would manage, I know you would. But it doesn't mean I can't help if I'm around."

"People are staring." she said, noticing a lot of eyes on him.

"Let them."

Sometimes she wondered how he could be so relaxed about it all but then remembered that this was his life. He was constantly surrounded by cameras and curious eyes. What did surprise her was that he didn't care if people knew about her.

He eventually sat behind her and moved to her shoulders, releasing all the knots easily in a gentle massage.

"This is becoming a tradition" she joked, noting that he had done it before.

"A nice one, I hope." He whispered in her ear.

"As long as it doesn't leave me horny."

Yuzuru chuckled right away.

"Let's save that for the celebration after you win this. Now I want you to think of all the sacrifices you made, all these months away, all of that idiot's actions. I want you to use that as fuel to skate, I want you to look like a badass that won't let anyone or anything stop her."

That made her smile. Yuzu knew her better than anyone else and the truth was that somewhere along that speech he had managed to make her doubts go away.

It was time.