Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

Epilogue.

The halls of the Sendai Ice Rink were way too familiar by now.

Yaeko had just left the school where she had been a teacher for the past 4 years and headed to the place where she knew she would find her husband.

The laughter and excited words she heard even from the reception were already enough to bring a smile to her face.

It had always been like this. From the moment their kids were grown enough to skate, Yuzuru had been taking them to the rink after school. They even had their scheduled ice time just like their father had.

None of it ever failed to amaze her.

From the moment her kids were within view, Yaeko saw them having fun with their father.

Haruki was helping his little sister balance on a single foot while the twins just seemed to enjoy trying to hydroblade.

Yuzuru just watched them with a huge smile on his face, helping out as much as he could while playing with them. It was hard to believe that this was the same man who still gave sold-out shows every year.

"Mommy!" she suddenly heard from their youngest and only daughter.

"Hey, baby. They helped you out today?"

The poor Hana, named after Yaeko's now best friend, had been struggling to catch up with her siblings who were already way too familiar with the ice.

"Ayato and Kaito were being mean but Haruki helped!"

Those two, the twins, were probably the most chaotic of their children and it certainly didn't help that they teamed up. That's what you get for conceiving twins on the day you married.

"You two know your sister struggles... be nice, alright?"

Out of the 4, Haruki was the only one competing but that didn't mean that the others didn't skate.

Just like their father, their passion for the sport had been intense from the moment they tried it.

Yuzuru left the ice, wrapping his arms around her lovingly.

"Hello, my love."

"Hey, honey. They're behaving alright?"

"Yeah, you know how they get with Hana... but it's alright."

"One thing is certain, she will be a tough girl from how much she deals with them."

"Just like her mama."

Yaeko laughed, turning her head around to kiss his lips.

"I would have never believed we could have this life."

"No regrets, right?"

"Never."

"That reminds me...Nakayama-san says we have to take them there."

"I didn't know you went to the coffee shop. It's been forever..."

"I didn't... She caught me buying groceries and instantly lectured me for never stepping foot there. I might have mentioned my wife..."

Yaeko laughed, knowing very well how confusing it could be to explain everything even after so many years. A lot of people in Sendai were still clueless about his family, even if news traveled fast in the city. One thing was certain, if he could, Yuzuru would constantly rave about them.

"That reminds me... I told Miura to come on the weekend. It's his birthday so we need to get a good gift for him."

"On it."

Their teamwork never failed and the love never left. If anything, Yaeko thought that she only grew to love him more as the years went by.

The two made sure to always provide the best they could for their kids and it showed with how spoiled they were, even if still very polite and respectful towards others.

One could say that they were the perfect mix of Yaeko's fierceness and Yuzuru's calmness, even if sometimes they seemed like carbon copies of either of them.

The truth was that with how much their parents had suffered to make their relationship possible, no one could blame them when they gave everything they could to the kids. Yaeko just wished they had a better life than she did.

With those they cared about, Yuzuru was certain that his kids would be happy, even when life threw some curveballs. That was just how it was but given how they had the survival instinct of their mother, he knew that there was no reason to be concerned.

"Mommy! Come skate."

"I don't know...."

"Come on."

Just like their father, each of the kids had a talent to convince her to do what they wanted and this was no different. A single beg and she was doing what was asked.

That was exactly how they were all happy, skating together without any pressure to be the best, just enjoying the feeling that the ice provided while connecting as a family.

This was the life they wanted, free and filled with love.

This was the perfect ending to a love story that had never been easy.