Endless night {yuri! On ice}

Skate Canada: short programme

The crowd shouted and cheered, flags and signs visible from the ice. Most were of Yuri, each showcasing some incredible amount of decoration crafted by his loving, if not a little obsessive, fans. Some were of JJ, that prick.  

I sat on the sidelines, my jacket covering my costume from the audience's eye. Alex crouched behind me, pressing down on my back to ensure that I was stretching properly. Charlie stood in front of me, biting her nails in worry. 

"Stop," I commanded, reaching for her fingers. "No handsome boy is going to want to hold your hand if the nails are gross." 

"That's just an excuse parents use to prevent their children from doing that. I washed my hands less than five minutes ago," she retorted, sticking out her tongue at me.

A loud speaker suddenly rang throughout the rink. 
"Our first competitor today is Connor Ó Néill from Ireland!" the announcer shouted.

The black haired, pink eyed boy skated onto the ice, his mouth set in a grin. His costume was a dark green, emblazoned with a sequined Irish flag. Talk about being loyal to your country.
Charlie made a sound of disgust.

"Whoever designed that should go hide under a rock." Her face scrunched up. 

"The wind will change and you'll stay like that," I whispered. She whacked my arm, annoyed at how I was acting. 

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Connor's skating was impressive, graceful and lithe, his face totally at peace. His arms floated, and fluttered and his legs took to sweeping and swirling. The audience was quickly enraptured. 

"What is this?" I asked Charlie, confused by the language. 

"Riverdance," she said, her eyes glued on Connors skates. I remember Riverdance coming to London and how big of a deal it was. Tickets were sold out in a week.

My attention was brought back to Connor when the dynamics changed. No longer was it just strings and vocalists, but another instrument as well and drum accompaniment.

Connor broke into a step sequence, making use of his picks to step similarly to how someone would off ice. 

"All of his jumps are at the end of his program, making it very difficult. His first is a quadruple toe loop," the commentators spoke over the clapping of the crowd, the emotive music too hard to not to applaud to.

He was too low to land the first quad properly and ended up underrotating. 
I watched, captivated by his skating. He invoked a lot of emotion easily.

His next jump was nearly perfect, a slight change in free leg position throwing off his landing ever so slightly. He jumped again shortly after.

He stumbled slightly upon landing again, but had to touch down this time instead of being able to balance himself without extra help. The drums beat relentlessly. He kept going, though his face showed his displeasure. 

The music got faster, the tambourine coming in too. He seemed to get faster too, his movements affected by the music. The audience cheered and clapped, strung along by the music.

He flew over the ice, proud and unafraid to compete. Charlie grinned, her foot tapping in time. She tapped her finger on the wall, humming the tune perfectly in time and tune.