All About Us [Yuri Katsuki x Reader]

88 - Calm

You did not know what to feel anymore. There were some days where you thought yourself as a tough nut to crack, some one who does not get emotionally compromised easily. Now that you think about it...you really didn't know what the heck gave you that idea in the first place.

You silently observed Yuri as you rubbed your aching feet. Not long after the program has ended and the two of you made it back to the hotel room, he received a call (most likely from his family) wishing him good luck for tomorrow's free skate. 

You were happy for Yuri, really you were. You just did not like that your happiness for him was mixed with that unpleasant feeling you have in the pit of your stomach.

It seems as if this was the first time within the past two days where Yuri and Victor weren't attached together at the hip. You were relieved (as you didn't want to face him so soon after feeling all...you know).

You missed Yuri. You missed it being just the two of you and honestly, as cheesy as it sounds, your heart literally ached to be with him again.

Deciding to go against the red flags your brain was flashing at the moment, you sat beside him on the other bed as soon as Yuri ended the call. You did not say anything at first because he still hasn't put down the phone. The two of you spent a moment in silence. 

He eventually placed the device on his lap and the moment he turned to you, you mustered all your willpower not to laugh at the funny expression he was making. It was like his face was stuck in a mix between a grimace and a smile. It was hard to determine just what expression he was wearing.

"So who was it?" You asked, surprised that your voice came out evenly. You knew who he was talking to, you just wanted to start a conversation with him.

"Oh that? That was just mom, dad...Mari-nee, the Nishigori's...and every one else back at the inn..." He trailed off, his shoulders slumping even lower at the mention of each name.

"Everyone watched?"

"Yeah. I must have looked so stupid..."

You thwacked him (lightly) on his head, "What the hell are you talking about? You were great out there."

"I don't feel all that great," he muttered, "In fact, I feel the exact opposite."

"Don't sell yourself short, Yuri." You tried to console him, "If anyone should worry about looking stupid in front of everybody, it should be me. I messed up one too many jumps."

He went silent after that.

You cleared your throat and raised a brow in question, "So? Why does it look like someone told you that they would no longer be serving pork cutlet bowls?"

"I don't know..." He admitted, "I'm just pretty nervous about tomorrow, I guess."

"You don't look 'pretty nervous to me'."

He rolled his eyes at you, "Alright, fine. I'm very, very nervous. More nervous than I have ever been in a long time."

You let out a low whistle, "Wow...that's pretty damn nervous."

He sighed and laid backwards, his feet dangling off the side of the bed. He crossed his arms on his chest and stared at the ceiling, "Yeah..."

You, in turn, lied down as well. You faced him, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He looked at you thoughtfully for a moment and shook his head, "I'd...I'd rather not. Talking about it would make me even more anxious than I already am."

You huffed, a bit miffed that he didn't want to share more on the subject. You couldn't really pry though without seeming overly pushy. You wanted to know what was bothering him...you only wanted to help. "I don't see what's got you all troubled though. You've ranked first in the short program. If anything, the others should feel threatened."

He shrugged, "I don't know. Old habits die hard?" 

You snorted at that.

"I just don't think that I'll be-"

You sat right back up and gave him a pointed look, "Let me stop you right there. We've talked about this and you'll without a doubt, amaze everyone with your performance tomorrow."

"How are you so sure?" He asked, "What if I make a mistake? What if I mistime my jump? What if I-"

"'Shut up and listen to (Y/N) before I give myself an aneurysm'?"

He kept his mouth shut.

"Good. Now listen," you leveled your gaze with his, "I don't know what is going through your head right now and I doubt that I'll ever be able to understand the amount of stress you're going through. I get it, you're nervous but it shouldn't lead you to doubt your abilities."

He still didn't look convinced.

You sighed, "Look, whatever it is that's bothering you, I want you to forget about it, okay?"

"But I -"

"Just hear me out," you interjected, "Whatever it is that's bothering you, I want you to at least try to forget about it when you're on the ice. I want you to focus on you. Not the audience, not the judges, not the score, I want you to make a promise that you'll enjoy yourself out there. Remember that you've already gotten this far, the only way to go is forward."

He sat up slowly and reluctantly nodded. You smiled.

"Great," you held out your pinkie to him. He raised a brow.

"What?"

You rolled your eyes at him, "Duh. You need to pinkie swear."

"We're not six anymore, (Y/N)."

"Just do the damn pinkie swear, okay?"

He reluctantly gave in to appease you. You grinned.

"I'm still worried though...about tomorrow."

You nodded, "Well it can't be helped. It is a competition after all."

He gave you a dead panned look which you ignored. You had just unraveled your previous argument just like that. He wouldn't voice it out though. He knew that you were telling him not to worry too much and that he'll do great in your own (odd) little way.

He doesn't always follow your logic, but it never ceases to amaze him at just how much faith you had him. With that in mind, a small smile wormed it's way into his features.

He shyly leaned closer and placed a small peck on your cheek. Your eyes widened and your cheeks flushed into a lovely red hue.

"Thank you, (Y/N)."

Unable to come up with a coherent response, you just nodded. Your heart was racing so much that you were afraid that it would explode but at the same time, you were put at ease. All the previous discomfort you had suddenly vanished.