The Ice Prince // Yuzuvier Fan Fic

Chapter Five

Yuzuru:

I held the door open for my mother and she shuffled inside the practice rink slowly, pulling her handbag higher on her shoulder.

"You should have brought a coat, Okaasan." I said quietly to her and she tsked in annoyance.

"I can handle a little cold." She said stiffly and sat down on the bench where I laid down my gym bag.

"You always say that." I said to her and she pursed her lips.

"I didn't raise you to look after me. I can take care of myself." She mumbled and I nodded slowly as I sat down so I could put on my skates. As soon as I had them on, I felt much better. There was something about putting on a pair Yoshida-san's shoes that made me feel more relaxed. More like myself. I had been wearing skates custom made by him since I was 18 years old. I don't know why I had left them in Japan in the first place. My new skates were great. They could handle higher, faster and more difficult jumps, but they just didn't feel like home.

"What's taking you so long?" My mother complained while I was wiggling my toes to check the fit. "I came here to watch you skate, not mess around." I snorted softly and took off the guards, hopping over to the ice.

"I told you you'd get cold."

"I'm not cold." She huffed and I did a few warm up laps around the ice. So much better, I sighed to myself and relaxed into the movement. It was only after I swung back in my mother's direction that I realized it was rather quiet in here... Javier wasn't always the most punctual person but he should be here by now. Was he sick?

"Yuzuru. Good morning." Coach Brian said when he stepped on the ice. "Mrs Hanyu." He gave my mother a small bow which made her preen slightly. I almost rolled my eyes at how ridiculous my mother was when the door to the rink slammed open and Javier walked ...no, he wasn't walking. He was dragging his feet almost like he was a zombie. He LOOKED like a zombie...

"You're late." Coach Brian said through gritted teeth but Javier ignored him. "Javi..."

"I overslept." He mumbled only just loud enough for us to hear as he went to sit down next to my mother. He peered at her for a second. "Hello."

"JAVI!" Coach Brian shouted and skated off the ice, grabbing Javier when he reached him and dragging him to a dark corner. I reached my mother again just as we could hear them starting to argue and she raised her eyebrow at me.

"THIS is who you wanted to train with?" She asked me softly in Japanese and I couldn't help the hot blush that filled my cheeks.

"Okaasan." I murmured and did some stretching while I waited.

"He's very rude."

"Okaasan." I hissed even though if they heard her, they wouldn't understand her.

"So undisciplined." She mumbled to herself. "Late, and yet he still thinks he has the right to argue. Does he think this is a joke?" She looked over at me with worried eyes. "Yuzuru. Do you really think you made the right choice coming here? You've worked too hard to get where you are today."

"Okaasan." I said drolly. "He beat me in the last two World series."

"You are the Olympic Champion."

"Sochi was luck." I said firmly. That I'd qualified at all for the Olympics had surprised me. Winning had been the furthest thing from my mind; though Takahashi Sensei had told the media that it had been my goal since I'd started skating... I shouldn't have won at Sochi. Javier had had a better run and the better programme; but because the remnants of his brief trouble at the last Worlds had followed him to the Olympics, he'd been unfocused and repeated a jump that lost him too many valuable points. My win at Sochi was all luck. "He is the best. You want me to train with the best, right?" I said and her lips pinched tightly.

"YOU are the best."

Javier:

"Javi, I don't know how many times I need to tell you that EVERY PRACTICE is important."

"I know Coach." I say trying to hold back a sigh. "It's just that I went out last night and I lost track of time." Hanging out with Cole and Matthew and the rest of the hockey team was always a mess and I should have known, but I had just needed a fucking break for a second.

"I don't want to sound like an asshole, but you're starting to make me one." He said seriously and this time I did sigh.

"I'm sorry." I tried, but Coach Brian was never one for weak excuses. He glared at me hotly for a full minute before he said,

"Miss Ekaterina has a class this afternoon."

"No." I gasped and unconsciously took a step back.

"You will go."

"COACH." I whined and he ignored me.

"You will go and you will not set foot in this rink again until she tells me otherwise, do you understand?" His eyes were blazing so I knew he was serious.

"But..." I huffed and he started walking away from me.

"Go warm up. I don't need you stiff when you get back."

"If I get back." I grumbled. Mistress Ekaterina's ballet classes were brutal. I really should have set my alarm on repeat. Damn it. I kicked at nothing and slunk all the way back to the bench so I could put on my skates. Yuzuru was on the ice again, gliding along with Coach as he led him through some side steps to loosen the hips. The woman who had been sitting here when I'd arrived was gone though.

"Morning." I smiled at Yuzuru when I eventually made it on the ice.

"Good morning." He nodded at me and then looked down at his feet again as he did some crossovers.

"I'm sorry I was late." I said and he paused.

"Sorry? Why are you...apologizing to me?"

"I was going to bring you hot chocolate again but I forgot." I'd forgotten my own coffee too and I reminded myself to grab a cup or Miss Ekaterina's lass was REALLY going to kill me.

"Oh." He said, his lips forming a pretty little circle. "You don't have to bring me hot chocolate." He said softly and I snorted.

"I'm not letting you drink that horrible sugarless tea crap again." I muttered and pointed with my thumb back at the bench. "By the way, who was that before?"

"My mother?" He blinks at me and shrugs. "Sometimes she likes to come and watch me skate, but she had to leave."

"You don't look anything like her." I said and he frowned at me. "I mean...you must look like your father, I suppose."

"Most people say that." He agreed and did a few spins on the ice. I thought back to the brief moment I had looked at her.

"I don't think she likes me. Your mom." He surprised me by smiling and moving closer to me.

"She doesn't." He said simply.

"What?" I shot him a look of disbelief and clutched at my chest. "Why?"

"You beat me in the last two competitions." He shrugged. When he didn't continue, I hooked my toe pick in the ice to stop.

"Wait, that's it?!" I blinked at him and his eyes sparkled.

"You are rude. Undisciplined. Your music is not tasteful. You have no grace and you are too loud." He stopped in front of me and put his hands on his hips. They weren't words I hadn't heard before but it stung to hear words like that coming from him. "You are all these things, and YET ...you still beat me. It's driving her crazy." I didn't even know what to say to him.

"I'm...sorry?" He smiled again and rubbed at his nose that was starting to go a little red.

"You don't need to apologize." He shifted on his feet and went back to skating. I glanced back at the bench.

"Wait, she really said I was loud?" I yelled and Yuzuru's soft tinkling laugh filled the air.