Eclipse

6

"You do know you just called me a donkey, right?" Yuri asked, holding back a laugh. 

"What? No, I didn't mean to say that." His embarrassed blush crept up his ears and neck.

"It's alright, солнышко. We should probably get back to practice anyway. If your dads find out I'm letting you slack, they won't be happy." He joked, pulling the boy off the bench along with him.

"I don't think so. Although, пaпа might be a little jealous that I prefer when you teach me Russian. Between the two of us, he's not a very good language teacher. He's much better at skating."

"Are you saying I'm better at something than the great Viktor Nikiforov? I'm honored." He placed his hand on his chest and stood up straighter than before.

"Yurio, you better not go getting a big head. Besides, that's just between us. We both know how he'd react if he heard that I told you that."

"Of course. 'Oh no, my only son. He no longer loves me. How could the world be so cruel?'" He fell to his knees with his hand on his forehead at the end for dramatic effect.

They both laughed as they stepped on the ice.

---

The next day went on as any other would, but it was tense. They all seemed to look at him a different way. It wasn't just him either. They seemed to be acting that same way with Lev and Kenma. Had they been found out?

He didn't want his friends to get in trouble with their team. At that moment, he was ready to take all the blame.

His head hurt. He was so busy thinking of why they were acting this way towards them, he missed half of the balls that were sent his way. When the coach told him to sit it out for a little bit, he tried his best to just watch the game. He didn't want to be put out, but they didn't want him anymore.

Not today, anyway.

The truth hurt, but the more he ran away from it, the more he would regret later on. He knew that much from past experience. Running helped no one. Not the runner or the chaser.

Although, he seemed to eat his own words just as they cleared out of the gym.

After practice, Hinata decided to go on a run. Those usually cleared his mind. He didn't even realize where he was going until he heard the voice.

"Oh, Shouyou. Nice to see you came back. I hope you're feeling better." It was the man who seemed to always be on the bridge. He was always fishing, and Hinata idly wondered if he ever caught anything.

"Hello, I'm not back for long. Just visiting." He contemplated his question for a moment before asking. "Are Viktor or Yuuri at the rink?"

"Hmm, I haven't seen them today. I'm sorry. I guess they aren't" The man said, but that was exactly what he had wanted to hear.

Maybe, just maybe, he could run towards his problems instead of away from them.

When he finally got to the rink, he couldn't help but stare for a few minutes. This was the place where he was raised. He probably spent more time on the ice in this rink than he did at his own home. He almost turned around, but Kenma was right. He would have to face the feelings at some point, even if he couldn't face his family. Yet.

When he walked in, the woman behind the desk told him they were closed without looking away.

"Hey, Yuuko. Long time, no see." He finally got out after a moment.

She turned so quickly that he was a little worried about the safety of her neck.

"Shou-chan?" Her voice was shaky, but his was too, so it was alright.

He nodded, and the next thing he knew, she had practically hurdled the counter and engulfed him in a hug.

"Yuuko, I can't breathe." He managed, trying desperately to get her to loosen her grip. But she didn't let go at all, she just gripped tighter.

"I don't care. Last time I saw you, you were on tv with three broken ribs and a fractured pelvis. I'm not letting you go until I know you're actually here." She whispered, surprisingly gentle.

"I came to skate."

She let go at that.

"You're just like your father, you know that? When he lost big time at the Sochi Grand Prix, he came back here. You took a little longer, but in the end, the apple never falls far from the tree, huh?" She gave him one more quick squeeze before hopping back over the counter. "I'm guessing you don't want an audience? Don't worry. I'll make sure you're not interrupted."

He had no idea how much meaning those words held for her.

She then proceeded to pull out his old skates from beneath the counter.

"I had wanted to get rid of them, but your fathers insisted we keep them. Something about destiny and all that."

"He'll come back eventually. Didn't you used to say you always believed in destiny?"

He grabbed the old skates and walked to one of the benches near the rink. He hadn't even realized that he had changed into sweats and his volleyball sweatshirt before his run. It would be perfect for skating.

For the first few minutes, he was unsteady, the images of his fall still somehow fresh in his mind, even after two years. But after a while, the muscle memory came back. It was like riding his bike again after a long winter of taking the bus. He hated how much he loved it.

All he could bring himself to do were a few step sequences and a few singles. Nothing special. Nothing near what had caused the fall.

He thanked Yuuko on the way out before heading back to the school. Sadly, his feelings had only grown.

---

TRANSLATIONS

солнышко = sunshine

Папа = papa (this is pronounced 'papa', it just looks different in Russian)