The Ice Prince // Yuzuvier Fan Fic

Chapter Thirty Nine

Yuzuru:

It niggled in the back of my mind like a splinter I couldn't pull out. The more I tried not to think about it, the more I DID think about it.

"Yuzu? Are you in...ah. So this is where you're hiding?" Javi smiled and looked around the empty room before he came to sit down on the bench next to me. "What happened?"

"Hurts." I murmured quietly, looking down at my right ankle that was surrounded in an ice pack. "I think I landed funny."

"Ouch." He raised his hand but didn't touch it. "But you're OK, right? The medal ceremony is soon. If it hurts too much though I can - "

"It's fine." I replied and reached for the ice pack to take it off but Javi beat me to it.

"Let me."

"Javi..."I sighed but he just set the pack aside and lifted my leg onto his lap, curling his hands around my ankle and rubbing it slowly. "Don't we need to go now?" I asked when he didn't move for a while.

"In a second." He said, still rubbing. "Tell me when it's warm." He pressed harder on a spot near the bone and I winced when it pinched. "Sorry."

"It's OK."

Silence.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He asked after a moment.

"What?" I blinked at him and he gave me a long look. "Nothing is wrong."

"You won today."

"I know."

"You aren't even smiling..."

"I..." I could feel my face twitching but I didn't have it in me to smile right now. At all.

"Yuzu...did you think I was lying when I told you I love you?" He said softly, setting my foot down but not letting it go. "Because I do. Love you. A lot. So I don't like seeing you in pain..." He glanced down at my foot. "And I have to admit..." He paused to lean forward a little, brushing my hair out of the way and making me look up at him. "You're pretty good at hiding when you're in pain. But your eyes... they can never lie to me."

"Nothi - I..." His lips pinched into a thin line. "...it's just that - " I took a deep breath.

"Oooh are we giving out free foot massages or is this just a Yuzuvier special?" Came from the doorway. I pulled my foot carefully off Javi's lap and sat up.

"Johnny." I greeted him with a small bow.

"Everyone is looking for you." He explained, pointing behind him. "Do you need a second?"

"I'm coming." I coughed softly and moved to put my skates back on.

"Wait." Javi touched my arm. "You should just wear your sneakers. You don't need to stress it more."

"I'm fine." I insisted again and held his gaze until he caved with a soft breath, nodding once. I slipped my skates on again and tried my best not to make a face when my ankle protested. "Let's go." I gestured to Johnny who raised his eyebrow but waved his arm with a flourish and let me walk past him.

The national anthem for Japan was playing over the loud speakers but for once I didn't feel proud. My heart was heavy and my eyes were stinging as painfully as my ankle. I didn't want it to be true, but I couldn't really argue when the facts were right in front of me. I was distracted. I knew that. I was losing focus; and losing focus meant...