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Kazuki’s palms had been sweaty even just thinking about the upcoming Rostelecom Cup that he would share with Yuzuru, so when the event eventually arrived he was positively a nervous wreck. They had been chatting on and off, considering Yuzuru’s schedule was pure madness and they had a huge time difference, but neither of them had mentioned the kiss. It was the great big elephant in the room, an elephant that Kazuki wanted to ride again, but was nervous thinking only about the possibility of addressing it.
Talking to him in the competition knowing he was going to share ice with him was like a dream to Kazuki, and Yuzuru was as nice as always, all smiles and laughs; however, he took his distance when the time to compete came, as Kazuki expected, with his earphones on, focused solely on skating. And amidst all the euphoria of competing against him, of having him close after so much time being apart, suddenly Yuzuru hurt himself. Again. Kazuki did see Yuzuru falling from the corner of his eye but he had continued on with his practice, knowing his coach would be cross if he stopped to check on Yuzuru, and he did not think it was bad. That is, until Yuzuru left the ice even before his practice was finished.
Kazuki felt his stomach sink and a feeling of dread overcame him. If he left it meant it was bad. He finished his practice with a bitter feeling in his mouth and he quickly went to the locker room. Yuzuru’s things were long gone.
“I hope Yuzu’s okay.” Said Keegan, patting Kazuki’s shoulder as he took in his bewildered face. “It looked like a bad fall but he’s a fighter.”
“I think it was on his bad ankle…” Mikhail commented while taking off his skates. Kazuki did not say anything, he just bowed silently and left, with his skates on, to find Yuzuru. However, Misha found him first, with a frown.
“Where do you think you’re going.”
“Yuzu… I…”
“They have taken him to the hospital. You’ll have time to see him, don’t worry. Just… Focus, Kazuki. Please. I know he is your friend, but you’ll have time after the free.” Kazuki nodded dumbly and left for the locker room again.
Yuzuru was injured, but he would skate and skate he did, finishing in first place. It was painful for Kazuki to watch, knowing the pain he was feeling every time he landed and although the performance had not been perfect, popping a few jumps, Kazuki felt he had seen something out of this world.
As he watched Yuzuru make his way to the podium on his crutches, his heart constricted. He kept his smile, but he couldn’t help but reach out to help. But of course Yuzuru was strong enough to hoist himself up to his rightful place. Yuzuru smiled at him with his closed-eyes smile, trying to reassure him that he was fine. But he was not.
After the victory ceremony was over, Yuzuru was whisked away to the hotel to ice and tend to his ankle while Kazuki stayed for press conferences and other boring stuff. The moment he was done, he took a taxi to the hotel, not bothering to wait for the shuttle. He texted Yuzuru to ask about how he was feeling but all he received was a text with a number: 625. His hotel room. Kazuki was nervous, but the worry in his gut was much more prevalent; he wanted, needed, to know how Yuzuru was.
He knocked softly on the door of the room and in a few seconds, Yumi, Yuzuru’s mother, opened the door with a soft smile. She stepped out of the room before letting Kazuki in, holding the room opend.
“Tomono-kun, be careful, he’s a bit cranky.” Yumi said with a smile. Kazuki blinked confusedly and smiled at her, bowing politely and thanking her. He entered the room as she closed the door, leaving him and Yuzuru alone.
Yuzuru was laying on the bed, his ankle surrounded by icing pads, bandages and other medical supplies such as painkillers littering his bed. He looked dejected and his eyes were red rimmed, yet he still smiled at the sight of Kazuki.
“Zuki, you came.”
Kazuki felt his face grow hot at the nickname; he nodded as he approached the bed, trying not to stare too much at the swollen ankle.
“Yuzuru-san…”
“I think we are past those formalities.” Yuzuru laughed, patting the spot next to him on the bed. Kazuki sat down gingerly, trying not to jostle Yuzuru so not to move his ankle. As soon as he was sat, Yuzuru took his hand and laced their fingers together. His fingers were cold and a bit clammy against Kazuki’s warm ones, yet Kazuki couldn’t stop looking at their interlaced hands as he squeezed Yuzuru’s to warm them, his heart beating faster at the feeling. And then he heard a sob.
Kazuki snapped his head up at the sound, almost giving himself a whiplash. Yuzuru’s face was lowered, his fringe obstructing Kazuki’s view of it, yet his shoulders shook slightly and tears kept falling steadily onto his lap. That cold feeling of dread invaded the pit of Kazuki’s stomach once again, and he quickly scrambled up the bed to be right beside Yuzuru’s side, close enough to hug him, his hand never leaving the other’s.
“Yuzu…” Kazuki didn’t know what to say that could console the older male. He did not know the extent of the injury, and he did not know if Yuzuru wanted to hear what everybody had already probably told him.
“Why am I so unlucky...? Should I just… retire?”
“No! No… I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say… Is… Is it that bad?” Kazuki felt like a fool asking that. Yuzuru shook his head.
“Not as bad as last year I think… But still… No final again, probably not even Nationals… God, Zuki. I just want a normal season, is that so much to ask?” Yuzuru hiccupped and then threw his arms around Kazuki’s neck, bringing him into a hug. Kazuki quickly hugged him back, rubbing his back slowly and soothingly. He felt Yuzuru wanted no words that wouldn’t console him, he just wanted someone to be there, someone who could understand the struggle as a fellow skater, someone who would just hold him and let him wallow in his misery. Kazuki felt honoured to be that someone, even if it meant that his heart was breaking every time he felt the other shake with sobs against his body.
After a while, Yuzuru’s sobs and tears eventually subsided and he broke the hug with a deep sigh. His eyes were rimmed red and his cheeks were tear-tracked and yet he snorted when he looked at Kazuki.
“I’m sorry, I made your shirt wet…”
Kazuki touched the shoulder Yuzuru’s head had been lying on and indeed, it had a wet spot but he just smiled and shook his head.
“I don’t care it will dry up. Are… Are you feeling better?”
“A bit… Yes. Thank you. Sorry for the pity party I just… Needed… To cry I guess. And with you I felt safe.”
“No need to apologize. If you’re feeling better, then that’s all that counts. But hey, congrats on the gold medal.” Yuzuru chirped up a little at the mention of the medal and he nodded towards the box it was in, right beside his suitcase.
“Yeah, painful gold medal. And congratulations on the bronze! I knew you could make it to the podium, I’m very proud.” Yuzuru raised his free hand towards Kazuki, and while Kazuki expected a hair ruffle like the ones Yuzuru tended to give to Shoma, he was surprised to find Yuzuru’s hand softly landing on his hair and travelling downwards softly until he was cradling his face.
Slowly, Yuzuru hoisted himself upright, moving his torso towards Kazuki as he closed the gap between them. He gave Kazuki enough time to back away, just in case, but the younger boy just leaned in, meeting Yuzuru halfway as he closed his eyes. Their lips met softly and chastely, quite like their first kiss, but this time they did not part, Yuzuru’s hand still softly holding Kazuki’s face while the other one squeezed Kazuki’s hand.
Kazuki felt his heart beating wildly against his chest and his whole body felt hot and cold at the same time. However, Yuzuru’s touch kept him grounded and eventually, he calmed down enough to try to move his lips against Yuzu’s, who had been patiently waiting for Kazuki to take the next step.
Kazuki scooted closer to Yuzuru without breaking the kiss, deepening it as he put his hand on Yuzuru’s small waist. Feeling quite bold, he pressed against his senpai, making Yuzuru lean against the pillows on his bed. As they both moved slowly so the both could lie down without parting lips, Kazuki felt Yuzuru wince so he immediately stopped and sat up.
“Did I hurt you? Are you okay?” He looked at the ankle and then looked back at Yuzuru, who was smiling softly at him. His hair was ruffled from Kazuki’s hands and his lips and cheeks were red, looking positively beautiful. Kazuki sighed, admiring the boy that he had just kissed and he could not believe it.
“I’m fine, I just moved my ankle too much. Maybe… Let’s just lay down. I’m tired… Do you want to stay?”
Kazuki nodded, his cheeks even redder now. He helped Yuzuru get settled first, and then he himself laid down on the space beside him, taking off his trainers. The sun was already down but it was not night time yet and they still had to have dinner, yet the moment he felt his body on the mattress and in the warmth Yuzuru’s body emitted, he told himself he definitely deserved a nap.
“I know we should talk about this but… For today let’s just… Enjoy.” Yuzuru murmured, their faces so close to each other they could look into each others’ irises. Yuzuru had addressed the elephant, and Kazuki found himself surprised as he was not as nervous about it as he had thought he would be; after all, Yuzuru had kissed him a second time and for quite some time, so he had to like Kazuki at least a bit, right?
“Yes, of course. Whatever the champion prefers.” Kazuki joked, smiling. Yuzuru pouted and softly punched him on the shoulder, before stretching his arm and enveloping him in a hug.
“If you want to, we can talk now…” Yuzuru proposed, getting even closer, the tips of their noses touching, their breaths mingling together. Kazuki shook his head softly, brushing his nose against Yuzu in the process, making him giggle.
“No, we both need to rest. Winning a medal is hard, huh.” Yuzuru laughed again, his honking laugh making Kazuki laugh.
Yuzuru looked as Kazuki’s eyelids started to drop as the boy fought hard to maintain them open. With a soft smile, he kissed his kouhai’s forehead, both boys finally closing their eyes. Maybe I am lucky after all.