His hands look really strong. It's funny how I haven't noticed before. I guess I have always been too busy focusing on his eyes and making titanic efforts to see a change in his expressions.

Today it's his hands' turn.

Which, by the way, are nowhere near me.

I glide through the ice, sideways, sipping on my water through the plastic straw. Keeping an eye on them. Squinting at them. Assessing their every move.

"It tickles!" Mila lets out between giggles, because his hands are on her waist. I squeeze the bottle and feel water up my nose, what makes me cough. I'm forced to stop and gasp for air, and the moment that happens, I feel a hand patting my back.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah... Fine" I slap Katsuki's hand off and keep gliding sideways, describing a wide circle around the pair skaters. But the pig follows me, glancing from me to them, then back to me.

"Are you... spying on them?"

"Am I hiding?"

"No".

"There. That's your answer."

He keeps silent for two more laps, until he starts getting uncomfortable. I notice it because he brushes his hair back multiple times, he clears his throat once or twice and because he starts smiling awkwardly, looking down, at them, at me.

"Get lost, pig" I sip my water loudly, just not to hear Mila's giggles. Thank goodness Otabek looks lost and as if he was trying to understand the reason of so much laughter.

The piglet mumbles something butI can't hear it either. He bumps into me because I stop, he quickly apologizes but I just ignore him. I close one eye. My aim is usually good. Breathe in. Out. Throw.

I hit Mila's head with the bottle, shame it's half empty. Enough to make her scream, and to make her partner shoot a glare in my direction. I glare that I hold, crossing my arms.

"Fight me" I mouth the words and stand my ground when he turns slowly to face me. My eyes widen when he skates towards me; God, can he get scary. I skate backwards out of sheer surprise. His eyes glow and I pick up speed, he can't be faster than me, even though I haven't turned around. The rink becomes a blur. I take a glimpse of Mila's red hair, and I hear her blurt out all kind of swear words.

And that bastard is catching up. Or am I letting him?

His hand grips my wrist and I look down at it startled. It is as strong as it looked. My eyes look for his and I realize then that I'm holding my breath. My hair prevents me from seeing him clearly, but I can almost swear he is smirking.

I have let him catch up. I'm sure now.

"Are you jealous, Yura?"

He's done it again. We are still gliding on the ice, but the time has stopped again and even if I tried I couldn't find any trace of the people that were at the rink minutes ago. There is only him, but I am not going to let him deceive me with his magic tricks.

"I'm not jealous"

Why does my voice sound so weak?

He's closer by the minute, and I realize he is pushing me backwards, so I'm making absolutely no effort to keep skating.

"Do you want me to show everyone you're mine?"

"No"

I've regained some strength, thank goodness. Not enough to shake him off, but at least I can send some signals to him by squeezing his forearms. Nice ones, by the way. I wonder if he actually works out - besides trainings, of course.

I flinch slightly when I feeel the railing at my back; my hair falls back on its place and now I have to look at him through it.

"I said no, Beka. No is no, you know that"

His small smirk disappears when he notices a hand on his shoulder. My heart skips a beat when I look at Mila. Not because I want to keep anything of what's going on between the Kazakh and me secret, but because of the lovestruck expression she's wearing.

"Leave him be, Otabek. He didn't hurt me, I promise."

What wouldn't I give to have Otabek's puzzled expression printed on a t-shirt.

"Huh?" He glances at me and now it's my time to smirk as I push him gently off.

"Were you going to hurt me, Otabek?" I chirp, gliding sideways again.

"With all I've got" He rasps, frowning at me. Mila steps in the middle and takes Otabek's hands. She has turned her back on me, but he is still facing me, so I can make sure he sees how I flip my hair, point at Mila and give him the finger. By then, she's taking him away already, but he is squinting at me.

Jealous. Ha.

That boy is mine.

Even though I make the effort not to think about them or pay attention to what they are doing, I can feel his gaze on me. That makes me smile, but I wouldn't let it show. I start my choreography, the music blasting through my ears and blocking Mila's giggles. Much better. Much more relaxed.

As relaxing as turns, spins and jumps can be. But the world is muffled now and all I can feel and hear is my breath, my heart.

"Hey! We haven't finished!"

Mila's voice makes me open my eyes, and I wait for the anger to come. At her, for popping my bubble.

But there's no time. His hands are on my waist and his face only inches away from mine. He moves his lips saying something, but the music hasn't stopped so I can't hear.

"What?!" I take the earphones out and place an arm arond his neck, since he's spinning with me a bit too quickly and I need balance.

"She has no idea how to dance".

I smirk.

"I know".

"Shall we show her?"

"I don't see why not"

I let out a chuckle as he lifts me by my hips and when I land again I take his hands to twirl, the ice getting blurry again, and stopping the time once more.