Disclaimer: I don't own YOI, just this fanfic. One of the quotes in here, "Training wins competitions, hearts win the entire sport," is derived from Michael Jordan's quotes, "Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships."
I was NOT feeling good at all the last week when working on this chapter, and it's not because of working on this chapter, but because that I was feeling horribly SICK almost all the time! I don't know why! It just seems that I lost my appetite whenever dinner came along, I felt gassy and nauseous, and I could barely eat.
Then I'd got to bed and I can't lie down because it feels like I would throw up if I do. So I ended up sitting against my headboard watching Fullmetal Alchemist, Fairy Tail, HunterXHunter, Guilty Crown, Erased, and of course Yuri On Ice (to get some more motivation for this working on this fanfic), until around TWO in MORNING! I haven't gone to see a doctor yet since it's not really an illness of any kind...but I did mention this to my parents. My mom's accommodating to my non-appetite every dinner now, making me porridge and bread, I love her!
I tried to work on this chapter as often as I could when I wasn't feeling like I was about to puke all over my laptop's keyboard! But I did it! And right now, I'm slowly feeling better. I don't know why I wasn't feeling too good in the first place! I know it's usually the sign of nervousness, but there's nothing really nervous to be about other than...BACK TO SCHOOL.
Never mind, the mystery's solved. I think. On second thought, a visit to the clinic won't be so bad.
Please FAV, FOLLOW, and REVIEW! Seriously please do...that's the best medicine I could ask for. ;)
Ch. 21: Skate What You Feel
Mar. 2014.
Lots of things changed after the events of the Sochi Olympics. Good and bad. For one, Liv has returned to her outdoor rink to practice again instead of continuing to practice at the St. Petersburg rink despite Yakov's offer. The outdoor rink where she felt most free. That ice was her sanctuary.
At his own rink, Yakov began allowing Victor to add more new styles and improvisations to his programs. And drilling other skaters plus telling other coaches to begin focusing more on expression and interpretation.
The events of the Olympics really opened his eyes, and Yakov is clearly upset by the direction the ISU is forcing skating to go down. He isn't stopping everyone from practicing their jumps, he's just bringing another important component more into the light.
Victor himself begins having more fun with his programs, changing some areas up via arm movements and head tilts. However, as everyone at the St. Petersburg Arena is working on artistry, the exact opposite could be said of Liv.
Liv, who was deeply affected by the results of the Olympics and the message that made itself clear before her. She puts all of her energy into improving her jumping distance and height. The bigger the jump, the better.
She's beginning to accept the cold reality, that competitions aren't about art anymore. All scores are based on jumps rather than anything else.
"If that's the way things are, then so be it." Liv declares as she completes a waltz loop jump combination into a backspin.
Victor rests his arms on the boards of the outdoor rink, rubbing his hands together to keep warm in the cold winter afternoon.
"You don't have to let go of your other skills too, you know." He reminds.
"And I won't. Like hell, I would." Liv continues around the rink, completing several consecutive single axels, each one higher than the last. "But I'm sick of being barely satisfied with my own scores. For once, I'd like to sit at the kiss-and'-cry and say, 'wow, I actually did really good!' Instead of, 'eh? Where did I go wrong?' I'm taking out those under-rotation deductions and zero grade of executions!"
"Want me to bring back the harness again like back then?"
Liv prepares to enter a double axel this time. "Sure, but it won't of much help unless I find my own way of increasing height without the harness."
She takes off ice from her forward outside edge and leaps into the air. She tries to spring up as much as she could and achieve maximum height, but after doing that, she has troubles controlling her body midair.
Unable to bring her arms and legs into the backspin the position, Liv opens up and falls back down onto the ice on both feet, nearly stumbling onto her bottom. She lets a sigh of frustration.
"But the harness will help you get the feeling of spinning midair at a higher level. Then we'll find out what's keeping you from achieving maximum height," Victor stretches his back out then checks his phone for the time.
It is time for him to go meet with Yakov for some extra private lessons in the evening. They always did this in the month leading up to the World Championships. This year, the Worlds is being held in Saitama Japan.
He picks up his skating bag from the snow covered bleachers and walks around the rink's sidelines towards the parking lot, stopping at one end.
Liv works on her entrance to the double axel, getting used to the high springy kick from the right leg and arms before quickly and smoothly snapping into the tight air position. Victor waits for her to nearly finish.
"Hey, I'm going now 'kay? I'll see you tomorrow, work on keeping yourself tight and upright when you're in the air alright?"
"I'll have that permanently etched into my mind."
Victor smiled and crosses his arms. "I don't get a goodbye kiss?"
Gradually her right back outside edge, Liv returns the smile and skates over to the side of the rink where Victor, pulling him in for a quick kiss before returning to practice again.
They never stated it officially to each other, but well, after the events of the Olympics, they just kind of got closer and became more comfortable around each other in a romantic relationship kind of setting.
He'd go pick her up from her college more often now and go over to her place and vice versa. Sometimes, they'd go out to eat, but due to the lives they live, they rarely have the luxury of enjoying themselves like regular people would.
Instead, they keep their outings simple, walking around the streets of the city at night, clad in large winter jackets and scarves, admiring the scenery, the people, and the things on sale. All of this hand in hand.
Hugs, teases, and kisses have been exchanged every now and then, and it feels completely normal now. But the best times are when they are connected by the ice, working together, watching each other, teaching and learning.
That's what really keeps them connected. Not through phone calls, or visits, or flowers, but simply being on the ice.
First and foremost, they are skaters. And if there comes a day when all skaters are forced to choose between skating and a significant other, many of them will choose skating.
Present time. St. Petersburg Ice Arena.
Yuri takes his time easing into the pace of the slow opening of Children. His eyes looked down on the ice, focusing on each individual step and trying to cover as much area as possible.
He circles around the rink in backward crossovers, preparing to enter the first jump of this program, the quadruple lutz/triple toe combination.
I have the option of changing it, Victor wants me to skate the way I want to, but if I change it to something easier, will they think less of me?
Yuri nears the other end of the rink. Will I even land this? How about a compromise? I'll do only the quadruple lutz and take out the triple toe after, in case I don't land too well.
A quick turn reversed Yuri's direction and he crosses his left leg over his right, bringing his arms up and bending down into his left knee and ankle.
Take risks, Yuri.
Yuri's right toepick hits the ice, vaulting him into the air at the same time as he rotates his arms and hips. He pulls tight into his backspin position and tries to keep his weight over the right side of his body.
Four times he rotated before landing on his right skate, extending his arms and legs in a strong landing position. His heart skips a beat as he realizes that he just landed his first clean quadruple lutz. He can add in the triple toe combination now!
Reaching back with his left toe pick, Yuri prepares his arms and body for the take-off of the triple toe. He was a bit excited from his successful lutz and couldn't quite control himself too well. His triple toe was landed but could've been better.
Whatever, time to move on.
Yuri thinks hard, trying to remember the transitions that led from the first jump to the next one, the triple axel. But his mind was more focused on the jump itself than the steps in between. He ends up flubbing several steps and just skates directly into the entrance of the jump.
The triple axel was huge and well-landed. It earned the applause of the spectating rinkmates, but as Yuri looks to the sidelines at Victor, he sees him crossing his arms and gently shaking his head at him. That's when Yuri realizes that he's not skating the way Victor wanted him to.
Are jumps everything there is in skating?
Yuri answers his own question by suddenly beginning a new footwork sequence of his own starting with a quick pivot. He sucks in his fears and squeezes his eyes tight, trying to force ideas and movements to flow out on its own.
Halfway through his sequence, Yuri hits a blank space in his mind, he's out of ideas on how to keep the steps flowing. He begins repeating turns and crossovers as the music continues to play. Come on! Think, Yuri! Think!
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
The sound of a single person clapping makes Yuri raise his head. Yurio stood up at the bleachers, clapping in time to the music. Pretty soon, everyone else got into it, the sound of the clapping matched the build-up in the music.
Yuri feels the entire rink shift into a different place around him. It feels like a free and wonderful place to be, no longer constricted and small. With this new atmosphere and sense of support in the air, Yuri unleashes his inner creativity and goes into a flying camel.
The entire ice begins to disappear beneath his skates as he spun. This was his free skate now. He'll show them. His interpretation of Victor's performance.
The music reaches the fast climax and Yuri begins it with a huge strong quadruple salchow/half loop/triple toe loop. Victor bangs his skate guards against the boards in ecstasy, nearly popping out one of its springs.
Yuri flashes him a confident smile as an answer to his previous question on why he loved the Children free skate so much.
It's because there's so many areas that can be improvised and adjusted for personal tastes and left for the imagination…
And this was Yuri's. He forgets about impressing the spectating rinkmates, about trying to do Victor proud, about not making a fool of himself.
He skates as naturally as the time when he first performed Victor's Stay Close to Me free skate to Yuko Nishigori. He was perfectly comfortable that night. And he is perfectly comfortable now.
Victor squeezes his fists in joy as his rinkmates applauded and cheered all around him, banging against the boards and chairs. This is the kind of Yuri he wishes could appear on every ice anytime, anywhere. This is the Yuri he fell in love with.
Every transition, every stop and pivot, every field move, it was placed there for a reason. It was used to bring out the beauty of the song. Even the jumps were used as tools to make the performance more beautiful and climatic rather than being there just because.
Yuri finishes the entire free skate with a mind blowing combination spin. He returns to reality as the music ends and he is left breathless and sweaty. The sound made by everyone present in the rink, including several other coaches and skaters who entered during the performance, is almost too great to be true.
Yuri smiles as he lets himself bathe in the shower of appreciation and admiration. He could get used to this. From the exit of the rink, Victor stood there with open arms. Yuri half runs half skates towards him.
This time, Victor didn't jump out of the way last minute. Yuri nearly knocks him over, but Victor manages to hold his ground. Everyone rushes around or near them.
"That was amazing!"
"Absolutely spectacular!"
"As expected from Yuri Katsuki, the artiste on ice!"
Victor wraps one arm tightly around Yuri, his face beaming with pride. He looks down at him with proud eyes.
"That's my fiancé for you," he declares loudly before placing a quick kiss on Yuri's head.
The entire rink breaks out in an even louder round of applause and cheers and flashes of light from phone cameras.
Yuri sighs and leans his head against Victor's shoulder. No longer questioning about the strength and stability of their bond.
March. 26, 2014. Saitama, Japan.
Victor watches as the last skater for the men's short program finishes his skate with a score of 89.27. Well, that settles it!
Looks like he's leading the short program once again, just like he does every year, well usually every year. Yakov pats him on the back suddenly, Victor turns around to see his coach hand him a hot cup of coffee another cup held in his other hand.
"Thanks."
"You need it. There are more interviews tonight," Yakov reminds.
Victor sighs as he begins walking out of the rink and out to the halls towards the exit of the large arena. Yakov walks beside him, equally stressed. Besides Victor, he has to worry about Constantine, Annie, and Laurel.
And these people are never in the same place unless they scheduled a visit to some nearby National park for lots and lots of group photos and selfies. Which is almost never.
Yakov sympathizes with Victor. "Trust me, I'm just as tired as you are. But you have a public to please and a free skate to skate. Then the season's over and it's time for off-ice training."
Victor pushes his hair back from his eyes. "It's not that. Usually, I look forward to these interviews and public/media stuff, but I'm just feeling off right now. It's like everything's too predictable! I skate, I win, I answer questions and sign autographs, we go home and train. And it repeats over and over and over…"
"I get it," Yakov answers.
"You do?" Victor is not expecting Yakov to actually understand him.
"You just want to go out and see the spring festival that's being held these few weeks."
Victor laughs. "Yeah, I do. It seems so lively and it looks like there are all kinds of souvenirs I could bring home for my folks!"
"But you're really feeling down right now too," Yakov adds. "It does get repetitive after two or three years of this cycle of competing. It doesn't feel as exciting at the Worlds as it did the first time, eh, Victor?"
"It's almost the end of the season, Yakov. And I don't feel very accomplished. Though, that's probably because of my accident at the Olympics…god fucking damnit—"
"LANGUAGE!" Yakov hits him on the elbow hard, nearly knocking the coffee cup out of his hand.
"Sorry. But yeah, it doesn't feel 'magical' here anymore. So please, just let me go, Yakov. Let me enjoy myself."
Yakov looks at his phone's schedule and sighs. "I'll try and make up some sort of excuse, but you're going to have to stay twice as long after the free skate for those reporters!"
"It's worth it, you're the best!" Victor waves goodbye as he turns around the corner, running towards the exit of the arena.
The lights shone brilliantly outside, not too far away, Victor could already see the crowd of people walking around the stands of the large spring festival being held nearby. The snow had stopped falling a few minutes ago, covering the ground with a fresh layer of white, only to be ruined as he began walking through it.
First things first, Victor quickly returns to his hotel room to grab a warmer jacket, his wallet and of course, recharge his phone. When he believes everything is ready and set, he rushes out the door and down the elevator. The festival isn't too far from his location.
The elevator's doors open and Victor runs out across the grand front lobby…vibrate! Vibrate! He takes out his phone and answers without looking at the caller id.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me!" Liv's voice introduces herself on the other end.
"Wha…when did you get here?" Victor walks over to an empty chair in the sitting area to lean against.
"Just this morning, I checked in at the same hotel. Thought it'd be a nice surprise. I wanted to wait until after your short program was over. Is there something wrong?"
"No! No! I'm just…this is the last I was expecting, that's all. But I'm really glad you're here! Where are you right now? I'm at the hotel lobby."
"Don't go anywhere! I'm leaving my room right now, I'll meet you down there!"
"Liv, you got any plans?"
"Yeah! There's this festival out there—"
"That's what I thought."
Saitama spring festival.
Everything everywhere is well-decorated and lit up with lanterns and other warm colourful objects. Victor is so taken by the sight that he completely forgot about taking photos with his phone. In front of at a stand selling a bunch of kites, was Liv, bundled up warmly in a winter getup.
That's all they've been all evening. Going from stand to stand. Looking at the items on display from really cute sculptures and puppets, to grand paintings and replicas of ancient relics. They sampled all kinds of dishes that were offered to all people.
There was even an area filled with instruments and musical equipment of all kind, allowing anyone to come up and perform whatever they want. Victor tries to get Liv to either sing something or play the piano, but she confesses that the coldness of the air will downgrade her performance.
"I'll sing or play something for you in a warmer environment. And I'll do it properly too!" She promises.
"I've heard you hum anime openings, endings, and osts all the damn time. But I never heard you play the piano. You got to show me that song you and your Detroit friend are making."
"Alright then, when we finish making and recording it, I'll send you a copy of the audio file. 'Kay?"
"Don't forget!"
"And don't call her 'Detroit friend' either, ok? Her name's Ketty Abelashvili. But if you're friends with her, you must call her 'Holly,' she personally hates the name 'Ketty,' but I think it's adorable! Anyways, where else do you want to go? Or do you want to split up for now?"
Victor looks around him, trying to find anything that's worthy of bringing back home to his parents, more specifically, his mom. His eyes found…nothing yet. Yep, it's going to take awhile. And he'd rather not drag Liv behind him all night.
"I'll be looking for some gifts on my own, alright? You can enjoy yourself until I'm done!"
"Fine by me. Call don't text." Liv waves before she turns around and disappears into the crowd.
Victor turns back around and looks at the all that awaits him. He tries to walk up to a stand selling some kind of large wooden and metal instrument, but before he could speak to the seller, a large family stepped out of nowhere in front of him.
Not wanting to wait his turn, he turns his head around and sees a food stand with several sellers pleasing customers with all sorts of delicacies. Victor seizes this opportunity and buys an entire bag of seafood as well as taking a cold-packaged box of the same product.
Next, he runs to a stand that was nearly surrounded by children. And when he sees the item that was sold, he understood why. Large beautifully-crafted and colourful kites were given out as if they were for free!
After carefully making his way around the crowd of tiny people and their parents, Victor grabs a large flower-shaped kite and gently tucks it away in his messenger bag. It was a good thing he brought it along!
There was just so much to explore, and not enough time to explore it all! Stand after stand, greeting after greeting, Victor begins to feel maybe this World Championships isn't as boring as he thought it would. He never left a place empty handed or empty hearted.
By the end of his shopping spree, he got a box of traditional jewellery, historical scrolls and paintings, beautiful robes for his mom, packaged food, origami instruction books, and more. His bag is at its limit by now. Time to call Liv.
"I'm done getting stuff, where are you?"
"At the tiny river where they give out boat rides, right at the dock. It shouldn't be too hard to find. I got a surprise for you. Come!"
Liv was right, it wasn't too hard to find. Victor only needed to follow the distant lamppost that marked the dock where people are lining up to ride on the boat. Liv is standing off to the side a little so that she wouldn't be blocking the line for anyone who wants to go on. She turns around upon Victor's arrival.
"Whoa, your bag's looking really big. You want me to take some of the smaller stuff out? I don't have a bag, but it's fine by me."
"Nah it's fine—actually, sure. Here take this. And this. And this. And…that's good enough." Victor hands Liv the origami book, the box of syrup candy, and the box of jewellery.
She carefully balances them out before tucking them under her arm like school textbooks. "Oh, hold on! I almost forgot about the surprise!"
Victor removes his slightly-lighter now messenger bag and settles it onto the ground. He looks at Liv curiously as she single-handedly reaches into her jacket pocket and fumbles around to look for something.
A second later, her hand emerges with a silver chain necklace, but it was the round object dangling around the end of it that got Victor's attention. A shiny gold ring, yes an actual ring for the finger, hangs through the chain, gleaming in the festive lights.
Victor has no words as he continues to stare at the ring swaying back and forth in front of his eyes as if Liv was trying to hypnotize him. She enthusiastically grins at him. "I know what you're thinking, but that's not why I got this. Here, look closer."
She gives Victor the necklace and he brings the ring close to his face. There is some writing on the side of it, written in tiny white curvy letters. "Training wins competitions, hearts win the entire sport."
"Agree? Disagree? Or unsure?" Liv asks when Victor looks up after reading.
"I'm not taking this off, never," Victor declares as he fastens the chain around his neck. "How did you find something like this here?"
"Destiny," Liv answers as she pulls out something from within her jacket. It was an identical chain with the ring! "And it just so happened, the seller had more than one available. This is amazing, Victor. I was never much of a dreamer, to be honest, ever since leaving the US, reality was just cold and harsh, but had its fair share of interesting events. But it looks like some things don't just happen coincidentally."
"I like to think that things happen because we pushed life down that path," Victor adds. "Look at you, you won the Nationals this year, you did pretty darn good at your first Olympics, and next year, you'll be going to the Worlds with Angela, all better and healthy."
"Maybe you're right. I'm improving on my height a lot lately, and I can say that my double axel is much better than before! Angela's chemotherapy treatment is nearing its end now too, I heard she's going to be discharged soon. I'm so happy for her!"
Victor picks up his messenger bag and puts it over his shoulders. "Things'll happen, good or bad, it's up to us to make good use of it. And who knows? Maybe later on, I'll start helping you out in paying your bills! Or vice versa!"
"We'll see how it goes. We'll see."
A young man with a large digital camera suddenly comes up to them, politely greeting and smiling. "Hi, there! Would you like a photo as a memory of tonight?"
Victor looks at Liv for her opinion, who tilts her head at him in the question. They both nod. Victor reaches into his wallet, preparing to take out some cash. "Sure, how much?"
"Oh, you pay at the photos booth near the entrance of the festival," the photographer clarifies. "I just take it the photo, ready?"
Victor quickly removes his bag once again and brushes off any snow on his clothing as Liv puts down the items she was holding and repositions her scarf so that the lower end of her face won't be cut out.
The photographer positions himself in front of his models, making sure to capture them at a good angle and lighting. Victor looks at Liv moving behind him and half jumping onto his back. She makes an ok sign with her right hand.
He chuckles and smiles as he reaches his left arm up and across his chest to clasp hers on his shoulders. The photographer smiles too as he readies the camera.
"Alright! Three…two…one…FLASH!"
Later that evening…
The streets were still bustling and lit up as Victor leads the way back to the hotel from the festivities, pulling Liv's arm behind him. His new golden ring dangling on the silver chain around his neck.
The two of them run through the slightly dispersed crowd of people by now, beaming like schoolchildren on their way home from school.
This was the heat of the moment for Victor, he wants to keep this feeling up forever, but unfortunately, that's impossible. So might as well make this as memorable as possible.
At the outdoor cafe table…
Yakov sighs as he sits back in his chair, warming his hands around the cup of coffee on the table. Celestino shakes his head from the chair in front of Yakov.
"At this rate, you'll drive yourself into an early grave! Don't pin the blame on your students!"
"Can't help it. I'm worried," Yakov admits.
"About what? Exactly?"
"My students."
"Too general. And why? You've trained them well, as well as you can, the rest is up to them. The first free skate event begins the day after tomorrow, there's only so much you can do."
Yakov sits upright in his chair. "That's not it. I'm wasn't thinking about their skating."
Back at the hotel…
The elevator dings at the 10th floor, Liv's floor. They get off it and rush down the hallway towards her booked room.
But as Liv took out her assigned key cards, Victor grabs them away from her. She turns around in surprise, seeing him casually put it away in his back pocket and smirking at her.
"Why don't you come with me?"
Liv's eyes widened and jaw dropped. The bright golden lights of the hallway illuminate in her pupils.
Outdoor cafe…
"I wasn't thinking about their skating," Yakov clarifies. "I was thinking about their off-ice lives. It's strange really, I've been teaching them for so long and yet, I still feel like a stranger to their private lives."
Celestino moves aside his cup to clear the path across the table. "You never talked to them about their personal daily stuff? Parents, schools, pets, favourite tv shows, stuff like that?"
Yakov shakes his head. "Oh no, no, no! I know all of that stuff about them, I'm talking about things only close friends would tell each other. Secrets, hidden childhood crimes, drama in romantic relationships…that kind of stuff."
He also pushes his coffee cup away, like Celestino. "Heck, I didn't even know Georgi's troubling relationship with Anya existed until a week before the GPF! Sigh…after all this time, I'm still only a skating coach to them."
Celestino remains silent and listens.
"If there comes a time when they're breaking down over something I'm in the dark too, and no one but me is around…how am I supposed to help them? What's a coach supposed to do in that moment?"
Hotel room…
Liv slumps onto her stomach on the large fluffy bed in the middle of the room, feeling the softness of the comforter and mattress. Victor falls onto his back next to her, making a make-believe snow angel.
"Good luck on your free skate," Liv mumbles into the comforter.
Victor grabs a pillow and hits her on the head. "No more talk about skating 'kay? I'm in my happy place right now, don't drag me out."
"Then leave!" Liv pushes the pillow of her and turns her head to face him. She closes her eyes and smiles. "Find your happy place somewhere else…"
Victor sits back up on the bed. He rubs Liv on the top of her head, messing up her hair a bit. She didn't complain and continued to pretend to sleep.
"I'm taking a quick shower, I'll be back. And if it gets too warm in here, might as well get out of that winter getup!"
Outdoor cafe…
Celestino listens understandingly to Yakov, coming to terms with his feelings towards his skaters. He offers some advice.
"You want to know what to do, my friend? Snap them out of it, bring them back to reality. 'Cause if you're just a skating coach, then be the ultimate skating coach! Nothing matters more in that moment than their performance, so tell them to suck it up and skate!"
Yakov brings back his coffee cup and takes a sip of the drink inside, it was a bit cool by now. "Easier said than done. The thing with my skaters, is that they're all very emotional, the slightest tip of the equilibrium, and they're a bawling red-eyed mess. It reflects on the ice too unfortunately."
"Well, then I don't know how to help. Sorry," Celestino shrugs. "Why are you talking about this in the first place? Are you having some drama problems with one or more of your skaters?"
"Not now, but I'm planning ahead. You never know when a heartbreak will happen, no matter the reason."
Hotel room…
Victor emerges from the bathroom in a fluffy white robe, cool and refreshed from his quick shower. He walks towards the large bed while drying his hair with a red towel.
He looks around. Liv is nowhere to be found. Just when he is about to call her name, he feels a warm pair of arms wrap around him from behind. He embraces one of her hands for a moment before letting go and turning around.
Liv stood before him, also in a fluffy white robe. She tightens the waist rope to keep the oversized clothing from becoming too loose on her feminine frame.
"What? You think I magically teleported my suitcase containing my PJs up here? No. Hope you don't mind me borrowing one of these bathrobes," Liv adjusts the top neck collar sheepishly.
"I like it better this way," Victor says matter-of-factly. He makes his way over to the lamp and turns on the small tabletop one then turning off the floor lamp. He sits on the bed, stretching his arms.
Liv climbs on top of the bed too and kneels next to him. "Me too."
She closes in slowly and breaks the tension with a gentle kiss. He brings one hand up next to her face, brushing some strands of hair behind her ear while the other hand finds its way to her hand, clasping it tightly.
The gentleness slowly builds up to more intensity.
Outdoor cafe…
Yakov orders another cup of coffee while Celestino gets a sandwich. He remains quiet this time, not responding to Yakov's laments.
"The closer someone gets to someone, the harder it'll be to get over that someone. Georgi's proven his point, he's barely holding onto his relationship with Anya now, and the worst part is, I can't do anything about it!"
Celestino sighs and begins to look a bit tired by now but still listens out of respect. "Yawn. If you really want to do something, stop complaining and start talking to them. 'Cause I'm out of words to say to you."
Yakov realizes how long he's been rambling on. "Oh! I'm sorry. I've talked too much. I'm sorry. I should take more action, you're right."
"Finally!" Celestino slumps into the back of his chair. "You have to reaffirm yourself as their coach and pillar of support. Yeah, you may not understand what they're going through all the time, but to be honest. That's not your job, I already told you! Get them to focus on the ice."
"The ice. That's the one thing that keeps us all connected really. Rivals, friends, siblings, teachers, all connected by the ice. No matter where we are, I believe as long as we skate, we're never detached."
Hotel room…
Victor falls onto his back on top of the bed, slowly sinking into the mattress. Below him was the softness of the comforter, and above him was the beautiful view of his significant other's face.
He raises a hand to play with the wavy locks of her hair before pulling her down to his face. The other hand reaches out to the nightstand and turns off the lamp.
The room becomes dark, with only the moonlight and city lights streaming in from the large windows with curtains wide open. As soon as the lamp was off, Victor rolls Liv onto her back.
I'm feeling gassy again once again after finishing editing this chapter. What does it take to end these waves of nausea followed by joint pains and horrible hunger the next morning! Ugh! Must watch more anime...it's the only thing that gets my mind off my stomach!
Anyways, please FAV, FOLLOW, and REVIEW once again!
Thanks for reading! :D