I know I promised a quick update but I failed miserably! I will not make empty promises anymore; if I can I will update this story, but my other fic comes first…
Anyway, if you want to keep up and be informed about any delay/update of any of my fics follow me on twitter- lifein20s.
There are feelings that can't be described. Some experiences just don't have the right words to have wrapped around them. Sometimes, the experience is the only way to know what it's like.
That's gymnastics, the tumbling, the fast running towards an intimidating obstacle, flipping around in the air in the hope of landing on a four inch beam, reaching to a bar only to let go of it again a moment later; all of those actions, these moments, aren't things you can put in words.
There is so much pain and dedication and sacrifice that go into doing that sport. The grueling hours, the blooded feet, the aching muscles, the injuries, the broken bones; and that's just the physical part. What about all the hours spent in the hall? No time for friends, for school, no boyfriends nor girlfriends, no social life. Yet it all shrinks down to the moment you succeed. It doesn't have to be large or impressive, just an element you finally managed to do, or routine perfectly executed. All of those take the tears, the doubts, the resentment and throw them to the garbage.
So imagine, just imagine how searing Regina's heart is when she lands pretty firmly on the mattress, merely a step to the side. The deduction not nearly enough to sabotage her score in a critical way.
She smiles broadly as the crowed cheers, glancing to her side she sees Kathryn clapping her hands enthusiastically. Cora isn't smiling but her thin line of pursed lips isn't that thin anymore. Regina knows she has one more jump and there's no use in getting excited know. Every jump in the vault is a bet and there's no knowing what will happen next.
Still, feeling confident she approaches her starting spot again rubbing her hands in chalk as she waits for her score.
It's good, not great but enough. She takes a deep breath, fighting this urge of searching for Emma again. She can't afford being disappointed again. She keeps her eyes on the vault.
The sound is heard, signaling for her to step on the running strip. She smiles once again, arching her back and lifting her hands up in her starting pose.
She breaks into a fast run, legs pushing forward, hands colliding with the surface and she is up in the air again. Her mind is clear and sticks her legs together, pointing her feet and tightening her form. She lands shakily on the mattress, remaining squatted for a moment, trying to control her body, preventing it from budging. When she feels like she has it right she straightens herself and lifts her arms.
It's a good landing and she descends down the stairs with a large smile gracing her face.
Kathryn is on her in a matter of seconds.
"That was so good!" she exclaims "I'm pretty sure you're qualifying!" she states excitedly and they turn to look at the score board. It takes the judges a good minute or two but the score is up and Regina looks in awe as she sees her name rise from the 13th place to 6th.
She lets out a sigh she didn't even know she was holding and turns to hug Kathryn again. Her mother doesn't congratulate her, she merely nods but for Cora this is supporting.
After the fuzz calms a little and Noserini from Italy is up she turns to the familiar section of the crowed, looking for a blonde mane. To her surprise Emma is there, her hair still wet from the salty water, smiling at her.
Regina can't stop her face from breaking into a large smile, it seems she is using her usual cold smirks less and less, dropping them in favor of a large, teeth filled beams. And the cameras seem love it.
All of a sudden there are thousands flashes in her face, almost blinding her but her gaze remains locked with Emma, who lifts her thumb and mouths 'well done'.
They move on to the balance beam where Regina is invincible. She doesn't bat an eyelash while she waits for her turn, she has no competition in this field and she knows it.
It's Kathryn's turn. Despite being brilliant at the vault and pretty good at the uneven bars, on the beam she is less than average. Her performance is okay, the difficulty level doesn't near the top five. Add that to a very significant loss of balance that almost makes her fall off the beam and you get a disappointed Kathryn that is located well below the qualifying bar.
Regina keeps alternating her gaze between the scene in front of her and Emma. She does that when she makes sure the blonde is watching the gymnasts; she stares at her face contort in concentration and the adorable way her lip pops out in a pout kind of way. One time they lock eyes and Emma seems flustered by idea of being watched. She squirms in her seat and folds her hands, making Regina chuckles.
She doesn't do that for long though, soon it's her turn to jump on the narrow wooden beam and perform. She stretches and gets herself in the game zone; no more watching Emma nor the competition, now it's all about taking deep breaths and running the routine in her head.
Sooner than later Cora snaps her out of her zone and motions for her the get ready to step up.
She is standing next to the podium, waiting to be called. She knows Emma is looking at her, she can feel the forest green eyes burning her form. But now is not the time, she has to focus.
She steps up and goes up to a split on the beam. The crowd erupts with applause as she starts preforming, nailing her tricks on after the other; the front tuck salto and right after that the sheep. She puts extra attention on squeezing her feet together; she will not give her mother more ammunition against her. She does a back handspring swing down to a cross sit, earning yells of encouragement once more. Regina's uniqueness on the beam is her rare combination between 'old-school' elements to new ones; combining the two together quite frequently earns her bonus points as well as appreciation from the judges, who are familiar and sometimes even nostalgic about those moves. She performs her Onodi to two feet and walks to the near end of the beam, preparing herself for the dismount. Back handspring with a full twist, another back handspring with half a twist and a tucked in Tsukahara and lands perfectly; immediately arching her back to the applause of the audience.
She descends down and waits for her score, smiling broadly when her name jumps to the first place, way above Chang the Chinese gymnast. With only three more gymnasts to preform, she knows this time her spot is more than guaranteed.
Two elements done, two more to go.