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amjustagirl · 2 years

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chapter 14: burn away your fears

chapters: 14 / 15

pairing: miya osamu x f! reader

genre: romance / angst / fluff

word count: 5.4k

summary: miya osamu does not dare set fire to his heart. it burns anyway.

(prev / next)

A year later, it’s surprising how much things change.

Atsumu, of course, has the most dramatic change of trajectory. He announces his professional volleyball after a lightouts game against the Adlers where he wins with a setter dump and a record four dramatic aces. The stands are silent, the audience tearful when he bows to them with uncharacteristic humility, kneeling down to touch the polished wooden floors one last time before he leaves the arena. Olympic medals, V-league medals, two stints in Italy (the second one sanctioned by Kaiyo and the kids), and he closes this chapter of his life on the highest of highs.

He knows it’s difficult for Atsumu to envision what’s next because volleyball has been all he’s known from the age of eight, and gods does Atsumu mope to no end, hanging around the restaurants with a long face until he has to banish him for scaring his customers, growing more despondent after unsuccessful career talks with Meian Shugo (now, a professional sports agent), Bokuto (a junior coach), Kiyoomi (a suit in the JVA).

It’s lucky he has Kaiyo on his side.

She very shrewdly sets up a meeting with her cousin Azumi, now happily married to Sakusa Kiyoomi, a sports writer with numerous contacts in the sports media industry. A deal is cut quite quickly, because corporate sharks move in to capitalise on Atsumu’s marketability - good-looks and a charming Kansai accent with the credibility from being an Olympian. He’s booked as a commentator for both Inter High and Spring High - much to Shino’s dismay though, in her first year of high school volleyball she has to deal with her dad bawling into the microphone when her team wins a match, but it seems be a success because jobs flow in after that, and Atsumu is jetting around the world for gigs, even going viral when he’s filmed on a flight to the volleyball world championship in Rome loudly professing his love to Kaiyo to the consternation of the cabin crew who just want him to turn off his damn phone.

Shino - well, she breaks her father’s heart (an exaggeration, she’d say, with a flick of her ponytail) by taking a scholarship to Niyama Girl’s High School in Sendai instead of staying in Osaka - her uncle Hinata’s delighted because that’s Natsu’s alma mater, though Atsumu’s somewhat pleased that it puts distance between her and Meian Makoto. Not that it works, he walks in on them making out during a school break when she’s back home and Shino runs off to Kita’s farm in Hyogo to complain and give her father more heartache.

“Kids are a pain”, Atsumu whines.

“Nah, just yours. Cos they take after you.” Osamu retorts.

Shoma’s his usual self, a snack perpetually in hand, intent on learning to cook more dishes so he can feed Asami-chan whenever he visits the Kitas on their farm in Hyogo - Kaiyo and Ichika of course are planning their kids’ wedding more than a decade too early. Not much has changed other than surprising his dad by voluntarily joining volleyball as a club activity. He’s actually pretty good, for an eight year old, though it’s not settled whether he likes setting or spiking better yet.

Kaiyo’s just her usual self. Everything’s right in her world - she has no more friends to meddle with (maybe she should deal with Suna, hrm), she’s happy with her job, her family doesn’t give her too many headaches (well, other than Shino finding out that ‘Tsumu was a shit husband and dad for the first three years of her life and throwing a snit about it, the aforementioned debacle of Shino running off to Hyogo, Shoma buying tickets and nearly running off to Hyogo by himself) - okay, maybe her life isn’t exactly drama free with two madcap kids and a husband who behaves like a lovesick kid, but it’s pretty smooth sailing nonetheless. She and Ichika regularly have sleepovers (no one’s ever too old for a pyjama party with pizza) and you’re often invited along as a third of their unholy trio.

Though…you did call out of the most recent one, saying you weren’t up to it.

He chalked it up to stress from work. Your business is growing strong, though you still find the time to help out at his restaurants, despite him protesting that he doesn’t want to eat into your free time, that you should take your off days seriously, laze in bed or go out to cafes with Kaiyo or Suzuki-san, anything other than rolling up your sleeves to make batches and batches of onigiris with him and the crew.

“But you’re here, aren’t you?”

He finds himself unable to argue with that. Even though you’ve finally given in and moved into his apartment, insisting on paying rent to him (now it’s funny because you’re each other’s landlords) which he only accepts as your pre-condition to moving yourself and Kombu-chan in. He’s squirrelling that cash into a little fund for - well, he doesn’t quite know what to do with it, but he has plans that potentially involve a long holiday to Thailand and a ring.

For now, it’s nice having you to come back to every night after a long day of running the restaurants. It’s a little more crowded, a little messier - a litter box and cat bed that he trips over in the living room, a ludicrous amount of kitchen utensils and never enough space on the countertops, but it’s all the better for it. Catching each other’s eyes in the toilet mirror whilst brushing teeth and cracking up over a joke you just shared, playing tetris with a too-full fridge, babysitting Shoma and introducing him to the wonders of a blanket fort party when Kaiyo and ‘Tsumu go for their weekly pizza dates - he never thought he could be this happy so easily.

His apartment truly feels like home.

“What time are you coming back?”

A text from you isn’t amiss around this time. It’s past the lunch crush and he usually heads back to the apartment for a quick nap, since he’s usually covering the dinner shift as well. You’re often in the kitchen experimenting, drawing up the menu for the weekend, and he should find you there. But the apartment remains quiet even after he calls out a cheery tadaima, so he goes to investigate, kicking his shoes off in the genkan, padding around until he finds signs of life in the toilet.

The door is locked, but he can hear the unmistakable sound of someone emptying out their guts. Alarmed, he jiggles it open, and you just groan, head lolling against the seat.

“Hey”, he murmurs, approaching you gingerly, the way one might with a feral cat (like you and Kombu-chan, a funny coincidence).

You hug the cistern for dear life.

He picks you off the floor as if you weigh no more than a bag of rice. Wipes your mouth with a damp towel, urges you to gargle your mouth while he mixes day-old rice with the chicken stock he always has on hand in a pot, serving it to you in a bowl when it comes to a boil. You barely take three spoonfuls of it before pushing it away, claiming you’re full.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, rounding the table to kneel in front of you, taking your hands in his.

“Nothing”, you say, but it’s as unconvincing as Shoma claiming he’s not hungry when he’s staring at food with eyes the size of dinner plates.

“Shall we make an appointment to see the doctor? I think we should, if you’re not feeling well.”

“I think you should”, he argues, unconvinced. “You’ve been feelin’ so sick recently, I don’t know whether it’s been a particularly bad batch of shellfish, maybe. And lately you’ve been getting more and more tired, even though you’re going to bed early and sleepin’ in.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s something”, he stresses. “You’re clearly not well - cos you’re pukin’ and you’re tired, and I gotta be honest, you’ve been a bit moody and your back hurts even though your period hasn’t come in the past -”

Oh.

It finally clicks.

“Sweetheart”, he says gently. “Are you pregnant?”

You confirm his suspicions by breaking down, burying your face into the cradle of your arms, you bawl brokenly. “I can’t do this”, you cry. “I can’t, I - I can’t - ”

It’s not that you’ve never talked about having a family before. In truth, you’ve both left it up to chance, being lax with - well, protection, because if fate decrees it - then well, it’s meant to be. He definitely dreams of a family, made up of you and him and Kombu-chan and a kid that’s got a little bit of him and a little bit of you. And you’re so good with Shoma (he follows you around, convinced that you hold all the secrets to the kitchen in your hands), with the kids who visit the restaurant, going out of the way to add little decorations to their onigiris - a smiley face cut into the nori sheets, an extra bit of fruit sliced into stars and bunnies and hearts.

But your happiness is worth far more than any of that to him.

“It’s okay”, he says, measuring his every word. “You don’t have to have it. The baby, I mean - cos’ you’re pregnant, aren’t ya? Iif you don’t want to.” But then he trips himself to add (because the spectre of ‘Tsumu in his chaotic, storm filled years looms, large and ominous), “but if you want to have it, I’m gonna be here for you, every step of the way. It’s your choice, sweetheart, and I’ll support whatever it is you choose.”

It just makes you sob harder. There’s nothing he can do but rub circles into the small of your back until you hiccup into his shoulder.

“I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay”, he says, because really, what else can he say? “It’s okay.”

But it isn’t okay because you keep him at a distance over the next couple of days, even though you cancel the next few engagements you have to hole up in bed, your eyes red and puffy, and you refuse to eat more than a few bites of all the treats he offers in an attempt to lure you out of the fort you’ve built with all the pillows and blankets you have at home.

He waits, not because he’s a patient man by nature, but because he knows that burns hurt, raw and red. Rushing back to the kitchen before the memory scabs over will leave one too scared to approach the roaring flames in the stove. And if you need time to consider the implications of how your life might change, ponder your choices, weigh what you want your future to hold, you have every right to.

He’ll wait for you. He’ll support whatever decision you make.

(even if he dreams and hopes of you and him and well - it’s not his choice to make)

He waits until you stick a hand out of your blanket fort, fumbling around in the dark to grasp his hand, doesn’t say a word until you croak, staring up at the ceiling, counting the cracks.

“I can’t do it. I don’t know how to.”

“Neither do I”, he admits, though he burns to add that he’ll try, gods does he want to try with you.

“I’ll be a terrible mother”, you say. “I don’t know how to keep a kid alive. Do I feed it rice? What if I drop it? What if I start resenting the kid for hijacking my life - I mean, it’s literally a parasite isn’t it, at this point? What if - I don’t know, I mean - my parents weren’t exactly great - and what if, what if my kid ends up unhappy, I wouldn’t know how to make a kid happy, what do I do - what do I do -”

“I’m scared too.”

Your grip tightens. “Yeah”, you exhale.

He waits for your breath to even out to unearth you from your hiding hole, removing each pillow from your carefully constructed tower, brick by brick before wrapping himself against your back, arm over your sternum. “It’s okay to be scared.”

You only hiccup.

“But”, again, he chooses his words with care, mindful not to imply that it’s anything but your choice. “Whatever you choose to do, you don’t have to be brave by yourself.”

Again, you hiccup. “And if I chose to have it? A baby, I mean.”

“Then I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

His heart leaps, skips a beat, then two and he almost forgets to breathe when you laugh, a watery sound but a laugh nonetheless.

“You’re a brave man to promise that, Miya Osamu.”

“Not as brave as you”, he replies, because it’s true.

Having courage doesn’t have to mean going out into the great, wide world, performing bold, dashing feats of heroism. It’s as simple as putting one foot in front of the other day after day without letting your fears and insecurities chase you back into your safe hiding place. Life can be hard as fuck sometimes, and it’s so easy to lose sight of your dreams and passions, but you’re trying your best to leave your ghosts behind, overcome everything that’s been placed in your way and by gods, does he love you for it.

So it just seems like the right time, a week later, to get down yet again on his knees before you, a box with a gold ring inside instead of a bowl of porridge. “Marry me”, he says, the entire speech he’s prepared for the occasion flying out of his head, all he can think of is here and now and there’s nothing he wants so much as to solidify that you and him and the baby and kombu-chan are a family.

His family.

You ruffle his hair with a rueful smile. “You shouldn’t propose just cos’ because a baby’s on the way.”

He’s startled into a laugh. “D’you seriously think I’m proposin’ cos of the baby?”

“...Yeah?”

“Nah. That’s not why I’m proposing.”

He gathers you into his arms, meets your frown of confusion with a kiss on top of your nose.

“I love you. I’m proposin’ cos I’m greedy and I wanna make sure I can tell everyone that you and Kombu-chan and that baby in your belly is my family.”

You push him away, gaining some space between you and him. “Why me?”

“Why you?” he echoes. “It’s always gonna be you. There’s never been anyone for me but you.”

Your frown deepens. “But…I’m just me.”

“That’s right”, he tucks your hair behind your ear. “You’re you. And that’s all I want.”

There’s a smile creeping onto your face, spring sunshine after a long, dark winter. “That’s not answering my question.”

“You want me to give you a list of reasons why I wanna marry you?” You tweak his nose, and he thinks that means yes. “You’re brave, even though there’s so much to be scared about. You’re kind, even though life is hard and the world can be a shit place full of shittier people. You’re smart and gorgeous and funny and patient and all of you makes me wanna be a braver, better man so I can catch up with you and be by your side.”

“Sweet talker”, you poke his side.

“Well, you asked”, he chuckles. “So, how ‘bout it?”

“How about what?”

“Sweetheart”, he groans. “You’re killin’ me.”

A few beats pass, the longest pause in his life, where he’s waiting and hoping at the crossroads for you. But then you take the box out of his hand. With shaking hands, you slide the ring onto your fourth finger, a shimmer of gold in the shadows.

“You make me happy, Miya Osamu.”

He takes your hand, the hand with his ring on it. He wants to tell you that he’ll keep trying his best to make you happy, because you’ve made him the happiest man of earth by agreeing to be his family (you, kombu-chan and the baby in your belly), but there’s a tidal wave of emotion that swells in a rush of salt and water in his eyes, tears that you wipe away with a tender smile.

You take his hand, humming a tuneless melody as you dance in the kitchen, laughing like children as you trip over each other’s feet in an uncoordinated waltz. Heedless to the world spinning off its axis, crashing and burning. He has you and Kombu-chan and the baby and as long as the lot of you are headed in the same direction together (a family), then he’s happy. He has all that he wants.

He sets fire to his heart, lets it flare bright in the blue dawn sky.

It is not a lie. It is not a dream.

You are happy. So incredibly, impossibly happy that you have to pinch yourself to convince yourself that it’s real, this is your life. Like champagne bubbles that pop, you have to savour every sip. “D’you think grillin’ these onigiris will counterbalance the sweet glaze?” Osamu asks when you wander out of the bedroom, long after the sun hangs in the sky.

“You can always try”, you offer, still groggy as you slip into a seat by the breakfast counter.

“Eat up”, he passes you a plate full of onigiris and pork bone soup and pickles and - when did he get up to get all of this ready - “You and the kid needs feedin’.”

“Osamu”, you murmur. He drops everything to pay attention to your every word, leaning his full weight on the countertop.

“What’s wrong?”

You’re not sure if it’s the raging hormones, or the fact that you’re just overwhelmed by how happy and content you are, but you’re suddenly overcome with the need to weep and belly laugh and tell Osamu how he’s made you so, so ridiculously, uncharacteristically giddy, that you do all of the above.

“Hey, no - sweetheart, c’mere. Why’re you cryin? Was it somethin’ wrong my big mouth said?”

You let him gather you into his lap, rocking you as if you’re the baby (and not the one growing one), hiccuping and crying and giggling and - yes, you’re definitely going insane - it’s too much but not too much at the same time.

“I’m - I’m too happy, ‘Samu - and we have a wedding to plan!”

The tense line of his shoulder relaxes. He presses a kiss to your hairline, smoothing out the wrinkles in your brow. You can feel the curve of his smile grow against your cheek.

“There’s no such thing as too happy, sweetheart. And don’t worry ‘bout the wedding. Leave everything to me.”

That was what he intended.

But leave to Kaiyo to have everything in hand when she finds out that not only are you pregnant, you also need a wedding planned, stat. It’s not that either of you made a big announcement, wanting to wait until you were at least twelve weeks along, but she deduces it for herself when you religiously avoid any alcohol or raw food at your next izakaya get-together, even asking to meet somewhere which bans indoor smoking.

She swings herself (and Ichika) into full wedding prep mode with so much enthusiasm he has to tell her to calm herself down, because she whips out her old Shiromuku kimono that both she and Ichika wore to their weddings and starts chattering about making arrangements at the Miya family shrine, the traditional wedding venue where she and Atsumu got married more than a decade ago -

“We were thinkin’ of gettin’ married at Kita’s farm instead.”

Ichika squeals and calls Shinsuke immediately. Kaiyo just gives him a small smile of understanding.

There are too many parallels between him and Atsumu as it is.

A baby before a wedding - of course, it’s not quite an accident since you and he left the question of a baby to chance, and it wouldn’t be the whoopsy daisy accident that Shin-chan was to ‘Tsumu and Kaiyo, both on the cusp of starting their careers. And a wedding that’s accelerated because a baby’s on the way - not that he needed to be walloped on the nose to marry, gods he can’t wait, but still, but still, he’s not the foolish, selfish Atsumu of yesteryear.

“You’ll make a great dad.”

Shoma’s over in the kitchen with you, eight years old and holding a knife without any fear whatsoever, producing neat, evenly sized slices of fish that even adults would be hard pressed to do. Atsumu’s ‘hanging out’ with him - though that’s just a euphemism for crash my brother’s shop and bug him to make a load of fatty tuna onigiris for me.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence”, he replies, tone drier than that awful pitcher of sake Gintama produced in his backyard.

“You’re welcome”, Atsumu says cheerfully, gobbling up yet another onigiri. “You’re damn good with Sho-chan, he probably wants to hang out with you more than he does with his dear old dad-”

“Because I always have food and that kid thinks with his stomach-”

“And Shin-chan comes to the restaurant to mope whenever she has a bad game - ”

“Reminds me of a certain someone, huh.”

“The point is”, Atsumu swallows a mouthful of rice. “Thanks, y’know? For steppin’ in and helpin’ with my kiddos and Kaiyo even though you didn’t need to. And now it’s your turn. You’re gonna do great.”

You don’t need to thank me, he wants to tell his twin. Cos you’d do the exact same for me.

But it’s two o’clock in the afternoon and he’s not about to reach into the well of his emotional depths. “You’re just laughin’ that I’ll be having sleepless nights with night feeds in my old age.”

Atsumu gets it though. He always does.

“I mean, I’ll help whenever I can! Commentating for games means my hours are kinda chill now, so -”

Osamu pinches the bridge of his nose. “If your ‘helpin’ means teachin’ the baby to set with frozen grapes, then I’d much rather not, thank you.”

Strangely enough, his twin does not take offence. He just remains seated, placidly sipping his miso soup, whereas if Osamu’d said that exact thing to him (save the commentating - that’s a recent career move following retirement), he’d have been at the risk of being severely throttled, ‘cos ‘Tsumu’s a hothead like that. Osamu squints at him. Old age perhaps (but that means he’s old too, and he’s not). Or maybe fatherhood has finally mellowed him out (a more probably explanation, cos parenting Shin-chan would tire anyone out - she’s like ‘Tsumu but female and with Kaiyo’s smarts, a lethal combination).

“Why’re you starin’ at me like that?”

If he shares what exactly is flitting through his mind, he’s definitely in for a beating, and it’s too late in the afternoon for that. “Nothin’”, he mutters.

Thankfully, Atsumu’s attention is diverted by the last onigiri on the plate. Or at least, that’s what Osamu thinks because when Atsumu wipes his plate clean, he’s still oddly quiet, whereas typically, he’d be chattering about the mundane shit that happens throughout his day or week - like the fact that he pissed Sakusa-san off during a recent tournament by pointing him out as a former teammate on camera, even though he’s no longer a professional (but it’s Omi-Omi! Even if he is a stuffy suit with the JVA, he’s still one of the best spikers ever!) or when he interviewed Shin-chan before Spring High and asked if she plans to win, as is the Miya family way and promptly got embarrassed, because she pointed out that Inarizaki never took home the title with them (I mean it’s true, but she has NO TACT), never mind that’s exactly how Atsumu himself would have responded as a cocky fifteen year old.

But now, Atsumu is oddly quiet. The calm before the storm.

“What’s with you?” Osamu asks, impatient.

Atsumu takes his own sweet time to reply. Takes far too many beats, as if he’s considering his words which he’s probably never done in his entire life.

“D’you think we’re livin’ up to Oto-san’s standards?”

Osamu promptly takes a swig of Gintama’s sake from a flask he hides under the counter for when he encounters a stream of tough customers and requires a break. “Woah. That’s way too deep for two thirty in the afternoon.”

Atsumu throws back in his head and laughs. “I guess he’s probably just relieved that I didn’t end up gettin�� kicked out by Kaiyo. He’d be proud of you though.”

It’s not the alcohol that burns the back of his throat. “You think so?” Osamu croaks.

“I don’t think it, I know it”, Atsumu pronounces with the cheesiest grin ever, and he’s about to reach over and slap it off his face when he realises that there are cracks in the facade, a dull shine in his twin’s eyes that telegraphs regret, guilt perhaps.

As much as he shits on Atsumu’s past transgressions, he’s more than made up for it - at least vis a vis the kids. He’s attended every single game of Shino’s that he’s humanly able to, rushing from practice to sit at the stands and yell encouragement after every spike, successful or unsuccessful, so vociferously that she’s tried to ban him from her games until he learns some semblance of volume control (imagine her horror when her FATHER is the commentator for Spring High). For Shoma - he’s never once expressed any jealousy that the little boy prefers hanging out in the kitchen with him, buying child-appropriate kitchen utensils and watching umpteenth youtube videos about cooking and food for the kid, even worriedly checking if Sho-chan’s really, truly, one hundred and twenty per cent sure that he wants to join volleyball as a club activity in elementary school (I didn’t want him to feel like he had to play volleyball cos I did, he explained).

“I think you’re a good dad too.”

Atsumu sniffles. “If I’m ever a bad dad, make sure you punch me.”

“Happy to.” But even as Osamu rolls his eyes, he adds. “And if I’m ever a bad dad to my kid -”

“I’d be happy to break your nose.”

“Don’t sound so happy when you say that, it’s gross.”

“Sho-chan”, Osamu hears you chime in from the kitchen, airily light but with a hint of steel. “Please don’t listen to your ‘to-san or ‘ji-san when they talk about breaking people’s noses, okay? If we’re going to nourish people with our cooking, we shouldn’t harbour thoughts about hurting them.”

“I broke ‘Tsumu’s nose ‘cos he was a jerk to Kaiyo.”

“Yep.” Atsumu confirms. “Definitely deserved that.”

You shake your head. “You are both good fathers, despite your penchant for violence. Sho-chan, make sure you don’t learn from them. I’m sure your Okaa-san would agree with me.”

Shoma pipes up. “‘Ka-san told me to kick anyone who says cookin’ is for girls. They’re wrong. Cooking’s for everyone.”

You look horrified, especially when Osamu nods his head approvingly at Shoma. Atsumu just guffaws.

Thankfully, you’re still willing to marry him despite your horror at the Miya family’s penchant for violence. The entire Miya family decamps to the Kitas’ farm, much to the delight of Kaiyo and Shoma, the guesthouse is bursting the seams with wedding guests - the entire Inarizaki team, the Onigiri Miya crew, your adopted Thai aunties you kept in contact with and their families, even Nishinoya Yu - he remembers him as the libero Atsumu targeted the first time they played Karasuno (it almost bowled him over to find out that you ran into him in Chiang Mai, what even are the odds of that!).

Much of the day before the wedding is spent catching up with his old classmates - heck, even Aran flies back for the wedding despite coaching duties in the States, and a very rowdy afternoon is spent reminiscing about their school days over pints of beer, before everyone convenes for dinner, the spread prepared by you and your Thai aunties - curries and fruit salads, salt grilled fish cooked over an open fire. His crew will take over for the wedding lunch tomorrow as their wedding present to him. With all the chefs in attendance for this wedding, everyone’s stomachs will be kept very, very full.

Shoma even gets in on the action, volunteering to wake up early with Asami-chan and Obaa-chan to cook porridge for breakfast tomorrow morning, before everyone will make their way to the village shrine. A simple ceremony conducted by the Shinto priests, taking three sips of sake (alcohol free for you), before celebration over lunch back on the farm. From the sound of murmuring between Morita, Ishida and Miyamura, it seems like they have no plans for lunch to stop anytime before supper, so it’s going to be a raucous, all-day feast, for sure. And between speeches by Atsumu and Kaiyo, Suzuki-san and Kita, it’s going to be a long, long day.

Luckily it’s summer, where the days stretch past the horizons, the season of love. “You should look for your bride, make sure she hasn’t run away yet”, Suna says without bite. So he takes his leave from his friends, finding you under the forsythia shrub, sheltering from the multitude of well wishers and the summer heat.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Too much”, you groan. “People keep trying to feed me. And Kaiyo and Ichika had this weird competition in the kitchen that they made me the judge of, where they’re trying to deep fry the weirdest things in a vat of oil - which is made even more ridiculous by the fact that it’s summer and it’s boiling hot.”

“Judgmental?”

“You try eating deep fried kimchi stuffed in a bittergourd - “

“I’ll pass, thanks”, he laughs, shuddering as he plops down on the grass beside you.

You both fall silent, listening as the cicadas chirp, the evening breeze whistling through the wheat fields. Birds sing to each other, calling each other home as they wheel about in crazed circles in the still bright sky.

“I was wondering”, you say conversationally. “Whether my parents would be proud of me now.”

He stiffens but you don’t seem to notice, or perhaps you do and continue anyway, chuckling to yourself.

“I have the feeling that they’d be horrified at what I’ve done. Shutting down the restaurant, spitting in years of tradition by changing up family recipes, getting pregnant before getting married - I’d probably get disowned. They’ll probably even pretend that I don’t even exist. And I used to wonder why - everyone else seemed to have parents who cared, parents who didn’t force their own expectations and dreams on them - and I just didn’t. And I spent years trying to get over it, hating what I was trained to do, aiming low out of spite even though really, it only affected myself.”

Your voice cracks.

“It’s the night before my wedding and I hate that I’m still worrying about my parents even though they’re long dead.”

“Does it matter what they think?” he asks. “Look at how far you’ve come despite them.”

There’s no use railing at ghosts. Death takes them beyond the veil, leaving behind ash and bone and a trail of troubled memories, nothing else. To his relief, the corner of your mouth quirks upwards, not quite a smile, but far from a frown.

“You’re right”, you reply. “I’m lucky to be where I am, right now.”

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing great.”

“Of course you’d say that, you’re marrying me tomorrow.”

“Yeah”, he breathes, suddenly giddy. “Definitely doin’ great.”

He’s still on a high when you laugh and kiss him good night, hardly able to drift off to sleep between his excitement for tomorrow and Suna’s snoring, and it’s remiss of him, but he almost, almost forgets this conversation amidst the sheer joy that simmers in his heart long after you exchange vows to be each other’s forever, your gathered family and friends erupting into whoops and cheers once outside the solemn Shinto shrine, the party lasting late into the night until everyone nearly collapses from too much food.

“We’re married”, you whisper, lying back on the grass.

“We’re married”. He echoes almost in disbelief, hand in yours.

Even with the glow of lights from the farm, there’s a glimmer of starlight in the violet-dusk sky. Fireflies dance over the sea of flowers in bloom, the wheatfields singing in the wind.

“I’m happy, ‘Samu”, you say, unbidden. “I’m happy.”

He grips your hand tight. There’s no need to say what you already know.

a/n: we are finally, finally within sight of the end :) hope you guys like this chapter!

#haikyuu angst #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #miya osamu x reader #miya osamu x y/n #miya osamu x you #miya osamu

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freifraufischer · 11 months

Text

So you've come back to gymnastics since Tokyo because you are excited and French Gymnasitcs is on Fire and Everything is Terrible....

[This original post was written for Reddit to help catch people up on what was happening while they weren't paying attention]

Welcome to an overview of "Everything is not okay in France". Before I get into the details of what is happening in the French Gymnastics Federation (FFG) you should be aware that they are hardly the only French sports establishment gleefully lighting themselves on fire. In mid June the headquarters of the Paris organizing committee was raided by French Police as part of corruption investigations, the head of the French Olympic Committee has resigned after her predecessor announced he was filing a complaint about mismanagement of funds, the French National Assembly has started a commission to investigate abuse and corruption in French sports broadly ... oh and they still haven't signed the contracts for all the Paris Olympic venues including the Stade de France. If you want the lowlights of French Sports scandals this year @darthmelyanna posted a summary.

Specifically the FFG ... before Tokyo it was decided that to give the French team the best training environment all Paris hopefuls would need to move from their home gyms to centralized locations at Pôle Gym St-Etienne (in south central France) or INSEP in Paris. This is not the first time there has been a push to centralize French gymnastics and the last time it didn't go well either. There was a massive sexual abuse case at INSEP which was dropped because of the age of the suspect... so you know it's totally reasonable to trust the environment there.

Anyway... many of the most promising French gymnasts come from a club called Avoine Beaumont Gymnastique and their gymnasts did not want to move (either away from their family or their coaches with whom they saw success). According to the coaches at Avoine-Beaumont the centralization push is about the ambitions of national team staff wanting to take credit for successes at the home Olympics and there is a lot of circumstantial evidence to suggest this true. The Avoine-Beaumont coach had been offered a job at INSEP and was previously on the national team staff but when he did not take the job he was forbidden to travel with his gymnasts.

According to Carolann Héduit (a French national champion and a European medalist) the FFG called her weekly to pressure her to move--including while she was in Tokyo at the Olympics--and have told her that her national championships mean nothing and they even pulled her funding only restoring it after there was national press attention. She has described the psychological impact as heavy and her parents and coaches believe the French federation are attempting to break her.

Her team mate Kaylia Nemour was probably the most promising French junior of her generation. She also refused to move and after a surgery when her own doctor approved her return to training the French federation's doctor--without examining her--not only refused to allow her to return to competition, but also said that she could not return to training and initiated an abuse investigation into her coaches. He had the authority to refuse to allow her to compete, he did not have the authority to tell her she could not train. He tried to publicly say he never did that but Nemour's mother had the letter in writing and posted it on twitter. Facing the prospect of not being able to compete Nemour switched to Algeria but the FFG opposed the country change meaning she couldn't compete for a year. That would have prevented her from competing at this year's world championship and most of her best opportunities to qualify for Paris. This was only reversed at the intervention of the French Minister for Sport the literal week before the 2023 African Championships where she qualified for Worlds. She has a VERY good chance of winning a medal on bars in Paris. Yet another Avoine-Beaumont junior's family is voicing that they may also be looking at a country change...

All while this is going on Mélanie de Jesus dos Santos was given leave to train in the United States at WCC. No one is clear why she was given this exception. Some fans have speculated that it is because she is from Martinique which is in the Caribbean and she wants to be closer to her family... but it is neither cheaper nor faster to travel from Houston to Martinique then from Paris to Martinique. MDJDS has talked about how it takes basically 24 hours for her to travel from Martinique to basically anywhere and because Martinique is a French department there are direct flights from Paris and no such thing from Houston. As of this post it would cost between $690-730 to fly from Paris to Martinique and almost $1200 to fly from Houston to Martinique. MDJDS is also not been treated super well when she has gone home to compete. Her WCC coaches were not allowed to stay with her in the week before the Paris World Challenge Cup and when she showed up the French National Team staff decided they didn't like her technique on one of her releases and decided to retrain it. A week before competition. It did not go well. She had a generally good 2023 French Championship but the difference between her being allowed to train in the states while the Avoine-Beaumont gymnasts are being put through hell to force them to leave home is... a choice. And not one I think anyone can explain.

While this was going on the Pôle Marseille was closed down after it's head was convicted of "moral harassment." One of the longest running French gymnastics meets Gym Massilia was abruptly cancelled last year and though it was said it would be back this spring... it's July and that hasn't happened.

All of this has been about WAG but it's also worth mentioning that the French federation hired Vitaly Marinitch to be the head coach of the French team. He had been publicly fired from USAG for drunkenly groping the wife of an athlete. In under 2 years the French also fired him for "alcohol related incidents".

A lot of this came to a head last month when a French sports television program aired a segment including many former French national team members describing physical and verbal abuse. It's... a hard listen if you can find a copy though the versions on youtube have been copywrite striked so I can't link it. The French Minister of Sport acted the next day ordering Nemour to be released to compete for Algeria and investigations into the coaches described in the report, as well as a "speedy conclusion" to the investigation into Avoine-Beaumont. The FFG has down played and been dismissive of the entire thing. Even claiming that the TV team did their investigation... because of Larry Nassar. But hey... the French gym fed president gets to spend a lot of time now answering questions before the National Assembly's investigative commission.

That's pretty much the state of everything right now... but please indulge me as I give a brief explainer about how France does not work the way you think it might. France is divided into administrative units called departments (think provinces or states). There are two "kinds" of departments those of Metropolitan France (the area you probably think of when you think of a map of France) and the départements et régions d'outre-mer or Overseas Departments. There is NO difference under French law between the two. Marine Boyer is from the French department of Réunion which is in the Indian ocean and MDJDS is from the French department of Martinique in the Caribbean. They are both full French citizens and their home departments have representation in the European Parliament. Does this sound very Colonialism-y or Empire-y to you? Of course it does. You wouldn't be wrong. But this does not change the reality of how French citizens are treated under the law. French political society highly values the idea that all French citizens are equal under the law and it would be deeply offensive to that power structure to suggest that a French citizen should be treated differently based on if they came from a Metropolitan Department or DROM.

One other side note: Many believe Avoine-Beaumont pushes too much difficulty too young. I am among the people who believes that. But there is also no evidence that they are doing anything different than would be done at INSEP. It's completely possible to side eye the pacing at Avoine-Beaumont and also think that they are the victims of a power grab. While I do not know of any complaints by current gymnasts against Avoine-Beaumont there is some evidence from the London quad of restrictive diets and abuse.

#gymnastics

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sunskate · 8 months

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CPom interview on the Spero Show pt 2

Christina should have citizenship by 2026, she doesn’t want to think about what would happen if she didn't get it by then

the hockey guys at their gym have workouts that have half the exercises as CPom - the first time, he (host) was surprised they finished in half an hour, so he added more, made it 45 min. trying to put as much benefit in their workouts as possible since he only sees them twice a week, to see some good gains. says Anthony was getting really strong there

teases Christina about how many clothes she has - massive wardrobe - Anthony says "it's beautiful" "organized" "stunning"

her little dog Charlie comes with her every day because she lives far from their training base and is gone all day. he sits in the locker room while she’s on ice

when Anthony was a kid, his parents put him in a lot of sports- he’d skate, then go to school, skate some more, then go to gymnastics. his parents- even after their first Olympic medal his parents in the Soviet Union were skating with used skates and had access to old equipment- Anthony thinks about what they could have done with today’s equipment

touched on how expensive it is to do this- they get support from USFS but have to pay the trainer, for ballet, Christina says they pay for coaching. that you can win prize money at the GPs and championships, but that you don’t make money like in tennis or hockey and that maybe you can promote yourself after your career and make money (“Tessa Virtue does a good job of that” - Anthony). that they did well in juniors, medaling at JGPs, JGPF, Jr Worlds and won some prize money. they have one senior GP medal but says seniors is much harder

they mention how little room there is for error in their sport, unlike hockey (the trainer talks about watching a program of theirs and being impressed how Anthony was “throwing her around like a helicopter “😂). Anthony talks about how it’s all in the details, in the footwork, in matching to the fingertips, the angle of their heads

the trainer talks about introducing movements from their programs into their workouts to help them, and how the way they do things is very different than other sports. says it’s unique because while they have to work on strength, they can’t bulk Anthony up - Anthony says he wouldn’t be able to move if he was too bulky. Trainer says Christina’s conscious of not building up her arms too much as well (Christina’s laughing as she says this, but “I’ve been told too many times…”👀)

#this trainer does talk a lot #but they touch on a lot of good stuff that skating interviews usually can’t #from minutes 14-25

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ravenonice · 2 years

Text

How does a Figure Skating (Senior) Season look like? - A guide for YoI fanfic writers

Since Yuri on Ice mainly deals with the Grand Prix Series and other competitions are only mentioned as a side note, I've noticed that many writers seem to struggle with how a season in figure skating looks like. So here is what I've gathered from my years of watching and research!

Disclaimer: I am only human and I make mistakes. I am by no means saying that this is to be accepted as truth without question. If there are any errors, please tell me and I'll fix them!

The new season starts on July 1st. Hence the July 1st cut off. That means that anyone who hasn't turned 15 by June 30th isn't elligable for Senior competition that season (Which means that even though Yuri Plisetsky was 15 for the World Championship we see in Episode 1, he wasn't allowed to compete there).

On July 1st or the end of June is also when we usually get the Grand Prix Assignments. There are 6 qualifying competitions + the Grand Prix Final.

The 6 qualifying competitions usually are:

Skate Amerika (USA)

Skate Canada International (CAN)

Internationaux de France (FRA) (This season called Grand Prix de France...no one knows why...)

Cup of China (CHN)

NHK Trophy (JPN)

Cup of Russia/Rostelecom Cup (RUS)

This season (22/23) the Cup of China and Russia are replaced (for obvious reasons) by the MK John Wilson Trophy (GBR) and the Grand Prix Espoo (FIN)

The location of the Final changes every season. This season it's in Torino in Italy.

So in July we get the Assignments. Funniest thing about that and something I think is worth including in stories is: The skaters find out the same way we do. By either camping on twitter and waiting for the ISU to tweet that they uploaded them, or by refreshing the website every 5 minutes around the time they or some other source said they'd drop them. This season the assignments dropped on July 22nd...it was nerve wrecking...poor skaters...

The ISU is also located in Switzerland. Assignments drop between 3 and 5 pm. So worst case, Yuuri and Viktor will stare at twitter at 1am in Japan waiting for the ISU to ge their shit sorted out. That's what the triplets where shown doing in the anime xD

But the Grand Prix Series isn't the first thing that happens. For starters, let's look at national competitions...

As for Japan...

First of all, if your skater isn't already qualified for nationals by placing well enough at them the year before (the medalists get "seeded" by the JSF), they need to go to Regionals first (Like Yuuri when he finished 11th at Nationals after the GPF). That's late September, early Oktober depending on the region.

Now, Yuuri technically would have needed to also go to Sectionals after that! Which isn't shown in the anime! That's in late Oktober. Unless Yuuri does finishes on top at sectionals, he's not going to Nationals...

But that wasn't shown in the Anime because it would have been repetitive and Sectionals also overlap with the first two GP events a lot.

As for Russia...

I honestly never cared enough. The men weren't interesting enough imo and Russia is the reason women's singles stresses me tf out and I barely watch it...

But as far as I know, to qualify for Nationals they need to compete in 2 out of 5 stages of the Russian Cup Series. It functions similarly to the ISU Grand Prix. Skaters are seeded immediatly if they are assigned to the ISU Grand Prix or qualify for the Junior GP Final. So neither Viktor, nor Yuri needed to bother with that.

Beforehand however, there are the test skates. They are in early September and that's not a competition. It's literally just a televised program announcement and they get fedback. No points, no medals.

August - December:

Another type of International competition is the Challenger Series. Skaters who are not assigned a GP Event may go there instead. They are ranked below the GP Series and there isn't a final. But the ISU recognizes Personal and Seasons Bests there aswell as World records. Nebelhorn is also used as the final qualifying competition for the last remaining olympic spots.

Most well known are:

US International Skating Classic (USA)

Lombardia Trophy (Italy)

Autumn Classic International (Canada)

Nebelhorn Trophy (Germany)

Ondrej Nepela Trophy/Memorial (Slovakia)

Finlandia Trophy (Finland)

Golden Spin of Zagreb (Croatia)

Oktober - December

What you've all been waiting for: The Grand Prix Series

As mentioned before, 6 qualifying competitions: Skate America, Skate Canada Int., Internationaux de France, Cup of China, NHK Trophy, Cup of Russia/Rostelecom Cup. Not always in that order.

They get assigned spots based on their placing in worlds or their ranking in ISU standings. So, unlike I first thought when I watched the Anime (I did not know about the GP Series before), regionals did not matter for Yuuri's Grand Prix spots.

If it had been a minimum score issue, Yuuri would have needed to go to a challenger, like Nebelhorn for example.

If I'm totally honest...I don't know exactly how Yuuri got two spots at all? I just accept GP assignments as they come because I don't really understand how they work... It was either the come back rule, or Yuuri got invited by either China or Russia in addition to his guaranteed spot? I have no clue...he got two, I'm not questioning that further because I legit don't understand. Feel free to enlighten me ^^'

Anyway...skaters can compete in max. 2 competitions. Unlike suggested in YoI, there are actually 12 skaters at each event (8 for pairs).

In the end 6 qualify for the final. There is a point system in Place:

At each event, skaters get awarded points for their placement.

place: 15 points

place: 13

place: 11

place: 9

place: 7

place: 5

place: 4

place: 3

The skaters with the highest amount of points advance to the final. If there is a tie, there are several rules to break the tie. For example: Mickey placed 3rd in both of his events and therefor got 22 points. Yuuri got 2nd and 4th and therefor also had 22 points. But since Yuuri placed higher than Mickey in one of his events, Yuuri advanced to the final.

Then the final takes place in early to mid December.

December:

Important for YoI are Japanese and Russian Nationals, which usually fall around Christmas each year. That's where it is determined who is send to the Four Continents or European Championships, aswell as the World Championships.

January/Feburary:

That's when 4CC/Euros usually take place. I suggest looking up dates for the year you are setting your story in or just decide yourself if you want. It's fanfiction after all :D

Also usually in Feburary if relevant: The Olympics.

March:

Late March are the World Championships. And with that the competitive season ends. Unless you want to include the Team Trophy...but I don't really bother with that.

April-July:

ICE SHOWS!!!! :D Or: how competitive figure skaters actually earn money

Resources for further research:

Wikipedia is your friend :D

Also if you want to use an IRL competition as a guide for scoring, program layouts etc... just google "ISU results (insert competition you want to use)". A page should come up that has detailed results with scoring sheets. E.g. Worlds 22

Another Note:

For ISU events the starting order for the short is as far as I understand usually determined by draw. The groups are seperated by ISU rankings. So the first 6 in the standings will be skating in the last group, and draw from the last 6 starting numbers.

For the free there usually is reversed starting order (like in YoI, the person who placed first in the short skates last), though I have also heard that sometimes they draw again based on those standings that time.

Also, there is an exhibition gala and a banquet after almost each of these competitions ;)

I hope that this was a little helpful :D Happy watching and happy writing <3

#yuri on ice #yoi #yoi fanfic #yoi fandom #yuuri on ice #ao3 #ao3 writer #figure skating

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skiijumpinng · 2 years

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Cene Prevc on ending his career

a translation of this article on Siol.net

You didn't jump in any Grand Prix or Continental Cup competitions this summer. Any particular reason?

In the spring I realised that my other goals were more challenging than ski jumping and that I would sleep better if I did something in other areas. That's why I hardly trained anymore. A few times I jumped for fun. I am starting my studies in electrical engineering in October. I also want to finish the higher education programme for rural and landscape management at the Naklo Biotechnical Centre. As far as ski jumping is concerned, this means that I will not take part in the World Cup next season.

What about the Continental Cup competitions?

Not that either.

So you've finished your career then?

If it goes on like this, then yeah. The Slovenian Ski Federation is leaving the door open for me. If I am still of the same opinion as I am at the moment, then I will finish my career in Planica.

In the spring there were already rumours about this. How much of it was true?

I was persuaded not to end the story and to leave the door open. They've said I should think about it.

So what is the timeline for your decision? Are you still going to jump?

That's exactly it. Trainings are no longer my priority. I don't go to them anymore. At the moment, the only thing on my mind is to go from exam to exam. A few weeks ago I was asked what I was trying to get in shape for and I joked that it was for each exam.

Is there nothing tempting you to come back?

I would love to do some testing. I'm waiting for Peter Slatnar to make a new version of the shoes again after many years. I am waiting for him to finish them and test them. At worst, as a trialjumper on a ski flying hill. I simply cannot say goodbye to those.

What was the deciding factor, given that you had your best season behind you?

Exactly that – the fact that it was a great season.

Did the last season surprise you?

No, it didn't. Moreso personal challenges, what to achieve while growing in a particular sport. I was very close to making myself happy. What is more important in my mind now is to improve myself in other areas of my life. To finish two schools.

The season starts in November. When will you decide?

Realistically, it's more or less decided – I'm not going to jump. The federation suggested that I should think about it. Personally, it hasn't happened. I haven't changed my mind in six months.

But you jumped well at the national championships. You were fourth, just behind the podium.

I laughed to myself because I jumped well. But from jump to jump, it was obvious that I was making bigger and bigger mistakes. You need consistency.

If you look at your career, the last season must have given you the most satisfaction. What did ski jumping give you?

First of all work habits. There were a lot of difficult moments in between, so it's hard to be surprised by any moment in my future. Not only the moments from my life, but also from others I've heard.

What has been the most beautiful moment in your career?

The last jump in Planica, where I jumped 246 metres. And immediately afterwards, 243 metres in Vikersund.

What about the Olympic silver in the team event?

It's a very nice memory. But that Olympic medal is an indication of how much effort and torture it takes to get anywhere. That Olympic competition was not difficult at all compared to the internal qualification we had the day before.

#good for him i guess he seems genuinely happy with his decision #but it does sound kinda depressing idk #and unexpected #i think the olympic cycle is just doing its thing tho #everyone starting to think if this makes sense anymore for another 4 years #and i guess he achieved everything he wanted #will not add him on the list tho i wanna see him jump in planica first #ski jumping #my translation #cene prevc #damn the offseason

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seafood-33 · 1 year

Text

2015-04-02

"If Yuzuru fell down, Javier would fly over to help him up." The interviewer saw that.

"I was proud of him as a teammate and thought, 'I'm so happy to see my friends win.' " Yuzuru said. Javier rubbed Yuzuru's shoulder as if to hide his embarrassment.

Title: ハビエル・フェルナンデス「夢、恋と人生、そしてユヅルについて」 Javier Fernandez "About Dreams, Love and Life, and Yuzuru"

(excerpt)

昨年（2014）12月、ついに念願のGPファイナルがスペインで開催された（バルセロナ）。地元ハビエル・フェルナンデスの人気はもちろん、スペインの観客はどの国の選手にも驚くほど熱心な声援をおくった。会場は連日、ほぼ満員だった。

Last December (2014), the long-sought after GP Final was finally held in Spain (Barcelona). Aside from the popularity of local player Javier Fernandez, the Spanish audience was surprisingly enthusiastic in their support for players of all nationalities. The venue was nearly full every day.

「スペイン人は元々スポーツ観戦が大好きなんですよ。でもあの大会の後で、大勢の人々に『フィギュアスケートがあれほど面白いとは思わなかった』と言われました。うれしかったですね」

"Spaniards love to watch sports by nature. But after that competition, many people said to me, 'I didn't think figure skating could be so interesting.' It made me happy."

この大いに盛り上がった大会の後だった、スペインに新たなリンク２カ所（バルセロナとグラナダ）の建設が決まったのは。

It was after this highly successful tournament that the decision was made to build two new rinks in Spain (Barcelona and Granada).

2012年、日本から新たな風が舞い込んだ。羽生結弦（はにゅう・ゆづる）が同じクラブに移って来たのである。

In 2012, a new wind blew in from Japan. Yuzuru Hanyu moved to the same club.

「ユヅルが加わることに、まったくためらいは感じませんでした。ニコライのところにいたときに、強い選手と一緒にトレーニングすることのメリットを十分に実感していましたから」

"I had no hesitation at all about having Yuzuru join us. When I was with Nikolai, I fully realized the benefits of training with strong athletes."

「ユヅルは本当にすごい選手ですよ。練習でも常に100％を出し切って、上達しつづけている。彼が五輪チャンピオンになる前から、彼は偉大なスケーターだと言ってきましたが、今も言い続けています」

"Yuzuru is a truly amazing player. He always gives 100% in practice and continues to improve. I have been saying he is a great skater even before he became an Olympic champion, and I continue to say so."

羽生が転倒すれば、ハビエルが飛んできて手を貸して起こす。そんな和気藹々として光景がリンクに見られた。

If Hanyu fell down, Javier would fly over to help him up. Such a harmonious scene could be seen at the rink.

「ユヅルはまだ英語を勉強中だけど、可能な限り僕たちは英語で話をしています。ウォームアップの最中に、ブライアンと３人でジョークを言い合うこともある。アスリートにとって、リンクがこういう快適な環境だと毎日来るのが楽しくなるし、上達も早くなる。それに、お互い見て学び合うこともできるんです」

"Yuzuru is still learning English, but whenever possible we speak English. During warm-ups, sometimes the three of us (and Brian) share jokes. For athletes, when the rink is a comfortable environment like this, it makes it more fun to come here every day and helps them improve faster. Plus, we can watch and learn from each other."

羽生がハビエルにアドバイスを求めることもあった。

Sometimes Hanyu would ask Javier for advice.

「不調な日には、『前日、君はこうやっていたけれど、今日はここがこうなっているよ』というように、気がついたことを言ってあげることもあります。逆に僕がイマイチな日には、ユヅルが『大丈夫、できるよ』と声をかけてくれたりもします」

"On a bad day, I might say something what I notice, 'This is what you did the day before, but this is how it is today' Conversely, on days when I am not doing well, Yuzuru will sometimes say to me, "Don't worry, you can do it. "

ソチ五輪、羽生結弦は金メダルに輝いた。ハビエルは４位。惜しくもメダルを逃した。

Yuzuru Hanyu won the gold medal at the Sochi Olympics. Javier finished 4th. He unfortunately missed the medal.

「もちろん、いつかはユヅルに勝ちたいという気持ちはある。スポーツには勝敗がつきもので、いくら友達でも競技になったらライバルだから」

"Of course, I have a desire to beat Yuzuru someday. Winning and losing is inevitable in sports. No matter how friends we are, when it comes to competition, we're rivals. "

ハビエルが羽生結弦を上回る日がやってきた。今年（2015）の世界選手権。

The day has come for Javier to surpass Yuzuru Hanyu. World Championships this year (2015).

ハビエルの演技は羽生の直後だった。その段階で羽生は暫定首位。リンクには羽生を称える無数のプレゼントが散らばっており、ハビエルは本番前にまったく足慣らしができなかった。

Javier's performance was right after Hanyu's. At that stage, Hanyu was the provisional leader. The rink was littered with countless gifts honoring Hanyu, and Javier was unable to break in his feet at all before the performance.

「同じことを昨シーズン、埼玉の世界選手権で経験しているから、ぜんぜん大丈夫でした」

"I had experienced the same thing last season at the World Championships in Saitama, so it was no problem at all."

十分に落ち着いていたハビエルは、４回転３本のうち２本を成功させた。電光掲示板は「１位」と表示した。羽生の連覇は阻まれた。同じチームメイトのハビエル・フェルナンデスによって。会見場にあらわれた羽生は意外にも明るい表情で、ハビエルの金メダルをねだる素振りさえ見せた。

Calm enough, Javier succeeded in two out of three quadruples. The electronic board displayed "1st place" . Hanyu's consecutive victory was thwarted. By his teammate, Javier Fernandez. Hanyu appeared at the press conference with a surprisingly cheerful expression on his face, and even made a gesture of begging for Javier's gold medal.

「絶対にユヅルが優勝だと思っていたからね。スペインにとって初の金メダルは夢だったけど、夢に過ぎないと思っていた。ユヅルが一緒に練習するようになったお陰で、僕の練習量が増えたんです」

“Because I definitely thought Yuzuru would win. Spain’s first gold medal was a dream. I thought it was just a dream. Thanks to Yuzuru starting practicing with me, the amount of practice I do has increased."

一方の羽生は、こう言った。

Hanyu on the other hand said:

「ハビエルがすごく練習していたということは、トロントの皆から聞いていました。これまでいつも一緒に試合��して、ハビエルは『おめでとう、ユヅル��誇りに思うよ』って言ってくれていました。でも今回は立場が逆になって、自分はそんなに心が広くないから悔しいし、次は勝ってやるとも思うけど、その反面、彼をチームメイトとして誇りに思うし、『仲間が優勝するのはこんなにも嬉しいものなんだな』と思いました」

"I had heard from everyone in Toronto that Javier had been practicing very hard. We have always played matches together and Javier would say, 'Congratulations, I am proud of you Yuzuru.' But this time our positions were reversed, and although I was frustrated because I am not so open-minded and I would win next time, on the other hand, I was proud of him as a teammate and thought, 'I'm so happy to see my friends win.'"

横にいたハビエルは、照れ隠しのように羽生の肩をもんだ。

Javier, who was standing beside, rubbed Hanyu's shoulder as if to hide his embarrassment.

Source

Number 875号羽生結弦不屈の魂

Full list from 2011 to present

#yuzuru hanyu #yuzuvier #ハビゆづ #javier fernandez #figure skating

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pvffinsdaisies · 7 months

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Talk about figure skating. Anything you want. The basics. Routines you really like. Headcanon who would do what of the UK Bros in a figure skating AU.

Okay, there are four different figure skating “disciplines” (I’m not sure if that’s the right word) that you’ll see at competitions. Men’s, women’s, pairs & ice dance pairs.

Well, I think it’s important to note that the vast majority of Brits do not care about figure skating. So it’s quite tricky to think of the disciplines each of them would do. But I absolutely know for certain that England would be an ice dancer.

Britain had a major figure skating victory in the 80s at the Olympics with Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, and when I say we have since milked that victory for all we can. Best example is a TV show, “Dancing on Ice” that was inspired by the skate. And at the end of the show, each season the pairs recreate their own version of Torvill and Dean’s iconic skate. It was huge in the 2000s, went on a hiatus, and came back in the 2010s, and not many people have cared for its return.

But besides from that, Britain’s current best skaters also happen to be ice dancers- Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson. Lilah Fear is English, whilst Lewis Gibson is Scottish. The pair won the silver medal in the 2023 European championships. Alongside multiple grand-prix medals from over the years.

I think Scotland would also be an ice dancer. Whilst I can find multiple Scottish female single skaters, one notable one being Natasha McKay, I want to focus more on the ice dance pair Sinead & John Kerr (brother and sister.) Two time European bronze medalists in 2009 and 2011. Sinead & John actually did a routine in traditional Scottish clothing (or, as close as you can get for figure skating), including yes, John wearing a kilt.

For Wales, again, i would say an ice dancer (why are they all ice dancers?), I can’t find many welsh skaters at all, but I did find Lloyd Jones, a welsh ice dancer who skated for France along side his French partner Pernelle Carron.

Northern Ireland is the only one who wouldn’t be an ice dancer, instead a single skater. Based on the northern Irish skater Jenna McCorkell. I will say, Jenna skated for Great Britain, but personally I would prefer if Northern Ireland skated for Ireland instead.

In terms of who would be the best skater, I actually think it goes in the order I listed them in. England being the best, Northern Ireland the worst.

#hetalia #aph england #aph scotland #aph wales #aph northern ireland #aph uk bros #aph uk siblings

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shomagravity · 2 years

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30 June 2022 || Uno Shoma Event Translation (with Tanaka Keiji)

Honda: Back in my day medals were too small. I'm kinda jealous.

Shoma: Yeah, the strap was the same but the medals were so small, I would lose them. But lately the small medals are just as big as the normal medals. I haven't been receiving many small medals lately so when I won them I thought 'oh they changed so much', I felt deeply emotional. Deeply emotional? I just said it casually. Sorry.

"It was a great season which will be positive for me. I'm happy about winning World Championship and the medal at Olympics, but I was most happy to be able to fight again at the top of the world." "The rules are changing in a big way and as it's a new program, many things will change but my feelings regarding the positions in a competition or how I feel towards skating hasn't changed." "I want to make it a year where I focus on "growth"." "Last season was a really good season with results. Even so, I want to forget that and do my best with a feeling of starting over." "As an active skater, I want to be an athlete like Nathan Chen. " "Figure skating really is victory or defeat. You can avoid mistakes but once you make one, you can't take it back." “He has the stability of winning most championships in those 4 years, and was always one step ahead of everyone." "Seeing Chen who couldn't perform well 4 years ago (at Pyeongchang Olympics), do such an amazing performance at the (Beijing) Olympics... I think the active skater image I want to reach is Chen. "After I retire... Well it might be because he's the closest one to me, but artistic like Stephane Lambiel coach... To continue being an active skater jumps are necessary, but if I retire, rather than jumps, my goal is to be artistic in the way Stephane is."

He talks a bit about how fans supports matter. He talks about how because of Corona they each realized they were taking it a bit for granted, and fans still can't cheer etc yet.

People might think that one fan's clapping wouldn't reach them but he says each person's support reaches them even during competition, so he says if it's okay with the fans, if they cheer for them it'll power up the athletes. Keiji gets called on stage and Honda is like "What's up Keiji" to which he replies "Heard Shoma was around so I came over to play."

Q. Once you said "if you realize something is missing, it's not really missing." Keiji: (Bursts into a laugh) Q. Have you forgotten anything big lately? Shoma: (Stares) Honda: Something you forgot? Shoma: Yeah, you know how I'm bad with forgetting things. Honda: You forgot your costume. Shoma: When was it? Honda: During Prince. Shoma: ... Shoma: OH yeah, the red one. Honda: The costume for the opening. Shoma: Yeah I forgot the opening costume and borrowed it. Keiji: I don't think that's rare. Shoma: I'm not even worried about it anymore. Even if I forget things. As long as I'm not causing anyone trouble, it's fine, I think. Shoma: Recently... I forgot the ticket in the Shinkansen. I barely made it in time. Shoma: Keijikun do you not forget things much? Keiji: No I usually make sure I check things. Audience: LOL Shoma: I DO THAT TOO. Keiji: Normally before you leave home, you'd check if you have your outfit, boots. Shoma: I do... Keiji: Shoma probably thinks he already put them in and neverminds it. Shoma: You know how you have to hold it... When I'm putting on my shoes, since you need a free hand, you'd put it down, right? .... After that, it's already no good. I'll just leave like that. Shoma: Even if I make sure I don't forget, like put things right at the door, I'll hold it thinking I must have it with me, then realize I have to do something else and then I leave it behind. Shoma: I think it's quite a lot less now though. Keiji: That's probably not because of Shoma checking things but your manager making sure you don't forget anything. Rather than Shoma, it's thanks to your Manager. Shoma: So if I forget something it's not my fault, but my Manager’s. Honda: Well that's how Shoma is. We end up not being too worried about it either. Keiji: "It's just how it always is." Shoma: Like, "Oh, again?" Keiji: And in the background, his manager is panicking. Honda: He won't change. Audience: LOL. Honda: This is Shoma-kun. tweets

#uno shoma #shoma uno #2022 translations #2022 june #tanaka keiji #honda takeshi #mizuno event #mizuno #figure skating translations #shomagravitytranslations #shoma forgetting things #he was laughing so much here #the source video is archived so it's not visible anymore

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foreveralwaysanauthor · 1 year

Text

Under The Surface

December 19, 2022

Prompt - No Pressure

Notes - The final and longest installment of this trilogy, coming in at 21 pages! I had a lot of fun with this, but I didn’t finish it until last night because the ending was giving me trouble. Also, I know I mention it being 2023 in this, but I gave up trying to make it take place in the future after I started writing my novel version of this story, so we’re in modern times now, lmao.

Cars and minivans lined the parking lot of the Myrtle Beach Sports Center, people young and old alike filling the area as they waited for the doors to open. The Snowflake Championship was a very selective competition, few skaters would have gotten an acceptance letter, but Vivien severely underestimated just how many people would be attending in support of someone they knew even if they hadn’t been accepted themselves. As the Birch family’s rental van rolled into an empty space at the back of the lot, Vivien got a good look around at the other skaters she would be going up against and felt a wave of anxiety hit her. She wasn’t used to this. The championships she usually competed in were local - other small-town skate companies duking it out for a shoddily made trophy to put in their glass cases by the check-in desks. This was unlike anything she had ever seen before.

The doors of the van opened and everyone began exiting the vehicle, shoving things they had taken from the old Murphy house back into the van since they wouldn’t be needing them. Vivien slowly made her way onto the tarmac, looking around at the other cars in the area until she spotted Riven leaning against a sports car that had probably cost his dad quite a bit to rent. He was on the phone with someone while his dad talked with someone else from their rink just a few feet away. A hand on Vivien’s arm distracted her from her skating partner and brought her attention to Carrie as the blonde held out the black bag that contained Vivien’s costumes for the competition. After thanking the older girl and turning toward the building across the lot, Vivien froze, a sense of dread settling in her chest as she spotted a familiar, raven-haired girl talking with her entourage by the front door - her friend and skating rival from Maine, Naomi Sato.

Naomi Sato was the ideal figure skater in the eyes of many. She skated only to classical music, her jumps always landed flawlessly, she just barely scraped five feet tall, and she had the body type of a toothpick. On the other hand, Vivien preferred skating to whatever she felt made her movements come alive, she excelled in spins while her jumps were more to fill in elements than they were to impress anyone, she towered over most of her competition despite being five-foot-eight, and she was the first to admit she had curves, but at least she liked that about herself. Naomi had multiple gold medals under her belt and had plans of going to the Olympics whereas Vivien was perfectly fine without having the spotlight on her skates and a heavy Olympic medal around her neck. The girls had known each other for a while and considered themselves friends, texting on Instagram and leaving comments on each other’s TikToks all the time, but Vivien knew that if Naomi was competing, she wouldn’t have much of a chance at seeing a gold medal at all, let alone having one to bring home.

A hand on Vivien’s arm brought her out of her thoughts and, as she took in Bentley’s concerned eyes, she shook her head and sent him a smile, “I’m fine, Beemer.”

“You don’t look fine,” he replied.

“Gee, thanks,” Vivien said sarcastically.

Bentley rolled his eyes as he sighed, “You know what I mean, Viv.”

“I do,” Vivien nodded, allowing Bentley to lead her away from the vehicle they’d arrived in. “I’m still going to say that I’m fine.”

Bentley turned to Vivien, stopping the girl mid-step. “So you’re lying to me?”

Vivien sighed, “I’m not lying. It’s just some pre-comp jitters. It happens all the time and I’m used to it at this point.”

Steel blue eyes searched Vivien’s emerald ones in search of any trace of a lie but found none. With a sigh, Bentley relented and turned back in the direction of the building, “Alright, but I’m keeping an eye on you.”

“You and everyone else once this all hits Youtube,” Vivien breathed, hauling her bag further onto her shoulder as she began walking once again.

A large group of skaters and their coaches were waiting by the doors, ready to be allowed inside to practice before the competition, but they would have more than enough time to get on the ice before the weekend. Just as the group inched their way under the building’s extended awning, a sharp squeal made everyone freeze, “Vivien!”

Turning toward the voice seemed to have been a mistake as a head of pin-straight, jet-black hair slammed into Vivien’s chest, nearly sending both girls to the ground from the sheer force the shorter skater exuded. Vivien’s arms came around the girl with a laugh as they swayed from one side to the other, “Naomi, it’s so good to see you.”

“You too!” Naomi exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were coming to this competition.”

“I didn’t know you were either,” Vivien explained with a smile as the two separated. “You here to snatch another gold for Knox Academy?”

Knox Ice Academy was a skating company in Rockport, Maine that was renowned for producing professional skaters. From their three-year-old beginners to their oldest, pro-level skaters, they had trainers and choreographers that outranked many other skating companies in New England. Naomi and most of her friends had skated there since they were little and had been loyal to the company since they were first strapped into a pair of little skates. To Vivien’s confusion, however, the raven-haired girl shook her head with a heavy sigh, “I left Knox over the summer after it was discovered that they were putting drugs in some of the workout drinks.”

“Holy shit,” Vivien gasped. “That’s insane!”

“Oh yeah,” Naomi breathed. “Thankfully, I was one of the few who tested negative, but they’re under investigation now, so I moved to Limelight in Dover-Foxcroft.”

“That’s a long drive from Rockport, isn’t it?”

“Two hours,” Naomi sighed. “Thankfully, we’re moving soon, so the commute won’t be too bad.” There was a brief pause as the girls nodded, but Naomi’s dark, almost black eyes widened as she excitedly slapped Vivien’s arm with a squeaky giggle. “That reminds me, I have someone you need to meet!”

“Okay, yeah,” Vivien chuckled before watching the girl take off to the gaggle of skaters she had been talking with earlier. “Ow,” she muttered, rubbing her arm until she saw Naomi turn back toward her and approach with a curly-haired girl trailing behind her.

“Vivien O’Brian,” Naomi began with a bright smile, gesturing to the girl she had pulled next to her, “this is Lexi Warren.”

While Naomi rambled on about how Lexi was a skater that had taken her in when she first started training at her new rink, Vivien was trying to think of a way to tell the excited girl that she already knew Lexi. She’d known Lexi for a long time. Lexi had been a skater at Vivien’s Purple Finch rink for years before her family moved north. They had been close since they were both very young, spending as much time together as possible and even taking time out of their already busy schedules for each other. Their relationship practically dissolved a few weeks before Lexi left for Maine, but very few people knew why.

“-so I thought the two of you would be good friends,” Naomi finished, clearly not noticing the stare the other two girls shared.

Vivien tore her gaze from Lexi’s and smiled at Naomi, “We actually used to skate together when we were kids. We were good friends back then.”

Lexi scoffed, her arms crossing over her chest, “Is that what we were?”

“Lex,” Vivien sighed, “can we not do this right now?”

“Why not?” Lexi pressed. “I don’t see a reason why we can’t.”

A fire ignited in Vivien’s eyes as she readied herself to list all of the reasons she could think of, but a hand on her back stopped her. “There you are, Pip,” Riven said with a faint smirk. “You ready to go inside?”

“Yeah,” she huffed, allowing Riven to pull her toward the doors that had opened at some point during the conversation. Making sure the rest of the people she arrived with were following them, Vivien took in a deep breath, turned to Naomi, and said, “See you inside.”

The bewildered girl raised a hand and waved as Riven led her friend into the building and away from the conversation. Naomi turned to Lexi with an eyebrow raised, “What was that all about?”

Undeterred, Lexi rolled her eyes and tugged her bag further up her arm, “I’ll tell you later. Let’s just go.” Lexi took off, leaving Naomi standing by herself in the middle of the walkway. Naomi watched as a few other skaters joined the line of people filing into the building before heading inside with a sigh. She’d find out what was going on one way or another.

Almost as soon as they entered the building, Vivien split off from the group she had arrived with, telling her boyfriend and his family to wait in the stands for her family to arrive while she and Riven went to get changed into their practice clothes and hit the ice. Royce’s concern for his girlfriend only grew as he watched Riven put an arm around Vivien’s shoulders and guide her toward the other side of the building where most of the other skaters were gathering; whoever the girls outside were, they made Vivien uncomfortable. He wanted to know why so that he could help her deal with it the way she helped him deal with everything. Royce watched Vivien leave, rooted to the padded floor until Miles pried him away and moved him toward the bleachers.

“Any idea what that was all about?” Bentley asked as he and Royce found seats near the middle of the ice and claimed them for themselves.

Royce slowly shook his head, “Not a clue.”

“Maybe she’ll tell you later,” Lela offered from her seat behind the brothers. “You three tell each other everything, after all.”

“Yeah,” Royce agreed with a shrug. However, as he glanced over at where Vivien had disappeared with her mountainous skating partner, an unnerving pit began to form in his stomach, and all of a sudden, he wasn’t so sure of his own words. Taking a deep breath, Royce apprehensively muttered, “Yeah.”

After having changed into the matching outfits they usually wore on the ice during practice, Riven pulled Vivien down one of the halls, past a basketball gymnasium, and into an empty locker room. Once they were alone, he asked, “What was that about?”

Vivien was quick to fire back, “What was what about?”

Riven’s gaze was firm as he growled, “Don’t give me that shit, Vivien. You know damn well what I’m talking about.”

“That doesn’t mean I want to talk about it.”

“You need to.”

“Still don’t want to.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Riven sighed, “Vivien, I know you and Lexi didn’t end on the greatest of terms-”

A scoff left Vivien as she dropped onto a nearby bench, “That’s putting it lightly.”

“-but it would be best if we just ignored her while we’re here.” Riven watched Vivien’s expression as her gaze fell to the floor. Riven crouched in front of his partner and took her hands in his. “I don’t mean to upset you, Pip, but at least try to think of the positives.”

“What positives?” Vivien choked out as she met Riven’s gaze. “I was hoping I’d never see her again. Now she’s here as a competitor and it terrifies me.”

“Lexi never skates with a partner,” Riven tried reassuringly. “We don’t have to worry about her there.”

“No,” Vivien agreed, “but I still have to worry about her when it comes to the singles. With her and Naomi working together, I’m off of the podium before I’ve even stepped on the ice.”

Riven’s chuckle delivered a direct, but painfully honest statement, “Lexi hasn’t seen a podium since she broke her leg. The chances of her landing any of her jumps properly are slim to none.”

“She could still mess with my head,” Vivien insisted. “Or my single programs.”

Riven’s grip moved to Vivien’s arms as he sent her an adamantly firm stare, “Don’t let her. If you think she’s messing with you, tell me, tell your boyfriend, tell someone.”

“I’ll tell you,” Vivien breathed, her gaze falling again before returning to Riven’s. “I’ll tell you, but I can’t tell Royce and neither can you.”

Riven’s eyebrows furrowed as he questioned, “Why not?”

Vivien glanced toward the door anxiously before turning back to Riven and muttering, “He doesn’t know about me and Lexi.”

“You never told him?” Riven asked, his eyes widening incredulously.

“It never came up!” Vivien exclaimed softly. “He knows I dated someone before and I know he did too, but I never told him who I dated.”

“He deserves to know, Viv.”

“I know he does.”

“Then tell him,” Riven pleaded. “Rip off the bandage before someone else does.”

Vivien froze, her gaze locking with Riven’s hazel eyes. “What do you mean?”

Riven sighed, “Think about it, Pip. I’m not the only one here who knows that you and Lexi dated. The chances of Lexi telling Royce or him finding out from someone else she told are high.”

As she thought over Riven’s words, Vivien let out a prolonged groan, her fingers twisting knots in her hair as she ran her hands over her scalp. “I’m fucked.”

“And not in a good way,” Riven chuckled.

“Riven,” Vivien barked, “this is serious!”

“I know!” Riven yelped, backing away and raising his hands in surrender. At Vivien’s whine of frustration, Riven sighed, “How about this: if you don’t tell Royce before we do our free skate program tomorrow afternoon, I’ll tell him for you.”

Green eyes widened in horror, a fleeting glance at the clock making them sink in fear. “That only gives me a little over a day to come up with something to tell him.”

“That should be more than enough time,” Riven said with a shrug. “You’re taking this all too seriously. It’s twenty-twenty-three, not nineteen-fifty-two; your past dating life shouldn’t matter.”

Vivien sighed, rubbing the sweat from her palms on her pants, “His family is old-fashioned and he values his family over everything. Our relationship could end over this.”

The auburn-haired male shook his head, “From what you’ve told me, you two have been together through a lot together; I highly doubt that your relationship would fall apart because of something that happened years ago.”

Although she still seemed hesitant to agree that Riven was right, Vivien slowly nodded, “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course, I am,” Riven teased. Once Vivien let out a soft laugh and shook her head, Riven smirked and added, “So, do we have a deal?”

It took Vivien a while to think about her answer. She knew she would have to tell Royce about everything sooner or later, but she had been hoping to keep it as far on the “later” side as she could. Even though she wanted nothing more than to tell Riven she wasn’t up for the challenge, she knew she couldn’t turn him away. Besides, Riven wasn’t one to be pushy or rude, so Vivien knew that, even if she didn’t meet the deadline he had set for her, he would be gentle in telling Royce the same thing she had confided in him so many years prior. Finding nothing but sincerity and warmth in Riven’s eyes, Vivien sighed, “We have a deal.”

“That’s my girl,” Riven beamed. Pushing himself to his feet again, Riven offered Vivien a hand and asked, “You ready to go practice now?”

Vivien placed her hand in Riven’s, a small smile appearing on her face as she agreed, “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Good,” Riven said as he hauled Vivien off of the bench she had perched herself on. “Let’s get some time on the ice before our short program and your solo.”

Vivien laughed, allowing Riven to drag her toward the door and through the hallways. As they neared the ice and made their way to the padded area lining the outside of the rink, Vivien spared a wave at her family and friends. As though the surging, crashing ocean waves had been let loose inside her stomach, the seventeen-year-old felt a wave of anxiety-riddled nausea flood her system once she spotted Royce beaming at her with enough love and adoration in his eyes to make Aphrodite sick. After sending a small grin in his direction, Vivien turned her back to her boyfriend and swallowed thickly as she gripped Riven’s hand just a fraction tighter. How on earth was she going to make it through their routines if she could barely think of anything other than her promise with Riven and the looming threat of Lexi sending her relationship with Royce down the drain over something that had happened ages ago?

The brunette was pulled from her thoughts as Riven returned her tight squeeze. Upon turning to her partner, Vivien felt little relief at his supposedly calming smile. He muttered something to her that she just couldn’t make out over the ringing in her ears, but his laugh was heard above the screeching noise. After asking him to repeat himself, Vivien let out a strained breath as Riven said, “Deep breaths, Pip. You’ll be fine, I promise.”

As she spared a look over her shoulder at Royce, she realized Riven was probably right. Sending him a smile and a wave, Vivien felt relieved to see him grinning right back at her. As Royce’s hand lifted into the air, Vivien caught a pair of golden eyes that distracted her. The glimmering glare Lexi’s eyes held as she watched Royce wave fondly back at Vivien made green-eyed brunette feel at least a hundred times worse than she had mere moments before. She had just unintentionally redirected Lexi’s anger toward her, onto Royce, the one person she wanted to protect from this mess. Looking back at Royce, Vivien found his head tipped to the side and an eyebrow raised as he glanced between her and Lexi. Once he discovered Vivien was watching him, he sent her a confused shrug and she shook her head in return, waving her free hand to show her brushing off the interaction before sending him a smile and turning back toward the ice. As she watched some of the junior skaters practice, Vivien took in a deep breath and sighed. What had she just gotten herself into?

No other skating competition had ever gone by so fast, in Vivien’s opinion. Her solo short program had gone by so quickly that she was sure the person in control of the music had put Florence and The Machine’s “Lover To Lover” on three times its normal speed and she had still managed to find a spot in the top three for the day. Then, the short program she shared with Riven had flown by, literally in a few spots, and by the time they were in the ever-so-aptly named “kiss and cry” seat, awaiting their scores, Vivien’s anxiety had been replaced with adrenaline. A score of 75.19 had been given to the pair, setting them in the highest place for the short program, sliding the teams from Georgia and New York into second and third place for the time being. As soon as they were allowed to return to their families for a brief intermission, Vivien found Royce and Bentley attached to her sides.

“That was amazing,” Bentley commended into Vivien’s shoulder before allowing Royce to fill his space.

“I knew you could do it,” Royce muttered, his breath fluttering a few baby hairs that curled at the nape of Vivien’s neck, sending a shiver down her spine. “You two were incredible.”

“I’m just glad I landed that throw,” she breathed as they parted, his hand sliding down her arm to lace their fingers together. “I still have my individual free program and our free skate tomorrow both of which would’ve been insanely difficult with an injured leg.”

“You feel alright, though?” Royce asked.

Vivien nodded, but before she could voice her answer, a voice from behind her cut in, “I sure hope she is.” Vivien turned to find Naomi and Lexi approaching them, Naomi’s arms outstretched for a hug as she scurried over. “I want a fair fight tomorrow.”

With a chuckle, Vivien brought the shorter girl in for a hug, “And a fair fight you shall get.”

“Good,” Naomi smiled as she backed away. Looking around at the group that now had their eyes locked on her, the raven-haired girl smiled nervously and waved. “Hello, people I don’t know.”

Vivien gestured to everyone as she said, “Naomi, this is my boyfriend and his family. Guys, this is Naomi Sato, one of my biggest rivals in the individual skate competitions.”

“Ah, well, I hope to see you all tomorrow,” Naomi greeted with a small bow toward the group. Turning to Vivien, she placed a hand on the brunette’s arm and beamed, “And I will see you on the ice!”

“That you will,” Vivien smiled as her hand searched blindly for Royce’s, latching onto his warm fingers as soon as she grazed them, a faint electric shock telling her she had found the right person.

As Naomi waved goodbye and headed for the people who were off to the side, waiting for her, Lexi remained, staring blankly at Vivien and her entourage. “Vivien.”

Vivien's posture turned rigid as she raised her head just enough for it to be noticed. “Lexi.”

Lexi’s arms crossed over her chest, “Didn’t know you were dating again.”

Royce’s grip on Vivien’s hand tightened for a second as he leaned over his girlfriend’s shoulder from the bleacher behind her and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We’ve been together for almost a year now” Royce proudly stated.

A look of disgust flashed across Lexi’s features, but it was quickly replaced with a clearly forced, saccharine smile. “Lucky. I bet you two are madly in love by now.”

Carrie, who had noticed the girl’s expression in the split-second it had been present, settled a glare on the opposing skater as she stepped off of the bleachers next to Vivien and snipped, “They are.”

Lexi’s gaze flickered to Carrie before searching the group on the bleachers behind the happy couple, finding matching glares coming from some of Royce and Vivien’s family members. With a scoff, Lexi said, “And they need their little guard dogs to prove that?”

Miles quickly wrapped an arm around Carrie’s middle, barely preventing her from launching at the curly-haired skater. As Bentley called Lexi a few colorful French words he had unintentionally learned from Miles, Riven marched over from where he and his dad had been walking, making his way between Lexi and Vivien with a scowl. “Leave,” he ordered, the darkness in his tone like a shadow looming from a skyscraper to the ants below.

“I don’t see why I should,” Lexi hissed, clearly undeterred by Riven’s intimidating demeanor. “I’m just conversing with an old friend.”

“Good to know you still consider harassment a way of having a conversation,” Vivien scoffed.

“Shut it, O’Brian,” Lexi snapped.

“You first, Warren.”

“Enough!” Riven snapped. In the silence that settled around them, Riven took in a deep breath to calm himself and said, “We’re meant to act like professionals here. Settle it on the ice tomorrow like any professional skater would.”

Without more than a roll of her eyes and a scoff, Lexi turned on her heel and headed for the door. As soon as the girl was out of sight, Vivien took in a deep, shaky breath and allowed herself to relax at least a little. Royce’s grip on his girlfriend tightened as he stepped off of the bleachers and pulled her into a hug. “What was that all about?” he questioned softly.

“Who was that?” Bentley asked. Instead of answering, Vivien wrapped an arm around her boyfriend and Bentley as the young blond joined them in an attempt at comforting his friend.

Riven shook his head at Vivien’s silence and sighed, “Lexi Warren. She was once a close friend of ours and a skater Vivien grew up with. She moved away a few years ago and…” Riven glanced in the direction Lexi had left in. “Well, let’s just say it wasn’t the nicest of endings.”

The hotel everyone was staying at was within walking distance from the sports center and had beautifully made rooms, but after Abby tossed her suitcase on one of the two beds in the room and jumped into the shower before her older sister could do more than look into the room, Vivien didn’t have the desire to stay for long. At first, she thought of going down to the pool and sinking into the hot tub for a while, but the idea of running into Lexi or Royce or both of them was enough to deter her. She didn’t want confrontation and she certainly wasn’t ready to tell Royce about her past just yet.

As she slid bobby pins out of her hair and tossed them onto the dresser she wouldn’t even bother using during her stay, Vivien came to the conclusion that she needed advice on how to handle everything. She instantly ruled out going to her parents and Mick’s parents since they already knew her situation and would probably tell her the same thing Riven had - to tell Royce and save herself the stress. Mick and Butchy were a close second, but after remembering that the couple had decided to go to the beach for a while, she ruled them out as well. She needed advice now and the only people in the hotel who could give her that were Carrie and Miles. After brushing out her hair and grabbing a few elastics, the seventeen-year-old left the room she shared with her sister and headed down the hallway to where she knew Miles and Carrie were staying. It didn’t take long for Carrie to open the door, allowing Vivien inside once the younger girl held up her elastics with a hopeful grin.

Perching herself on the end of the bed, Vivien sighed, “You know, I actually need a little help with something important and it’s not just about needing one of you to braid my hair.”

Miles, who had been flicking through the TV channels to find something entertaining, stopped what he was doing to take a look at the girl and ask, “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

“I’ve never really told a lot of people before,” Vivien chuckled nervously, allowing Carrie to split her hair down the middle of her head. “Can we keep this between us for now?”

As Miles wheeled the desk chair over so he could see Vivien while she talked, he nodded, “Of course.”

Carrie took the elastics from Vivien and set them aside, telling the girl, “You can tell us anything.”

Vivien nodded, taking in a deep breath before asking, “You know that girl that was harassing us earlier?” While Carrie scoffed, Miles rolled his eyes and nodded. “Well, I think I know why she’s bothering us.”

“You do?” Carrie asked, threading her fingers through Vivien’s hair as she began braiding it.

“Think she’s doing it to mess with your head?” Miles asked. “Mess with you so that you’ll screw up your skating - that kind of thing?”

“I think that’s part of it,” Vivien said, trying not to move her head as she shrugged. “But I think it has more to do with the fact that she was my girlfriend a few years ago.”

Vivien tried to gauge their reaction, but as Miles eyed her silently and Carrie’s hands stilled against her scalp, she had a sinking feeling she should have kept her mouth shut and never told them in the first place. The nerves that had begun building since she entered the room only seemed to grow as the silence in the room took over and nobody said a word. Miles watched the teenager, seeing her expression change ever so minutely and a panic settle in her eyes as the room remained silent. She looked like a scared baby deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle - wide-eyed and ready to run. Miles was almost sure she would’ve taken off if Carrie didn’t have a firm grasp on her hair. It didn’t take much for Miles’ brotherly instincts to kick in and the desire to help the child in front of him hit him full-force. He reached a hand out and Vivien hesitantly took hold of it as he lightly redirected the topic and slowly asked, “So, when Riven said that things didn’t end well with her…?”

Vivien looked away, tracing the design on the carpet with her eyes. “I broke up with her before she moved away and she didn’t take it nicely.”

“How did she take it?” Carrie asked softly.

“She went into a rage,” Vivien breathed. “We argued for a while and she threw a pair of skates at me, but the last time we saw each other, she slapped me. Riven came into the room and separated us before she could do anything worse, but she had to be escorted out of the skating rink afterward.”

Miles’ grip tightened on Vivien’s hand as he wheeled his chair closer to the teenager. “Is that why you looked so tense when she was around?”

Vivien nodded, “Looking back on it now, she wasn’t the best person to be around, but we had dated since I was eleven and I thought that’s how all relationships were.”

Carrie’s hands began moving once again, threading Vivien’s hair into a braid on one side as she said, “Well, I’m glad you’ve gotten out of that mindset.”

“I think we all are,” Miles agreed.

Vivien hummed her agreement. “You know, we had been together for two years and I never once felt loved.”

“How come?” Carrie questioned.

“I don’t know. I guess it just felt like she was telling me what to do and how to feel all the time.” After a pause, a small smile appeared on Vivien’s face as she said, “Being with Royce is so different. It feels so surreal.”

“In a good way, I hope,” Miles chuckled.

Vivien laughed, “Yeah. It feels sort of like what Mick told me her relationship with Butchy was like in the beginning.”

Miles smiled, “Just wait until you realize you’ve fallen in love.”

“I already did,” Vivien confided, a fond look in her eyes that Miles didn’t need to work hard to decipher. “I fell in love with him a long time ago.”

Miles glanced over Vivien at Carrie, finding his girlfriend’s signature smile beaming back at him. There was a glint in her sapphire eyes that told Miles that she knew something he didn’t, but he wasn’t about to ask her what it was while Vivien was present. “Have you told Royce this?” he asked.

“No,” Vivien replied quickly, trying her best not to shake her head and disrupt Carrie’s quick fingers as they moved further away from her scalp. “He doesn’t know about any of it. Not me loving him, not me dating Lexi, nothing.”

“You should tell him,” Carrie suggested. “If not about loving him, then at least about the whole Lexi ordeal. I’m sure he would appreciate knowing.”

“I know,” Vivien sighed. “I want to tell him, but I’m just not sure how he would react to me having dated a girl before.”

Miles nodded thoughtfully, squeezing Vivien’s hand reassuringly before saying, “I don’t think it would matter all that much to him. It’s a part of who you are and he cares about you more than anything. I bet, if anything, he’d be grateful that you felt confident enough in your relationship to tell him something you hardly tell anyone.”

As Vivien felt Carrie tie off one braid and move to the other side of her head, she began thinking about Miles’ words. He had a good point. She knew Royce cared about her just as much as she cared about him. He showed her how much he cared about her every chance he got. The chances of him turning her away just because of who she had liked in the past were slim to none. The only thing holding her back from telling him anything was fear and she would just have to find a way to overcome that. She could do that for Royce. He deserved to know. Giving Miles’ hand a tight squeeze, Vivien smiled his way and said, “I guess you’re right.”

Vivien awoke the next morning with sore legs, a mild headache, and the desire to down a bottle of Tylenol and crash like the Titanic meeting the iceberg. With the stress of seeing Lexi for the first time in years, the waking nightmares of breaking a limb or forgetting her entire routine on the ice, and trying to come up with a plan to tell Royce about her previous relationship before Riven did, she had gotten little sleep. Knowing she had two routines that needed to be rehearsed later in the day, Vivien slipped out of the hotel bed and crept over to the suitcase she had left on the floor by the dresser, pulling out her practice outfit and heading for the bathroom to change without the risk of waking her sister who snored noisily in the next bed over.

Once she was changed and had her sneakers laced, Vivien grabbed her skates and her room key, wrote out a quick note that she put on the nightstand between the beds she and her sister slept on, and slipped out of the room unnoticed. The hotel was only about a five-minute walk from the sports center and, as she passed the room she knew Riven and his dad were sharing, Vivien knew at least one of them would be up already, waiting anxiously for the other to get up so they could head to the rink for practice. However, Vivien wasn’t about to tell Riven she was already awake. She wanted time to herself on the ice - time to think and relax before everyone else showed up and the hectic parts of the day could begin. With her keycard tucked into her wallet and her skates dangling around her neck, Vivien waved goodbye to the person sitting at the front desk and headed down the street toward the sports center.

The walk was quiet apart from the soft music playing from Vivien’s earbuds and it wasn’t long until Vivien was pulling open the doors of the sports center, the warmth from the building’s heat system taking the chill out of her skin as she made her way inside. As opposed to what she had done the day prior, Vivien set her skates aside and stretched the way her ancient ballet teacher would have vaguely praised her for. Once she felt ready, Vivien sat on the nearest bench and laced up her skates, only ditching her blade guards before stepping onto the ice. With her phone securely zipped in her pocket and her earbuds tucked into her ears, Vivien allowed her playlist to control her movements, gliding across the ice to some of her favorite songs.

As the music changed, so did Vivien’s energy on the ice. Once her playlist switched to a new song once again, I Hear A Symphony by Cody Fry, Vivien allowed the familiar tune to take over. She had watched Riven perform the song many times in practices, so often that she could probably do most of it in her sleep if given the chance, but she couldn’t perform it herself due to a cantilever that Riven had perfected over the years that Vivien could never get to look the way his did. The song was one of Riven’s more lyrical-style performances, a style Vivien loved to use for her free skate programs. However, as she glided to a stop and listened to the song fade out, Vivien heard someone clapping in the supposedly empty skating rink.

Eventually, she found Lexi leaning against the wall, clapping sarcastically. Vivien sighed as she pulled an earbud from her ear, “What do you want?”

“I was coming to get in some early skate time, but I guess you got here first,” Lexi claimed. “Was that your program for the free program?”

“No,” Vivien said, preferring to keep the conversation as brief as possible as she headed back to the gate she had entered through.

“Well, it must have meant something to you if you made it look that passionate,” Lexi pressed as she stalked her way toward Vivien.

“It’s an old program Riven used to do, that’s all,” Vivien insisted as she sat down and began taking her skates off.

Lexi laughed as she neared Vivien, taking the brown-and-purple-haired girl’s jaw in her grasp and forcing Vivien to meet her gaze. “And what if I don’t believe you?”

Not one to be pushed around anymore, Vivien wrapped a hand around Lexi’s wrist, the fingernails Carrie had taken the time to paint the day before digging into the skin on the older girl’s arm. Once Lexi had released her, Vivien said, “Believe what you want, just leave me the hell alone.”

Rubbing the crescent-shaped marks out of her wrists, Lexi scoffed, “That’s no way to treat a friend.”

“You made it clear a long time ago that we aren’t friends, Lexi,” Vivien grumbled, sending an empty glare at the older girl. “Why do you feel the need to be such a bitch just because I moved on?”

“I never wanted you to move on,” Lexi argued. “I wanted us to stay together.”

“It never would have worked out!” Vivien exclaimed incredulously.

“You don’t know that!”

“Yes, I do,” Vivien laughed, but it lacked any real humor. “We were awful for each other.”

“Says who?”

“Says anyone who looked at us for more than two minutes,” Vivien claimed as she pulled her sneakers on and laced them. “You were always telling me what to do and who I could or couldn’t hang out with and I got sick of your bullshit.”

A rage burned in Lexi’s golden eyes that nearly made Vivien flinch away, but the younger skater remained defiant. “You would’ve been lost without me telling you what to do all the time.”

As Vivien rose to her feet, she stepped closer to Lexi and lowly snarled, “You moving away was the best thing to happen to me.”

The next thing Vivien knew, her head was snapped to the right, a stinging throb gracing her left cheek as she stared blankly ahead. Her skin burned, her eyes watered so much she worried that her contacts would fall out, and just as though a switch had been flipped deep inside of her, Vivien felt an almost eerie calm pass through her body as the urge to return the gesture to the older girl bubbled inside of her like a pot of water boiling over. It wasn’t the first time Lexi had slapped her, but Vivien decided in that moment that it would certainly be the last. Vivien’s head slowly turned back toward Lexi, dark green eyes piercing through furrowed brows as she unclenched the fist she’d been squeezing and rallied all of her pent-up emotions into the single blow she delivered to the girl’s face.

Lexi’s face didn’t burn nearly as red as Vivien’s did, most likely due to her darker skin, but the shock in her eyes was more than enough to satiate the urge Vivien had to knock the girl flat on her ass. “You fucking slapped me!” Lexi screeched.

“And I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Vivien said so easily that it almost worried her. “However, there are plenty of cameras in here, just like there are in every arena. They’ll all show - very clearly, might I add - that you started this.” Lexi’s eyes flitted around the room, finding multiple cameras pointing in their general direction. Vivien felt a smirk tugging at her lips at the sight, but fought it back in order to remain composed. “Now, if you have nothing better to say, I’ll be leaving.”

Vivien grabbed her skates by the laces and began making her way to the hallway so she could grab something to eat from the vending machines before heading back to the hotel to shower, but Lexi wasn’t done just yet. “I bet your boyfriend just loves being with such a bitchy little freak.”

Despite the spiked bundle of nerves that settled in her stomach, Vivien was determined to act as though Lexi’s words meant nothing as she flipped the girl off over her shoulder and said, “It’s one of the many things he loves about me.”

When Lexi said nothing more, Vivien assumed the girl was done and quickly made her way through the hallways to the front door as soon as she was out of the girl’s sight, forgoing the vending machines as she knew nothing in them would stay down even if she forced herself to eat something small. As soon as the cold morning air hit her face, Vivien felt a shaky breath leave her. Silently making her way back to the hotel, Vivien felt a wave of determination rising within her. With every step she took, the urge to go straight to the room she knew Royce and Bentley were sharing with her brother grew stronger. She was done with the fear and stress Lexi continuously caused her just by existing. After Vivien arrived back at the overly large, ritzy hotel, she made her way through the groups of people at the check-out desk who were only there for the junior skate competitions and wouldn’t need to spend another night once the day was done. Once she finally reached the elevator, she pressed the floor she was staying on. Instead of turning toward her end of the long hall, she turned to the left and made her way to the second-to-last room on the right side of the hallway.

Vivien raised a fist to knock on the door, but it swung open before she got the chance. Much to her surprise, Abby stood in the doorway, her bewildered stare turning relieved as she said, “Mom’s been looking for you.”

“I left you a note telling you I was going to the rink,” Vivien sighed.

Abby rolled her eyes, “I realize that, but you weren’t answering your phone when she called you, so she was just about ready to call in the SWAT team.”

Vivien shook her head - of course, her mother had overreacted. “I turned my ringer off before I hit the ice.”

“Thought so,” Abby said with a smirk. “Olly and I were just getting ready to head over to the rink and drag you back to Mom.”

With a sigh, Vivien glanced into the room past her sister to see if she could spot her boyfriend, “I just need to talk to Royce for a bit before-”

“Don’t you think we should tell Mom that you’re back first?” Abby questioned.

“It’ll only take a few minutes for me to talk with him,” Vivien insisted, trying to step around her sister and into the room. “You two can go tell her and I’ll meet you in their room in a few.”

“No can do, Viv,” Oliver said as he came from a room off to the side that Vivien couldn’t see, presumably the bathroom. “Mom said to bring you to her once we found you and we don’t want to get in trouble.”

Before Vivien got the chance to argue her case, Royce stepped up behind Oliver with a small smile, “Hey, Vivien Leigh.”

Vivien felt herself relax as she smiled back at her boyfriend, “Hey, Rolls. Look, I need to tell you something, and-”

“Vivien Harley!” a voice hollered from the other end of the hall. Vivien deflated as she saw her mom marching down the hall toward them. “Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

Royce chuckled as the siblings moved out into the hallway, collectively shrinking under their mother’s firm stare. Vivien glanced back into the room and Royce held the door open as he suggested, “We can talk later if you want?”

Vivien felt ready to argue that, no, she didn’t want to talk later, she wanted to talk then and there, but after taking a glance back at her mother, she knew that wouldn’t be possible until she was done getting reprimanded. “Yeah,” she reluctantly agreed. “Yeah, that would be great.” Royce nodded and sent his girlfriend a reassuring grin before slowly closing the room door as Chelsea O’Brian closed the distance between herself and her children, ready to tell them off for something or another. Vivien sighed - their conversation would just have to wait for later.

As the day went by, Vivien barely had a second to spend away from her family, her coach, or Riven, let alone have the chance to be alone with her boyfriend. Her practice with Riven was early and closed to the public, so she couldn’t sneak any talk with Royce then and, when she got the chance to leave the rink for the first time, her boyfriend was surrounded by his family and she only had a few moments to say hello to them all and answer their questions as to what had happened with her mother in the morning before she was dragged off to her private practice for her solo short program. With Riven as her choreographer, Vivien was grateful to be able to talk with him while she was practicing, but his topic of the day continued to circle around her relationship which didn’t do anything to keep Vivien's ricocheting nerves at bay.

“Have you talked to him yet?” he asked, skating alongside Vivien as she went through the end of her routine.

“Does it look like I’ve had the chance to?” Vivien sassed in return as she skated into a spin combination.

Riven watched her, reminding her to keep one of her turns tight before sighing, “Do you want me to put an extension on our little deal?”

Once Vivien ended her practice with her finishing pose, she answered, “No, I plan on doing it as soon as we’re out of here.”

“Do you want help?” Riven questioned, watching as the girl cleared her blades of shaved ice and tugged her leg warmers further over her skates.

Vivien stretched her arms over her head and sighed as Riven led her toward the rink gate, “Probably.”

A smirk appeared on Riven’s face as he handed Vivien her blade guards and said, “After you then, Pip.”

Vivien slid her guards into place, replaced her skates with her sneakers, and took a deep breath as she and Riven headed for the hallway. Once they found their way to the gymnasium where every other skater and their family were waiting to be let in, the intercom system called the next skater to practice and Vivien found her way through the masses of people to where her family, Riven’s dad, and Royce’s family were sitting and conversing. Before getting close enough to be pestered by their questions, Vivien glanced at Riven - who seemed almost excited about his role in her plan - and nodded to him, “Go ahead.”

As Royce stood to ask Vivien how her practice went, Riven ducked down in front of the teenager, wrapped an arm around his legs, and hauled him over his shoulder as he stood, earning a noise of shock from Royce who suddenly found himself facing Riven’s glorious backside instead of his girlfriend. “We’ll be back in a bit,” Vivien claimed to those who only watched the interaction in confused amusement.

Royce used his arms as a brace against Riven’s spine as he watched his girlfriend follow Riven back into the hallway. “Where are we going?” he asked warily.

“To talk,” she told him with a small smile. “I’m sick of everything else getting in the way, so I asked Riven to help.”

With a confused nod, Royce chuckled softly, “And I couldn’t walk myself to wherever he’s bringing me?”

“That wasn’t part of my plan,” Vivien claimed, a faintly amused smirk appearing on her lips, “but I admire his enthusiasm, don’t you?”

Royce shook his head, a smile splitting his features, “I guess so.”

Without so much as a word coming from him, Riven pushed open a heavy door and set Royce back on the ground before nodding to himself and leaving the room. Before Vivien could close the door, she thanked Riven for his services and he nodded before heading to the vending machines at the end of the hallway. Vivien twisted the lock on the door into place to prevent any interruptions before glancing around at the locker room Riven had brought them to. She sat on one of the benches and gestured for Royce to join her before sighing, “I bet you’re wondering why I’m doing this.”

“I am,” Royce admitted with a hesitant nod. He took a moment to examine the seriousness on Vivien’s face before asking, “You’re not... you're not breaking up with me, are you?”

“What? No, of course not!” After a pause of hesitance, Vivien asked, “Why? Are you breaking up with me?”

“No, never,” Royce stated firmly. “Besides, you’re the one who brought me here, not the other way around.”

Vivien chuckled airily at the reminder, “Yeah, I guess I did.”

A silence fell over them and Royce watched as Vivien’s fingers mindlessly wove into the laces of her sneakers, twisting them around and tugging on them as she stared blankly into space. Not wanting to let her mind wander into, no doubt, negative territory, Royce took one of her hands in his and softly said, “If it’s too much, we can do it another time.”

Before Vivien could say anything, Riven’s voice came through the door - the older skater presumably leaning against the door, playing bodyguard for them, “No, she can’t!”

With a roll of her eyes, Vivien agreed, “He’s right. It’s something that I actually should have told you a long time ago. I was just worried that it would change things with us.”

“Whatever it is,” Royce began, “just know that nothing - and I mean nothing - could possibly change how I feel about you.”

The sincerity in Royce’s caramel eyes gave Vivien the validation that she was making the right decision. “Well,” she said after taking in a sharp breath, “you know that girl that’s been bothering us? Lexi?” Vivien waited for Royce to nod - a welcome roll of his eyes coming with it - before she said, “She was my girlfriend a few years before I met you.”

Vivien watched Royce’s expression change so quickly that she struggled to define each emotion that flashed across his face. She wondered what was going on inside his head. It was hard to tell how he was feeling or what he was thinking as he processed what he had been told, but Vivien tried her hardest to brace for whatever it was that he was going to tell her - good or bad. However, what came out as his response was nowhere on the list of potential things she thought he would say. “Is that why she acts like that? She’s jealous?”

Vivien took a moment to register what he said before asking, “What?”

Royce shrugged, “I mean, I could understand why she would be. You’re an incredible person and-”

“Woah, woah, wait,” Vivien sputtered, her brain struggling to catch up with Royce’s train of thought. “You’re not even going to react to what I said?”

An eyebrow raised as Royce tilted his head to the side, “What - about you and her being together before we met?” Vivien nodded slowly. A smile formed on Royce’s face once again as he reached up and took Vivien’s face in his hands, leaning closer until their foreheads touched. “I told you that nothing could change the way I feel about you and I meant that. Just because you had a girlfriend before doesn’t mean that you don’t love me now just as much as I love you.”

Vivien’s eyes snapped open at his words. He had never said something like that before - neither of them had. “You love me?” she muttered.

Royce’s eyes fluttered open as he backed away just enough to see her face properly, a shade of pale scarlet flushing his face as he meekly nodded, “I have for a long time now.”

All of the fear and stress Vivien had let build up inside of her washed away in an instant, a bubbling happiness spreading through her veins like liquid gold as she allowed herself to smile like an idiot at the boy sitting in front of her. While Vivien giggled like a spoiled child on Christmas morning, Royce watched her in nervous silence, waiting for her to say something, anything, in response to his words. Vivien didn’t leave him waiting for long and a blissfully idiotic, ridiculously huge smile spread across Royce's face as his girlfriend wrapped her arms around his shoulders, held him close, and softly said, “I love you too.”

Royce’s arms locked around Vivien’s middle, holding her as close as physically possible on the uncomfortable metal bench they were still perched on. It wasn’t the most romantic place they could’ve chosen to confess their love, but they didn’t need someplace over-the-top or romantic. They just needed each other. The pair stayed like that, perfectly content in one another's arms until a solid thump on the door reminded them that they weren’t totally alone.

“You two better not be going at it in there,” Riven warned through the door. “We have to be on the ice within an hour and I’m not covering for either of your asses if we get disqualified for being late.”

Vivien backed away from Royce with a huff, standing and unlocking the door before pulling it open and telling Riven, “Just because you’d do it with someone in a dingy locker room, doesn’t mean we would, you ass.”

“Love you too, Pip,” Riven said with a smirk. “Now, let’s go, lovebirds. If we take any longer, your family will think you two eloped or something.”

As Riven turned and stalked off down the hall, Vivien turned to Royce with a sigh and held out a hand for him to take. “You ready to go?”

“With you?” Royce asked rhetorically as he stood and laced his fingers with Vivien’s. He brought their joined hands up and placed a kiss on the back of her hand before swinging them back down between them. “Always.”

#Nelle's Christmas Prompts 2022 #writing #writing prompt

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1016anon · 2 years

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Title: Sparo Finale Author: 1016anon Fandom: Bridgerton Pairing: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sharma, Benedict Bridgerton/Henry Granville Summary: The Olympics

A/N - Free skate was partially inspired by Papadakis/Cizeron's rhythm dance in Beijing 2022.

While not required, I highly recommend you listen to the music while reading the ice dancing sections. It will make a lot more sense.

Sparo Finale means "last shot" in Italian. Also, this concludes the series. I will write a short epilogue at some point. Many many thanks to penny_loaf for dragging me into the world of ice dancing.

Their free skate is... not traditional, would be the kind way of putting it.

Others have described it as weird and disturbing.

It's a risk-- it's always a risk to do something more "out there" in the Olympics than sticking to the classics, the songs and narratives judges have already seen and heard a thousand times over.

But Anthony and Kate designed this program for themselves, with the help and encouragement of Henry. He has always been supportive of them in every artistic choice; he's never cared about gold medals. Henry has only ever wanted to help-- not dictate-- their self expression.

After years of being drilling in choreography, technique, dancing and acting and showmancing; having virtually no control, no room for agency, in their lives-- he and Ben have done their best to carefully nurture Anthony and Kate's exploration of their own stories.

Telling them, again and again, that they had stories. Telling them, again and again, that those stories were compelling, worth exploring, worth translating to their native language of ice dance.

So perhaps others found the tales they spun from snow and frost to be morbid or strange. That didn't matter. Anthony and Kate won gold after gold after gold in the Grand Prix circuit anyway, won the world championship, and now-- they were ready to take the stories they'd so painstakingly crafted to the Olympics.

Anthony and Kate wanted gold.

That was the difference.

It was a long, painstaking process for Anthony and Kate to understand, viscerally, that they were allowed to want this for themselves. Henry and Ben reassured them, again and again and again and again-- as many times as they needed reassurance; after every competition; after practices where they were discouraged and exhausted that a routine wouldn't come together; after questioning why they were training at all because it had been Violet's dream to get that last gold, not theirs-- not originally.

This was not something which could be solved overnight; it could only be chipped away over years. Each word of encouragement, each reassurance, brought them a little closer to believing in themselves and allowing themselves to understand: Violet might have wanted the gold medal originally, but no matter the origins of the story, this gold would be for them, for their skate, for their lives. They had total ownership of their accomplishments now-- not country or coaches or obligations.

Without Henry and Ben's steadfast, unwavering support, they likely would not have performed their free dance, opting to go for something more conservative.

It likely would have won gold. But it would have left them hollow. Anthony and Kate could not articulate this, but Ben and Henry, after having spent so much time with them, understood what they could not say.

They were always there to support Anthony and Kate.

There was nothing wrong with breaking boundaries, Henry and Ben told them. There were already ice dancing couples and coaches who were "inspired" by Kate's unusual costumes, who "happened to choose" less traditional music; all of them riding on the coattails of Kate and Anthony's innovative, incomparable, unexpected success.

Besides, perhaps the world was tired of seeing only romantic, tragic stories played out on ice a thousand times.

Perhaps the world was ready for a ghost story.

Free Dance

Music, a compilation of: "Goblin" from Suspiria, "La Valse d'Amelie" from Amelie, "End Titles" from Sleepy Hollow.

The story they decide they want to tell is a Gothic Romance.

Ghost

Anthony and Kate appear on the ice and take their positions; Kate standing in front, one arm raised and the other reaching out, hands flaired, Anthony behind her, hand possessive on her stomach and shoulder. Kate's head is turned to the side, looking down the arm reaching; Anthony's focus is completely on Kate.

Kate's costume glows deep sapphire teal, modern and minimalist, all elegant lines and bare skin; skirt so sheer her legs are visible, loose off-the-shoulder sleeves, bodice cut low and glittering with crystals; the silhouette and shape meant to evoke the dime-store romance novels of heroines soon to be ravished.

Anthony evokes no one, meant to be a menace in himself, costumed in a grey complementing Kate's dress, the front panel of his shirt darkly translucent with an open v-neck and crystals along strategic seams, sleeves and back incredibly sheer, like floating shadow. The shade of his pants is so dark they appear black without a spotlight.

All of it, creating an unmistakable tableau of a woman haunted by her lover.

"Goblin"

And so, the story begins with a distorted downbeat, foreboding like a monster's growl, then dissolves to a mocking melody.

Kate skates, Anthony directly behind her, nearly breathing down her neck yet never touching.

First chord of the guitar, he places his hands on her and Kate startles into a pivot;

Second chord, he lifts her by her waist and she swings her legs up into the air, a graceful arch, and he spins her before he puts her down;

Third chord, the monster in the background begins whispering and they go into their twizzle sequence-- Kate running away, Anthony directly behind her, next to her, parallel to her, unavoidable and dizzying.

Coming out of that sequence into the frenzied notes of the guitar, Anthony finally shows his face to her and Kate, recognizing him, circles around him-- shock, awe, fear, happiness all expressed the fluid movements of her arms, the deep lunge in her legs, her proximity and yearning, unconvinced that he's real.

But Anthony makes persuasive arguments, holding her waist and appealing to her on bended knee; she clings to him-- she believes him, or wants to believe him, which amounts to the same thing. Anthony finally has her fully in his arms, quickly pulling her into a dance sequence, holding her shoulder while she holds his and the guitar remains, frenetic and frantic in the background.

Regardless of the music, as his hold on her grows-- as he switches seamlessly from an open to a closed hold-- the dance he leads her through steadies, slows down to something more rational-- something more real.

The monstrous voice might continue to whisper with increasing menace, but Kate only has eyes for Anthony, matching him step for step, falling back into that easy rhythm they had as lovers.

"La Valse d'Amelie"

The music is sweet and light, its first notes composed of delicate, silver-bell tones. It is vibrant, full of vivacity and joie de vivre as Kate and Anthony easily, gracefully glide across the ice.

They never take a hand off the other, their strokes long and deep and even, speaking of an intimacy, a perfect and physical familiarity between them. Kate and Anthony are all long legs, long lines, bodies intertwining and braiding their lifelines together through the music which, as it progresses, becomes more layered as more instruments are introduced to carry the melody.

The rich, earth-bright sound of xylophones, the starry tinkling of chimes, the full-bodied notes of violins each flow through Kate and Anthony, the expressions on their faces full of tenderness and love, remembering-- reliving-- the time they had together as each day brought new complexities and possibility.

Kate's costume sparkles, skirt flaring out like laughter through each turn and lift. Anthony puts them in a pair spin and she crosses her leg with his, throws her head back and for a moment, her foot comes off the ice, totally immersed in Anthony's beautiful dream.

But as the music comes to a close, the last legato notes of the violins echoing, Anthony abruptly changes position, dragging her from behind and in the silence, there is an ominous

winding

a clock

And Anthony leads her backwards into

"End Titles"

The boom of a wailing orchestra, launching them into a character step sequence as though he's controlling her body movements, twisting her limbs out of shape into unnatural configurations at a terrifying pace, and she's helpless to follow along. Anthony watches with dark satisfaction behind her, movements so precise and sharp as he never was in life-- moving with the harshness of a double jointed corpse, not the elegant, graceful lover she knew.

There is no reprieve to be found in the eerie voices of the marionettes, nothing soothing in the staccato notes of the violins and cellos. When she breaks into the fluid motions of her own body, the ghost rapidly takes control again and it's a battle that she is losing. Once the next relentless segment of orchestral cacophony reasserts itself, Anthony-- the ghost-- forcefully, painfully pulls her to him and resumes their frenetic dance of the monster.

They perform nearly all their lifts here, one after another after another to show the ghost taking control of his lover's body (or another interpretation-- killing her so she can join him), overwhelming her by dragging her up and around his shoulders and back, through his legs, spinning her in every direction. Between each lift, Kate tries to get away, only to be swept up by Anthony's ghost again.

It is one of the most difficult sequences Anthony and Kate have ever tried in their career-- the sheer physicality necessary for Anthony to do virtually all the lifts at the end of the program-- even with Kate helping him by keeping her muscles tight, her positions perfect, placing her holds precisely on his body-- it is still exhausting.

But it creates the effect they want and Anthony is nothing if not determined when it comes to his newly found freedom of self expression.

When they reach the end and the melody from the beginning echoes back, Kate is splayed out in Anthony's arms-- either under the ghost's complete control or dead-- and he holds an unholy look of satisfaction.

The ringing of the bells sound like a church funeral.

The crowd is on their feet before the music is even finished; from the screaming of everyone in the rink, there is no doubt who has won gold tonight.

Anthony hugs Kate-- or rather, wraps his arms around her, one hand to the nape of her neck, the other to the bare skin right below her ribs-- and simply doesn't let go. He breathes her in; they breathe each other in until the announcer interrupts to say their names. They give a bow to all sides of the stadium, never letting go of each other's hand.

As they leave the ice, Kate snuggles into him in an uncharacteristic show of shyness-- the kind of shyness which means Kate is truly, genuinely happy. He protects her from the cameras, shielding her with his body and distracting the audience by kissing her temple.

They finally separate when they meet Ben and Henry at the boards, ecstatic and overwhelmed with what was probably one, if not the, best competition skate. In the Kiss and Cry, Anthony cannot contain his happiness and once again does what his instinct has been trained to do since he met Kate all those years ago-- turn to sweep her into his arms, their faces incandescent with real joy.

In what is arguably one of the most important moment of their careers-- the medal ceremony which is supposed to encapsulate though a national anthem and two bouquets of flowers, the culmination of everything they've given and sacrificed for the sport-- Anthony and Kate only have eyes for each other.

Ben stands on the sideline thinking don't do it, don't do it, don't do it because he can see that Anthony really wants to just kiss Kate in front of everyone. Thankfully, Anthony's media lessons have been hammered in firmly enough that he doesn't do anything rash.

Yet.

Henry stands next to Ben, mouthing along the words of the national anthem and whispers in his ear, if they want to, let them. They've earned it, love.

And, well, Ben can't disagree with that.

The morning after their gold medal, Ben and Henry fetch them to walk about the Olympic village in big puffy jackets and sunglasses, drinking as much hot chocolate as they want (quite a lot). Henry is fascinated by curling, recently having read up on the sport, so they go to watch the women's finals. Kate and Anthony pepper him with questions in an otherwise silent stadium-- some people give them dirty looks for speaking in the hallowed battlegrounds.

Anthony really does not care. He's officially a three time gold medalist, two time silver medalist; he's married to Kate; he's never had so much rich, dark, thick hot chocolate in his life. Kate warns him not to drink so much at once or he'll get a stomach ache. Anthony completely disregards her and, of course, ends up with intense stomach pains that evening for his troubles.

He regrets nothing.

The next day-- right before they're due to run through their program for the gala skate taking place in the evening-- they're summoned to the inevitable press event about their "phenomenal gold medal-winning skate." Anthony and Kate are required to wear the gold medals to the studio; they're mic'ed-up and made-up and briefed on the questions that will be asked.

It's mostly the usual things-- fielding all sorts of comments on "how unique your program is, where did you get the inspiration for the concept, it's not what you usually see in ice dancing," the obvious "what do you plan on doing now that you're officially retiring-- for a second time" they joke, "did you have anything to say reflecting on your long journey together, now over two decades" (just shy of three decades, in fact).

Could they leave with any remarks about their legacy, and what they would tell aspiring young skaters today?

Regarding their legacy, Kate makes some vague noises about being so honored to skate for our country, hope we've made a meaningful contribution to the sport, could not imagine taking such a journey without Anthony, would not have made it this far without the support of our fans, friends, and family.

Anthony just smiles, takes Kate's hand, and says, the only thing Kate and I want to say to everyone out there is to do what you like, and like what you do.

(Ben, standing behind the camera in the studio, stifles a cough which would have been a laugh. Henry looks at him all too knowingly.)

And of course, at the end of the program-- because no one could ever resist asking-- the interviewer jokingly asks so, what's next for the two of you after this? Maybe marriage?

Anthony furrows his brow, puzzled. We're already married.

(Once again, behind the scenes, Henry laughs silently, putting a comforting hand on Ben who helplessly grins whilst also shaking his head, already anticipating the deluge of interview requests he'll be fielding for the next several months.)

The interviewer is shocked speechless. They recover quickly enough, asking did they get married recently?

It was a good thing this was the last press event Anthony and Kate would ever do.

Three years? Anthony looks at Kate.

She nods. Three years.

Also a good thing they had to leave immediately, if they wanted enough time to warm up for the gala skate.

The interviewer is forced to bring things to a close due to those time constraints, thanking them for coming on the show, wishing them the best of luck for their future, waving to the (nonexistent) audience as the camera zooms out and overhead while dramatic news music plays in the background.

Kate and Anthony stand and pull their microphones off immediately; Ben and Henry are already fending off requests for follow up interviews while Olympic officials escort Anthony and Kate to the vans to take them to the ice rink.

The news hasn't spread-- yet. It will be everywhere the next morning.

A good thing, then, that Kate and Anthony are leaving that night as soon as the gala ends.

It will be the last time they ever perform on ice.

(In public, anyway. In private, they were raised in skates. The ice rink will be part of them for the rest of their lives.)

The interview will be their last public appearance for two years.

Anthony and Kate hold each other's hand, feeling like a profound weight has finally, finally been lifted.

They are finally moving on.

Kissing You by Des'Ree, Romeo + Juliet

For the Olympic Gala Exhibition, Kate wears the delicate, layered pink and tulle costume favored by any female skater who has ever done a Romeo and Juliet routine-- which is to say, all of them.

Anthony simply wears all black, long sleeved and fitted precisely.

There's screaming and applause when they're announced and skate out into the rink. Anthony and Kate take their positions, the arena dark, spotlight illuminating them.

They stand, back to back.

The music begins

they skate away, turn, and circle around each other.

First pause in music

they skate towards each other until their foreheads nearly touch.

Second pause

Kate startles back and Anthony follows quickly, reaching for her, chasing after her.

He touches her shoulder-- she stops, turns and they stare, frozen. Then he

Intro repeats

closes the distance, hand outstretched, palm facing her.

Singer begins humming

Kate carefully touches her palm to his. They repeat the gesture and he

slips his fingers through hers to

Hey, hey, hey

skate backwards, Kate in arabesque. Anthony, hands on her waist picks her up

Pride can stand

as she looks down, suspended in time. He sets her down, Kate's arms raised

A thousand trials

landing in a backbend while he guides their path on ice into

The strong will never fall

a lift, ending with their faces so close, more intimate than a kiss

But watching stars without you

they move in sync, crossovers, gaining speed; suddenly Kate breaks away

My soul cried

Anthony catches her; she breaks away; he catches her; puts her in closed hold; she breaks away

Heaving heart

almost, but he pulls her into a death spiral

Is full of pain

when she stands upright, they go into a tango piernazo and from that point on, Kate never breaks away again

They transition to a sequence of smooth, flowing lines where Anthony is always

touching Kate, or Kate is always touching him

The aching

holding hands, bend of elbow, nape of neck, shoulder, wrapped around ribs, waist, hips, or gently through hair

Cause I'm kissing you

They dance something they've never experienced but approximated too well at every competition, for all the judges and technicians, their competitors, their fans, the audiences who saw something beautiful in their last Olympic performance.

I'm kissing you, love

They dance with what they have, because it is all they know, and this is the last time they will ever have to perform. After this, they can do whatever they want. They'll go home with two gold medals and the bone deep satisfaction that for once, just this once, it was something they proved to themselves.

Touch me deep

Kate jumps, thighs on Anthony's shoulders, his exhale a familiar caress on her entrance, her hands in his hair, her body easily trusting as he brings her down, spinning as his

Pure and true

arms move from her leg, waist, neck, back, before he sets down on one foot. He leads her on the ice, dancing around her and all she has to do is follow his lead

Gift to me

Their bodies are extensions of each other, the feeling him surrounding her as natural as breathing, feet floating on the ice and he stares into her eyes, caressing her face like a reflex.

Forever

They soar, almost wild and careless in that expression of love that is not love.

He has her in a closed hold

Cause I'm kissing you

when Kate closes her eyes and abruptly goes limp, head tilted back like the dead, back arched away from him, arms hanging, but Anthony skates as though he hasn't noticed.

I'm kissing you

He continues, transferring his hold from her waist to bring her to his chest. It's only when her hand drops from his that he seems to finally notice and comes to a stop, staring down at her.

The music screams Juliet!

Juliet!

He takes her limp hand in his and begins to skate backwards, slowly, gently, quickly gaining speed as his expression turns to one of panic, dancing a grotesque imitation of their earlier sequence, Anthony's expression one of total devastation.

When the violins begin quivering in the background, Kate seems to reanimate. Her eyes remain closed, her arms move as though they're weak, depleted of all life, but her back straightens and her head lifts. Anthony dances with her, holding a ghost. She raises her arms in all the right places but instead of her usual grace, the movements look like a pale imitation of that beauty.

The music swells as they near the end of the dance. Anthony picks her up bridal style, Kate's eyes still closed, head on his chest and with a sudden burst of speed, he carries her on the ice, ending with a frantic lift that spins her around and around. When Kate dismounts, she goes limp again in his arms.

He continues to skate, slowly. Anthony brings his forehead to hers, holding her face tenderly, the motion a clear goodbye. Then she moves and

Where are you, love?

Kate opens her eyes, smiling, so happy to see him, embracing him with joy

She skates backwards, pulling him with her

Where are you, love?

the steps of their dance and Anthony, shocked, follows her

He falters for a moment, moving out of synchronization, but recovers quickly to keep

Cause I'm, oh I'm kissing you

this one happiness before the inevitable end.

Anthony puts his hands on her waist and

Gunshot

throws her in the air, and catches her, spinning. They circle each other with hands palm to palm, just as they were in the beginning.

I'm kissing you, love

But Anthony descends to one knee, hand to the small of her back; Kate descends with him, her hand clasped with his, lowering them until he's supported by her upright knee. He manages to touch her face before his arm falls.

End

Kate slumps over him.

Thunderous applause.

#bridgerton #kathony #fanfiction #ice dancing au

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