Chapter Text
The two girls walked hurriedly toward the cafeteria, Riyo happily yapping about all sorts of things – how her practice for the upcoming championship is going, the details about the new clubmate, Jabber, that just join her skating club.
How Enjin somehow growing grey hair from handling the chaotic one, how said person is making the ever so chill Semiu sigh at least twenty times during their joint ballet classes, and how she herself still couldn't believe those two idiots were going to compete against each other next week.
Eishia listened attentively to every single word. Every now and then she'd quietly nod, hum in agreement, or give a soft little comment whenever Riyo asked for her opinion.
"Really, I can't wait to see it," she added excitedly.
"He sounds difficult..."
"I think Enjin is doing all he can."
Her gentle replies kept the conversation going, even if she spoke far less than Riyo.
Well... it was going that way.
But ever so slightly, the timid girl's attention drifted away, she kept glancing over Riyo's shoulder, where a pair of girls had been following behind them for quite a while now, seemingly trying and failing to get the redhead's attention.
"Umm..."
"Then she was super—"
"Err... Riyo?"
"Yeah?" Riyo replied, turning her head toward the blonde beside her. She immediately noticed the worried look on Eishia's face.
"Sup?"
"Umm... don't you think you should, uhh..."
Eishia's eyes wandered past Riyo before settling on the two unfamiliar girls trailing behind them.
Riyo understood immediately.
She let out a sigh before finally turning toward her unwanted guests.
"Can you guys leave us alone? Geez."
One of the girls, who wore glasses and had short twin tails, spoke up first.
"Come on, Riyo. We just wanna know, right, Anya?" she said, nudging the shorter girl beside her.
"Yeah," the other quickly agreed. "I'm sure you know who that guy is."
"The black guy hanging around our prince," the twin-tailed girl finished.
"And I'm telling you for the last time," Riyo said as she wrapped an arm around Eishia's and picked up her pace again, "I can't talk about it."
"Come on, Riyo" The two girls hurried after them.
"Just give us his name," one pleaded.
"Or at least tell us if he's a new skater at your club," the other added.
Caught in the middle of whatever this was, Eishia looked startled and was beginning to run out of breath. Her pace slowed down by a little, forcing Riyo to slow down as well.
The redhead glanced back at the persistent girls, annoyance and hesitation written all over her face.
Then she sighed.
"Why don't you just ask Zanka?" she shrugged. "Maybe he'll tell you what you wanna know."
A pause
"You know we can't do that," one girl finally said with a defeated sigh.
"We're way too shy for that," the other admitted, her cheeks turning pink.
"Well, that's your problem." Riyo shrugged again. "We're leaving now, so stop bothering us."
Without waiting for another response, she gently tugged Eishia along, leaving the two girls whispering among themselves.
Eishia let out a quiet sigh of relief, causing the red-haired to chuckle, guessing the other was simply happy that the awkward encounter was finally over.
They had reached the lively, crowded cafeteria.
The room buzzed with conversations as students chatted over lunch, trays clattered against tables, and the smell of freshly cooked food filled the air.
Groups of students were scattered across the long tables, some laughing loudly with their friends while others were too absorbed in their conversations to pay attention to anything around them. A few students hurried past them with their trays, trying not to spill their food as they tried to find a place to sit.
The large windows along the far side of the cafeteria let in rays of warm afternoon light, illuminating the rows of tables and chairs.
Somewhere nearby, a chair scraped loudly against the floor, followed by a burst of laughter from another table.
The two girls didn't waste any time collecting their trays before filling them with their chosen meals.
Riyo picked pasta with cream sauce, a greek salad on the side, and a cup of yogurt for dessert.
Eishia chose rice with chicken stew, a handful of fresh grapes on the side, and sweet pudding with a bottle of water for both of them.
With their lunches in hand, they made their way through the bustling cafeteria, Riyo leading the way.
Amidst the noise, she heard her name.
“Riyooo!!”
The red-haired girl turned toward the call. It came from a table where a group of girls were chatting or, as Riyo suspected, probably gossiping. She recognized most of them as girls from her grade. Normally, she would drag Eishia over there to have lunch with them.
She locked eyes with the girl who had called her, who waved in her direction.
“Come overrr, girlll!” she shouted.
“Sorryy!” Riyo managed to shout back "Not today!”
The girl gave her a thumbs-up, reassuring her that it was okay, before turning back to the group and their lively chatter.
Besides, Riyo had more interesting things to do.
The two girls had finally made it to the middle of the hall when Riyo suddenly came to a stop.
“Eishia,” she called, her voice clear despite the noise around them. “You can go on ahead, let Zanka know I’m coming, kayy” she added with a grin.
The blonde simply nodded. By now, she was used to the redhead’s antics.
She resumed walking, leaving Riyo behind.
She turned left and, after six long strides – with her food tray still in hand – she finally stopped at a very important table.
The supposed “popular students” table.
A lot of them were from the baseball and basketball teams, cheerleaders, or just some other rich kids. And amidst all their chatter sat Jabber, blending in like he was one of them, even though he had only just arrived at the school a week ago.
She made her way over to him and quickly tapped his shoulder.
The dreadhead immediately bobbed his head up in her direction.
“Yoo, sup, Riri,” he said with a carefree grin.
Huhh, that's a new one.
“Well, look at you,” she said, glancing around before looking back at him. “Already joining the popular kids' table, I see”
She shifted her hips to one side.
“That has to definitely be a new record or sumthin’”
“Well, well,” Jabber replied with a nonchalant shrug. “What can I say? I was tryna find Zanzan when they dra—”
A girl’s voice from beside Jabber interrupted him.
“Hey, Jabs. I didn't know you were friends with her” she said with a questionable side eye which Riyo didn't think too much about
“Whaa, bangbang girl here and I are like best buds, don't joke” Jabber indulges.
“Hmm really, didn't know that,” the other fully turned her gaze at the red-haired
“Been a while huhh little Riyo.”
A girl who Riyo knew to be the leader of the cheerleaders said out, a knowing grin forming at the corners of her lips.
“I told you not to call me that,” Riyo said, forcing a smile.
“Geez, I'm only kidding.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Anyway, where's that timid girl that's always glued to you? What's her name agina?”
She placed a hand against her chin, genuinely trying to remember.
“Well...” she finally said, giving up as if it wasn't worth the effort in the first place “You know, you're more than welcome to our table, I guess you can bring that girl along.”
She tilted her head.
Jabber, who had been listening, simply eyed Riyo, waiting for her reaction.
“Don't worry your pretty butt,” Riyo simply said. “Eishia and I are good. Honestly, we don't see anything special about your table anyway, but thanks for the offer.”
She added a mocking grin.
That earned an annoyed tsk from the other girl.
Riyo's attention shifted back to Jabber, who seemed to be enjoying whatever tension was going on between them.
“You were looking for Zanka, right?” she asked.
That immediately got his full attention.
“That's why I'm here.”
Her gaze shifted toward the far end of the cafeteria.
“I'm actually heading to where he is. Just thought you might be interested.”
A beat
“Well, well, well.”
He rose from his seat promptly.
“Gosh, ya know me tooo well,” he said, a chuckle escaping him as he picked up his tray.
“See y'all later” he said to everyone as he made his way out.
“Wha—”
The girl sitting beside him muttered in shock, which Jabber either didn't notice or simply didn't care.
“Alright, later, dude,” one of the guys said.
The rest followed with their own farewells before quickly returning to their conversations.
“Well, whatcha waitin’ for?” Jabber said, accidentally bumping into Riyo. “Lead the wayyy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
It didn't take them too long to make their way to the end of the huge hall, passing students who were already done with their lunch and were heading out of the cafeteria.
A long table close to one of the huge windows was where they found him, sitting and having a quiet conversation with another blonde – Eishia.
Jabber immediately made himself comfortable beside Zanka, placing his tray down.
Riyo did the same, sitting beside Eishia, who greeted her with a small smile and handed her an extra bottle of water she had picked up for her.
“Thanks.”
Riyo noticed that Eishia was already halfway through her food. Her pudding remained untouched and sealed, saving it for last as usual.
And Zanka...
He was wearing an annoyed expression at the other's sudden presence, especially with Jabber's arm resting around his shoulders.
He was also being forcefully fed some of Jabber's french fries.
Zanka finally noticed her, giving her a stare.
“Why did you bring him here?” he asked, snapping Jabber's hand away from his shoulder for the third time.
She let out a laugh.
“Well...”
“Seriously dude, what's on yur plate?” Jabber bobbed his head toward Zanka's plate. “Looks hella depressing”
“That's normally how his food is,” Riyo chimed in, completely uninvited.
Then, without thinking, Jabber picked a fry from his own plate.
“I'm helping ya, this is the real stuff”
“Open wide,” he said, hovering the fry in front of Zanka's face.
“Take that shit away from–”
“Comeee onnn, mannn.”
“And don't talk about my food as if I'm not here eating with you guys,” the blond snapped, his attention shifting back to his food - brown rice and chicken-vege soup - which, by the way, he was enjoying very much
Jabber, seeing the steaming blond, decided to coo at him intentionally, clearly trying to provoke him.
And it was working.
Riyo burst out laughing while Eishia tried – and failed – to calm the two boys down.
At another long table, just to the left of them, sat a student who had been quietly watching the group, their attention never leaving the four of them as they happily enjoyed their lunch.
Their hand slowly slipped into their pocket, pulling out a phone.
They glanced around briefly, making sure no one was paying attention.
Then, they raised it discreetly in the group’s direction.
Snap
School had ended, and Riyo saw Eishia off at the school gates, where her big brother, August, came on his motorbike to pick her up.
It was a shame really,
But Riyo always wished the blonde stayed in the dorms with her.
There would be a lot of things they could do together, like studying and hanging out more after school. Sometimes Eishia really wished that too, but unfortunately, it wasn't her decision but her mother’s.
Nevertheless, the two girls always made time during breaks or weekends to hang out. August would also take the girls out wherever they wanted to go.
Well, that was thirty minutes ago.
Now, the redhead was dragging a certain dark-skinned guy who had been complaining and whining the entire way.
She had to physically drag him by the hand away from the friendly basketball game he had been playing seriously.
She sighed
“...annoyingg”
Honestly, she much more preferred watching those two idiots flirt and whatnot.
It was fun.
But dealing with them individually, especially him...
She turned her head, letting go of his arm as she eyed the taller one, who was wearing the most pissed-off expression, muttering something Riyo could 100% tell wasn't English,
She let out a chuckle and a sigh followed after, before turning her gaze ahead.
A memory of a few hours ago resurfacing back into her mind.
It was just as the last period was about to begin, when she heard a ping from her phone.
A message from Enjin appeared in their group chat, which consisted of herself, Zanka, and the newly added Jabber.
“You guys should wait outside your school gate. I'll be there to pick y'all up”
“What's up??” Jabber was the first to respond.
Then she sent hers.
“Yeah, did something happen”
“Well, we don't have ice prac’ today. Stuff came up and all,” Enjin replied. “So I'm taking the three of you to the studio today. I'm in the area soo.”
“Alrighty 👍” she replied
It took a while, but Jabber also replied.
“wait a min….no icee?? ”
She reacted to his message with a laughing emoji.
Zanka didn't respond, but she knew all too well that he had seen the group messages, if it was Enjin who sent it.
As Riyo and Eishia walked toward the school gates, she received a call from him.
“Yoo, Zanzan, sup?”
It took a while before he spoke, which caused her to chuckle, knowing fully well that the nickname made the blonde cringe. Eishia, by her side, just stared at her quietly
“Umm, Riyo,” he finally said. “Tell Enjin for me that I won't be tagging along today.”
“Huhhh, why me? You saw his message in the group, right?? Why didn't ya just tell him there yourselves?”
“Umm…”
Was all she heard, followed by some shuffling in the background.
“I'm sorry, Riyo, but just do this for me. something important came up”
“Fineee, but you owe me one”
“Thanks. I have to go now.”
“Kay, toodles~~”
A car horning returned her back to the present as she realized, the both of them had finally made it to the school entrance
They both turned their heads toward the noise.
A big car was parked nearby, Enjin sitting behind the wheel in dark-shaded glasses as he waved his hand at them while vibing to some music blasting from the car, which Riyo could tell was a new song from her music idol, TooLily.
They both walked lazily toward the car for a while, when Jabber suddenly rushed forward to secure the front seat.
Riyo rolled her eyes and went for the back seat behind the driver's seat, closing the door behind her.
“Soo, what's up?” Enjin said, lowering the volume down a bit. “Where is Zanka?”
“Ni idea,” Jabber muttered, glancing at his phone.
“Actually…” Enjin shifted in his seat, facing Riyo. “He said something really important came up and he won't be able to make it.”
“Really?”
“Well, I saw him…” Jabber said, going through his bag and pulling out a pair of headphones, the other two snapped their eyes his direction “From my window, just before school ended.”
“Hmm.”
Riyo and Enjin just stared at him.
“Instead of focusing in class, you were busy staring outside,” she commented, relaxing in her seat. “What a great diligent senior you are,” she added sarcastically.
“nahuhh, not ma fault. class was hella borrin’ ” he said, finally putting on his headphones.
“Maybe his family called him home or something,” Riyo added.
“Well, you might be right,” Enjin said, starting the car. His tone didn't sound as convinced as he tried to make it seem.
“Alright then, that's fine. We can always ask him later"
The car slowly pulled away from the school, heading toward the studio
About fifteen kilometres away from the city, in a small satellite town at the outskirts of Yekaterinburg city, was Verkhnyaya Pyshma.
The town was much quieter compared to the city, especially during the day, n was more connected to nature, though old and new buildings still filled up the streets. At times, it could get busy, especially with the beautiful tourist sites that attracted all sorts of people to the town.
But Zanka wasn't here for any of that.
Yes, he did know the town, quite well. In fact, this was the very same place he had travelled to for most of his skating life to train.
In the past, either his family butter or when she got older, Kyuoka, would take him there and drop him off
So this was actually his first time coming here by himself.
The train ride alone had taken about thirty-five minutes, followed by another ten-minute bus ride. After the long journey, Zanka finally reached his destination.
A small private skating rink centre.
Zanka reached for his phone, pulling it out of his pocket and waking the screen as he climbed the stairs.
It was 5:01 p.m.
He was late, but not too late, considering he was supposed to be here ten minutes ago.
Removing the earphones from his ears, he placed them both in his bag as he made his way into the building. The automatic door opened as he approached, and he stepped inside before letting it close behind him.
The place was cool, dimly lit, and quiet. There was no distant voices or music playing from the speaker in the rink or sound of hundreds of blades gliding across the ice, just one, his coach and he was sure of that.
It hadn't changed a single bit.
Just like he remembered.
The same faded poster decorated the wall, it was from an event that happened a long time ago, that involved a couple of great skaters in the past, his former coach included. The benches along the hallway were still in the same places, and even the faint smell of cold minty air still felt strangely familiar to him.
The front desk was empty as usual, no one standing behind it.
To his right was the path leading toward the rink. From where he stood, he could already see the faint shine of the ice reflecting the dim lights above.
He quickly went to his left, where the changing room was.
The blonde didn't waste time as quickly changing into his skatewear before quickly fastening his skates, the stoppers still attached to each blade. He placed his bag inside the locker he had always used, 031 he still had the key with him, the same one that had been given to him when he training here.
After locking it, he hooked the key onto the edge of his blue water bottle as he pushed the door open, walking into the hallway.
He walked down the path, every step echoing through the narrow walls.
A distance ahead, a tall figure was walking toward him.
At first, Zanka could only make out their silhouette. They wore a long coat that reached below their knees, and a pair of skates hung from their left hand.
he narrowed his eyes at the figure. Is that Coach?
No, It couldn't be. the coach he knew didn't have long hair that reached below his arms. The stranger's hair was loose as it flowed down on both sides of their body as they slowly approached him.
They had a slim figure, so for a second, Zanka thought it was a woman.
But all those guesses did nothing to prepare him for who it actually was.
Zanka slowed his steps.
Then finally came to a stop when they were only an arm's length apart.
A shocked expression filled his face, his pupils dilated as the surprise quickly turned into complete disbelief.
"..."
???
Why the hell is—
“Fancy running into you here~” the stranger said, a tiny grin spreading across his now-visible face “hmm~~ Zan-ka”
Their name echoing through Zanka's mind, but refused to be altered from his lips.
Tamsy Caines
Even those who knew nothing about the figure-skating world knew that name.
The history maker.
The gold medalist.
The legend.
Those were the names associated with him.
Born in Japan and currently twenty-four years old, no one knew for sure if he was actually Japanese. But that was what the ISU website under his name stated.
There was no information about his family or background. Nothing. It was as if he had simply been dropped onto Earth by the gods themselves.
That was all anyone actually knew about him.
And that was what made everyone want to know more.
He was an enigma, really.
And that was how all sorts of rumors began circulating around him.
Some said he was the prince of a lost European empire. A believable rumor, considering his pale golden hair — which, by the way, was completely natural — and those almond-colored eyes.
Others claimed he was connected to the mafia or some shady gang and thats how and where he got those huge scars from, maybe from a conflict that happened when he was much younger.qqqqq
His fans sure were delusional
But Zanka had to admit he almost believed that one.
About four years ago, a news story, accompanied by a blurry photo, had circulated across the internet. Tamsy had supposedly been sighted in Chinatown, having dinner at a luxurious restaurant with a very famous man.
A month later, that man was exposed as a crimelord and mastermind behind an international child-smuggling operation.
When the man was questioned about his relationship with Tamsy, he denied knowing him, claiming he had never even heard the man's name before.
Tamsy himself never came forward or said anything about the incident. He seemed completely obvious to the whole situation. Due to his indifferencne, his fans claimed the photograph had been a fake - AI some said - or that the person in it wasn't even Tamsy at all.
Another popular rumor was that he had a secret family, maybe even a little brother or sister.
Or perhaps he was secretly a millionaire or something.
Everyone was left in the dark when it came to this man – even his coaches, whom he changed every year after entering the senior division knew nothing of him.
To everyone outside, who cheered for him by the sideline of the rinkside or from their homes watching on their TVs, he was an idol, the gods angel, an awe-inspiring figure
The one who rrepresented the modern ice figure skating itself. That was how they saw him.
But to his competitors and fellow skaters though, he was an obstacle they couldn't even dream of overcoming — a level in a game that was simply unreachable. Some tried rivaling with him but ultimately failed along the way. He even heard that most of them quit figure skating professionally, saying
"what was the point if there was no chance in winning gold"
Some wished and prayed he would just retire already and let someone else - different - take the throne. But as they noticed pretty soon, that under his chrismatic facade was a man who was just greedy, and they knew that would never happen because he just does what ever he wanted - being a sore pain in his opponents ass
Ever since making his debut in the juniors, he had won gold at every competition up until now.
The only skater in history to achieve such a feat.
The first time Zanka saw the man in person was during his last year in the junior division, two years ago.
Zanka won gold that year, but that wasn't what everyone was talking about.
The skater who stole everyone's hearts was the bronze medalist: Rudo Surebrec, a dear and annoying brat of a friend and Japanese figure skater.
After the award ceremony, away from the noise, flashing cameras, and reporters, Zanka saw Tamsy standing in the shadows, talking with Rudo.
He had actually walked in on them.
Tamsy had been giving Rudo a box of well-known candy as a reward for his performance.
He and Tamsy exchanged a few words. Just congratulations, along with a box of sweets that Zanka awkwardly accepted.
Rudo and Tamsy seemed close.
Well, Zanka had heard they trained at the same club back in Japan.
Tamsy Caines
To him, Tamsy was a genius, a gem of a kind in his generation, one of the few skaters Zanka had looked up to – learning from his skating style – growing up.
But last year, things changed when he completed with the man for the first time.
He had shared the podium with Tamsy, only to be left in the dust alongside Jabber, trailing behind him by seventeen points.
Another gifted skater Zanka just needed to surpass.
And honestly, these geniuses were always annoying, standing around like they owned the place.
So now what was the Tamsy doing in Russia, in this rink centre, standing right in front of him?
First that idiot, Jabber, now him
He let out a tired sigh
Was there a party happening in here that I wasnt aware of or what??
Still staring at his smug expression, Zanka broke the silence.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ohh” A small chuckle escaped Tamsy’s mouth. “It’s been so long...since i saw you, you've grown taller huhh... When was it…”
He paused.
“Last year?”
Zanka remained quiet, waiting for his answer.
Tamsy sighed. “Well… just a little trip to Russia. Not much, really.”
The two-toned blond hummed, eyeing the older man suspiciously.
“You know that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“Anyway…” The taller man was already getting ready to change the subject, a knowing smirk spreading across his face.
“I didn’t know you were back with your old coach, hmm?”
“It’s nothing like that. I just need to brush a few things up with him.”
“Ohh, really?”
“I bet Enjin would be pretty down about it when he finds out.”
Zanka went quiet. For a moment, he reconsidered his decision to do this, second-guessing himself.
But he quickly brushed the thought aside.
“You know…” The older blond began “Dear Rudo wanted to tag along with me, talking about how he really wanted to see you guys again”
A pause.
“I almost gave in, but he had qualifiers coming up, you know?” He let out an annoyed sigh that he didn't bother to hide.
“Plus, the old man of his coach said otherwise.”
Um—
“Well…” Tamsy interrupted his thoughts “I just needed a few pointers from the Russia's ice fairy<span;> ”
His eyes drifted back toward the rink for a flicker then it returned back to him.
“You know, Enjin dropped me off here…”
Zanka stared at him in shock. Huhh? Seriously?
Tamsy began walking.
“No worries, though.” He lightly patted Zanka on the shoulder. “I won't tell him your little secret.”
He brushed past him, then halted just behind him.
“Yeah, almost forgot…” His voice carried a hint of amusement. “What was the name of that treat you sent to Rudo last month? He’s been going on and on about it. The little guy couldn't even remember the brand name.”
He chuckled.
Zanka quietly mentioned the name, and the older blond continued on his way.
“...break a leg.”
Was what Zanka barely heard from him before the automatic door slowly closed with a hiss, leaving him alone in the hallway.
He quickly snapped out of it and made his way toward the rinkside.
His coach — or well his former coach — was on the ice, in all his glory.
The ice and the lights twinkled beautifully around him, as if he had always belonged there.
And, of course, he did.
He was Yuri Plisetsky.
Two-time Grand Prix champion, a world champion. A skater who had broken world records several times throughout his career.
The Ice Tiger of Russia.
The ever-evolving monster who had continued surpassing every expectation placed on him from a very young age, until he eventually left competitive skating at the age of twenty-nine.
He had been offered coaching positions at several famous clubs around the world, but the Russian punk declined every single one.
His response??
“I'm not gonna coach some puny little brats.”
Well, Zanka didn't really know what had changed when his mother told him that Yuri Plisetsky was going to coach him.
That was when he learned that not all geniuses are great teachers.
Even with all his achievements, Zanka could admit that Yuri kind of sucked at coaching. Though the older man would never admit that.
Plisetsky was more of a teach-by-showing-it-off type.
He would normally demonstrate something himself — a glide, a spin or a jump — then expected Zanka to follow his example to the letter, correcting every mistake with nothing more than a click of his tongue.
Little Zanka had tried his best to absorb his teachings, and slowly, he got the hang of it.
It was under Plisetsky's guidance that he won gold during his novice and advanced novice years, as well as throughout part of his junior career.
Despite his icy exterior, his coach had taught him much more than how to win medals.
He taught him how to tell the story of a program, how to perform, how to convey emotion to the crowd and judges.
And, of course, the technicalities of figure skating itself, something Yuri was, for the most part, very good at teaching.
And now, at forty-two, more than a decade later, he was still on the ice, skating so elegantly that it was as if age had done nothing to his skills.
At the edge of the rink, Zanka's azure eyes never left the figure gliding across the ice.
Plisetsky pushed off once, and another, his blade's outside edge carving simple S-curves into the ice. His arms rested elegantly and effortlessly at his sides.
It was as if he were skating to a melody, yet no music played through the speakers.
Then he positioned himself for a jump.
A jump?
Increasing his speed, he approached the takeoff as he launched himself into the air, his arms pulled tightly against his chest. He made clean three and a half rotations.
Zanka's eyes widened in pure shock at the sight before him.
What?
He could still do a triple Axel?
Gravity brought Yuri back down to the ice, and he landed softly.
It had been a long while since Zanka had seen him jump.
And as usual it was still as effortless as ever... I guess
Then those green eyes locked onto Zanka's blue ones.
Zanka was still standing at the rinkside, awe written all over his face.
“Oiii, Zankaa!” Yuri's loud voice snapped him back to reality “Come on! What are you doing? Get on the ice. You're frinkin late.”
“Yeah comin'”
Zanka removed the blade guards from his skates and placed them on a nearby bench beside his water bottle before stepping onto the ice.
He pushed himself forward, skating toward Yuri until he finally reached him in the center of the rink.
As he approached, he noticed that Yuri had his hair tied into a loose ponytail that reached just below his neckline, with a few strands framing both sides of his face.
His skatewear consisted of a tight black T-shirt, dark navy trousers, and his signature silver-colored skates that shimmered beneath the rink lights.
“I'm sorry for coming late,” Zanka managed to say, though his tone wasn't nearly as remorseful as it should have been.
Yuri simply sighed.
“Whatever. Little brats these days just do whatever they want.”
Then he properly looked at him, his expression becoming more serious.
“Anyways,” Yuri began, “I didn't expect your call yesterday”
A beat.
“You want me to help you with restructuring a old program and all, which is fine with me. I'm hella bored anyways, but…”
He narrowed his eyes.
“Are you seriously about that last part?”
They were quiet for a few seconds before Zanka broke the silence.
“Yes. I'm very serious about that part.” He said it with a completely neutral expression.
“I want you to help me land a quad Axel.”
A quad Axel.
One of the most difficult jumps in figure skating history, with the most GOE and highest entry of difficulty, requiring four and a half rotations in the air.
Even elite skaters have struggled to land it cleanly in official competition.
And just as recently as last year, the first figure skater in history, he had manage to land that jump successfully, all 4 rotations and a half completed to prefection, no fall or underrotations at all
A beat passed.
Then Yuri let out a chuckle, as though the younger blond had just said something completely ridiculous.
“Hahh.” He shook his head. “Since when did you become a comedian, huh, Zanka?”
The boy in question went quiet for a moment.
“I bet Enjin shut that idea down, and that's why you came to me.”
“Well, that's half the truth, but yeah,” Zanka managed to say.
He had tried the jump countless times during practice, with failure being the usual outcome.
Sometimes there weren't enough rotations, or he couldn't stay in the air long enough for the last half turn or other times he simply wasn't fast enough going into the jump.
Even with Enjin's assistance and a harness, Zanka could only manage the rotations during off-ice training.
But once he stepped onto the ice, he failed the jump every single time.
And he hated it.
He had tried convincing Enjin countless times to help him land it, to give him more time to work on it—especially after seeing it performed by that annoying idiot during last year's Grand Prix.
But Enjin had told him not to focus solely on the jump and how they needed to polish his other skills and jumps as well. How he was great at other stuff too.
Zanka knew that.
Of course he did.
Jumps were important, yeah, but they weren't everything.
He understood that more than anyone.
But he needed to land this one.
Something deep inside him simply wouldn't let him rest until he had accomplished it and that burning desire had only grown stronger after Zanka saw him a few weeks ago.
The only person who might actually help him, regardless of how impossible it seemed, was the man standing in front of him.
“Mannn, look at the look in your eyes,” Yuri blurted out, sounding hardly surprised at all.
“You're not joking, are you?”
Zanka simply stared at him.
“What? Is it because that Spanish skater landed it last year?”
The younger blond said nothing.
"tsk nu ty i upryámets" Yuri muttered under his breath, an annoyed sigh following soon after.
“Fine.”
He shrugged. “I don't know if you'll be able to do it. Even I haven't landing that jump successfully.”
His gaze shifted toward the rink ahead as he lightly brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear.
“But we'll manage somehow.”
He looked back at the younger blond.
“And we'll incorporate it into your new program.” Yuri stared directly into Zanka's azure eyes. “What you achieve depends entirely on you and how much you improve during this week.”
“So arrive one hour early, brat.” he added giving Zanka a light chop on the head.
“Ohh sorry 'bout that.”
“...And as usual, prepare yourself.”
“Right...”