Chapter Text
It was as if Nathan’s world stopped. Like the whole world, the people in front of them, the walking crowd outside the cafè, just everything glued to where they are. Not moving.
He stared at the figure in front of him. He looks shy. Yuzuru has been fixing his hair again and again even though he looks no less than beautiful. The Japanese looks uneasy and Nathan knows he needs to say something because the silence is getting longer and longer but he is still taking his time making everything sink.
“ Can you say something? “, Yuzuru broke as he tucked his hair behind his ear again.
Nathan blinked his eyes and cleared his throat. Inside his head there is a ton of things running back and forth. Yuzuru might like him and it’s making his head ache, in a weirdly good way. Very good way.
“You like me?”, Nathan asked
“Might, I might”, Yuzuru corrected.
“What makes you unsure?”, Nathan asked again.
“I, I don’t know what kind of like”, Yuzuru answered.
Oh, Nathan thought. I might get friend or brother zoned here. His heart sunk a bit but he brushed that feeling off. He should think positive. Right, this is his chance. The chance he has been waiting for.
For the past months he wasn’t sure of how Yuzuru really feel. Gosh he isn’t even sure if the Japanese is fond of him even just a bit and now that Yuzuru might like him in a not a very sure way, Nathan is taking this chance, even just this small chance.
“Well, that’s a little hard then”, Nathan said and took a sip to his unattended coffee. Yuzuru looked away from him and the setting sun hits the latter’s face making it glow more.
Can someone look this stunning? Nathan asked no one, and he knows Yuzuru is the only one capable of looking like that.
“I want to be friends with you”, Yuzuru said and Nathan looked at him, shocked of the statement.
“Aren’t we friends?”, Nathan half exclaimed.
“I mean, closer”, Yuzuru said and Nathan sweared it was the cutest moment he witnessed.
“How close?”, Nathan asked even how stupid it may sound, he still asked. Yuzuru gave him a questioning look. The Japanese is thinking so hard on how to answer Nathan and the American wanted to pinch his cheeks so badly but he stopped himself. Not yes, just not yet.
“Ummm, I don’t know. Maybe closer than before?”, Yuzuru manageed to answer and Nathan chuckled.
“What’s funny?”, Yuzuru asked and Nathan shook his head.
“No, nothing. You’re just cute”, Nathan commented, maybe a little unaware of the small blush hinting on the Japanese’ cheeks. Yuzuru lowered his head, wanting to hide the burning sensation growing on his face.
“Baka”, he softly mumbled and Nathan asked him what he just said.
“Nothing”, he brushed it off as he looked anywhere else but the person in front of him.
“You know, I’m very happy that this turned out the exact opposite of what I imagined.”, Nathan said.
“I thought you’ll tell me to get lost, fuck off and dissappear”, Nathan remembered the throbbing of his heart by the thought of not being able to talk to Yuzuru again.
“I’m really glad that didn’t happen.”, he then added looking straight at Yuzuru, not minding how cringe he may sound.
“You just cursed”, Yuzuru commented and Nathan laughed.
“With everything I said, all you heard was my cursing”, Nathan said in between laughs.
Yuzuru smiled at him and nodded.
“But seriously Yuzu, I missed you”, Nathan said.
Yuzuru on the other hand wanted to say the same thing. It’s been a while since they talked and seeing the younger face to face felt really good.
“You are weird”, that’s what he managed to say. Yuzuru is very confused of what he really feels about Nathan. He likes him but he is not very sure in what way. He doesn’t what to haste things. He wants to be sure, very sure before he jumps in.
This, what they have right not is okay. He oddly feels contented of what they have. His trying his best to label it. Friends? Friends who likes each other more than how it should be? Is that even possible to call a relationship like that? Yuzuru is very unfamiliar. It’s a new territory he never imagined to step in to. All his life, there is only skating, his family, Javier and other things relating to the said three but then Nathan entered the scene and made a whole lot of mess that almost drive him to the edge. Luckily, before that even happen he was able to pull himself and tell the younger skater how he feels. Well maybe not how he really feel because it’s still very unclear but he is sure now, he likes Nathan.
“Hmmm, so how should I call us”, as if Nathan could read Yuzuru’s mind, he asked the same question Yuzuru is asking himself again and again.
Yuzuru is thinking again, that cute expression plastered on his face when he is thinking very seriously.
“Hey, no need to think too much. We’re friends for now. That’s better right.”, Nathan announced and Yuzuru nodded at him.
Nathan still can’t help to chuckle at the fact that Yuzuru wanted to grow closer. How close? That’s the question, but Nathan can’t wait on how things are going to unfold from now on. He is not very sure of how to approach this ‘maybe closer than before’ friendship but he will surely do his best to not stay as friends forever.
“I’m going to pester you again so be prepared”, Nathan announced and Yuzuru made a disapproving expression.
“You said it yourself, closer right?”, Nathan said and Yuzuru ended up nodding his head again.
“Just don’t overdo it. You’re annoying sometimes”, Yuzuru said. There goes his straightforwardness which doesn’t even feel offending at all. Nathan knows he can be annoying sometimes but an annoyed Yuzuru is a cute Yuzuru.
“You know, you could say something sweet once in a while.”, Nathan said earning a ‘duh’ from Yuzuru.
“Sweet?”, Yuzuru asked
“Yeah. Like some compliments on how good I look today or how I look awesome whenever I do this or do that.”, Nathan explained and he knows by looking at Yuzuru that the other is not very keen in welcoming the idea.
The Japanese is looking at him sheer disgust and it looks very funny.
“You don’t really need to give me that look like I said something very offending”, Nathan said and Yuzuru’s expression intensified. Nathan laughed out loud.
“Okay fine, you don’t need to do that.”, Nathan said and Yuzuru looked really releived.
“Am I that ugly that you look like you’d rather die than give a freakin compliment?”, Nathan joke and the Japanese stayed silent just looking straight at him.
“You’re not ugly”, Yuzuru said and Nathan didn’t know how to react.
“Okay, i’ll take that as a compliment. Thank you”, Nathan said and Yuzuru muttered a ‘ Youre welcome’ back at him.
Yuzuru is not very sure of how to start a conversation that will make both of them excited and interested. He is afraid that his interest will not entertain Nathan and giving a compliment is not Yuzuru’s daily doing. Sure he can take a lot of things he can praise the younger skater but right now, they won’t go out properly.
“ I’m sorry”, Yuzuru then said that caught Nathan off guard.
“What are you sorry about?”, Nathan asked in confusion.
“I’m , I’m not very good at this. I’m shy when talking to you and I don’t know why. I can’t say what I want to say. I always say something else.”, Yuzuru mumbled and Nathan is very sure he just received a confession. He is grinning from ear to ear but he is trying hard to hide it because he doesn’t want Yuzuru to feel more shy as he said he is.
“I want to tell you something good but I don’t know how”, Yuzuru said, his brows creasing, waving his hand in front of him animatedly as he speak.
“Well, you can start from breathing in, breathing out, pause for a little and shoot all the things you want to say”, Nathan explained, remember that article he read back then when he got nothing else to do which talked about conquering fear on opening up or something.
Outside, the busy street is less crowded and the cafè is still busy with customers coming in and out. Nathan took the sip of his remaining coffee when he noticed Yuzuru breathing in heavily in front of him and letting the air he consumed out with a long sigh. Yuzuru looked at him for a good five seconds and Nathan’s heart stopped at that very moment.
“I’m glad I have you here today Nathan.”, Yuzuru then said
Nathan’s eyes grew big as a saucer and his heart pounding through his ribs.
“I missed you too”, Yuzuru then added and Nathan’s almost fainted.
It’s a bad idea.
Yuzuru Hanyu is a pretty bad idea and he’s loving every bit of it.