Work Text:
There’s a Difference Between Billiards and Artistic Pool
“What’s your talent?” Yuri asks eagerly. “Going to DJ for us?” he suggests with a smirk. “Maybe cool motorcycle tricks? Can you pop a wheelie?”
Yuri’s enthusiasm doesn’t let up as Otabek shakes his head and keeps his lips sealed as the next skater takes to the ice. Each guess gets more and more ridiculous.
“It’s not fair.” Otabek doesn’t have to say anything more.
JJ doesn’t seem bothered by his score and leaves the Kiss and Cry to mingle with press with a grin on his face: there’s not a single fake juggling pin in sight. Yuri abandons his warmup in order to approach Otabek despite Yakov’s loud protests.
“What’s your talent?” Yuri asks eagerly. “Going to DJ for us?” he suggests with a smirk. “Maybe cool motorcycle tricks? Can you pop a wheelie?”
Yuri’s enthusiasm doesn’t let up as Otabek shakes his head and keeps his lips sealed as the next skater takes to the ice. Each guess gets more and more ridiculous.
“You’ll see,” Otabek says once the skater’s music has ended.
Yuri suddenly notices that Otabek doesn’t have his skates on. He had declined to take to the ice for warmup that day. In fact, he’s never changed into them. Or his Free Skate outfit.
“You should watch,” Yuri interrupts as he barges his way into the little circle of press that has JJ at the center. “Otabek’s next.”
JJ cranes his head a bit to watch the skater head for two extra wide doors that had been used as the entranceway for the black Cadillac seated next to the ice. Something motorcycle related seems most likely, but JJ holds his hand up to silence a reporter when the doors open, Otabek disappears within them, and then he and a number of other people begin to wheel a large table in.
“Billiards,” JJ says as he heads over to get a better look.
The table is dark wood, covered in green baize, and a triangular rack of balls rattles in the middle of it. A security guard trails behind with three cue sticks and a box of chalk. It takes only seconds for the table to be settled and Otabek offers a single wave to the crowd.
“Playing for Kazakhstan,” the announcer changes automatically, “Otabek Altin!”
Yuri shouts a single “davai!” while JJ and Otabek locks eyes. Otabek shrugs off his warmup jacket to reveal a simple button down and then pulls on a pair of fingerless gloves. He arranges the balls as needed and then holds an extra one up: it’s stark white with a single red pattern on it shaped like a maple leaf. Otabek removes the rack around the balls, grabs a cue stick, and then climbs onto the table when his music begins. He sets the red and white ball down on the table, aims with the cue, and then the balls break: every single one slides into a pocket and the maple leaf ball rolls back to the center of the table. The stadium erupts.
“Trick shots,” JJ corrects while he claps loud and hard.
Otabek offers a bow before hopping off the table. He retrieves his balls, sets them up as desired, and then lays the two extra cues on the table. He breaks the balls, and Yuri loses his head when Otabek jumps the red and white ball over each stick as he aims for certain colors. The precision required to play pool, let alone do any type of trick shots, is boggling.
Otabek makes a number of shots as his music continues and then gets up onto the table when it begins to end. He glances at Yuri and JJ and then snaps a cue over his knee before (carefully) throwing the pieces onto the ice and lifting the white and white ball. He gets a standing ovation.
“That was so badass!” Yuri gushes once Otabek has returned rink side. “Way more badass than juggling!”
JJ just raises his eyebrows. “I’ll light my pins on fire next time.”
“You can do that?” Otabek asks.
JJ nods firmly once and then accepts the maple leaf ball when Otabek offers it. “Thank you.”