Work Text:
The first three stages of courtship are:
1. The First Couple of Dates, in Which You Behave Like a Total Gentleman
It had been a rough skate, with a fall and a popped triple axel. Brian offered a tight smile and patted Javier on the back as they sat down in the kiss and cry.
Brian brought out Javier’s tissue box, which now had a Mickey Mouse cover on it. “You know, this kind of reminds me of Yuzuru’s.”
Javier’s face, once gloomy, suddenly brightened up. “Oh, yeah! It was a gift from Yuzuru. I like to match.” He pulled out a few tissues and blew his nose, the corners of his mouth curled up into the tiniest of smiles.
“Huh,” Brian said. “That was nice of him.”
**
Tracy winced as Yuzuru crashed hard onto the ice. Javier was there immediately, offering a hand up.
She smiled. It was nice to see her students supporting each other.
Javier held Yuzuru’s hand as he pulled him up gently, and slipped a hand around the other skater's waist. He left his hands where they were, one holding Yuzuru’s hand and the other settled comfortably on his hip, as they skated back to the boards.
Javier let Yuzuru get off the ice first. As Yuzuru bent down to put on his skate guards, Javier’s hand found his waist again, holding him steady as he did so.
Tracy blinked.
**
Brian and Tracy had their annual meeting to discuss where they wanted to take each of their skaters. When they came to Javier, Brian paused carefully. “Hey. About Javier and Yuzuru… you don’t think they’re… you know…”
Tracy thought about it for a second. “They’re just good friends,” she said finally.
“Yeah,” Brian said. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Little did they know that it would only get worse from here on out.
**
2. The ‘Taking Care of Each Other in Ways That Disgust All of Your Other Friends’ Phase
Sean was sitting next to Yuzuru on the rinkside bench, taking a break to watch some of the other skaters. Yuzuru was fiddling around with a small pouch of something he insisted was edible, though it looked more like a science experiment than anything Sean would want to eat.
Javier joined them, taking a seat next to Yuzuru’s other side. “What are you eating, Yuzu?”
“Soybean powder. Good for you.” Yuzuru looked over and smiled softly. “You never try before?”
Javier shook his head.
“Try some!” Yuzuru offered eagerly.
Javier tilted his head back and opened his mouth. Yuzuru shook some of it inside.
Javier’s mouth worked. “Hm. It’s… hm.”
Yuzuru laughed. He twisted open his own water bottle and gave it to Javier, which Javier chugged promptly. He handed it back, and Yuzuru handed him a tissue before taking a few sips out of the same bottle.
In front of them, a skater wiped out on a single toe, but Sean was too busy gaping at Javier and Yuzuru.
**
3. The 'We Can’t Keep Our Hands Off Each Other' Phase
They stood there for the medal ceremony photograph with their pageant smiles pasted on, their hands hidden behind each other’s waists. Gradually, Javier’s smile turned into a genuine grin, wide and mischievous.
“Javi, stop. Noo, stop,” Yuzuru protested half-heartedly. He started to giggle, and then tried to stop himself, elbowing Javier as he squirmed.
Richard adjusted his silver medal with both hands and wondered if he should be in this picture.
**
David finally found some free time and cornered Yuzuru by the rink, showing him the various pieces of music for consideration for next season’s programs.
Yuzuru was listening on his iPod earbuds, bopping his head. Javier was passing by when he stopped in his tracks and grinned. He moved over in front of Yuzuru and held out his palms.
Yuzuru smiled and took Javier’s hands, and the two skipped around the carpet like they were dancing.
Some of the other skaters were giving them baffled looks, but David just watched them with a fond smile. Ah, young love, he thought, and left to give them their privacy.
**
Elene wondered why she thought it would be a good idea to go out to dinner with them, knowing what she did.
Javier kept pinching Yuzuru in places that probably two grown men should not pinch each other in public, and Yuzuru kept going, “Javi, stooop!” in a way that indicated he didn’t really want Javier to stop. And then Yuzuru kept trying to kick Javier under the table, except the kicking soon turned to foot wrestling, and they kept brushing up against Elene’s calf, and it was getting seriously annoying and sexually harassing.
“Oh my god,” she said. “Would you two just make out already? Seriously!”
Javier had the audacity to look surprised at her, eyes turning wide and innocent. “We’re not in a relationship.”
“Yes, you are! You’ve been in one for the last two years!” Elene grabbed her bag, rolling her eyes at them. “Clueless!” she muttered, and stormed out of the restaurant.
Yuzuru stared after her. Then he looked at Javier. “Are we in a relationship?”
Javier fiddled around with his napkin, not looking up. “I don’t know. Do you want to be in one?’
“… I don’t know. What do we have to do?”
“Uh… the same things we’ve been doing, I guess. Except with more kissing.”
“Oh!” Yuzuru brightened. “Yes, I would like to be in a relationship.” He paused. “Do you?”
“Sure! I mean, yes, I would. Yes.”
“Okay.” They sat silently at the table, until Yuzuru spoke again. “So… should we get to the kissing part now?”
“Yes,” Javier agreed, both of them already halfway out of their seats and nearly tripping to get out of there. They had two years’ worth of kissing to make up for, apparently.