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A sigh escaped Phicht as he looked outside. Normally he would be on his way to his family now to spend christmas with them. Not this year. Due to really bad snow storms all planes were forced to stay on the ground. Thousands were stranded, not able to fly home or into their well deserved vacations. What the hell… snow storms in Spain???
Even though the airlines gave out coupons and the people got their money back or rooms paid it didn’t make up for the disappointment. it wasn’t the planes’ fault but still… it just wasn’t fair. Staying in the dorms of the training center seemed a bit lonely.
He had spent the last few weeks enjoying the pre-christmas time, visiting christmas markets, buying presents for his family and wrapping them as well as making christmas cookies. For that he had specifically looked for recipes from other countries and found out that Germany had a ton of tasty sounding christmas cookies. It had taken him a whole day to bake just 3 kinds of them. How did those Germans manage to bake twice the amount in the same time? It took him forever but in the end he deemed worth it (especially after trying one).
His phone buzzed and he quickly checked the message sent by his mother. It was a pic of them enjoying their time at the beach, together with a wish that he could be there with them. “I wish I could…” He mumbled and then sighed again. The Grand Prix Final was over and even though he had only scored 6th place, he wasn’t sad. No, if anything, he was even more determined to work harder and work his way up the latter, no matter what.
Phichit opened the window and took a picture to show the snowstorm to his family. They had never seen snow before and therefore responded with a slightly jealous “send some here!”. He just chuckled and then let himself fall back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. What could he do? Christmas was tomorrow, and he didn’t have the faintest clue if there was something he could participate in.
Why he had insisted on staying here a few more days was beyond him. Victor and Yuuri had flown out basically right after the big party, to visit Yuuri’s family. “Meeting the in-laws, huh?” Phichit had teased them, causing Victor to laugh and Yuuri to blush and stammer random things before the russian skater dragged him off. “Enjoy your honeymoon!” The thai skater had called after them before they disappeared around the next corner. “I should have left when they did…” He mumbled to himself and shoved another cookie into his mouth.
The first few hours of peace was nice but after that he started to grow impatient. Phichit never had been one to just lay around and do nothing. He wanted to do something, preferable with his friends or family. After another ten minutes of brooding he decided to take a look around - maybe someone else hadn’t made it out of Barcelona in time?
They could do things together… like watching cheesy movies in ugly christmas sweaters, exactly like the one he was wearing right now. It was full of random reindeer, red and white like christmas. To say he was proud of his purchase was a severe understatement. Even Victor had said how ugly it was. Phichit took that as a compliment.
The young thai skater got up and put on warmth clothes before making his way out of his room. The light was out so it was unlikely that lately had been here. He pouted and then looked outside, over to the training center. There the light was switched on. Surprised he lifted an eyebrow. Someone was there! Giddiness rose inside Phichit and he quickly rushed over to the other building, curious who shared his fate.
It was Seung-Gil. With wide eyes Phichit watched the other skater glide over the ice, gracefully as usual. While all skaters possessed a great amount of grace, there was something about the korean man that had Phichit hooked. Maybe it was because his technique was so different… he blinked before realizing that it was quite strange that the other was here. Not that he didn’t want him to be here, but… Seung-Gil hadn’t made it to the Grand Prix Final, so what was he doing here? Curiosity got the best of him and Phichit called out to the other, startling him. As a result Seung-Gil lost his balance and fell onto his butt, staring at him in shock.
“Oops, sorry.” Phichit scratched his neck and grinned playfully. “I didn’t mean to scare you. What are you doing here? I thought you went home after the Rostelecom Cup?” He asked and Seung-Gil sighed before making his way over to him. “I was at the Grand Prix Final. My coach said it would be good to learn something from the other skaters.” He replied and brushed a stray hair out of his face. “Then he left me here and I realized too late that there was a snowstorm coming. Now I have to stay here until the weather gets better.”
So both of them were stuck. Phichit caught himself almost rejoicing that he wouldn’t have to spend christmas alone - if the other would be okay with celebrating it together. “Well…” He mumbled and Seung-Gil looked at him questioningly. “If you want, we can spend christmas together. It’s tomorrow and it’s kind of sad to be alone, right?” Phichit suggested and took the other man by surprise. After all they hadn’t really talked that much before. Then again… why not.
“Sure.” Seung-Gil said and Phichit’s face lit up in happiness. “Really? That is wonderful!” He said gleefully. “Alright, then it’s settled. We can buy food tomorrow and eat the christmas cookies I made and watch movies and…” After that, Seung-Gil blanked out. Not that it mattered, he thought. Phichit seemed happy with rambling and since he didn’t have anything better to do, Seung-Gil nodded. “Why not.” He said and Phichit stopped talking. “Then we’ll meet tomorrow at 11 am in front of the center, so that we have enough time to go to the store.” With that he started sliding away and left the thai skater standing there with his mouth open.
Then another happy smile spread on Phichit’s lips and he nodded. “Perfect! I see you tomorrow then!” He called out. “Don’t overwork yourself!” And with that he disappeared through a door. Seung-Gil blinked a few times and then chuckled slightly. The other was really strange but he couldn’t say that he hated it. It was… refreshing.
The next day Phichit was surprised to see that Seung-Gil had been overly punctual and already waiting for him. “I’ve just arrived, so don’t worry.” The korean man said and Phichit smiled in relief. “Alright, then let’s go.” He said and dragged him towards the next supermarket. After their meeting yesterday he had spent some time on his computer, trying to find easy recipes that could be made with the ingredients Spain offered. Hopefully Seung-Gil would like the food he had chosen…
“So, I want to make egg rolls, curry, beef salad, and steamed fish.” Phichit told him while they were walking down the street. “What do you say?” Seung-Gil looked at him in surprise. “Well…” He said slowly. “It sounds good, but don’t you think it would be a bit much for just the two of us?” He wanted to know and Phichit scrunched his nose. The other had a point…. “Alright, then let’s narrow it down to egg rolls and curry!” He nodded. “Do you have any ideas?”
“We could make Dessert punch with persimmon, cinnamon, and ginger….” Seung-Gil suggested. “It’s easy to make.” That combination sounded a bit strange to him but Phichit was willing to at least try it. “Great idea!” He nodded.
It took them almost an hour in the supermarket to find it all. “Ah is this heavy!” Phichit whined and the other skater looked at him in amusement. The bags weren’t light weight but not too heavy either. All in all it was bearable. “It’s not far.” Seung-Gil said and gave him a small smile. Phichit blinked and looked at him in surprise. “You know…” He said slowly. “You should smile more often. You always look so serious.”
Together they made their way back and got right into cooking. It took longer than they thought, due to some bickering, which didn’t feel bad, more like two close friends who were spending a great time together. Phichit enjoyed their cooking and Seung-Gil's company. “You know, people say you are the ice prince but I don’t think that is true.” The thai skater said and gave him a wink. “You are just very reserved. I can see that in your skating. It is very precise, almost too prezise. You need to feel your skating with your heart. Here.”
Phichit laid his hand on his chest and smiled. “Technique is good but without heart all the technique isn’t worth anything.” He explained and Seung-Gil looked at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected the other to say something like that but it was nice. Even though they were competing for the same thing, they weren’t enemies. “I will take that into consideration.” Seung-Gil said and stirred the food a bit so that it wouldn’t burn.
Four hours later they were laying in front of the huge TV, watching some sappy Christmas Love Story Movie. The food had been amazing and now they didn’t want to move for a few hours. “You know…” Seung-Gil started and closed his eyes. “You are an amazing skater, Phichit. Sure, all of us are but you just have something so amazing. You skate with all your heart and passion. That is what makes it so refreshing to watch you.”
“Wow…” Phichit blinked and then smiled. “I am glad you feel that way. It’s what I want to transmit to other people. Make them feel how I feel. Skating is my life and I want to show that to everyone.” He explained softly and their eyes met. “Sometimes I lack a bit of technique though. That’s why I like watching you, to learn.”
Both men smiled. It was clear that both were enjoying their time together. Despite being completely different they got along well and that slowly a bond started to form. What it exactly was, they couldn’t say. The very least a friendship, Phichit thought and watched Seung-Gil, which was returned by the other. “Merry Christmas, Seungie.” The thai skater said and the other blinked in confusion, not having expected the nickname. Then he chuckled. “Merry Christmas, Pichit.”
FIN