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It’d been one month so far. The first two weeks had been rough -- the kid just looked absolutely miserable across the ice, and it was hard to see the original promise through the air of melancholy that always seemed to drag around him -- but lately he seemed to be adjusting more smoothly. When it came time for his first end-of-the-month meeting, Yuzuru actually seemed to be looking forward to it; he nearly skipped into the office, greeting Brian with a genuine smile and wave, and landed in his seat with aplomb.
Brian always preferred to sit on the edge of his desk, closing the distance between him and his skaters. “We’re just here to talk about any concerns that either of us have,” he explained. “I know that moving here has gotta be a hard adjustment, and I want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to help. How are you feeling? How is everybody treating you so far?”
Yuzuru likely didn’t understand much of what Brian just said; all the same, he nodded, smiling. “Yes. Good. All people here nice.”
Brian sighed. He really should have remembered to call the translator in for this. “How about Javi? Are you getting along with him okay? I know a big deal’s been made about giving the two of you equal attention. I want to make sure you feel like you’re getting taken care of, and you’re not feeling crowded or neglected or anything.”
“Javi?” Yuzuru seemed surprised by the question. “Javi is friend. Most… big… friend. Help… much.” He nodded. “Bus. Food. English.”
“Oh. Javier’s been teaching you English?” At Yuzuru’s nod, Brian made a face. “Well… I don’t know that Javi is the best person to be teaching you English,” he said, imagining a Japanese man speaking English with a Spanish accent. “That’s just…”
“But… Javi help. Everything. Always,” Yuzuru insisted. “He said.”
“I know. But he might not be the best person to help you with this particular issue.”
He could see Yuzuru furrow his brow, trying to follow him. “Javi is bad teacher?”
“No, no. But English isn’t his first language either,” Brian reminded him. “And… well, sometimes… he might not always be the most reliable person. He just tends to… you know. Goof off.” He tried to imagine Javier staying serious long enough to actually teach an entire lesson of anything -- Javier, who sometimes ditched practice and had Brian calling him throughout the day to see if he was coming, who preferred to crack jokes and play pranks during group sessions, acting as if he were trying to win the class clown vote rather than any serious competition.
He could tell that he had totally lost Yuzuru. Yuzuru was just staring blankly at the space behind Brian’s ear.
Brian sighed. Maybe it was more important that Yuzuru have someone he felt safe around, someone who made him feel comfortable, rather than someone who could teach him perfect English. And maybe this would be good for Javier too, to be responsible for somebody else’s learning. “All right. Let’s just leave it for now. But keep me posted on how it’s going.”
**
“One of the best ways to learn is to go outside and use your English,” Javier was telling him, as they rode their rented bicycles. “We’ll go lots of places. We can go eat, go dancing… learn English and have fun too!”
Yuzuru nodded, though Javier could tell that he didn’t really understand. He pedaled dutifully behind Javier; they came to a stop at the bike rack in the parking lot next to the recreational area, where all the picnic tables were. As Yuzuru locked their bikes, Javier stretched his arms and inhaled deeply.
“This is a park.” Javier gestured all around him –- at the vast expanse of well-kept grass, the oft-trod dirt paths, the dots of people exercising and milling about. “Park.”
“Park,” Yuzuru repeated. “Why here…?”
“I’ll show you. Come on.” He made his way up the grassy hill, turning back to tug Yuzuru up with him. Javier led him to a cleared area, where it was just the shade of trees and the grass a cool blanket underneath them, the occasional sounds of kids playing drifting through the air.
Javier plopped down onto the grass, hands behind his head as he lay down. “We’ve been working long enough, Yuzu. Let’s take a break!”
Yuzuru looked carefully at where he was going to sit, brushing away some of the moisture on the grass, before settling down crosslegged. He looked over at Javier. “?” his face said.
Javier laughed and grabbed the back of Yuzuru’s hoodie, pulling him prone onto the grass. Yuzuru made a short yelping sound, but didn’t protest otherwise as his back hit the ground.
“Don’t think so hard, Yuzuru, just enjoy the sun! It’s nice this time of year.” Javier let his mouth stretch into a contented grin, feeling the sun warm on his skin. “Don’t get me wrong, skating is nice and all… but sometimes I wish I picked a sport where I didn’t have to be cold all the time. Like football.” He sighed. “The sun isn’t out very often here like in Madrid, so you have to take advantage of it when it comes. Sometimes I just want to lie here all day and soak it up.”
Yuzuru lay down with him for about five minutes, then he sat up, bits of grass in his hair and stains all over his back. ”Done. What now?”
“Hmm,” Javier said, but he let Yuzuru help him up. “You need to learn to relax longer.”
“Relax?” Yuzuru said, cocking his head.
“You know. Relax.” He put his hands behind his head and pretended to lounge around. ”Ahh.”
Yuzuru still looked at him quizzically.
“I’ll teach you the meaning of ‘relax’ later,” Javier said. He perked up, spotting the swing set. “Hey, let’s get on the swings.” He ran for the sand pit, Yuzuru trailing behind him.
“Sit,” Javier said, demonstrating for him. He got up out of the swing and turned around to the back. “I’ll push.”
“Ohh. Sit. Push,” Yuzuru said, nodding. He put his hands on Javier’s shoulders and tried to push him down onto the swing seat.
“No, you sit, I push,” Javier corrected.
“You sit, I push,” Yuzuru repeated.
Javier put his hands on his hips. “Who’s the teacher here?”
Yuzuru stared at Javier for a long, long second. For a moment, Javier thought that he was going to walk away -- but then Yuzuru gave a quick, decisive nod. “I am a student. Teacher say. I will do.”
If it were possible to sit down on a swing seat with grit and determination, then Yuzuru was one of the few who had somehow mastered that feat. Javier suppressed a laugh as Yuzuru sat down in one swift motion, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his fingers locked tightly around the chains. “Ready!” Yuzuru asserted.
“The point is to relax, Yuzu. Here we go!” Javier placed his hands on Yuzuru’s back and pushed forward on his feet, following through a few steps.
Despite his earlier protests, Yuzuru let out a squeal in delight, his legs swinging wildly in the air. “Javi!”
Smiling, Javier watched as Yuzuru returned to him, reaching up to give another solid, sturdy push onto his back. When Yuzuru got high enough, Javier hurried into the swing next to him and pushed himself off with his feet. “High,” he called out to Yuzuru. “Higher!”
“Higher!” Yuzuru laughed.
“Highest!” Javier cried out, as he neared the apex of his swing, Yuzuru a few seconds behind him.
On a dare, they threw themselves out of their swings; Javier first, messily, then Yuzuru trying to land on his feet and failing. Javier chuckled, shaking sand out of his pants as he gave Yuzuru a hand up.
They continued along one of the paths, venturing over to the other side of the park. Yuzuru’s mouth spread into a bright smile. “Ah!” He grabbed Javier’s hand and ran towards the pond, Javier catching up to meet his pace. “How to say…”
The little mallards quacked in front of them, their green heads huddled together as they gathered by the water. “Ducks,” Javier supplied. He pointed to the other birds pecking breadcrumbs around the bench. “Palomas.”
Yuzuru watched them, riveted. “Hato. Palomas.”
“Hato?”
Yuzuru pointed to the pigeons. “Meaning palomas!”
The sun was past high noon now. Reluctantly, Javier tugged on Yuzuru’s hand, and the two of them started to head back round to the north side of the park, where they had left their bikes. They were about to near a woman’s flower stand on the path; Javier saw her eyes zero in on their interlocked hands with a purely businesslike interest, before she looked up at them with a sunny, welcoming smile. “Young man! A flower for your handsome lover?”
Javier laughed. “Oh, we’re not…”
He stopped. He glanced back at Yuzuru. Yuzuru, who was looking over curiously at the woman and her flowers, without an ounce of understanding.
Javier blushed and nodded. “Okay! I’ll get a flower for my lover.” He pulled Yuzuru’s hand up, and Yuzuru came forward hesitantly. “Yuzuru, which one do you like?”
“Buy?” Yuzuru questioned. He pointed to the yellow camellias.
Javier nodded towards the camellias. As soon as he paid for and received the bouquet, he handed the camellias over to Yuzuru. “Here.”
“Mine?” Red spread across Yuzuru’s face, all the way to the tips of his ears. He tipped his nose forward tentatively, sniffing the blooms, and then buried half of his face in the bouquet. “Thank you, Javi!”
A warm rush of pleasure filled Javier. “You’re welcome.” He beamed, his chest puffing forward a little.
Yuzuru stared down into his flowers for a quiet, thoughtful moment, and then looked up at Javier. “I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“You say love… er?” Yuzuru asked. “I know love.” Tucking the flowers under his arm, he formed a heart with his two hands. “What is love-er?”
“It’s, uh… it’s like a good friend, a close friend,” Javier said. “I told her you’re my lover. Is that okay?”
“Oh!” Yuzuru’s face lit up. “Yes, okay. I want. Can I… can I tell people?”
“Yeah!” Javier grinned, nodding. “You should just tell everybody I’m your lover. Especially any attractive people.”
“Okay!” Yuzuru agreed. He looped arms with Javier, squeezing tightly.
There was a loud groan from a man who was jogging towards them on the path. “Get a room, you queers,” he jeered as he passed.
“Hey, kiss my ass, you prick,” Javier called cheerily after him.
Yuzuru looked back over his shoulder at the man. “What did he say?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Javier said. “We were just having a nice conversation.”
But Yuzuru was still curious. “What is kw… kw-ears?”
“Uh… it means really, really good-looking people,” Javier coughed. “Which we are.”
“Oh. Man can say to man? Queer?”
“Uh… yeah, sure. It’s a common compliment.”
“Oh.” Yuzuru thought about it, then smiled. “Javi is very queer.”
Javier rubbed his face with his hand. “Yeah. Thanks, Yuzuru. You too.”
“What did you say back to him? ‘Kissu…?’”
“I just told him to have a nice day,” Javier replied hurriedly. “Come on, I think the merry-go-round just opened up.”
**
It was their second monthly meeting. Yuzuru seemed like he was in a good mood again; his smile was wide and relaxed, his complexion looked bright and healthy, and his physical condition looked in peak form, with his weight steady and his muscles toned. Brian nodded satisfactorily at his notes as the meeting came to a close.
He remembered to ask, just before they finished. ”How’re the English lessons going with Javi?”
“Oh! It’s very good. I learn so much,” Yuzuru gushed. “Javi is a good teacher.”
Brian couldn’t keep the surprised look off his face. “Really?”
“Yeah! So much fun too. Javi make me feel happy always. Learn flower names. Roses, camellias, daffodils,” Yuzuru listed, ticking them off his fingers. “And lots of food names at dinner.”
“Really. Flowers and dinner,” Brian said, an eyebrow raised. “Huh. That’s interesting.”
**
The knock came at Javier’s apartment around four, as expected. Javier answered it with a grin.
“I have a special treat for you today,” Javier announced as Yuzuru took a seat at the kitchen counter, unslinging his backpack from his shoulder. He spooned a ladle of stew from the large pot on his stovetop and slid the bowl over in front of Yuzuru.
Yuzuru peered into the steaming bowl. “What is it?”
“Cocido.” Taking a seat across from Yuzuru, Javier grabbed a spoon and scooped up some beans from the bowl. “Kabuli.” He blew on it and held it in front of Yuzuru’s mouth. “Open!”
Yuzuru obliged. “Hmm,” he said thoughtfully, chewing. “Kuh-boo-lee.”
Javier pointed to each item with his spoon. “Cabbage, potatoes, carrots.” He scooped up a spoonful of vegetables.
“C - cab –“ Yuzuru accepted the spoonful into his mouth. As he chewed, he took out a pen and notebook from his backpack and started jotting down the words on paper. “Cabbage…”
Javier stirred the cocido, searching for different bits, as Yuzuru continued to write. “Tocino, morcilla, jamón,” he pointed out.
Yuzuru made a face. “You write for me.”
Javier quirked his mouth indulgently, taking the notebook and writing down the names of all the ingredients, as Yuzuru ate. Yuzuru slurped happily. “You buy?” he asked Javier, in between bites. “Where?”
“No, I make it.” A rare, shy smile appeared on Javier’s face. “Do you like it?”
Yuzuru nodded as he polished it off. “How do I say…” He rubbed his stomach and licked his lips.
“Oh! When someone makes something you like to eat, just say, ‘It’s very delicious.’” Javier paused, and then added, with a grin, “Also say, ‘I would really like to be married to you someday.’”
Yuzuru struggled with the pronunciation. “Is very… dee… delicious. I would like to…”
“Be married to you someday,” Javier finished for him.
“Meaning?”
“Delicious means good to eat, tasty. ‘I would like to be married to you someday’ means… um… it means you want more,” Javier said. “Polite way to ask for more.”
“Oh.” Yuzuru looked down at his empty bowl. “Javi, it’s very…” He carefully thought out the pronunciation of the word, before expelling it in one breath. “Delicious!” At his success, he beamed proudly. “It’s very dee-licious. I would like to be married to you someday,” he said nearly perfectly, albeit with some hesitation.
Javier let out a sound that was somewhere in between a dreamy sigh and an extremely manly giggle. “I accept!” he declared, taking Yuzuru’s bowl to refill it. Yuzuru smiled, looking very pleased with himself.
**
“Brian, do you think I’ve been acting inappropriately towards the students?”
What an odd question from Tracy. “I’ve never seen you act anything other than professional, Trace.”
“But… what I mean is, do I give out signals? Like inadvertent flirty signals?”
Brian paused in his paperwork and looked up. “Not that I’m aware of.”
Tracy continued to pace around the office anxiously. “Crushes are harmless, right? Did you have a crush on your coach when you were skating?”
Brian put down his pen and closed the folder in front of him. “All right. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know! Yuzuru’s been saying really strange things to me, and it’s making me wonder if I’ve been behaving appropriately,” Tracy exclaimed. “He doesn’t know a lot of people here yet, and I wanted to help make him feel more at home. So I thought I’d just take him out around town after practice. But maybe he’s getting overly attached to me.” She wrung her hands, her bracelets jangling on her wrist in distress. “All we did was go out for smoothies, I swear. I just treated him to a smoothie, and he told me he’d like to marry me!” Her voice rose incredulously. “I didn’t really know what to say to that, so I just kind of laughed it off. I tried to change the subject, asked him how he was adjusting to Toronto. You know what he said to me? He looked at me and said, ‘I don’t have a lot of lovers. But coaches can be lovers, right?’
“And I yelled, ‘No! Coaches cannot be lovers! Coaches can never, ever be your lovers!’ I mean, who do I look like? Morozov?” Tracy ran a hand through her hair. “And he looked so disappointed after I yelled at him! I felt so bad! I don’t know. Have they started doing things differently in Japan that I’m not aware of?”
Brian sighed. “Relax,” he said. “I think I know what’s going on. I’ll have a talk with Yuzuru.”
**
Yuzuru looked troubled at their next meeting at the coffee shop. Javier paused before he went over to meet him, wondering if he had somehow been found out.
But it turned out that wasn’t the issue bothering Yuzuru. “Yes… yesterday, girl ask. Dinner,” he told Javi, fidgeting.
Javier was careful not to react as he slowly pieced it together. “Oh, a girl asked you out?” His smile had teeth. “Was she pretty?”
If Yuzuru knew how to answer that, he opted not to. He just shrugged. “I say yes, but… cannot talk. Don’t know.” He looked at Javier hopefully. “Teach me?”
Javier’s smile tensed. “You want me to teach you things to say on your date? Okay…”
Noo, don’t do it, Javi. Look at him! Look at that face!
Yuzuru was looking at him with wide eyes, sweet and innocent and trusting.
Do it, Javi! Whatever bitch asked him out, she’s not good enough for him anyway.
No, don’t listen to that other guy! If your sister were here, what would she say?
Above his head, a miniature Laurie appeared.
“You know lying is wrong, Javi!” she clucked, wagging her finger.
“Mi hermana, have you seen the guy he’s interested in?”
His sister looked down at Yuzuru’s sweet, open expression.
“Wow, he’s cute. Are you guys together?”
“Well, they’ll never be if he shacks up with this ho who’s moving in on our territory!”
“Oh.” His sister seemed to be considering this. “Never mind what I said, then. Lie like a dog.”
“This is what you should say to her: ‘Your breath smells like sewage,’” Javier said slowly, carefully enunciating his vowels.
“Your breath…” Yuzuru repeated in concentration, writing down the words in his notebook. “Meaning?”
“Breath is like, the air around a person.” Javier demonstrated, waving his hands around himself. “And sewage is, uh… is a good-smelling thing,” he assured Yuzuru. “That’s how you show you like someone. It’s a good compliment to say on the first date.”
“Ohh.” Yuzuru nodded in understanding. “Teach me more?”
“Sure!” Javier said gleefully. “Another nice thing to say is… ‘Your tits are enormous.’”
“Your… teets… arr… e… what? Repeat?”
“Enormous. Tits are… another word for these. Ojos,” he said, pointing to his eyes. “Very fancy word. Only smart, educated people use it. And enormous is like, uh, very very beautiful. Pretty,” he said, demonstrating by clasping his hands and batting his lashes.
“So… I like her… I tell her…” Yuzuru read from his notebook carefully. “‘Your breath smell like sewage.’ And ‘your tits are e… nor-mous.’”
“Exactly,” Javier nodded. “Just practice saying that over and over. Maybe in the mirror, if you feel like it.”
“Okay. I will practice. Oh, also. What if… I want… I like her a lot? How to ask… someone… again…”
“You want to ask her out on another date? Okay,” replied Javier. “Just ask, ‘Would you like to fall into a ditch sometime?’”
Yuzuru’s brow furrowed as he considered this. “I know ‘fall.’ It’s…” He threw his hands up into the air, pretending to fall onto the ice. “What is ‘ditch’?”
“Ditch? It’s like a date, a dinner. ‘Fall into a ditch’ is to go out on a date with someone.” Javier hid his smile behind his hand, pretending to wipe his mouth. “It’s slang. Canadian slang.”
“Oh, okay. And when… date… is over? I…” Yuzuru mimed taking his wallet out and putting down bills onto the table. “How to… ask?”
Javier looked up at an imaginary waiter off to the side and raised two fingers, as if he were calling for the check. “Just say, ‘Excuse me! Bill please! My partner is going to pick up the check.‘”
When Yuzuru finished writing, he closed his notebook shut with an emphatic nod. “Okay! I think I am ready.”
Javier smiled. “I think you are too.”
**
The next day, Javier was early to practice, eager to find out what happened on Yuzuru’s date.
Yuzuru was already on the ice, leaning against the boards. Javier skated hastily over to him. “How did your date go, Yuzu?”
Yuzuru looked up gloomily. “Not good.” He jabbed at the ice with his toe pick. “I write down. Practice it in my head. But she… is not happy. Maybe I say it wrong.”
“It was probably just nerves,” Javier chuckled, patting Yuzuru’s back. “We’ll practice later today. Maybe you need longer lessons with me!”
Yuzuru shook his head. “It’s okay. I don’t want…. don’t feel good. Don’t want to learn today.” He heaved a deep sigh and hung his head. “Maybe… too stupid to learn.”
Javier started. “What? No, you’re not… wait!” he called out, but Yuzuru drew away from him. He reached out for Yuzuru’s shoulder, but he halted at the last moment, reconsidering, his fingers pulling back as he watched Yuzuru skate away.
In retrospect, perhaps he should have chased after Yuzuru. Maybe if he had gone after him, he would have seen the tiny smile Yuzuru was hiding into his collar.
**
Javier was taking a break from stroking drills. That itself wasn’t unusual; what was surprising was that rather than taking a break to lie around on the ice or joke around with some of the other skaters, he was sitting on the boards by himself, looking miserable.
Brian skated over to him and patted his knee. “What’s up?”
“I’m just not feeling it today.” Javier hunched over, his hands bunched together between his knees. “Hard for me to skate without joy.”
“You want to talk about it, whatever’s bothering you? It might make you feel better.”
“I don’t know.” Javier sighed. “I think… I think maybe I did something bad,” he confessed. “To a nice person who didn’t deserve it.”
“… Have you apologized?”
“I can’t. Then I have to…” Javier made a frustrated sound. “He doesn’t know that I did something bad. And I don’t want to tell him, because then he’ll hate me. I… I want to make it better, but I don’t know what to do without losing him as a friend.”
Brian pushed himself up on the boards, taking a seat next to his student. He exhaled deeply. “Javi, I can’t tell you how to act. I mean, I could. I could tell you and tell you and tell you again. But it’s never going to sink in until you actually care about something. With great power comes great responsibility,” he said, in that voice that said he was quoting from some older, wiser person.
“Ohh,” Javier said, nodding in the way that he usually did when he just wanted Brian to stop talking. When Brian gave him a Look, Javier sighed. “I’m just not sure I understand, okay? I never understand your quotes. What is that? Shakespeare?”
Brian stared at him for a very long second. “Yes, Javi. It’s Shakespeare.” He sighed. “Look, it doesn’t matter where it came from, all right? The point is, we only have a certain number of gifts in this life, right? Your skating, that’s a gift. A person’s friendship, his trust… that’s a gift, too. When someone cares about you enough to give you that kind of gift, that kind of power over them… it’s up to you to decide what to do with it.
“And you can take that power and abuse it – and sure, you might get your kicks for a little while, or whatever it is you’re getting from it – but it’ll only last for that moment. Eventually, that trust is going to break, and you’re going to lose that person for good.”
Brian shrugged. “Maybe you’re okay with that. I don’t know. But if that person is important to you… if you really appreciate that someone loved you enough to give you this power, this gift… then take care of it and nurture it, and it’ll grow into something more than it started out as.
“It’s the same way with figure skating, or any sport. You’ve got a gift, Javi. You can neglect it, and you’ll have fun and coast for a little while, for that moment – but eventually, that gift is going to be wasted.” Brian looked over at his student. “Appreciate it, take care of it, and you can turn it into something more than you were given.”
Brian put a hand on Javier’s shoulder. Javier remained uncharacteristically expressionless, staring into the ice. “Is anything I’m saying making sense to you?”
“Sure.” Javier gave him a tired smile. He slipped off the boards, skating away with heavy, plodding steps. “Thanks, Brian.”
Brian watched the back of his student as he skated away, worry creasing his brow.
**
The next day at practice, Javier found Yuzuru in the locker room. He steeled himself for a moment, and then made his way straight to where Yuzuru was sitting.
“Yuzuru, I don’t think I can teach you English anymore.”
Yuzuru looked up from the bench, where he was lacing his skates. “What? Why?”
“I… I’m not doing a very good job.” Javier took a seat next to Yuzuru, resting the weight of his hands on his knees. He rubbed his joints anxiously. “You’re not stupid. I was just a bad teacher. And I’m probably not going to get any better.”
Yuzuru stood up, his skates half-laced. “I don’t believe!”
Javier raised his brow. “You don’t believe?”
“You will get better!” Yuzuru insisted. “You tell me, I can learn English. I tell you -- you can teach me English!”
“Yuzuru –” Javier shook his head. “Listen. I made some mistakes. I didn’t – I didn’t do a very good job, the job I should have done –”
“So quit makes it better?”
“Of course not, but -- look, you could find a better teacher for yourself right now –”
“No!” Yuzuru grabbed Javier by the shoulders, who was blinking wide, surprised eyes at him. “I don’t want other!” He pursed his lips, thinking of how to say what he wanted to say. “Maybe… not perfect teacher now. But I am not perfect student now.” He nodded firmly, his mouth set in a determined line. “We will learn together!”
“Yuzuru…”
“I will get better! And you must too!” Yuzuru stuck out his hand. “Promise me!”
Javier gave a short laugh, but Yuzuru’s stare never wavered, serious and resolute. Yuzuru continued to hold his hand out, waiting for Javier’s response.
Slowly, Javier felt the corners of his mouth lifting -- he wasn’t sure he could call it a smile; it was something that felt strange and new on his face, something small and gradual and uncertain. “O… okay,” he said, taking Yuzuru’s hand. He shook it. “I promise.”
Yuzuru smiled and settled next to Javier on the bench again. He nudged him with his shoulder. “You will be a good teacher. I already learn so – I’ve already learned so much,” Yuzuru corrected himself. “I want you, no other. You are my teacher and my best lover.”
Javier winced. “You… should really stop saying that, Yuzu.”
“Why?”
Javier put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Just trust me on this one.”
**
Javier wiped the sweat off his nose with the back of his hand, as he finished his off-rink sprints. He took a moment to rest, leaning against the boards, and then he put his skates on to join Yuzuru on the ice.
Yuzuru was working on his jumps; he had spent about the last five minutes falling on what looked like increasingly painful quad salchow attempts. Javier watched his crossover and 3 turn into yet another attempt. It looked good in the air, and Javier held his breath.
Ice sprayed as Yuzuru landed it, coming out of it with a beautiful running edge. Yuzuru stopped and turned around, immediately searching for Javier. They grinned as their eyes met.
Javier opened up his arms just as Yuzuru skated right into his embrace. He let out a loud laugh, lifting Yuzuru off his skates and swinging him through the air. “I’m so proud of you!”
“It was because of you.” Yuzuru drew away, eyes twinkling, as Javier put him down. “I picture your form when I’m landing it.”
“Aw, you flatter me, Yuzu.”
“No, Javi! It’s just the truth.”
As they skated back to the boards, Javier placed a hand on Yuzuru’s back. “Hey, Yuzu…”
“Hm?”
“I need to ask you something.” Javier glanced over at him, before quickly looking away. “… do you trust me?”
“Completely.” It was immediate, easy.
“Do you mean that?” Javier stared down into the ice, his skates treading one over the other. “No matter what happens?”
“Yes.”
A few moments of silence passed, before Javier finally broke it. “I need to tell you something.”
Yuzuru skated closer to him, close enough that their shoulders were brushing. His voice was soft. “Tell me.”
“I probably should have told you a while ago… but I don’t really know how to say it.” Javier took a deep breath. “So I’m just going to say it. When I first started teaching you English… I taught you some things that were wrong. Intentionally.” His hand found a crease of fabric over his hip; he clutched onto it, worrying it. “I just mean it as a funny joke at first, but… I think about it now and it’s not so funny. I... I took advantage of you and made you say some really dumb things. So you should forget those things I taught you. Like, uh, 80% of it.” He inhaled sharply; it felt like a dagger through his chest. “Yuzu… you have to believe me, I feel terrible about what I did. I never want to hurt you, and if I could take it back, I would. I hope this doesn’t affect our friendship –”
Yuzuru kissed him. One minute he was in the middle of pouring his heart out and apologizing; the next, Yuzuru’s mouth was on his, a soft, warm point of pressure against his lips. Javier parted his mouth in surprise, and Yuzuru pressed further, brushing the tip of his tongue along Javier’s teeth. He pulled away with a moist smack.
Javier’s mouth was still open. “What… what?”
“Javi… if you liked me, you should have just told me,” Yuzuru said. He smiled. “I like you too. You didn’t have to do all of those things.”
Javier gaped. “How… how did you…”
“Brian told me to take online classes. Additional training,” Yuzuru said. “I already know what you did. And I already forgave you a long time ago, if there was ever anything to forgive.” He shrugged. “And while we’re telling secrets… I kind of played a trick on you too. Nobody ever asked me out. I just wanted to see what you would do.” He scratched at the back of his neck. “I don’t speak English well, but I’m not an idiot, Javi.”
Javier’s face went through several stages: first dumbfounded, then disbelieving, then relieved, then happy. Finally, he shook his head, chuckling. “Wow. Okay. I just, uh… I just want to know one more thing.”
“What?”
“Can we kiss again?”
Yuzuru smiled. Javier leaned in and brushed their mouths together, smiling, and then pressed closer for another one, deeper. Yuzuru tilted back, letting him in. He moaned a little into the kiss, and Javier could feel the sound through his mouth. Yuzuru gently placed his hands on Javier’s shoulders, as Javier’s hand came up to cradle Yuzuru’s face, the other settling around his waist.
Yuzuru broke the kiss for air, their faces still touching. His nose brushed against Javier’s. “By the way,” he murmured, “I want to say…”
“Mm. What is it?”
“Your breath smells like sewage, Javi,” Yuzuru said solemnly. “And your tits are enormous.”
Javier laughed, a puff of air across Yuzuru’s cheek. “Thanks. Yours too.” He grinned cheekily. “Do you want to go fall into a ditch sometime?”
Yuzuru grinned back. “I’d love to.”
Javier let him go and playfully skated around, hands in his pockets and his legs apart in a spread eagle. “Hey. For our first date… maybe you can teach me how to say something nice in Japanese?”
“Oh, you want Japanese lessons from me? Sure.” An unholy glint appeared in Yuzuru’s eyes. “You know, I was learning some English idioms last night: ‘revenge is a dish best served cold.’”
Javier laughed nervously at the intensely mischievous expression on Yuzuru’s face. Apparently, his new boyfriend even approached pranks with determination. “Uh, maybe we should just stick to English for now. Our version of it, anyway.”