Work Text:
Gavin’s 18th birthday present is a pre-packed bag and being shown the door. But this time, he’s got somewhere to go. There wasn’t any money in the backpack and Gavin doesn’t exactly have much in the bank, so he figures that as the weather is good, he can walk for a couple of hours to get to Hank’s.
The house is silent when he gets there. Perhaps he should be concerned that he knows where his coach lives and that it’s not the first time he’s been there, but Gavin’s got his heart set on the Olympics and Hank was one of the few willing to work with him. Maybe the way they’d met wasn’t quite conventional either. Gavin had been aware of Anderson’s fame in the heyday, knew he was destined for great things in the gymnastic world. He’d been a role model to many right up until the fateful crash that shattered his elbow and robbed him of any future in the sport. Even worse, his son was killed and Hank all but dropped off the face of the planet.
As luck would have it, Gavin lived in the same town Hank had run away to. There were rumours at the club about the great fabled Anderson living locally and Gavin decided to take matters into his own hand. He’d done a bit of detective work and tracked Hank down, only to knock on his door unannounced one evening after school.
The man who opened the door reeked of alcohol and yelled at him to piss off. His words slurred and Gavin was torn. The person who could have gotten him to the Olympics was nothing more than a washed up drunk. But something nagged at him, urged him to come back. So Gavin did, he pestered Hank until the man finally snapped. Told him that if Gavin could do an Arabian Flip then and there, he’d consider taking him on.
There was a stunned silence when Gavin dumped his bag on the ground, took a step back and did a wonky Arabian Flip on Hank’s front lawn. His landing didn’t stick, the twist wasn’t a complete 180 but it was good enough when not warmed up, stressed and put on the spot. Gavin shoved his phone number and training regime into Hank’s hands and ran before did something stupid.
Three days later, Hank was by the sidelines at the club when Gavin arrived. He even wore an ugly shirt.
Despite the rocky start, Hank proved to be a better coach than expected. Sure, he pushed Gavin hard, put him through his paces but it meant that by the 2020 Olympics, Gavin had secured himself a spot in Tokyo. He never expected his parents to shatter his hopes by not signing the form that would have allowed him to travel. All Gavin remembers of the Olympics that year was sitting on Hank’s couch and getting progressively more drunk together as some haughty Russian took the gold he’d wanted to badly.
A couple of months later, Gavin waited for Hank to get home from wherever he was. At least it was still only cool and not cold, sitting on his doorstep with a bag between his feet. When Hank finally rolled up, he took one look at Gavin and wordlessly let him in.
Within a matter of weeks, Gavin had his own place. He didn’t mind sleeping on Hank’s couch, but it didn’t do his back any favours. All the same, Hank had pulled some strings and suddenly Gavin had a couple of sponsors, a bit of money in the bank and a place to call his very own. It was the best possible outcome for his situation and he was content.
Training and competitions came and went. Gavin built up quite a name for himself and by the time 2024 rolled around, he was comfortable in the knowledge that he had earned a place in the competition and his parents wouldn’t be able to stop him from going to Paris.
The trip to Europe was a bit of a blur. It was Gavin’s first time on an aeroplane and he couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. Next to him, Hank snored merrily with an eye mask shutting out any light. There was a small part of Gavin that was jealous of his easy sleep, but at the same time, he didn’t want to miss anything about the trip.
Once they’d landed, got their luggage and were outside the airport, they made their way to the Olympic village. Hank had warned him numerous times that it was all a bit hectic, a bit crazy. People were doing things they wouldn’t normally do. In the end, all Hank had said was “what happens in the village stays in the village” with a grin that spoke of many memories Gavin was sure he didn’t need to know about.
Of course, Hank had been right. It was absolute chaos. There were petty cat fights followed by makeup sex, sometimes in a rather public setting. Gavin would have loved it if he could say he had only once walked into one of the communal lounges to find an archer bent over the back of the sofa by a shooter muttering about true aim.
In all of this, Gavin tried to keep his head on straight and was down at the practice grounds every day. It was inevitable he’d run into his competition, including the defending Russian champion. Now, Gavin could admit when someone was attractive, he might have even slurred something along those lines to Hank four years back. They’d even passed each other in a few competitions but they never struck up conversation. The problem was that up close, he was more than handsome. Even worse, Hank had nodded along but mumbled something about liking them a little softer and approachable.
Everybody called him Nines because of his average score. His trainer was Amanda Stern and she looked every bit the harpy. It was a matter of luck that their rooms were opposite Gavin and Hank’s. To make things a little more confusing, some mornings Gavin swore Nines looked a little different. Shorter and more willowy. He snorted when he realised Nines must wear fake contact lenses to get the piercing blue eyes.
It didn’t help that one morning Gavin stumbled out of his room to find Hank leaning against the wall a little too casually and was chatting to Nines. Jealousy wasn’t quite the emotion that flooded Gavin, but Hank was fraternising with the enemy. The enemy that he himself may or may not have quite a strong attraction to at that. Hank glanced his way and smiled before he turned back to Nines with a smile.
“I better get going, catch you around, Connor.”
That was not Nines’ name. Gavin blinked and watched as Hank waited for him to puzzle it out. No explanation came to mind and all Gavin could do was let out a confused “ehhhhh?” and wave.
“That’s Connor, Nines’ brother and fencer. Was going to be a gymnast but Amanda almost destroyed his and Nines’ relationship with her training regime and constantly pitting them against each other. So he saved their relationship and decided to take his frustrations out by hitting people with a sword instead,” Hank shrugged.
Suddenly Hank’s words about preferring them softer made more sense. Because Connor was softer than Nines and there was no conflict of interest either which definitely eased things. Gavin idly wondered how long Connor and Hank had been friends.
“His English is pretty good,” Gavin tried to probe gently.
“Father was Russian, mother was American. They were orphaned here so Amanda took them in when they were around 8. For all intents and purposes they’re Russian but…well, they could apply for US citizenship if they ever wanted to.”
It was impossible to miss the wistful note in Hank’s voice and Gavin knew exactly what he was thinking.
Training and avoiding parties became Gavin’s focus as he prepared for the competition. It was suddenly all too real and he needed to prove himself. He was in the last three minutes of his allocated practice time, tired and frustrated when his landings wouldn’t stick no matter how much he tried to keep his knees soft. All it took was one moment for his concentration to blip out and he was flat on his backside with a groan.
A hand was offered to pull him up and Gavin blinked in surprises as Nines backed away.
“Your left foot isn’t completely straight, it’s why your landings aren’t good enough.”
Before Gavin reply, Nines stalked away.
He began to see more and more of Nines. Watched his routine as the crowds screamed for him, how the judges nodded along. It was infuriatingly seamless and he was shot straight to the top of the leader board.
When it was Gavin’s turn, he stood nervously, palms damp with sweat despite being covered with chalk. His name was announced and his mind went blank while his body took over and went through the familiar steps of his routine.
Gavin would never be able to remember much of what happened, it was all a blur of anxiety that warred with the comfort of knowing what he was doing. He was where he’d always dreamt he would be and nobody could take that away from him anymore.
He remembered Hank hugging him tight, his name being called again on the loudspeaker along with a score. It didn’t beat Nines’ near perfection, but it was a personal best. Gavin was even tactful enough not to mention how Hank’s cheeks were tear streaked when he released him from the bear hug.
“That was a very credible performance,” Nines shook his hand when Gavin stepped into the changing rooms.
From there, they watched the rest of the competitors together. Cringed when the guy from Denmark landed wrong and twisted his ankle, cheered when the Chinese gymnast rescued a flip with an inch to spare from crashing out. Neither of them really knew when the space between them decreased or when they decided that dinners and holding hands in private was a great idea, but it made them happy.
They stood next to each other on the podium, Nines with his gold medal and Gavin with his bronze.Neither of them could keep the happy grin from their faces.
Like with everything, things came to an end. They exchanged contact details and agreed to try and stay in touch. Their e-mails were infrequent and secretive, Nines never said it out loud but Gavin knew that if Amanda found out about them, it would be a disaster.
He almost had a heart attack when, after a training session, Gavin dropped by Hank’s place and thought he saw Nines. But it was only Connor sat on Hank’s old couch with Sumo’s head in his lap.
“I have something for you,” Connor said and quietly slipped into the bedroom.
Gavin valiantly didn’t think about the fact that there was only one bedroom in Hank’s house and all of Connor’s things seemed to be in there. Any such thoughts vanished from his mind when a soft parcel was pressed in his hands. He didn’t open it in front of Connor, but the next time he went to practice, Hank was there with Connor at the club. It was fairly obvious that Connor had no clue what he’d brought over for Gavin, but his eyes widened when he recognised the hoodie. Thankfully he didn’t say anything.
In an effort to stay in touch, Gavin looked into more international competitions, managed to grab spots at a couple Nines was at. Their stolen moments were even better than beating him to first place on the podium.
By the time the Olympics came to LA, Gavin was excited. He waited at the airport for the plane to land from Russia. Connor was at his side, vibrating with excitement at seeing his brother again. He never did tell them what had happened, but a year after Paris, he retraced his mother’s heritage and moved over to the US. It was going to be the first time he was competing against his old Russian team in the Olympics and he was nervous.
“Brother,” Nines greeted him with a squeeze to his shoulder before he nodded at Gavin. “Nice to see you both.”
Gavin offered to drive while Connor sat in the back with Nines. They were catching up when Connor suddenly switched to Russian. Whatever he said got a very terse and annoyed reply from Nines and all conversation ceased.
Much like in Paris, the Olympic Village was manic. But this time, Gavin knew what to expect and was grinning wildly at the fact that Nine was his neighbour this time. Something told him it wasn’t pure luck it worked out like that. Especially when on Hank’s other side Connor moved in.
The tabloids were going nuts over the athletes. They speculated romances, feuds and delighted in mulling over tragedies. Oddly enough, Nines and Amanda became a frequent topic. They were often caught arguing in hushed tones, both looking furious. Nobody knew the root of the problem but it was obvious that the Russians were in a pickle.
The day of the competition came and Gavin settled in to watch Nines. A hush of anticipation fell over the hall as Nines took up position. His first landing was botched, his flips messy, timing deliberately a little off. Gavin held a hand to his mouth to hide the noises.
“What is he doing?” Hank hissed next to him.
With a final sloppy cartwheel, Nines finished, stood straight with his arms in the air. Both his middle fingers extended as he did a quick turn towards where Amanda sat and with a sneering smile took a mock bow before marching out of the arena.
“Holy shit, that is one heck of a statement.” Hank’s voice was lost in the mutterings of the crowd.
Needless to say, Nines crashed out of the competition in the first round. He looked smug as he sipped something that was in all likelihood alcoholic while lounging on one of the communal sofas.
“What the fuck was that about?” Gavin asked when he found him, Connor and Hank hot on his heels.
“An artistic expression of what I thought about Amanda. I thought the message was quite clear,” Nines shrugged. “Incidentally, Connor, you don’t have a couch I could stay on for a bit? I have a feeling I’m not returning back to Russia once the games are over.”
It was one heck of a way to declare his intentions but Gavin couldn’t let Nines distract him. He was competing the next day and needed to keep his focus. All the same, he was filled with warmth when he spotted Nines next to Hank in the trainer’s box just before he walked to into the arena. The small wink Nines sent him made him flush but then there was no room to think as he began his routine.
Gavin stood proudly on the podium, a gold medal around his neck. There were flashes of the cameras going off around him, people calling his name. It wasn’t something he ever really truly expected to experience despite wanting it for pretty much all his life.
He ginned when he saw Nines walking towards him and stopping in front of him.
“You’re actually taller than me for once,” Nines mused before crooking a finger at him.
Gavin leaned down and almost dropped his bouquet when Nines grabbed him by the medal and tugged him down for a kiss. If Gavin thought the cameras were going wild before, it was a veritable lightning storm now. The tabloids were full of the picture of them kissing, mulling over whether it was a kiss of affection or a Russian threat.
All in all, it was a great thing to giggle over, the two of them entangled on Gavin’s couch and giggling before returning to filling out Nines’ application for citizenship.