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Nayeon stares longingly from outside her window, the laptop on her lap keeping her legs warm with the help of a blanket. The snow falls steadily onto the school's campus, effectively hiding the last bits of green grass that are left. Nayeon sighs, loudly. When Momo doesn't look up from her packing, Nayeon sighs once again, louder this time. Momo doesn't say anything either and Nayeon groans.
"You're not gonna ask why I'm sighing?" Nayeon whines, shutting her laptop closed.
"You're always sighing about something," Momo replies, still not looking up.
"Hmph," she responds, pursing her lips in annoyance. She does not sigh all the time . Momo finally turns around, a half-smile on her lips as she folds a sweater in her hands. Her suitcase behind her looks like it's about to burst already, but Nayeon doesn't mention it, Momo's always been one to pack more than needed.
"Okay, what's with you?"
"Just sad that I can't go on Holiday because of the stupid Photography class," Nayeon groans, pulling the blanket off her and sitting on the bed.
"Hmm," Momo hums. "I told you not to go to Sana's party. That's on you."
Nayeon cringes at the reminder. She had put off the assignment for weeks and decided to finally do it on the final weekend before the deadline, but on Friday Sana threw this sorority party that everyone on campus attended and... well, she ended up catching a cold after her friend Jeongyeon suggested they jump in the pool in the middle of Winter after one too many shots of soju. Needless to say, the assignment had been forgotten and (mostly) ignored while Momo tended her three thick-headed friends to warm chicken soup the entire weekend. Luckily, Professor Park is a forgiving soul and she let her turn in the assignment after the holidays from the goodness in her heart.
But that also meant she couldn't visit her family for Christmas -- she needed the school's Photography Studio to shoot the pictures for the assignment, and the only time it was available was while everyone else was away for the Holidays. So that meant she'd have to spend the month stuck in school -- or at least until she found a model, shot the pictures, edited them, and emailed them to Professor Park. And even then, she'd have to wait for her professor's feedback just in case she needed to re-shoot anything.
"Tell your girlfriend to stop throwing good parties," Nayeon teases. Momo blushes a bit, turning back around to hide it and keep packing.
"Sana is not my girlfriend," she shakes her head, and then she turns around with a weak glare and scolds, "We're just sharing the flight because we're both going to Osaka, and she's introducing me to her family because her mom said she wants to meet me, and I wanted to take her to see the cute flowers in this one garden but not because I have a crush on her or anything, and--"
"Okay, okay, I get it, Mo," Nayeon laughs out her name, as her roommate's cheeks start tinting a deep and merciless shade of red. "You don't have a crush on the girl."
"Well," Momo looks even more embarrassed. "You should stop throwing yourself to every party you get when it's almost your junior year."
Nayeon blushes. "Well. No point changing the past."
"That's right," Momo nods, then turns back around. "Do you even know who you're going to ask to model?"
"Well, I had originally asked Jeongyeon, but now she's going back to Suwon," Nayeon sighs (she swears she doesn't do it all the time), standing up and reaching for one of her bunny-shaped slippers. "Then I was going to ask Sana, but she's going to Osaka tomorrow with you, so you’re also out of the question. And then Jihyo, but she's also leaving for the holidays, so... I have no one left to ask."
Momo closes her suitcases, frowning when she realizes it's not closing properly. "Is no one staying behind?"
"No one I know," she shakes her head, stretching her back. Somehow the cold weather just makes her feel sleepy.
Momo jumps to sit on her suitcase, trying to force it to close.
"I heard Chou Tzuyu is not going anywhere for the Holidays," she offers.
Nayeon's eyebrow shoots up. "Huh?"
"Yeah," Momo nods, pushing all of her weight down onto the suitcase.
Nayeon has heard of Chou Tzuyu, of course. Anyone who attends JYPU would know about her. It's not every day that a (retired) child Olympic figure skater goes to your same school. Nayeon's never spoken to her -- a lot of people call her the Ice queen , as cheesy as it sounds, mostly because she seems to glare at anyone who dares look her way but also because she spends most of her days in the school's ice rink when the Hockey team isn't hoarding it -- but she's seen her a couple of times in campus since she joined last year.
She'd been walking down the campus, with two shorter girls by her side and a slightly taller one near, and Tzuyu had her hair in a ponytail, so black it almost looked blue in the sunlight. She was just ordering lunch, but... something about her had bewitched Nayeon then, and she had almost tripped and fell nearly then and broke her nose in the middle of the cafeteria.
Tzuyu is very pretty. She can't imagine her spending her holidays alone. Sure, most of the information online claimed that she wasn’t the most welcoming of people -- in fact, Ice Queen was an old nickname she used to have during her competition days as well -- but so bad that she’s spending her holidays stuck in school?
"Why?"
"You know how it is," Momo shrugs. "Gifted kids always have shitty relationships with their families. You could ask her."
Despite the fact that Tzuyu slightly scares Nayeon, maybe it could work. Nayeon knows Tzuyu's done a few pictorials here and there (she couldn't help googling her after the rumors started that she might join her college), and she's even done a few magazine covers. Despite her standoffish attitude, Tzuyu might be exactly what she needs. Plus, Nayeon's never been one to back down from a challenge…
Nayeon hums, deep in thought.
Momo groans, still struggling to shut her suitcase. "Can you please help me with this stupid suitcase?"
"Why do you always overpack, Momo?"
Two days after the entire school leaves for the Holidays, Nayeon decides to stop cowering in her room. She’s had two whole days to talk to Tzuyu and she’s been putting it off the entire time, telling herself she’d do it later, or that maybe she’d be busy, or that maybe Tzuyu was sleeping (napping is important to a lot of people!), but now she’s run out of excuses. She’s also tired of being alone and in desperate need of some company now that Momo, Jeongyeon, Sana and Jihyo are all gone. She’s run out of friends.
At 2PM sharp Nayeon approaches the school’s ice rink. Why anyone would willingly hang out there in the middle of winter is beyond her. Nayeon arms herself with two jackets, a sweater, two pairs of leggings on top of each other, wool socks and a pair of very classy brown uggs. Plus a scarf Jihyo knit for her last semester. She looks like she’s going to Antarctica, but really, the ice rink place is just cold as balls. When she was dating one of JYPEU’s hockey players, she’d use to make the most stupid excuses not to show up to her games because of how badly regulated the room would be.
For a second Nayeon worries she might not find Tzuyu there for whatever reason -- maybe Momo was wrong and she isn’t actually staying behind for the holidays, maybe she doesn’t frequent the ice rink as much as everyone says -- but as soon as she enters the place, a mellow melody is playing. Nayeon recognizes the tune right away. Claire de Lune.
Chou Tzuyu is in the middle of the rink, skating quietly, her feet moving to the melody of the music, her dark hair trailing behind her, flowing at the speed of her skating. Nayeon loses her breath for a few seconds, and she feels like she’s in a movie, like the world is moving slowly, and all there’s to see is Tzuyu, skating. But as soon as it starts it’s over. Tzuyu groans when one of her spins doesn’t land quite right and she falls to the cold hard ice, landing on her butt, and the spell is broken. The music stops so abruptly Nayeon gets whiplash.
“Who are you?” Tzuyu asks as she stands up, not even turning to look at her. She bends down to check on one of her blades. “You distracted me.”
“Oh!” Nayeon blushes, startled that Tzuyu even managed to notice her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Tzuyu finally turns to look at her. Her gaze is cold, but she seems almost embarrassed by Nayeon’s presence. She gives her a once over.
“Why do you look like you’re coming from the North Pole?”
“Well… It’s cold...” Nayeon trails off. She steps closer to the rink, until she can almost rest at the border. “Hi, I’m Nayeon.”
Tzuyu nods, not very welcoming. “Why are you here?”
Nayeon feels scrutinized under her gaze.
“I just wanted to hang out. We’re the only ones here for the month, so I just thought we could… I don’t know. Keep eachother company?”
“I don’t need company,” Tzuyu replies with a serious expression on her face.
Nayeon doesn’t know how to respond to that, all that comes out of her mouth is a disappointed ‘oh’.
“I need to practice,” Tzuyu remarks after a few seconds.
Nayeon swallows.
“I actually do need something from you,” Nayeon says, before Tzuyu can try to run her out of the room. Tzuyu continues to look unimpressed. “I have a final assignment for my photography class. We’re supposed to take pictures of our favorite designs from this year -- I’m a fashion design student -- and I’m in desperate need of a model. So I was wondering if you--”
“Wanted to model?” Tzuyu interrupts.
“Yes,” Nayeon nods. “I’d take care of everything, and--”
“No.”
Nayeon blinks, taken aback.
“What?”
“No,” Tzuyu repeats shaking her head. “I need to practice. You saw that earlier, didn’t you? I fell. I don’t have time to model.”
“I’m sorry, I just-- I really need this,” Nayeon can’t help the disappointed sound that escapes her mouth. “You’re the only other person left on campus, probably, and I can’t fail this assignment because it’s half my grade and I already had to ask for an extension. There’s gotta be a way--”
“No,” Tzuyu shakes her head. “I’m sorry. I’d be no good anyway, I haven’t modeled since I was seventeen. Now, can you please leave? You’re distracting me.”
Nayeon leaves as the first few notes of Claire de Lune start playing.
It’s the week after their awkward first encounter and Nayeon’s bored out of her mind. The last thing she wants to think is how catastrophically bad things went yesterday, so she tries to pass the time by making popcorn, going over some old papers and cringing at the spelling mistakes, and watching lesbian period dramas to procrastinate having to ask Tzuyu to model for her again. Nayeon has no other choice. No one else stayed behind except for them. They are just stuck here with each other.
After her second episode of Seonam Girls High Schoolgirl Detectives, which she’s seen extensively since it premiered, Nayeon pulls out her phone and unlocks it. It’s just not the same when there’s no one around to bug in the meantime
To: MomoRing >.<
I’m so bored
A few seconds later, she gets a text back.
From: MomoRing >.<
I finally got to Sana’s house kekeke
To: MomoRing >.<
I’m jealous.
How’s your crush?
She writes the last paragraph with a sly smirk on her face. It doesn’t surprise her when Momo takes over three minutes to reply, probably holding herself together.
From: MomoRing >.<
SHE’S NOT
I’m sooo kicking your ass when I get back ._.
Why are you procrastinating by tormenting me, anyway? Don’t you have an olympic ice skater to talk to?
Nayeon cringes.
To: MomoRing >.<
She rejected me already, I’m trying to keep some of my dignity.
I’m secretly an introvert, you know?
Then, she adds, biting her lip, I don’t know how to even talk to her.
How does one even approach someone like Chou Tzuyu? Someone who’s probably been propositioned thousands of times, who’s been photographed by professionals, who’s been in the spotlight since she was ten? Nayeon’s just an average college student, struggling to get by.
Nayeon can’t help but feel small, which just turns into nervous jitters. Momo’s quick to respond.
From: MomoRing >.<
You could find out something she likes!!!!!! and make conversation that way
Aren’t there thousands of interviews online from when she still skated?? Those could help
Ah, I have to go now. Me and Sana are going to that garden I’ve mentioned to you.
Nayeon smiles at that last message.
To: MomoRing >.<
Damn…
That’s kinda gay
From: MomoRing >.<
Are you twelve?!?!!?!?!?!??!
After saying goodbye, Nayeon ponders on Momo’s text. It’s true she could use Tzuyu’s older interviews to strike up a conversation with her, maybe find out something they have in common. She closes off the tab where she was watching the episode, and writes ‘ Chou Tzuyu interview’ on Naver, and watches a few articles load before her.
The first one that shows up is Chou Tzuyu to retire at 20 after tragic ankle accident. She skips that one (somehow it feels too personal) and instead clicks on the second one she sees, one from when Tzuyu was just thirteen. It was one of her first major wins in Taiwan. The interview was from a small sports magazine that was seemingly inactive right now.
Nayeon mostly skims through the article. Words like impressive, talented, outstanding , stand out to her as she tries to find something that could actually be useful. When she stumbles into one of the pictures the article featured, Nayeon stops for a few seconds to stare at it. A very young Tzuyu stood in the middle of an ice rink, holding a bouquet of flowers, next to someone that appeared to be a coach or a mentor, who was holding up a trophy. She looked happy, but her smile was small and slightly scared, like a deer caught in headlights. For a second, Nayeon wonders about how difficult life must’ve been for her to live with so much pressure at such a young age.
Continuing down the article, Nayeon reads one of the questions from the interviewer, which seemed to be the only question that remarked how enthusiastic Tzuyu had been to answer: Q: Do you have any pets? A: I have a dog I really love! I love animals!
Nayeon nods. Loves animals, especially dogs. She can totally work with that.
She finds another article, this time from when Tzuyu was fifteen, a year before she went to the Olympics. The article remarked on her achievements and said that she was a mostly ‘private, reserved’ person, who didn’t seem too enthusiastic to speak about her personal life. The only real question about her personality was, Q: What is your favorite Ice cream flavor? A: Mint chocolate.
Nayeon wrinkles her nose, but still takes note of that one as well, despite her own personal opinions on mint chocolate.
Finally, the last one Nayeon manages to find is from when Tzuyu was seventeen, right after her second Olympic run, where she qualified fourth and her highest of all time. There the interview is only about her professional development and her ice skating technique, but Nayeon still reads it all. The last question reads, Q: Are you happy with your fourth place position?
A: How could anyone be?
For some reason, that makes Nayeon curious. She opens Youtube and searches for Tzuyu’s routine for the Olympics that year, unconsciously grabs more popcorn, and clicks play. A mellow melody begins playing as the lights slowly reveal a teenager Tzuyu, in a sparkly pale pink suit and in a tight bun. Nayeon doesn’t recognize the song, something classical and old, but still finds it mesmerizing. The announcers narrate the routine with names Nayeon doesn’t understand, like Chou shakily lands on that final Axel , and perfectly executes the Lutz, but she’s still stuck to the screen of her own laptop, mesmerized by the way Tzuyu moves.
The routine is over. The venue erupts in tears, but as she poses, Tzuyu looks like she’s about to cry. The judges' score seems fantastical although Nayeon doesn’t really get them -- but Tzuyu clings to her coach, looking disappointed. Nayeon scrolls through the comments, trying to see if she can find someone explaining why exactly she looked so miserable, and only finds one.
Heard the news about her fall today that tragically ended her career and came back to watch this routine. It’s one of my favorites I’ve ever seen. She had potential, but she was never satisfied unless she got first place. I wonder what she’s up to now?
In a way, Nayeon can relate. As a fashion designer, she’s very harsh in her own work, and when she doesn’t get the grade she was hoping for, it can send her into a bit of an emotional breakdown. Nayeon understands how heartbreaking it is to put your blood, sweat and tears into something and not getting what you were hoping for in return.
Somehow, she feels like she knows Tzuyu a little bit more. Or at least like she wants to know Tzuyu a little bit more. She’s decided -- she won’t give up. Nayeon and Tzuyu will be friends. Reluctantly maybe, but they will be.
She spends the rest of the day watching old ice skating routines.
She arrives at the ice rink a day later at the same time she did the first time, this time with one jacket and two sweaters and a pair of jeans, and a mysterious bag. Same old uggs though.
Tzuyu is not in the middle of a routine this time, but she’s warming up to a generic pop song that will later be stuck in Nayeon’s head for a few days. Tzuyu stops in her tracks when she sees her, and frowns at her the moment she approaches her.
“I thought I told you I wouldn't help you with your assignment.”
“I’m not here to ask you to model,” Nayeon says smugly, sitting down on the bleachers, and rummaging through the bag she brought.
“Then what are you doing here?” Tzuyu asks, looking more exasperated than curious.
“I’m here to learn how to skate.”
Tzuyu frowns. “What?”
“ What what?” Nayeon asks back.
“I need the place to actually practice,” Tzuyu says, crossing her arms across her chest. “I can’t have a newbie falling on her ass while I’m in the middle of my Savchenko and Massot routine.”
“You might need to teach me then.” Nayeon shrugs. “To save some time, I mean.”
Tzuyu huffs but doesn’t dignify that with an actual response. Instead she turns around and goes back to her warm-up routine, actively ignoring Nayeon as she slips into a pair of skates. They aren’t actually hers -- she bought them second-hand from eBay yesterday on a whim after watching Tzuyu’s practice videos, and when they arrived this morning she had almost cringed, already knowing how painful these next few days were going to be.
Still, that’s never stopped her before. From pinching her fingers with needles when she was young, to burning her hands trying to make hot dogs during camping trips, to dying her own her an awful shade of red in her bathroom -- Nayeon’s never been one to give up.
That doesn’t stop her from being a complete disaster at skating. The second her feet are on the rink her legs give up on her, sending her backwards and landing on her behind. She hears a chuckle, but when she turns around, Tzuyu is looking somewhere else. Hmph.
This continues for the next two warm up songs Tzuyu has, until Nayeon, with shaky legs, can finally stand on her own in the rink without falling. But the second she tries to move she falls again, this time landing on her hands and whining from the pain. It seems like Tzuyu’s had enough with her clumsiness because she sighs and skates back to where she’s still laying on the ice. She extends a hand at her and Nayeon can definitely tell Tzuyu knows how bad she’s blushing. Tzuyu had managed to make it look so simple and easy in videos and in person, Nayeon seriously underestimated how hard it’d be.
Nayeon takes the hand she’s offering, and in a second Tzuyu’s helping her stand up. “You need to center yourself,” Tzuyu says, placing a hand on Nayeon’s back. “If you fall on your hands again you might break your wrists, or sprain them. Don’t. I won’t want to carry you to the hospital. I don’t have my driver’s license yet.”
“... That’s encouraging...”
Still, Nayeon listens to Tzuyu’s advice, and when Tzuyu stops holding her back, she can mostly stand on her own.
“Like that,” she nods. “Now, if you want to move, you’ll have to put your weight on the leg you’re moving. And remember to always keep your knees bent. Got it?”
“O-okay,” Nayeon’s voice is a bit shaky when she speaks. Still, she bends her knees and flicks her ankle over as she pushes into the ice, trying to move forward, balancing most of her weight into the other skate.
She moves, approximately, one inch forward.
“Holy shit,” she breathes out. “I did it.”
Tzuyu doesn’t smile, but she looks endeared by the whole thing. “Why do you suddenly want to learn, anyway?”
Nayeon, knees still bent, grows a bit embarrassed.
“I told you,” she says, “we’re the only people on campus. I’m not spending my holidays alone, so I figured we could at least do something together to become friends.”
“We’re not friends,” Tzuyu states.
“ Yet ,” Nayeon adds. “Plus, I saw some of your ice skating videos, and it looked mesmerizing.”
“That was a long time ago. I don’t skate like that anymore.” Tzuyu’s gaze hardens, and before Nayeon can ask why , Tzuyu interrupts her. “You’re terrible at skating.”
“It’s my first time!”
“I have never seen anyone be so atrocious at something,” Tzuyu says, and Nayeon would honestly take offense if she couldn’t tell the glint of amusement in Tzuyu’s eyes. “That is why I’ll help you learn.”
Nayeon’s eyes widen. “You will?”
Tzuyu shrugs. “Might as well.”
“And you’ll model for me?”
Tzuyu’s glare could kill a man, maybe even maim him.
“Don’t push it.”
For their fourth ice skating lesson together, Nayoen shows up with a bear beanie and two ice cream cones in her hand. Tzuyu is putting on her skates and looks up to her in confusion, given that Nayeon’s favorite past-time consists of complaining about how cold the rink already is.
“What is that?”
“Mint Chocolate ice cream,” Nayeon smirks. “Want some?”
Tzuyu’s frown deepens. “Who even likes Mint Chocolate ice cream?”
Nayeon's mouth forms a small ‘o’ shape. “I thought you did.”
“Yeah, when I was like fourteen,” Tzuyu says, then stares at the other cone in Nayeon’s hand with an indecipherable look. One could equate it as a fox looking at its prey. “What flavor is that one?”
“Oh,” Nayeon is caught off guard by the question in the middle of her sulking. “Uhm, strawberry.”
“Are you going to eat that…?”
Nayeon stares at the rapidly melting green ice cream with indescribable misery, and sighs. “I guess not.”
Tzuyu makes a happy sound that is so uncharacteristic that makes everything worth it for a glorious three seconds, until Nayeon has to actually eat the Mint Chocolate one, and then she starts resenting the taller one again.
Tzuyu is stuffing her face with strawberry ice cream, when she looks up at Nayeon with a puzzled look on her face.
“Why did you think that I liked that?” she seems almost offended.
“Okay, first of all, it’s not that bad,” oh but it is , “Second… I read it in an interview.”
Tzuyu actually huffs out a laugh, and the sound catches Nayeon so off guard she stares at her like she grew two heads.
“You read one of my interviews?” she shakes her head, “You must really be desperate for that photoshoot, huh?”
Nayeon chuckles despite herself.
“Yeah, well...” she trails off, staring at the rink, eating her ice cream. After a while, she speaks again. “They were kind of interesting, though.”
Tzuyu raises an eyebrow at her. “Really?”
“You have always been very private. It was insightful.” It seems Tzuyu doesn’t quite know how to react to that, she just scratches the back of her neck and shrugs. Nayeon continues, “You love dogs.”
That makes Tzuyu smile.
“Heh… yeah...” Is that a blush creeping up her cheeks? Nayeon’s killing it today. “My parents weren’t around much… but I always had my dogs. They were the only ones who, even if I failed at the rink, still loved me at the end of the day.”
Nayeon turns to face her. Tzuyu’s gaze has hardened, her face back to being stone-cold. Nayeon wonders just how Tzuyu survived it all -- the constant pressure, the perfectionist in herself. Even now, as they practice, Nayeon can see traces of that meticulous little girl who wouldn’t settle until she was the best, but whose dreams escaped her now. Has Tzuyu made peace with that girl?
She doesn’t say anything to that.
Instead, she asks, “What are you studying now?”
Tzuyu turns to face her.
“Culinary studies. Why?”
Nayeon flails her arms around, accidentally spilling Mint Chocolate everywhere. “And you’ve never cooked me anything?!”
That makes her laugh, and as she throws her head back to do so, she says, “I’ll cook you something when you make your first Axel.”
“Deal!” Nayeon nods. She’s never been one to back down from a challenge, as she’s previously established.
After they both finish their ice cream (and Nayeon shakes off the cold), and Tzuyu skates into the rink to warm up, she turns around to look at Nayeon one last time.
“Thanks for the ice cream,” she says. “But, just so you know, my new favorite flavor is green tea.”
So Nayeon starts bringing her green tea ice cream every day.
Nayeon wakes up one morning with an Instagram request from a Son Chaeyoung -- she recognizes the girl from the pictures as one of Tzuyu’s three friends from college, the shortest one, with the aggressively blonde hair. As soon as she accepts them, Chaeyoung sends her a dm.
From: chaeyoungmoney
hey
you’re tzuyu’s new friend, right?
green tea ice cream girl
For some reason that makes her blush. She quickly replies.
From: nayeonwo
Hey!
Yeah, hah. Im friends with Tzuyu, I guess
She really likes that green tea ice cream. She talked about me?
From: chaeyoungmoney
yea lol
cant shut up about you tbh
Nayeon does not know what to do with this information. On one hand, she wants to hide her face into her pillow and scream like a fifteen-year-old to match the loud beating of her own heart, and the other part of her is frozen in place.
From: nayeonwo
Is that good or bad?
A few moments later of Nayeon holding her breath and hoping for something she can’t name, Chaeyoung writes back.
From:chaeyoungmoney
very good
listen
tzuyu told me you asked her to model for your final photography exam but she said no
From: nayeonwo
Oh, yea
I’ve been trying to convince her haha but I don’t think it’s working
From: chaeyoungmoney
i’ll help you
Nayeon is equal parts confused and greatful.
From: nayeonwo
really?!?!
Thanks!
Can I ask why? lol
Chaeyoung takes a bit more to reply then.
From: chaeyoungmoney
it’s… been a while since tzuyu sounds so happy
i want to repay you, i guess
i know she won’t say it, but she’s happy to have you
Nayeon is almost overcome with emotion then. She’s also happy to have Tzuyu, never mind their rocky start and their tentative, fragile friendship -- somehow that just makes their bond more special to Nayeon, something to treasure and look after as if it were her mom’s old china.
From: nayeonwo
I’m also really happy to have her.
“Okay, hold on,” Nayeon shakes her head, “you threw your phone out your window?”
Tzuyu shrugs as she skates through the ice, and Nayeon blinks beside her. Two weeks after they started their lessons and now she’s way better and can keep up with Tzuyu when Tzuyu goes slower on her behalf, mindful of her shaky legs.
“It was annoying me,” she says.
“You could’ve just turned it off,” Nayeon replies in disbelief. It’s true Nayeon enjoyed nagging her a bit through Instagram DMs about the photography project, but she didn’t know it annoyed her this much .
“... Maybe.”
“You are a very impulsive person, has anyone ever told you that?”
Tzuyu rolls her eyes at her. “You started ice skating lessons and nearly broke your wrist so I would model for you.”
“And will you?” Nayeon wiggles her eyebrows at her.
Tzuyu does not grace that with an answer. “Anyway, Chaeyoung wouldn’t have stopped. So.”
“Oh?” Nayeon frowns. For some reason, she had thought it had been because of her. "What's Chaeyoung done?"
“Just teased me about someone a bit too much,” Tzuyu says, suddenly skating faster than before and leaving Nayeon behind -- not before Nayeon could catch a glimpse of the pink spreading across Tzuyu’s cheeks. “Let’s start our practice before the sun sets today.”
It’s one of those days Nayeon can see how much strain Tzuyu is putting on her injury. Tzuyu doesn’t seem to be all there during their lesson or when she practices by herself -- she falls multiple times, until she scrapes her knee and almost draws blood. There’s also places Nayeon knows will be bruised by tomorrow. After that Nayeon knows Tzuyu will spend the entire day beating herself up about them, and when Nayeon catches her eye, Tzuyu looks like she’s about to cry.
“I can’t do anything right today,” she groans. Whenever Tzuyu is upset, she never explodes -- it seems like she keeps it bottled up, the frustration burning in her gut until she can manage to put it out.
“It’s okay,” Nayeon tries to reassure her, skating to be near her but not wanting to cage her in.
“It’s not,” Tzuyu shakes her head. “My head’s all over the place, I’m distracted, I’m-- I’m such a failure.”
“Stop it,” Nayeon shakes her head. “You’re the furthest from a failure, Tzuyu.”
“You’d say that,” Tzuyu laughs, a bitter, wounded sound. “I lost all of my talent, and now I’m just nothing . I can’t even go home because my own family doesn’t want to see me! I lost the Olympics twice and broke my ankle! And I lost everything, all because of my stupid ankle, I--”
Tzuyu can’t continue; her eyes fill with tears and she has to hide her face, ashamed as she breaks down in tears. Nayeon wants to hug her, to soothe her and tell her that she’s just having a bad day, that skating isn’t everything… but that would be a lie, wouldn’t it? For Tzuyu, skating had once been everything. Tzuyu’s life was built around it. Now that she was without it, she seemed lost.
Nayeon grabs a hold of her hand, the one that’s covering her face. Tzuyu’s reluctant at first, but she lowers them.
“You’re more than an ice skater,” Nayeon shakes her head. “You’re not defined by this.”
“Easy for you to say--”
“It’s easy because it’s the truth,” she interrupts, “You’re a culinary student. You have bad emotional control. You like green tea ice cream. You’re a good teacher, and you can make people shiver in fear with one stare and you also can be cute when you want to. And you skate. You’re Tzuyu. You’re a person, you’re not determined by how good you are at something.”
There are a few seconds where no one says anything. Nayeon just stares at Tzuyu’s eyes, the rapid beating of her own heart almost drowning out any noise. Then the last thing she expects happens -- Tzuyu throws her hands around her neck and hugs her.
“Thank you,” she says, genuinely, softly. Nayeon wraps her arms around her waist and hugs her back. “And… I’ll help you with that photography assignment.”
Tzuyu’s the best.
Tzuyu is embarrassed in front of the camera.
The garment Nayeon chose is perfect for her -- a dark black dress that ends by the knees, with sleeves and golden details -- and it fits Tzuyu beautifully. Nayeon’s breath had left her when she saw her.
“I’m sorry it’s not winter appropriate,” Nayeonapologizes, covering her with a blanket mid-shot. She doesn’t think they can use any of the pictures she’s just taken, Tzuyu just seems too self-conscious right now, and the photos look stiff. When Tzuyu just nods, Nayeon frowns. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Tzuyu says, then starts worrying her lip with her teeth. “It’s just… been a long time since someone’s taken pictures of me.”
“You’re a natural though,” Nayeon offers.
“Was...”
“Still are,” Nayeon insists. “You just need to gain your confidence back.”
Tzuyu makes a face, like she’s not very sure.
“Why don’t you do some poses from your Claire de Lune routine?” Nayeon asks. Even after all this time, that’s still her favorite routine she’s ever seen Tzuyu do.
“Oh,” Tzuyu says, perking up at the idea. “That might work… Though I’m still really nervous, hehe.”
“Just-- focus on me, yeah?” Nayeon nods, taking the camera back into her hands and smiling at her. “If you feel too uncomfortable, you really don't have to do it. Just let me know.”
Nayeon can’t help it -- she reaches for Tzuyu’s face, tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, taking advantage of the fact Tzuyu’s sitting and she’s taller than her for once. Both of their cheeks heat up once they realize how close they are and how long they’ve been staring at each other, then quickly turn around, embarrassed.
The pictures turn out nice. In one of the shots, Tzuyu’s smiling so big Nayeon decides to keep that one just for herself.
It’s Christmas. It’s Christmas, and yet, she’s still stuck at JYPU, still walking the same path into the ice rink.
“Don’t you have somewhere else to be? It’s Christmas,” Tzuyu asks once she gets there, where she's practicing while listening to the cheesiest song of all time to get into the Christmas spirit -- All I Want for Christmas. Who would’ve thought Chou Tzuyu was a cheeseball?
“I don’t think there’s anything more important than annoying you, to be honest,” Nayeon replies, legs swinging back and forth from where she's sitting. Tzuyu stares at her for a second.
“You have no idea how depressing that sounds.”
"I find joy in the little things in life," Nayeon shrugs, then gives her a pointed look. "I have to wait to hear from Professor Park before I can go see my family. And don't you have somewhere else to be? Why are you here skating during Christmas?"
Tzuyu looks away, half-heartedly shrugging. Nayeon doesn't push, after learning that only leads the taller girl away, and she knows that she doesn’t have the best relationship with her family. She’s glad at least she’d been able to have fun with her. After a minute of silence, Tzuyu's eyes land right back on Nayeon.
"You're not going to skate?" she asks, sounding confused. Nayeon frowns.
"I thought you said my skating was atrocious," she remarks, remembering one of their first lessons.
Tzuyu's cheeks turn a pitiful shade of red as she skates to the border, where Nayeon’s resting against. "It is, but it'd be weird if you were just sitting there watching me. I'm used to having to grab you before you land on your ass."
Nayeon rolls her eyes, but she can't help the fond smile that graces her lips.
"It started like this, didn't it?" Her own smile grows wider, and Tzuyu's eyes linger on her smile, the corners of her own lips tugging upwards. "I was watching you skate, and then you started interrogating me. Heh."
"I remember," Tzuyu confesses, a small smile on her lips, but an apologetic look on her eyes. "I'm sorry for being rude."
"It's fine," Nayeon shrugs the apology off. "I was being annoying anyway."
“You weren’t,” Tzuyu shakes her head. “Really. I was just… really closed off. It’s been a while since I let anyone in, I guess...”
Nayeon’s heart tugs.
“It’s fine,” she reassures her. “It really is.”
Tzuyu seems really grateful, even if she can’t bring herself to put it into words. Instead, she asks, “You’re going to see your family today, though? Screw that stupid photography class.”
“Yeah, probably,” Nayeon laughs, “My mom would kill me if I didn’t go.”
“I’d kill you too!” Tzuyu grins. “You need to see your family.”
“I will,” she nods. An idea pops into her head, and she smiles warmly, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach. “Actually, do you want to come…? My mom always nags me about bringing someone over for Christmas and--”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to if you don’t want-- Oh,” Nayeon says, slightly surprised.
“I-I mean,” Tzuyu blushes up to her ears. “If I can. I’d like to.”
Nayeon nods. “You can.”
“G-good,” Tzuyu can’t seem to get over her embarrassment. “I-I… I had a good time with you during these holidays.”
Nayeon’s stomach fills with warmth, leaving her feeling giddy.
“Me too, Tzu.”
“You’ve made me addicted to green tea ice cream,” she adds. “Not that I’m complaining.”
You’ve made me addicted to you, Nayeon thinks but doesn’t say, because holy fuck that’s cheesy. What is Tzuyu doing to her? Making her spend thousands of wons per week on green tea ice cream and ice skates and making her google ice skating routines to pass the time. She hasn’t even watched Carol yet and that’s like, her Christmas tradition at this point.
She doesn’t notice Tzuyu is still talking -- something about cooking something for the Christmas dinner at Nayeon’s, and Nayeon can’t help it when her own lips are moving.
“I really did like spending time with you.”
Tzuyu blushes again. “Me too...”
“A little-- a little too much.” Nayeon’s throat goes dry when Tzuyu’s eyes widen slightly. “Tzuyu, would you like to… I don’t know, go somewhere? Like… I don’t know, have dinner?”
Tzuyu breaks into an almost teasing grin.
“You mean like a date…?”
Nayeon feels so stupid, like a teenager asking her crush out, and even more so for the nervous jitters jumping up and down her gut, making her feel breathless and anxious.
“Y-yeah. I-I mean if you want--”
“Yeah,” Tzuyu nods. “Yeah, I want to go on a date with you.”
Nayeon’s not sure who leans in first-- probably Tzuyu because Nayeon is too stunned to do anything at this point-- but suddenly their lips are just inches away from each other, and then on the blink of an eye, Nayeon’s kissing Tzuyu, their lips sealed together. Somewhere in the distance, Nayeon swears she can hear Claire de Lune playing.
Tzuyu is the furthest thing from an Ice Queen there is. Her kiss only manages to make Nayeon feel like she’s on fire.
Nayeon gets a B- and the girl. Who could ask for more?