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When Brian first gets word of Yuzuru wanting him to be his new coach he feels delighted. Yuzuru is a promising skater, young yet with so much potential, and being able to guide him to the best of his abilities would be a pleasure but he can’t say yes without thinking about his current responsibilities with Javier.
Javier is an easy-going person; he comes from a country where figure skating isn’t really a thing so he doesn’t have the same expectations to fulfill as other skaters who live with the press on their backs. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t work as hard, Javier skates for himself and that’s probably what brought him to the place he finds himself in now. But Javier is also a young man like any other and Brian doesn’t want him to feel as if he’s getting replaced by someone younger and with more talent so Brian asks him how would he feel if Yuzuru were to train with them. Javier, as expected, shows him his boyish grin and replies with a “Sure, that sounds like fun”.
The day Yuzuru joins the training finally comes and Javier, as usual, isn’t there on time. It’s their first day and Brian already sees his trainees’ personalities clashing, they are both talented but where Yuzuru is organized and consistent Javier is more relaxed and laid-back. His worries disappear, though, when the two finally meet. Brian introduces them to each other and when Yuzuru tries to bow down politely Javier excitedly grabs his hand and shakes it, greeting him in his heavily accented English, saying how great is to finally meet him and be able to train with him. Yuzuru looks surprised for a moment but Javier’s happiness is contagious and soon he sees Yuzuru smile back
It had been a tough day. Two hours into the training and nothing was really working for Javier. He had had to give up his old skating boots when not even tape could hold them together and he still hadn’t adapted to the new ones, even the easiest moves now felt wrong .After his fourth fall in a roll he just laid there on the ice, cold and miserable, thinking about just giving up for the day and returning home to his cat and his XBOX. He heard someone skate over and suddenly a weight fell on his back and he felt the ice seep even more into his clothes.
“So… comfortable?” asked Yuzuru from his new seat.
“I don’t know. You tell me, you are the one sitting on my butt.” Javier looked back at him with an arched eyebrow, brining his chin to rest on the palm of his hand.
Yuzuru stared at him for a moment ant then stood up, starting to look embarrassed, like he was just now beginning to realize what he had done.
“Come on, we work on skating skills” He said while helping Javier back up on his feet.
Brian observed them as Javier sighed reluctantly and Yuzuru started to dust him off and smooth down his clothes. Javier started smiling again when Yuzuru took his hand in both of his and tugged him towards him to start skating again. Before they could continue Brian decided to call them over.
“How are you going to go about this with the press? Are you making it public?” He asked.
“Make what public?” Asked Yuzuru scrunching his face, it was still difficult for him to understand his coach sometimes when he decided to string together sentences in English that didn’t really make sense for him.
“Your relationship.” Brian answered with a ‘duh’, thinking about how incredibly dense those two could be.
“Is it really necessary to make public that we are friends?” Javier had said confusedly, he knew how curious Japanese press could be but he didn’t think it would go to such an extent. And he had gotten even more confused when Coach had looked at them with a funny face, apologizing and telling them to forget everything he said.
Javier doesn’t really understand Yuzuru’s thing with Pooh the Bear but it’s one of those things that make his friend unique and so he tries to play along with it whenever he can. One day before a gala rehearsal he had taken Yuzuru’s precious tissue box and hidden with it behind the boards while Yuzuru finished practicing his program. He had heard Yuzuru approach Coach and ask him where Pooh was and then he had brought the tissue box above his head, still crouching behind the board. “Here I am, Yuzu!” he had said in a singsong voice. “You did so well today! I wish I could skate like you.” Javier had heard Yuzuru laugh and he had imagined the cute way Yuzuru’s smile would travel all the way up to his eyes. And suddenly, he hadn’t needed to imagine it anymore because Yuzuru was pulling him up and kissing him on the forehead saying “Thank you, Pooh, you can skate with me when you want.” When he had been about to reply he had been interrupted by a big sigh from Patrick, who was passing by.
“Guuuuuys, this is a group practice, go smooch in the changing room or something.” Was followed by a “Shut up, you just wish you were as cute as them.” from Jason.
Yuzuru had turned to him and whispered “What is smooch?” and all Javier had been able to answer was “I don’t know, it sounds like smoothie”.
The games are finished now. They had their fun on the ice but now that even the gala exhibition is over this is their last chance to talk with everyone else before they each leave for their countries. They all know that World’s are just a month away but they also know it won’t be the same, nothing can quite compare to what you live during those weeks of Olympic Games, the kisses and the tears and the pride for you home country. So they decide to have one last gathering to fill their memories with laughter, music and happiness. When Javier arrives at the local they have hired in the Olympic Village almost everyone is already there, he feels a bit underdressed in his button-up and dress pants when he sees some other skaters in full suits or night dresses but then his train of thought I broken by Daisuke calling him over to where most of Team Japan is talking waiting for the music to start.
“Javier! Tell me the truth, I asked Yuzuru if you two were dating but he keeps saying no.” exclaims Tatsuki turning around and at that Yuzuru stops talking to Mao and tries to rapidly switch back to English. “I say truth! Tell him Javi!” he whines.
“I’m sorry, but we are just good friends”. Javier smiles and pats his friend in the shoulder while everyone else just rolls their eyes at them. “You guys are no fun.”
The party starts with some fairly good music but as time passes it quickly deteriorates into the most listened songs on Youtube, and if they end up singing along to ‘Call me maybe’ or ‘Gangnam style’ that is something that stays between them.
In the end, everybody does have fun that night despite the trampled feet (Yuzuru is so sorry for that, Mao), the accidental elbow to the gut (as a present from an overly-enthusiastic Javier to Tatsuki) and a few very nearly knocked heads (they will never try to do a hair whip at the same time again); nothing experimented skaters like them with a good number of falls on their backs can’t handle.
As the party draws to an end their hysterical cackles start to subside and the music turns slow. Everyone starts pairing up and Javier finds himself awkwardly standing alone in a mass of couples. Turning around he sees Yuzuru in his very same situation. He catches his eye and with a shrug and a wide smile he extends a hand and asks him to share with him that dance.
Yuzuru grabs his hand and Javier raises his arm above his head to make him twirl before pulling him closer. Yuzuru giggles as he’s spinned and brings his other hand up to lay it on Javier’s shoulder. The older man makes it a point to look several times at the hand on his shoulder and then back at the other boy’s face, wiggling his eyebrows for more effect, and Yuzuru’s giggles turn into full-blown laughter.
If you get lonely, think of me only.
When Yuzuru looks away from Javier’s funny faces and sees Mao winking at him from over Daisuke’s shoulder he feels his cheeks starting to flush and he can’t help but hide his face in Javier’s neck, still smiling. At that he feels Javier turning his head to rest his cheek against his hair.
Nobody does have to know that our love’s alive.
They’re swaying softer than the song, barely moving at all. Normally they’re both a bit pants at dancing, at least outside the ice, but right now it feels natural to keep in step with each other, to move closer until their bodies are flush together. Javier especially has never particularly cared for slow dancing but this is quite nice. Very nice indeed, slow and sweet and wonderful just like everything that involves Yuzuru. He wouldn’t have minded staying just like that for whatever was left of the evening.
You’re the one I want, the one I want forevermore.
They get lost in the moment, lost in the music and the dimmed lights, in the comforting familiarity of each other’s body against their own. Yuzuru finally lifts his head and now their faces are touching, their cheeks resting together. Javier can’t help himself from slightly turning his head and laying a soft peck on top of Yuzuru’s cheekbone. He closes his eyes as he feels Yuzuru’s mouth pull up into a smile. He’s noticed that Yuzuru has a smile just for him; it’s different than the one he gives Nam after a particularly good jump, or the one that is always caught on camera. He likes to think that it’s somehow more real too, more unguarded.
Living without you is like TV in black and white. You turned me on and brought colour into my life.
The song is slowing to a close and so are they. Javier notices that their arms have slid around each other. Acutely aware of the warmth against him it feels as if his fingertips are touching his heart instead of his skin. Unhurriedly their faces start moving, sliding against one another until their noses are touching and their breaths mingling.
They don’t know who starts it, the brushing of lips that turns into a tender kiss, but suddenly they can taste each other’s smile on their mouths. They each bring a hand up to cradle the back of the other’s neck, deepening the kiss as they still rock to the rhythm of the fading music. Now their tongues are the ones dancing and Javier feels himself die right then and there.
It's a slow burn kiss, nothing urgent or driven or pressured about it. The kind of kiss that you give to someone you suspect might be around for a while, revealing a million feelings buried deep within. It’s quite possibly the best kiss Javier’s ever had.
They finally pull back after what feels like seconds but wishes had been years. Javier opens his eyes and Yuzuru practically glows when he smiles that stunning smile at him. Before he can even get the urge to taste those lips again Yuzuru is already pulling him in for a sweet peck.
When I’m around you suddenly I realize, that I was blind before I saw the world through your eyes.
Things seem to happen in a flurry after that. There are congratulations and cheers flying everywhere, pats on their backs and pinches on their cheeks.
“Not together my ass! Now give me the money you owe me. I’m not letting you go back to Spain until you do, and don’t complain, you room with Javier! How could you not know?!”.
There are also exchanges of money taking place, apparently, and Javier’s thinks they should maybe get some of what Adrià has to pay Misha for whatever bet they had going on, seeing as it was thanks to them he's getting any money at all.
But most important of it all there is a hand that never leaves his for the rest of the night. Now they’ve got the memories they came here for and definitely something else to go home to.