#and every program is like learn to play hockey learn to skate. well i know about that | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rinkrats · 4 years ago

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🥺 that mike lange story. But also those tags #sid loooves christmas #he loves giving presents #looks good in red #piles on the pounds fast #post hockey career as santa 😂😂👌🏽👌🏽

he loves his mementos and presents and is COMMITTED to them. scrapbooking. matching jackets. little pills with hidden motivational messages~*~ his love language is gifts and neck smooches and stalking geno. relevant right now are some anecdotes i sent a friend earlier this year for dorky sid gifts fic fodder:

1. Crosby's constant thoughtfulness would be impressive from anyone, much less someone of his stature.

"Sid always texts me happy birthday, he's always asking me like, how's Russia?" Evgeni Malkin said. "We talk and message all summer. He asks me how my skates are. He knows, like, everything. He follows my Instagram, I think (laughs)."

In addition to having a handle on those little details, Crosby is constantly providing those around him with memories and mementos. If the team is on the road and goes, say, sightseeing or to a sporting event and takes a group photo, Crosby will later send a framed copy to everyone.

When Ron Hextall and Brian Burke watched their first Penguins game in person, Crosby is the one who approached head equipment manager Dana Heinze and asked for two used game pucks to give to the new GM and president of hockey ops.

After the Penguins won in 2009, Crosby had jackets made for the three players on the team who had scored a Cup-clinching goal in Game 7: Talbot (Pittsburgh), Ruslan Fedotenko (Tampa Bay) and Mike Rupp (New Jersey).

"They were blue jackets with gold buttons, and each one had a patch on it that said 'GWG Game 7,'" Talbot said. "At one of our first team meals the next season, he presented us with the jackets and did a big ceremony with the music and stuff. We had a private room in the restaurant. I still have the jacket."

-The Consummate Teammate, Captain and Ambassador, Feb 2021

2. Merz: My first interaction with Sid was when we were on the bench, guys were talking about a teammate, and the first thing this 15-year-old says is, “Hey, guys. Let’s keep everything positive. Don’t talk about your teammates that way.”

Salcido: When we were getting ready for nationals, he found these little pills that you could put a hidden message inside. They unscrewed, and inside was a tiny scroll. He gave one to every teammate. … He had everyone fill one out. He didn’t tell anyone what to write, but he made it known that we all knew what the goal was: winning nationals. So we wrote on our scrolls, rolled them up and put them in the pill thing. We kept them with us everywhere we went.

-‘Is this real?’: Stories of Sidney Crosby’s year at a Minnesota prep school, May 2020

3. On “Butterfly Boy” Jonathan Pitre:

Though the Senators are his team, Sidney Crosby has always been Jonny’s favourite player. After the TSN documentary airs, Tina gets a call from the Penguins. Sid needs Jonny’s measurements. He wants to have a suit made for him by his personal tailor, Domenico Vacca.

“It’s the kindest, sweetest gesture,” Tina says. “Sid heard that Jonny went to a lot of games, so he wants him to look like he’s one of the guys.”

“I want him to feel like a pro,” Crosby says. “Here’s a guy who is going through something so painful, and his first thought is always, ‘How can I help others?’ When I was young, I’d watch on TV the players coming to the rink in their suits. That was a cool part of being an NHL player. I want him to feel that, to make it as real as possible for him.”

Tina tries to discreetly measure Jonny while she’s changing his dressings. But he’s way too smart for that.

“Um, Mom, why are you measuring me? Am I going for surgery again?” he asks.

“No, no!” Tina replies, trying to reassure him and come up with a good lie, all in the same breath. “The doctor needs them just to make sure they have proper dressings next time you are in.”

A few weeks later, the sharp navy blue suit shows up at their front door, along with a couple of ties, an autographed stick and a handwritten letter from Sid.

“His eyes just light up,” Tina says. “Jonny always liked to be well-dressed, and he just loves having his own suit. It fits perfectly. He looks so good in it.”

-Beauties by James Duthie (2020)

4. Pascal Dupuis inspired his Pittsburgh Penguins teammates on their run to the Stanley Cup, and Sidney Crosby found a special way of driving that message home.

Dupuis retired in December with lingering health concerns because of blood clots. Despite his NHL playing days coming to an end, the veteran forward remained an integral part of the Penguins and was in uniform to hoist the Cup after Pittsburgh's six-game win against the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final.

On Sunday, Dupuis brought the Cup home one last time as a player to share a special day with his family, friends and hometown fans.

"Yes, it does feel bittersweet a little bit," Dupuis said. "You get the Cup, you want to celebrate. But at the same time I got a gift by the mail [Saturday]. Basically, it's a book of all the pictures of all the good stuff we went through. It came from Nova Scotia, so you guys can figure out who it came from (Crosby), but he couldn't give it to me during the season, he saw me skating a little bit.

"And he sent it [Saturday], before my day with the Cup, so he knew what he was doing to get me right here," Dupuis said, putting his fist over his heart.

-Pascal Dupuis shares Stanley Cup with family, friends, Aug 2016

5. In 2011, Crosby was out of the lineup with a concussion, and the Penguins made their annual visit to Children’s Hospital.

Crosby got along so well with one boy there and was so touched that he later asked Bullano to go back... just the two of them, no cameras, no attention.

When Bullano and Crosby met for the follow-up visit, Crosby appeared clutching a pair of Toys “R” Us bags, filled with a Transformer toy the two had discussed.

“He literally bought every type of this toy they make,” Bullano said. “[Crosby] had never seen it before and thought it was so cool.

“There are no pictures of this. There’s no video. He was laying in the bed with the kid. They were just playing. We were there for over two hours. I got to know the mom really well because we were just sitting there.

“The kid had no idea. Didn’t expect it. They had no idea he was coming. We got there and he said, ‘Hey buddy. hope you don’t mind that I came back.’ The kid couldn’t believe it.

“[Crosby’s] crazy cool about stuff like that.”

What’s crazy is trying to recount the many times stuff like this has happened with Crosby:

• The Little Penguins Learn to Play program has been around for nine seasons, outfitting now 1,200 kids with free head-to-toe hockey equipment. Not only does Crosby serve as the face of the program — which the NHL has now adopted — but he helps fund it, too.

“There’s an awareness of what a person in his position can bring,” Penguins vice president of communications Tom McMillan said. “I think he activates that as much as anybody I’ve seen during his playing career.”

• After a recent practice, Crosby noticed a local family in the Penguins dressing room, approached them, introduced himself, learned their story and wound up giving them a signed stick.

Nobody asked Crosby to do that, and he wanted zero credit when discussing it a couple days later.

“For people who have the opportunity to come in here, people dealing with certain things, if you can brighten their day a bit or spend some time with them, it’s something that’s special for all of us,” Crosby said.

• A few years ago, through a team charity event, Crosby befriended a 4-year-old Amish boy with cancer. Crosby remarked to Bullano how much he loved talking to the boy because of how engaging the boy was and how he wasn’t consumed with technology. Crosby even tried to visit the boy but learned he had passed away.

• He learns the first and last names of the kids who attend his hockey school in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

“Two kids came from Japan its first year,” Bullano recalled. “He was so blown away by that. He couldn’t wait to meet them.”

• Earlier this season, the Penguins welcomed Grant Chupinka, 24-year-old cancer patient, into the dressing room. Crosby chatted up Grant and his parents, Steve and Kim.

He spent his usual time — about two or three times the requirement. Gave the tour. Then found out the Chupinkas didn’t have tickets for that night’s game and decided he would pay for them to go.

“I’m sure he could just give them an autographed puck or something, but he takes his time to go out and see them and talk to them and get to know them,” Brian Dumoulin said. “It speaks volumes for him and who he is as a person.”

Spend any length of time with Crosby during his visits with those less fortunate, and a few things become obvious.

One, Crosby is really good at these. Smooth but not in a slimy way. Sweet. You know how when you’re around someone talking and they go out of their way to make eye contact with everyone around? That’s Crosby.

He’s also humble, always introducing himself like those he’s meeting don’t already know. Holding a hand is no issue. And Crosby is the rare 20-something pro athlete without kids who acts every bit like he does.

“It is not an easy situation to talk to someone with terminal cancer,” McMillan said. “A lot of people couldn’t do that. He has an amazing ability to do that and make that person feel good.”

Crosby has welcomed several Make-a-Wish kids and tries, if at all possible, to schedule such events for practice days — to maximize the time he’s able to spend.

He’s developed a special friendship with Patrick McIlvain, a soldier who nearly died when he took a bullet to the head in Afghanistan. McIlvain actually does physical therapy with one of Crosby’s sticks.

A former club hockey player at Cal U, McIlvain comes by every year, and the Penguins don’t even bother to tell Crosby. Either he already knows or immediately stops what he’s doing to come say hello.

“He’s not doing it to leave a legacy,” said Terry Kalna, Penguins vice president of sales and broadcasting. “His numbers leave the legacy. He’s just a down-to-Earth, good guy.”

Before a visit, Crosby has Bullano email him what is essentially a scouting report on who he’s going to meet. He likes to learn about them, their situation and what they’ve been through. As much information as he can ingest. Crosby never just swoops in, shake a hand and leave.

“As much as anyone has ever seen, he accepts the responsibilities of being not just a professional athlete but a star professional athlete,” McMillan said. “He views it as part of the job. Like coming to the morning skate. That’s just what you do.”

Put another way, “he owns those moments,” says Kalna.

Said Bullano, “He’s just a good human being.”

-When it comes to giving, Sidney Crosby does as much as he can, Feb 2017

6. When Crosby received a generous signing bonus on his Reebok deal, he wanted to share it with everyone.

“He gave everyone on the bus gifts,” says Oceanic radio commentator Michel Germain. “Him sharing his bonus with all the people he’d been travelling with for two years, that impresses me greatly. I think the most important thing about Sidney Crosby is his personality and the kind of human being he is. What he exuded. The inner richness he’d already developed.”

-Superstitious and generous, Dec 2006

7. also this simply because it makes me ;w;

Even in defeat — no, especially in defeat — Sidney Crosby proved why he wears the "C" for the Penguins.

After the game, with his heart sinking and his season over, the Penguins’ captain bent over, sank to the ice to pick up the puck, took it to linesman Tony Sericolo and then skated to his team’s handshake line.

I immediately thought of a View from Ice Level I’d written on Crosby making sure a retiring official was sent away from PPG Paints Arena properly. I knew picking up the puck wasn’t for the same reason that was, but I also knew, in some way, it was connected to Crosby’s awareness and respect of the game.

“It was for the Islanders,” Crosby told me after the game, his eyes swollen from a first round exit – by way of a sweep to make it worse. He told me how the winning team always wanted the puck, and it was his way of providing it for the Islanders.

Crosby looked me right in the eye as he told me this, just as he did with every other member of the media to come to him after the loss.

I could tell from those swollen eyes and the way he sat at his stall, by himself with his hands folded as he stared blankly, that Sidney Crosby is much more used to being on the receiving end of a puck when a series ends than he is at retrieving it for the winning team.

That scene. His swollen eyes. Staying in the locker room until most had left – talking to anyone who needed him. Most of all, though, picking up the puck that prompted my question in the first place and making sure the right people got their piece of their own history.

It all adds up to one thing: In victory and in defeat, Crosby respects the game above all else – just as he’s always done.

-Even in defeat, Crosby shines, April 2019

#anyway this was a nice walk down memory lane after the disastrous game rip #sidney crosby #pittsburgh penguins #hockey #text

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writtenonnapkins · 4 years ago

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Recruiting Moony

Credit for Coops goes to @lumosinlove

It was way too early for Sirius to be walking into one of the Hogwarts locker room. Honestly, five A.M. was too early for any activities at all, but he was too full of nervous energy to sleep in today.

Coach had asked the whole team to come in, despite it being off-season to review the tapes of some rookie they had recruited outside of the draft. Kingsley, the Director of Scouting, was also supposed to be at the mysterious discussion with the team.

In the locker room, every member seeming to be curious over what this was about. They didn’t usually have to view the tapes of any new team members, that decision was usually handled by the coaching staff and Scouters, so they all knew this wasn’t a normal meeting.

Talker looked up from his conversation with Timmy when he entered, “So, Cap, what’s this about? I assume they told you more than us?”

“Can’t say,” Sirius replied, “Just have to see what they have for us.”

“Ah-ha, a media answer! So you do know what we are here for, or rather who.”

The room had quieted down during Sirius and Talker’s exchange, listening in to see if they could get any new info from it. All of them were sitting up a bit straighter at the revelation that Sirius did, in fact, know a bit more than they did.

“Common, Cap, give us a hint. Is he a risk? Old? Mean? Throw us a bone,” Talker pestered. He seemed to be the only one awake enough to do so at the moment, though the others were listening with growing interest.

“Stop bothering the Captain, Talker, you’ll know soon enough,” Coach said as he, the other coaches, and Kingsley entered the room, taking their places by the projector screen brought in after them.

Kingsley set to booting up the projector while Coach attempted to wrangle the team into sitting down.

“As I’m sure you may have noticed,” Kingsley began, “This is not our normal procedure when it comes to recruiting new players. But, we felt this was a special case that you all should have a voice in before we make an official offer.”

On the screen, a player profile picture popped up, and next to it a collection of videos, stats, as well as a separate pop up with Gryffindor Staff info. The team took in what they were seeing in stunned silence.

Remus. It was Loops.

Sirius didn’t look away from the screen, afraid to make eye contact with anyone.

“Uhh, is that Loops?” Dumo said with clear confusion on his face.

Kingsley continued on with his presentation as if not interrupted or impacted by the suddenly odd energy in the room.

“Remus Lupin: age 25, so he would be on the older side as far as rookies go. Wisconsin Hockey starting left-winger from his freshmen year until Junior when he had a shoulder injury caused by a teammate causing him to be removed from the team and NHL Draft eligibility. A story I think you are all rather familiar with.”

Sirius looked around at everyone, mostly seeing faces of confusion still, and a few with understanding and excitement beginning to form.

“What I think most of you are less familiar with, is what Lupin has been doing since then.”

“He’s been our PT Kings, we know. What are you leading up to?” Finn cut in.

“I’m getting there Mr. O’Hara. As you said, Lupin has been your PT since he was finishing up his last year of his Physical Therapy Masters, but I am not here to discuss his credentials in PT. I’m here to talk about Hockey.”

“Lupin was put on a strict PT and recovery program after his shoulder injury and regained most of his abilities within a year and a half after the injury. He says he has kept up with his PT since then, as well as various conditioning and weight training programs he put himself on as a PT.”

“Are you trying to sell us on Remus for the team? Cause he kind of kicked our asses a while ago if you remember, if you want him on the team we won’t fight. I would actually be thrilled,” Kasey said cutting off Kingsley once again. His point emphasized by nods and smiles from the other members.

Kingsley sure was taking his time with whatever his presentation included, and by now most of the team had caught on to what was happening.

“I understand you think the entire explanation unnecessary due to your familiarity with Lupin, but it’s a unique situation and PR wanted you all to know the full story,” Coach explained. “I know it’s weird but it was deemed necessary.”

“How about I move on to some tapes,” Kingsley suggested, “These tapes are from Lupin’s junior year at Wisconsin, followed by some more recent tapes of Lupin running drills as part of PT.”

The tapes began playing on the projector, ending the discussion, and captivating everyone in the room. They watched Remus skate smoothly around the entire of the opposing team, going fast than any player on the ice by far. He was yelling at his teammates as he skated by calling plays.

“I didn’t know Loops was captain,” James whispered, noticing the C stitched into his jersey.

The tape showed Remus calling for the puck before racing towards the goal, shooting it in before the goalie seemed to even process it. In the tape, Remus threw his head back and howled as his teammates swarmed him and the buzzer rang.

“Moony! Moony! Moony!” was being chanted by the crowd before the tape cut.

Kingsley proceeded to play twelve other brief, but just as impressive, clips of Remus, commenting on different skills in each that the board and coaches felt would add to the team.

Then more recent tapes began to play, these ones are clearly taken without Remus knowing as he skated through drills, just as fast and skillful as he had been in college. The hockey captain in Sirius immediately picked out not only his speed but also his control of the puck and balance as he skated. He was good; was still good.

“Damn, when does he have time to skate like that?” Talker threw out.

“Uhh, he comes here at five every morning. I always thought Moody had him organizing early or something until I saw the tapes,” Sirius confessed, “Turns out he was actually running drills for a couple of hours in the morning before he had to clock in. Been doing it for years according to Moody.”

“Cool, so what’s the hold-up? Should we vote on it? I think we are all good with Loops joining the team, as I’m sure you knew we would be.” Logan said clearly over, sitting in the meeting room. He probably wanted to go celebrate Loops. And probably make fun of him for the college team nickname they had just learned.

“Well, if none of you have objections, we will move forward with Lupin’s contract. Thank you for your time and input.” Kingsley said as he swept out of the room.

The team all turned to look at Coach, silently asking him with grins stretched wide and excitement finally taking hold in their minds after the unnecessary long meeting. Honestly, while seeing Remus’s tapes was fun, did anyone really think they would object to Loops being on the team?

Coach noticed the looks, and grinning back at them said “I believe Lupin is currently doing his regular drills on the rink if anyone wants to watch before conditioning starts.”

Before Coach had even finished his sentence, the team was racing out the doors towards the rink.

“Eh Moony! You think you’ll still howl when you get a goal even if we call ya Loops?” Talker shouted out at Remus who was, as predicted running early morning drills. Remus whipped around at the name looking shocked and mildly scared at all of them.

“I’m guessing they showed you the tapes then?” Remus yelled back as he skated over to them.

“Oh yeah they did,” Logan replied laughing, “Can’t believe you’re the howler out of you and Cap.”

“Oh fuck off.”

#coops #sweater weather lumosinlove #remus lupin #sirius black #lumosinlove

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ais-for-alex · 3 years ago

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The Scars of Our Past: Chapter 18

Welp, here is this. I hope y’all like it this is low key one of my favorite chapters 😊 as always these characters belong to the lovely @lumosinlove

For the entirety of the following week Finn felt electric and buzzy with nervous excitement. He made sure to get Leo’s key cut and move all the miscellaneous things that had collected in his spare room into the hall closet. Other than that though, he had little to do to burn off the energy that coursed through him like a current so he threw himself enthusiastically into practice. The team thought he was simply excited for the away game they had coming up on Friday but in reality, Finn just couldn’t get the sound of Leo’s words out of his head.

‘Maybe I like listening to your voice’

It played on an endless loop in that sweet southern twang whispered low and hushed into his ear.

As excited as he was to have Leo live with him, Finn couldn’t help the nerves that set in only moments after he hung up the call that night. How was he supposed to live with Leo, see him every day, learn all the little bits and pieces that made up this beautiful man. How was he supposed to wake up every morning to find a sleepy Leo in his home, and come home every night and hear his soft voice welcoming him back? The more his brain obsessed over it the more anxiety settled in Finn’s stomach, making it roil with fluttering butterflies.

In all honesty, it wasn’t the thought of living with Leo that was making him anxious. No, that part was exciting, he wanted all those things, wanted to learn and live with Leo. The anxiety came from the nagging feeling at the back of his mind that Finn had been in this exact place before, with the other man that never strayed too far from his thoughts. Finn was terrified that he would be allowed to get so very close to Leo, he would let him into his life only to be turned away yet again. Just like he had been so many times before by Logan.

Finn was petrified by the thought that history would repeat itself, that he would be left in another one sided love. But Leo wasn’t Logan, and this thing between them was new and fragile rather than the years of feelings pushed aside or bottled up.

“What’s with the face?”

Finn nearly jumped out of his skin when Logan suddenly plopped down next to him in his stall. Finn was still half dressed in his hockey gear but it looked like Logan had finished changing into his street clothes.

He huffed a laugh when he realized who had startled him, “What face? This is just my face?” Finn asked.

Logan rolled his eyes and bumped his shoulder, “No, that’s your ‘I’ve been thinking in circles for hours and I’m about to punch something out of frustration,’ face.”

“Ok well first, that’s an incredibly specific face. And Second, I don’t have that face,” Finn scoffed before standing up to finish changing.

“Come on Fish, you’ve been fidgety all week and now you have The Face. Finn, you’ve been my best friend for years, I know when you’re anxious,” Logan’s voice turned serious as he spoke, making Finn turn back to look at him.

With a sigh he sat heavily back down next to Logan. “Alright you win,” Finn resigned, even after all these years he never could hide things from Logan. “I’m letting Leo move in with me.”

Logan’s eyes went wide as he turned to look at him, “Really? Why?”

Finn pulled his lip between his teeth and bit down before responding, “I don’t know Lo. I just… you saw that motel he’s living at. I just hate to think of him there and when he was talking about finding a place to live he sounded so sad and I just kinda… offered it.”

Logan chuckled softly, the warm sound washing over Finn making his heart ache. He felt Logan reach a hand up to brush through the sweat damp hair at his temple then thread through the waves at the back of his neck.

“Mmm, you care about people so much,” Logan sighed, his voice was filled with a tender sound Finn didn’t know how to interpret. His fingers pressing into the tense muscles in his neck and all Finn wanted to press back into his hand. He wanted to feel Logan’s palms against his skin, wanted to feel his gentle touch.

It’s too much.

Logan’s words came crashing over him painfully, shredding holes in his heart with each unspoken word. He was too much, too intense, too obsessive.

“I need to go shower,” Finn stood up abruptly letting Logan’s hand fall away from him. And for this first time in all the years they had been circling, dancing around each other, it was Finn's turn to walk away.

***

The days leading up to Sunday seemed to fly by in the blink of an eye. The time was lost in long grueling practices, in stupid memes and texts sent between the three of them. Then suddenly before he realized Finn was behind the wheel of his jeep heading to Leo’s motel to pick him up and bring him home. Finn sighed and squirmed in his seat thoughts racing through his mind as he drove. His anxiety had been building throughout the entire week, not even the Lions win over the Snakes at their away game had calmed the feeling of wriggling worms in his stomach.

Finn pulled up to the curb outside the motel and shuddered at the sight, it was dirty and run down, it looked like one or two of the rooms had plywood covering holes that used to be windows but the glass had long since been shattered out of the frames. Jumping out of his car Finn climbed the rusty metal stairs that creaked and groaned under his weight and finally made it to the room number Leo had texted him. Finn breathed in a deep breath, it was now or never, he thought to himself then finally knocked on the door.

The door swung open almost instantly revealing Leo his grin brighter than the summer sun, his baby blue eyes soft and happy as they looked Finn up and down then settled to gaze into Finn's very soul through his eyes. His blond curls fluffed out from under the hem of a beanie to curl around his ears, and he looked so incredibly cozy in his pullover hoodie and jeans that hugged his hips in just the right way it almost made Finns mouth water.

“Morning sugar,” Leo said with a little wink that seemed to knock the breath out of Finn's lungs, he chuckled softly and stepped to the side letting him into the room.

“Morning,” Finn said once he caught his breath. Then somehow, just like that all of Finn’s anxieties melted away like the morning frost under Leo’s warm sunlight. Finn didn’t know why, maybe it was his voice, or his eyes but somehow Leo’s presence put him completely at ease, made him feel like not only was this the right decision but it would be the best decision he ever made. Finn couldn’t help but grin back at him as he walked into the cramped motel room. Leo had a couple bags packed and ready on the bed, a fairly small suitcase, a backpack, and the same skate bag Finn had seen him lug to and from the rink.

“Is this it?” he asked, slinging the skate bag over his shoulder and snagging the handle of the suitcase.

Leo chuckled and grabbed the strap of his backpack, “yeah, like I said, my mama’s gonna send the rest once I get settled somewhere more permanent. So yep, this is it for now,” he shrugged.

“Alright then, let’s blow this popsicle stand,” Finn said, making Leo laugh as he led them out of the room and back down to his car on the street.

“So how was your game?” Leo asked once they had loaded his bags and settled into the car.

“Well, we won,” Finn said, glancing over at Leo with a grin, remembering the countless celebratory snapchats sent after the game.

“I knew that , you dork,” Leo rolled his eyes.

Finn laughed and felt a bit of heat creep up the back of his neck, “Honestly, the game was good, especially against the snakes. I mean as per usual Snape was all over Cap, the bastard kept trying to get dirty hits in. But damn, that goal Lo got past Riddle was a thing of beauty.” Finn heard Leo breath in sharply and glanced over at him, “you alright?”

“Yeah, fine,” Leo replied with a little shake of his head, “just sounds like an exciting game.”

“You should come to the next one!” Finn cried as he pulled into his apartment's parking garage.

Leo laughed softly, “I don’t know Fish, it depends. I need to focus on practice, my program isn’t quite where it needs to be before I start competing this season.”

The moment he put the car in park Finn turned in his seat and stuck out his lip in a pout, he let his eyes take on that wide doe eyed look that never failed to make people give in to him.

Leo looked like he was trying to hold his resolve but Finn saw the exact moment it melted away, in the way he sighed and sagged against the seat.

“Alright, alright! You win,” Leo said exasperatedly reaching out to push Finn's face away a bit, “I’ll come. Now stop it with the Bambi eyes.”

“Ah ha! Success!” Finn shouted before hopping out of his car and grabbing Leo’s bag from the back. “And for what it’s worth, I think you skate beautifully Le.” Finn felt his chest fill with warmth as he watched a pretty pink flush dust across Leo’s cheeks at his words.

Making their way towards Finn's apartment they continued talking about the Snakes game, or rather Leo asked a question that led to Finn recounting the entire game for him. When they finally reached his door, Finn snapped his mouth shut realizing how much he was talking.

“Sorry!” he said shaking his head, “Didn’t mean to just word vomit this entire time.”

“S’ok,” Leo chuckled softly, “your excitement is kinda adorable if I’m being honest here.”

For just a moment Finn’s brain blue screened at those words, “Um… well… I,” he stuttered turning to unlock the door and hide the blush that was turning his face the same shade of red as his hair. “Welcome home,” he finally said, stepping into the apartment and letting Leo follow him inside.

Finn watched as Leo wandered in, looking around curiously. He huffed a laugh realizing it reminded him of watching a kitten exploring a new environment, all wide-eyed curiosity as he poked about.

“Alright this is just sad,” Finn heard Leo callout from the kitchen. When he got there Leo had a cabinet open his face was pained as he took in the contents, “Please, for the love of God tell me why the only ‘food’ items in this kitchen is a vat of protein powder, and a box of Wheat Thins.”

Finn laughed at the disgust written on Leo’s face, “Sorry, I’m not much of a cook. I usually just do take out or steal snacks from the players’ lounge at the rink.”

Leo just sighed and slumped against the counter in defeat, “Alright I’m going shopping tomorrow, there’s no way in hell I’m letting you live like this.”

“So what? You’re gonna cook for me?” Finn asked a bit skeptically.

“Yes, yes I am,” Leo fixed him with a look that seemed to say fight me. “Any food allergies I should know about?”

Finn laughed but accepted his fate, “walnuts, other than that I’m more or less a garbage disposal and will eat pretty much anything.”

“Walnuts, got it,” Leo said making his way across the kitchen and bumping Finn with his hip, “I’m gonna go unpack.”

“Alright,” Finn said a bit breathless from Leo’s close proximity, “let me know if you need anything.”

“Will do,” Leo whispered, his lips pulling into that wide dimpled grin of his, his baby blue eyes seemed to trail over Finn for just a moment before he was making his way down the hall towards his room. Finn breathed in shakily, the air felt charged in Leo’s absence like he was lightning that hit ground one moment then was gone the next leaving behind scorched earth and pure energy. It felt intoxicating and Finn breathed it in like he could taste it in the air.

Well now what? He asked himself meandering out of the kitchen and flopping down on his couch. He snagged the book left sitting on the coffee table and pulled out the plastic knife he had used as a bookmark the last time he opened it. He fell into the familiar words and the familiar world of a story he had read countless times before and would read countless times again. Finn let the thoughts inside his skull dissipate like fog burning off on a summer morning until the inky words reconfigured themselves into pictures, into movies, into snapshots of a different reality with different people.

“Knock knock.”

Finn nearly jumped off the couch at the sound of Leo’s voice. Taking a deep breath to calm his heart rate he glanced up to see Leo sniggering at the entrance to the hallway.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you,” he said through his laughter.

“Nah, it's fine I startle easily,” Finn said finally relaxing back against the cushions, glancing around he realized the apartment had grown a bit dark while he was lost in his world of words, the light outside the windows had faded leaving behind the velvet blanket of night.

Leo laughed again before wandering closer, “believe me I get that. I swear I jump at the stupidest things. Do you mind? There’s more room out here,” Leo held up a thin yoga mat and nodded over at the open area next to the couch.

“Sure, feel free,” Finn replied. “So, you all settled in?” he asked as Leo laid out the mat.

“Yeah, for now,” Leo sighed, beginning to stretch. “Talked to my mama earlier, let her know she could send some of my things when she gets a chance.”

Finn hummed in acknowledgement; his book lay long forgotten in his lap as his eyes were unable to look anywhere but the man currently stretching in his living room.

Leo breathed long, deep, and even breaths as his body pulled and flexed with the motions. He twisted into impossible positions that displayed so much flexibility and strength, Finn didn’t want to even blink and miss a moment. Leo had changed out of his jeans and was instead wearing a pair of tight spandex shorts that left very little to the imagination, somehow, they made his long legs look almost endless. Finn nearly choked when he pulled one leg into the air in a perfect vertical split. He stretched methodically, carefully working the tension and tightness out of his muscles and joints until his body was warm and loose. It seemed that Leo was completely oblivious that he was being watched, or maybe he was just ignoring it, either way Finn drank in the sight gratefully.

When Leo pulled out of his final stretch and began rolling his mat back up Finn quickly glanced away from him, after all it was probably weird to just sit there and watch your roommate stretch. He quickly snagged his abandoned book and opened it to a page at random to pretend like he wasn’t watching. He heard a soft chuckle as Leo sat at the opposite end of the couch, his legs all curled up into himself.

“You know,” Leo began his voice soft, “books are usually easier to read when they’re right way up.”

Finn felt a flush rise in his face as he realized his book was in fact upside-down, “What? You mean you haven’t heard? This is how all the cool kids are doing it nowadays,” he joked in hopes of salvaging his pride.

Leo laughed, “Well if that’s what the ‘Cool kids’ are doing I’ll have to try that.”

A soft smile took over Finn's face as he closed and set the book aside, he glanced over at Leo and felt his heart melt at the sight. He had the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head and his bare legs curled up into his chest and arms wrapped around them. His head was tilted to rest against the back of the couch and his eyes were closed but the contentment on his face made Finn feel warm inside.

“Thank you for letting me be here, Fish,” Leo’s voice was soft, full of a tenderness that washed over Finn in a warm wave.

“’Course,” Finn mirroring Leo’s low tone, he swallowed hard to keep the feelings inside him from bursting free. “Hey,” he said letting his voice settle back to its normal volume, “com’ere.”

Leo blinked his eyes open to send a mildly confused look his way.

“Come on, there is no possible way those gazelle legs of yours are comfortable like that,” Finn gestured to his balled up position at the end of the couch, “you can stretch them out if you want.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, of course,” Finn laughed.

Leo hesitantly stretched his legs out until his feet were just shy of touching Finn's thigh, it left his knees still bent a bit. Finn rolled his eyes and gently wrapped his hand around Leo’s ankle and maneuvered his leg until it was extended fully letting his foot rest in his lap. Leo sighed now much more comfortable; Finn grinned watching him nuzzle a bit further into the couch. He was just about to release Leo’s ankle when Finn realized there were large cuts and blisters littered across the man’s feet, they looked so very sore and painful he hissed slightly in sympathy.

“They’re not that bad,” Leo whispered, Finn flicked his eyes over to look at him but Leo still had his eyes closed and face pressed into the couch cushion.

“Le,” Finn breathed his name so softly, “yes they are. Sweetheart your feet are torn to shreds.”

“Mmm,” Leo hummed, “it’s just been long hours of practice since I got here.”

Finn nodded in understanding, he knew what it was like when you were starting out in a new place, he knew what it felt like to think you have to work yourself to the bone just to be on an even playing field with the others around you.

“You’re working so hard,” he said trailing his fingers around Leo’s ankle, marveling at the goosebumps that rose up in their wake.

“Yeah, ‘m tryin,” Leo’s voice was breathless as he shivered under Finn's gentle touch.

“Stay here,” he whispered, squeezing his hand gently around Leo’s ankle before sliding out from under his legs. Leo just blinked up at him his eyes had taken on a sleepiness that made Finn want to wrap him up in a blanket and hold him close until he fell asleep. It took barely a minute for Finn to slip into his bathroom and snag the little box of bandages he kept in his medicine cabinet. He settled back on the couch and lightly tapped Leo’s shin with the box before pulling his feet back into his lap.

“What are you doing?” Leo asked with a little surprised huff when he saw the bandages Finn was pulling out of the box.

“I’m fixing your feet,” he said evenly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Fish, you don’t have to do that,” Leo said, beginning to pull his legs back, but Finn wrapped his hand around his ankle again and held him still.

“They have to hurt, don’t they?” Finn asked, “please, just relax let me make it a little bit better.”

Leo let out a soft laugh, “Yeah, they do,” he looked up and met Finn's eyes and smiled, “alright.”

Finn very carefully bandaged each tender cut and broken blister on Leo’s feet. Soft little sighs fell from Leo’s lips as his hands brushed against sore spots, Finn pressed his thumb into his arch massaging gently making Leo positively purr. The sound that bubbled up from his chest was just shy of a pleasured moan, Finn couldn’t help but grin at how sensitive the man was to his touch, as he shivered under even the lightest brush of Finn's fingertips.

“Alright,” Finn said with a last squeeze of his hands, “that feel better?”

Leo looked up at him with that happy sleepy look and nodded, “yeah, it really does.”

“These are waterproof,” Finn said tapping him with the box of bandages again, “and they generally stay on pretty well, you should be fine wearing them in your skates. I usually keep a box in the bathroom if you need any more.”

“Thanks,” Leo’s voice was soft and breathless but full of genuine gratitude.

“No problem, I’m gonna go put these away really quick,” he said, making his way back into the bathroom to stash the box away again and wash his hands. When Finn sat down again Leo easily let his legs extend back to rest in his lap as they both relaxed into the couch. Finn snagged his book again and let one of his hands come to rest on Leo’s calf, his fingers stroking the soft skin absentmindedly. Glancing over to the other end of the couch Finn felt warm affection rush through his veins at the sight of Leo snuggled into the cushions dozed off in a light sleep.

Man, Finn thought to himself very much aware of the effect Leo was having on him, he’s been here less than twenty-four hours and I already feel like this. I’m fucked.

Read on AO3

Chapter 17

#sweater weather #coast to coast #leo knut #logan tremblay #o'knutzy #lumosinlove #finn o’hara #writing #figure skating #the scars of our past

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petri808 · 4 years ago

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Bakudeku 31 days of winter ice skating prompt

No one is willing to work with rich but hot-headed pairs skater Katsuki Bakugou, but he needs a partner if he wants a second shot at the Olympics. His coach is desperate and finds former hockey player Izuku Midoriya who was injured at the last Olympics and can no longer play who agrees to give it a shot. The journey pushes Katsuki to change his ways so he doesn’t lose the one partner who gives him a second chance.

It’s generally based on the movie The Cutting Edge. Angst & Fluffy AU. 10K Modern AU

“This is ridiculous!” Katsuki snaps at his coach while pointing to Izuku. “He can’t be the best option! He’s not even a figure skater! And what’s with the hair! It’s a fucking mess! Where are you from, the slums?! Baggy flannel, really?! You look like a hobo! What about that Iida guy I told you to get?! Or Kaminari?! Someone that’s at least in the fucking right sport?!”

Coach Eijiro Kirishima pinches his brow and sighs, “no one else is willing to work with you after your behavior at the last competition. So, it’s this or give up your chance at next year’s competition.”

As the two men argued, Izuku Midoriya just stood there confused in the doorway of a large expense home. All he knew, is the coach had contacted him and offered a generous paycheck to skate again with a partner. It wasn’t ideal and he had no experience with figure skating. But the check cleared, and he needed the money badly. After a devastating injury on the ice sidelined his hockey career, life was a struggle. It took six months just to heal and medical bills needed to be paid. He’d assumed Katsuki Bakugou knew what the coach was up to... but apparently not. “Um, Eijiro, if he really doesn’t want me here, I’ll leave.” Just seeing the explosive attitude Katsuki is exhibiting is making him nervous.

“No, no,” Eijiro moves back to Izuku, while glaring at Katsuki, “he does, he just doesn’t realize it yet.”

“Pfft!” Katsuki sneers back.

“O—kay.” This is going to be interesting...

Maybe interesting is the wrong word, hair-pulling is more like it. Katsuki’s parents are rich, hence the mansion he’s now rooming in and to top it all off the guy has a personal ice-skating rink! An ice-skating rink! No wonder Katsuki was such a brat! But— the man is good, like really good on the ice... Katsuki’s skill as a figure skater is breathtaking to watch as he glided across the smooth white surface. Elegant, strong, and very handsome. But then the man opens his mouth, shattering the fantasy, and Izuku remembers who he’s really dealing with.

“Argh! Get it right Deku! Toe pick! Toe pick! Toe pick! Fucking learn how to use it! Two fucking weeks and your still face planting!”

“I’m sorry, okay! We don’t use toe picks in hockey!”

“This is not gonna work Eijiro!” Katsuki snaps at the coach. “I’m done today! Come get me when he fucking learns how to skate!”

The two men watch Katsuki storm out of the building. Izuku flinches at the sound of the door slamming shut. “Sorry Eijiro. I had no idea figure skating is this difficult.”

“You’re doing fine Izuku. Just keep practicing. You’ll get it soon.”

Izuku was never a quitter and no matter how much his hot-headed partner put him down, it only fueled his drive to get better. Early every morning he would wake up and skate until his legs hurt, then he’d ice them down at night, and start the process again in the morning. In hockey, elegant wasn’t necessary and being a little sloppy on the ice didn’t matter because you were too busy keeping from being slammed up against bodies or walls. But if there was one thing, he truly hadn’t anticipated was the physical prowess required for figure skating. When you watch the sport on tv, no offense, but those skinny bodies in tight leotards doesn’t make one think of powerhouses... until you attempt to pull off the technical moves that they do and learn really quickly how hard the ice can be on a human frame. If Izuku thought his injuries from a hockey match were brutal, figure skating is quickly tallying up the bruises and cuts to take the lead.

It’s been six months into the training and Izuku was growing curious as to what had caused Katsuki to lose his former partner. Eijiro was hesitant to tell him but did lead him towards where to find the answer. So, late one evening, Izuku pulls up YouTube and punches in the description the coach had given him. The results were... surprising to say the least and frankly shocked him because the partner he’d grown to know just didn’t fit what he was seeing. He closes the app and tucks the information away for the time being. It wasn’t worth focusing on the past if he wanted to get through the present. He just needed to buckle down and practice so that when the nationals arrive in 5 months, he’ll be ready.

As the smaller of the two, it’s decided that Katsuki would be the base and Izuku would perform the lifts. Such an act requires a lot of skill in balance and trust which wasn’t exactly the partners forte at the moment.

“Kacchan, we need to practice you lifting me up.” Kacchan is his new nickname for Katsuki. He didn’t know if the man really liked it, but he’s never stopped him from using it.

“You’re not ready,” the man replies curtly.

“That’s why we need to practice!”

“And what, break your neck?! Izuku, you ain’t ready yet!”

“Katsuki, he is ready,” Eijiro counters. “And Izuku is right, you both need to practice the moves in order for it to be spot on. If you’re afraid—“

“I’m not fucking afraid! Fine! You wanna practice, well practice, but don’t you tell me I’m afraid of tossing his ass in the air!”

Three more months, that’s all the time they had left to get two routines down perfect. A short program and a long program. Just trying to remember all the moves is hard enough, but having to execute them in synchronized patterns, smooth transitions, with elegant refinement, someone please remind Izuku why he took the job again?! As a partner, Katsuki is such an asshole to work with. There were so many moments when Izuku questioned his sanity in staying. The money was helpful, but is it really worth the abuse? And yet... there were also the moments when Katsuki might say something nice or a random ‘good job’ to Izuku that made him think, maybe Eijiro was right after all. Maybe Katsuki just needed the right partner. One who’s able to handle his outbursts and see through the hardened facade he shows to the world. It might have been lonely growing up as only child... Izuku should know since he’s an only child. But he grew up surrounded by neighborhood kids. Perhaps Katsuki had been isolated in this mansion for most of his life, because that certainly would stunt his social abilities.

The month before the competition was a whirlwind of activities. Grueling practices, costume fittings... Katsuki was monitoring what Izuku ate and how much sleep he was getting, like a paranoid mother. It got so strange, that Katsuki moved Izuku out of the guest room and into his own in order to watch him more carefully. Granted that Katsuki had a California king sized bed with a lot of space, but it was still awkward for Izuku to share it with him! What if he snored or rolled— sometimes he moved in his sleep. Plus, Katsuki was an early sleeper while he was a night owl. They are such opposites in personality and behavior. The first night fried his nerves so badly Izuku barely slept, only to be cussed out the next morning because he couldn’t focus during practice.

“Kacchan, please, I rather sleep in the guest room!”

“I don’t care what you want, this tells me I need to keep a closer eye on you.”

Izuku groaned and pushed away off the ice to get lunch. He knew there was no arguing with Katsuki unless he was ready for a fight. Wasn’t getting a restful night of sleep the better idea if he was so worried?!

Their afternoon practice did nothing to help his frayed nerves. Katsuki was acting so strange lately. When he talked it’s more like screaming at him, but when they trained... Katsuki’s touch was gentle? Intimate. ‘Duh’that’s what pairs skating is! Izuku chides himself. Like a dance of two lovers on a floor of ice. ‘Sex on ice... Stop it!’ Izuku couldn’t stop the heat flooding to his cheeks. ‘Don’t think like that!’ Ugh, he groaned again, now the mental image is going to torture him and if things couldn’t be worse, Katsuki saw him blushing to himself looking like a weirdo. Thankfully, all it gained was a raised eyebrow. Izuku is gay, but Katsuki isn’t the type of guy he normally went for and he swore he saw a photo in the man’s bedroom of a woman.

Putting aside all the crazy thoughts, Izuku finishes the day without invoking anymore of Katsuki’s wrath. They had dinner quietly before he was forced to go to bed at 9pm. Izuku prepared for another sleepless night as he lay there stiff on his side facing away from the other male. There was almost 2 feet between them, so he tried to pretend he was all alone, just him in a strange bed. Like at a hotel on the very first night and you’re still adjusting to its nuances. It was a comfortable bed, probably expensive with soft, silky sheets, and even the pillows were some fancy memory foam type. Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion, for after a short amount of time, Izuku fell asleep while running the choreography through his mind.

‘Wow it’s really hot today...’ Izuku stirred unconsciously from the dream and pushed the blanket down to his torso. ‘Maybe Yagi will let me go home from work early today, cause it’s exhausting to hang drywall on days like this.’ Izuku tries to turn around but he couldn’t. Panic set in the dream, and the walls closed in around him. ‘What’s going on?!’ He was working and now he’s trapped! Izuku pushes the wall with his back only to feel pressure increase around his body. “What the?!” It instantly snaps his mind awake and suddenly the construction site turned into the dark room of Katsuki’s bedroom.

“Stop... f’ing... moving...” the gravelly voice mumbles right next to his ear!

Izuku’s eyes blow wide as he looks down and sees the arm around his torso, registers that the heat he’d experienced in his dream was Katsuki! ‘Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!’ Why was Katsuki spooned up to him?! With every breath from the sleeping man blowing along his neck and down his back, every fiber in his body shivered, sending too many electrical pulses misfiring and blood rushing to the wrong places! Katsuki hadn’t just rolled too close, this was an intimate embrace! This couldn’t be real! Izuku tries to pry the man’s arm away gently without waking him only to have his ass grabbed by Katsuki’s other hand.

“Go the fuck to sleep, Deku.”

Izuku squeals. He can’t take this anymore. They weren’t that kind of partners. “K-Kacchan! Wh-What, why?!

“Can’t you just take the hint and go with it. I don’t do the whole flirting nonsense.”

“Oh, my god.” Izuku breathes out, he’s serious! And though a part of him gravitated to the idea of having this handsome partner in a relationship, Izuku worried mixing business with pleasure would blow up at some point. “Kacchan. I’m flattered, more than you might know, but I think we should just be partners on the ice.”

There was silence for several minutes and Izuku started to wonder if Katsuki had fallen back asleep and didn’t hear what he’d said. But it was the calm before the storm. Without warning, Izuku was pushed so hard from behind, he flew off the bed and landed hard on the ground. “GET OUT!!” Katsuki raged. “Get the fuck out of my room! Get the fuck out of my house!”

Izuku couldn’t see the man on the bed through the darkness but could almost feel the anger on top of the sound. One pillow, two pillow landing close to where he lay on the floor, then a lamp crashes on top of his hip. Izuku screams, scrambling up despite the pain and stumbling for the door.

“I-I’m sorry Kacchan—.”

“Get the fuck out!! I don’t wanna see here you in the morning!”

Izuku wiped away blinding tears as he packed up his few belongings to leave the mansion in the dead of night. He’d paused at Katsuki’s bedroom door on his way out; was the man crying behind it? It was hard to image the hot head crying but those were clearly the sounds of sobbing coming through. Izuku hung his head, fuck! He really messed up this time. But what could he do? Katsuki told him to go, and this was his house. He writes a quick note and slips it under the coaches door before taking a cab to the train station. The competition was only 2 weeks away, what about that? Is Katsuki going to throw away his chance to compete? Then again, people do crazy things because of emotions.

When he arrives at the station, Izuku find out that the next train to his town won’t arrive for another 6 hours. Just great. None of the food stalls were open at 2am, so he drops onto one of the benches and uses his duffle bag as a pillow. He sets the alarm on his phone and tries to get some sleep... that doesn’t come easily. Could he have handled the situation better? Okay, it wasn’t fair to blame him for making Katsuki cry. It’s not like the man gave any indication he was interested in Izuku in a romantic sense. Who does that?! Just forces someone to sleep in their bed and surprises them by spooning up in the middle of the night?! “just take the hint...” “Argh!” Izuku curls to his side and covers his face to block out the light. ‘This is not my fault! Stupid Kacchan!’ Tomorrow will be a new day. He’ll go home and just start over. Who needs Katsuki...........

“Wake up Izuku.”

“Ugh... go away,” Izuku groans and slaps away the hand shaking him.

“Izuku, get up. I’m here to take you back to the mansion.”

Wait, what?! Izuku opens his eyes, this can’t be happening. “Eijiro?!” He sits up, shaking his head and waving his hands to wipe away the man’s statement. “Please no! I don’t wanna go back there.”

“Look, I don’t know what exactly happened, and Katsuki isn’t telling me anything, but if you leave now all that work is for nothing and you don’t strike me as a quitter.”

Izuku shakes his head. “I’m not, but I don’t see how Katsuki would be willing to be partners. It’ll be uncomfortable for both of us.”

“He has no choice. This year’s national’s determines who goes to the Olympics.”

“What?!”

Eijiro grins. “Oh, did I forget to mention that?”

“Um, yeah! I-I signed up to— you know I was already concerned about nationals but now you’re telling me this is for a bid to the Olympics?! No! No! N-O, no way. I-I’m barely hanging on as is keeping up with figure skating!”

“Izuku think about it this way. You’ve both had a shot at the Olympics that were dashed. This is your second chance.”

“What do you mean both? Katsuki’s competed in the Olympics?”

“Yeah, the same year as you. I was surprised you didn’t recognize him.”

“I didn’t pay attention to the other sports because I was too busy worrying about my team.”

“Well,” Eijiro asks again. “Don’t you wanna have a second shot at gold?”

“Pfft,” Izuku sighs, “let’s just see if I can survive nationals.”

“Wonderful! Come on,” Eijiro grabs Izuku’s bag, “breakfasts on me.”

When they arrive at the mansion and walk into the house, Katsuki is standing in the living room with his arms crossed just glaring death daggers. Izuku gulps hard as he stands behind Eijiro who’d told him to let him handle Katsuki when they arrived. He was ready for the cursing, but the man just stood there.

“A-Are you sure it’ll be okay?” Izuku quietly questioned the coach. “He’s not gonna kill me in my sleep?”

“Well, at least not until after nationals.” Eijiro stared at Katsuki as he spoke. “Because he knows he has no choice.”

“Tch,” Katsuki stomps away.

‘This is gonna be a lo—ng 3 weeks!’

Excruciating to be exact. If there’s something that became brutally clear through this year to Izuku, is that in pairs skating, the chemistry between the skaters plays a role in how well they are received. They could be as technically perfect as required, but they won’t win over the audience and possibly even the judges if you can’t ‘feel’ their routine.

Their practices became mundane and performances, robotic. Katsuki didn’t touch Izuku in the same ways he had before, and he was noticing it more than ever. He realized the night Katsuki had made a move wasn’t the first time after all. Katsuki had been flirting with Izuku in his own subtle way, but he’d never caught on to it. That made Izuku feel even worse, but he also couldn’t go back on what he’d said because he meant it. Risking a relationship meant risking their careers. If they could just get through nationals and make the top 2 spots, they’ll get into the Olympics next year. So, despite the emotionless aspect of their routine, it was as good as they were going to get it to, and they were ready to take the risk...

But it still hurt.

The backstage area of the skating arena was a mad house with all the competing singles and pairs skaters cordoned off in their own dressing areas. Katsuki’s parents spared no expense on a team to get them ready. Perfect outfits, hair, and makeup to make them pop for the cameras. They looked amazing in their complimentary outfits, a perfect couple by design in every way except reality.

Ever since the night of the fight, Katsuki only spoke to Izuku as necessary in gruff tones. He would even look in his direction and never made eye contact during the practices. Eijiro tried so hard to talk to him. ‘You need to sell the illusion Katsuki. No one’s gonna buy your routine if you won’t even look at the man!’ But the hot head was unflinching in his stubbornness. His face would be towards Izuku, but his eyes looked elsewhere, and smiles were non-existent.

They were next in line, so the runners called them to the waiting area. As the pair stood and watched the performance going on before them, Izuku noticed Katsuki’s expressions growing angrier and angrier. It was his old partner with a new partner doing an amazing routine. Izuku recognized the man from the YouTube video as Shouto Todoroki and his female partner was fairly new to this level of the sport, named Momo Yaoyorozu. Had they been a couple, Izuku started to wonder, is that why Katsuki was so angry? Shouto and Momo’s scores elevated them straight to the number one position.

As they walked off the ice, both skaters smiled and nodded to Izuku, who returned the gesture with a bright smile. He had nothing against them even though they were rivals.

“No hard feelings Katsuki,” Shouto stuck out a hand.

But Katsuki slapped it away, “fuck off ice boy.”

Izuku immediately steps between them. “Sorry, K-Kacchan is just stressed.”

“Don’t talk to them Deku!” Katsuki grabs his hand and pulls him towards the ice.

As Izuku does as he’s told, he sees Shouto shaking his head in pity and he couldn’t blame the guy. Shouto seemed genuine, but it was Katsuki being the asshole. Needless to say, going into a routine angry was not the best idea.

“Kacchan, please,” speaking softly, Izuku begged one last time as they took up their positions. “Because you look too angry.”

“Don’t worry about me and just make sure you don’t screw up!”

‘Argh!’ “Got it.”

If there was one good thing, he could say about Katsuki, is the man is a machine and once the music starts, he’s all business, executing each step with precision like nothing was bothering him. Izuku too, stayed on track, meeting and exceeding his own expectations. He had been so worried that when the pressure really hit, he’d freeze up, make mistakes, and cost them this opportunity. The routine ends right on point to the wild sounds of clapping in the audience. It takes them a few moments to catch their breath before breaking apart. He tries and is rebuffed by Katsuki to hold hands as they bowed. Nevertheless, Izuku catches himself and plays it off, not wanting to appear unhappy for the judges. He thought they’d done an amazing job! At no point can he remember either making a mistake. Everything was right on point, especially the moves that carried the highest point values. They had to get 1st place! But when they stepped into the waiting box as the scores are tallied and posted, it wasn’t to be. The technical points were flawless, but the judges ranked them lower in components score... clearly the judges saw well and clear this pair was not a matching pair at all.

Katsuki storms away to the backstage area livid.

“This is all your fault Izuku!”

“My fault!” Oh, that’s it, Izuku wasn’t gonna hold back anymore. “I warned you, Eijiro warned you! You’re fucking attitude is what killed us! Every—body sees what an asshole you are except you!” He flails his arms in contempt. “A spoiled brat that can’t handle being told no!”

“You fucking take that back!” Katsuki lunges at Izuku who counters and pushes him away.

“I’m done!” Izuku screams and starts to walk away but turns back. “Oh, and for the record. I saw your last skate and Shouto did nothing wrong. You screwed up, you! Your hand slipped in the lift. No wonder you can’t keep a partner!”

Katsuki is so shocked, his mouth slams shut.

Eijiro tries to keep Izuku from leaving, but he’s done. They were in 3rd place and the odds of the last pair screwing up was slim to none because they were also former Olympic level skaters. But just as Izuku steps away they hear it over the PA, “oh, no! She fell!”

Their coach turns excitedly to the two men, “we are in!”

“No, we are not,” Izuku states matter of fact and walks away. This time he really is done. Done with all the fights and uncomfortable, complicated emotions. Going back to the Olympics would have been... the tears well up, but he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, before continuing his stride out of the room. It would have been amazing, but he’s not turning around this time. He can hear Eijiro calling his name. He can hear the sound of something smashing against the wall... it won’t change his mind. If Katsuki can’t change his attitude, then why should he have to put up with it? It’s not fair to him. A part of him once gave the man the benefit of doubt, but perhaps Izuku should have taken a hint from all the partners of his past. Katsuki Bakugou will never change. His arrogance destroys all of his relationships, and that’s not the kind of man Izuku wants anything to do with.

He grabs his belonging from the hotel room, checks out and goes straight to the airport without looking back. The whole ride home, Izuku sat in first class with his cap kept down low to avoid human interaction. It was a four-hour flight back to the mansion and his plans were to grab all of his stuff and leave before Katsuki and Eijiro could get home too. A whole year wasted... Izuku cried softly to himself in the darkened cab of the plane. Now he’ll just go back home to Minnesota and pick up where he’d left off. Going back to working with his brother in construction wasn’t the worst thing. At least he wouldn’t have to put up with being yelled at all the time or being treated like shit. And hey, he could figure skate now! Maybe he’ll find a new partner like Shouto had done. Oh, that would piss Katsuki off so bad! Izuku snorts a small laugh. He never considered himself the vindictive type, but the thought made him laugh at least.

Back home, Katsuki stood in the empty doorway to the room Izuku was using, quiet, his head lowered, not listening to the words Eijiro was saying to him. They’d arrived at the silent mansion and deep down he knew Izuku wouldn’t be there, but that didn’t make the pain hurt any less. They’d hidden the fight from the media and Olympics committee, so as far as the world knew, they would be representing the United States in pairs skating.

“We’ll need to find a replacement Katsuki... we’ll just make up a story that Izuku got an injury or something to smooth it over.”

But Katsuki doesn’t respond to the coach and simply walks away, slamming his bedroom door closed. He falls back against it, slumping down to the floor with his knees up, arms wrapped around them and his head down. This wasn’t the first-time people have walked away from him, fought with him, but Izuku was different from all the rest and when that man walked away without looking back, Katsuki felt something he’d never experienced before. Problem was, he didn’t know what it was! And so, his only recourse was to resort to what he knew which is anger. He’d smashed the makeup case against the wall and broke a mirror with the costume stand.

How dare Izuku stand up to him like that?! As far as he was concerned, he built that man into a figure skater, gave him a new career path better than some stupid construction job! This was an opportunity of a lifetime! He’d even offered Izuku a chance to be his boyfriend, doesn’t he realize what an honor that is?! Katsuki knows exactly how good he is, and any man or woman would kill to have him as their boyfriend! Yet this guy turns him down?! Ridiculous! Just walks away from going to the Olympics?! His fist is clenched so tight, he can feel the pain of his nails digging into the palm. He was so angry! So furious! So... destroyed... Izuku turned his back on him. Fuck him! Fuck— why does he care so damn much! He’ll just get a new partner. He’ll make someone else’s dreams come true...

But he didn’t want anyone else...

No, fuck that! Katsuki jumps to his feet. Izuku was beneath him. How could he have every thought this man could fit into his circle? The guy was a former hockey player from some rural town, while he came from wealth for fucks sakes! Yeah, fuck him! Know what?! Fuck everybody!

Katsuki pulls out his phone and dials his mother. “I’m going on vacation for two weeks... no. Not with him, we— I’m going alone cause I need a break!” Click Next, he calls an airlines and books the first flight to anywhere, he didn’t care where, he just wanted to leave that night. The only option for first class was Hawaii. Oh, good, they had a vacation home there anyways. Katsuki packs a carry-on of just essentials, too irritated to pack a full suitcase. He can buy more clothes when he gets there. Before he leaves, he writes a note for Eijiro with explicit instructions not to contact him until he returned. He slips it under the man’s door then takes his car to the airport since his driver is off for the rest of the night. This whole year left him emotionally unstable, so maybe some beach time and relaxation was the cure.

It was early in the morning by the time Katsuki had arrived at their vacation home on the picturesque Kohala Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. He’d called ahead for a limo service to pick him up and drive him the 50-odd miles from the airport in Kailua Kona, and the groundskeeper to prep the house for his arrival. His plan was to do nothing but drink, relaxing alone, and to sort out whatever it was that plagued him. He’d slept for most of the ride over, but his mind would keep going back to Izuku. He tosses his bag onto his bed and walks straight to the kitchen for a shot of something, anything he didn’t care.

“ARGH!!!” Katsuki growls in the empty house. “Why the fuck can’t I stop thinking about him!!!” He takes a longer swig of the hard liquor before capping it off and heading the shower. It’s been about 36+ hours since his last one before the competition.

Day in and day out, Katsuki’s depression takes hold, alternating between fits of anger and crying until he passed out from the amount of liquor he’d consumed. The poor housekeeper that came each day, did her best to steer clear, cleaning up after those fits, to keeping the pantry stocked with bottles of liquor to avoid his wrath. For the life of him, Katsuki couldn’t understand why, of anything. Angry and feeling jilted by his partner. Confused as to why Izuku’s leaving hurt so damn much. He’d never experienced this level of despair before, just couldn’t fathom what was really causing it... okay, that was a lie. Katsuki knew damn well why he was so upset, but he just couldn’t bring himself to accept it. And so, he drank his emotions away, buried it under a tidal wave of alcohol and lived in a stupor of dreamless misery.

“Oh, thank goodness,” the housekeeper greeted Eijiro. “He’s passed out in his room.”

“Thank you, Ke’ala.” Eijiro thanks the woman and enters Katsuki’s bedroom. He rips the curtain open.

“Time to get up Katsuki! You need help.” The man on the bed is so drunk, he doesn’t even flinch. Eijiro pulls harder on his leg. “Get up Katsuki!”

The drunk mumbles something, then rolls onto his side. “You leave me no choice Katsuki.” Eijiro picks up the dead weight and carries him into the shower. He puts the man onto the shower floor fully clothed, then turns it on full blast, hitting him dead center in the face. That wakes Katsuki up real, quick!

“What the fuck?!” The man defends against the cold water, flailing his arms pitifully, and scrambling along the tiled floor until his back hits a wall. He wipes his face, “I told you not to contact me till I returned!”

“First off, your parents pay my bill and they’re the ones who sent me. Second, take a goddamn shower cause you stink to hell. Then meet me in the living room.” Eijiro tosses some clean clothes onto the counter and walks away without another word. He hears Katsuki swearing behind him, but he didn’t care.

Thirty minutes later an angry but sober, cleaner Katsuki walks into the living room and plops down onto a couch opposite of Eijiro who pushes a cup of hot coffee towards him. He takes the cup and starts to drink it, though his expression remained accusatory, with furrowed brows, just glaring at the coach. “What do you want Eijiro?”

“Do you even realize you’ve been gone a month?”

No... he hadn’t but, “what’s your point?” Katsuki retorts because he didn’t want to show he cared.

“Do you or don’t you want to go to the Olympics?”

“Of course, I do. But y’all were right all along. No one wants to be my partner, so guess that means I’m done.”

Eijiro sucks in a breath at the revelation. This was the first time he’d ever in their seven-year working relationship heard this man admit a failing. He was a little caught off guard, but in a good way. “Katsuki,” Eijiro sighs, “is this the first time you’ve ever been in love?”

Katsuki puts his cup down and leans forward. “What did you just say to me?!”

“You heard me. Just admit it, you’re in love with Izuku Midoriya.”

“Get out!” Katsuki jumps up and points at the door.

“I’m not leaving. The only way to get past this is to accept the fact you’re in love and because he left you, you’re angry and confused. You pushed him away— admit it to yourself for once in your life and just own up to it!

“I-I’m not in love with Izuku!” His hands fly up and grip to the sides of his head. All of this commotion and the emotions coupled with a hangover is creating a storm of a headache. “I’m not! I’m not! I’m not!” He shakes his head as tears start to flow. “Why is this happening to me?! I-I can’t be in love with him!” Katsuki’s hands drop, but flail in front of him. “And so, what if I am, he turned me down! I have nothing to go back to, no Olympics, no Izuku, just an empty mansion, so just let me drink myself into oblivion!” He drops back onto the couch, cradling his face in his hands as the dam of tears burst free. “Just leave me alone, please.”

Eijiro gets up and kneels in front of Katsuki, placing a hand on the man’s knee. “It’s not too late to fix things. Izuku is angry because of how you treated him, but he doesn’t hate you.”

“You don’t know that,” he grumps back.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure about it. In fact, I’m quite certain he likes you too, but the way you handled approaching him, scared him. Katsuki, relationships... they require honesty, sincerity. You can’t force someone to love you. You have to make them feel loved and appreciated.”

“I don’t... know how. I don’t know what he wants! A-And I’m not good at showing my emotions.”

“Why don’t you try talking to him? Be honest with him and tell him how you feel.”

Katsuki pauses for several minutes as if his coaches words are truly sinking in. Is it really possible? Could he do it? But he’d been such an asshole to Izuku, who in their right mind would give him a second chance. Because he certainly would not... and maybe that was part of his problem. He couldn’t handle the rejection, and so he did what he knew how to do which is lash out, and that’s exactly what he did to Izuku. Katsuki sighs forlornly, “I don’t deserve a second chance.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance Kacchan.”

Katsuki’s heart stops at the sound of Izuku’s soft voice, too afraid to even look up and confirm it wasn’t a figment of his imagination. If Izuku was really here, does that mean he’d heard and saw everything from the moment Eijiro had arrived too?!

Eijiro squeezes Katsuki’s knee. “When I told Izuku what we saw you doing here, he agreed to help bring you home.”

“S-Saw?” Katsuki closes his eyes and whispers.

“This place has security cameras. So, after three weeks had passed by and you still hadn’t come home, your parents pulled up the footage and showed it to me. If I knew things were this bad, I would have come sooner.”

Katsuki’s eyes only tighten when he feels the cushion next to him depress, and the scent of Izuku’s cologne hit him, to block a new wave of tears from escaping. He had no idea how much of the footage they’d seen, but it was highly likely they’d seen the days and weeks passing by with Katsuki drinking almost non-stop. He barely ate or took care of his personal hygiene, because he’d stopped caring, and all he wanted to do was numb his pain.

“Kacchan... I didn’t mean for you to hurt yourself like this. I was— still am upset about things, but like Eijiro said, I don’t hate you and if you’re willing to work with me, like a real partner, then... then I’ll come back. But we need to set some rules, like respect. You can’t keep yelling at me and expect me to stick around.”

Katsuki looks up. “But why would you give me a second chance?”

Izuku blushes and voice softens, “because Eijiro is right. I do have a small crush on you.” But when he sees Katsuki’s face brighten, he quickly adds to his statement. “I-I’m still torn about it, s-so please don’t take that as I wanna jump into a romantic relationship right now. I’m the kind of guy that likes some sentiment, to be wooed or swept off their feet. It’s gotta build up to a point where I’ll be comfortable with the idea, because mixing business with pleasure scares me. Just look at what happened when I turned you down. It ruined everything.”

“I guess I never thought of it that way,” Katsuki breathes out. “This is all new territory to me, and I really don’t know how to handle it.”

“See, this is great!” Eijiro cuts in. “You guys are talking like civilized people, it’s wonderful.”

“Are you done?” Katsuki grumps.

“That depends if you’re ready to start fresh and get back to training together?”

“Kacchan?” Izuku looks over beside him. “I’m willing.”

Katsuki sighs, his heart desperately wants to, but he knows it won’t be easy to control his feelings for Izuku. “I’ll give it a try.”

The trio spends one more week in Hawaii, to give Katsuki time to fully recover from all the alcohol consumption as well as simply enjoy a Hawaii vacation. It was the first time Izuku had ever been to Hawaii and wow, he couldn’t get enough of all the food choices! And the sunsets were just stunning, glistening off of the water! So many colors, it was like heaven greeting earth each clear day.

“I’ll bring you back here on vacation,” Katsuki tells Izuku one day as they’re roaming the Waikoloa shops. “I mean, if you want to.”

Surprised, but happy by the gesture. “That’d be really nice Kacchan.” Since they had to stay longer than expected, Katsuki insisted on buying Izuku some clothes and souvenirs to take back home. He tried to refuse, but the man wasn’t taking no for an answer. It was the least he could do, was the reply for putting up with him. Katsuki also refused to step into any shop he deemed of low quality, so the King’s Shops at Waikoloa is where they went. Tori Richard’s, Tommy Bahama, and Michael Korrs, all places Izuku would never have shopped at.

As they sat in the dining room of Roy’s Waikoloa bar & grill, Izuku stares out over the manmade lake next to the shopping center. He’d adjusted to fancier food because that’s all Katsuki’s cook would make but sitting there with the man in a restaurant was a totally new experience. It was really nice, and for possibly the first time since they’d met a year ago, Izuku relaxed.

He didn’t expect a miracle, or for Katsuki to suddenly change overnight for that would be unfair, but as long as the man tried, Izuku wouldn’t leave like he’d done before. Oh, but was it tough in the beginning! In Hawaii, Katsuki could control his outbursts, but the moment the pressures of training kicked in, so to, did his old personality. Unlike before, Izuku was quicker to say something, telling him to stop before he says something he’ll regret. It seemed to do the trick. The man would stop and move on. After a month, Katsuki started to catch himself, literally mid-sentence stop, and walk away. Izuku wished he’d be more open with him instead of running away, but it was definitely an improvement. By the third month back, he even apologized. Izuku remembered the first time Katsuki said sorry and after a moment of shock, he smiled and said it was okay.

But there was one thing he hoped would come back. He still remembers the heated tingles he’d feel when Katsuki would hold him in positions. It was lost after their fight, and the man almost seemed, afraid, to touch him in the wrong way. Afraid he would make Izuku uncomfortable and risk chasing him away again. He didn’t know how to convey such a desire without confusing Katsuki and opening up a door he wasn’t ready to walk through yet. So, Izuku kept his mouth closed and focused on encouraging the man to keep improving on his social skills.

With six months left until the Olympics, the pair had their short program already choreographed and perfected. That left the long program, and the most important skate of their careers left to solidify. It was a skaters last opportunity to showcase a brilliant program and garner the highest amount of points possible.

“We need a showstopper, something new, something so damn amazing the judges will have no choice but to give us the win!” Katsuki tells Eijiro. “Whatever you need, choreographers to help you, I’ll get it.”

“Well...” the man picks a folder up from his desk, tapping it in his hand before opening it and pulling out a few sheets. He walks over to the ice where the two men were standing, slowly placing each sheet down onto the ice as he spoke. “There is one thing that my old mentor passed down. It’s never been used— because the difficulty level makes it quite impossible.”

Izuku picks up the first sheet, “it’s basically a bounce, spin into a toss, spin?”

“That’s illegal,” Katsuki looks over the man’s shoulder at the paper. “We can’t do an illegal move!”

“Legal, illegal, it’s more of a gray area,” Eijiro clarifies, “just extremely difficult.”

The longer Izuku stares at it, the worse the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. “K-Kacchan would have to spin me like a centrifuge, throw me, then catch me...” he mumbled out as the blood drains from his face. “This defies the laws of gravity and if he slips...” he doesn’t finish the sentence, but the image in his head was of a face scraped off and bloody.

“It takes a lot of skill, a lot of practice, and above all trust between the partners.”

“I don’t know...” Izuku mumbles.

“I think we can do it. Hell yeah! This would win us gold! Come on Izu, don’t you wanna win?!”

“Of course, I do, but—.”

Katsuki grabs Izukus hands, holding them firmly with such excitement behind his eyes and a sultry charm to his voice. “I really think we can do this together.”

“O-Okay,” Izuku melts under Katsuki’s sway. “I believe in you.”

“No. I believe in us.”

Izuku’s eyes widen, his heartbeat speeds up, and all those tingles rush over him. Their eyes meet and hold as seconds silently pass. The cold air of the room disappears, replaced by the warmth centered from their conjoined hands. In that moment, Izuku was willing to believe, that yes, they could pull it off if they trusted each other.

Eijiro clears his throat, “I take that as a go ahead... so!” He claps his hands. “This will be incorporated as the finale of the program.”

“Way to kill the mood man.” Katsuki grumps causing Izuku to blush.

They order custom made training outfits designed to be aerodynamic but with padding in specific areas to absorb shock from falls. It was a brutal regime, especially on Izuku’s body and nothing in his past experience with hockey could compare. Rigging could only be used as they practiced the solitary spin itself, so when they practiced without it, he suffered fall after fall, tossed onto the ice when Katsuki lost his grip on Izuku’s legs. Frankly, it’s a miracle he never broke a bone, but bruises and cuts often slowed the training down. Katsuki himself added upper body workouts to strengthen and increase his ability to not only hold onto Izuku but control the spin. Remember, this is still part of a choreographed piece to music, so timing was everything. It fell on his shoulders not to screw up and miss a step. Three months into this intensive training, Izuku finally demanded a break after a particularly brutal fall that was a breath away from dislocating his right shoulder.

“I brought you dinner,” Katsuki walks into Izuku’s bedroom where he’s resting. It was wrapped by a doctor and he was told not to use that arm for the next five days just to make sure it didn’t get worse.

“Aww, thank you Kacchan.” Izuku smiles, “you didn’t have to.”

“It’s fine.” He tries to hide his blush. “I feel bad cause I messed up again.”

Izuku takes Katsuki’s hand causing the man’s blush to grow, and squeezes, smiling, and conveying more than words ever could.

With one month to go, the pair had everything in their long program down solid, except for the new move which they’ve decided to name in honor of Eijiro’s mentor, the Pamchenko. They’ve landed it twice successfully in the last two months, and the probability of sticking it under pressure at the Olympics was slim. So, with time running out they practiced a separate move instead to fill the void. It was still pretty spectacular, but not as jaw dropping.

Katsuki’s frustration had returned much to Izuku’s disappointment and he did his best not to anger the man. It sucked to be walking on pins and needles all over again, especially because being so close to the end, quitting would be crazy. Izuku just grit his teeth and ignored the man’s tirades, then cried himself to sleep some nights in his bedroom. They’d had six months of doing so well... he really thought Katsuki was changing for the better and growing into the kind of man Izuku would get into a romantic relationship with. But worst of all, is Katsuki hasn’t noticed his effect on his partner.

Izuku flops onto his bed after dinner and lets out a deep exhale, staring at the ceiling. ‘Maybe you really can’t change some people.’ Win or lose, once the Olympics was over it was time to say goodbye to Katsuki Bakugou.

There’s something to be said about the starting of the games and the walk the Olympians do. All dressed in the colors of their countries, head held high waving to the fans as their flags signal, their arrival. It’s a proud moment that such a small number of athletes in the world ever get to experience. Through blood, sweat, and tears, this was it, this is what they’d worked so hard for years to achieve. It was a second chance for he and Katsuki to shoot for their gold medal dreams. Which is really about pride not monetary gain. It’s to prove you’re the best in the world.

The morning of the short program was spent getting prepped like usual. Costumes, check. Hair and makeup, double check. Skates shined and sharpened. Music provided to the program director. There was nothing more for them to do but wait until it was their turn. Izuku focused on staying calm and not hurling up his breakfast, while Katsuki paced like a caged animal listening over the P.A. for the results as one by one each countries teams took the ice. They could go and watch the performances, but that might fry their nerves even more than it already was. Then again watching Katsuki pace wasn’t helping either, so Izuku steps out of the dressing area and into the hall for a break.

“Izuku Midoriya?” A voice spoke from his left.

“Yes?” He turns to look and smiles. “Oh, hello Mr. Todoroki. Heading up?”

“Soon. I just wanted to congratulate you on making it this far.”

“That’s really kind of you. Congratulations as well to you and Ms. Yaoyorozu.”

“Also, for surviving Katsuki. You must be quite the man to stick around.”

‘If only you knew.’ “Um, thanks,” Izuku chuckled nervously, praying that Katsuki couldn’t hear them from inside the room. “It’s been interesting to say the least.”

“So, you plan on staying his partner after this?”

Izuku pauses, debating whether to speak up or pretend nothing was wrong. But who was he kidding, Shouto had worked with Katsuki and was his partner at the last Olympics. This man would probably know if Izuku tried to lie about anything. He lowers his voice, head shaking in emphasis of his words. “No, well, I haven’t fully decided yet.”

“Well, if you don’t give me a call. I’ll help you find a new partner.”

“Oh. Wow. Thanks!”

Shouto tips his head. “Good luck to you Izuku Midoriya.”

He smiles. “Good luck to you too, Mr. Todoroki.”

The smile on Izuku’s face stays firmly planted as he watches the man walk away. Shouto Todoroki was easy on the eyes for sure, and he appreciated how nice he was unlike his own partner. Yaoyorozu was a lucky woman in more ways than one ever since they’d announced their engagement two months back. Ah, well. One day he’ll get lucky in the love department too. Still smiling to himself, Izuku goes back into the dressing room, but instead of a pacing Katsuki he finds a glaring one looking right at him.

“Kacchan, are you okay?”

Unlike in the past, the man says nothing and doesn’t respond. He can see Katsuki’s fists clenched at his sides as if he was barely controlling his anger. Had the man heard his conversation with Shouto?! Well, you know what? After all he’s been through, he didn’t care if he had. “Fine, ignore me. We’re up soon, so be ready.” Izuku walks back outside without missing a beat. He was through with Katsuki’s behaviors.

So, surprise, surprise, the short program was like a repeat of their qualifiers. Perfect technical scores, but the components... high skating skills, high transitions, compositions, and interpretations... mediocre on the performance element. Their whole vibe lacked an emotional tie to the music or each other and the judges reamed them for it. At this level of competition, when scores differed by fractions of points, the smallest misses could be your death sentence. It left them in 4th place, 2 levels below the other American team. To reach gold now required an extraordinary long program.

The limo ride was tense the entire way back to the rented villa, with Eijiro stuck in the middle of two men refusing to even look at each other. “This is why you scored low!” He snaps at them the second they walk into the front door. “You,” he points at Katsuki. “Your anger is killing this team! I had such high hopes for you both, but without the Pamchenko, it’s over!”

“Tch!” Katsuki crosses his arms, “I ain’t got no problem with that.”

Eijiro opens his mouth to counter, but it’s Izuku who snaps first. “You, selfish, spoiled brat! It’s easy for you to say cause you’re not the one taking the greatest risk and I’ve already left the Olympics once with a sidelining injury, so I’m not gonna risk it again!” Tears break free unencumbered as he walks straight up to Katsuki and slaps him as hard as he can across the face. “Just when I’d started to fall in love you reverted back to this,” motioning up and down at the shocked male, “the asshole who only cares about himself! How could someone like you ever love me?! How?!” Izuku screams at the top of his lungs... then silences his tears, “you can’t, not like this.” He runs away to his room, slamming the door, and leaving a flabbergasted Katsuki standing there like a fool.

“He’s right,” Eijiro walks up and stares him down. “All these years I’d hoped you would change— that he might be the key, but now I don’t know.” He walks away to his room too.

“Argh!!” Katsuki screams and leaves the house. Everything was falling down around him again! “Fuck!” But he knew it was all his own damn fault. He’d wanted so badly... and now to find out Izuku... “Fucking dumb fuck!” He screams at himself! How the hell does he fix this?!

The sun had not yet risen by the time Izuku and Eijiro were up and eating breakfast quietly in the kitchen area. Neither said anything, just looking down like robots programmed to follow mundane human behaviors. Katsuki’s bed was empty and it was clear he hadn’t slept in it, but no one knew where he was. The doorman told Eijiro the man had left after the fight and never returned, and he had turned off his phone. The coach was pretty certain Katsuki wouldn’t have left the area without retrieving his belongings, plus the airline ticket was still unused. So, where was he?

“We’ll go to the arena like normal,” Eijiro tells Izuku. “Hopefully Katsuki turns up.”

Izuku himself wasn’t in the best state of mind either and mindlessly nods at the coaches words. He knew the things he’d said to Katsuki were true and needed to be said, but that didn’t mean it made him feel any better. Part of him wanted to just forfeit and leave, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be labeled the reason a U.S. team had to forfeit. If Katsuki really was going to be the stupid one, Izuku wasn’t going to let the man take him down too. Katsuki came from wealth and didn’t need anything. All Izuku had was his reputation and honor, and that was worth protecting.

The longer the day went on with no sign of Katsuki, the more Izuku really wished he could just curl upon in some hole. He felt as if everyone in the field was silently judging him. ‘Where’s his partner? Did they have a fight? Poor guy. Aww how sad...’ there he was all dressed and ready for the long program with no partner. He warmed up on the ice just in case, but it was pretty miserable doing it all alone.

Less than two hours before they were set to skate, Katsuki’s mother walks in, dragging her son behind her. Eijiro gets up to meet his employer, but Izuku barely manages a smile when the woman comes up to him.

“I know we’ve never had a chance to meet Mr. Midoriya, my name is Mitsuki Bakugou, and I extend my warmest thanks for working with my problematic son.”

Not wanting to be rude to the woman, “it’s nice to meet you Mrs. Bakugou. Your son he... he has his good sides.”

The woman laughs, “no need to be humble, I know my son is a brat. And that’s my fault, I shouldn’t have spoiled him so much. But I just want you to know that you really have made a big impact on him.” She chuckled, “It’s been quite shocking for my husband and I to listen to Eijiro’s reports.”

“Oh...” Izuku’s eyes widen. He never knew the coach was spying! “I, um am not sure what to say,” he stammers.

“Okay, okay old hag,” Katsuki suddenly interjects and starts to push his mother out the door. “We gotta get ready, so we’ll see you after the program!”

“Don’t call me a hag you brat!” She yells at her son, then waves at Izuku. “It was nice meeting you!”

“It was uh, nice to meet you too,” Izuku responds and waves back.

Katsuki returns a few minutes later and approaches Izuku. “Could we talk in private somewhere?”

“You need to get ready first,” Izuku states matter of fact. “We skate in less than 2 hours and we need to be ready.”

Katsuki nods without arguing and goes to the stylists chair, telling them to make it quick. And it doesn’t take very long for them to dress and tame his hair. Once that’s done, Eijiro and the stylist quietly take their leave.

“So,” Izuku stands there with his arms crossed, “what did you wanna say to me?”

Katsuki sighs, long and deep, hanging his head and closing his eyes. “I know saying sorry won’t mean much at this point, but for what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry Izuku.” He opens his eyes full of tears. “Last night when I left, I was so angry at myself, at the world, then I saw you with Shouto again and that pissed me off, and I took it out on you again, and that’s not right. So, I kept walking, and walking, just thinking about everything. My life, about this sport, and most of all you. I-I don’t deserve you, at all, I know that.” He pauses for a moment and closes his eyes again. “And when I found myself standing on the edge of a pier ready to jump, I called my mom to come get me.” He chuckled forlornly, “me still crying to my mother at this age, it’s so fucking pathetic. She convinced me to come here today and finish what we’d started for better or worse, make it right by you because I’m the one who dragged you into this world and it’s not okay to make you face it alone. If you hate me, I—,”Katsuki squeezes his eyes shut again as he takes another deep breath. “I-I’ll accept that. If you never forgive me, I’ll accept it because I don’t expect your forgiveness. But I just wanna say thank you for everything and I’ll always love you Izuku.”

The whole time Katsuki spoke, the man never made eye contact with him, but Izuku could feel the waves of regret flowing from him in a way he hadn’t expected. It was different from the time in Hawaii, much more heartfelt. Not that Katsuki hadn’t been trying back then, but he wasn’t exactly sure how to describe it. This apology hit Izuku more deeply somehow and when the man said he’ll always love him— he just knewKatsuki meant it with every fiber of his soul... and he knew no one could ever replace Katsuki in his own heart.

“Oh, Kacchan I don’t hate you.” His voice was soft and full of tenderness. He closes the gap between them and takes the man’s hands, forcing him to look up. His eyes were filled with happy tears, and his ear-to-ear smile was brighter than any other time in his life. “I can’t say I’m not frustrated, but I don’t hate you. Okay? We’ll work on stuff together.”

At that moment, Eijiro pops his head back into the room. “It’s time to hit the ice guys.”

“Okay!” Izuku answers cheerfully before turning back and wiping away Katsuki’s tears and his own. “Come on,” he pulls Katsuki from the dressing chair, turning as he talks, “we’re gonna kick everyone’s ass with the Pamchenko!”

“What?!” Katsuki pulls Izuku to a stop. “No! You’re right it’s too risky! We’re not doing it!”

“Yes!” Izuku continues pulling and walking, dragging Katsuki with him, “we’re doing it!” He smiles genuinely, causing Katsuki’s cheeks to flush red.

“N-No, I don’t want to risk you getting hurt Izuku! It’s too dangerous!”

The closer they get to entrance of the rink, their voices lower but the back, and forth argument continues. Yes! No! Yes! No! Yes!! The announcer calls their names, so they skate onto the middle of the rink and assume their positions.

“If you think I’m doing all this to get a routine out of you, you’re wrong! Izuku, why are you doing this?!”

“Because,” he smirks back, “I’m in the mood to kick a little ass!”

Izuku’s statement and the energy exuding from the man, makes Katsuki’s eyes flash with an adrenaline rush of excitement. He’s never felt such a rush before a program, and he loves how it feels! Any doubt he’d had of his feelings for Izuku, melted away the second the music began.

Their bodies moved in perfect alignment, truly lost in the music and their long-practiced routine flowing as a dance along the ice like two lovers pushing and pulling against each other in reflection of the journey it took to get to that point. The audience ooh and awed, spellbound as the pairs hands, strong yet covetous, molded in loving embrace before heart stopping explosive leaps and spins send their toes curling, and lifting them off their seats. But no one was more enraptured then the two skaters. The world simply fell away, and the competition became a blur around them.

Izuku had no time to process the sheer excitement coursing through his veins or those elusive tingles he’d longed to feel again from Katsuki. But they fueled him, drove him towards their end goal, and made him feel more alive than he’d ever felt! It was magic, pure and simple.

They flowed effortlessly into the first stage of the Pamchenko, with no falter to the strong grip Katsuki had on Izuku. The man was confident which in turn made him relax and relinquish all control to Katsuki’s capable hands. Izuku stayed focused, his arms kept tightly to his sides, counting each spin as the g-force momentum built up to the perfect pitch... and finally the release. The audience goes silent as Izuku’s body spun through the air, one, two, triple axel... caught! In Katsuki’s arms as Izuku hits the ice again. The entire stadium erupts while the pair glides to a smooth stop in the middle of the rink, with Izuku dipped and cradled in Katsuki’s arm.

Neither cared about the judges or competition nor the screaming fans on their feet, cheering in a thunderous roar. It was just them gazing at each other as they caught their breaths with camera lights flashing all around them.

“But why?” Katsuki’s questions Izuku again, because he genuinely couldn’t understand why the man was willing to take such a high risk. “You didn’t have to do it.”

Izuku beams back, “I told you before,” eyes softening. “Because I love you.”

Katsuki’s heart skips and soars as he swoops in, kissing Izuku with all the pent-up passion the man brought out of him. It was magical, freeing, and nothing could compare to this moment, not even winning gold! He helps Izuku to his feet and takes his hand as they bow for the crowd then skate off the ice to await the scores. “I still don’t deserve you Izuku, but I’m gonna spend the rest of my life spoiling you rotten to earn it.”

Izuku giggles, “I just want the real Kacchan, that’s all I need to be happy.”

“Well, too bad,” Katsuki laughs back, “I’m still gonna spoil you.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes.” Katsuki clasps Izuku’s face in his hands with a grin. “I’m gonna work hard to curb my anger,” placing another kiss on the man’s lips, “but this is one fight you’ll never win, so just accept it.”

A tear trickles down Izuku’s cheek, which Katsuki smooths away with his thumb. Izuku felt like a damn princess in some fairytale, his eyes twinkling in the light. “Oh, Kacchan...”

#bakudeku #bakudeku fan fic #bakudeku fan fiction #bkdk #Bakugou katsuki #Midoriya izuku #Bakugou x midoriya #bakudeku au #modern setting au #ice skating #pairs skating #Katsuki x izuku #ktdk #katsudeku

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saoirse-ronan · 4 years ago

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lights will guide you home

title: lights will guide you home fandom: wonder woman, dccu pairing: steve trevor x diana prince rating: t summary: he falls half in love with her the first time he sees her skate.

(a wondertrev college au: in which steve trevor, a player on his university's club hockey team, helps run the school's ice rink when it's open to the public in december. he expects it to be another boring year, until he meets a figure skater who just might change his life.)

read on archive of our own

author’s note: hi! this fic was written for @bearholdingashark as part of the wondertrev secret santa gift exchange run by @wondertrevnet

ice skating is my favorite holiday activity, but because of covid i haven't been able to go :/ so i decided the best way to make up for it would be to write a fic where out lovelies skate!

this was fun to write! hope you like it, jen!

xoxo, rebekah

lights will guide you home

He’s never excited to work the skate rental booth, even though he’s had to do it for the past three years. Since he’s on his college’s club hockey team, he’s obligated to help run the school ice rink, along with his teammates, once it opens to the public come December. He always picks handing out skates. It’s the most boring, for sure, but it’s also the easiest - that means he can study for finals at the same time. So while the other guys fight over who gets to drive the zamboni, he quietly and dutifully signs up for the skate rental booth, and leaves.

He also always signs up for early afternoon shifts; hardly anyone is there on the weekdays, which, again, means more time for studying. He doesn’t expect this fourth year to be any different.

Except when he arrives at noon on December 1st, there are about ten kids already skating around on the ice, their parents sitting in a cluster in the stands, talking and taking pictures on their phones.

“What’s up with all the kids?” he asks Eleanor - one of the rink custodians he’s come to recognize over the years - who’s sweeping around the rental booth. He throws his backpack on the counter as the older woman pauses her work and leans on her broom. She smiles gently as she looks out at the ice.

“One of the girls in the figure skating club wanted to give free lessons this year. So you’ll have some entertainment this year.”

He motions to his backpack.

“Brought my entertainment with me.”

“Well, this entertainment might be more entertaining, and I heard,” she says, moving her hand beside her mouth so she can fake-whisper in his direction, “it might be a little easier on the eyes, too.”

He rolls his eyes, and Eleanor laughs.

“Are you going to try and set me up with someone every year?”

Last year she’d convinced a young woman who brought her niece skating on a regular basis to go over and talk to him. It had been hmms and yeahs and awkward pauses and forced laughs and had, decidedly, gone nowhere.

“I can only try, Steve. Don’t study too hard, okay?” she calls over her shoulder as she walks away.

He gives her a thumbs up in confirmation, and then sits down and gets out his books. He’s just about to put in headphones so he can drown out the Christmas music that plays throughout the arena at this time of year with some music of his own, but hears one of the heavy metal doors to the rink open noisily before he can hit play. A loud but melodic voice rings out in the almost-empty building.

“I’m here! Sorry I’m late!”

A young woman rushes in, racing past his table and throwing her bag in the bleachers, moving in such a hurry that he doesn’t get a good look at her until she takes the ice, gliding onto the slippery surface with ease.

Apart from her white skates and a deep purple scarf and matching gloves, she’s dressed in all black, long dark hair pulled into a messy ponytail. She’s tall - taller than most figure skaters he knows - and lean, but she’s strong. She must be, given her sport, but he can also tell in the way she’s carrying herself on the ice. He can’t see her full face - only her side profile - but he can tell she’s beautiful.

The children flock to her easily, a couple tripping in their eagerness to get to her. She skates over and helps them up. Then, she tells the children to circle around her - in that same melodic voice - and turns.

When he sees her face, looks into her deep brown eyes, his jaw goes slack.

She’s beautiful, undoubtedly. More than beautiful, he decides. Breathtaking. He literally stops breathing for a moment, and his next inhale is a shaky one as his heartbeat speeds up.

Their gazes are still connected, so he notices when her eyes go from kind to questioning. He has a strange urge to get up and go to her, to take her hand and ask her gently what was wrong, when her voice sounds again.

“Is everything okay? Do I need to sign in or something?”

Shit, I’m staring.

He’s staring like an idiot and he pulls his headphones out of his ears and briefly pretends to read the textbook in front of him before answering.

“Oh, uh, no. No, you’re fine. I just...I’ve never seen you before...around here.”

“Oh,” she says, still staring at him strangely, but now looking amused rather than confused. She smiles, and his thumping heart skips a beat. “I’m giving lessons at noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays this December.”

It takes a moment to smile back, but when he does, he sees her relax a bit.

“Yeah, yeah. I, uh, figured,” he answers, stupidly, still stumbling over his words like an idiot.

She smiles once more, and then turns back to the kids around her.

“Okay guys! Who’s ready to learn to skate?”

A chorus of tiny voices answer her, and she skates to the middle of the ice surrounded by her small students. He watches, mesmerized, as she begins to move with all the seamless, effortless grace in the world. Studying is all but forgotten, and the beginnings of an enchanted smile turn up the corner of his lips.

“I told you it would be easy on the eyes, didn’t I?” a voice says from somewhere behind him.

“Shut up, Eleanor,” he says, still watching her, and the old custodian laughs.

* * *

He spends his weekend trying to muster up the courage to talk to her. It’s like every cliché movie ever; he stands in his bathroom and talks to himself in the mirror, trying to think of smooth lines and cool looks. He had looked like an idiot last Monday, and kept his sights on his books and avoided any more eye contact with her on Wednesday and Friday.

But it was a new week, a new day. And he couldn’t blow it again. He wouldn’t, he thought confidently as he rushed into the ice rink. It didn’t even matter that he was ten minutes late. He had practiced.

Since he’s late, she and the kids are already on the ice. He sits down at the rental booth and pulls out his books, making a conscious effort to not look at her. He doesn’t want to seem too eager. Playing it cool was of paramount importance. He even puts in his headphones, and presses play on his phone. The soothing music he uses to study begins to ring in his ears.

He opens one of his textbooks, and begins to read…

...And the next thing he’s aware of is the pound of a firm knock on the table in front of him. His eyes snap open, and he jumps slightly, disoriented and groggy.

He had fallen asleep.

He stayed up late the night before, completing study guides and endlessly highlighting his notes as he crammed for finals. He only got about four hours of sleep, but he thought he would be fine.

Apparently, he wasn’t. And now he had fallen asleep, and missed her, and now Eleanor was waking him up to tell him his shift was over or to tease him about sleeping on the job and -

“Steve?”

The sound of his name wakes him up even more, and his heart leaps when he realizes that it’s not Eleanor’s voice calling to him. Instead, it’s the melodic one he’d first heard a week ago.

He looks up, and there she is. Her beautiful eyes stare down at him, the expression on her face puzzled but slightly amused.

“Steve?” she asks again, when he doesn’t say anything. “Steve Trevor, right?”

And he almost kicks himself. He’d been caught staring again, and he can feel his cheeks begin to warm as he blushes in embarrassment.

No, he tells himself. Not again. Pull yourself together. You fucking practiced.

He quickly tries to think of something to say, his brain reminding him to play it cool on loop.

“How...how do you know my name?”

God, he’s so bad at this.

“Oh,” she says, lifting her hand and pointing her thumb over her shoulder. “That nice custodian woman told it to me. Eleanor, I think she said her name was?”

He sits up straighter so he can look past her body, and sees Eleanor by the doors to the locker rooms, waving at him cheerfully with a big smile on her face. He resists the urge to roll his eyes, looking back up at the young woman in front of him and smiling.

“Yeah, I’m Steve. Nice to meet you. It’s been fun watching you with the kids.”

Better, he thinks. A little better.

She smiles brightly at the mention of her student.

“Yes, they’re wonderful. I’m having an amazing time with them.”

“Well, they seem to love you. You’re a great teacher.”

“Why, thank you, Steve Trevor,” she answers, her smile turning more gentle and kind. “You’ve only seen me teach for three days, though.”

“Four, now.”

“Ah, but you slept through the fourth day,” she reminds him, and his skin flushes again.

She laughs at his lack of response, and again, his heart skips a beat. He can’t help but smile.

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

They fall silent, and he’s briefly reminded of that girl Eleanor tried to set him up with last year, and all the awkward lurches and pauses that made up that conversation. This silence is different, though. It doesn’t make him nervous or uncomfortable, and he’s not scrambling for a way out of the interaction.

Instead, it feels warm. Somehow familiar, even though this is the first time they’ve ever spoken. And as they stare at each other, her chocolate eyes gazing into his ice blue ones, his smile grows.

“I was wondering if I could skate one of my programs while I was here,” she murmurs. “I have a test tonight, so I’ll miss my normal practice time.”

“Doesn’t seem like you’ll be disturbing anyone,” he says, motioning with his hand to the empty arena.

She laughs again, and he decides that it’s his new favorite sound.

“Thank you, Steve,” she tells him, and turns toward the ice.

“Wait!” he says, getting up from his booth and catching up with her. “Do you want me to play your music over the loudspeaker?”

Her eyes brighten.

“Could you? I was just going to use my phone, but that would be a lot better.”

“Sure. Just show me which track.”

She hands him her phone, and points it out to him. He grins.

“Hey, I know that song.”

She hums softly, and begins to walk again.

“Maybe,” she tells him as she steps out onto the ice, turning back to face him. “But I don’t think you’ve ever heard this version.”

She begins to skate backwards away from him, but his voice rings out again.

“I don’t know your name!”

“Diana,” she calls back to him, without stopping. “Diana Prince.”

“Diana,” he whispers, as he watches her skate away.

* * *

He falls half in love with her the first time he sees her skate.

The moment she begins to move to the first notes of the piano, she is the embodiment of elegance and grace. He rushes from the media booth and back down to the ice so he can get a closer look. Even through the glass, he can see emotion she puts into every moment of her performance, watches as the expression on her face changes as the music speeds up, as the mood shifts.

Then, the music slows, and becomes softer. She glides as if she’s one with both the ice and the music. And when the music speeds up again, and becomes more intense, so does she. Her jumps and twirls seem effortless, as she lands each one with a gentle precision.

He can’t look away. The entire arena is filled with her performance - with her effort and emotion and heart and skill - and he’s enchanted by her.

When she’s done, and holds her final pose at the center of the ice as the music comes to an end, he realizes he’s been holding his breath. He exhales slowly, and then takes a deep breath in.

Eleanor starts clapping from somewhere else in the building. She finally breaks from her pose, and looks over at her, smiling.

But all he can do is stare after her, mouth slightly open.

It’s only when she begins to get off the ice that he gathers himself. And he makes a decision.

He doesn’t care if he looks like an idiot, or if he’s being too obvious. He’s done trying to play it cool.

He can’t go another day without knowing her better.

He walks to where she’s standing over her gym bag, looking for her shoes. He taps her on the shoulder, acutely aware that this is the first time they’ve ever touched.

“Diana?”

She jumps slightly, and turns to look at him. She doesn’t say anything, though. It’s as if she knows why he’s here, and what he’s going to ask her.

“Will you get dinner with me Friday?”

She grins, her smile wider and brighter than he’s ever seen it.

“It would be an honor, Steve Trevor.”

She reaches up to where his finger still lingers on her shoulder, and places her hand over his.

* * *

The other half of him falls in love with her the first time they skate together.

After their third date, he asks her to teach him how to skate.

“I thought you played hockey,” she tells him. “You already know how to skate.”

“Yeah, but I can’t skate like you,” he counters. “And since we already know you’re such a good teacher…”

She smiles as they walk around campus, looking at all the Christmas lights the school has put up, hand in hand.

“I know I’m not as cute as your other students - “

“I beg to differ,” she interrupts. “And would argue that sometimes, you’re even cuter.”

He blushes, and she laughs.

So they break into the arena. (Well, not technically. He does have a key to the rink.) It’s around midnight when they get there, after everyone has already left for the evening. He gets them both skates out of the booth, and as they lace them up, she laughs.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to teach you to skate in those things.”

“Hey,” he says, frowning. “Don’t knock my skates.”

He does have to admit, though, that there’s a marked aesthetic difference between his clunky, black hockey skates and her delicate, white figure skates.

“Come on,” she says, standing up and taking his hand so he came with her. “I might still be able to work my magic.”

They glide to the center of the ice, and she begins positioning his body, immediately going into teacher-mode. He thinks it’s absolutely adorable. She says she’s going to teach him a simple upright spin, but he has to admit that he’s not paying much attention because he can’t focus with her hands all over his body - on his hips, legs, chest, lower back, as she moves him in all sorts of directions. He can only take it so long before he pulls back from her.

She looks at him questioningly.

“Steve, what are you - “

He skates forward slightly, and kisses her.

He kisses her, and at first he’s worried he’s made a mistake because her lips remain still, but then she moans softly against his mouth, and melts into him. She throws her arms around her neck, and when his tongue swipes across her bottom lips she parts her mouth readily.

It’s his favorite kiss he’s ever had. And he doesn’t know how long they stay there like that, kissing and holding each other, but they break apart only when they have to, and breathe against each other heavily. They’re silent for a moment, but there’s a comfort in it, just like there was that day he first saw her skate.

“I thought you wanted to learn how to skate,” she says finally, jokingly.

“I do,” he ensures her. “But I think I want to do this a little more right now.”

She giggles, and the sound warms him from head to toe.

“I think we’re in agreement there,” she murmurs.

They smile and stare at each other, him pulling her impossibly closer, and her running her fingers gently down the side of his face.

And in that moment, he knows he loves her. The feeling consumes him, and he almost blurts it out right there. But he decides to keep it to himself for now, for it to be a happy secret that lives inside his heart. And instead, he does the thing he wants to do most in the world.

He leans forward, and kisses her again.

a/n: the song diana is skating to is the mashup of paradise and fix you by coldplay that maia and alex shibutani skated to for their long dance at the pyeongchang olympics. i strongly suggest you look it up if you've never seen it or heard it! not only will it give you a more complete idea of the fic, but it's a beautiful song and an extraordinarily beautiful program.

merry christmas to all who celebrate! i hope all of you have a wonderful holiday season!

#wondertrevsecretsanta #wondertrevnet #wondertrev #wondertrev fic #wonder woman #diana prince #steve trevor #steve x diana #otp: you can save the world #hey i wrote this!

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galactichoneybee92 · 4 years ago

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The Problem With Spinning Out and Zero Chill

Okay so spoilers. All the spoilers. Go into this at your own risk because every possible spoiler for both shows. Also: I will be speaking about these two shows with the assumption that readers have seen both and as such, will not need a summary of either. Okay, still here? Cool.

I have no big hot take, just some observations that I would like to put out into the universe in regards to Netflix’s two most recent ice skating shows. Because I have a lot of thoughts, and also one big question for anyone who can maybe help me?

For starters, Spinning Out and Zero Chill are both Netflix originals that premiered around approximately the same time, both of which feature figure skating as a backdrop for a lot of interpersonal drama surrounding the characters. It’s wonderful, because while I’m not very invested in sports I adore figure skating- It’s beautiful and fun to watch even if you don’t know a lot of the technical aspects or the names of the moves. However, for centering around the same sport the two shows are very different. Also, Spinning Out has already been confirmed to have been cancelled after the first season, while the future of Zero Chill is still up in the air.

In regards to personal preference, I liked Spinning Out a lot more than Zero Chill. It had a love story for me to invest myself in, as well as some messy, dramatic family dynamics, and overall the show was a lot more mature. I suspect that this may have actually been to the show’s detriment but that’s for later. In contrast, I found Zero Chill to be fluffy to the point of an ABC Family special.

Do you remember those? Shows like Switched at Birth or Secret Life of the American Teenager, that tried to tackle big mature topics while keeping things family friendly? Do you remember how the writing was usually pretty sub par and the drama all seemed super contrived because there was only so much they could actually do within their given boundaries, so they made a much bigger deal out of small issues than they deserved? Yeah. Zero Chill felt like that. For example, the “hazing” from the hockey team was to...put balloons in his locker? And that was a...major diss? Worth getting super pissed? Idk. It’s just that, without the confines of being family-friendly day time programing, I have come to expect more from Netflix original programming.

Alternatively, Spinning Out may have veered too far into the dark and gritty spectrum. If I had to guess where it failed, I would say that it introduced A LOT of drama, all within the first season and at times felt, overwrought. I think Spinning Out could have done with slowing down and taking a breath. Draw things out. Have the mother slowly escalate her abuse, stop and start with her medication, stretch out the love triangle between Kat, Justin, and Marcus. When I first started watching I thought that maybe Marcus would be Kat’s Luke Danes. Like throughout the show she dates other people, but eventually she realizes that she loves him and they end up together but...nope. The show established pretty early on that we were not going to have an epic, interracial friends to lovers romance. And I loved the enemies to lovers romance we got between her a Justin (Though I really think it should have taken longer. I liked that they hooked up before and that he was kinda low key pining but stretch it out. Sloooooooow buuuuuuuurn. Make it goooood. I want to feel the pining.) but it did feel like the cop out answer. And then they immediately introduce a black female character because apparently in the year 2021 we still have shows with exactly 2 black characters that are there to date each other. Like fuck, even South Park has made fun of that trope, it’s time to move past it.

Secondly I think that it’s super out of character for Kat to ever go off her medicine, even if it is to help her skating. It’s the same way I felt when they introduced Ian’s mental Illness in Shameless. Like, maybe it’s a thing that people do and if you’ve known people that act this was in these scenarios than sure, maybe I’m wrong. But it just feels like they go to so much effort to show the effect that their parent’s mental illness has on them and their life when left untreated, they establish the characters as grown up too quickly, forced to mature due to their parent’s poor choices, and then just decide to have them follow in their mother’s footsteps when the plot demands more drama. I hated that as a choice for Ian and I hated it for Kat. Partly because I feel like it’s very out of character and cop-out writing, and also because I feel like if they had to do it at all it should have been later on in the series.

One advantage that Zero Chill had for me over Spinning Out is that at least the characters were consistent. In this case I’m speaking mostly about Kayla, but also some of the others. Sure, I found Kayla’s impulsivity annoying instead of charming like I feel was the intent, but I liked her friendship with Skye arguably more than Kat’s friendship with Jenn. Mostly because Skye was pretty chill throughout the entirely of the show while Jenn would go from hot to cold and back. Do I think it’s stupid that Kayla and Skyle’s big storyline was “I want to skate with my BFF but regulations don’t allow it?” Yes. You’ve already established that Kayla doesnt care about competitions. The only time she ever did was because she wanted to skate with her OTHER BFF. So like....just skate now? You have Skye’s mom’s approval at this point, it doesn’t have to go anywhere. But at least the two seemed to genuinely be friends. Kat and Jenn started off with potential but then turned fairly toxic. Kat was never that supportive of Jenn, always wrapped up in her own stuff and Jenn just got crazy at the end there. I understand her being upset about Justin but then she learns that Kat is bipolar, you think theyre cool, and then she immediately throws that back in Kat’s face at the first inconvenient moment.

Can I just say though, how much more interested I was when I thought the secret figure skater was someone on Mac’s hockey team? I was trying to guess which boy it secretly was and I thought that there would be a subplot about her trying to convince him to figure skate with her, but he would feel pressured by his parents to play hockey instead. And that would work as a foil to Ava, who wanted to play hockey but was instead forced to figure skate. And there would be an eventual romance because what can I say, I’m here for the romance. But no...it was Skye and then there was just that subplot about Mac wanting to date his sister’s only friend. And like, when I was trying to guess who it was I thought it might be Bear and that would be her romantic interest but....no. Bear just, also likes Skye.

Also, is it some unwritten rule that for every white girl figure skater with brown hair, there must be an Asian best friend? This isnt a complaint, just an observation.

And clearly I don’t ONLY have complaints. I thought that both shows ahd a promising premise, and I loved the relationship on Spinning Out. When Zero Chill actually bothered with real issues instead of contrived nothing issues, I think it did it pretty well. I liked the friendships and family dynamic better in Zero Chill, but wished that it would have been a little more mature like Spinning Out. I liked that the characters in Spinning Out were mostly adults and that it had a more adult tone, but I wish that they had dialed the melodrama back just a bit. What I really want, I supposed, is a combination of the two shows which leads nicely into my question for you all:

I remember browsing Netflix months ago and seeing a figure skating show advertised, however it wasn’t either of these shows. It feels like these two shows were once one, and then got split up into two because I am completely unable to find the show I originally saw a commercial for.

In that original ad there was a brother and sister, one who played hockey and one who figure skated. But the hockey brother was jealous of the sister because he felt like their parents prioritized her figure skating. So one day, before a big performance of hers, he met her right before the performance and yelled at her about how unfair everything was and it shook her up and when she went out on the ice she wasn’t focused. She slipped and fell, split her head open on the ice, and her confidence was shaken.

But like...that wasn’t either of these shows so what the hell was it??? Were they once one? Was there some other show that hasn’t been released yet? Did I see it in a dream????

#netflix #netflix original series #zero chill #spinning out #zero chill spoilers #spinning out spoilers

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csykora · 4 years ago

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[A newspaper photo of Sergei (front, tits out) and other members of the Soviet national team running on an outdoor track around their training compound.]

[A newspaper photo of the players taking a quick break, skates and socks on. Tretiak is standing over them and Sergei is seated in the middle, smiling at someone out of frame.]

“Camp” was literal. For nine to eleven months of the year, the players lived in compound inside 12-foot wrought iron walls in the woods of Arkhangelskoye, which had once been the country getaway spot for Moscow elite.

Coach Tikhonov viewed physical development as the first, last, and only priority. He took notes on everyone’s progress, or failure, constantly, in little notebooks. For lack of any other mental stimulation, Igor started to take notes, too. While Coach catalogued them, Igor watched him.

On the first floor were Coach’s office and rooms for certain ‘staff’, who never did much of anything but went everywhere with the team. Everyone knew who was KGB. Upstairs, players bunked with a roommate. “Each room is big enough for the two beds, a night table, a lamp, and not much more.” Eighteen rooms per floor. “Toilets? Of course: two per floor. Telephones? A private one for the coaches and trainers, and two more—one per floor, at the end of the hall, for the 70 soccer and hockey players.” The phones were available for an hour a day--for everyone. One of the players’ phones would be out of order for the next nine years.

They woke up by 7:15 AM. At 7:30 they started a daily program of weights, carrying cement blocks or each other, and running, lap after lap in the bare grass and mud around the walled compound in the high summer sun or snow. Breakfast at 9. Then more weights and skating until they were released at 7PM for dinner, and then they were really free to race each other to the shared phone. Back to bed at 11PM. “Goodnight, Igor. Tomorrow you can do it all over again.”

[Krutov and Fetisov performing bodyweight sit-ups in the field outside CSKA's practice facility]

Sometimes they mixed it up. In the short summers they had less ice time, more weights, and more running. Before tournaments they ran less and skated more. “Variety,” Igor notes, “is the spice of life.” Depending on the season, you were supposed to be rationed a day off to drive home every ten days—as long as you were back by 7:30 the next morning.

Unlike Americans and Canadians in the NHL, the Soviet players were all officially amateurs. That was how they were allowed to compete in the Olympics and World Championships when professional NHLers were banned. During the season they received the equivalent of $60 US a month as a stipend for food and housing, with a bonus of about $16 dollars if they won.

In the season Igor waffled since the initial offer, Tikhonov had almost changed his mind: he wanted to put Igor between his second line wingers, but those two turned out to play better apart. “That left him with a problem: he had me. Now what was he to do with me? Put me between Makarov and Krutov on the first line, or on another line he was in the process of forming?”

“There are still doubts,” Tikhonov told everyone, “about this Voskresensk boy.”

The doubts weren’t about Igor’s play—at least according to Igor. Weirdly enough if you’ve got a Russian dictionary and you look up “balls-to-the-wall confidence,” it’s just a picture of Igor Larionov. It’s cross-indexed with “death wish.” The doubts were about Igor’s body, and Coach’s judgement drew attention.

Always short, he admits he was almost skeletal, nothing like the other boys. He hated weight training, and when he arrived he rarely ate meat, afraid that bulking up at all would ruin his fine skating. Zhluktov poked and teased him about it, which only cemented Igor’s desire to crush him and beat everyone else to the top line.

“Partners! Partners! The boys who with their skill and character would compliment each other and me, to help me rise to full height. I needed partners like I needed oxygen.”

Before arriving in Arkhangel for training camp Igor had reassured himself, “I knew I had one friend waiting for me, one comrade-in-arms….I would need help, support in word and deed. Instinctively, I probably waited for his supportive shoulder.” But Vova had learned enough in the last year to be more cautious than Igor in drawing attention or changing the dynamics of the room. At first he “was warm, but nothing more.”

Still, Igor reassured himself, “I knew—and I was not ever wrong—that when I truly needed him, he would be there.”

Sergei, an unfamiliar star, preoccupied Igor even more. Still charming in every photo from that time, his hair is perfect and he poses with arms Igor could only envy around his teammates. But Sergei struck Igor as if he was holding some things back. It had been only days since Kharlamov’s death, though Igor had no way of knowing how much that meant.

Lyosha was big and gentle, with easy advice. He treated Igor like a bit of “an ugly duckling,” unlikely to make the first line—unless he could listen, learn fast, and fit into Coach's plan. Coach had found Igor and the rest of them when no one else would, after all.

Slava seemed to be watching him across the room. As Igor began to prove himself in practice, he had the feeling Slava’s expression changed, that maybe, Slava was silently rooting for him.

At the end of the summer the three boys were given a try together. Igor, Sergei, and Vova were such similar skaters that they were able to pull into tight formation, a literal line, almost on top of each other, the two wingers escorting Igor so closely his legs were sometimes sliding between the others’ and he could bounce the puck up and down between the three of them. Then, all five. He and Slava were similar thinkers, staying out on the ice long after the others. Like music, he wrote that he didn’t have to look behind him because he wouldn’t ever mistake the rhythm of Vova’s skates for Sergei’s, Slava’s or Lyosha’s. Igor was finally issued a green practice sweater to match theirs.

"Our line could never be evaluated according to primative arithmetic addition: the innovation and steadfastness of Fetisov, plus the reliability and self-sacrifice of Kasatonov, plus the elegance and refinement of Makarov, plus the fearlessness and pressure of Krutov, plus the [center] position of Larionov.

No, no, as long as we were together and we had the same intentions, the line was transformed into a force far stronger that which you would get by adding up our merits and abilities.

It was a joyful, undeniable fact: the Greens were made for each other."

The five of them found they could play, or talk, for hours. But they never planned or replayed mistakes off the ice, and promised not to ever blame each other after. That was the only way they could take the risks they did. They fought sometimes, more and more like a little family: Slava and Lyosha always took each others’ side if one of the forwards fucked up a play in practice. The other two forwards would leap in on his side, but then one of them would forget which friend he was favoring and flop sides, so by the time practice was over every argument ended just as easily.

Soon they were doing everything together, including pickup soccer and volleyball against the second-best unit of players from Dynamo. They won, because Igor was bad at soccer but liked winning everything all the time, and the others indulged him.

[Sergei playing soccer in a field outside the barracks in his underwear. I’m not picking ones of Sergei on purpose, he’s just the one who has the most dedicated fan pages. You can see the rest of them topless in a minute.]

Only sleeping separated them. Igor was jealous of Sergei and Vova’s respective roommates. He wished the three of them could be like Slava and Lyosha, who got to room together, and talked long after lights out.

“As a nice girl dreams of a handsome fiancé, so do hockey players cherish the dream that at some time they will fall into the company of such fellows, with whom they will know how to forge together THE squad, a deserving squad, in which everyone on the line will blossom.”

[My artistic interpretation of what Igor just said. An old newsprint photo of him kneeling on the ice with Sergei and Vova on either side, with the text “ferda booooys” in very large pink font.]

In September 1981, the national team headed to Canada with its newest member and its silent escort to avenge Coach Tikhonov’s Olympic loss. The Soviets hadn’t cared too much about the first Canada Cup invitational tournament five years earlier, but after 1980, this one was a gift. When active NHLers didn’t play in the Olympics or World Championships, the idea of the Cup was to bring together all the very best players in the world--in Canada, of course. Alan Eagleson, then head of the NHLPA, masterminded the tournament (also a lot of fraud).

The Swedes landed in Canada feeling smug about their almost-entirely NHLer roster, and thought they were the favorites. The Americans had beaten the Soviets last year, and were sure they’d do it again. And of course Canada thought they could win it all with a “Dream Line” built around their own new weapon.

The Green Unit debuted on the international stage eight weeks after meeting each other, and they crushed it.

The final was a showdown between Canada and the Soviets. Coach Scotty Bowman told his players, “We really are favorites in the final. Nobody in this country will tolerate a loss."

Coach Tikhonov told his, "Today you’ve got to play so well that the entire Canadian population will talk about you afterwards and remember you for a long time. Play so well that the Canadian fans, when they will leave the Forum, will wait for you when you get on the bus after the game and admire you."

This is the one time I’ll say Coach Tikhonov was right. I guess you can call him hockey’s biggest fan.

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#green unit #igor larionov #sergei makarov #vladimir krutov #slava fetisov #alexei makarov

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reynaacero · 4 years ago

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Full Women's Figure Skating Short

Program | PyeongChang 2018

Figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics was held at the Gangneung Ice Arena in Gangneung, South Korea. The five events took place between 9 and 23 February 2018 with a Olympic-sized rinks have dimensions of 30 m × 60 m (98.4 ft × 197 ft), NHL-sized rinks are 26 m × 61 m (85 ft × 200 ft).

Equipment,

Dresses / Costumes / pairs of tights

Water bottle

Ice skates with good fit

Appropriate socks

Ice skating bag

Skate guards

Absorbent cloth or Towel

Skate soakers

Appropriate clothing

Gloves

Basic Skills,

Basic Skills teaches the fundamentals of ice skating and provides the best foundation for figure skating, hockey and speedskating. Six progressive levels introduce forward and backward skating, stops, edges, crossovers and turns.

Basic 1

A. Sit on ice and stand up

B. March forward across the ice

C. Forward two-foot glide

D. Dip

E. Forward swizzles (6-8 in a row)

F. Backward wiggles (6-8 in a row)

G. Snowplow stop

H. Rocking horse (2–3)

I. Two-foot hop in place (optional)

Basic 2

A. Forward one foot glides (R and L)

B. Backward two-foot glide

C. Backward swizzles (6–8 in a row)

D. Two-foot turn from forward to backward in place

E. Moving snowplow stop

F. Forward alternating half swizzle pumps, in a straight line (slalom-like pattern)

Basic 3

A. Forward stroking, showing correct use of blade

B. Forward half swizzle pumps on a circle (6–8 consecutive clockwise and counterclockwise)

C. Moving forward to backward two-foot turn (clockwise and counterclockwise)

D. Backward one-foot glides (R and L)

E. Forward slalom

F. Two-foot spin (up to two revolutions)

Basic 4

A. Forward outside edge on a circle (R and L)

B. Forward inside edge on a circle (R and L)

C. Forward crossovers, clockwise and counterclockwise

D. Forward outside three-turn, R and L from a stand-still position

E. Backward half swizzle pumps on a circle, clockwise and counterclockwise

F. Backward stroking

G. Backward snowplow stop (R and L)

Basic 5

A. Backward outside edge on a circle (R and L)

B. Backward inside edge on a circle (R and L)

C. Backward crossovers, clockwise and counterclockwise

D. Beginning one-foot spin (up to three revs, optional entry and free-foot position)

E. Hockey stop

F. Side toe hop (both directions)

Basic 6

A. Forward inside three-turn (R and L from a standstill position)

B. Moving backward to forward two-foot turn on a circle, clockwise and counterclockwise

C. T-stop (R or L)

D. Bunny hop

E. Forward spiral on a straight line (R or L)

F. Forward lunge (R or L)

Technical and Tactical Skills of each team,

Rules of the Game,

Here is a list of some ice skating rules to know:

· Athletes must wear approved figure skates

· Men must wear pants or trousers

· Women must wear tights, trousers, and or unitards

· Athletes must vary their performances from routine to routine

· Certain types of music are not allowed

· Athletes can be disqualified for not following time regulations

· Costumes cannot be too decorative or revealing

how to officiate the sport.

Officials are the backbone of Figure Skating, ensuring fair competition for all skaters by enforcing the rules and regulations that govern the sport of figure skating.

Accountants are responsible for providing the judges, referees and technical panel officials with documents for recording their decisions. Finally, the accountants are responsible for ensuring that the scoring software is set up properly, the scores are entered accurately and the results are calculated correctly.

Announcers are responsible for announcing competitors before they perform at a competition. Announcers might also be asked to announce scores, names of officials and other general competition information as necessary.

Ice technicians are utilized at certain qualifying and international competitions to ensure the safety and quality of the ice surface. Primarily utilized at large competitions, the ice technician is the go-between for the event referee and arena personnel, and ensures each event runs safely and smoothly.

Judges are likely the most well-known type of figure skating official. Though the days of score cards are long behind us, U.S. Figure Skating still relies on judges to adjudicate competitions and interpret rules and regulations. Currently, judges work in all four skating disciplines and every competitive opportunity U.S. Figure Skating offers.

There are also two different classifications of judges:

Test Judges: who can judge test sessions and non-qualifying competitions

Competition Judges: who can judge non-qualifying and qualifying competitions

Music officials are responsible for the setup, tear down and operation of the equipment used to play music at competitions. Requirements for the role include a basic knowledge of audio equipment, basic knowledge of figure skating competitions and their protocols, basic operational knowledge of computers and the ability to work as part of a team.

Referees are the designated leaders and spokespeople for an event. They also manage the panel of judges and, depending on the size of the competition, may serve as one of the event's judges as well. Before becoming a referee, one must be certified as a judge.

analysis

sources:

https://iceskatingpassion.com/figure-skating-equipment/

https://www.ymcanoco.org/ice/learn-to-skate/basic-skills-(ages-7-17)

https://www.rookieroad.com/ice-skating/basics/

https://www.usfigureskating.org/support/officiate

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besttablaplayerinindia · 4 years ago

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On the Web Music Theory Lessons - You Can Learn in a Much More Fun and Interactive Way

Let us not beat around the bush in regards to taking best tabla player in india, it isn't always easy to find the correct teacher for your requirements, nor can it be easy to get a teacher whose program can accommodate yours, or viceversa. Often, students will miss too many courses, the majority of times for valid reasons. If you reside in a small town, the degree of expertise of private teachers might not satisfy your demands, or suit your learning style. Teacher - student relationships are based on a beneficial learning experience. Many people have wasted time attempting to study on books independently. This"experience" most usually ends up being very bothersome as the learners hardly ever really reach the level they wish to achieve.

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#best tabla player in india

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madisonhentosh · 4 years ago

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The Legacy on Tremont Street

When thinking of dominant hockey programs, an individual’s mind may drift straight towards Canada or even Minnesota. But, some of the best hockey is played right here in Boston, specifically in the city of Lynn on the North Shore.

The St. Mary’s Spartans have made a legacy, proving their dominance in Massachusetts high school sports, by capturing 24 state championship titles along with 12 consecutive years of championships. One individual responsible for 5 out of 24 of those titles is Frank Pagliuca, head coach of the women’s ice hockey team.

Coach Frank is a caring, selfless individual who likes to win, but winning also isn’t everything. He wants and expects the best out of every player since he knows potential when he sees it. On the ice and on the bench, he is stern, making players aware of their mistakes, but also encouraging, applauding his players for their smart and simple plays.

Pagliuca, a Wakefield native who now resides in Lynnfield, with wife Cara and their 3 daughters, and has taught physical education in Lexington for the past 19 years, played his college hockey at nearby UMass Boston where he was an anchor on the blue line for the Beacons. Since taking over the reign as the women’s hockey coach at the Lynn school in 2005, Pagliuca has produced a career record of 300 wins, 64 losses, and 37 ties up to this point. 100 of those wins came consecutively as his team remained undefeated for almost three full seasons in 2013 before they lost to Hingham. To add to that specific season, MTV even offered the team a reality TV show outlining the girls and their everyday lives as they were one of the most successful teams in the nation. The offer was respectfully declined as winning and player development was the top priority in the mind of Pagliuca.

Pagliuca has been an influential coach to many and has produced many college athletes from his program. Former members of the Spartans have continued to play at such colleges and universities as Providence, St. Anselm, St. Michael’s, Endicott, Salem State, UNE, and Southern Maine.

To gain a better understanding of the changing dynamics of the hockey world and a behind the scenes look as to what coaches look for in players, we sat down with the man in charge to pick his brain.

*********

Interview with St. Mary's Lynn head women’s hockey coach Frank Pagliuca.

Coaching:

How important is it to create well-rounded individuals as compared to just good athletes?

Very important. One thing that I stress to my players is the fact that there’s going to come a day where you don’t play your sport anymore, but there won’t come a day where you should stop being a good person. People will not remember you for how many goals you scored or how many career points you had, they will remember you based on the individual that you were. Many qualities of athletes, especially hockey players, make them more attractive to employers. Employers want athletes on their team for their motivation, communication skills, hard-working attributes, and abil;ity to work cohesively on a team.

How would you handle a losing season? Why would you respond in that way?

Losing seasons, as disappointing as they can be, in my eyes, is looked at as a learning experience.Winning consistently is a gradual process. In order to achieve that, a good coach must recognize the mistakes his/her team is making, teach them the right way, and fix mistakes. Lessons are best learned through failure.

I would choose to respond this way because you cannot dwell. Dwelling on the past and past mistakes only drives you crazy. Nothing can be done about the losses taken, but lessons can be learned in order to make us better.

What basic values do you attempt to teach through coaching?

Team skills such as listening and communication are some basic skills, and values, of the game that should be taught through coaching. Although simple, they hold high importance.

Not only are these values important to the game of hockey, but they also expand out into the real world along with inside the classroom.

Communication is key. Being able to understand others and the ability to be understood by others is key in developing relationships. These relationships help build chemistry which leads to a team who is comfortable with each other and helps each other out when they need it most.

Listening is important when getting told what to do from a coach or when teammates are communicating with you. Messages are easily misunderstood without the ability to listen effectively. Being able to listen shows you are curious and eager to learn rather than doing whatever you want to do when you feel like it.

What role does positive reinforcement play in your coaching philosophy?

Well, if someone does something well, I am going to tell them. But, I am also going to tell them if they did something wrong. Balancing a reward and punishment philosophy is the route I tend to go. Positive reinforcement is important to prove to players that they are doing the right thing and that you want them to continue to do that. Without punishment, players will never learn and or know their mistakes and will continue to make those same mistakes.

In players:

What are some adjectives that you would use to describe a successful hockey player?

One very important characteristic that I believe makes a good hockey player is fearlessness. If you play with fear, you play timid and not to your full potential. Hockey players cannot be scared to make mistakes, they are inevitable. Being versatile maximizes your talents. Sometimes a player might not want to play a certain position, but it is important for them to be open to that change and able to jump in at any spot. Because this player is able to get more opportunities due to their versatility and being open to change, their value is maximized and more valued.

Resilient people are better able to handle stress and adversity and rebuild their lives after a challenge. Change is inevitable in the game of hockey, and in life, so one must be ready to get back up when they are knocked down.

Hockey IQ is something that separates good hockey players from great hockey players. The game rewards the players that can think fast and execute. Time and space is so valuable in this game that the value of being smart becomes even more important. This includes anticipating passes before they are made, making quick decisions with the puck, and knowing what play to make when you do get the puck.

How has the world of girls hockey changed over the years? Is competition getting better or is it on the decline?

The world of girls hockey has experienced drastic changes over the years. When I first started coaching, there were little to no girls who expressed interest in the sport as compared to now where the interest is through the roofs. For us especially, this year was one of our biggest turnouts at tryouts despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Some of the girls who came out for tryouts this year were new to the game and have never played the game competitively. This shows the growing popularity and interest of girls hockey and further proves that the game is not on the decline.

Competition amongst opponents and individual skill levels of players in general have improved as a result of persistent training and the introduction of new club programs into the business. Players are able to join club teams and expose themselves to other impressive and skilled players along with having the opportunity to sharpen their skills in weekly practices, games, and or off-ice training. This consistent reinforcement of skills has contributed to the increase in individual skill level and competition in general.

One thing that has become more common over the years is prep school, or boarding school. It is a common assumption that prep schools have better competition and more opportunities as compared to the public school realm. In the end, as experienced first hand through some of my players, no matter if you play at a prep school or public school, coaches at the next level will find you. Talent will reward itself.

To conclude:

What are you most proud of?

I am most proud of the community that we have made here at St. Mary’s. There are many individual and group accomplishments that I could touch on, but the true reward is building an atmosphere that people want to come back to. Former players who have graduated still come back to either skate in practices and even become assistant coaches. It’s not all about the trophies, records, or amount of wins, it's about the people you meet and the relationships you develop.

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fy-enhypen · 4 years ago

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“I want to put on a performance that shows what kind of team we are” - Sunghoon

On his lunch break during the photoshoot, SUNGHOON carefully considered his choice between bulgogi fried rice and kimchi fried rice, thinking back on what he had eaten for breakfast. He’s the same person who left his longtime friend, figure skating, to pursue his life as an idol. And now, SUNGHOON is serious. Can you remember the moment you were a confirmed member of ENHYPEN?

SUNGHOON: They called my name sixth, and I was so nervous. It would’ve been devastating if I couldn’t debut after everything I went through for three whole months. So when they called my name I was happy, but also really relieved at the same time.

And now you’ve debuted.

SUNGHOON: Before, it hadn’t really sunk in, but now I can really feel it. It’s fascinating to be on TV programs I used to watch at home. I’ve been busy but it’s a lot of fun, too. There are so many things I’ve never done before so I get worried or nervous at first, but when I get started I get used to it and then it gets fun.

On I-LAND you talked about your younger sister. Is she still watching you now that you’ve debuted?

SUNGHOON: My sister… Well, she isn’t particularly interested in what I do. (laughs) But once in a while she’d share what she saw on TV or what the current issues are. We don’t usually talk a lot.

You seemed like you were very close with her, though.

SUNGHOON: We are close, but we also fought a lot. (laughs) Not so much fight, but squabble. When I was little, I spent more time playing with my sister than with kids my age. Even though I’m five years older than her, I feel less like her big brother and more like her friend.

You cried a lot when you read the letter your mother wrote to you on I-LAND.

SUNGHOON: I never really spent time apart from my parents, and I was so busy and stressed out with all the tests we had to take that I really teared up. My family always supported me, right since I started figure skating. Most of what my family did, they did for me, so I feel indebted to them… and very, very thankful, too. Now that we’re living apart, I hope my parents can do all the things they never had time to while they were busy taking care of me.

SUNGHOON: That’s probably because I’m doing what I always wanted to do. The other members also had an effect on me. We don’t agree on everything and we have disagreements here and there, but we work through them and now we’ve developed a kind of camaraderie. It’s fun being with them.

You look like you’re relaxed and having a good time when you broadcast on V LIVE with 02s. What’s it like when the three of you are together in real life?

SUNGHOON: The whole group is like a family, but the three of us have the same interests so we tend to talk about that a lot. We even cooked together a little while ago. JAY took the lead and made buchimgae, which turned out a bit salty (laughs) but they still tasted all right.

You and JAY have completely different personalities, how did you become close friends?

SUNGHOON: I can’t really open up to other people immediately because I’m pretty shy, but JAY opened up to me first and we became close. I think I feel comfortable being with a friend like JAY—someone carefree, and unpretentious. (laughs)

In “Given-Taken” and “Let Me In,” you and JAY sang the same lyrics but in different parts and with different feels.

SUNGHOON: We did a unit performance together at the beginning of I-LAND, and you can really see that our minds run on the same frequencies when we dance together, too. JAY and I give off a totally different vibe, but I think that balance actually has its own unique charm.

Your acting improved a lot compared to when you were on I-LAND.

SUNGHOON: I practiced in front of the mirror a lot, and thought a lot about the feeling and nuances of the lyrics. The lyrics, “On that crown / That blood / Dripping down,” in “Given-Taken,” felt very intense to me, so I tried to make a sexy expression, and tried to make my face look more intense during the chorus.

You definitely came off as intense in the “Given-Taken” chorus.

SUNGHOON: That’s the part where the song slows down, so we really had to emphasize our facial expressions. I paid a lot of attention to the look in my eyes for the part where we all gather around and changes to slow motion. I start by looking straight in front of me, then slowly turn my head. I made that stand out, too.

What about the performance for “10 Months”? You had a hard time pulling off a cute look. (laughs).

SUNGHOON: (laughs) I got better by performing “Chamber 5.” Still, I prefer darker songs like “Given-Taken,” although I got used to songs like “10 Months” with playful concepts. I think I make better facial expressions when I think about the lyrics of that song, too.

What were you thinking of while trying to express the lyrics for “10 Months”?

SUNGHOON: I pictured someone who is going through puberty early but doesn’t know it, and they’re telling how they feel to the person they like. I didn’t know it when I was going through puberty either, I think. I never felt puberty was very hard for me, but I’m not sure how my parents or anyone else I know felt. I definitely hit that phaze I think I just went through it without ever realizing.

All your experience as a figure skater must have been a lot of help for your performances and facial expressions.

SUNGHOON: I wasn’t really good at facial expressions when I figure skated, but I remember feeling the melody and I did a lot of sentimental acting, which I think helped. That still wasn’t enough, though, so I ended up studying a lot and practiced alone taking selfies. And because I figure skated for so long, I’ve become pretty athletic, so even though I haven’t learned much, say, acrobatics, I could do it right away. People say I have a clean dancing style and that I don’t have any bad habits, and that there’s a soft, pretty tone to my dancing. (laughs) And people usually practice their dance moves in front of the mirror and get used to that, but when I was figure skating I never really did that. I think not having to rely on the mirror makes my performances on stage and on camera look just as good as when I practice.

How did you first start figure skating?

SUNGHOON: My parents first said I should try to do something active, so I started to play ice hockey. Then I saw Yuna Kim and started figure skating. At first it was for fun, and then I started competing. I really liked the sense of accomplishment from getting good scores and winning medals, so I practiced a lot. I went through a bit of a slump at one point but I never wanted to quit. I really wanted to be good at figure skating so I kept at it for a long time and didn’t give up.

How were you able to be an idol in training while continuing as a figure skater at the same time?

SUNGHOON: I was getting a lot of calls from Big Hit at the time. My parents suggested it couldn’t hurt to try out once, and that the dancing and expressions you learn while training to be an idol could also be helpful for my figure skating, so I decided to do both at the same time. The more I got into it, the more fun it was to spend time with my trainee friends, and watching other artists do amazing performances on stage made me really want to do that too and I became more and more interested in being an idol.

Wasn’t it hard to give up your figure skating career?

SUNGHOON: I did have a hard time giving it up, because I’d been doing it for so long. That’s why I kept figure skating the first two years I was training to be an idol. Then I was officially selected to go on I-LAND, and that’s when I decided to focus solely on the show.

They both require a lot of practice.

SUNGHOON: When the other trainees went off to school, I went to train for figure skating. I figure skated in the morning and trained to be an idol after that. My parents really took care of me—giving me rides to practice, picking me up after. They were so helpful in so many different ways and made it much easier for me to practice.

Practice must be particularly meaningful to you. During your debut show, when you were asked if you ever felt the other members were too slow during practice, your dog ears twitched. (laughs)

SUNGHOON: Ah. (laughs) I got a bit frustrated when the others couldn’t concentrate. I tend to lose confidence when I haven’t practiced enough. I don’t naturally ooze confidence, so I wanted to make up for that with a lot of practice.

I heard that you give yourself praise to boost your self-confidence. Does that work?

SUNGHOON: It does work, but if I overdo it, it can make me look like a show-off. (laughs) But I think saying something really makes it come true. I used to be pretty self-deprecating until people around me said I should speak more confidently to myself. That’s how I started to gear up mentally. If I tell myself, “I’m handsome; there’s nothing I can’t do; I can do anything,” it gives me a little more confidence.

How do you feel, transitioning from working alone as a figure skater, to doing everything as a team?

SUNGHOON: I like being in a team better, since we can rely on each other. To be honest, I never really used to think much about the team and just focused on myself, but at some point I started to put the team first. We haven’t been together very long, but we already feel like brothers, like family.

I imagine it wasn’t easy at first—seven people from different backgrounds all living together.

SUNGHOON: Disagreements bound to happen because different people spend every waking moment together. But we started to have more and more meetings and made it a habit to solve problems by following our leader’s initiative, to look at things objectively and talk about everything.

JUNGWON said, “I can feel SUNGHOON subtly helping me out.”

SUNGHOON: I’m in the older half of our group, and I know it’s hard for the leader to do everything by himself, so I try to help out from the sidelines. For example, if the rest of the members aren’t paying attention to what the leader’s saying, I try to make them get together and focus, or give him my thoughts on any problems or issues that come up. I think JUNGWON is doing a good job as the leader..

You were chosen as the member most likely to take a fall for the sake of the team’s success.

SUNGHOON: The past me probably never would’ve done that, but, I think I’ve changedThey might be right. I mean, I became a more active person because of figure skating, but I changed even more after I became a trainee compared to back then. There’s way more people my age here than there were in figure skating. I think that’s why I was able to become more social, spending time with friends without feeling awkward. I’m definitely braver now—more talkative, more outgoing.

How else do you hope to change, in the future?

SUNGHOON: I wanted to become an idol, watching BTS’s performances. Now I want to put on amazing performances just like them and develop a kind of aura. I ran into Jung Kook in the company lounge once, and he was so friendly when I said hello to him, and I was so happy when he cheered me on. (laughs)

You’ve had a successful debut, but it’s a shame about COVID-19.

SUNGHOON: I would really like to put on a fun show in front of the fans, but we’re only doing pre-recorded shows, unfortunately. Also, I’m worried that when things do get better and we finally put on a live show, I might get too nervous and can’t perform as well. But anyway, for now, just performing on stage is fun, and I made it my goal to continue to grow until the day we meet our fans. Even in these tough times, I want to show people all around the world what kind of team we are through our performances.

#201222 #enhypen #sunghoon #t: weverse #t: interview

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virtchandmoir · 5 years ago

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Ice, Ice Baby

What you can learn from legendary World & Olympic ice dance champion Tessa Virtue

November 8, 2019

Photo: Courtesy Manifesto Sport Management / Red Button Photography

You might think it’s been an easy road to the top for Canadian ice dancer Tessa Virtue – she’s beautiful, talented, graceful and poised. But she’s the first to admit her life isn’t perfect.

Off the ice she says she’s incredibly clumsy and gets motion sickness from things like elevators and sometimes, even from the lifts she did with partner Scott Moir. And she’s faced injuries, disappointment and frustration along her journey to success.

But you don’t get to the top without finding a way through these minefields and learning how to overcome them is what made her a champion.

Photo: Courtesy Manifesto Sport Management / Red Button Photography

Ice skating is a metaphor for life: you push off, fall, get up and try again. No one knows this better than an Olympic ice dance champion like Tessa Virtue. But after 22 years on the ice, she’s ready to tackle some new challenges.

“We’d ticked all the boxes in the skating world and wanted to move on while we still felt passionate about skating,” Virtue says of her and partner Moir. “It just feels like the right time.”

This fall, Virtue and Moir have been on a goodbye tour across Canada called Rock the Rink and on Nov. 23 they’ll give their last public performance in St. John’s.

Virtue says while she’s grateful for what she’s achieved, she’s ready to step out of the skating world and start another chapter of her life.

“It’s time to start filling in the gaps with things I couldn’t do because of skating,” she says. “I have an entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve been my own boss as a skater and I’m looking forward to navigating the business world.”

Virtue is currently completing an undergraduate degree in psychology and will then be pursuing an executive MBA at Queen’s University. She’s already stepped part-way into the business world, working with several sponsors and taking on a number of collaborative opportunities. In addition, she plans to continue her work as a mentor with FitSpirit, to inspire young female athletes to stay in sport.

Letting go and moving on

Facing the end of such an integral part of her life hasn’t been easy. And once the duo decided to step down from competition after the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Virtue struggled with her new reality.

“The most significant transition [for me] was ending the Olympic cycle where you’re working with a group of 15 people and have a singular focus,” Virtue explained. “Leading up to the Olympics, every part of your life is focused on the goal of winning an Olympic championship which makes things simple and complex at the same time. Every single moment of your life is accounted for.”

Virtue says afterward she was left with a different sense of self and had to figure out how to find meaning in that.

“How do you define success going forward,” she asks, “when being the best in the world was the goal for so long?”

Virtue responded by becoming insanely busy in 2018 and in retrospect says it was too much. This time, when she finishes her last performance in St. John’s, she’s ready and eager to go forward. She has a support network in place, plans made and goals set.

Staying Motivated to Succeed

As an athlete, Virtue says it wasn’t always easy staying motivated to keep training day after day, year after year.

“What I realized is how much power there is in delayed gratification,” she says, “which is something our society doesn’t really value. I felt sick and anxious every morning before practice knowing it would be gruelling,” she explains. “It was really uncomfortable. So I started working with a mental preparation coach to learn how to feel comfortable even when I was uncomfortable. I’d ask myself ‘How do I want to feel walking out of the arena?’ Or ‘What will make me proud?’

Dealing with Failure

While Virtue and Moir won plenty of titles, there were just as many or more disappointments and setbacks. She had two surgeries on her legs for overuse injuries, they failed to win gold at the 2014 Olympics, faced judging controversies and stepped back from skating for a time.

“These are the moments that define us,” Virtue says. “Every failure let us be better in the future. Embracing it gave us a chance to pause, pivot and reflect. Rarely do we pause to reflect on failure.”

Virtue and Moir grew to celebrate their failures realizing they were just another stepping stone to future success.

Photo: Courtesy Adidas Canada / Pique

Mental Toughness

No one knows more about mental toughness than Virtue and Moir at the 2018 Olympics. Trying to make a come-back after stepping briefly out of the sport, they felt intense pressure to succeed.

“It’s a seven minute sport,” Virtue says of ice dance, “three minutes for the short program and four minutes for the long. It’s impossible to stay focused every single second. I felt more vulnerable and exposed than ever before waiting to perform in 2018.”

“Mental toughness is all about being prepared – there’s no better feeling,” she says. “Putting in the practice ahead of time, nourishing your body and managing your inner dialogue are all crucial. You want to be thinking ‘bring it on!’”

“Before the 2018 Games, my mantra was ‘I’m unstoppable,’ yet at the same time there was a little voice saying ‘Oh no! This is not going to go well.’ Right before competing [at the 2018 Olympics] I would gladly have parachuted out of the arena! But I had to quiet the noise in my mind and focus on my preparation.”

“We were so laser-focused, more prepared than ever before in our career … and it was the first time I felt the momentum from the crowd. It’s something you can get a sense of in other sports but ice dancing just doesn’t have it. I remember feeling chills after we skated.”

Be the Best Version of Yourself

Although she won’t be training as a skater any longer, Virtue plans to stay active and is looking forward to playing more golf and tennis. She’s admits to being addicted to her Peloton® stationary bike and may buy herself a road bike.

“I’d also like to get involved in a recreational team sport and explore that dynamic, as opposed to being on a team of two! ” she laughed. “I’ll never be in such good shape as I was for the Olympics and I’m okay with that. But I still want to be the best version of myself that I can be.”

While gym workouts aren’t on her agenda (“the gym was my job”) Virtue says it will be a relief to exercise for the pure pleasure of it.

“It will be nice to not have every exercise be so functional and to get in touch with my body,” she says. “It’s like a weight has lifted. This time it’s just for me.”

Over her career Virtue has had many memorable moments and some of them were just from knowing they had the grit to put in the necessary work.

“There were so many 6 a.m. mornings in grubby, empty hockey rinks … we’d be warming up and just at peace together,” she recalls.

Having conquered the word of ice dance and learning what it takes to get to the top, Virtue has all the skills to succeed as she goes boldly forward. And although she and Moir will be missed on the ice dancing scene, their contributions to the sport and legendary performances won’t be forgotten.

Photo: Courtesy Danielle Earl Photography – Golden Skate

Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir

Championship Wins in Ice Dance

Olympic Winter Games

2018

GOLD (ice dance)

GOLD (team)

2014

SILVER (ice dance)

SILVER (team)

2010

GOLD (ice dance)

World Figure Skating Championships

2017 – GOLD

2013 – SILVER

2012 – GOLD

2011 – SILVER

2010 – GOLD

2009 – BRONZE

2008 – SILVER

2007 – 6th

ISU Four Continents Championships

2017 – GOLD

2013 – SILVER

2012 – GOLD

2009 – SILVER

2008 – GOLD

2007 – BRONZE

2006 – BRONZE

ISU Grand Prix Final

2016 – GOLD

2013 – SILVER

2012 – SILVER

2011 – SILVER

2009 – SILVER

2007 – 4th

—Impact Magazine

#tessa #off ice #interview: impact magazine #rec sports

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eusjason · 4 years ago

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ʷᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵘʳᵉ ᵒᶠ 𝓼𝓸𝓻𝓻𝓸𝔀, & 𝕛𝕠𝕪 ʷᵃˢ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ˢᵘʳᵉ ;

› 𝟎𝟎𝟏: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵?

in the northern reaches of canada, playful outdoor hockey on frozen lakes known as shinny is as sure of a past time as huddling up by the fireplace. never one to be bothered by the cold, jason spent most of the young childhood skating out on some lake or another, usually with friends or teammates until they eventually called it quits when the sun started to sink lower and the even colder night chill began to roll in. he should’ve left with them, really, his mother was going to worry as she always did — though never as much as the other mothers, not out of any less concern, but perhaps she knew that water would not harm jason. all the times he’d gotten picked out of the frigid saguenay fjord and didn’t get so much as a cold were probably a dead giveaway.

so he’s alone when it happens, probably for the best : it means the mist doesn’t have to work overtime to alter the memories of his friends. winter is just starting to break into the warmer season of spring, the worst time of year if you ask jason. it just signals the end of outdoor hockey, soon to be moved to the confines of a temperature controlled rink. he’s stubborn, intent on getting every hour out of the frozen ice on the lake that he possibly can, even if that means avoiding certain spots of the lake. but he must miscalculate because he hears the telltale cracking of ice beneath his skates — and not the comforting deep cracking sounds that accompanies a freezing lake. this is the bad kind of cracking, the one that proceeds plunging into freezing water and possibly dying of hypothermia. tyler’s mother had showed them all a video of someone falling through thin ice when they were all old enough to want to skate on the lake, probably to shake fear and caution into them ( it’s worked, for the most part ). for the first time out on the lake, jason is terrified.

it’s probably this terror that unlocks what will become his specialty in the years to come. he never plunges into the icy depths of the lake ( even though if he had, he would’ve remained dry and unaffected ), because he freezes the whole thing solid. he then passes out because of it, the volume of water he just changed something he won’t have the stamina to repeat for quite a while. his mother and the father of one of his friends find him on the lake much later, burning up from fever, his eleven year old body trying to cope with the excess energy it just absorbed.

it’s a mystery what happened exactly, to everyone but his mother had known eventually the godly part of his blood would demand to manifest as more than an ease on ice or the way beluga whales always seemed to come to whatever boat he was on. it’s on a boat in the middle of the saint lawrence that she tells him the truth. jason takes it pretty well, for someone just told his father is the lord of the sea. if anything, he knows it to be true the moment his mother tells him, the final piece of a puzzle falling into place.

not long after his twelfth birthday that summer, instead of staying in saguenay, he’s shipped off to camp voreios even further north in canada.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟐: 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

leila goldhirsch never had any doubts of the child she carried for nine months and then loved from the moment he was born. she always knew it was a bit of inevitability that his godly side would present itself, much like the ocean never deigns to be ignored. there was always more to that man she had a brief but momentous relationship with, more than just the kinda captain of the ship she used for that whole summer studying beluga whales in the saint lawrence. she didn’t know whether or not to believe him when he said he was the lord of the sea, but like the ocean, the truth is undeniable. and so she did her best to raise jason normally, worried like any good mother though his father had promised to keep him safe.

( he still doesn’t know this — but one of those fisherman who picked him out of the fjord had been him ).

— and she worried after the attack, wanting to protect her son but having no way of protecting him from the monsters that were inside his head. she’ll always worry, probably, though she’s happy that he seems to have found himself again at eonia.

jason’s stepfather is a whole other story, just for the simple fact that he doesn’t know about poseidon, still believing jason’s biological father was simply the boat captain of a ship many, many years ago. jason and his mother never figured out a way to too tell him and well... it feels a little too late for that now.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟑: 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵?

he’s just arrived at camp voreios, age twelve and fitting in even more easily than most despite his young age — sparking the rumor that he must be a son of hermes. he’d been aware of his godly parentage even for a few months now in an unofficial sense, though still officially “unclaimed,” not that it made a whole lot of difference at camp voreios who roomed attendees by age instead of godly parentage. he remains quiet to the fact though, appreciating the suspense of it all even at a young age.

it’s a few days later after the first campwide game that things get official. jason’s fresh off scoring a game-winning goal when the glowing sea-green trident appears over his head effectively hushing the previously rowdy arena.

camp voreios had never had a child of poseidon before : he was the first.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟒: 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘱?

camp voreios, the northern camp ( grammatically i think it should actually be voreios camp but to stick with pjo naming conventions... ), sits in some of the most remote reaches of quebec, far by pretty much all terms, and it is here that some of the most elite demigods are trained. obscured from mortal eyes as a longterm and extremely competitive program for only the most elite youth hockey players, there’s a bit of truth to that. most who attend that camp are between the ages of twelve and eighteen, the graduates commonly accepted into colleges with impressive hockey programs and a very select few like jason into the canadian hockey league. though almost all in attendance could easily fit in talentwise in the chl, most opt to not go through the additional testing and training into order to determine if they’re fit to go the professional route. their “recruitment” is a smattering of satyr scouts and coaches who scour youth hockey programs for demigods.

the camp sits on the edge of a lake, something jason found incredibly satisfying and it was on this lake this he truly honed his abilities of phase manipulation of water and water sensitivity. he did dabble in the other aspects of hydrokinesis ( specifically, the manipulation of actual water ) at least enough to be respectable at it, but he found it more dull and less useful, preferring to explore control of water in its ice state. you’d never see him try to create a tsunami wave or something.

a hockey centric demigod camp was as exciting as it came. though they would play against mortal teams to learn to exercise control over their abilities in the heat of a game ( and as a result, learn to control themselves in high emotion situations ), there were plenty of demigod hockey games that were almost a free for all. the only thing they didn’t allow jason to do was manipulate the actual ice of the rink, citing that was a bit of an unfair advantage even for them. camp voreios was also the home to the art of swordplay on ice, more for pure fun than any true necessity — though it was argued that the heightened speed of a fight on ice was good for developing reflexes and training the mind to analyze an opponent more quickly. there’s probably some truth to that.

camp voreios, unlike many demigod camps, was not a summer camp. instead it ran around the hockey season, meaning it took students for the duration of the school year and released them to do as they pleased in the summer though many stayed the duration. occupants are schooled with a mixture of online and at local schools. jason was in attendance at camp voreios from ages twelve to sixteen almost year round, save for the month of july when he returned home to saguenay. the intent of camp voreios was to rigorously train their attendees for the real world — practically the epitome of tough love.

at sixteen, jason knew he wanted to try to peruse hockey professionally if he could, the fourth of camp voreios attendees who expressed this intention. the camp only allowed the most elite on the ice and more apt at protecting themselves to enter professional leagues where there was a much higher profile and higher risk. jason passed their aptitude tests and so at sixteen, he was drafted to the rouyn-noranda huskies and left camp voreios, though he’d return in the summer occasionally as well as encounter and maybe help a little bit some on their yearly scavenger hunt.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟓: 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴?

camp voreios didn’t get sent on an awful lot of quests compared to much bigger camps, though the directors of the camp often sent campers out on their own in an unofficial capacity in order to gain “real world experience” tussling with real monsters and getting a taste of real danger — call it that tough love. most common was a massive scavenger hunt that took up nearly three weeks every spring after hockey season ended where the entire camp was split into groups of two or three and sent out across north america to retrieve increasingly rare items.

however, jason was sent on one official god-sanctioned quest at the tender age of thirteen. he’d been at camp for about a year and a half at that point and participated in one scavenger hunt and thus deemed ready. gotta start them young, right ?? besides, it was a quest for one of the missing prongs on the trident of poseidon, and as the only child of poseidon at camp voreios who else was supposed to go ?? he was dispatched with a daughter of aphrodite ( 15 ) and son of hermes ( 16 ), though jason’s leadership skills soon became evident even as young as he was. the quest took them two weeks to complete, and took them everywhere from the stiffling grand canyon ( not jason’s favorite place ) to niagara falls ( marginally better ), culminating with them on the coast of nova scotia, the first time jason had seen the real ocean. he’ll claim he jumped, witnesses claim he fell, but either way, he ended up deep in the atlantic ocean where he finally met his godly father for the first time.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟔: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵?

jason met poseidon when he was thirteen and he was nothing like he expected. he wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but much like the sea he supposes it depends. poseidon has never felt different than the sea on a calm day. he’d say his relationship with him is more the positive side of neutral then negative, despite the fact they’ve only spoken face to face a handful of times.

jason never was someone who needed words to know he was cared for and he recognizes the ways poseidon cares for him as his son in ways other than words : in the safe passages he grants him every fall and spring as he sails over the atlantic, the way he feels at home in the ocean, and the way he’d been soothed and in some ways healed by the ocean after the attack. he just takes their contact it as it is, seeing no reason to wish for things to be different than they are.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟕: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

the day jason learned about his water sensitivity was one of the best in his life. though it’s hardly as flashy as his hydrokinesis, the additional perspective is one his cherishes quite closely. there’s something to be said for feeling like you connect to the world, even in the oddest of ways. he can’t deny he loves freezing water though — there’s nothing like skating under and open sky and with a bit of work, his hydrokinesis ability made that possible.

there is, of course, his prowess on the ice, though he’s not sure if he wants to contribute that to being a demigod. he’d like to believe that even without godly blood in his veins that he still would’ve been good enough to be drafted into the chl.

› 𝟎𝟎𝟖: 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘥?

power comes with a cost, and sometimes jason thinks that price is too high. as much as he knows he can’t wring the godly blood out of him, there are days he wishes he could is only to save what he’d been building in rouyn-noranda. evan had been young, beautiful, talented, and very much mortal. there’s no reason he or any of the others of his team should have had to die because a pack of monsters were intent on slaying the son of poseidon. it’s an endless battle in jason’s head between what he knows to be true and the endless guilt he still feels constricted around his heart. because what’s the point of having power if it still wasn’t enough to protect the people he cared about ??

› 𝟎𝟎𝟗: 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺?

it’s rare to see jason without osisko, his celestial bronze sword that also takes the convenient forms of a hockey stick or a bronze bracelet on his left wrist. it was a gift to him when he was drafted into the chl at sixteen ( visuals and more detailed information on osisko HERE ). it is without a doubt his main weapon, and the one he’s most trained at, though if he had to he could fight with a trident pretty well ( thanks dad ). given osisko’s ability to return to him even if lost in battle, he rarely has to default to other weapons, though at even closer hand-to-hand combat with daggers or knives, he’s proficient as well since the concept is quite similar. where he severely lacks is in any long range weapons like archery or spears — sadly his accuracy with a puck does not seem to translate to arrows or anything of the type.

jason isn’t absolute top tier elite at swordplay, though he holds his own quite respectively and probably comes in the top ten percent, aided in part by his sheer athleticism due to the strong, active life he’s lived since he was quite young, training both to be a demigod and a good hockey player. factor in his hydrokinesis when available, and you can probably get him to the top five percent. he can get quite competitive in matchups, which also informs his ability to hold his own out of sheer will. there’s also something to be said that he attended a demigod camp practically year round for four years, allowing him a much longer length of training in his formative years than just the typical three month summer camp.

he has extremely good endurance ( endurance and like... endurance 😉, y’know ?? alsdkfjlsks ) and often fights smarter, not harder, using his opponent’s weaknesses and the environment to his advantage. as a defenseman, he’s quick to analyze offensive players of the fastest paced sport in the world to hinder their plan by the time they get to the blueline — this ability transfers beautifully to battle proficiency and fights. he has to work quite hard to get as good as he has, the observing part he was always quite good at, it was getting his fighting ability up to the level where he could actually do something to hinder the offense he knew was coming. he obviously most easily gains the upper hand when on the beach, a boat, or if someone foolishly decides they do want to face him in one of camp voreios’ created past times : swordplay on ice.

#;; headcanon #euquestionnaire #( ayyy folks #we finally made it alsdkfj )#( there are probably typos in this bc i can't be bothered to read it over )#( questionnaire is such a weird word #why does it have two n's? )

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