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cloudlovethorne · 2 years ago

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Hearts on Ice : Part 1

Pairing : Sunghoon x Female Reader

Genre : Figure Skating AU

Synopsis : After a disappointing season for Park Sunghoon, he is eager to come back better than ever. What stands in his way is the rest of the world of figure skating including the American Champion and former World's Bronze Medalist Jay Park, Nishimura Riki, the Junior World Champion making his senior debut, and a host of original characters.

Words : 3,862

A/N : I made some weird mistake after I finished soo +-+ if something looks weird pls tell me

Two figure skaters, poised and ready Training hard, each day and night They glide and spin, with grace and beauty Their passion burning, a guiding light

The autumn air is crisp and cold But they stay focused, young and bold With each spin and each jump They know they must give their all, never slump

So they practice, day and night Honing their skills, ready to fight For the gold, for the fame For the love of the game

Tying the laces of her skates, (Y/N) tried her hardest to ignore the scratching of the blades on ice around her. Its all her fault anyways, oversleeping enough to allow Park Sunghoon to get to the rink first. Usually she's the first one in, practicing jumps and doing run-throughs long before he's even awake, but as of late there's been a resurgence of motivation in him.

Of course he has- the memories of last season were fresh in both of their minds. The memories for Park Sunghoon of a Triple Axel on life support and a Quad Salchow less stable than the late Princess Margaret. The memory of missing the Grand Prix Final, of not even being chosen for Worlds, losing out on Korea's one spot to the younger Kim Sunoo, whose seventh place performance earned Korea another male skater into this year's worlds. Those memories burned in the mind of Sunghoon, and for good reason. He was labelled to be Korea's next skater and within his first three seasons on the senior circuit, his only real accomplishment has been a bronze medal at NHK Trophy during his debut season. There was never any competition on the Junior circuit, and well it was the fault of Coach Lee and the Korean media for singing his praises. They all knew he was great, hailing him as the next Kim Yuna. If you call a fourteen year old boy the next olympic gold medalist then its only natural his work ethic will suffer. But after last season, the Korean media began asking questions- harsh ones about that lack of success. And after Kim Sunoo's success at Worlds, landing that same Quad Salchow that's eluded Sunghoon, the question had to be asked; why was Sunghoon the golden child? That was all he needed to start waking up before sunrise, to get to the rink before Coach Lee. That was all he needed to begin working as he should, and it was wonderful to see.

A thud on the ice and a small yelp quickly put a bookmark in those thoughts for (Y/N). Rising to see if any real damage had been done, she was met by nothing but the sight of Sunghoon pulling himself back to his feet while Coach Lee barked out exactly what it was that lead Sunghoon to his intimate encounter with the ice. A Quad Flip gone wrong- goodness? Quad Flip, another four revolution jump to his arsenal... The Quad Toe was always stable, Quad Salchow... well, never mind about the Quad Salchow, but a flip? How had Sunghoon improved so much unbeknownst to his own training partner? How? It was easy to explain that, (Y/N) was busy herself that offseason. Questions were asked of her to, mainly does she have what it takes to compete with the Russians? A very unfair question in her opinion. Those poor Russians, debuting at fifteen and retiring at seventeen or eighteen when their bodies could no longer handle their coaches expectations for them. But still of the last six world champions, five hailed from the training grounds of Moscow or St. Petersburg and they were the ones to bet on the ladies circuit.

(Y/N) carefully stepped her way onto the ice, choosing the corner of the rink furthest from the practicing male and considered her own past season. It could be described in one phrase, close but not there yet. She had qualified for the Grand Prix Final through a silver medal in Canada behind an upset winner, Adalina Beneventi, and a bronze medal in China, but came in fifth place out of the six skaters. The Four Continents Championship resulted in a disappointing silver medal behind Japan's Mihara Kimiko (Since Europeans don't compete at The Four Continents, it meant she didn't have to skate against the Russians), and Worlds came and went with nothing more than a ninth place finish after a fall on the Triple Lutz in the Free Skate... The Worlds that featured a full Russian podium with American and Japanese skaters grasping for fifth through tenth. However, sneaking in at ninth place was good enough to ensure two spots for Korea's female skaters at this year's worlds.

She skated on through her thoughts, warming up before attempting any jumps. A lot of work went into this offseason and with the Grand Prix assignments coming out tomorrow, it would soon be time to see how far that work could take her. The Triple Axel, bane of the last three months would have to be the key if she was going to be able to even compete against the Russian teenagers this season. All of those tiny girls and their quadruple jumps had been holding medals hostage from the rest of the world, but the Russian girls were inconsistent as their bodies were still growing and the hill that (Y/N) burrowed her belief that she might be able to steal one or two golds this season in was the hope that she could consistently land that Triple Axel... well that was the hope after all, in reality the jump was just as inconsistent and that lobbied together with failed attempts at a Triple Lutz-Triple Loop combination meant that this season looked as if it would be a repeat off last season.

But Figure Skating is scored in two scores- technical elements and artistic elements, and as (Y/N) already knew that while nobody had the jumps to compete with the Russians, she and the rest of the world would try to prepare the most creative programs to try and mitigate any gaps and capitalise on any mistakes. With a short program to El Tango de Roxanne and a free skate set to a Caro Emerald Jazz Medley, showmanship was the tactic for (Y/N). If Swing Jazz wasn't enough to sneak onto a podium, then she didn't know what it would take. The Russian girls were critiqued time and time again on one thing; when they skated, it looked like they were just waiting to jump, they weren't performing, they weren't artists, just jumpers. This could be said for all but Natalya Zhukova, the reigning European Champion, Worlds Silver Medalist, and Grand Prix Finals Silver medalist was said to be a ballerina on ice. And last year's free skate to Don Quixote just proved that...

She thought as she started her practice routine, first a few spins, a spiral, and some light jumps. Continuing on before a run-through of her programs, which by the noise of Chopin's Ballade No 1 in G Minor Op 23 blaring throughout the rink, she knew Sunghoon had started his and by the absence of the crash of body meeting ice, she came to the conclusion that it must've been going well. Maybe the Quad Flip was a good addition after all? She ran through it in her head.. Quad Toe, Quad Flip, Quad Salchow, and a Triple Axel? A World Championship medal could be won if that was the combination Sunghoon was going with. She turned her head to watch the final step sequence of the program as she skated along the boards.

On the other side of the rink across from her, she finally caught sight of the final skaters that made up the team under Coach Lee, the pair of Lee Heeseung and Lee Haewon. Out of the camp, they were coming off of the best season claiming gold medals at the Four Continentals, a bronze at the Grand Prix Finals, and an impressive fifth place at Worlds. Momentum was behind them, but the pressure was on as anything short of last season would be a disappointment to them and Coach Lee. They were the best pair that Korea had ever seen, an honour that they wore with great pride. Haewon, a close friend, she used to be a singles skater before she met Heeseung. (Y/N) had many memories of those small domestic novice competitions with her when they were younger.

A tantalising spin in tandem from the duo was the sight for (Y/N) as she skated past them en route to attempt a double axel. Two and a half revolutions later, she landed back on the ice and skated off. Sunghoon's run-through was over and (Y/N) took centre ice for an attempt at the free skate.

A breath in, the last moment before any program, the last clear breaths for the next four minutes. Four minutes where she would push her body to the limits, and greatly surpass them. That's what it meant to her, that's what skating was about. Finding that moment when any more exertion seemed impossible, and then finding the strength to go forth. Then a breath out.

The sound of Caro Emerald's "You Don't Love Me" now surrounded her as she began. The movements as rehearsed were delivered as she skated through the claps of Coach Lee and his requests for more flare. Finally- the first jump, Triple Axel, the lifeline of the program. She turned, stuck the left leg out, began rotation, lifted, and three and a quarter rotations later landed with her legs twisted, falling onto the ice. Quickly popping back up into her stride, transitioning into a spin she continued on for the rest of the program.

"Come on (Y/N), rotations.. arms in, push with the legs," Coach Lee sighed as (Y/N) skated off the ice.

"Yes coach," she nodded, untying her skates. She slid her feet out of them and walked over to set them next to her bag. Setting them down she looked back over at the bench to see Sunghoon sitting down across from her bag, taking a sip of water.

"Still no Triple Axel?" He asked with a slight head tilt, garnering nothing but an eye roll from his teammate.

"I could ask you the same thing," (Y/N) shot back, sitting down and unzipping her jacket, "At least I have some life in my programs."

"I," Sunghoon began, putting an indignant hand up to his chest, "am the epitome of elegance, and I reflect it in my skating. Also, for your information, I landed both my Triple Axels today."

(Y/N) mustered enough in her in order to offer up a small round of applause for this incredible achievement, "Good for you. I guess there's a first time for everything," she managed a chuckle before changing gears, "Grand Prix assignments come out tomorrow, what are you hoping for?"

"A medal," the attempt at a joke came out weakly as he tried hard to conceal the frown that threatened to show itself, "Hopefully NHK, I could use the chance to go to Japan again. I assume you want to dodge the Russians?"

"Well you can't dodge them," She massaged her thighs with a short laugh, "There's too many of them. I am hoping to at least avoid Natalya Zhukova or Yulia Sorokina."

"I understand Sorokina, she has the chance to break the World Record if she ever lands all her quad jumps, but Natalya? I know she's reigning European Champion, but she doesn't have the quad superpowers of Yulia Sorokina or Veronika Semenova," Sunghoon leaned forward for an answer.

"Yes, Natalya doesn't have the quads, but she's the most consistent... and beautiful, she's like a ballerina on dance. I've never seen her fall, while people like Sorokina fall all the time."

"Yes, but Sorokina can fall twice and still come in third."

(Y/N) shrugged in response at this as she leaned back, "Asking which one I want to avoid is pointless, I wish to avoid all of them. I mean you have Zhukova who won the European Championship, Sorokina who won the World Championship, and Semenova who won the Grand Prix finals, its really incredible how they managed to split the three... But you have your challenges too," she said flipping the conversation to the male discipline, "Jay Park... Nishimura Riki...."

"That Junior skater?" Sunghoon pressed while tapping the top of his water bottle.

"Junior World Champion," (Y/N) responded, "A lot of Quads, and a lot of passion and energy. I don't think you should underestimate him."

Shrugging his shoulders, he rubbed his face with his right hand as he attempted to form an opinion on the young skater, "Okay, but still when you look at Japan, he has to go through Nakata Jun."

"Jun? You know I love him, but let's be honest he can't put together two consecutive successful seasons and he won Four Continents last year... But now that Soda Yuji's retired, they're saying its his year. I doubt it though..."

"Now you're being mean," Sunghoon squeezed out between a set of soft giggles, "There's also Suko Katsu, he's young too."

"Riki already beat him when they were both Juniors, I'm saying he's competition, both of them are. And Kim Sunoo- seventh in worlds, its one of the best results Korea has ever seen in the male discipline. Christian Cohen, that one American boy- He medaled a lot on the Junior stage, he's making his senior debut too. And of course you're forgetting the European Champion Ilya Nikitin." "I get it, I get it. There's lots of skaters in the world. I'll do my best, and I know you always do yours."

"Well my best hasn't been good enough for years," (Y/N) sighed as she stood up, "I think that's all for me today. Tomorrow is the big day, I'll see you then."

"Don't go on that note," Sunghoon lamented, "Your best will always be good enough. I'll try to match it, and maybe then I won't embarrass myself this season."

"You never embarrass yourself," She walked over to pick up her bag, "We all have off days-"

"I seem to have a lot," He sighed, "But anyways, I'll see you tomorrow," he sent her with a wave and a smile as he turned back to re-enter the rink.

The next morning was not a friend to (Y/N). Awaking to the sounds of what seemed to be a million notifications only made her aware of one thing, Grand Prix Assignments have been released. She would soon be aware of which two of six events she would competing in her campaign to hopefully reach another Grand Prix Final. This would be her third year skating, she was lucky enough to reach the finals in her second year. That finals of course, was won by Veronika Semenova. She finally found the energy deep in her soul to sit up. Funny how an athlete can be so easily defeated by Apollo's gift. One glance at the clock on her bedside table was all the wakeup she needed. Late- late... she threw off the knitted blanket made for her by Coach Lee's wife when she was twelve. A small yelp left her lips as she stubbed her toe against some stupid desk that really should've been placed at least ten centimeters more to the left, she continued jumping about as she tried to get out of pyjamas and into anything decent enough to go out in.

She pulled on a burgundy coat over some complimentary 'Korean skating federation' t-shirt that they get sent to them each year and a lovely pair of trainers, a rose print on them; a gift from Haewon. Desperately trying not to be too late for the second day in a row, she called for a taxi on the mobile app while eating a small breakfast. She jumped in the backseat as it arrived, "To the rink- up the hill, yes," she nodded at the driver as he drove off to her meeting with Sunghoon, Heeseung, Haewon, and Coach Lee where they would discover the assignments.

"I'm not too late am I?" (Y/N) cried out after opening the large glass door to the rink and cutting through the lobby past the registration desk, "Nobody peaked at the assignments without me?"

"We were moments away... perfect timing as always," Heeseung quipped, arm wrapped around Haewon. He lazily picked up his wrist just enough to offer a small wave which (Y/N) happily returned.

Haewon patted the seat next to her, naturally (Y/N) slid in and exchanged good mornings while Coach Lee began to look over the chart one last time before announcing the assignments to his skaters.

"Alright everyone," Coach Lee began, "I'll go in order of the Grand Prix events and we'll see which one of us will be going where," He croaked out a small chuckle, "What an exciting time each year. The first Grand Prix, Skate America..." He paused for dramatic effect.

Haewon laughed and leaned forward to drum her fingers against the table, Heeseung joined her as the rest of the team erupted in laughter.

"Thank you," Coach Lee nodded, "Going Skate America will be Park Sunghoon and (Y/N)." Sunghoon stood up after a short moment of hesitation and made his way around the seating area towards (Y/N), "I look forward to enjoying Las Vegas with you," He chuckled. He held out both his hands for a high-five which was quickly granted to him. A giggle escaped both their lips as (Y/N) looked up to his eyes. There was a joy to them tinged with a certain sense of relief. Sunghoon never did enjoy travelling alone.

"Also competing," Coach Lee continued, "In the Men's Discipline, Jay Park, World's Bronze Medalist, Grand Prix Finals Silver Medalist, and American National Champion," He was briefly interrupted by a groan, "Christian Cohen, Junior Grand Prix Silver Medal, Junior World Champion Silver Medal... oh goodness, poor think lost to Nishimura Riki in every event they competed against each other in," (Y/N) took the chance to shoot an 'I-told-you-so' glance at the skater who had taken the seat next to her, "Jake Sim-" Coach Lee got out before setting down his phone to rub his eyes. He picked his phone back up, "No, I saw that correctly... An Australian? Figure Skater?" He looked around the room seemingly for an explanation.

"Jake Sim?" Sunghoon sat up brushing knees with (Y/N), "Yeah- Youth Olympics, years ago... He competed with me. A very nice boy, not really that good at skating yet, but if he's made it to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, he must've gone through major improvements in the past few years."

"That's good," Coach Lee absentmindedly put, "And then the only other major one is Rolan Kuzmin, he hasn't really had a good season in recent memory, but a former European Champion is a former European Champion. Now for the ladies," Coach Lee swiped on his phone, "Our lovely (Y/N) of course. Mallory Rose, the reigning American Champion, Bronze Medal at the Four Continents-"

"Mallory Rose? I thought she retired to go to University. She's studies physics, don't tell me she's a student and a skater," Haewon interjected, "I could never, I gave up on academics years ago."

"You gave up academics I think your first year of school. You were five, I believe," Heeseung said, earning a slap on the shoulder and a pout from his partner.

"Katia Pushkina is the other notable one," Coach Lee chose to ignore the side chatter.

"YES!" however he was interrupted by the clap of (Y/N)'s hands, "I love Katia... She's literally known as the Queen of Figure Skating, what more do you need."

"Someone's still got their posters up on the wall?" Sunghoon laughed, "You can get her autograph while we're there."

"(Y/N) does have a point. Katia is twenty-seven years old, and being from Russia, a country famous for having every single skater for the past decade and a half retire at eighteen, it is remarkable to see her still going. She was the World Champion in 2013, but she broke her back later that year after she turned eighteen and instead of retiring like every other one of her compatriots, she came back."

"But she was unsuccessful, she finished what- Ninth in the Russian Championships in her return year, missed the Grand Prix Finals after finishing last in both her assignments, missed Europeans and Worlds-"

"Heeseung please, she persisted, and she had the courage to keep fighting. She made the Grand Prix Finals last year, like eight years after that World Championship win and she won bronze," Haewon sighed, "She's gotten that Triple Axel that won her that World Champion back and she's looking like she's in shape."

"That is what makes her a woman of interest for us, Katia is a fighter... and one who fights, is one who can't be counted out. Now please let me read the assignments," Coach Lee reeled them back in, "Skate Canada belongs to our lovely pair," he persisted over the sound of their clapping, "Nobody goes to France.... Cup of China! Park Sunghoon. The competition in China really is Ilya Nikitin, current European Champion, has qualified for every Grand Prix Final since he became a senior. Kim Sunoo, the boy who replaced you at Worlds last season," (Y/N) took a side glance over at Sunghoon. By the tension in his jaw, she felt that China was an important one for Sunghoon to medal at, "Suko Katsu, he's been strong, Silver Medal in Japanese Championship. Fourth place at the Four Continents. Lu Nianzu, he is inconsistent, but assuming he can finally land all the jumps in his program, he has the potential to win any competition he skates in."

"Also skating in China is our pair, your main rivals are Hao and Ren. They took Silver at Worlds. But a medal should be easy and that paves an easy path into the Grand Prix Finals," Coach Lee drew a breath finally, "Now onto the NHK Trophy which (Y/N) will be skating at. Your main competition is Natalya Zhukova, European Champion, Russian Champion- and by that horrid noise that just left your mouth, I assume you know all about her. Min Haru, the only woman in Korea who can contend with you... No real accomplishments on the Grand Prix circuit, and then Mihara Kimiko, reigning Four Continents Champion, Japanese Champion, Fourth at Worlds only behind the Russians, and stopped an All-Russian podium at last year's Grand Prix Finals by taking bronze."

(Y/N) felt Sunghoon's patting on her back. Of course she drew Mihara Kimiko for her Grand Prix Assignments. The best skater outside of Russia. The only woman outside of Russia to land a quad, to land a Triple Axel in competition... It was her luck of course. The twenty-two year old had five years under her belt as a senior skater. Best result coming in 2019 with a World's Silver Medal... Besides she was an Olympic Silver Medalist - granted it was in the team event, Three time and reigning Four Continents champion..

"And that's all for this team's assignments, I look forward to a wonderful season. We depart for Las Vegas in a few weeks." Coach Lee smiled, putting his phone in his pocket, "Tomorrow, I'll treat everyone to dinner."

Team Lee cheered as they set off to get into skating gear for another day of training...

#enhypen #enhypen fanfiction #enhypen x female reader #sunghoon x reader #sunghoon au #enhypen imagines #enhypen drabbles #enhypen reactions #enha #sunghoon scenarios #sunghoon imagines #kpop fanfic #Hearts on Ice

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peanutpinet · 3 years ago

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Hi I would like to make a request!

Honestly I don't know if you would be comfortable writing for Shoma x reader x Yuzuru? If you are, you can go for it! If not, then just a Shoma x reader.

The reader maybe it's a skater that started skating really late (like 18 or smth) and just won her first big medal!

Thank you ♥️

The First - Shoma x Reader

A/N: Hi!! Thank you for requesting this!! It's definitely been a while since I've written any Shoma fanfic since my Wattpad story so if you don't mind, I'll be doing just a Shoma x Reader fic :D

Warnings: nothing really, just floof :)

Pairings: Shoma x Female reader

Summary: you have been training under Stephane Lambiel ever since your debut as a junior all the way until your senior levels. While your junior time was definitely one of the best times for you, winning grand prix after grand prix, senior-level has never been kind to you with all the other girls being able to do multiple quads and even triple axels while you were still working on yours. But one skater that made a sudden change in coaching was the one to change it all ;)

Ever since your senior debut, you've been trying your best to keep up with every other female skater that has quads or even triple axel since you really wanted to get back on the podium since your junior days. But life aint that easy. While your double axel and all your other triple jumps are considered one of the best in the fields, adding another rotation was not as easy as people thought.

Every time you were to attempt a triple axel or even a quad, it would never end well for you. Popping your jump, landing with too big of an impact that would cause you to fall and get bruises or even you wouldn't dare to attempt the jump at all.

Stephane tried to convince you that not having a triple axel or quad is alright since with your artistry, you would still make it to the top 8 in the ladies field. But to you, that wasn't good enough. Call it ambitious or what not. Sometimes, you didn't really care about being on the podium anymore, all you wanted is to be able to jump a triple axel or even a quad in competition and skate clean. But because you were so eager for at least that one specific jump, you would often not be able to concentrate fully on your program that would make you get off track and messing up your program from time to time.

This mentality and state of mind of yours have been going for a good 2 years into your senior debut that Stephane recommended you to take a longer break during off-season instead of being at the rink like 5x a week which your parents also agreed on since they were rather worried about your mental being.

After some convincing, you finally agreed on just going to the rink 2-3x a week during off-season and just figure out how you want to continue your figure skating career. It was definitely a tough one since all you could think about was landing those jumps but you never really had thought beyond that. Not until your encounter with Shoma Uno.

You were not a stranger to the 2018 Winter Olympics silver medallist. I mean, you've seen him in competitions before and even watched several of skating to get some inspiration to better your own skating skill and interpretation since Shoma had one of the best PCS in the men's field.

Sometimes you wonder if it was a coincidence that you met Shoma but your gut tells you that it was already written in the stars that you were both destined to meet. Because Shoma couldn't understand nor speak English all to well, you decided to pull your "amazing" Japanese skills and body language and while it was rough in the beginning, you both slowly understood each other in your own way and shared many thoughts of skating and life in general.

While the talks don't last as long as you would like, especially when the new season is starting; you and Shoma both exchanged contacts to just update each other on your skating progress and how you finally admitted to Shoma that you might actually sit the season out since you couldn't nail the triple axel or any quad jumps. But what he replied next was out of your expectation.

"I can teach you! Well, I can try at least!" - Shoma

Ever since that text, you and Shoma slowly worked on your jumps and Shoma told you that sometimes if you keep "forcing" yourself to do the jump without feeling the beat or flow, you would tend to get off track hence falling and even could even cause an injury.

Slowly but surely you started understanding what Shoma meant and there was some progress. Like instead of falling completely or spraining an ankle, you did a step out of a triple axel and quad toe which surprised you, yourself. The next few sessions consist of multiple step-outs with several three turns until literally a month before they assigned the grand prix, you managed to not only land a triple axel but also a quad toe during one of your practices. Shocking you, your coach and even everyone at the rink at that moment.

Ever since, you were more than sure that this season will be one of the best. But just in case, you had two different layouts for both your short and free program. One of each has both the triple axel and quad toe while the other one is a safer program with a double axel and the other triple jumps.

For both of the grand prix you were assigned, you had a very inconsistent triple axel; with landing only that jump once in a free program whilst the other times you would always have a step out of your triple axel and barely landed your quad toe. But even with all that mishap, you managed to secure your place as one of the six skaters for the grand prix final; your first grand prix final as a senior.

When you thought that you would get used to the nerve of competition, you were suddenly so nervous since it was your first ever grand prix as a senior but you took a deep breath and just go with the flow; whatever happens, happens.

Throughout all the practice sessions went fairly well, you managed to land your triple axel and all your other triple jumps. Unfortunately, during your actual short program, it did not go a well as you thought because you had a step out of your triple axel and was barely hanging on in your triple lutz + triple toe combo, resulting in you being in 4th place with an 11 point difference with the first place

At the same time, you got a text from Shoma asking if you wanted to hang out which you decided "Eh, why not" and just went back to your room to change and then head out into the city with Shoma to just explore around and have dinner before heading back to your hotel since the next day was the men's short program.

As you went back to your hotel, Shoma asked if you just wanted to hang out at the pool of the hotel which you agreed on since the view from your hotel was breathtaking. Sitting down by the pool, neither of you started a conversation but it didn't feel awkward at all. Just admiring the view whilst enjoying each other's presence.

It wasn't until you decided to ask Shoma why did he dare to go out the night before his short program which he answered that every skater has their own ritual before the competition and he was simply enjoying the city, leaving whatever happens to fate since all he could do is just do his best. Adding on that there's no point in worrying too much since no one might really know what happen during the competition. Ending the conversation, Shoma told you that you shouldn't worry so much about the result and the important thing is you did your best since you're competing with yourself not so much others.

After that talk, you decided to watch the men's short program and while in the end, Shoma was at 3rd place with a near 10 point difference from the 1st place and around 7 point difference with the 2nd, he was still happy and pleased with the score he received. And for some reason, you were also happy for him and enjoyed his and the other skaters' programs.

Remembering Shoma's talk and mindset, you took that with you through your free program and just enjoy the program more than anything. Taking your place at the center, you saw Shoma sitting at the seat that was across you, showing you some encouragement. Taking a deep breath, the second the music started, you started your program as well.

As you were nearing your opening jump, the triple axel, you just followed the flow of the music and ended up landing a clean jump, earning a loud cheer from the crowd and a smile upon your face. Continuing your program, your next big jump, the quad toe was up and surprisingly, you landed the jump clean as well!! With two big jumps out of your way, your confidence level increased and you started to enjoy your program even more, adding some touches of your own because you were feeling it.

Once you ended your program with your ending pose, tears were threatening to fall from your face as you bowed to the crowd who cheered you whilst throwing gifts to the rink. Picking some up, you bowed to the crowd one more time before going to your coach, Stephane who always welcomed you with a big hug.

After Stephane helped you balance yourself to put your blade guards, the both of you went to the kiss and cry to await for your score. When the score came up, you almost didn't believe it since not only did you get a seasons best but you were currently in first place with only 2 skaters to go and you had a near 15 point lead from the current 2nd place.

In the end, whilst you didn't get first place, you still managed to secure your spot at the podium, at 2nd place with only a 5 point difference from first place. After the award ceremony was over and you went backstage to change your clothes and shoes before heading back to the hotel to rest. Along the way you saw Shoma and rushed up to him who brought a little gift for you, your favourite character in a doll form and even a rose.

"Congratulations on making it to the podium on your first grand prix final as a senior. There might be tough times but I hope that you remember that you're not alone okay? Now let's go have some bbq to celebrate" Shoma exclaimed, handing you the gifts one at a time before holding your hand in his

A/N: yes, I know that you didn't really win first place in a big competition. But I feel that being able to make it to a big competition and even managing to be on the podium should be considered a big accomplishment!! Also, I know that this is not my best work but yeah, I hope that whoever requests this and everyone else who reads it enjoys it :) Hope everyone have a wonderful week and remember to stay safe and practice good hygiene!! :) xoxo Vinet

#figure skating #figureskating #figure skating scenarios #figure skating imagines #ice skating #ice skating scenarios #ice skating imagines #shoma uno #shoma uno scenarios #shoma uno imagines #shoma uno x reader

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careycuprisin · 3 years ago

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Why I'm cheering for Alexandra Trusova at the Olympics

[You can read the brief primer at the end of this post if it's been a while since you watched figure skating]

The overwhelming favorite to win gold at this Olympics is Kamila Valieva, who has had a spectacular season and set multiple world-record high scores at her various competitions. She has a beautiful triple axel (3A) that looks effortless when she lands it, as she usually does, and she is one of only three or four senior-level female skaters who are doing quadruple jumps (quads) of any kind. Valieva's athleticism is matched by her presentation and interpretation, those intangible esthetic things that are very important for earning high scores in figure skating. There's a brief moment in her short program where she mimics catching a butterfly, and when you watch her do it *perfectly* you understand why she scores so highly. Her long program is set to the rhythmic tempo of Ravel's Bolero, and when Valieva is skating it, you can see the relentless, rhythmic crushing of her competition. Like watching an anaconda squeeze the life out of a goat.

Valieva is the overwhelming favorite for the gold medal. There is, however, one other person who could win it all. One other person with a potential upside even higher than the formidable Kamila Valieva. The skater known as the Russian Rocket. 🚀 The Quad Queen. 👑 Alexandra Trusova, or as her fans call her, Sasha.

Sasha Trusova is famous for her quads. Only a few years ago, quadruple jumps were landed by only the very top men. Then Sasha Trusova arrived and became the first female skater to land a quad lutz (4Lz), the first to land a quad flip (4F), the first to land any quad in combination (quad toeloop - triple toeloop, 4T3T), and the first to land four quads in one program. She's the second woman to ever land a quad salchow (4S). Kamila Valieva and Anna Shcherbakova are now also doing quads, but neither do as many, or as many different kinds, as Trusova. Even now, only a handful of men who will contend for Olympic medals can do five quads in a single program. Yuzuru Hanyu, Shoma Uno, Nathan Chen, and Vincent Zhou. Only one woman - Trusova - is planning to do a five-quad program.

She has frequently fallen on one or more of her quad attempts this season in the program she'll be using at the Olympics. But she's also succeeded, once, at the Russian test skates early in the season.* Everyone who's been watching, whether they are a fan of Trusova's or not, knows that she can do it.

But even if she lands all her quads in her free skate (long program), Trusova might still lose to Valieva because of a jump that's been an enormous challenge for her, the triple axel (3A). The axel is the only forward-facing jump in figure skating. The skater jumps facing forward, does their rotations, and lands facing backwards. A jump with only a half-turn from front to back is a waltz jump and not an axel. A single axel is 1.5 revolutions. A double axel is 2.5 revolutions. The hardest axel that skaters do now, the 3A, is something that only elite men and a tiny handful of women can do. Kamila Valieva has a beautiful 3A. Wakaba Higuchi of Japan is an outside threat for an Olympic medal because of her 3A. Trusova has landed many 3As in practice and warmups, but never (so far at least) in a competitive program.

As an aside, there is an arbitrary rule that women aren't allowed to do quads in their short programs. The highest tech content they're allowed is the 3A. So this season, what's been happening is that Valieva lights things up in her short with a clean 3A, and Sasha falls on her 3A attempt, leaving Sasha ten points down on Valieva at the end of the SP. This means that in order to beat Valieva, Trusova has to win the free skate by more than ten points which, given how well Valieva is skating this year, is an enormous task. Even if Trusova landed five quads it'd be close.

So Trusova is going into this Olympics just like everyone else -- a heavy underdog to Kamila Valieva. If Valieva melts down and falls on multiple jumps, sure, there are three or four skaters who might conceivably win gold instead. But if Valieva skates cleanly? If Valieva doesn't fall? Then there's only one other skater who could win. That skater is Trusova, but she'll have to land her 3A and she'll likely need to land five quads. She hasn't done all of that before in competition, but she's been working hard at it all season. She could finally do it at the Olympics. Everyone watching knows it, even if they would prefer not to talk about it. This is what makes the Olympics exciting, and why you should watch.

So why, apart from cheering for an underdog, am I cheering for Alexandra Trusova? Cheering for Trusova it isn't just that we might see something audacious and beautiful and mind-blowing. We might also see her fail spectacularly. We can see the work that she's put in, and we can empathize with her struggle as she puts into play a real possibility that she might do something no one's ever done before. As athletes who struggle to expand the limits of our own abilities in our own sport, we can relate to Sasha's struggles. She leans into her strengths, but like all of us she also has weaknesses and we can see them very plainly -- even if they're as mild as 'I spend all my time on jumps so I don't have the time to practice other elements.'

We have seen with a lot of Trusova's quads (as we're seeing with the 3A now) that they are the product of a lot of work. Before she landed them in competition, she fell on them in competition. She's falling on her 3A now, too, but nothing in her history suggests she won't go out there and try again to land that 3A for the first time at the most important competition in figure skating.

I became a Trusobot (a fan of Trusova) when I saw her free program at the junior Grand Prix final in Vancouver BC in 2018. Her ferocity as she'd attack a monster quad jump, fall horribly on it, then get up and just as fiercely attack the next quad and land it! Sometimes if a skater has a bad fall on a jump, they get rattled and sometimes the rest of their programs go pear-shaped. But Trusova had a ferocity that instantly made me a big fan.

Trusova is also famous for liking dogs. Her costume this season has the names of her five dogs embroidered on it. Need I say more? No. The Olympics are here and Sasha's ready to throw down. Let's gooooo!

* A domestic event that was not scored and which doesn't count as an ' international competition' for purposes of records.

A brief figure skating primer: Figure skating competitions consist of two separate skating sessions or 'programs,' usually held on different days. First, there's the short program (SP) where more of the elements are prescribed. Skaters must do a jump called an axel, a jump in combination with another jump, and one other single jump. They can't do more than that. A short program lasts 2 minutes and 40 seconds. Following the SP and usually on the next day, skaters compete in the 'free skate' (FS), which is also called the 'long program.' This lasts for four minutes and skaters are allowed to do up to seven jumping passes. They must do an axel jump, and there are other requirements, but overall the FS is less regulated than the SP and skaters have a bit more freedom to decide on which elements they're going to use.

links:

Trusova's five-quad free at Russian Test skates

Trusova's short program, Skate America

Valieva's free skate at Skate Canada

Valieva's short program, Rostelecom Cup

#alexandra trusova #winter olympics #figure skating

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rika-kihira · 4 years ago

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Rika Kihira - Canon interview

original interview here.

Rika Kihira interviewed by Mika Noguchi

“I will spend this off-season being strict to myself so I can believe in myself at the Olympics.”

Rika Kihira, successfully landed the quad Salchow jump at the Japan Nationals. She finished in 7th place at the World Championship, but she had finished 2nd after her good performance for the SP.

She has turned this bitter experience into motivation for further improvement. And she has already started to move forward.

Q: You have entered Waseda University and enrolled in the department of Human Science this April. Is there any research field that you are interested in, or (do you have) a goal as a college student?

I have a strong desire to do any research that is related to my skating after all. That is the reason why I chose this specific field so I can use my research for my skating. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the entrance ceremony because it was right after I had returned from the World Championship, and the classes have already started from April.

I enjoy studying about the relation of children’s health and environment to their athletic ability. Unlike adults, there are still some areas for children where their thinking does not function. So this is the area we analyze what kind of behaviours they would do and how do they improve their athletic ability.

Q: In terms of the environment for children’s physical activity, would you think it’s possible to apply your own life experience that you have been trying various sports from childhood?

I haven’t thought about making use of my childhood experience yet, but I feel that I am experimenting with my own body and that leads to my daily research. When I check my body condition such as fatigue, various movements and success rate of jumps and compare them to previous data, I often have my aha! moment by that. So I would like to do research that can be used for skating in future.

Q: The fact that you are experimenting with your own body is something that only top athletes can do. What kind of research do you want to apply to skating specifically?

After all, I want to think about my jumps theoretically. I'd like to do something like graphing and analyzing things that can be quantified, such as the changes of heart rate while skating the program, the difference between when I’m tired or energized, and how does the quality of sleep affect my performance—things like that.

If properly converted into data and accumulated, you can objectively see what you have experienced in the competition and then you can understand the reason and meaning of success and mistakes.

I haven't fully understood the university system yet, so I would like to look for an opportunity to find out how to conduct a study with my own body effectively.

Q: It has been an unusual season that you were training in Switzerland as your main training base in the middle of the pandemic.

There were times when I struggled to keep my motivation high. Because all the competitions I had planned to attend got cancelled until last December, I didn’t have any chance to show what I had been training for and I also didn’t get to do intense training.

There was also a time when I couldn't enjoy training because there had been no chance to feel a sense of accomplishment. But the training environment in Switzerland was very good in that I could naturally have a feeling of gratitude. I could somehow manage to let the difficult time go by with that feeling (of gratitude).

Q: It seems that your life in Switzerland gives you a very positive effect, doesn’t it Kihira-san?

I usually felt stressed before the competitions, thinking about the competitions all the time or connecting every single thing happening to negative feelings and thinking, “Oh...I don’t think I can make it at the competition either.” But now I feel that the current environment in Switzerland made me think more positively.

During the off season especially, the training was very difficult, so I didn't have to worry if I wasn't doing my best. Each day I started feeling a sense of accomplishment when I felt my whole body was exhausted (after the training). Although we had a very intense training menu, it wasn’t so difficult to push myself together with my friendly team mates while being surrounded by nature in Switzerland.

Q: You landed the quad Salchow jump for the first time at the Japan Nationals last December. With this success, was there any change to your mind about going into the World Championship?

It was difficult for me to gain confidence about myself so easily just because I had landed a quad jump for once. So I wasn't really able to feel excited for the World Championship. But when I arrived in Stockholm and entered the venue, I felt like "I've done what I could do and I want to show what I've been training in front of everyone naturally”.

Q: At Worlds, you landed triple Axel jump and had a good start with 2nd after SP.

I was determined to perform with gratitude for many people who supported me until now. I received all the support from my coaches, my fans, and my family. I had no choice but to show my gratitude there when I went to jump (the triple Axel). And I also wanted to confirm my love for figure skating by landing the jump successfully at the competition.

Q: Only a few female skaters have been able to do both triple Axel and other quad jumps. Do you find it (being able to jump 3A and quads) significantly difficult?

Actually, the triple Axel is more difficult to stabilize since it is a kind of jump that really depends on the ice condition. So the timing for the jump take-off may easily change because of the position of the blades or the softness of the ice.

And the quad Salchow on the other hand, I do feel it is relatively stable even at the different rinks. So I think that the triple Axel is a slightly unique jump.

Q: Is there any difficulty in balancing the two types of these difficult jumps?

I don't think the triple Axel is becoming [more] difficult after I've landed the quad Salchow. But as I practiced it more, I found that jumping triple Axel followed by quadruple Salchow in one program is difficult compared to just doing each jump alone.

I think the fact that there are only a few female skaters who can do both types of jumps is because they tend to get mixed up on how to use their body for each jump.

For me, if I continue my training everyday so that I can do run-through without any mistakes, there will be less difficulties to do these jumps.

Q: There were expectations for you to challenge the quad Salchow and the triple Axel for FP at the World Championship.

I was practicing the quad Salchow during the official practice in the morning practice on the day of the free program. But soon after the official practice, they switched the rink for FP from the sub rink to the main rink. (t/n: it seemed that official practice was held at the sub rink that was supposed to be used for FP.) Accordingly, I only had 6 minutes practice for the last chance to adjust myself to the ice. I thought I couldn’t make it in time so I decided to go with two triple Axels instead of a quad Salchow (and a triple Axel).”

It was difficult for me to adjust to the ice in just 6 minutes, but I think there will be such a situation at the Olympics. In order to jump the quad Salchow and the triple Axel at the competition, I really felt the importance of the training to adjust myself immediately in just 6 minutes.

Q: What kind of training do you want to do in order to adjust yourself and be able to jump both the quad and the triple Axel in just 6 minutes?

I was always checking my jumps starting from triples (and then quads) in order during 6 minutes practice, but at the World Championship, 6 minutes ended when I just finished checking my triple Axels twice.

As I’m including the quad jump into my program regularly, I feel that I need my triple jumps to be ready for the performance without having to check on them during the 6 minutes practice. I would like to do more training to increase the stability of triple jumps on a daily basis.

Q: You mentioned that you did well with your mental control at the World Championship.

Yes. I think I was able to relax rather than feel nervous. From my experience, I started to understand that I’m unable to perform well when I'm nervous, so I feel that I've figured out how to concentrate and relax clearly.

Q: Is it quite different from the way you concentrated before?

For example, if I’m getting nervous and wondering if I can really jump during the waiting time, I would move my whole face and say “A, I, U, E, O” to loosen my face muscles, and then I also laugh at myself. This is something that I do to turn my anxiety into excitement, and my nervousness into laughter.

Also, in order to avoid being nervous right before my performance, I usually skate with this image of all judges sitting in their position, and think “how would it be if this is the real competition?” during the official performance.

Q: After the World Championship, many of your comments were very positive, weren’t they?

I definitely think it’s better not to get depressed and think like, "I’m not good at everything.” And I’m very positive about the fact that I'd been training really hard to increase the stability of quad jumps for the competitions.

I remember that my body movement was better during the morning practice on FP day and my performance was better than SP.

And two days after the competition, my condition was getting better again and I could pull myself together. Of course I have the regret that I couldn't get a good result, but now I want to think about what was wrong and what was good, and move forward positively while reflecting on it.

Q: Please tell us about your programs in future. Your SP’s one-handed cartwheel was getting so much attention this season. Do you have any plans for the next season already?

Right now, I’m planning to keep my SP "The Fire Within", but I will change my FP "Baby, God Bless You" to something else. I really love my FP’s music this season, the birth of life was its theme. It was a beautiful program and also had good flow to it, so I tried to express the beauty of the music by a sense of speed of skating.

For the Olympics, I am planning to create a program with good speed and also some parts where I can go slow and take a good rest.

I really want to work hard on expressing the emotion through (my) facial expression so the audience will understand the program effortlessly, like a story being told, connected from beginning to end.

Also, it is important not to make any mistakes even if I put in difficult jumps, so I want to make sure to have a part where I can calmly adjust myself before going into the second half of the program. So I want my new program to have some sort of accent (for the rhythm of music and choreography).

Q: What kind of training do you want to do during this off-season?

First of all, intense body training. I’m planning to go over my competitive programs (SP&FS) when I will practice the show programs during the upcoming ice shows from spring till summer.

In order not to waste my time until the Beijing Olympics, I want to think about the Olympics every day and make sure to do intense training when my physical condition is good.

By spending the (off-season) time being strict to myself in this way, I can believe in myself by thinking, "I've been doing my best for the Olympics" at the moment of my performance at the Olympics. So I want to spend this off-season being strict for myself.

Q: For the Olympics, many people (media) will focus on how you would fight against the Russian skaters.

At the World Championship, I felt that the Russian skaters were able to perform their best at the very right timing (competition). But right now, I think there’s no need to compare myself with somebody else, the result from this competition came from the fact that I couldn’t perform what I could usually do.

It’s not that I have some parts that need to be improved compared to other people, but I could find a lot of my own challenges. I want to overcome them before going into the Olympics.

You may make a big mistake if you keep trying at random, just because you are way behind the Russian players.

If someone will do quintuple jumps, I wonder if I would go for quint jumps, that's not the case. I believe that it will eventually show in the scores if I keep doing what I can do right now.

I did feel that the Russian ladies skaters are strong, but I just want to calmly analyze my situation and keep doing my best every day.

In April 2021, remotely during the quarantine period after returning to Japan

thank you to Fukuhana for translating and to Sunny for proofreading and editing the interview.

#rika kihira #interview #translation #season: 2020 2021

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jaskierswolf · 4 years ago

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Born to Make History Pt. 1/3

Summary: Jaskier is preparing for his first Grand Prix Final. He's skating to On Love: Eros and his routine tells the story of the seductress that woos a certain silver haired hockey player. The only problem is Jaskier can barely stay on his feet whenever Geralt is in the room.

An Ice Skating AU (With Yuri on Ice references but you don’t need to have seen it)

Geraskier - AO3 __________

Jaskier cursed as he felt the edge of his skate catch the ice. He landed ceremoniously on his arse. The take off into the quad salchow had been perfect. He’d gotten enough speed and height as he hugged his arms to his chest as he span in the air. He’d spread his arms wide for the landing but his fucking skate had hit the ice wrong.

“Shit!” He groaned as he went flying across the ice on his butt. “Fucking, cock, balls!”

The grand prix final was flying towards them at breakneck speed and he was beginning to flail. No one had expected him to qualify this year. It was his fifth year in the senior division and whilst he’d done well in regionals and nationals, he was still trying to break into the international league, and this was apparently his year.

“Julian!” Yennefer snapped as she skated over to him. “What the fuck was that? You can land a Salchow in your sleep!”

Yennefer Vengerberg. The bane of his life, otherwise known as his coach and choreographer. She’d also hooked him up with a ballet teacher, Triss Merigold, and he had never been so elegant on the ice. She was still the bane of his life. She was an incredible teacher and was in her prime the best female skater in the world. She’d retired from competing three years ago following an accident on the ice that had injured her spine. She was no longer allowed to make the jumps but her skating and step sequences were still to die for.

She was also insanely strict and honestly scared the shit out of him.

“I fucked up the landing.” He moaned.

“Yes.” She said with a quirk of her eyebrow. “I can see that. Do it again.”

Jaskier scrambled to his feet and skated a loop around the rink to find his feet again. He would have some lovely bruises but everything seemed to be in order. His ankles weren’t damaged which was the main thing. He sighed as he closed his eyes, picturing the music in his mind as he ran through the routine just before the quad salchow. He licked his lips as he took a deep breath before pushing up off the ice.

He soared through the air as the music sang in his head and then landed perfectly. He grinned and moved through onto the next part of the routine.

“Not terrible!” Yennefer called which was Yennefer speak for actually pretty damned good.

By the time he’d finished the routine he was panting slightly and there was a dull burning in his thighs. His butt was sore but that was probably more to do with his crash than the routine. He skated over to the edge of the rink and rest his arms on the side. “Better?” He asked Yennefer with a wink.

“Your triple axel combination needs work. Your arms were all over the place and would you please stop sticking your tongue out during the step sequences? You look like Roach.” Yennefer rattled off, counting each mistake on her perfectly manicured fingers.

Roach. That was her ex’s cat. He’d seen photographs whenever Ciri, her daughter, joined them at the rink. Ciri was an adorable young girl who was eager to join in once they’d finished up their practice. Jaskier would always guide Ciri around the rink by her tiny gloved hands and help lift her as she jumped from one foot to another. She had ice-skating in her blood. Her father, Geralt Rivia, was a professional hockey player and owner of Jaskier’s heart. Every time Geralt came by to pick up or drop off Ciri, Jaskier stumbled on the ice. He was just so gorgeous that Jaskier apparently lost control of his limbs and turned into a puddle of Jaskier goo on the ice.

He sighed wistfully as he pictured Geralt’s lovely amber eyes and shining silver hair. Of course he was an ice-skater. He even looked like he’d been blessed by some ice spirit or something. Jaskier had had many a dream about pair skating with Geralt, the feel of his strong arms lifting Jaskier high up into the air.

“Jaskier! Are you even listening to me?” Yennefer prodded him in the arm. She sounded completely exasperated, which Jaskier supposed wasn’t entirely uncalled for. He hadn’t been listening and he had no idea how long he’d been daydreaming for.

“Umm.”

“Give me strength.” She groaned and skated away from him with a roll of her eyes. “Can we go through it again with music? Lower the jump difficulty if you’re tired but I want to see your performance.”

He sighed and pushed off from the barrier, tossing his fringe from his eyes. “I. You… My, My performance is excellent!” He muttered.

“Your performance is shit.” Yennefer countered. “Remember your tongue is supposed to stay inside your mouth. Otherwise you’ll bite through it and I’m not taking you to hospital.”

“Urgh.” Jaskier groaned but moved into his starting position. “Just press play already.”

“Oh and Jaskier?”

“What?”

“Geralt is coming in with Ciri. Please do try and stay on your feet.” She smirked and clicked play. The strumming of a guitar filled the room as On Love: Eros began to play.

Jaskier stumbled over his first few moves. Stupid Yennefer and Geralt. He yelled with frustration as he settled into the routine. He knew this. He was good at this. The costume always helped his performance but he was Eros. He was great at seduction. He could charm just about anyone… who wasn’t Geralt. He moved with grace and elegance as he glided around the ice like the seductress that he was. In his mind Geralt was the playboy lover that had come to town and Jaskier was Yennefer. He would seduce the man who had stolen his heart. He had been doing it all season, not that Geralt had ever seen any of his performances but that didn’t matter.

He lowered all his quads to triples. They’d been training for hours and doing quads at this point was too dangerous. His muscles were tired and this run through was about the performance.

Seduction.

Lust.

Love?

The music stopped and the only noise that was left in the rink was the sound of his panting.

He’d done it.

“Yay! Jaskier!” Ciri yelled and clapped. He spun round to see her and Geralt watching from the edge of the rink.

“Oh fudge!” He muttered as he caught Geralt’s eyes. Oh good lord he was so handsome. At least Jaskier was already red in the face from his performance. He could pretend the way his heart was racing was solely to do with exertion.

“Jaskier that was amazing!” She shrieked and grabbed at the rails.

“Ciri, your skates aren’t tied up.” Geralt reminded her as he scooped her up into one arm.

Jaskier laughed and skated over to them. “Thank you, Ciri.” He smiled at the young girl. “Umm. Hi.” He muttered at Geralt a little awkwardly.

“Heard you got to the finals. Congratulations.” Geralt nodded.

“Ah yeah.” Jaskier ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Thanks. What did you think?” He asked. “Three words or less?”

“Not bad.”

Jaskier pouted. Great. His first review from the unrequited love of his life and it was ‘not bad.’

“Right. Well.” He muttered. “Thanks for that.” He went to pushed off from the barrier but Geralt grabbed his arm. Jaskier’s eyes snapped up to meet Geralt’s. The blush on his cheeks only intensifying at the contact.

“It was good.” Geralt said in his gravelly voice that made Jaskier’s heart go wild.

God he should have chosen Agape to skate to. Never mind trying to seduce Geralt, he was completely gone on the man. “Oh.”

“I like the music.” Geralt continued with a slight frown.

Jaskier chuckled. “Three words or less, that’s four.”

“You skate beautifully.” Geralt smirked and Jaskier’s skate slipped underneath him.

“Oh sugar!” He groaned as he fell back but Geralt was still gripping onto his arm and he managed not to fall on his arse. “Shhh… Sherbet. Thank you, thanks.” He muttered. “I’m just… gonna.” He pointed to the other side of the rink where there was a gap in the barriers. “I think I’ve skated enough today.”

“But Jaskier!” Ciri whined. “You were going to help me with my toe jump.” She pouted at him with wide emerald eyes.

“Oh alright then. Get your skates on.” Jaskier bopped her on the nose.

“You don’t have to.” Geralt growled. “You must be tired.”

Jaskier waved his hands and scoffed. “Nonsense. I made a promise, Geralt.”

“Hmm. Can I join you?”

Jaskier’s heart stopped in his chest. He resisted the urge to pinch himself. Did he hit his head when he fell earlier? Was this all some dream? Oh god, he was definitely dreaming. “Oh, umm yeah. Yeah. Sure.”

“Might need someone to catch you again.” Geralt chuckled and Jaskier gaped at him.

“Geralt!” He whined. “I am a top figure skater!”

Geralt shrugged.

“Take that back!” Jaskier pointed at him. “Take that back or I’m not letting you on the ice.”

“Hmm.” Geralt shrugged again.

Jaskier huffed and finally skated away from him. His heart still pounding in his chest. When he turned around he saw Yennefer watching them with a smirk from the other end of the rink.

“Are you done? I have notes.” She asked, her arms crossed in front of her chest.

He groaned but reluctantly skated over to his coach. Ciri still needed to finish tying up her skates and Geralt could keep her entertained whilst he finished up with training. He tried not to zone out whilst she pointed out all his mistakes but it was hard with Geralt being so close, and now they were going to skate together. It was a dream come true. It was only Yennefer’s piercing violet gaze that kept him from drifting off into a daydream. Honestly he was thankful that she was so terrifying. He wasn’t sure any other coach would be able to keep him in line. His first coach, when he was still in Oxenfurt, had been too relaxed and Jaskier had often just fucked about.

It wasn’t his fault he was so easily distracted.

The scraping of blades on the ice pulled his attention away. Yennefer sighed and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. Jaskier grinned and spun round to skate towards Ciri and Geralt. Ciri tried to skate away from Geralt towards him but stumbled as she reached him. Jaskier reached out to catch her with a laugh.

“There we go!” He said as he steadied her. “You’ll be a top skater in no time.”

“Hmm.”

“I’m going to play hockey!” Ciri grinned.

Jaskier pouted dramatically. “You won’t need me to teach you the toe loop then.” Ciri’s eyes went wide and she looked like she was about to cry. “But, seeing as you’re wearing figure skates instead of hockey ones.” He winked at Geralt. “I guess I will.”

Ciri grinned. “Thank you, Jaskier!”

They weren’t on the ice long. Jaskier was exhausted from training and Ciri was only young so she got bored quickly. Geralt mostly stayed out of their way, running laps around the rink whilst Jaskier and Ciri practiced her jump in the middle. After about twenty minutes Geralt joined them in the middle and caught Ciri in his arms.

“Enough now, cub.” He murmured. “Jaskier has a big competition coming up. Let him rest now.”

Ciri pouted. “Can we go and see him again?”

Jaskier froze.

Again?

What the fuck did that mean?

He stared at Geralt with wide eyes. Geralt was… blushing? Nah. It was probably just the cold air from the rink.

“Ciri likes to watch you skate.” Geralt grumbled.

Jaskier smirked. “Ciri didn’t call my skating beautiful.” He glided forward slightly putting himself Geralt’s space.

God if Ciri wasn’t here right now….

He bit his lip as he tried to push those thoughts out of his head. Geralt wasn’t interested in him that way. He’d thought that Geralt barely knew he existed before today, but apparently that wasn’t entirely true. Geralt had sneakily been watching his performances.

“That was a joke.”

Jaskier laughed and skated a circle around Geralt. “I don’t think so!” He sang and then before his confidence could leave him. “It’s getting pretty cold in here. Did you wanna grab a hot drink or something?”

“Hot chocolate!” Ciri squealed and wiggled in Geralt’s arms.

“Or coffee?” Jaskier suggested with a tilt of his head. “I was up before the sun today. Yennefer doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of beauty sleep, or course looking like she does, I don’t blame her!”

“Coffee sounds good.” Geralt nodded and skated over to the exit with an excitable five year old in his arms.

Jaskier watched the pair of them, his gaze dropping down to Geralt’s sinfully round arse before grinning to himself and following them out of the rink.

____

#the witcher #geraskier #ice skating au #yuri on ice #geralt of rivia #jaskier pankratz #figure skater!Jaskier #ice hockey player!Geralt #wolfie's witcher writing #let me know if you want to be tagged

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noona-clock · 5 years ago

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The Risk - Part 3

Genre: Fighter!AU

Pairing: Park Seo Joon x You (Female!Reader)

Warnings: None

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | Words: 2,382

Seo Joon sighed softly before he let his arms fall to his side, and he took a step back from the punching bag.

“What’s up?” his coach, Victor, asked. “Your head’s not in it today.”

“I just...” Seo Joon let out another sigh, and he honestly felt a little ridiculous. The reason he was having trouble focusing was... he couldn’t stop thinking about you.

He had been on one date with you -- one date! But it had been a really good date. He hadn’t kissed you when he’d dropped you off at your apartment, but it had still been a really good date. And now he couldn’t stop thinking about you.

“What was it like?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he shifted his gaze to his coach. “When you first met your husband?”

Predictably, Victor reacted with a bit of surprise. “When I -- what do you mean?”

“How did you feel? Did you know that he was...”

“...The One?” Victor replied. “Well, no... I didn’t realize that I knew at the time, but after a while... when I looked back on it, I actually did know. Deep down, from the very beginning, I just knew. It took me a while to really understand it, though.”

Seo Joon bit the inside of his cheek, very obviously thinking about something. “What was it like? Dating him?”

Victor let out a sputtering sigh and shrugged. “I don’t know. It was... Really, the only way to describe it is easy. It was easy. I didn’t feel like I had to try hard to make things work because they just... did. Why? What’s with the sudden interrogation about relationships?”

Seo Joon’s expression changed dramatically as he laughed softly, shaking his head a little. “Do you... remember our server? At the restaurant after the match last weekend?”

“Yes... I remember,” Victor replied with just a hint of a smirk on his lips.

“I went out with her the other night.”

“And now you can’t stop thinking about her?”

“It’s constant,” Seo Joon replied with a sigh, almost sounding frustrated. But, in a weird way, it was frustrating. He’d had girlfriends before, but he couldn’t remember ever feeling quite like this. It was strange, and he didn’t know what to do about it. “And the thing is, I actually said to her on our date that talking to her was easy.”

Victor raised his eyebrows, and after a few moments, he shrugged again. “Listen, Seo Joon, I’m not going to tell you that she’s The One just because she’s easy to talk to. Every relationship is different -- not that it’s a relationship, but you know what I mean. I’m here for you if you ever need to talk about it, but... the only thing I can tell you right now is don’t let her distract you. You’ve got a match coming up in a month, and if you don’t stay focused on your training, you’ll lose your undefeated record for the season.”

Seo Joon exhaled deeply through his mouth before looking at his coach and nodding once. “Got it,” he murmured.

Actually, that was good advice. He did need to stay focused, and he figured a month was a pretty good timeframe. He would take it easy, keep it casual with you over the next month. He wouldn’t rush into anything serious or make any crazy declarations of love, and after his next match in one month, he would see where things were. If he was still seeing you and still couldn’t stop thinking about you, he would take it to the next level.

But he could think more about that later. Right now, he needed to train.

Truly, there was nothing a good, hard workout session couldn’t fix.

After a few hours of punching, kicking, sparring, jogging, and lifting weights, Seo Joon found his mind was much clearer.

It was still filled with thoughts of you, of course, but he wasn’t nearly as... confused, I guess. He knew what he wanted to do, and he had a renewed vigor to just go ahead and do it.

As soon as he stepped out of the gym, freshly showered and changed, he slid his phone out of his pocket and pulled up his text conversation with you. He was going to take things slowly, yes, but not too slowly.

Seo Joon smiled to himself, putting his phone away and getting his keys out as he began to head over to the gym’s parking lot.

About 15 minutes later, you sent him your location and 20 minutes after that, he got back in his car and headed over to your university.

Once he found a place to park, he got out his phone and pulled up the map you’d messaged him. He navigated over to a building, walking through quads and weaving through small crowds of students and professors.

Just as he stopped in front of a somewhat small, three-story brick building and lifted his gaze up from his screen, the front doors opened and a wave of people began filing out.

Seo Joon’s eyes narrowed slightly as he searched the many faces walking toward him, and when they finally landed on a familiar one -- and a very pretty one, at that -- his heart did a little leap inside his chest.

You were talking to another girl, smiling and rolling your eyes playfully, but then your gaze caught his briefly. Seo Joon watched as you turned back to your friend and said goodbye before breaking off from the crowd and walking over to him.

“Hey,” you greeted with a shy smile. “I’m glad you found it okay.”

“I had no idea you could send your location like that,” Seo Joon replied instead of greeting you in return.

“Well, you learn something new every day,” you chuckled.

Seo Joon grinned at you, and he could’ve sworn he saw you take a breath, like your heart had just leaped inside your chest just as his had not two minutes ago.

“So, where are we going?” he asked as he slid his phone into the back pocket of his jeans.

“Ah, yes,” you said with an excited raise of your eyebrows. “Follow me. It’s not too far.”

You turned on your heel, and Seo Joon immediately followed you. He also immediately reached out and tugged at the strap of your backpack.

“I can carry this for you,” he said, attempting to slide it off your shoulder.

“Oh, no, that’s --”

But he really wasn’t going to give you much choice. He was the type of guy who carried any bag that any female he was walking with had, no matter what. He was going to make her walk on the inside of the sidewalk, he was going to hold open doors for her, and he was going to carry her bags. He didn’t care who she was, how old she was, and that was that!

“Thank you,” you said softly as he slid the backpack onto his own shoulders.

“You’re very welcome,” he murmured in reply. “How’s your day been so far? What class did you have just now?”

“It’s been fine,” you said with a gentle sigh. “It was a technical seminar on fiction writing. We have to read and analyze different literature and talk about different writing techniques and stuff. It’s actually pretty interesting.”

“What kind of stories do you like to write?” Seo Joon asked curiously.

“Mainly your typical, romantic, happy-ending stories,” you explained with a little laugh. “I’ve tried to do more dark, angsty stuff, but... it’s just not me.”

Seo Joon simply smiled, following you as you turned down a walkway. He liked that, actually. He liked that you liked writing happy stories, and he liked that you knew who you were and didn’t try to be anything different.

The two of you walked on for a few more minutes, engaging in some small talk until you began to slow your steps.

“Here we are,” you announced, gesturing toward what looked like... a garden. A very large garden. “My school has a really amazing horticulture and landscape design program, so our botanical gardens are pretty awesome. I come here if I need to chill or if I just want to take my mind off things. It’s one of my happy places.”

To be honest, Seo Joon was a little surprised you would take him to one of your happy places. Delighted, but surprised. Maybe that meant you were on the same wavelength as he was... maybe you were also constantly thinking about him.

“I had no idea this was here,” he said as he followed you through the entrance and down a cobblestone path lined with blooming shrubs. “I mean, I’ve never been to this school, but still. This place is huge.”

“And it’s open to the public,” you replied. “Free admission, too. It’s all school-funded, and the students do all of their projects here and stuff.”

“I can see why you like it.” Even just stepping over from the concrete sidewalk to the brick path of the garden felt like stepping into another world. It was now suddenly quiet and peaceful, and he could totally understand why you would come here to de-stress.

You led him over toward a stone bench in front of a trickling fountain, and he slid your backpack off his shoulders before perching next to you.

“I’m actually not a big nature person,” you said, stretching your legs out in front of you and crossing one ankle over the other. “But I like this kind of nature. Pretty nature with no bears or snakes.”

Seo Joon chuckled softly, and he had never been more tempted to reach over and take someone’s hand. Yours were clasped together in your lap right now, and it was all he could do not to just slide his hand over and link his own fingers through yours.

He let out a soft sigh because he was supposed to be casual about this. He wasn’t supposed to want to hold your hand already because he had a month until his match, and he needed to focus, and --

“Are you okay?” Your voice cut into his thoughts, and his eyebrows shot up his forehead as he looked over at you.

“Hm? Oh -- yeah, I’m just --”

Well... it might not be the best decision, but Seo Joon figured he should be honest.

“I just... haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our date.”

He could see the hint of surprise in your face, but instead of saying something like ‘oh’ or getting flustered and embarrassed, you said, “Me too, actually.”

Seo Joon’s heart sped up quite a bit, and he turned to face you better, angling his legs toward yours so his knees touched your thigh.

“I don’t want to rush into anything,” he explained. “I have a match next month, and I need to stay focused and train.”

You simply nodded, your eyes wide as you listened intently. And adorably.

Goodness, he was just realizing how actually adorable you were.

“But... I like you.”

That was really all there was to it. He didn’t even really know you all that well, but... he liked you.

“I like that you know who you are, and you’re not afraid to be yourself,” he continued. “This sounds totally lame and cliche, but you’re honestly one of the most genuine people I’ve ever met.”

He saw your cheeks tinge with pink, and your lips curved into a bashful smile as you replied. “Well, there’s no use being someone I’m not. I would have to keep on pretending around you, and that would just be so exhausting. I can’t keep that up.”

Seo Joon laughed softly, and... he gave in to his urge to hold your hand. He reached over and wiggled his fingers in-between your clasped palms, linking them through yours.

As he gazed over at you, you gazed down at your hands, keeping your eyes fixed on them as you opened your mouth to speak again.

“I mean, there are always going to be people who like you and people who don’t, no matter who you are or what you’re like or how you act. What’s the point in being someone else? You might as well just be your true self and find people who like you and accept you for exactly who you are, not people who like you for who you’re pretending to be.”

Seo Joon studied you for a few moments, long enough for you to shift your gaze up to look back at him.

“You said you like writing romance stories?” he asked.

“...Yeah,” you replied with a curious grin.

“Do you have plans to do any self-help books? Because it sounds like you have a lot to say on that subject,” he told you with a tiny, admiring smirk.

“No,” you laughed, shaking your head. “No self-help books. Just fiction.”

Seo Joon squeezed your hand slightly, and after you squeezed it back, he said, “Well, I like who you are. A lot.”

You leaned over and bumped his arm gently with your shoulder. “I like you, too.”

All of a sudden, the image of kissing you popped into Seo Joon’s head. He so vividly pictured himself leaning over and capturing your lips in a soft kiss, cradling your lips as delicately as if you were made of glass.

Apparently, he was not alone in these thoughts, because before he could even say anything -- ask for your permission, perhaps -- you had leaned over and done just that.

You’d kissed him.

But, almost as quickly as it had happened, it was over. You had pulled away, and Seo Joon was blinking his eyes open.

“Sorry,” you breathed, and you were still close enough that Seo Joon could feel your breath glide over his mouth.

Of course, his first instinct was to tell you there was absolutely no reason to apologize. You had nothing to be sorry about and, in fact, he had been thinking about kissing you, too.

But... he figured he didn’t need to say any of that.

He didn’t need to say anything.

He simply closed the gap in-between you and kissed you back.

Part 4

#kwritersworldnet #park seo joon scenarios #park seo joon imagines #park seo joon au #park seo joon fluff #park seo joon fanfic #kdrama scenarios #kdrama imagines #kdrama au #kdrama fluff #kdrama fanfic #kdrama actor #park seo joon #park seo jun

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iwaswritingmywayout · 4 years ago

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BTMH: Chapter 3: Ice Castle Hasetsu

Y/N ran across a bridge to get to Ice Castle Hasetsu, the ice-skating rink her and her brother would always skate at when they trained in Japan. Y/N walked inside and saw Yuuko standing on her tiptoes to put away a pair of rental skates.

“Excuse me,” Y/N said.

Yuuko didn’t turn around. “Our regular hours are over,” she said.

“It’s been a while, Yuuko,” Y/N said.

“Y/N?” Yuuko said.

Y/N nodded, not saying anything.

Yuuko turned and ran up to the counter, smiling widely. “Y/N! I didn’t think you’d be coming back to Hasetsu so soon!”

Y/n nodded, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly.

“Oh, you came to skate, right? Go ahead,” Yuuko said.

Y/N took her hood off and looked at her. “Huh? I can?” She asked.

“You just want to skate alone for now, right? I’ll protect you,” Yuuko said with a wink.

Y/N mumbled a thank you before heading through the doors to the rink.

‘Yuuko was our (Yuuri and I) rink mate and two years our senior. When we were little, she was really good at skating. She was my idol, the Madonna of Ice Castle Hasetsu. She’s still pretty now, too. I always wanted to look as pretty as her.’

~Flash Back~

Young Y/N and Yuuri skated up to a younger Yuuko. Both Yuuri and Y/N had on black snow pants, gloves, and a blue and olive sweatshirt with the first letter of their first name on it. They both stopped in front of Yuuko. They both raised their arms and smiled widely.

“Ta-da!” The twins said at the same time.

“Wow, Y/N and Yuuri!” Yuuko said.

Yuuri beamed as he put his hands behind his head. Y/N just stayed their smiling, not doing much else.

Takeshi skated into him, knocking him over. “Stay out of my way fatso!” He shouted.

Y/N glared at him before helping her brother up. “Don’t be rude to my brother!” She shouted, waving her fist angrily.

“Don’t be mean to the new kid!” Yuuko shouted.

“Fatso! Fatso!” Takeshi kept shouting.

Yuuri frowned and flailed his arms as he whined.

“Hey, stop calling my brother fat! You’re a jerk!” Y/N shouted at Takeshi. She had always been the not-so-nice sibling.

~a few years later~

Takeshi, Yuuko, Yuuri, and Y/N were sitting around watching a tv show featuring Seonghwa Nikiforov. He was skating his gold-winning program at the Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Takeshi, Y/N, and Yuuri were sitting on a bench while Yuuko spun around, holding up one figure to show ‘number one’.

“Russia’s Seonghwa Nikiforov! He won the gold in the Junior Worlds with the highest score in history! He’s so cool!” Yuuko said.

Y/N and Yuuri’s eyes widened, they both gasped at the exact same time.

A few more years later, Yuuri and Y/N stand together as Yuuko walks up to them at school. Yuuri was holding a brown poodle puppy in his arms.

“Huh? You have a poodle now, too?” Yuuko asked.

“Yeah! I named him “Seonghwa”!” Yuuri said.

“It was my idea,” Y/N chimed in.

Yuuko laughed, smiling widely. “You both really like Seonghwa, huh? I hope I can see you both compete against Seonghwa soon,” Yuuko said, a bright smile on her face.

~flashback ends~

Y/N sat on a bench, tying her skates up tightly to ensure while she skated they wouldn’t become loose. Y/N stood up and turned around, handing her black glasses to Yuuko. “I’ve been working on it since last season ended for me, please watch it,” She said softly, a smile on her face.

On the TV at Yu-topia Katsuki, Seonghwa is shown skating to Stay Close to Me (Stammi Vicino).

“Last up is Seonghwa Nikiforov. It’s clear he is Russia’s hero! The cheers are deafening! After the short program, he leads Giacometti, in second, by a huge margin.”

“All right, Seonghwa! Get ‘em!” Minako said, pounding her hand on the table. “Y/N, Yuuri! Your favorite, Seonghwa, is about to start!”

“She’s not back yet,” Hiroko said.

Y/N glided onto the ice, bowing her head once she stopped. She knew Yuuko would be the only person to see her perform it, so she wasn’t as nervous as she normally was.

“Huh? This is…” Yuuko trailed off.

“In this program, he has four quads planned. Here comes the first quad. A quadruple Lutz! Very clean! The next quad is his signature move. How will it go? A quadruple flip! He lands this one, too!”

Y/N glided along the ice. She did the same movements as Seonghwa, all the way down to the way he was holding his arms, she did her best to do it exactly like he did.

“Flying sit spin. The music is “Stay Close to Me”.”

Y/N did the flying sit spin perfectly, as expected since it was her best move, the one move she was always doing perfectly, that, and her step-sequences.

“Given that he has a million female fans worldwide, he’s sure free with his charms,” Minako said, swaying from side-to-side due to how drunk she was.

“This program brings out a new dimension in Seonghwa Nikiforov’s performance.”

“You’re drinking too much, Minako,” Hiroko said.

“A quadruple Salchow!”

“This would tug at the heartstrings more if it were a younger, more naïve person. Not a hottie like Seonghwa, but…let me think…” Minako said, trailing off as she got deep into thought.

Y/N continued to skate around the rinks doing various jumps and then the step sequence.

“A triple Lutz! A triple flip! Now, the last quad… a quadruple to loop, followed by a triple toe loop! He’s landed all his quads! Now, a combination spin!”

Y/N skated, then went into the combination spin, before standing in the final pose. She was breathing heavily and her face was flushed, clearly tired by the routine. Yuuko stood at the side, her eyes shined and she covered her mouth with her hands before slamming them on the rink boards.

“That was super cool! A perfect copy of Seonghwa! Awesome! I thought you’d be depressed or something!” Yuuko said.

Y/N nodded, wiping off her forehead with her sleeve before responding. “Well, I was for a while, but eventually I got tired of feeling depressed, so I got to thinking. ‘What could bring my love for skating back?’ Then it hit me. I remembered when I copied Seonghwa with you and Yuuri. Yuuko, I’ve-“ She started, but not finishing due to her gulping.

On the TV at Seonghwa was smiling for pictures with San and Mingi.

“And now we have a co-ed’s singles consecutive five-time winner in the World Figure Skating Championships! The victor is Russia’s Seonghwa Nikiforov!”

“I’ve always…” Y/N started, not finishing her sentence.

Axel, Lutz, and Loop popped up from behind the rink boards.

“Axel, Lutz, and Loop! Haven’t they gotten so much bigger since you last saw them?” Yuuko asked.

Y/N nodded. “Wow, they have gotten very big. I swear the last time I saw them they were practically babies,” she said. Then it had really hit her how long she had been gone.

“Y/N, you really did get fat!” Lutz said, giggling once she finished talking.

“Are you really retiring?” Loop asked.

“You’ve never had a boyfriend?” Axel asked.

“Hey, girls! Sorry, they are such skating groupies,” Yuuko said.

“They’re all your fans, Y/N. Welcome back!” Takeshi said, skating over before putting an arm around her neck.

“Nishigori!” Y/N said.

“You can come any time to practice, the Nishigori family’s always got your back,” Takeshi said, smiling widely.

“Y/N, go, go! Lose weight!” Axel, Lutz, and Loop said at the same time.

‘During the 5 years I was away, I tried to ignore a lot of things by focusing on skating.’

Y/N was hoping on one foot on a wooden park bench, while cherry blossom petals were carried away by the light breeze flowing around. Y/N knew she needed to get back into shape if she wanted to be able to continue skating, so she thought she should start as soon as possible.

“I wonder what I need so I can keep skating on my own,” Y/N thought aloud.

Once Y/N finished exercising, she made her way back to Yu-topia Katsuki and sat down at one of the tables and looked at the TV. On the TV there was a special feature of Jongho Plisetsky. He was leaning against the rink boards drinking from a water bottle, looking indifferent while his coach Yakov lectured him.

“Here in St. Petersburg, Russia, rising star Jongho Plisetsky is finally gearing up to join the senior men’s singles and co-ed singles competition.”

Jongho did a jump on the rink, and Y/N’s jaw dropped. “What’s with that jump? Whoa, another one?” She said, shocked by the jumps he was doing.

“Under Coach Yakov, the 15-year-old is about to join Seonghwa Nikiforov in ushering Russia into an era with two champions.”

~Flashback~

Jongho was leaning over Y/N, scowling down at her as she frantically wiped her eyes, trying to hide the evidence she had been crying.

“Just retire already,” Jongho said as he scowled at her.

~Flashback End~

‘The pressure’s on now.’

Y/N was sitting cross legged on the floor of her room. She looked up at the posters of Seonghwa on her wall and sighed, resting a hand on her cheek.

“I’ve got to skate on the same ice as Seonghwa someday,” she said.

#born to make history #seonghwa x reader #ateez x reader #yuri!!!onice #park seonghwa #x reader

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kittyprincessofcats · 5 years ago

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4CC - Ladies FS

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS NOT GOOD FOR MY HEART. I couldn’t watch live, but I watched the Ladies FS without looking up the results first (I even asked my sister to click on the video for me so the ISU’s Youtube channel wouldn’t spoil the top 3 for me). So here’s some thoughts.

- Yelim Kim was absolutely amazing. That was the first skate of the event that seriously impressed me and made me emotional. Very well done! I loved seeing the support for her from the home crowd and her reaction to the score was amazing. Super happy for her!

- Shame about Amber’s mistakes, but I’m glad she still managed to get a personal best score that she seemed very happy with.

- Ngl, watching Karen Chen’s performance made me tear up a bit. What a comeback! It’s so nice to see her skating so well again. I really hope her experience at this competition gives her a confidence boost.

- Eunsoo was absolutely lovely and I hope she can come back stronger next season. I really like this program for her.

- Wakaba was really great to watch. I really love her and even though I don’t think she’s quite on the same level as she was in 2017/18 (yet), I’m glad to see her getting better and better and working on getting back there. That said, I’m not sure if risking the 3A was a good idea at this point. I hope she lands it in competition one day, but for now it didn’t really have a high success rate in practice and I really wasn’t surprised to see her fall on it. I think for now she should focus on skating clean, landing all her other jumps, and making her choreographies a bit more complex. I loved the step sequence, by the way.

- Kaori, Kaori... what do I even say here. I’m sorry, but going for the 4T here was absolutely stupid and I’m not sure why she did it. The jump so clearly isn’t ready. I get risking it at a small local competition where the stakes aren’t high, but at 4CC? That I really don’t get. Did she think that she had nothing to lose anyway? But even then, what’s the point when you can’t land it and it’ll get downgraded? At least Wakaba managed to rotate the 3A before falling on it. Has Kaori not watched Alexandra Trusova this season and learned that “full risk” isn’t a good strategy? It was an especially stupid decision since Kaori hasn’t really had a good season so far and should have really focused on getting the rest of her program back in order instead of risking quads. And just to be clear: I’m not saying this to hate on her. I love Kaori and she’s one of my favourite skaters ever. Which is precisely why I don’t want her or her team to be so careless and risk stuff before it’s ready. Phew. Now that I got that off my chest - Kaori is still a joy to watch. I adore this Matrix program, how she interprets it and how fast she can get on the ice. But that opening 4T-attempt really kept me from fully enjoying it because I just internally screamed “Kaori, what are you doing???” the whole time.

- Bradie... okay look, I think her medal here was deserved, but her score was not. 147? For real? And higher PCS that Rika (barely higher, but still)? Sorry not sorry, but if Bradie gets 70 PCS and Young gets 69, then Rika should be getting 75. Anything else is unfair. I also really want her to learn not to get in people’s way in practice. And if she somehow can’t, they should let her practice by herself. I don’t ever want to see Rika flinch and look scared like that again.

- Young was absolutely amazing. I’m so glad she managed to land the 3A this time! I really enjoyed watching her here. That said, I do think her score was generous, especially the PCS. I really like Young and I think she’s incredibly talented, but right now she pretty much has the same expression on her face throughout the entire program. She’s not performing or interpreting the music well. And it’s understandable, she’s very young and most skaters aren’t amazing performers at that age, but the scores should reflect it. Her getting high 8s and 9s in PE and IN is not justified right now. She should not be getting higher scores there than someone like Wakaba or even Yelim Kim this time. I am happy for her though, congrats on a well-deserved Silver!

- And finally... let’s talk about Rika. God, watching this was really not good for my heart or my nerves. When she popped that first Axel I thought I was going to have a breakdown. I haven’t seen her pop an Axel since Saitama. So glad she managed to pull herself together and not let it get to her! And she even spontaneously added the 2T to the second 3A in the middle of the program. I’ve said it before - that girl has nerves of steel. I’m so happy for her! She’s now the first single skater (male or female) in history to defend a 4CC title. Congratulations on making history bby, you deserve it so much!!

- Also, I’m so glad Rika’s being careful and not giving into this whole sensationalist quad hype. Yes, she’s training a 4S, but she didn’t need it here and wisely decided not to risk it. Because there’s more important things than just adding a quad at any cost and I’m so glad she and her team understand that.

- Also just because I can’t hold back from making some calculations: Rika scored 151.16 here despite popping one of her two planned 3As. A 3A is worth 8.00 points. If she’d landed it with good GOE (let’s say +2), she’d have gotten around 10 points for it. For the 1A that she did instead, she ended up getting 1.10 - so that’s roughly 8.90 points that she left on the table here.

151.16 + 8.90 = 160.06 So basically, correct me if I’m wrong, but Rika would have scored 160 if she’d skated clean? And that’s without a 4S? Holy shit. It’s what she deserves, but I don’t want to get my hopes up for Worlds - I doubt they’ll be as fair to her there. (Or if they will, they’ll just start giving the Eteri girls 170 to make up for it.)

[Edit: I realize now that it’s not quite that simple since she also spontaneously added another -3T to still have the max number of triples... I keep being amazed by how she’s able to improvise, though!]

#Figure skating #4CC 2020 #Rika Kihira #Young You #Kaori Sakamoto #Bradie Tennell #Wakaba Higuchi #Eunsoo Lim #Karen Chen #Amber Glenn #Yelim Kim #long post #Ladies FS

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moonstarphoenix · 5 years ago

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Cup of China Ladies SP Pt. 2

And we’re on to the final group of Ladies in the short programs.

You Young falls on her opening triple axel. I love the drama in this opeing song of Romeo and Juliet. It just grabs you immediately. She’s struggling though on her jumps. I actually really like this short. There’s just no spark in her today. I think once she missed the triple axel she gave up which is a shame. This is an excellent short with some interesting choreography but some experience will help her I think when she falls like that.

Anna Scherbakova won Skate America but didn’t do a quad in the short. Her transitions between jumps are hella difficult. No quad again in the short but she landed all three jumps cleanly. She doesn’t look nervous this competition. At Skate America, she was almost a deer caught in the headlights. This is an interesting program for one so young. Very intense. I do like her long program better. She’ll be in first. Her coach does not see happy with that.

Marin Honda placed 6th at Skate Canada. She looks ready tonight. I love this short. Nice and easy triple-triple. Ph but she falls on the triple flip. She’s still selling the program. This was not her best performance but it’s an excellent short with a different feel to it than most of the other programs. She’s in 3rd for now. Raf is not happy with that.

Satoko Miyahara has been around for several seasons. She is one of the best Japanese female skaters. It’s always a pleasure to watch her. She mades her season debut today. She’s very sold on her triple-triple. This is a different style for her. A lot more hard hitting than we are used to. She’s having fun with the step sequence which is intricate and complex. Lots of fun choreograpphy in this short. I really like it. She performed it well. She slides into second, only a point above Amber.

Elizaveta Tuktamysheva is probably my favorite of the ‘old’ Russian contingent. She struggled and then came back after learning the triple axel. She’s not ready to relinquish anything yet. I love this song. If I remember correctly, I loved this short program for her. She fell on her triple axel. She two-footed her first triple in that combo and could only attach a double. Again, I’m not feeling the spark I felt a couple of weeks ago. She’s not happy with that either. There hasn’t been a lot of happiness in these short programs.

Sofia Samodurova had a breakout season last year, winning Europeans, but she struggled at Worlds. She’s older, more experienced, and looking to fend off the baby Russians. She makes her season debut here. Easy triple-triple. I like Sofia but I find her programs never have a lot choreography. There’s a lot of posing and singing along with the music. It’s a cute program but just not her best.

So the overhead camera needs to go. It didn’t work 10 years ago. It doesn’t work now.

So we end the ladies with Anna in first, Satoko in 2nd with Amber in third right behind her. In fact, only 5 points separates 2nd and 5th so the long programs are going to be very interesting!

#figure skating #you young #anna shcherbakova #marin honda #satoko miyahara #elizaveta tuktamysheva #sofia samodurova

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alena-kostornaia · 5 years ago

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You underestimated Alena Kostornaia in vain: with 3As, she is stronger than Trusova and Zagitova

Russian blog Olympic Views released an article written by Alexei Avdokhin, analyzing Alena Kostornaia and the current state of Russian female figure skaters. Translated by Google Translate, edited by @birdie02.

Perhaps the new favorite of the season.

Before the first senior season, Alena Kostornaia seemed like the most inconspicuous skater in Eteri Tutberidze’s team.

A logical status for Alena to have when you are in the shadows of the titles and popularity of Alina Zagitova, the quads of Alexandra Trusova, or the sonorous victory of Anna Shcherbakova in the Senior Championships of Russia. Yes, especially since Alena did not compete after the Championships due to a strange injury.

Kostornaia won here even too defiantly – with the fourth-highest total score in history, she finally added 3As to the free skate to have a technical base of seventy points. Only Trusova and Shcherbakova have higher technical bases in the world.

Kostornaia has been sharpening the 3A for two years – since the summer of 2017. At that time, she had just switched to Eteri and was looking for improvement after placing 16th in the Junior Championships of Russia.

“I will definitely not be the first, but mastering the 3A will become the realization that you are doing what others are not doing. It’s still nice,” Alena said a year ago, after winning the Junior Grand Prix Final.

Finlandia Trophy is the first competition where Kostornaia tried the 3A. Now she is the 10th skater win history to land it without under rotations or negative GOE.

In general, Finnish viewers are incredibly lucky: currently, only four skaters own a 3A in the world – and two of them competed in the secondary Challenger in Espoo.

The second – Elizaveta Tuktamysheva – lost to Kostornaia irreparably a lot (about eighteen points only in the free skate) – a gap that cannot be compensated for by anything but the mistakes of others. Even clean 3As did not save Liza in the free skate – the judges again (as in the short program) did not like the edge on the 3F, which Liza has been avoiding for a long time (and now it is clear why).

In Kostornaia, of the two 3As, only the first one was clean – in a combination with a double toe [t/n: 3A2T]. The second 3A was landed a bit understated – a signal that the jump has not yet been polished and may cause trouble.

“This is not to say that this [t/n: the 3A] is my weapon, because it is an element that someone else can learn. And I cannot bear to not do it myself.” – said Alena right after her victory in Finland.

But it doesn’t matter – even with unstable triples, Kostornaia turns into a skater who is capable of much on a good day.

Here are just some arguments:

234.84 – Alena’s title score for Finlandia Trophy, only 3.85 points from Trusova’s world record in Nepela Memorial that broke Zagitova’s previous world record.

Yes, in Bratislava, Sasha did not jump four, but three quads, and she will definitely add more quads, but Alena also has a powerful advantage she has yet to use.

The 3A can be jumped in the short program – the next logical step for Kostornaia’s upgrade. Let the risks of its implementation be evaluated by the Tutberidze team as higher than the possible total score, but five extra points to the short program score is a temptation that they do not refuse.

Here, Alena’s potential advantage over Trusova and Shcherbakova is hidden – a 3A in the short program is allowed, and quads are not.

Program Component Skating [PCS] – Alena does not need to increase her PCS nor to wait for them to grow on her own (and her PCS will certainly grow).

Already in Finland, her PCS was extremely high for a senior debut (71.68) – this season only Evgenia Medvedeva in Canada and Alina Zagitova in Japan received more.

Alina, for example, for the first time earned a components score above seventy points only at the 2018 European Championships – the sixth senior championship she won.

But (and this, perhaps, the main thing) Kostornaia deserves such an assessment as much as possible – to understand this, it is not necessary to understand figure skating.

Just watch.

youtube

Fantastic stability – in two years Alena only messed up four jumps: a 3Lo at JGP Italy 2017, 3F and 2A at JGP Czech Republic 2018, and 3Lz at Junior World Championships 2018.

And almost a hundred jumps – cleanly and with good advantages [t/n: ?].

Good GOE – judges love Alena and like her GOE: 17.36 – Finlandia Trophy; 15.14 – JGP Final.

Not talking too much about the numbers, but just believe: when Alena performs an element, it is impossible to complain about them.

Kostornaia will compete at the GP events Internationaux de France and NHK Trophy – along with Zagitova.

You definitely don’t miss it?

#alena kostornaia #season: 2019 2020 #analysis #eteri tutberidze #alina zagitova #alexandra trusova #anna scherbakova #elizaveta tuktamysheva

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trunaturalista · 5 years ago

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Costa Rica: The Solo Traveler.

I have received so many DM’s and texts regarding my trip and I wanted to share a few answers. Please reach out if there is something I did not address.

Did you use a travel agency for your Costa Rica trip?

Absolutely not. The only time I’ve used an agency was when I went to Dubai and that was only because I was traveling to the Middle East. I planned this entire trip myself. I found a great treehouse to stay in with wonderful owners that made the entire process seamless and meaningful. Google.com. Booking.com. Search for exactly what you want.

Did you stay on a resort?

Nope! I stayed in a treehouse/villa apartment vibe. It was gated, but anyone could honestly access if it really was that deep. This was one of the most amazing places I’ve stayed. I met all of the owners and they ensured I was happy, safe, each and every day. If you are afraid of bugs, lizards, monkeys, snakes, well the wilderness, do not do it to yourself. You will not make it, lol.

What made you select Costa Rica for your first solo travel trip?

It’s literally one of the top places for female solo travelers. Literally….do your research on every country, city, village you want to travel to and read articles. Check stats. Research crime. Costa Rica has always been on my very long bucket list and it seemed kind of perfect.

It is rainy reason, but I believe this season really gave me an opportunity to relax, release and think. It rained a lot at night and that is when I wrote, read, and meditated the most.

I really wanted to stay in a village to get the true experience although…many thought this was beyond dangerous. Most did not speak English at all and you have to be prepared for this. I loved hearing about the history of the village from the locals.

Costa Rica is the safest country in Central America…:)

This trip allowed me to travel on a small plane. I had to fly into San Jose and then take a domestic flight from San Jose to Tambor. From Tambor, my taxi ride was 45 mins to the village and to my treehouse. It was a lot of travel, but it was exactly the experience I wanted.

Were you scared? Did you feel unsafe?

I absolutely was scared…who would not be? I am always a little anxious before traveling to a new place, but it’s not a bad feeling – it’s like a rush, really. Like wow, I’m really doing this! When I arrived at the village and even when I landed in San Jose…there is not one moment when I felt unsafe. Everyone was warm, welcoming, and willing to give me information if I had a question about something. When I was out on my Quad and it had issues reversing and switching gears, someone was always willing to help. Even if they did not speak English, they still wanted to make sure I was good. Never felt like I was going to be snatched or sold into sex trafficking as so many people chimed in my inbox.

Why solo travel?

I’ve learned that people are extremely disappointing and will bail on you at any minute when it comes to travel. I told myself that when I turned thirty, I would embark on this solo travel journey for a number of reasons:

The trip was about me! I could do what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted, hell I sat around naked for hours doing absolutely nothing but thinking about how blessed I was. My daughter. Future plans. My friendships. Relationship. Everything.

I was 100000% selfish. I spent money money! Bought what I wanted. I ate what the fuck I wanted. When I wanted, woke up when I wanted, drank when I damn well pleased andddddd was just naked as hell in the rainforest. I called the damn shots.

Man, I was able to recharge. Lowkey, but highkey, if you know me, I’ve been through a lot of shit the last year. Relocating twice. Job switches. Adjusting for both myself and my beautiful child. I’ve lost and gained friends. This trip gave me the space to recharge my mental, physical and emotional being. It was so necessary.

I love vulnerability. Like, solo travel is the ultimate way to put yourself in a vulnerable situation. Listen, I’ve moved to two places with/out any family or friends in sight – that is vulnerability. But, traveling to a foreign country solo is another level. It’s scary, but it’s a cool ass vibe man. With this….you can accomplish anything.

I needed and wanted to create a space to heal. That is all I can really say on that.

I needed to find myself again. I get lost, found, lost, found. It’s nice. Meaningful. You literally have nothing but time to think about any and everything. It’s quiet.

Solo travel is super empowering. It’s only lonely when you decide not to go out and meet, talk to and explore, honestly.

What did your family and friends say?

Loaded question!

Listen, my mom was excited but worried as any mom should be. My dad was on some ABSOLUTELY THE FUCK NOT ‘ASHA and probably didn’t sleep the entire time I was gone. My sisters were all for it and encouraging. My closest friends were super happy for me. My man-panion was worried, but also excited because he’s traveled solo abroad as well. So many folks in my messages with envious messages and words of encouragement. Felt great. But, there were a lot of ppl in my inbox spewing negativity. “You are crazy” “You can be sex trafficked” “It’s stupid to travel alone” “what about Zarah” “you wilding” blah blah blah etc etc etc. Thank God I am in a much better space now, otherwise I might have reacted negatively. I chalk it up as projection (clearly they do not have the vagina to live life out loud) and keep it pushing. And thank Allah that I have a hefty life insurance policy.

How much was your trip?

Stay out of my pockets, playa, lol.

What tips do you have for female solo travelers in Costa Rica?

Research the city/village you plan to stay in. How do they dress? What is around? Are there things to do? Is crime heavy? Try to dress the part. The less you look like a tourist, the better. Bring boots or some sort of heavy duty shoe. Cover up!

Walk fast. Yo, keep it pushing. Get to where you are going to get, period. Google maps!

Keep cash in multiple places just in case you are robbed. Let’s be honest…crime happens everywhere and if you look like a tourist, you are in a vulnerable position. Keep cash in your bra, you backpack, your shoe, your pockets. If you are unfortunately robbed, they won’t get to all of those places. I cannot express this enough!

Do not be afraid to speak to strangers. You honestly do not have a choice. I mean, you could sit around and simply not socialize with anyone, but that really is no fun. This trip gave me an opportunity to put myself out there and talk to people in my broken Spanish ways, lol. I was forced to make friends. When I went to yoga, I met three people from Washington D.C all of which were female and in Costa Rica alone – it felt great. Had I not opened my mouth, I would have never met those travelers.

Solo travel means you are not splitting the cost of anything with anyone – it can be costly. Save up for solo trips and accept that you are going to have to drop some bread to enjoy yourself, depending on what you want to do. Luckily, $1 USD = $568.26 colones so I pretty much balled out in that village, lol. Food was cheap. A whole meal could be about 3000 colones, which is only $5.00 in USD. And by whole meal, I mean a whole Red Lobster meal for $20.00. Like, I’m not kidding.

Alcohol – Well, due to recent “deaths” due to Costa Rican alcohol, I was definitely on super high alert. I brought my own American shots to Costa Rica and visited the village market for wine. I only purchased wines that I knew were sold in America and that were not made in Costa Rica as a precaution. I did not drink at any of the bars in Costa Rica when I was out to eat because I had everything I needed at my treehouse. It made sense. Always be safe. I was not too alarmed by the number of deaths considering the millions of people that travel in and out of Costa Rica daily, but still.

Please pack bug spray and sunblock. Listen, the bugs are looking for blood and Costa Rica is way down by the equator. The HEAT HITS DIFFERENT OK. Protect your skin at all times! Plus, there are a lot of questionable bugs that I know bit me, lol.

What were your struggles?

I worry a lot. I’ve always been a worrier as my mom says. When I could learn what it meant to worry, I started lol. I worried about so many things, but I didn’t let it overcome me.

The village was intimidating – at first. But, once I got out there and drove around, I was cool.

My ATV/Quad had major struggles, lol. The first night I went out for dinner at this place called Koji’s and I couldn’t get the damn thing to start or reverse. A man saw me struggling and started walking my way. I’m thinking….OH GOD, it’s over for me, lol. But, he came over and got me on my way. I was grateful and he….was harmless.

I am not super friendly, but I’m not mean. I struggled with walking up to strangers and asking questions. But, I did it. It was awesome and I met some amazing people!

Interesting thing happened:

On my flight from the United States to San Jose….there was a mother and her small child, maybe 6 or 7 months old, traveling to Costa Rica alone. She happened to be walking by my seat on the plane and started to have a seizure out of nowhere. The flight attendants were asking who could hold the baby and no one wanted to hold the baby.

This was happening right next to me.

There was a doctor and two nurses on the flight and they confirmed that she was having a seizure and that we had to let it pass. Mind you, this baby was screaming bloody murder and needed a damn diaper change. Finally, she wakes up and explains that she has never has seizures before and she seemed fine as she grabbed her baby. No less than twenty minutes later, she starts having another seizure and we embark on an emergency landing into San Jose. As for anyone….this gave me major anxiety. I started to think…what will happen to me if I have a seizure? I have no one around. Nobody knows my health history. Anxiety began to really whoop my ass due to this horrible event. I was able to breathe, push through, etc. Prayer, meditation, faith in God, really.

Summary?

This trip taught me that there is nothing to fear but God. And (as my friend says) that the world is big and you are safe in it. I feel like a new person. I feel refreshed. Renewed. Free. I feel like a got damn beast. I feel strong. Empowered. Powerful. I feel invigorated. I feel sanctified, damn I feel liberated. Ugh. Go for it. Travel solo. I cannot wait to book my next destination and share it with you all.

#solotravel #travelguide #femaletravel #blackwomen #blogger #vlogger #writers on tumblr #poetry #poems #writers #costarica

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sywtwfs · 7 years ago

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Get to Know: The Pairs Figure Skating Field of the 2018 Winter Olympics

With the conclusion of the Team Event, skaters will now gear up for the pressure cooker of the main Olympic spectacle, starting off with the pairs’ individual event! Here’s a (slightly belated) overview of some of the top competitors in an excitingly packed field. Information on how to watch the Olympics is available here.

Of the two disciplines of figure skating that involve teams of two partners, pairs skating is the more terrifying one to watch for casual (and, indeed, long-time) viewers - not only do pair skaters jump and spin like singles skaters, the women are also lifted or thrown several feet in the air, all without wearing any protective gear. Pair teams must master a variety of elements, including synchronized jumps and spins, throw jumps, twists, lifts, and death spirals, all while maintaining unity as a team and expressing the emotion of their music. Although one top team, Ksenia Stolbova and Fedor Klimov of Russia - reigning Olympic silver medalists from Sochi - were not invited by the IOC to participate in the Pyeongchang Games, the pairs field is still the strongest that it’s been in years. The competition at the top is so close that no team can afford to make mistakes if they hope to come away with a medal, or the Olympic title itself.

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WENJING SUI / CONG HAN

Representing: China

Ages: 22/25

ISU Personal bests: SP 81.23, FS 155.10, total 234.53

ISU Season’s best: 234.53

Notable titles: 2017 World Champions, 2015 & 2016 World Silver Medalists, 4-time Four Continents Champions, 2017 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalists, 2-time Grand Prix Final Bronze Medalists

Programs: SP - Hallelujah; FS - Turandot

Known for: Throw jumps, quad twist, emotional connection, interesting transitions, first team to perform both a quad twist and quad throw in a free skate, breaking the world record free skate score at 2017 NHK Trophy

BIO: The longest-lived partnership in the current field, Sui and Han teamed up as children in 2007 and have been skating together for 11 years. Scions of the latest dynasty of Chinese pair skating excellence, they dominated the junior ranks for 3 seasons, winning 3 Junior World titles in a row. However, their career has been a rollercoaster of health struggles - diagnosed with a bone injury in 2012, Wenjing missed most of the 2012-13 season, and the pair failed to qualify for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Although devastated by their loss, Sui and Han used disappointment as fuel to emerge as one of the top teams of the past Olympic cycle, winning silver medals at the World Championships in 2015 and 2016. Throughout all their success, Wenjing continued to suffer from chronic ligament injuries in both feet. In May 2016, she was forced to undergo surgery to repair the extensive ligament damage. A long, painful rehabilitation process followed, where it was unclear if Wenjing would be able to skate again. Sui and Han made their competitive return at the 2017 Four Continents Championships, winning their fourth title. A month later, with a suave short program to “Blues for Klook” and a moving free skate to “Bridge Over Troubled Water” - a program that told the story of their journey together - Sui and Han claimed their first World title, becoming the first Chinese team to win a World title in 7 years.

This season, Sui and Han have chosen the opera Turandot as their free skate, inspired by the legendary performances of their coaches (2010 Olympic Champions Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao) more than 15 years ago. At the 2017 NHK Trophy, they broke the world record free skate score with a clean performance. However, a fall on their side-by-side jumps in the short program at the Grand Prix Final put Sui/Han in second place behind their closest rivals, Aliona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany.

Sui/Han’s long partnership shows in the ease and harmony of their skating. The team is also known for their technical elements, especially their huge throw jumps, which often earn near-perfect Grades of Execution from the judges. They are the first team to perform both a quad twist and quad throw in a free skate, a feat they accomplished at the 2016 Four Continents Championships, but they have not attempted the throw quad salchow in competition since Wenjing’s return from surgery. Front-runners for the Olympic title along with Savchenko/Massot, Sui/Han must land their jumps cleanly and gain the maximum possible levels on their other elements in order to win. The side-by-side jumps are their biggest weakness, and may ultimately determine their placement in Pyeongchang. It will also be crucial for the team to manage their nerves in their first Olympic appearance.

OFF-ICE: Wenjing enjoys watching the anime Natsume’s Book of Friends. She started skating after she met a skating coach living above her grandmother’s car wash. Cong was scouted for skating when he was in kindergarten. He once bought Wenjing a ukelele because she thought it was pretty. Sui/Han have a close relationship and tease each other mercilessly in interviews. (Wenjing describes Cong as a spider, and Cong describes Wenjing as Tigger from Winnie the Pooh.) Wenjing is nicknamed the “Empress” by fans for her charisma on the ice.

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ALIONA SAVCHENKO / BRUNO MASSOT

Representing: Germany

Ages: 34/29

ISU Personal bests: SP 79.84, FS 157.25, total 236.68

ISU Season’s best: 236.68

Notable titles: 2017 World Silver Medalists, 2016 World Bronze Medalists, 2017 Grand Prix Final Champions, 2016 & 2017 European Silver Medalists

Programs: SP - That Man; FS - La terre vue du ciel

Known for: Triple twist, lifts, interesting choreography and transitions, holders of the current world record in the free skate, Aliona’s expressiveness

BIO: The oldest female pairs skater in the current field, Aliona has seen it all. With former partner Robin Szolkowy, she was a 5-time World Champion and 2-time Olympic bronze medalist. Following Robin’s retirement after the 2013-14 Olympic season, Aliona refused to give up her dream of Olympic gold and teamed up with Bruno Massot, who previously skated for France. Savchenko/Massot debuted internationally in the 2015-16 season and immediately climbed to the top of the pairs field, winning bronze at their first World Championships in 2016, and silver at the 2017 World Championships, two points behind Sui/Han of China. Their biggest breakthrough came this season at the 2017 Grand Prix Final, where they set a new world record in the free skate and won the title over Sui/Han, establishing themselves as serious contenders for the Olympic title.

Savchenko/Massot’s greatest strengths are their lifts and enormous triple twist, which often receives straight +3 GOEs from the judges. But in order to win the Olympics, they will need to be as clean as possible on their side-by-side and throw jumps. The team has attempted the risky throw triple axel in competition before, but they likely will not include it in their programs at the Olympics. Now heading into her fifth Olympics, Aliona has the confidence of experience on her side, while Bruno is experiencing the Olympics for the first time in his career. They placed 3rd in the Team Event short program after a fall on a throw jump, but at their best, they are capable of record-breaking scores. If they win the Olympics in Pyeongchang, they will be the first German pairs team to do so since 1952.

OFF-ICE: Aliona often designs the team’s costumes. Bruno passed the German citizenship test this season on his third try, allowing him to compete at the Olympics with Aliona.

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EVGENIA TARASOVA / VLADIMIR MOROZOV

Representing: Olympic Athletes from Russia

Ages: 23/25

ISU Personal bests: SP 80.92, FS 151.23, total 227.58

ISU Season’s best: 224.25

Notable titles: 2017 World Bronze Medalists, 2017 & 2018 European Champions, 2016 Grand Prix Final Champions, 2018 Russian National Champions

Programs: SP - Piano Concerto No.2 (Rachmaninoff); FS - Candyman

Known for: Twists, throw jumps

BIO: Competing together since juniors, Tarasova/Morozov had a breakthrough season in 2016-17, winning the Grand Prix Final, European Championships, and bronze medals at the 2017 World Championships. The team is known for their solid technical elements, especially their triple twist, and they also include the quad twist in their free skate. In the last season and a half, Tarasova/Morozov have set themselves up as Russia’s leading pairs team and the latest in a long line of champions from that country. Russian and Soviet pair teams have won the majority of Olympic titles in the sport’s history.

This season has been a bit of a bumpy road for the Tarasova/Morozov, who started off strong at Rostelecom Cup, but made multiple errors to finish off the podium at the Grand Prix Final. Nevertheless, they won the 2018 Russian National Championships and 2018 European Championships, and got their first Olympics off to a great start with a winning short program in the Team Event. If Sui/Han or Savchenko/Massot make mistakes, Tarasova/Morozov could sneak into the top 2 spots in the pairs’ individual event, but as it stands, they are a solid contender for the bronze medal.

OFF-ICE: Tarasova/Morozov are in a relationship with each other off-ice.

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MEAGAN DUHAMEL / ERIC RADFORD

Representing: Canada

Ages: 32/33

ISU Personal bests: SP 78.39, FS 153.81, total 231.99

ISU Season’s best: 222.22

Notable titles: 2015 & 2016 World Champions, 2-time World Bronze Medalists, 2-time Four Continents Champions, 2014 Grand Prix Final Champions, 7-time Canadian National Champions

Programs: SP - With or Without You; FS - Hometown Glory

Known for: Side-by-side triple lutzes, throw quad salchow

BIO: One of the veteran teams of this field, Duhamel/Radford teamed up in 2010 and steadily rose through the international ranks, medaling at the World Championships four times, including gold medals in 2015 and 2016. Struggles with injuries in the last year or so have resulted in uneven performances, but the team seems to be hitting their stride as they enter their second - and last - Olympics together. Duhamel/Radford’s strength lies in their high base values; although the quality of their execution is not as high as some other teams, they are one of very few pairs teams capable of performing side-by-side triple lutzes, and they have landed the throw quadruple salchow in competition many times. Strong performances in both segments of the Olympic Team Event helped Team Canada to a gold medal, and Duhamel/Radford will be looking to repeat those performances for a spot on the individual podium as well. As with Tarasova/Morozov, Duhamel/Radford are capable of sneaking into the gold or silver position, but a bronze medal battle with the Russian team is probably the most likely scenario. That said - never try to predict anything in skating, especially in a field as stacked as this one.

OFF-ICE: Meagan is a vegan. She is married to her coach, Bruno Marcotte. Eric is openly gay; in June 2017, he became engaged to his boyfriend, Spanish ice dancer Luis Fenero. With Canada’s gold medal in the Pyeongchang Olympic Team Event, Eric became the first openly gay Winter Olympic Champion. Eric is a musician and composer; he composed the 2016-17 free skate music of fellow Canadian skater Patrick Chan.

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VANESSA JAMES / MORGAN CIPRES

Representing: France

Ages: 30/26

ISU Personal bests: SP 75.72, FS 146.87, total 222.59

ISU Season’s best: 214.37

Notable titles: 2017 European Bronze Medalists, 6-time French National Champions

Programs: SP - Make It Rain; FS - The Sound of Silence

Known for: Emotional connection, interesting transitions, being hot

BIO: James/Cipres are the living definition of late bloomers. Since teaming up in 2010, the team showed potential but lacked consistency and harder technical elements until last season, when all their hard work under a new coach came to fruition with a bronze medal at the 2017 European Championships. They became the first French pairs to medal at Europeans in 14 years. This season, James/Cipres started off strong with a stellar Grand Prix run, just barely missing out on the Grand Prix Final. They won the short program at the 2018 European Championships, but mistakes in the free skate kept them off the podium by a fraction of a point.

Known for their sizzling chemistry, modern style, and Vanessa’s pantsuits, James/Cipres have the full package when they’re on. They have attempted the throw quadruple salchow many times in competition, although they have not yet landed it cleanly. Heading into their second and last Olympic Games together, James/Cipres decided to return to their intense “Sound of Silence” free skate from the 2016-17 season. They placed 6th in the Team Event after a costly mistake on the side-by-side jumps, but if clean, they have the potential for top 5 in the individual event.

OFF-ICE: Vanessa was born in Canada and competed for the USA and UK before moving to France.

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XIAOYU YU / HAO ZHANG

Representing: China

Ages: 22/33

ISU Personal bests: SP 75.34, FS 145.53, total 219.20

ISU Season’s best: 219.20

Notable titles: 2016 Grand Prix Final Silver Medalists, 2017 Asian Winter Games Champions

Programs: SP - Swan Lake; FS - Star Wars

Known for: Twists, throw jumps, Xiaoyu’s elegance

BIO: Both Yu and Zhang have had successful previous partnerships, but after a relatively disappointing outing for Chinese pairs at the 2016 World Championships, coach Hongbo Zhao decided to pair Xiaoyu Yu with Hao Zhang, despite her reservations. Nevertheless, Yu/Zhang competed together for the first time in the 2016-17 season and achieved some significant results, including silver at the 2016 Grand Prix Final and 4th place at 2017 Worlds. This season, they set personal best scores at 2017 Skate America and qualified for their second Grand Prix Final together, where they placed 6th.

Yu/Zhang’s strong points are Xiaoyu’s grace and elegance, as well as their technical elements, especially their triple twist. Their main weakness is their side-by-side jumps; Xiaoyu often struggles with them in competition. Yu/Zhang have the potential for a top-5 finish in the Olympic individual event, but it will depend heavily on the cleanness of their elements. Hao Zhang, the 2006 Olympic silver medalist with first partner Dan Zhang, is now heading into his 4th Olympics with his third partner, while Xiaoyu is experiencing the Olympics for the first time.

OFF-ICE: Xiaoyu is fluent in Japanese, having taught herself the language by watching anime. She has given interviews in Japanese with the Japanese media and translated for her teammates.

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OTHER SKATERS TO WATCH

Natalia Zabiiako / Alexander Enbert (OAR): 2018 European Bronze Medalists, 2017 & 2018 Russian National Bronze Medalists. Teamed up in 2015; Natalia previously skated for Estonia. Placed 3rd in the Olympic Team Event free skate.

Kristina Astakhova / Alexei Rogonov (OAR): 2016 & 2017 Rostelecom Cup Bronze Medalists. Teamed up in 2014. Known for their quirky programs. Replaced Stolbova/Klimov on the Olympic team after Stolbova/Klimov were barred from competing by the IOC.

Cheng Peng / Yang Jin (CHN): 2017 Asian Winter Games Silver Medalists. Cheng previously skated with Hao Zhang, Yang previously skated with Xiaoyu Yu. Teamed up in 2016, qualified for the 2016 Grand Prix Final. A well-matched team with quality elements when they’re on, but often struggle with side-by-side jumps.

Valentina Marchei / Ondrej Hotarek (ITA): Teamed up in 2014. Valentina used to compete in singles, winning Italian Nationals 5 times. Ondrej previously skated pairs with Stefania Berton and won the bronze medal at the 2013 European Championships. Placed a surprising 2nd in the Olympic Team Event free skate with a personal best performance.

Nicole Della Monica / Matteo Guarise (ITA): 3-time Italian National Champions, 2017 Lombardia Trophy and Finlandia Trophy silver medalists. Placed 7th in the Olympic Team Event short program.

Julianne Seguin / Charlie Bilodeau (CAN): 2015 Junior World Silver Medalists, 3-time Canadian National Medalists. Teamed up in 2012. Young team hampered by injuries in recent seasons, including a series of concussions suffered by Julianne. Julianne used to compete in both singles and pairs at the same time, winning the bronze medal at 2014 Autumn Classic in ladies’ singles.

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro (CAN): 2017 & 2018 Canadian National Bronze Medalists. Have risen steadily this season, winning an unexpected spot on the Olympic team. Kirsten previously skated with Dylan Moscovitch, with whom she won a Four Continents medal and a Canadian National title. She teamed up with Michael Marinaro in 2014.

Alexa Scimeca Knierim / Chris Knierim (USA): 2015 & 2018 US National Champions, 2016 Four Continents Silver Medalists. Teamed up in 2012. USA’s top pair in recent years, missed most of the 2016-17 season due to illness. Known for their triple twist; may perform a quad twist in the Olympic individual free skate. Married each other in 2016. Placed 4th in the Olympic Team Event short program and free skate.

Tae Ok Ryom / Ju Sik Kim (PRK): 2018 Four Continents Bronze Medalists, 2017 Asian Winter Games Bronze Medalists. First North Korean skaters to medal at an ISU Championships and to gain international recognition. Debuted internationally in 2015-16 and have improved rapidly since then. Trained in Canada during the off season with South Korean pair, Kyueun Kim and Alex Kam. Watch out for their fun short program to “A Day in the Life”.

Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya / Harley Windsor (AUS): 2017 Junior World Champions, 2017 Junior Grand Prix Final Champions. First Australian pair to achieve international recognition. Ekaterina previously competed for Russia; she teamed up with Harley in 2015. Harley is of Australian Aboriginal descent.

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sunshineoptimismandangels · 7 years ago

Text

If I Fall For You, I'll Never Recover

Pairing: Klaine Status: Complete Author: Sunshineoptimismandangels Word count: 2,717 Summary: Kurt has the best friend in the world. Blaine is smart and talented and everyone loves him - including Kurt. Now if he could just work up the courage to say something about it. Notes: Another little one-shot that was quickly written for a Tumblr prompt. This was meant to be shorter but it got away from me. :) I hope you enjoy it!

FF.net | AO3 There he was, the cutest boy in all of NYADA – Blaine Anderson. He was heading towards Kurt with a spring in his step, wearing a ridiculously bright yellow cardigan, and looking like a walking ray of sunshine. He caught sight of Kurt and sent him a dazzling smile, a smile that was just for him. Kurt's heart somersaulted in his chest. Someone should find a way to bottle Blaine's smiles to cure cancer or spread world peace.

Kurt sat up straighter eager for Blaine to join him, but Blaine's gaze was averted as two sophomores ran up to him stopping Blaine in his tracks. They practically drooled over him as they chattered animatedly. Kurt wouldn't have been surprised if they whipped autograph books from their bags and asked him to sign.

Kurt's mood soured. Blaine was incredibly popular. Winning the Harold Prince Award for Excellence back in his freshman year, a feat previously accomplished by only two other NAYADA students in the history of the school. He then went on to land a leading role in the school's big end of the year musical while only a sophomore. Now Blaine was a junior and everyone at NYADA knew he was going to be a big star someday – he had students, male and female, fawning after him at all times.

If Blaine wasn't so sweet, humble, and truly, honestly grateful for all opportunities he was given Kurt might resent him a little bit. As it was, Blaine was one of the most sincere and generous people Kurt had ever met. And beautiful. And smart. And funny. And… Kurt was in deep. He'd been in love with his best friend for nearly two years and it was the worst.

Blaine finally peeled himself away from his admirers and hurried over to join Kurt, sitting down across from him and folding his arms on the table, giving Kurt another one of those heart-melting smiles. It was a beautiful and sunny spring day and Kurt had secured a table in the quad, giving anyone who might have thought about sitting down with him a withering glance to keep them moving. He'd saved this space for Blaine. Blaine, Kurt's own personal sunshine.

"Sorry, I'm late," Blaine said turning to the bookbag he'd placed on the bench next to him. "Dr. Norris wanted to talk to me about my song choice for the Spring Showcase."

"Mmm." Kurt hummed and nodded, "Did he want to give you recommendations or get some from you? He probably wanted your advice on the lesson plan for his next class." Kurt meant for his words to come out teasing, but it sounded bitter to his ears. He wasn't actually jealous of Blaine, but seeing him adored by every boy on campus sometimes left Kurt feeling raw.

Blaine looked up from his bag, his brow furrowed slightly. "No, he just thought my choice of doing something Top 40 was risky."

"Right." Kurt looked down at the coffee cup in front of him. Actually, there were two coffee cups – one for him and one for Blaine.

"Is everything-" Blaine started just as Kurt slid a cup towards him.

"I got you coffee," Kurt said at the same time.

Blaine's face softened and he looked from the cup to Kurt's face. "I was going to get you some, but I was already late."

Kurt laughed, "I win this round."

Blaine smiled and picked up the cup taking a sip and sighing with satisfaction. "You went to Pour."

"Only the best."

"Where does that put us now?" Blaine asked setting his cup down. "I think I'm still in the lead."

"You most certainly are not," Kurt said with relish. He and Blaine had a running game of who could buy coffee for the other person more often. It started early in their friendship when Blaine showed up at Kurt's dorm with a non-fat mocha and a bag of ladyfingers after Kurt had a horribly grueling day. Kurt had been so surprised that Blaine remembered his coffee order that he'd fallen a little bit more in love with him on the spot. Now it was a competition that had lasted years.

"I'm in the lead." Kurt continued. "I brought coffee after your midterm with Cassandra July and I brought coffee when we met up after my combat class to go see Rachel in her new off-Broadway play."

"Uh no." Blaine said tilting his head, "We both brought each other coffee and had too much of it before Rachel's play. That was a draw."

Kurt's chest warmed at Blaine's teasing tone. "Okay… but when you were sick last month I brought you soup."

"That isn't part of the game!" Blaine laughed.

"What? You didn't like my homemade chicken noodle soup?"

"Homemade? By who?"

"By the woman at the little corner sandwich shop of course. She said it was her grandmother's recipe."

Blaine laughed again and Kurt couldn't help the wide smile on his face as he watched him. Blaine was all crinkled eyes and bright smile and ruddy cheeks. He made Kurt's heart ache.

"Fine. We will count the soup. Just this once." Blaine conceded reaching out to squeeze Kurt's hand. "You're in the lead, but barely."

Kurt flipped his hand over to hold Blaine's and took a sip of his drink to try and hid the slight blush he knew was spreading across his cheeks. Blaine was always very tactile. Holding hands, linking arms, leaning his head on Kurt's shoulder as they watched a movie or coming up behind him to surprise him with a hug at any time of day. Kurt love and hated it. He was addicted to these sweet little touches, but at the same time, they often left him feeling a little lost and wanting more.

Kurt wanted to turn around in a hug and kiss Blaine silly. Or take his hand and press Blaine's knuckles to his lips. He wanted to tell Blaine how he felt and hear that Blaine felt the same way. He'd almost said something countless times, but the timing never seemed right. First Kurt had a boyfriend and then Blaine did. Then even when they were both single it felt like every time Kurt was about to get up the courage Blaine would say something about what a great friend Kurt was and Kurt would clamp his mouth closed, fearful of ruining what they had.

So Kurt sat in silence. Drinking his mocha and holding his best friend's hand as Blaine started talking about his song selection for the Spring Showcase. Kurt had decided his song weeks ago; he was singing The Greatest Star. Kurt had been practicing almost nonstop, Blaine listening to him on several occasions to help give critiques. Blaine wasn't much help though; he always just stood and cheered for Kurt gushing about how perfect he was. Blaine usually had his song selection made early as well. This time he was struggling. Kurt wondered if the pressure of being the school's golden boy was getting to him.

"I honestly can't choose between And This Is My Beloved and Love Somebody."

"You're still considering a pop song after talking to Dr. Norris?"

Kurt loved Blaine's voice when he sang Adam Levine, but honestly, he had a habit of doing pop songs. It wasn't a necessarily a bad thing, especially in a school that heard way too much of, For Good, Seasons of Love, and other Broadway staples. Still, the idea of Blaine singing the lyrics to And This Is My Beloved made something deep and warm stir in Kurt's chest.

Blaine sighed, running a hand through his dark silky curls… god, Kurt wanted to run his hand through them himself. "I don't know. I mean it's kind of my thing. Doing pop songs when everyone else is doing Broadway. I feel like I have to keep it up."

Kurt shook his head quickly. "No, Blaine. Your thing is picking songs that mean something to you and then singing with your whole heart. That's why you're so good. That's why everyone loves you. Don't pick something because you feel like you have to. What do you want to sing?"

"And This Is My Beloved," Blaine answered immediately, still holding Kurt's hand and looking him in the eyes with a soft, earnest expression that made Kurt's throat feel dry.

"Um… then," Kurt cleared his throat and looked down at their hands. "You should sing that one."

They were silent for a moment before Blaine spoke, his voice full of emotion, "Thank you, Kurt."

Kurt looked back up at him with a smile. "Anything for my best friend."

Blaine nodded and chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. "Let's talk about anything besides school," Blaine said pulling his hand back and taking a sip of his coffee.

Kurt wanted to chase after him, grab his hand again, but he didn't let himself. "Okay." Kurt thought for a minute. "Oh! Oh my god. You won't believe who asked me out!"

Blaine placed his coffee cup back on the table his expression looking funny for a moment before he smiled, "A date? You have a date?"

"No." Kurt laughed, "I do not. I said guess who asked me. I said no."

"Oh." Blaine's smile grew. "Um… that older guy who works at the deli counter?"

"What?" Kurt looked at Blaine speechless before he burst out laughing. "Why in the world would that be your first guess?"

"He flirts with you."

"He is at least fifty!"

"I said older guy."

"Oh my god. No. It was that cute little freshman girl that I was paired with in a mentoring project earlier this year. She walked right up to me this morning and asked me out."

"Really? I mean kudos to her. A freshman having the guts to walk up to one of the most admired seniors in all of NAYDA and ask him out? I'm impressed. Her gaydar is completely broken, but I'm impressed."

Kurt smiled and lifted an eyebrow, "Most admired seniors?"

Blaine waved him off as if Kurt's renown was undebatable. "At least you're being asked out. No one has asked me on a date since… I don't know? Last year before I dated Carlos?"

Ugh, Carlos. He was a perfectly nice and stupidly handsome exchange student Blaine had gone out with for a month last year. Kurt pretty much hated him. He didn't even like to think about that long, lonely November. Still, Kurt was shocked Blaine wasn't getting offers left and right. "Really? No one has asked you out since then?"

Blaine shrugged, propping his face up against his hand. "I guess in a sea of eligible students I'm not cute enough to get any attention. Unlike you, who has freshman girls and deli counter workers falling all over themselves for you."

Kurt laughed wondering why someone like Blaine wasn't knee deep in suitors, but privately a little pleased about it. "Aw Blaine, you're adorable. I'd date you."

The words were out of Kurt's mouth before he had a chance to consider them. As they left his lips Kurt felt as if his soul was leaving his body. As if he was standing next to himself and watching him say something that could shatter the perfect little bubble he and Blaine resided in. Kurt could feel the blood drain from his face and his hands suddenly felt clammy. "I… mean…" Kurt sputtered out hoping Blaine would take what he said in jest.

Blaine looked at him seriously, not skipping a beat. "Then date me."

"Wait…" Kurt blinked a few times, "What?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "You should. Date me. I know you're out of my league. I know. You're Kurt Hummel. Kurt Hummel who everyone at school looks up to. Who everyone wants to be like. I know you could have your pick of any student here… and some teachers for that matter." Blane ran a hand down his face, "But have you ever thought about… us? I mean we fit together so well. No one knows me the way you do and who knows you as well as me?

"I know when you're in an actual bad mood verse when you just need to eat something. I know that you pretend nothing bothers you but your lips twitch a little when you're holding your emotions in. I know that you're endlessly kind well after I would have given up on people. I know that you laugh at stupid reruns of "Millionaire Matchmaker" and that your father is your whole world. I know that when you were eight you asked for a pair of sensible pumps not only because fashion has no gender, but because they reminded you of your mom…" Blaine let out a deep sigh as if these words had been weighing on him. "Kurt, you're my best friend and I… I care about you so much. Haven't you ever thought about us as… more?"

Kurt stared at Blaine, his mouth slightly agape and a flurry of emotions washing over him. "I…" He started and stopped, not knowing what to say. Had Kurt ever thought of them as more? Only every single day for the past two years!

"Oh god." Blaine breathed in sharply when Kurt didn't respond. He stood from the table snatching up his book bag. "Oh my god. You don't and I… I have to leave now."

Blaine turned to leave and Kurt sprang up from the table, finally able to function again and his heart pounding against his chest. "No! Please don't go." He practically leaped around the table to stand face to face next to Blaine. "Please Blaine," Kurt smiled, a laugh bubbling up inside of him. "Yes. Yes. I've thought about it. A lot. I've wanted to be with you so much and for so long… I just convinced myself that you didn't want to be anything other than friends."

"That… that's what I thought you wanted! You're always saying I'm your best friend… like I should remember not to push."

"Oh my god no! Blaine, I'm crazy about you."

Blaine's dark eyebrows shot up and a smile slowly spread across his face. A new smile, a smile Kurt wasn't familiar with and Kurt thought he knew all of Blaine's smiles. This was one different. This one wasn't holding anything back and it was full of something that looked a lot like love.

"Kurt." Blaine didn't say anything else, instead, he just crashed their lips together, dropping his bag on the ground with a dull thud, hands moving to wrap around Kurt's waist.

Kurt's body reacted before his mind had even caught up with what was happening. He looped his arms around Blaine's shoulders and kissed him back. His mind singing, Blaine is kissing me! Blaine is kissing me! Until he wasn't able to think at all and he could only cling to Blaine, lips chasing and mouth opening to deepen this kiss. It was a few minutes before they broke apart, Kurt's whole body warm and trembling against Blaine – he leaned his forehead against Blaine's sighing happily. "How long have you felt this way?"

Blaine pressed his lips briefly against Kurt's again before answered. "Pretty much since we met. Why do you think I brought you coffee that very first time?"

"Jesus, I'm an idiot."

"You were dating someone else."

"No one has ever compared to you, Blaine."

Blaine chuckled in disbelief, his eyes misty, "Then we are both idiots."

Kurt just swooped in to kiss him again. They stood like that for a long time, the sun on their shoulders, arms around each other, and lips locked. A few students walked by and catcalled, but Kurt couldn't have cared less. Kurt brushed his thumb over Blaine's bottom lip as he pulled back. "We should..." Kurt could barely catch his breath, "We should go back to your place and practice your Showcase song."

Blaine nodded, "Yeah. We should go back to my place, but not to practice any songs."

Kurt grinned wildly, that was exactly what he'd been thinking. "Let's go back to your place and make up for lost time."

"Perfect," Blaine beamed, grabbing his bag and then Kurt's hands and tugging him along as Kurt laughed and quickly followed after him.

For the Tumblr post- Tag your OTP

Person A: Aw you are so cute! I'd date you Person B: Then date me Person A: .. what?

#klaine!au #klaine fan fic #written for an OTP prompt #klaine fic #my fic

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