Of Angels and Phantoms

Chapter 41 - Holding on

"Come on, let's go. We've got to finish those interviews quickly, or we won't be able to catch Junny's free!" Javi pulled me along, going back to where Coach was. The photographer was waiting beside him, asking for a photo of the three of us.

"Alright, let's make this quick! I've got to get to June, guys." Brian posed for a couple of photos with us before hastily grabbing his duffel bag, looking rather restless. "I'll catch you boys later, alright? Gotta find June before she starts freaking out again."

Javi laughed and put on his jacket, grabbing his water bottle. "Can't wait to see her."

"Yeah..." I smiled, putting on my jacket as well.

The last time I saw her was at NHK Trophy, but it seemed like it had been years. I thought we could at least meet during mealtime, but she seemed to disappear the moment I tried to find her. I got a little worried before the short program, but Coach assured me that she was fine.

"I heard about what happened at NHK, dude."

I jumped a little, startled. "W-What did you hear?" I stumbled a little, quickly answering Javi. But we kept it under wraps all this time!

"About you and Junny, duh. I can't believe you kept it from me!" Javi pouted, looking slightly betrayed. "I thought I would be the first to know!"

"B-But we haven't told anyone! I swear-"

"They saw you leaving the banquet hall with June, and you guys didn't come back till the end of the entire thing!"

"W-We just talked! And...I mean, we didn't do anything..." My face was burning as Javi questioned me, feeling more nervous than during the competition. "I thought June wouldn't be happy if I told you that she confessed-"

"Whoa, she confessed?" Javi's pout immediately turned into a bright grin, wiggling his eyebrows. "So you guys finally settled it, heh."

"W-What??"

"What?"

"JAVI, D-DID YOU JUST TRICK ME-" I gasped, realising what I'd done. "Oh my God..."

"You guys would never tell me if I asked normally, you horrible friends." Javi smirked evilly, crossing his arms. "Relax, nobody else knows about you guys. Except maybe Coach."

"E-Eh?? Coach? How?"

"Because Coach is not a dense dumbass who can't tell what's going on between his students, Mr. Yuzuru," Javi sassed, strutting in front of me. "Why're you guys so scared of people knowing, anyway? Look at Miki and I!"

"Meh, you won't understand." I pouted, sticking out my tongue. "Don't tell June that I told you, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, we're going to be late for the interviews."

--- ---

The last pass. My legs were about to give way as I prayed for them to hold on for another minute. C'mon...you can do this! I breathed hard, preparing myself for a 3Lz3T.

You can do this. I jumped, landing with a slight wobble. I quickly stabilized myself, moving straight into the step sequence. My head began to throb as the arena clapped along and my surroundings began to get blurry.

Just a bit more... I went into my last spin combination, striking my final pose. My head...it hurts so much-

My legs gave way and I collapsed on the ice, barely able to get up. I couldn't stop panting and everything seemed blur to me. All I could hear was the roaring from the audience...I probably did well. I tried to look up, forcing a smile.