The Ice Prince // Yuzuvier Fan Fic

Chapter Three

Yuzuru:

"Good morning." I heard from behind me and I stilled reflexively. I wasn't quite used to how friendly everyone here was. Especially my new training partner.

"Good morning." I replied. Even that was new. I spoke English only when I needed to at competitions and television interviews. Speaking English all the time was making my brain hurt just a little.

"You trying to make me look bad?" Javier asked as he sat down on the bench next to me. "You always get here earlier than me. Coach Brian is going to kill me again." he muttered and I bit my bottom lip, a little worried. I was used to being up early for practice every day. I hadn't even considered that maybe if Javier was used to a different routine it would make me look like I was trying to be better than him.

"I'm sorry..."

"Hey...I was just joking." He paused when he looked at my face. "Really." I swallowed hard and tried to believe him. I gave him a small nod and focused on lacing up my skates. "Did you sleep well?" He asked conversationally and I froze again.

"Excuse me?"

"I always find it hard to sleep in a new bed." He chuckled and took a sip from a large flask in his hand. He saw me watching him and held out the flask to me. "Want some?"

"Some?"

"Coffee." I wrinkled my nose and went back to tying my laces.

"Coffee is bad for you." I said and he laughed out loud.

"A lot of things are bad for me, but coffee is not one of them." He kissed his flask and put it down on the floor next to his bag. I rotated my ankles and when I was satisfied that my skates were tight without being too tight, I took off the blade guards and waddled over onto the ice.

Once or twice I had read in a few articles online that said it looked like I was more comfortable on the ice than I was on land... It felt that way sometimes. I couldn't compare it to anything else, this feeling of floating across the ice. It was a feeling I'd chased for almost two decades now. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. The cold filled my nose and I rolled my head side to side, stretching out my arms to get loose.

"So you don't drink coffee?" Javier said from beside me and I startled, tripping on my feet. "Sorry." He grinned at me when I shot him a look, but he didn't look sorry at all.

"No, I don't drink coffee."

"Tea?" He prodded as we got back to warming up on the ice.

"Black. No sugar."

"NO SUGAR??" He shouted and I almost laughed at the look on his face.

"No. Sugar is - "

"If you say bad for you, I'm going to have to punch you in the face. I swear." He said with a blank face.

"Hey. I thought I told you to behave." Coach Brian said loudly as he walked around the edge of the rink onto the ice.

"I am behaving!" Javier said, skating towards him. "Did you hear what he said? He said he doesn't drink his tea with sugar."

"A lot of people don't drink their tea with sugar."

"But WHY?" Javier asked with a distraught face. "Then you're just drinking boiled leaves! At least make it sweet." He muttered and Coach Brian rolled his eyes.

"Good morning, Yuzuru. Warmed up?" He asked and I nodded after I bowed.

"Yes, Sir." I replied and his nose wrinkled.