the boyfriend in row three; john logan
summary: you have a competition, and logan and the boys show up to support you in their own chaotic way. with logan quietly by your side before you skate and the others cheering way too loudly from the stands. You perform under pressure and don’t win first place but you leave the ice feeling like you didn’t lose anything that matters.
pairings: john logan x FIGURE SKATER! reader
RIN'S NOTE: this is requested by a lovely anon hehe, I hope you enjoyed it!
Logan didn’t understand figure skating. Not really. He understood hockey.
Crowds. Pressure. Competition.
But figure skating? Figure skating felt terrifying.
Mostly because everybody looked so calm about things that absolutely should not have been physically possible.
“You’re telling me she jumps,” Tucker said slowly from across the cafeteria table, “and lands on a knife shoe.”
Across from him, Garrett snorted into his drink while Dean leaned back in his chair looking deeply invested in the conversation.
“I think it’s elegant,” Dean announced.
“You think everything’s elegant.”
“That’s because I have taste.”
Logan barely paid attention to the conversation happening around him. Instead, his focus stayed entirely on you sitting beside him while scrolling through your competition schedule with a tiny crease between your brows.
You’d been doing that all week.
Thinking too hard. Over-preparing.
Getting quieter the closer the competition got.
“You’re stressing again,” he said softly.
Your head lifted immediately. “I’m not.”
“You reorganized your skating bag three times yesterday.”
“It means you’re spiraling.”
Garrett pointed immediately. “See? He knows.”
You groaned quietly while Logan only looked smug for half a second before his expression softened again.
“Hey,” he murmured, nudging your knee gently beneath the table. “You’re gonna be fine.” You smiled faintly at him.
And Tucker looked between both of you suspiciously.
“…You guys are weirdly intense.”
A few days before the competition, Hannah found you alone at the rink stretching after practice.
Music echoed quietly through the nearly empty arena while cold air curled against your skin.
“You’re still here?” Hannah asked softly.
You looked up from the floor. “Coach added extra run-throughs.”
She hummed knowingly before sitting beside you. For a moment, neither of you said anything. Then Hannah glanced toward you carefully.
You exhaled through your nose quietly.
You laughed softly at that before dropping your head back against the wall behind you. “I don’t know,” you admitted eventually. “I think it feels worse this year.”
Your fingers fiddled absentmindedly with the sleeves of your hoodie.
“Because now people I care about are watching.”
Hannah’s expression softened immediately.
She understood that feeling.
Performing in front of strangers was easy sometimes. But performing in front of people whose opinions mattered?
“You know the funny thing about performing?” she asked quietly.
“The people who love you already want you to succeed before you even start.”
Your chest tightened slightly. Because she was right. And somehow that almost made it scarier. Hannah nudged your shoulder lightly afterward.
“Also, if Logan somehow makes you more nervous, I’ll kill him." You laughed again.
Logan was absolutely making things worse. Not intentionally.
But every time you caught him looking at you lately, he had this expression on his face like the competition already mattered deeply to him too. Which was unfair.
Because now you wanted to do well for him too. A dangerous thought.
One evening after practice, you sat on one of the rink benches retightening your skates for the third time. Nervous habit.
You looked up immediately. Logan walked toward you carrying two hot chocolates in his hands. You accepted yours gratefully. “I’m not nervous.”
“You tied your skates so tight yesterday your foot went numb.”
“It shouldn’t happen at all.”
You rolled your eyes softly while Logan sat beside you.
For a few quiet seconds, the rink remained peaceful around you. Empty bleachers. Cold air. Soft scraping sounds from another skater practicing in the distance.
Then Logan glanced toward you carefully.
“You know you don’t have to be perfect, right?”
You stared down into your drink.
“No,” Logan said quietly. “Easy for me to see.”
Your throat tightened a little at that. Because he sounded so sure. Like there wasn’t a version of this competition where he’d think less of you.
Then Logan reached over absentmindedly and zipped your jacket higher after noticing you shiver. Automatic.
Like taking care of you had become instinct now. “You know,” you murmured softly, “you’re surprisingly good at emotional support.” Logan looked thoughtful.
“I think hockey emotionally prepared me for this.”
“You punched somebody last week.”
You laughed quietly. And Logan smiled immediately hearing it. God. He loved making you laugh. Unfortunately—
Both of you looked up. Tucker stood near the rink entrance holding a notebook. A literal notebook. You blinked. “Why do you have that?”
Dean appeared behind him immediately looking exhausted already. “He’s been asking questions for thirty minutes.”
Tucker ignored him and looked back toward you seriously. “What’s the difference between jumps?” You stared.
“No seriously. If I’m supporting you, I need context.”
Garrett walked in behind them carrying snacks.
“I told him not to research.”
“You can research figure skating?”
You covered your face laughing while Logan groaned beside you.
“This is all my fault somehow.”
“It really is,” Dean agreed.
Competition day arrived too quickly.
Logan had expected nerves. He had not expected genuine emotional distress.
“She’ll be fine,” Garrett said for the fifth time while the boys sat together in the arena stands. Logan nodded once.
Then immediately went back to staring at the ice anxiously. Dean looked at him.
“You look like you’re waiting outside a delivery room.”
“I’m supporting my girlfriend.”
“You look one inconvenience away from fighting a judge.”
“That depends on the scores.”
Garrett burst out laughing. The arena slowly filled around them while skaters warmed up beneath bright overhead lights.
And then, there you were.
Logan’s entire expression changed instantly. You moved carefully across the ice in your warmup jacket, adjusting your gloves before starting another practice run.
Not in the dramatic movie kind of way. Just, familiar and comfortable. You looked toward the stands eventually.
And the second you spotted Logan sitting there, something in your expression relaxed. Like finding him there steadied you. Garrett noticed immediately.
“She was looking for you.”
Logan tried very hard not to smile too hard but failed completely.
By the time your event officially began, Logan’s heart was beating harder than it ever did before hockey games.
The arena dimmed slightly. The crowd quieted. And you stepped into position at center ice.
For one terrifying second, everything felt still. Then the music started. Logan forgot how breathing worked.
You moved across the ice effortlessly, every step smooth enough to make the routine look easy even though he knew how much work sat underneath every movement.
Beside him, Tucker leaned forward slowly.
“…How are people even built for this?”
Dean nodded solemnly. “Fear.”
Garrett shushed them both immediately.
Because you’d started your first jump. Logan physically leaned forward in his seat. You landed it perfectly. The crowd applauded loudly.
“Yes!” Logan shouted before he could stop himself. Several people turned toward him.
He didn’t care. Not when you looked that good out there. The second jump landed even cleaner.
Garrett clapped hard beside him while Dean whistled loudly.
Tucker nearly stood up too early before the spin finished.
“Oh my god,” he whispered aggressively. “She’s spinning so fast.”
Logan laughed breathlessly under his breath. Because somehow, watching you skate felt emotional.
Like he was watching the person he loved doing something that completely belonged to them. And for a few minutes, nothing else existed except you moving beneath the lights.
Then your final pose hit. The arena erupted. And Logan stood immediately with the others. “That is my girlfriend!”
Dean doubled over laughing beside him.
Logan didn’t even deny it. Because maybe he was.
Stuffed animals and flowers scattered across the ice while you bowed politely despite breathing hard from exertion.
Your chest still rose unevenly when you finally skated off the rink. And for a second. You weren’t sure.
The routine had felt good. Mostly. But there were tiny mistakes too. Tiny moments only you probably noticed.
Enough to leave uncertainty curling uncomfortably in your stomach while scores flashed across the screen.
Not even close enough to challenge for it.
A familiar disappointment settled quietly in your chest. Not devastating. Just heavy.
You worked hard for this. You wanted more. By the time you reached the hallway outside the rink, you’d mostly hidden the feeling away already. At least until—
You looked up immediately. Logan stood waiting near the doors holding a bouquet behind his back. Your chest tightened instantly.
The boys crowded behind him looking ridiculously emotional.
Dean pointed dramatically at you. “Robbery. Actual robbery.”
Garrett nodded seriously. “Your score was insane.”
“I booed internally,” Tucker informed you.
That made you laugh softly for the first time since leaving the ice. Then Logan stepped closer quietly. And finally handed you the bouquet.
Your favorite flowers. Of course they were.
“You didn’t have to do this,” you murmured.
Your eyes lifted toward him. And Logan smiled softly. “You were incredible.”
Just: you were incredible.
Simple and honest. Your throat tightened embarrassingly fast. Because suddenly losing didn’t feel quite as sharp anymore.
Logan’s hand brushed gently against your waist afterward. “You okay?” You nodded once. Then sighed quietly. “A little disappointed.”
You looked at him carefully. “You’re not gonna tell me I deserved first?”
Logan shook his head once.
You blinked. Dean gasped dramatically behind him. Logan smiled faintly.
“I’m gonna tell you I loved watching you out there.”
Your entire chest ached. God. How was he real?
Then Tucker suddenly held out a small stuffed hockey bear toward you awkwardly.
“I caught this after Dean missed the throw.”
Dean looked offended. “I was emotional.”
You accepted the plushie immediately laughing. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Tucker said proudly. “I still don’t understand the scoring system, but I support you aggressively.”
Garrett patted your shoulder warmly afterward.
“Seriously, you did great.”
“And Logan almost fought somebody during the second score reveal,” Dean added.
“It was supportive standing.”
You laughed again. And Logan visibly relaxed hearing the sound.
Later that night, all of you ended up squeezed together inside a crowded bar booth downtown. Warm lights. Loud music. Half-finished drinks scattered across the table.
The competition replayed itself through conversation for almost an hour.
Tucker still didn’t understand spins.
Dean claimed artistic bias affected judging.
Garrett argued passionately about performance quality despite understanding absolutely nothing about figure skating.
And beside you, Logan stayed mostly quiet. Just listening.
His arm rested comfortably along the back of your booth while your knee pressed lightly against his beneath the table comfortable, warm, and easy. At one point, Garrett looked toward you with a grin.
“You know Logan screamed during one of the jumps, right?”
Your head snapped toward him instantly.
“It was terrifying,” Dean corrected.
“You scared the woman beside us,” Garrett added.
You laughed so hard you nearly spilled your drink. And Logan immediately looked at you with that soft expression again.
The terrifyingly in love one Dean kept complaining about. The competition hadn’t gone perfectly. You didn’t leave with first place or gold medals or the score you wanted.
But later, sitting tucked beside Logan while laughter and conversation filled the booth around you, his hand warm against your knee beneath the table, you realized none of that felt nearly as important anymore.