the pitt figure skating au part 2 (p1) - ice dance santos and whitaker
Santos recently changed her skating partner after years of being forced into rigorous training. Whitaker trained at a small rink and never got far in serious competition. Together they lift eachother up in just the right ways and managed to score a bronze medal at worlds and a chance to compete at the olympics
synopsis: it's clear that your skating partner has a huge crush on you. it sucks for him that you have a crush on your skating coach.
pairing: jack abbot x figure skater!reader
warnings: 2.8k words, 18+ MDNI, reader is a figure skater, "doll" pet name usage, fem!reader, age gap (20's to 40's), failed flirting from frank langdon, reader down bad for jack, eventual sex, jack gets jealous, p with plot, doggy style, manhandling, kisses and bites, praise, public sex sorta idk, probably some skating inaccuracies but fuck it we ball
masterlist!
"Turn. Stop. Good job."
You were new to skating with a coach. You'd skated before, obviously; ever since you were a child, you had loved the feeling of spinning on the ice, the feeling of nailing a new move, the feeling of the audience. When your parents realized you were serious about skating at twenty, they'd gotten you set up with a professional coach instead of just them and the rink owner teaching you. That was Jack Abbot.
It was your fourth time at the usually empty local rink with him, the older man standing to the side with his hands behind his back as he observed. The first day, a few weeks ago, he'd just watched and told you to do what you knew. Then he started to order you around, and you always hid the small shiver you convinced yourself was from the cold. His gaze was sharp, calculating, piercing as he watched your movement on the ice.
Today, he was doing the same thing as the first day; standing by the edges and just watching you. He had barely ever actually gotten on the ice, choosing to just judge your turns and moves from the sidelines.
You felt exposed under his gaze, despite being dressed in tights and leg warmers and a soft sweater. It wasn't too chilly, as indoor rinks go, and you always loved the cold anyways.
You stopped on the ice, your blades giving the shhk sound as it scraped to a stop. You looked at Jack, waiting for his critique.
"You're getting sloppy." Jack crossed his arms over his chest, standing right at the entrance of the rink as you stood in the middle of the ice. "We need to find you a partner."
"I already have a partner." You grumbled, skating to where Jack was standing. You didn't exactly like him, per se; more like tolerated him because he was all you had. You'd burned through at least three partners before Frank Langdon, ditching all of them because they couldn't keep up with you or had a temper or thought they could boss you around. Your parents kept trying, though, hoping each one would be the one.
None of them were, but Frank was the one you could stand the best. Which wasn't a very high compliment.
Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And why is this partner not training with you, doll?"
"Because he's annoying." You said blankly, stepping off the ice. Jack barely shifted out of your way, broad frame having completely blocked the exit otherwise. "And he's always flirting with me."
You tacked on that last part almost just to see Jack's reaction. It was true, Frank really did flirt with you all the time; small passive comments about your body, your face, your personality. It would've been almost flattering if he wasn't A) your assigned skating partner and B) absolutely insufferable about it. He would never shut up, even when you had told him to for the hundreth time.
Not to mention that some little part of you wanted to make him just a little bit jealous. Despite only seeing him for just a few sessions, and knowing it was totally unprofessional, you'd been eyeing Jack since the first time you ever saw him; eyeing his thick biceps, eyeing the gray slipping into his stubble, eyeing the way his shirts always pulled over his shoulders. In the back of your head, the same horny voice was chanting for something more.
Not like you would act on it. Yet.
You watched as Jack just scanned you up and down as if seeing for himself who Frank was flirting with. You tried to hide the shiver going up your spine.
"What kinda shit does he say?" Jack finally spoke, expression unreadable. You wished above anything you could read it, could find out every thought in his head. Find out if he looked at you the same way you looked at him.
You shrug, bending down to adjust your leg warmers. "The usual. Pick up lines. Lots of compliments. Blushes easily. Always asking me out on dates. He's sweet, he just never leaves me alone. Like…ever."
Jack licks his lips slowly. "…are you interested? In him?"
The idea was laughable. "No. Of course not. Not my type."
My type is actually the 5'9 hunk standing right in front of me, is what you wanted to say. You didn't, keeping your lips shut. The only reason he looked at you was because he was your fucking coach. He was being paid to look at you, basically.
Jack just nodded, gesturing down to the changing rooms and switching the topic easily. "Session's over. Y'should practice some more on the sit spin for the showcase next week, doll. And you being nice to Langdon."
You nodded, stepping off the ice and sitting down on the nearby bench to untie your skates. Your showcase was next week, alongside fourteen other contestants, all fighting for the prize money. Plus, getting your name in the papers wasn't a bad idea if you wanted to make it any further with your career, even if Frank would be in there with you.
"Wanna get away after this?"
The backroom was pretty empty, with you and Frank being the last pair for the showcase. You were watching the current duo on one of the big screens set up, eyes locked onto the movements of the skaters, assesing and calculating. Frank, on the other hand, didn't seem to be paying as much attention.
Instead of answering his question, you swatted his arm. "Focus. We need to get first."
"We will. You're one of the best skaters here. And one of the best looking." Frank smirked, tacking on the last part as if it would make you swoon.
You just turned back to the screen, hoping Frank would give up. He didn't. Three minutes and 27 seconds later, you heard your names get called over the loudspeaker. You made sure your skates were on tight, smoothed down your sparkly uniform, and stood. Frank trailed behind you as the two of you made it to the large rink, the three judges watching your entrance.
The music started playing. The lights were blinding. You relyed mostly on muscle memory and trust as you and Frank played out your longtime practiced routine, letting your body and your subconscious pave the way on the ice. It was nothing like practicing with Jack, or practicing with Frank, or even practicing on your own. This time, you had judging eyes on your every move, and if you messed up even one millisecond, you knew it was a peg down from first place.
The applause practically echoed off the walls as you and Frank stood side by side in the middle of the rink, the song coming to it's swinging halt, the two of you breathing heavily. Frank was looking at you like he always did, the lust clear in his eyes. You were looking at Jack, who was clapping with his hands above his head in the audience. When you locked eyes with him, he grinned wider and gave you an approving nod of his head before starting to head backstage.
The judges revealed their score over the speakers, making the audience quiet down just for a second to hear the results. First. You and Frank had gotten first place. You felt the excitement bubble up in your stomach, the feeling of pride and accomplishment washing over you. You skated to the edge of the rink, not bothering to see if Frank was following you, and immediately crashed into Jack's open arms.
"We did it!" You said excitedly into his shoulder, feeling his arms come up around your back. "We won!"
"Yes you did, doll. So proud of ya." Jack murmured, and you thought you could feel his lips press against the top of your head, but he wouldn't do that. Right? Maybe it was just a figment of your racing ecstatic mind.
You felt Frank press against your back, and while you were internally a bit annoyed that he disrupted your moment with Jack, he was technically Frank's coach too. And you had won together. Technically. When he did, though, you felt Jack squeeze you ever so slightly tighter, almost possessively.
"How about I-" Jack started, but then a few crew workers came rushing over to pry you and Frank away from Jack and back to the rink to receive your medals and for the press to take pictures. Despite not having heard all of Jack's sentence, you let yourself be swept away, Frank at your side.
The clicks and flashes of photos being taken didn't stop until you finally stepped off the rink, gold medals around your necks, the audience dispersing out the main exits. The second and third winning pairs congraulated you, and after talking with all of them for a few minutes, you all went your seperate ways to pack up.
Eventually, it was just you, Frank, and Jack left in the locker room.
Jack was leaning against the wall, arms over his chest. Frank was changing out of his uniform into a comfortable hoodie and sweatpants. You were untying your skates on the long bench, hoodie half zipped to keep you warm.
"Congratulations, you two." Jack spoke up, voice echoing off the metal in the silence of the room. "You deserve it. You worked hard, and it paid off."
"Thanks, coach." Frank grinned easily, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He was ready to head out, while you carefully tucked your skates into their special bag and stood to start getting changed.
"Have you changed my mind? About my previous offer?" Frank leaned in to whisper in your ear, hand going to rest on your waist. You remember his words, while you two were sitting backstage before you went on. Wanna get away after this?
You easily brushed his hand away, far too used to his antics. "It's never changed, Langdon. Not in the year I've known you."
He gave you puppy dog eyes. You shook your head again. He let out a long sigh. "Okay. Fine. Whatever. See you soon."
You just waved him off. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, leaving just you and your coach in the room, you turned your head over your shoulder. Jack was staring at where Frank had just exited, jaw clenched tightly, arms almost squeezing tighter.
"What's wrong?" You asked, slipping your medal off your neck and admiring it before carefully tucking it in your bag.
"You're right, doll. He is insufferable." Jack finally spoke, turning his head back to you. "Didn't know he'd just touch you, though."
You shrugged, turning back to your locker, hearing Jack's footsteps rounding the bench to you and not quite minding. "Like I said, I'm used to it. He's always been like that. Should've seen him on the first day we met."
"I can imagine."
You practically jolted when you heard how close Jack was, leaning just over your shoulder. When you turned your head, your lips nearly brushed, and you flushed brightly and tilted your head back and away.
Jack gave you a tiny smirk. "Let me know the next time he pulls that shit. Flirts with you."
"You're…you're basically flirting with me right now, aren't you?" You managed to get out, swallowing harshly and forcing your eyes to stay on Jack's. Do not look down at his broad shoulders. Do not look down at his beefy freckled arms. Do not look down at the very clear bulge in his jeans — what?
You knew your eyes lingered way too long down there when Jack chuckled lowly. "You can stare, doll. No need to be shy."
You felt heat pool down at your core. "I…what…"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I've noticed you looking at me, doll. For weeks now. I'm not blind."
"I'm not saying you are! I'm just…" You licked your lips carefully. "…surprised."
"Surprised. Right." Was all Jack murmured before pressing your lips together.
You felt your head spin as he pushed you back against the lockers, and you came to the realization that while you were head over heels for your coach? He liked you too. If the way he was slipping his tongue into your mouth was any indication.
Your hands went to his shoulders while his rested on your hips, tilting his head just right to make you feel dizzy and breathless. Before you passed out from the lack of air, Jack pulled his head back, tilting to the side to press heated kisses down your neck.
He turned you around from the lockers to lay down on the long bench, back pressing into the cold wood as Jack's warm hands slid to slowly unzip your sweater, the metallic sound loud in the quiet of the room. He slowly pulled down the straps of your sparkly skating costume, kissing down your collarbone, then your breasts, lips latching onto one hardened nipple — both from the cold and the moment — causing you to throw your head back, hitting the bench with a dull thud.
"You did so good out there, doll. Did everything I told you to." Jack murmured against your breast, switching to the other and sucking softly before speaking again, looking up at your face and forcing eye contact with his hand on your chin. "Practiced so hard and it payed off."
With one hand on your chin, forcing you to look down at him, his other slipped to push your costume down even further, and he kissed the newly exposed skin as he went until the costume was pooling at your ankles on the bench. His warms hands glided down to push apart your thighs, and you thought he was about to press his lips to your already soaked cunt, give you some relief. He didn't.
After inspecting your pussy for a few seconds, to the point where your hands tangled in his hair in desperation, he let out a low chuckle and pulled himself back up to blanket your body with his own.
"So needy, doll." He murmured against your mouth before kissing you again. You were so distracted by him kissing you so deeply, so intensely, that you failed to notice him undoing his jeans until you felt a heated thick head press against your folds, making you gasp and pull your head back just enough to blink up at Jack.
He grinned at you. The same grin you'd only ever seen the few times you'd impressed him while practicing. "Surprised we're getting to the main act so soon?"
You nodded, feeling both timid and excited. This was possibly better than all your fantasies you'd had about your coach. Fuck, possibly? It was better. It was actively happening. He was actively pushing his cock through your folds, deeper, going agonizingly slow, inch by inch until you felt so full with him that you could barely breathe.
It seemed he felt the same desperation you did, or was at least getting close to it, judging by the ways his eyes clouded over just slightly and, with no hesitation, he pulled out of you completely, manhandled you to be on your stomach, face and chest against the cold bench, lifting your ass into the air and curving you into a near perfect arch and shoving his cock back into you with much more speed and force than the first time.
You almost cried out if not for Jack's hand going to cover your mouth as he started to thrust in and out and in and out until all you could feel was his thick veiny cock pushing deeper and deeper inside your body. Your eyes rolled back, teeth biting down on the closest finger to your lips, but Jack didn't seem to mind. In fact, it only seemed to spur him on to go faster.
He leaned his head down to whisper more filthy things in your ear. You could barely process the words, too fucked out to comprehend his murmurs, but you could tell it was dirty praise by his tone and by the way he enunciated certain words with harder thrusts.
It didn't take long for you to feel the familiar coil deep in your cut, letting out a muffled scream against Jack's hand as you came harder than you could ever make yourself, and Jack just rode you through it. He didn't stop his thrusts, hardly even slowed down as he kept fucking into you. He waited until you finished, limbs almost going limp against the bench, before he came deep inside you, hot seed filling you up and sending shivers up your spine.
Jack sat up, keeping his cock nestled deep inside of you, as he lifted you up so your chest pressed against his back. "You enjoy that, doll? Better than your imagination?"
You nodded, tongue not working well enough to reply with words.
You felt Jack chuckle against your back. "Consider this your reward. For winning."
a/n: this ended up being so much longer than i thought it would be holy shit....was planning for this just to be like maybe 800-900 but i reached flow state and genuinely couldn't stop...doesn't matter bc i'm so happy with how it turned out!!!!! + also i'm sorry i did frank so dirtyyy hope that's not an issue................
written by @heavenorely on tumblr 2026. do not copy, reupload or feed my work to ai.
genre: figure skating AU, fluff, childhood friends to lovers, PR relationship/fake dating, speed skater!Jaemin x figure skater!reader, female identifying reader
warnings: light partying, a lil suggestive
playlist: true romance (pinkpantheress) | the perfect pair (beabadoobee) | prague (jack harlow) | with me (0WAVE) | next to me (JUNNY) | sexier (nct jnjm)
summary:
In the midst of a career comeback following a major injury, a reckless night cements your fall from grace as the Nation’s Skating Sweetheart. As everything comes crashing down, an opportunity presents itself: your childhood crush, Jaemin, proposes a PR relationship to support both of your returns to the skating world.
As your fabricated relationship throws you further into the spotlight, you’re not sure which is harder – redeeming your reputation, or trying not to fall for Na Jaemin all over again.
disclaimer: be warned that I'm not a skater but I tried my best LOLL also the nationality/country is kept vague intentionally, however I am American so be aware that some aspects of that culture might bleed through - ty!
taglist: @honeybeehorizon
When you step onto the ice, you think it might really be over.
It’s Nationals, which means that this is your last chance to make it. To prove, to everyone in the figure skating community, that you still have what it takes.
The pressure is on, especially since your childhood friend, Sunghoon, is dubbed the favorite within the men's program. You surpassed all expectations and are coming off an incredibly strong short program, which makes you the last one to leave it all on the ice.
You cross one skate over the other, gliding toward center ice. You lift your arms as you hear your name announced over the speakers. Through your nerves, like you’ve done a hundred times before, you flash a bright smile at the crowd. The only face you somehow manage to catch is Sunghoon’s that’s nearly pressed up against the glass. The rest are a blur, but it gives you some comfort to know there’s at least one person still rooting for you out there.
The first half of your program is hands down your favorite, as it features enough technical difficulty while allowing you to lean into your artistry. You hit your jump combinations flawlessly and execute the elements just the way you want. For the first time in years, your competitive spirit is confident. Unhindered.
Your fire carries you through the first half, until you feel a familiar fatigue pulling at your right hip.
Leading up to this season, almost all skating forums, live commentators, and journalists always positioned your narrative over one central detail: the fact that this is your first season back on the ice after an almost career-ending hip tear.
That was enough reason for you to skip over articles and most social media commentary—reliving your surgery, post-op, and shaky comeback through the eyes of other spectators was too much. You remembered the heartache and depression that manifested when you were injured as an Olympic hopeful, and you’d be damned if you let skeptics drag you back into that mindset. You deserve to be here. You are here to prove that you deserve to move forward.
You grit your teeth, fighting through your spins and pushing into each jump. It’s working until you realize what’s next.
An element highly contested by yourself and your coach was your last jump combination: the double axel, double toe, single loop jump wedged into the second half of your program for maximum point potential. It’s something you’d struggled to execute in the past, but it was a stretch for your recovering body post-injury.
Your coach is probably off to the side praying that you opt for an easier version of this combination, but you decide to press on.
Watch me, you think as you take off. Your entire face scrunches with the effort, but it pays off. You hit the double axel, and the adrenaline rush carries your momentum to hit the double toe as well. As you’re continuing into the last jump, your hip muscles pinch in sharp pain. You flinch, and the falter causes you to underrotate the last jump completely and land on two feet. At this point, it’s a miracle that you don’t fully eat shit in the process.
The crowd gasps. You recover your bearings just enough to finish out the program with somewhat convincing artistry. Your hip burns at the scar site, the muscle underneath fatigued and tender. When the crowd applauds, you skate off to the kiss and cry, trying to keep a smile steady as you hug your coach.
“At least you left it all out there,” he says. That’s his way of saying Not perfect, but it might do.
You force a neutral expression on your face as the camera focuses on your reaction. It’ll be close, especially since a good amount of the women had skated clean. To podium, you need a score close to your season’s best, so the question is obvious: did your mistake ruin your chances?
You fidget with the pink bunny plush from your childhood in your usual kiss and cry tradition. The audience pauses in anticipation, and you feel like you’re going to vomit. Then, you hear your total score.
You’ve done it by two measly points. By the skin of your teeth, you’re making it to the podium. You cry in front of the cameras, too shocked to hold in the sobs heaving from your chest.
❅˚
In your daze and general shock at medaling, you’re hyped up into attending an afterparty before you even know it. It’s hosted by the main sponsor of today’s competition, and you typically never like to go to things like this. Of all people, it’s Sunghoon who ultimately convinces you to go.
“We should celebrate both of our comebacks,” he says with a smile. “Plus, only other skaters will be there.”
It’s enough to get you out the door in the black dress you’d managed to pack in your carry on just in case.
You’re regretting it an hour in as Sunghoon’s pulled into conversation after conversation. He’s always had the larger network between the two of you, which leaves you sipping your drink in the corner as you avoid dragging down his conversations.
You’re feeling buzzed when you feel a tap on your shoulder and hear a familiar voice speak your name.
Your jaw drops to the floor. “Jaemin?”
For the first time in a year, Na Jaemin stands in front of you. He wears a suit that’s a little too formal for this event, but it somehow makes him even more handsome than you remember.
“It’s me,” he laughs.
“I thought this was for skaters only.”
“Ouch,” he pretends to be hurt. “Are you saying I’m not a skater?”
You roll your eyes. “A skater that actually competed today, Jaemin.”
“I know some people. Come on,” he grins. “Are you really that unhappy to see me?”
Along with Sunghoon, you’d grown up attending the same rink as Jaemin. Your trio had been three peas in a pod throughout skating school; you’d even trained as an ice dance pair together for a year until Jaemin and his family decided to specialize him into speed skating. From then on, to your dismay, interactions with him had been few and far in between with your conflicting schedules. The distance only grew as you moved from juniors to then seniors in your respective disciplines.
If Sunghoon was like your brother, Jaemin was the schoolyard crush that never quite faded away. Sure, you’d dated some guys here and there over the years, but any whispers of Jaemin dating sent you scrolling on Instagram in full investigation mode. Considering that he was considered an athlete-turned-influencer with his own fan base, you saw these rumors often.
Even so, you try to play it cool by taking a long sip of your drink. “Of course I’m glad to see you, but when was the last time you even laced up your skates?”
“Ah,” Jaemin shoots you a bright smile, although you can see the nerves peek through his facade as he hesitates. “Well…last week?”
“Last week?” You raise an eyebrow. “As in…you’re thinking about coming back?”
“It’s a work in progress,” he says with a wink.
“Hmm.” Your heart beats wildly in your chest.
He seizes your sarcasm to change the subject. “You look like you’re fully back out there, though.”
“Something like that.”
“Well, you podiumed, which is more than something.” He pauses for a beat before adding, “you looked really good out there.”
The knowledge of Jaemin watching your near-disastrous free skate sends hot embarrassment crawling up your neck.
“My lead from the short program saved my ass. It would’ve looked better if this,” you point to your bad hip, “would behave the way I want it to.”
He frowns. “It’s not fully recovered?”
“It is, but it’s not. Since I spent so much time off, the muscles on my right are weaker than my left, which sucks since my right is my landing leg.” You force a smile. “The road to full-strength recovery is long.”
“As always, you need to be nicer to yourself,” he sighs. “At least you kept Mr. Hops to comfort you in the kiss and cry.”
Your face burns even hotter. “I didn’t think you would remember him.”
Mr. Hops had been Jaemin’s gift to you for your tenth birthday. You’d taken the pink plushie for your first serious competition as a junior, and you’d continued taking him well into adulthood as a good luck charm. Your hip tear had occurred during a competition where you’d left Mr. Hops sitting in your hotel room, which, in your eyes, verified your long-standing superstition.
“Of course I remember,” he smiles wide. “I’m just glad you’ve gotten a bunch of mileage out of him.”
If the earth could open under your feet and swallow you whole, now would be the time. Not only does your childhood crush remember your pink bunny’s name, but he also knows that you’ve been hauling it around everywhere for at least the past decade.
“Well,” you clear your throat. “I think Mr. Hops and his well-traveled wisdom at least reduces the odds of me having a full mental breakdown.”
“You really didn’t need to worry about anything,” he insists. “Out of everyone, I think you were the most bea–”
“Jaemin!” Sunghoon calls. His face is flushed and his breath carries the trace smell of alcohol. “Guys! Everyone wants to drink!!”
You look at Jaemin wildly for help, but he shrugs in a way that conveys what am I supposed to do about it?
You’re pulled into the main group of fellow skaters that are much too drunk; one look at the three of you together has them hollering and forcing drinks into your hands in the name of reunion. You’re not used to partying, and you’re sure as hell not used to being the center of attention among your peers. Even during your prime, you’d preferred to hang around only a couple close friends after any competition.
The spotlight puts you in a vulnerable position to accept any and all drinks. You stay much later than expected, even when Jaemin offers to help you make a quick exit. You’re the most drunk you’ve ever been, both on the physical drinks as well as the atmosphere. Once you're dancing on a table with someone who you think is Cha Jun-hwan, the night is long gone.
The next morning you wake up to banging on the door of your hotel room. Running to the entrance, you peek through the peephole first, which reveals the livid face of your PR manager, Mei.
“God!” Thunk. “Wake up, already!” Thunk thunk.
Mei isn’t the most level headed person, but, even for her, it’s way too early to be this aggressive. Whatever it is, it’s serious.
You take a deep breath, trying to will away the hangover pounding in your head as you swing the door open. “Hey, Mei–”
“Don’t hey me.” She growls. Mei stalks around your room, sticking her head into your bathroom and closet. She only hesitates when peeking around the corner toward your bed then exhales in relief.
“What on earth is going on?” You ask in bewilderment, and your gut twists. The first thing that crosses your mind is that there must be some sort of serious scandal—a failed test for a controlled substance, maybe. You don't know what else would warrant this level of panic.
“Did you have anyone over last night?”
The question catches you so off guard that you nearly trip over your own feet as you follow her erratic path around your room. “What? No!”
Mei searches behind the curtains and even bends down to look under your bed. “Just reminding you that, as your PR manager, it’s to both of our advantages if you’re forthright about any indiscretions…”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” You shriek. You didn’t need to hear this from someone who’s known you since your teen years.
Finally registering your genuine confusion, she squints at you. “...I thought you were ignoring me, but have you really not checked your phone at all today?”
Numbness cascades down your nerves. Your phone currently sits charging on your nightstand. “No?”
Your manager shakes her head and fishes out her laptop from her bag, placing it on the hotel dining table. The display immediately brightens into a gossip article published an hour ago.
ICE ROYALTY TO PARTY ANIMALS: A WILD NIGHT FOR THE NATION’S SWEETHEARTS
Your heart sinks low into your chest as you scroll through the contents of the article. It’s you, alright, down to last night’s little black dress while arm-in-arm with both Sunghoon and Jaemin. It’s you, leaving the car disheveled and dangerously close to a wardrobe malfunction. It’s unfortunately you, previous child prodigy, downing shots and dancing on the front page of one of the most popular gossip sites.
Shit, you think. Sunghoon must be freaking out. Jaemin, too.
While both men had gathered the nickname of Ice Prince, it was for entirely different reasons. Sunghoon carried the name for his public aloofness, while Jaemin's persona fulfilled the image of charismatic royalty.
While you’d long accepted the unfair scrutiny of being labeled a “controversial” female athlete, both Sunghoon and Jaemin ruled their private lives with an iron fist. Every post and press release was curated and picked through in order to protect their squeaky clean Ice Prince images–especially with the rising cult following of girls.
And you had messed it all up in one night.
“Was it worth it?” Mei snaps. “Did you have fun? Because it sure looks like it.”
Opening the full slideshow, almost every attendee from last night has been captured. However, the most prominent features are still yourself, Jaemin, and Sunghoon.
Wordlessly, Mei pulls up multiple social media sites, where all commentary centers on the three of you. Most old skating fans remember your friendship as a trio, but many new ones—particularly Jaemin’s new legion of followers—fixate on your presence.
did he fly out just to see her? they’re so together y’all
that picture of her on both of their arms makes me sick THAT SHOULD BE ME
embarrassing that her boyfriend had to witness such a mid program, she should retire already
You nudge the laptop so that you can no longer read the words on the screen. “I was not aware of this.”
“I see.” Mei thinks before gathering all of her things back into her bag. “Take some time to process this. Don’t make any statements to anyone yet. If you’re smart, you’ll turn off your social media notifications. We’ll talk.”
“Okay.” You’ve learned not to question her. She’s gotten you out of enough sticky situations. “I’m sorry, Mei.”
“This is just the beginning, kid,” Mei shoots you a pitying smile as she lets herself out. “Just get yourself ready for the storm that’s coming.”
❅˚
Mei gives you two days.
When she requests your presence at her office, you don’t protest. You get there ten minutes ahead of time and wait politely.
“I’m not going to yell at you,” she sighs when she sees your too-straight posture.
“Wouldn’t be unwarranted,” you mutter. “I shouldn’t have gotten swept up in the atmosphere.”
“As your manager, I agree.” Mei shoots you a look. “As someone who’s always telling you to enjoy your life—I’m glad you finally stopped punishing yourself.”
You tug with your sleeve without commenting.
Mei continues. “Obviously, you already posted the official statement that we sent over yesterday. Nothing else public on social media, aside from the official pictures we got from Nationals. After that—no posting for a while.”
You nod. It’s fair enough. You’d already gotten too many unsolicited comments from strangers. Notifications were decidedly turned off, and only the bravest of souls could field your direct messages.
“There’s been something else I’ve considered for this season,” Mei hesitates. “If you’re open to it.”
Alarm bells go off in your head. “Interviews? Variety content?”
“The ice show,” Mei says.
“Classics on Ice?” You frown. “Sunghoon and I were already planning on skating.”
“You’ll skate there, sure,” Mei says, “but now it’s more.”
“More as in…promotions? Volunteering?”
Your manager shakes her head. “Yes, benefit shows usually yield good coverage. It’s also an opportunity to showcase your relationships within the skating community. During and leading up to the event. Public perception and opinions are unavoidable, but I think if you’re seen out and about being friendly with respected athletes…”
You cringe at the implication: you are simply an athlete—not a respected one. “That’s a fine idea and all, but wouldn’t that harm those athletes? I’m friends with a lot of skaters, but those friendships are away from the cameras. Except Sunghoon.”
“Right. It would be out of the blue to suddenly hang out with skaters you’ve been training and competing against for years, especially with no public history.” She leans forward. “But if there was suddenly an old friend re-entering the community—maybe that would be believable?”
Your blood chills. You recall what Jaemin told you: it’s a work in progress.
“Jaemin?” You fight to push the words out. “Jaemin’s actually returning to skating?”
Mei nods. Her shoulders relax, perhaps relieved that she didn’t have to directly break the news. “His team is making the announcement at the end of the week.”
You’re happy for him—really, you are—but disappointment tugs at your gut. Why hadn’t he told you when you asked?
“So you want me to skate in this ice show and prove that I have at least two friends. Got it. I can do that.”
Mei’s expression twists. “One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“With Jaemin coming back into the skating world, and the rumors already circulating between the two of you…” Mei bites her lip. “His management reached out to discuss, and we came to the conclusion that showcasing a…closer relationship would likely be beneficial for both parties.”
It’s her pleading expression to not freak out that makes the last puzzle piece fall into place. “A PR romance? With Jaemin? How on earth would that benefit either of us? He’ll get angry fans, and I’ll get the angry fans’ death threats!”
“You don’t need to be over the top with it,” Mei’s waving both hands, which could be her attempt to calm you down or to enact a physical barrier from you. Maybe both. “Nothing crazy or formal—people already think you're dating! Just lean into the rumors. Hang out with or without Sunghoon. Jaemin is popular, but it’s common knowledge that you all were rink rats together. You’ll get some fan hate, but we see people overall getting really into it.”
You’re speechless. You run through the impending possibilities in your mind. Jaemin, back in your hometown. Seeing him in passing. Existing in the same sphere for the first time in years.
“I still don’t understand how that would benefit him,” you say.
Mei hums. “His team can explain it more.”
“His team?” Your stomach drops. “They’re coming here? Today?”
“Oh, no,” Mei says. “We’re grabbing lunch with them.”
–
Mei whisks you away in her car. You barely process that you're heading somewhere at all. When the car pulls up in front of the nicest restaurant in the city, you think, briefly, that you must be hallucinating this entire ordeal.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she scoffs as you stumble out of the passenger’s side.
You follow her lead, baffled at the long roman-style columns at the entrance and dim, ambient lighting. Inside, you can’t even tell that it’s daytime, let alone high noon.
You’ve walked through the interior for minutes before you make a sudden left turn into a more private section of the restaurant. There, at a table around the corner, sits Jaemin with his manager.
His manager rises to shake both your and Mei’s hands. “Jeff.”
“Nice to meet you,” you manage to say, although your throat scratches like sandpaper while speaking.
When Jaemin stands up to face you, your brain glitches on the protocol. Is it proper to shake hands with a childhood best friend, especially when you’re both portrayed on the front cover of tabloids together? When you just saw him a few nights ago, and he only hinted at a comeback? When his team is proposing a PR arrangement? Is a hug too casual for this heavy atmosphere?
“Hi.” You shoot him a pained smile and sit down to avoid confronting the issue entirely. Confusion flickers across his face, but he lowers back down into his seat.
Jeff immediately transitions into business. “Thank you for meeting us today. I hope Mei was able to explain our current situation, especially since the headlines have complicated things.”
Mei nods. “She’s aware. Obviously, we’ll have to be very intentional moving forward.”
Your gaze bounces between the two as they discuss details such as social media use and public outings. You try to catch Jaemin’s eye, but he pokes around at an appetizer on his plate.
You try to listen to their brainstorming of strategies, but you can only take so much before your curiosity gets the best of you. You blurt out to Jaemin directly. “What do you get out of this deal?”
Jaemin’s eyes widen, but he still jumps to speak, as if he’s been waiting for your permission to talk. “Well, I—”
“Jaemin wants to re-enter the skating world,” Jeff interjects. “This…relationship could renew interest in his previous success, since you’re very deeply linked with that time period.”
You frown, but you’re starting to get the picture. You’re sure that this morning’s article alone has most likely sent fans hunting for old skating footage. There’s even some old trio pictures still visible on both your and Sunghoon’s Instagram profiles.
You’ve also seen enough fragments of Jaemin’s fanbase online to know that a public girlfriend would likely alienate the most unhealthily attached fans.
Maybe that’s what someone like him needed to be taken seriously in the athletic world again, just like how you wish people would speak about your current skating and instead of the old.
“Anything else I should know? Any stipulations before I offer myself up as bait for one of the most viral athletes known for having crazy fans?”
Jaemin’s gaze shoots up at you in the corner of your eye. You ignore it as you glare down Mei and Jeff.
“There’s one thing our team is thinking of,” Jeff starts. He side eyes you as if you’re a wild animal ready to pounce. “The charity ice show you’re skating in.”
You raise an eyebrow. “What, they’re having a speed skating demo?”
Your sarcasm falls on deaf ears; if he picks up on it, Jeff doesn’t even flinch. “We’ve been told that both you and Jaemin trained together in ice dance before settling in your respective sports.”
Your jaw tightens. “No. I’m not committing to an ice dance routine. It’s way too late to be practicing for that.”
Mei says nothing, but she nods her head.
“As you wish.” Jeff seems unfazed. “We’ll find something else for Jaemin. If you change your mind, please let us know.”
“I won’t. I mean, I don’t foresee that changing, but we’ll let you know,” you hastily add after sensing Mei’s disapproval. “Thank you.”
Mei and Jeff dominate the discussion throughout lunch, and they’re still chatting as you all rise to leave your table. You find yourself in stride with Jaemin, who seems to be looking everywhere but you.
“So. You're moving back,” you say.
He turns towards you, surprised. “I am. I’m moving out of my old place next Monday.”
“So it was a work in progress, after all.” You try to keep your tone light, but it doesn’t prevent the sour edge in your voice from seeping through.
His expression twists with guilt. “I was going to tell you, but then things started moving too fast. I lost the opportunity. This relationship—PR situation—was not my idea.”
You don’t respond. Your ego stings; you’d asked him so many questions out of a genuine interest to catch up, and the whole while he'd held you at arm's length. Your teams concocted this plan, rather than talk it through first with you as a friend.
Jaemin searches your face. “What do you think of all of this?”
You think that you want to delete Instagram altogether, retire from skating, and tell everyone to stuff their clout-chasing proposals up their—
Really, you should calm down. You have to admit that you could benefit from this arrangement. Sure, there would be hate and an uptick in public interest in your private life, but Mei is right. After these headlines, you’re bound to receive more criticism anyway—maybe returning the focus to your oldest friends would remind the world of your younger self. Before all of the hardship. Nostalgia as a vehicle of empathy.
As for Jaemin, you’re not sure what to make of his sudden re-appearance in your life. Any giddiness is now tempered by the jaded realism of your position. Maybe knowing his true intentions is better for your working relationship, since, moving forward, you should be treating this as a professional arrangement.
“Let’s do it,” your laugh sounds harsh and flat. “What more do I have to lose, right?”
❅˚
Upon returning home, you’re allowed one day of sweet radio silence from any obligations. You mute almost all notifications and lose yourself in your favorite shows.
Then, Jaemin’s announcement drops, and all hell breaks loose.
The overall response shows widespread support for Jaemin’s return to speed skating. The speculation of his move, however, has everyone up in a flurry trying to figure out why. Technically, his city’s rink is superior in all of their facilities and amenities. His coach was based mainly in your rink, but he was so close to retirement and was open about only coaching Jaemin.
You’re not sure why he’s chosen to return here, either. From what you know, a large portion of speed skating training isn’t always in the rink, anyway.
Everyone online, however, is staunchly convinced that you must be the reason. You scroll past everything from pregnancy rumors to social media accounts posting threads surrounding the early “evidence” to prove the existence of this secret relationship. As far as your social media feed is concerned, you're practically married.
Half of it seems to be in good fun—a lot of supportive fans make jokes about finally glimpsing into Jaemin’s notoriously private life. The other half of it is not so fun, manifesting in hate comments and threatening direct messages that trigger you to crack down on your account privacy.
Hey, Jaemin texts you after you temporarily set your Instagram to private. You okay?
You don’t respond. Something stubborn and petty wants to double down . So what if you got photographed drinking with friends? Was society really so fucked up that you had to put in work to protect your peace while both of the ice princes got off scot-free?
When you pull your car into the rink parking lot to a couple of flashing cameras, you know that the answer is undoubtedly yes. You’d hoped for a serene first practice back, but you anticipate Jaemin’s presence before you even open the door.
In fact, he’s literally on the other side, sitting at one of the benches between the back entrance and the ice.
Jaemin stands when he sees you. “Hey, good morning—”
You cut to the chase. “What do you want, Jaem?”
“I just thought I’d say hi before your practice,” he says. He seems encouraged by your use of his old nickname; you make a mental note to avoid using it again.
“You got up at the ass crack of dawn to send me off to practice?”
“Uh—no?” Jaemin points over his shoulder. “I’m doing some strength training first in the gym, then I’ll take over the ice for some light stuff after you.”
“Alright then,” you say. You step past him and continue on. “See you.”
“Will I?”
You turn around. “Will you what?”
“Will I see you soon?” Jaemin studies you. “You’re not answering my texts.”
“There’s nothing in our contractthat requires me to text you back,” you point out. You’re all too familiar with the terms and conditions, as you reviewed and signed the paperwork in the days prior. “I can talk to Mei to put a staged outing on the calendar.”
“No.” He exhales and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to say that we should actually do something together. No calendars, no managers. Definitely no cameras.”
You frown. “Why would we do that?”
“Because we’re friends?” There’s a slight gravel to Jaemin's voice. He’s losing his patience with you, and you’re relishing in it.
“We were friends,” you say. Your grip on your duffel bag tightens. “I thought we were still friends up until Nationals. Before you wanted to use our friendship for notoriety.”
“We can still be friends through this,” he says. “It’s not one or the other. And I told you, this wasn’t my idea.”
You sigh. If he’s going to be so persistent about this, you might as well be direct. “Let me be clear. I hate this arrangement. I’m only doing it because Mei thinks it’s a good idea, I trust her, and for once I’d love for people to stop betting against my skating. That’s it. I’m not doing this because we’re friends. That was pretty much ruined once the paperwork was signed.”
Jaemin opens his mouth to argue, but he’s cut off by a voice from the other side of the rink.
“Hey!” Your coach shouts. “That’s a whole lot of talking and not a lot of warming up.”
You give Jaemin your fakest smile. “You heard the man. Have a good work out, Jaemin.”
You put your all into practice to clear your mind. It’s hard, but the determination to stand on your words keeps your focus razor sharp.
When you’re wiping your blades down and stowing away your things, you think that’s the end of it. Then, you hear the sound of the doors to the ice shutting. You straighten your back and peek through the glass.
Jaemin’s already set up a series of small cones that you assume must be to simulate the short track path. He skates around in long, fluid circles.
Your throat catches. He’s always been so beautiful on the ice. Sure, speed and power were par for the course with speed skating, but his edge control and maneuvers are so finely tuned that you're impressed. Even after all these years, Jaemin still looks like a top athlete.
Jaemin’s skates scrape across the ice as he stops. As if he has a sixth sense for your presence, he turns his gaze towards you. He nods, then, after a moment, raises his hand in a wave.
You turn away and stuff your last remaining item into your duffel. You don’t look back as you leave.
Over the next few weeks, your encounters with Jaemin go more or less the same. He waits to greet you in the morning, and you shut him down every time. You’re not sure what he aims to achieve by waiting it out— you’ve made yourself quite clear—but nevertheless he seems to show up day after day, morning after morning.
Until one day, he doesn’t. When you march through the rink one morning, you’re not met with Jaemin but by an old man that you haven’t seen in a very long time.
You start and nearly drop your bag. “Coach Brown?”
Coach Brown’s smile lines spread over his entire face. While he’s gotten older, you haven’t forgotten the kindness that your childhood coach exudes. “I had to come by now that the three musketeers are back under this roof.”
You laugh, but it’s held taut by guilt. “It’s definitely an unexpected development.”
The old man’s eyes gleam with amusement. “Although the three of you are in a bit of a rut, aren’t you?”
Your palms sweat. “You saw Jaemin this morning?”
“Just ten minutes ago,” Coach Brown shrugs. Then, his expression darkens. “You know, the worst thing you could do is turn your back on your past.”
You blink. “Sorry? What did Jaemin—”
“Sunghoon,” he waves you off before continuing. “It’s been explained to me that you are…less than enthused about the situation, but you still should treat your peers with respect. Carving out a path for yourself doesn’t mean you need to block out the others.”
“Coach—” You can’t even fully process his sentence before he cuts you off again.
“You’ve always had the worst temper of the three,” Coach Brown wags his finger in your face. “Calm yourself down and face it like an adult.”
As fast as he came around, he marches away and disappears through the doors leading up to management’s office.
You stare after him long after the doors close, dazed. You feel twelve-years-old again, getting nagged at to be nice to the boys.
After your training ends a bit early, you happen to catch Jaemin as he puts on his skates. “Morning,” you say.
Jaemin’s head whips up so fast that he swings too far back and bumps his head against the back of the boards. “Oh shit—hey?”
“I saw Coach Brown this morning,” you say.
He brightens. “Me too. I hope I’m half as active as him when I’m that age.”
You don’t respond, instead searching his features and body language for any dishonesty. It’s a stare-off—you, chewing on your lip and Jaemin, confused and massaging the back of his head.
That’s it, you admit to yourself. He didn’t tell Coach Brown anything.
And admittedly—both from the open hope in Jaemin’s expression and your shame from being nagged at—perhaps the old man was right about some things, after all.
“Would you be free to grab lunch tomorrow?” You ask before you change your mind. “There’s a new ramen place that opened up last weekend—”
“Yes!” He answers before you’ve fully finished your sentence. “I know which one you’re talking about. I can pick you up?”
“Oh—uh—that’s okay, I think.”
Jaemin shakes his head. “You’re on the way, let me do it.”
Your jaw tightens, but you swallow your pride. “Sure. Noon?”
He nods without saying anything. The two of you stare at each other.
“Well,” you break the awkward silence first. “Have a good practice.”
“You too.” Jaemin cringes. “I mean, shit, have a good day. See you tomorrow.”
At that, you turn away.
Take that, Coach Brown, you think. Look whose temper is adequately controlled.
❅˚
Twenty minutes before noon, you nearly jump out of your skin when there’s a knock at the door.
You rake over your appearance in the mirror and make desperate last-minute touch-ups. Sure, it's just lunch, but you were never sure when a rogue camera might snap pictures of you in public. The paparazzi had ceased showing up outside of the rink after the first two days, but the initial onslaught had left you paranoid of any flash or loud chatter.
“You’re early,” you say as you open the door, a little breathless.
Sunghoon blinks back at you. “I am?”
It’s your turn to stare. “Sunghoon. Why are you here?”
Regardless of your confusion, you step aside to let him in. As always, Sunghoon makes himself comfortable on your living room couch. “I was bored. Wanna get lunch?”
“About that.” You cross your arms. “Jaemin is picking me up in fifteen minutes.”
Sunghoon’s eyebrows raise. “You finally decided to stop hating him?”
“I don’t hate him—” you fume. “I still disagree with how he went about things, but I might have just gotten a little too mad.”
Your friend snorts and mumbles something under his breath.
“What?” You punch his arm.
“Ow!” Sunghoon swats away your swings. “I said big surprise—clearly you’re the most hotheaded one out of all of us.
“Brown said the same thing,” you mutter.
Sunghoon pauses. “Isn’t it a little crazy that people are just letting him go right back to work? Right after his surgery, too.”
You shrug. “He seemed healthy enough to lecture me about Jaemin. He said I had the worst temper out of us three.”
He smirks. “Wow. The old man needed to get involved to get your head out of your ass.”
“And who tipped him off in the first place?”
“And who with the worst temper gave me this red mark on my arm just now?”
Touche. “Anyways,” you change the subject. “Wanna go with us?”
“Um,” Sunghoon grimaces. “Not if it’s going to be awkward.”
“It won’t be,” you insist. You shoot out a quick text to Jaemin: Sunghoon randomly showed up at my place. Mind if he comes?
Within thirty seconds, your phone vibrates again. Of course. The more the merrier, it says.
“See,” you hand your phone to him. “Jaemin doesn’t care.”
“He’s not in the position to object,” Sunghoon laughs. “From that wall of text? This is clearly the first time you’ve texted him in weeks. He’s probably just saying yes so that you don’t change your mind and run away.”
You roll your eyes. “So you’re not coming?”
“I didn’t say that,” Sunghoon says. "I'm hungry."
You would’ve been more nervous about merging the group if you’d known about Sunghoon’s intrusion beforehand, but it works out well for the car ride over. Jaemin and Sunghoon seem to pick up right where they put their friendship down.
Their conversation goes from topic to topic, but your mind is reeling. It’s too easy, riding as a passenger in Jaemin’s old car, to feel like you’re a teenager again.
The new ramen place is tucked away in a plaza constructed in the last two years. It’s still finding its niche—the only other businesses in the center are a pharmacy and a dollar store—and the ramen place is the most exciting thing to have happened to it.
“Oof,” Sunghoon says as you approach the shop. From the outside, you can see that there’s only a handful of people inside. “Is that too awkward?”
Jaemin steps forward. “It’s not empty.” He swings the door open before any of you can think about it further.
Jaemin and Sunghoon are full steam ahead with their conversations. You’re jealous, in a way. Both of them have so much natural charisma that it overflows into all their interactions. On the other hand, you feel like you always have to work for it.
You all end up ordering different things from the menu. You’re halfway through observing the interior decor when you realize the rest of the table has gone silent.
“So…” Jaemin says. He leans his head into his hand. “How’s it been?”
“How’s it been?” You repeat.
“Since Nationals,” Jaemin clarifies.
Sunghoon stiffens in the corner of your vision. You try to level your facial expression.
“I mean,” you can’t help the wry smile rising to your face. “I deleted social media from my phone. Mei’s posting for me so I don’t have to see the hate. I’m avoiding the news outlets for the same exact reason."
Jaemin swallows. “Right.”
“What about you?” It’s as much as a way to change the topic as it is genuine curiosity. “How are your fans taking the return announcement?”
“Mostly well,” he admits. “Older fans are excited. Younger fans are confused but trying to be supportive, which I appreciate.”
The elephant in the room goes unaddressed. You saw the comments before officially deciding to hand the reins over to Mei. You know for a fact that there were rumors on top of rumors swirling around your connection to both Jaemin and Sunghoon.
“I delete all of the hate comments,” Sunghoon says as if reading your mind. “Just for my own peace of mind, really. I can’t stand seeing that shit on my page.”
“You should try filtering words,” Jaemin suggests. “That’s helped diffuse some of it for me.”
You frown. While you can tell that both have good intentions, it doesn’t make you feel any better. In fact, it’s worse—you feel like a taboo to hide from the world, despite your status as a well-known figure in the skating world.
“You don’t have to delete or filter anything.” You feel a deep sense of resoluteness. “Let them talk.”
The guys exchange glances. “Sure, people will talk,” Jaemin says. “Doesn’t mean you need to entertain seeing it.”
You shrug, looking between the two as your bowls of ramen are placed in the table space in front of you. “Filtering out words won’t stop them. We’ll just give them something to talk about before they move on.”
Jaemin’s smile curls. A hint of his teeth pokes through. “What do you suggest we do to make them talk?”
You think for a moment before holding your phone in the air with a shake of your hand. “Pose for me?”
❅˚
After that first lunch, talking to Jaemin gets easier. You chat briefly whenever you run into each other at the rink, and sometimes you grab a post-practice coffee if your schedules line up. You don’t text, but Jaemin sends a few skating memes after you log back into Instagram—a cautious way to test the water.
“What’s your goal with coming back?” You ask during one brunch after training.
Jaemin’s eyebrows raise, but he doesn’t lose his easy smile. “My goal?”
“I mean—” you scramble to find the right words. Hell, you should think before speaking sometimes. “Why decide to come back now? You have so many opportunities outside of skating.”
Skaters who would kill for his following. Not many people would intentionally halt their own momentum, let alone actively endanger it with a fake relationship.
Jaemin leans back in his chair. “Why did you come back? After your injury?”
“Rude. I asked first.” Regardless, you think out loud. “No one’s actually asked me why. Everyone just assumed that I would try to come back after I was ready.”
“Would you have, even if they hadn’t assumed?” He asks.
“Yes,” you say without hesitating.
“Why?”
“It’s not what people would expect from me,” you start. “I knew it was going to be a long road to any sort of podium, and I didn’t even expect to get there at all. I came back…to see if I could, I guess. Skating has just been such a big part of my life; I wasn't ready to give it up.”
Jaemin’s smile brightens. “That’s my answer too.”
“Uh…” You bite your lip. “It’s not that I don’t admire you for coming back, but you weren’t injured. You left first.”
“I did.” Jaemin thinks for a moment. “When I quit, I genuinely thought that skating had nothing more to offer me. But the more time passed, the more I realized that something was missing.”
This is the most you’ve ever heard him talk about his choice to leave. He had never spoken about it outside of the initial press statement, and he’d all but disappeared from the community after. “What made you realize something was missing?”
“Ah, you know.” Jaemin scratches the back of his head. “Just intuition.”
You stare at him. “You came back after years based on some magical intuition? Right out of thin air?”
His cheeks turn pink. “What’s wrong with trusting your intuition?”
“Just seems too good to be true, I guess.” You take a long sip of your drink. “Ignore me. I’m a pessimist nowadays.”
Silence. Then, Jaemin speaks up again. “If you have to know, I saw some old footage. I got the urge to get on the ice, so I did. Casually skating didn’t feel like it was enough. I felt the pull to do everything—compete the right way, by coming home and reconnecting with everyone.”
It’s like his dark eyes are looking through you and your thoughts.
You think back to the months following your injury. In the darkest moments when you considered giving up skating for good, it always led to reminiscing via old videos. Everything from old competition footage to videos of you messing around with the other kids—sometimes it was your last anchor to hope. More than the nostalgia interwoven in the past, you craved to perform again.
“I know exactly what you mean,” you smile, then hesitate. “I’m glad you’re back.”
The seriousness melts away. He wiggles his eyebrows. “Mean it?”
You snort. “Forget it.”
“Too late,” Jaemin points to his temples. “It’s already saved here. No camera needed.”
❅˚
You push on your bike, fighting for your life to pedal to the music while trying to follow the spin instructor’s directions. Beads of sweat roll down your skin, and your throat feels dry.
You sneak a glance at Jaemin. The bastard looks like he’s barely breaking a sweat. In fact, if it he wasn't right next to you, anyone could easily mistake him as the instructor.
He leans toward your bike. “Are you doing okay?”
“I have decent cardio!” You pant over the bass-loaded music. “I’m fine!”
You sound so not fine that Jaemin throws his head back in laughter.
“You two in the back!” The instructor calls out. “Less talking, more pedaling!”
There were only so many cafes close to the rink to try, so working out together is your most recent attempt at activities together. Jaemin insisted that it’s valuable cross-training for your respective sports—you’re not sure that you agree with the sentiment for your discipline, but it’s a nice supplement to your training schedule.
“What did you think about that instructor?” Jaemin asks as he holds the door open for you.
You snort. “Too intense and too much bass boosting.”
Your phone vibrates with texts and phone calls. You don’t even flinch as you start blocking and reporting the unknown callers.
“Wow, you’re popular,” Jaemin jokes while he backs out of his parking spot.
You don’t say anything. There’s no use in dragging Jaemin into it; not when there’s nothing to be done. At the very least, you appreciate that Jaemin always offers to drive.
“Can I ask you something?” Jaemin asks as he pulls up to your place.
“No,” you laugh before registering the nervousness creeping in on his expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Well,” Jaemin clears his throat. “Remember when my team brought up performing an ice dance together at that benefit show?”
“I do.”
“I know that it wasn’t brought up in a very good way.” Jaemin’s eyes flit around your face. “But do you think there’s any part of you that would be open to reconsidering that decision?”
The question makes you freeze. “Why?”
“My team won’t let up about it. I keep telling them that there’s really no need for me to participate…”
He’s continuing into some sort of explanation, but you’re hung up on the first part of his sentence. Sure, Mei and Jeff had been the catalyst for your reunion, but something about the mention of my team douses you as a cold reminder. In the midst of early morning rides and deep conversations over brunch, you’d forgotten that this was all manufactured.
“Our agreement ends right after the ice show, right?” You ask.
He nods. “But it’s just the official clause—of course, I want to—”
“Can you please tell your team that I will not be entertaining this notion again?” You reach for the door.
“Wait, stop. What did I say?” Jaemin’s climbing out of the car too, and a high pitch beeps over and over as he abandons the driver’s seat.
“Maybe I’m just tired,” you huff. “I see you almost every day, and I’m still training. Am I supposed to be all happy-go-lucky all the time? It’s not like we’re friends.”
Jaemin physically recoils. “This again? We are friends.”
“I hadn’t talked to you in years before you decided to come back,” you state matter-of-factly. “We’re bound by a contract. We’re not friends, Jaemin. We’re coworkers.”
You turn on your heel and walk towards your place.
“So that’s how it’s going to be?” Jaemin calls after you. “You just get to say your piece and storm off?”
You face him. “Go on, then. What do you want to say?”
He stands there for a minute, and his face flashes through a chain of expressions. Jaemin opens his mouth to speak but then closes it again. He shakes his head before shutting himself back in his car. The tires squeak against the asphalt as he drives away.
You pace around your house in angry circles. You should feel better, but instead you generate new reasons to be mad at him. Aside from the contractual nature of your arrangement, didn’t he understand that interfering with your art was an entirely different matter? You could go on a million fake dates and post content on social media, but your time on the ice is the only thing that’s truly yours.
You’re halfway through rage-cleaning your kitchen when your screen lights up with Jaemin’s name. You ignore it, but then Sunghoon calls second, then Mei calls next.
You choose to call Sunghoon back, ready to defend your outburst, but your stomach plummets when you pick up the phone to Sunghoon sniffling.
All your anger dissipates into fear. “What happened?”
“Coach Brown collapsed today,” he rasps. “They're not sure if he's going to make it.”
❅˚
Mei and Jeff sit at the front of the conference room. Mei openly observes you and Jaemin. Jaemin sits scrolling on his phone with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head. You cross your arms and try to look anywhere else.
Mei and Jeff review the last month in social media posts and general media coverage. You nod to yourself without listening—they always say the same things anyway: good reception, decent reach, more posting if possible. Today’s presentation is much shorter than expected, with no concrete dates to post strategic content.
You take it as a sign to leave and grab your bag. Jaemin moves as well, putting his phone into his pocket.
“I’m sure you both are worried about Coach Brown,” Mei says suddenly.
You both freeze in place. Your eyes dart to Jaemin, to gauge his reaction, but he’s already looking at you.
You had thought about texting Jaemin a million times since the news broke. You’d checked in on Sunghoon, but he was the type of person to hold things in until later down the line. You didn’t want to push him too hard, since you’re sure that he’s hurting just as much as you.
Looking at the glassiness of Jaemin’s eyes, you’re certain that he’s thought about reaching out to you, too.
“He'll fight through it,” your voice croaks against the silence. “He was a great man.”
“The greatest,” Jaemin says without taking his eyes off of you.
“This may feel a little premature, but the foundation reached out,” Mei prefaces. “They’re having part of the ice show's proceeds go directly to Coach Brown’s family. They asked to confirm if both of you—and Sunghoon, of course—are still planning on participating?”
“Of course,” you answer.
“Are they sure they still want all of us?” Jaemin asks. “I’m not competing in figure skating or ice dance.”
Mei shrugs. “You were in talks before, but I’m guessing it’s because the three of you are his most prominent students. Of course, you went to speed skating eventually, but you were still under him for the entirety of your juniors career.”
Jaemin nods to himself. “It’s relatively short, right?”
Mei hesitates. “Well, I’m not quite sure of the hard details—”
Jaemin shakes his head. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m in. I’ll figure it out.”
“We can skate together.”
It’s like the entire room has forgotten about your attendance; all three heads snap toward you, eyes wide.
“You want to?” Mei’s eyebrows climb to her hairline. “Now?”
That’s not exactly a great vote of confidence, but you persist nonetheless. “It’s going to help Coach Brown and his family. It’s as simple as that.”
“Will that be okay to prepare for?” Jaemin blurts out. “While you’re training for everything else, I mean.”
You shrug. “Sunghoon’s also competing.”
“It’s just a lot to balance.”
You stare at him. You’re flush with irritation, but you manage to keep your voice level as you respond. “I’ll manage.”
“Well,” Jeff interjects. He clears his throat loudly and moves to disconnect his computer from the room's screen. “That should be more than enough for today. We’ll both be in touch for details on the exhibition, but our next meeting should be in two weeks as usual.”
“Thanks, Jeff,” you drone as you gather your bag and exit.
You’re not even halfway down the stairwell when a hand latches onto your elbow.
“Wait,” Jaemin rasps. “Talk to me. Five minutes. Please.”
He’s panting like he’s run a mile. You nod. “What is it?”
“You don’t need to say yes, you know.” Jaemin says. “I wouldn’t blame you if you just wanted to work on your own program right now.”
You bristle. “Are you going to ask Sunghoon the same question?”
Jaemin leans his weight against the stairwell railing. “One day we’re laughing and talking about anything and everything, and then the next day you’re telling me that we’re not friends. One day you draw the hard boundary that we will never perform together, and then now you’re willing to. Why are you so upset with me?”
“I’m willing only for the sake of Coach Brown.” Your restrained and rational side snaps. You talk a step forward into Jaemin’s personal space. “I’ve been mad, Jaem. I’ve been pissed since you made your stupid announcement to come back to our rink—some of your crazy fans have found my real phone number, did you know that?”
He's speechless.
You continue. “Ever since coming back from my injury, I can’t do anything right. If I talk about my mental health as an athlete, I’m seen as complaining. If I can’t land a jump? I’m washed up. If my makeup is looking a little off on competition day? My age is showing, and I should feel lucky that someone so old can still compete. People hate me so much that it’s my best PR strategy to become someone’s hated girlfriend, because the new hate is considered an improvement from my old hate.”
“I didn’t know you were being harassed on your personal number,” he mutters.
“And why would you?” You scoff. “It doesn’t matter that we used to know each other, okay? Even though everyone down to Coach Brown wants us to be so close—”
“Coach Brown said something to you before?” Jaemin leans in, which makes you take a step back.
“Well, kinda—”
“Please,” he begs. Desperation lines his eyes. “Tell me what you talked about. I could barely catch him here because of my odd hours, let alone talk to him. I regret that more than anything.”
Your anger wanes. You feel a flash of pity followed by a stark reminder of your surroundings—what were you doing, yelling at Jaemin in a stairwell?
You wrack your brain for a white lie, but nothing comes up on the spot. You’ve already exposed it anyway, so you might as well tell the truth. “He told me to control my temper and stop being mad at you for nothing.”
You expect something like a snarky comment, but Jaemin just looks surprised. “He knew it’s fake?”
You shrug. “I didn’t tell him anything. He either knows us too well or heard something through the grapevine. Or he heard me yelling at you and put two and two together.”
Jaemin snorts, but he doesn’t respond.
You shift uncomfortably. “That was pretty much it. He said the worst thing I could do was turn my back on my past.”
Jaemin pauses for a long time before speaking. “Can I say something to you? No Mei, no Jeff, no social media?”
Your heart feels stuck in your throat. You swallow thickly. “Yes.”
“I’m sorry.” His gaze burns through you. “I should’ve talked to you more during and after Nationals. I definitely should’ve warned you about the batshit plan our agents were making—I know that probably made you lose trust in me instantly.”
Jaemin glances at you, no doubt expecting some sort of correction or flash of emotion, but you remain silent. He continues: “I know it’s stupid, but they presented me with possible options for a PR relationship — it was going to happen regardless to acclimate the public to my return to skating. They suggested you last, but I think I agreed too fast. I should’ve talked to you before my team made contact with yours.”
Your mind swims with the new information. A laugh slips from your throat without realizing it. “I think I might’ve been the worst choice possible.”
He reddens. “Coach Brown gave me the idea, if I’m being honest.”
Your stomach drops. “What do you mean?”
“I ran into him here while practicing. Before everything, and before I officially planned to come back.” He admits. “I was venting to him about the concept of a PR relationship—I promise you I didn’t want to—and he started to rehash his past troubles with the media.”
“He got mad when Sunghoon got coverage about his real high school girlfriend,” you recall. “He would’ve lost his mind at a fake one.”
“He didn’t say anything weird,” Jaemin shrugs. “Just a hypothetical: ‘wouldn’t it be nice if someone you feel comfortable with could stand in, instead of doing something like that with a stranger.’”
What was it that Coach Brown had said to you? You should be grateful that he’s someone you feel comfortable around.
The edges of your mouth curl into a bittersweet smile. “That bastard.”
Jaemin smiles back, and your heart flips.
Coach Brown had essentially influenced this entire production. The realization causes tears to prick at the corners of your eyes. “Jaemin—”
“I should've talked to him more.” His eye grow misty. “I fucked up. I should’ve spent time with him, instead of focusing on all of the drama.”
You twitch forward, but you stop yourself short of hugging him. You pat his back in slow taps while holding back your own tears. “It’s not your fault. None of us knew that this would happen.”
He stiffens at your touch. “You don’t need to comfort me, you know. I know you hate me.”
Your stomach drops. “I never hated you, Jaemin. I was just hurt—it felt like you were using me.”
Once you speak it, you know it to be the truth. Try as you might, you could never hate Jaemin. Even if given away ten years ago, you know that he will always hold part of your heart.
“That was never my intention,” he whispers. “I know it’s hard to believe.”
“I see that now,” you acknowledge. “I’ve been an asshole, Jaem. I want to start over. ”
Jaemin sniffs back his remaining tears. He offers you a weak smile. “I’d like that.”
You reach towards him with your hand. “Friends?”
His hand closes over yours, only to pull you forward into a big hug. “Friends. Always.”
Your hands rise from your sides and travel up his back. You squeeze him tight. “Always. I’m sorry it took me so long to remember.”
“One, two, three, turn, two, three—” your choreographer, Maci, counts your steps with a patient tone.
You focus on your footwork. You’re still practicing without music; it’s just Maci’s voice mixed with your shoes squeaking against the floor. You extend your right arm behind you in a soft sweep, and you imagine it making a perfect line with your posture.
Instead, your tricep sticks against something soft yet clammy.
“Mmph—” Jaemin grunts behind you. “That’s my face.”
You stop and wipe your arm. “Sweaty.”
In sync, you both walk to the edge of the room to chug your water.
Practice for the ice show was truly underway, and you all had spent the last week learning choreography off ice. You and Sunghoon had quickly picked up on your routines for your individual portions. Sunghoon would do his routine completely by himself, as he would for any normal exhibition. You, however, would split yours into two: one minute by yourself, then one minute with Jaemin.
It wasn’t a complete disaster, but you were picking it up together slower than either of you anticipated. Jaemin struggled to lead, while you would misjudge your distance and step on his foot—or, in this case, slap him with your tricep.
“I might as well not be there,” Jaemin jokes with you during water breaks. “What happened to all of our training?”
“Our ice dance training from nearly ten years ago?”
“I think you legitimately forget that Jaemin is there if you don’t see him,” Sunghoon observes from the back. Although he almost always finishes before you, he tends to stick around. “You should skate with a rearview mirror.”
“Ha, ha.”
“Actually…” Maci looks lost in thought before nodding her head. “You have a point.”
You gape at her. “You think I need a rearview mirror?”
“Of course not,” she says. Noticeably, Sunghoon deflates slightly in his corner. “I just meant that he has a point…somewhere in there. You guys are taking up completely different spaces”
You both blink at her.
She rolls her eyes, then taps through her phone. A classic waltz plays over the small speakers overhead. “Dance in hold. Just a basic waltz, please.”
Jaemin grins and bows deeply. He extends a hand toward you. “May I have this dance?”
“Corny,” you groan while taking his hand with your right. You straighten your posture and bring your other hand to hold onto his bicep. Likewise, his right hand tucks over your shoulder blade. You’re both glistening with sweat, but you feel goosebumps raise where his hand glides over your skin.
The music continues to play overhead, but neither of you move. Jaemin waits another two measures before leading you across the floor. It’s a simple waltz, but you feel hyperaware of every movement, big and small. You swear Jaemin’s fingers tighten where your hands are clasped together.
“There you go!” Maci calls out.
Right when you’re thinking that’s a green light to call it, she shouts out again. “Now hold eye contact!”
You look up, ready to break the silence with a joke, but your smile drops when you see Jaemin's eyes. They’re dark and captivating—that much hasn’t changed—but there’s an undercurrent of something else that leaves you paralyzed. You nearly forget to breathe, as you have to focus all of your attention on matching his steps.
“How does this pace feel?” He asks while holding eye contact. There’s a ghost of a smirk.
Your heart races so fast that you can’t hear the music over your heartbeat pounding in your ears. “It’s a great pace. Feels good.”
You only realize the innuendo after it’s too late. Your face heats as he laughs at you.
“Alright!” Maci shouts out. “First run through of the partner section with the music! I’ll count you off.”
You start alone in the center of the floor with your arms extended, since that’ll be your position on the ice once your solo wraps up. Similar to how it will be on the ice, you don’t see Jaemin as he approaches; his hands rest on your waist first.
Your heartbeat instantly spikes; you’re unsure if it’s due to the contact or the adrenaline.
You brace your core as he lifts you and turns the two of you in a slight spin.
We’re really doing this, you realize as you extend through the lift. It’s a little wobbly—both of your faults, you think—but you get through it. Jaemin lowers you back onto your feet. Even though the landing is a little rough, a lift is a lift.
You turn out to face each other. Jaemin extends his arm toward you. His features are bright and confident, as if teasing you to come closer. For a split second, it reminds you of the easy stage presence he always carried as a performer.
You take his hand and continue with the rest of the routine. As this is an exhibition show and your dance together is an homage to Coach Brown, all of the elements within this showcase are mostly basic in nature. Sure, you both can tackle the various step sequences with a languid artistry not intuitive to non-skaters, but it’s nowhere close enough in difficulty to a competition program.
“You’re thinking too much,” Jaemin murmurs through a spin.
“I’m worried we’ll look silly,” you say as you part.
“No worrying when we’re dancing,” he says. “Just think about me.”
You do. You hold eye contact throughout the remainder of the step sequence, and all your thoughts revolve around him. His positioning—should you adjust a bit so you’re a little closer? You even focus on how your lines are extending towards him. Mostly technical things, but above all—Jaemin is like the sun, pulling everything towards him, and you can’t help but be swept into his orbit.
Your last element is a stationary lift where Jaemin anchors you by your waist and legs to hold you horizontally. Your entrance works, his hand grips your waist, but you flinch the second his other hand grabs your inner thigh.
“Oof—” your lower half drops to the ground, although Jaemin’s hold on your torso is enough to prevent full impact. “Thanks.”
For the first time, you glance around at your audience. Sunghoon looks away and scratches the back of his neck. Maci’s cheeks tinge with pink as she frantically reaches to stop the music.
“What’s wrong?” You ask with a frown as Jaemin pulls you to your feet. “Did it look bad?”
“No, uh—” Maci claps her hands together in light, awkward taps. She clears her throat. “It’s like you never left, Jaemin.”
“You guys are going to get questions about this routine for the rest of your lives,” Sunghoon snorts. “But it’ll get the donations going.”
Jaemin releases his hold on your hand. You flex it thoughtfully; you hadn’t realized that you hadn’t let go.
You look at your dance partner, but Jaemin’s expression tightens into something unreadable. “Yup, great for charity.”
Your day continues as usual—more individual runthroughs, a snack after practice, and mindless chats with your little group. But when you sleep that night, parsing through your day, you can’t shake the phantom feeling of his hand in yours.
❅˚
“I have to ask you a question,” Sunghoon says before you even have the chance to shut the passenger door.
You blink at him through sleepy eyes. “Right now? It’s 5am.”
Sunghoon puts the car into drive and heads in the direction of Jaemin’s apartment.
“So?” Your crankiness asks. “What’s your question—?”
“Do you have feelings for Jaemin?”
“Uh,” you’re genuinely at a loss for words. “Are we talking about currently, or when we were in middle school?”
He doesn’t respond. There’s not even any music playing in the car, so you squirm in your seat against the silence.
You clear your throat. “Why are you asking?”
“Because the two of you look like you’re ready to jump each other at any moment.”
“Ew, Hoon.”
"You're also acting different." Sunghoon gives you a look. “You would’ve already told me if it was anyone else.”
You break eye contact. Dancing with Jaemin again had asserted one thing: you could not deny your physical attraction to him. The chemistry overflowed, even when you watched practice footage back. Sure, he’s always been your type, but his face had grown more handsome and his body more chiseled into adulthood.
When it came to your emotional connection to him, however, your feelings are a big, jumbled mess. Becoming close again has been easy, but something in the air lingers between you two. It's difficult to differentiate the layers of physical attraction, nostalgia, and genuine fondness. How could you explain the complexities to Sunghoon when you barely understood them yourself?
“It’s just partner chemistry and the tone of our routine.” You groan. “Calm down.”
Sunghoon glares at you as he pulls into Jaemin’s apartment complex. He doesn’t respond, but his expression is crystal clear: I’m going to ask you about this again.
“Good morning,” Jaemin sings as he enters the car. “You guys are grumpier than usual.”
You and Sunghoon exchange a look; when he pointedly looks back at the road without a word, you figure he’s leaving any explanation to you.
You cross your arms. “You’re five minutes late.”
Jaemin snorts. “Touche.”
The rest of the drive is quiet. The heater in Sunghoon’s car fights against the cold air outside, but you pull your jacket around you nonetheless.
Starting today, the two of you are practicing your routine for the show on the actual ice. While the cast was just formally announced last week, the post had generated buzz almost immediately. All the marketing team had to do was put the list of names in their caption, and the internet did the rest. After all, what other opportunity would there be to watch the Na Jaemin skate outside of his discipline?
You’re happy that the show guaranteed to have a sold out audience and likely record breaking fundraising. It’s the whole reason why you both chose to participate in the first place, but you’d underestimated the pressure that came with it.
“You’ll finish your section with a spin,” Maci says as she walks you through the last of your solo steps. “And that is where Jaemin will come in.”
“Finally! I’m here!” Jaemin chimes in.
Both you and Sunghoon roll your eyes.
“Let’s see how many of the skills you remember,” you say as you catch your breath.
“I’ll tell the instructors to save a spot for you in Basic 1,” Sunghoon adds on. "You can learn how to skate with those new ice dance boots you bought."
Jaemin flips both of you off.
You step onto the bench while Sunghoon skates away to run through his third of the program.
You scroll through your phone as Sunghoon starts his routine. It’s not as if you don’t respect his skating; on the contrary, you never miss a performance. You just tune in for the big moments, which means that you don’t have to be as alert for these initial sessions.
While you’re nonchalant, Jaemin can’t tear his eyes away.
“If you told me ten years ago that he would be this graceful, I wouldn’t believe you,” the words fall out half under his breath.
You laugh. “Feed that line to the press.”
Jaemin’s eyes flit to yours. “You wouldn’t.”
You raise your hands into the air. “Kidding. I know exactly what you mean.”
From the beginning, Sunghoon had taken the most time to progress. All three of you had been considered advanced for your age group, but you and Jaemin had always been ahead of the curve.
Now, your friend was known for his focus on artistic elements; in many ways, you felt like he truly embodied the emotions of the characters he was portraying. You’d found that element of skating more difficult after your injury—you’d never been that good of an actor in the first place, and post-accident you didn’t find yourself that invested in pretending to be someone else.
“Do you ever regret not sticking with figure skating or ice dance?” You find yourself asking.
He shrugs. “Hard to say since we’ll never know my real potential. Although I did like the acting aspect of portraying a character.”
“So speed skating still has your heart,” you laugh. “Has it at least been worth diving back into it for a little bit? The theatrics of it all?”
Jaemin turns to you. He doesn’t smile at all, and his tone is dead serious. “It is. I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world.”
Your body hums in response from your heart down to your stomach. “Why’s that?”
He pauses. Then, without breaking eye contact, he smiles and leans in toward you. “What do you think?”
Jaemin smells faintly of oranges. Your head spins at the proximity. You can’t come up with something witty, even if you wanted to. “I–”
At the same time, Sunghoon loses his footing and falls to the ice with an oof. Both of your heads whip towards your friend, who rises and wipes the ice off of his clothes.
“You good?” You half-shout toward your friend.
He shoots you a thumbs up in response before continuing.
Jaemin gazes at you, but you’ve lost your nerve.
“It’s nice to be here with both of you again,” you say as you unlock your phone and sit back down. “It’s as if you never left.”
“Me too,” Jaemin says softly. “It’s just like old times.”
❅˚
It’s three weeks before the show. You rush to the rink alone this time to fit a makeup practice into your and Jaemin’s busy schedules. You groan internally knowing that it falls on your rest day, but the practice is needed. Between both of your training schedules, you had to take the free moments when they come.
You pick up coffees on the way. It’s the first time you’ve driven to practice by yourself in a week, and your nerves rise as you drive closer and closer.
There shouldn’t be anything to be nervous about. Sure, you and Jaemin still have parts of your routine to work on, but progress has been smooth up to this point.
You’re unable to shake off the feeling as you arrive thirty minutes early. You turn off your car and linger in the driver’s seat. You have two options: scroll on your phone in the car or head in early. The latter wouldn’t make sense under normal circumstances—if Jaemin wasn’t practicing.
You glance at the two drinks sitting in your cupholders. Surely there’s no harm in peeking?
You exit the car, both drinks in hand, before you can change your mind. You enter the rink with a sheepish energy, although you’re doing absolutely nothing wrong.
Jaemin’s alternating through basic circle skills. His coach watches at the sideline with a stopwatch in one hand and a phone recording the drill in its entirety from a stand.
More than the difficulty of speed skating itself, you can’t believe that Jaemin has been balancing it alongside the training for the gala. Not only are the skates completely different, but the main mechanics require raw power and endurance. Much different from the slower, technical precision of ice dance.
Despite no spins or jumps, he makes it look graceful. You make a mental note to attend his first competition. You could watch him skate forever, regardless of discipline.
Jaemin’s coach calls him in, reviewing the footage and giving feedback. His expression is neutral, and Jaemin merely nods and repeats the drill each time. It goes on that way until the end of his practice time.
You wave as Jaemin exits off the ice and down the ramp toward you. He blinks, and his steps stutter for a moment before he continues.
“Morning,” you avoid eye contact as you hold out his iced coffee. He hadn’t noticed you during his practice, but you feel shy nonetheless. “Got here a little early.”
“Oh,” Jaemin grimaces. “So you saw all that?”
“What do you mean?” You ask. “I thought you looked great.”
He scoffs. He focuses on something distant over your shoulder. “I don’t know if I would describe it as great.”
You’re at a loss for words. The scenario feels familiar—hell, you’d gotten this way during practice for your solo exhibition—but you don’t have enough technical knowledge of speed skating to immediately understand what happened. Beyond that, it’s rare to see Jaemin so quiet.
Your expression must be comically transparent, because you watch his eyes lock to yours and register your wide stare.
“Sorry, you just caught me at a weird practice,” he clears his throat. “I’ll be ready in fifteen?”
The gesture does little to settle you, but you manage your own uneasy smile. “Take your time. I’ll warm up.”
You’ve never been more grateful for the familiarity of center ice. You run through a quick warmup routine and even squeeze in a couple rough rehearsals of your solo routine for the show.
“Looks good,” Jaemin says as he finally steps onto the ice. “I almost feel bad to make you split your program in half.”
“You’re not making me do anything.” You frown. After everything the two of you have been through to get to this point, his sudden minimization makes you worry.
“Well, you know,” he says, alternating between the inner and outer edges of his blades in small swizzles.
“No, I don’t know,” you shake your head stubbornly. You glide in front of him without breaking eye contact. “I’m doing this because I want to. I want to skate with you.”
It’s the most forward you’ve been, but his expression doesn’t budge. Instead, he just nods. “Shall we?”
The two of you run through the routine a few times, but it’s as though the last few weeks have been for nothing. No matter how many times you restart or run through the counts slowly, the two of you struggle to sync. Rather—you know you’re hitting your movements, but Jaemin merely seems to be going through the motions.
When his hold on you wobbles on the ending pose, you snap yourself out of his arms and huff. “Okay, seriously. We’re done for today. Let’s go.”
Of all things, that seems to wake Jaemin from his daze. He skates after you. “Wait, I’m just off today—”
You ignore him, stepping off of the ice and into your skate guards. You briefly turn around to catch his eye.
Jaemin’s hovering on the ice by the door, watching you. His eyes plead.
You wave your arm towards you in a come here gesture. His face brightens, and he hurriedly follows after you.
“I’m sorry,” he breathes out when he’s close to you.
You shake your head. “Wanna get lunch?”
-
You stare at each other from across the table.
“You first,” you point to Jaemin’s burger, which has arrived at your table first. “Don’t wait for me.”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited to eat, but,” Jaemin crosses his arms. “Do you have to stare at me?”
You say nothing even as the server brings your own food over.
Jaemin sighs but starts eating nonetheless. “Happy?”
“Yes,” you say as you pick at your fries.
“If this is a way to make sure I’m eating, I don’t have issues with dieting while competing,” he mutters between bites. “Luckily.”
“Trust me, it’s not about that,” you laugh. “I know you can eat.”
He raises an eyebrow. “So then…?”
“You were just super out of it today,” you shrug. “You’ve been training pretty intensely this week, right?”
He frowns. “I have, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. Compared to the work schedule I was doing before coming back to skating, it’s more or less the same.”
You point a fry at him accusingly. “There. That’s the issue.”
“That I work?”
“That you’re not taking time to not work.”
“No offense,” the words come out slowly, “but aren’t you, like, famously known for never taking breaks?”
You shake your head. “That was pre-injury me. Current me takes breaks. I have hobbies.”
“I have hobbies,” he insists.
“That you’ve invested in recently?” You ask. "Actively?"
He hesitates. “So what, burger eating is supposed to be my next hobby? I don’t struggle with diets, but that one might be hard.”
“Ha ha,” you say flatly. “I just wanted to get you away from training. You love burgers.”
Jaemin looks down at his burger, as if the sandwich itself has betrayed him. “I do,” he sighs. “You don’t need to baby me. I’m a grown man.”
“I know,” you say, looking away. “I just wanted to get your mind off of everything. You’re doing a lot.”
A small silence stretches between you. You can feel Jaemin’s gaze probing over your side profile, but you pretend to look around the restaurant.
“Do you still like bingsu?”
“I–” Jaemin’s smile is bright as day, and, more importantly, it’s genuine. You relax“I do.”
“Wanna go to the cafe near Sunghoon’s place?”
You exhale a relieved breath. “That sounds amazing.”
❅˚
“Quick break?” Jaemin pants after a full run through of your routine.
You simply nod, trying to catch your own breath. The two of you skate to the side without a word.
You pull out your phone. Mei’s sent you three images over text with a short question—Received all the photos for promo. You sure you’re okay with the team using these?
As a part of promotional material for the ice show, all three of you—Sunghoon, Jaemin, and yourself—had submitted throwback pictures to be posted by the official account.
Your picture depicted five-year-old you at your very first skating lesson—pink puffer and helmet in full display. It’s one of your favorites.
Sunghoon’s picture, to your surprise, has both of you in it. It must be from middle school, since you’re dressed in costuming from your first and final pairs competition together.
“What the hell?” Your jaw drops as you inspect the image. Jaemin glances over your shoulder, and you turn your phone to show him. “This is the last thing I would’ve expected him to send. I don’t think I even have any pictures of us from that era.”
Jaemin laughs. “Maybe since they asked Sunghoon for something from middle school? He was complaining about it. They asked me for elementary school pictures, so I had it easy.”
Sure enough, the last picture shows the three of you after a group private lesson together. Jaemin’s in the center smiling wide and bright. Sunghoon’s smile is reserved and slightly awkward to Jaemin’s right. You, on the opposite side, cling to Jaemin’s side in a big hug with an even bigger smile.
There it is. A wave of shyness. “I don’t think I have this one either.”
“It’s my favorite.”
“It feels like forever ago.” Your throat constricts as you speak.
“It’s certainly been a long time since then,” Jaemin says. His eyes are glued to the picture of the three of you. His lips soften into a smile.
“I can’t believe Sunghoon and I thought we could be partners,” you cough and wrinkle your nose. “I don’t think his arm strength would’ve kept up. And we would’ve killed each other.”
It’s as if Jaemin doesn’t hear you. “Do you wanna hear something funny?”
“Does it involve that one time Sunghoon dropped me on the ice, your mom took me to urgent care, and then that incident single-handedly made me quit pairs?”
“No, but that’s good.” Jaemin’s smile still floats on his face with a hint of mischievousness, like he’s keeping a secret.
“What is it, then?”
“I used to be so jealous of Sunghoon,” he laughs. “And look at us now, practicing the choreography for an exhibition performance as partners.”
Your mind goes blank. “Jealous? Why?”
He seems to snap out of his reverie at your question, expression growing a little shy. He shrugs “Well, you know.”
“Um, no, I don’t know.”
“Well, childhood crushes and all that,” he says quickly. He queues up the music on his phone. “So jealous over random things. Anyway, ready to practice the second half?”
He skates away to put his phone down on the ledge and start the music before you can respond. What he hasn’t calculated is that he will need to skate right back to you to practice the step sequence. Two can play at this game.
“Funny you say that,” you mutter as he takes your hand. “Considering my childhood self would’ve killed to be paired with you.”
He swallows thickly. You can tell he’s trying to tune into the music, but his steps are half a beat off. “Meaning?”
You’re not going to make it that easy for him. “Same thing that you meant.”
The step sequence is naturally push-and-pull as Jaemin leads you through each stroke and turn, but today it feels like something more: a balance of power.
“We were partners before,” he murmurs before his hands anchor on your hips to guide you into a synchronized spin.
“Briefly,” you say once you complete it. “But I was devastated when you quit altogether. I would’ve done anything to keep skating with you.”
You maintain eye contact through the remainder of this practice. There’s a charged feeling in every movement, every touch. Even when the steps call for distance, you feel the inevitable pull to come back together. In fact, it never feels close enough.
The two of you slide into a stop at the end of your choreography, but you keep staring at each other long after the song has ended. Jaemin’s brown eyes roam your features hungrily, until his gaze settles on your lips.
Jaemin's going to kiss you.
Time slows. The rink lights overhead make your eyes water, and your mind resurfaces into a complete blank. There's not much choice otherwise—not with his lips nearing yours.
You close your eyes, trembling from your head to your blades as your heart rattles against your ribcage.
Lips graze against your cheek. Gentle hands drift onto your cheeks after.
Your eyelids flutter open. Jaemin's face hovers in front of yours. His features flush in a soft pink, but his eyes seem to droop. The corners of his lips quiver up in a sad half-smile.
"Not now," he says, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. "Sorry."
You come to your senses as he skates away, blinking around at your surroundings, as if you've woken up from a long sleep.
No words are exchanged as you both grab your things and exit. It's hardly mumbles of goodbye before going your separate ways.
You slam the car door closed and exist in the silence.
Although it just occurred, you're already winding back the events and weighing what could've been done differently.
You should've demanded answers; pushed him away and left in a storm. Or, maybe, you should've done the opposite—allowed all of your real emotions to sweep and pull at your face.
In actuality, you have no real confidence in the efficacy of either. You just hate the way it ended: neutral, as if you're two strangers rather than friends pushing at something more—not that you had the faintest idea of what. Just…something.
Even later that night, the exact details blur together, feeling more like a hallucination more than a memory. Had you made it up in your head? No, Jaemin was definitely flirting with you. Again. But Jaemin flirted with everyone—well, no, it does feel different when Jaemin flirts with you. Tender.
The moment replays over and over again, trapped within your thoughts. You try to sleep, but your mind is too busy fixing itself on the minute details: how his hands felt around you, the soft brush of Jaemin's lips against your skin.
All of your previous confidence feels like it evaporated from your body. All that filled your mind at the time was the near-aching urge to unleash your pent-up feelings. There had been absolutely no regard for the meaning afterwards, not that it mattered—he pulled away anyway. A wisp of a rejection.
If it happened, would it have even meant anything? You muse to yourself as you trace the lines of your ceiling. It could totally have just been harmless flirting.
For yourself, you know there's only one answer. You're well beyond dismissing your behavior with Jaemin as remnants of an old crush. Still, you wonder when they turned into more, as you can't pinpoint when they intensified. It's as if these new feelings could consume the old ones in their entirety.
You wonder if this newfound hunger will ever be satiated. This is more time than you could've imagined spending with Na Jaemin, but it never feels like enough.
You wonder if Jaemin is thinking of you half as much as you're thinking of him right now.
The thought barely fades when, like a sick, cosmic joke, your phone vibrates on your nightstand. Na Jaemin flashes on the screen.
You lunge for it and straighten your posture, clearing your throat and sliding a finger across the screen to answer. "Hey. What's up?"
"Hey," Jaemin says. "Did you see the group chat? What do you think?"
"Uh, no. I didn't see it," you admit. "What's up?"
"Coach Brown's wife asked if we want to visit him. Since he was cleared to finish his recovery at home."
"Oh—yeah, of course." The words come out rushed. It's as if you're speaking with a mouth filled with cotton balls. "I'm down."
"Cool."
"Are…are we all going?" You ask, then immediately regret it.
"Yes, of course." A pause. "I can take you tomorrow. Since we'll be going after the team meeting."
"Team meeting—?" Ah. The meeting with Mei and Jeff. "Right—yeah, we can carpool. If you don't mind."
"I don't," he says. "I'll pick you up at 1:30?"
"Sounds good."
"About today," Jaemin blurts out. "I'm sorry."
You slouch and close your eyes. "Sorry for what exactly, Jaem?"
"Well—we almost—you know." It's the most you've ever heard him stumble over his words. You would kill to see what flustered looks like brushed over his face. "Right?"
"So you're sorry that we almost kissed." The words flatten as you speak.
"God—can we talk? After our meeting? Or after we visit Coach Brown?"
Stress laces through his tone. Your heart sinks. "Of course."
Jaemin waits for a beat, but you refuse to give in. You don't want to have this conversation over the phone either, and he already offered.
"Good night, Jaemin," you offer.
"…Good night," he murmurs. "Sleep well."
You toss your phone back on the nightstand and cover yourself with the blankets. After that, you're in for the most restless sleep of your life.
"Last alignment meeting," Jaemin says on the way in. "Ready to do this thing?"
You force a smile. Not only are you reeling after a grand total of four hours of sleep, but the car ride over had been little more than dull niceties. "Something along those lines."
He frowns, but you pick up your pace and barrel inside.
Jaemin ends up drifting towards Jeff, although he looks over his shoulder at you.
You shrug and sit at the other end of the table, waiting for Mei to arrive.
Jaemin and Jeff huddle at the front of the table, gesturing and whispering among themselves. They only snap to attention when Mei strides in and shuts the door closed with extra force.
"Good afternoon," Jeff greets with his usual professionalism.
Mei and Jeff jump into reviewing the analytics from the last month. It lives up to your expectations; ever since the ice show announcements and promos ran, it was like someone hit a switch. You—according to sources, since you still avoided social media like the plague—were showing up less in search inquiries. If you were, then content leaned more supportive.
Still, looking at the cold hard numbers, it's clear that Jaemin's growth is unstoppable. Your followers grew by nearly triple, sure, but his total follower count still runs laps around yours.
"I think fans are just grateful to see you so active," Mei explains.
You steal a glance at Jaemin. His face gives away nothing. He looks like a statue, his expression carved in fierce stoicism.
By all metrics, both of your social media profiles look healthier than ever. Buzz has calmed down, and, by some miracle, your "relationship" appears to be accepted by the general public.
"In my opinion—we'll wrap with the ice show, both parties can post the photos from the event, and I think the performance will speak for itself!" For someone so corporate, Jeff looks downright giddy.
You and Mei meet his enthusiasm with tempered applause. Jaemin doesn't even look up.
"Well, there is one matter we should discuss, now that we're at the tail end of things." Jeff's voice turns into the poised tone you're familiar with. "When to announce the breakup."
It shouldn't have this much of an effect on you—it's a fake relationship, after all!—but your body stiffens on its own. You cross your arms over your chest.
You expect Jeff to defer to Mei, but he clears his throat to continue.
"A development that we will not be officially announcing anytime soon…Jaemin is planning on moving back to his old rink."
Your eyes snap to Jaemin. He's already looking at you, assessing your every minute reaction.
"His current coach divulged that he's moving up his retirement timeline. Jaemin's going to add his new coach onto his official team as support for now, then he'll make the hard switch next season."
The same sad glimmer from yesterday shines in his eyes. You understand in an instant—he knew it, even then.
"We're thinking, to leverage the speed skating season, we'll have Jaemin withdraw significantly from posting on social media. That way, breakup rumors and potential fallout can be addressed outside of the season for both sports."
"So no official announcement," Mei muses. "Just a fizzle out."
Jeff nods. "Just a fizzle."
"We'll discuss." Mei glances at you in the corner of her eye, so quick you almost miss it. "For now, we'll just aim to keep social media normal following the show."
You don't want to discuss it. You want to eject yourself from this meeting and dash under the covers, but today is not an option. Not when you, Jaemin, and Sunghoon have a scheduled visit with Coach Brown.
"Ready?" Jaemin asks after the meeting wraps.
You nod without a word and follow him to his car.
"I know you're mad," Jaemin rushes through his words right when your door closes. "Let me explain."
"No need," you say while pulling the seatbelt tight across your torso. "I think Jeff gave us the appropriate context. You're switching coaches, so you already decided to leave."
He runs a hand through his hair. "It's really not my choice. I didn't expect this at all."
You shrug. "Things happen."
Jaemin glances at you, but you train your gaze ahead. "Are you mad because—"
You cut him off. "This isn't a guessing game. It's either you have something to say, or you say nothing."
Jaemin's temper is rarely put to the test, but today you come very close: clenched jaw, sharp brows.
"You know what?" He says. "We'll just talk after we see Coach Brown."
"Fine by me."
Jaemin starts the ignition and snaps the gears into reverse. As both of you have decided there's nothing to say, you spend the entire car ride in pointed silence.
"It's so sweet of you kids to come out here and visit him," Mrs. Brown leaves a bowl of fruit on the center of the table. Not even thirty seconds later, she's back with pretzels. Thirty seconds after that, cookies.
"That's all right, Cynthia," Coach Brown chuckles. "You're going to scare the poor things off."
You, Jaemin, and Sunghoon sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the coach with small smiles. Sunghoon, with his endless generosity, insisted that Jaemin sit in the middle. You initially wanted to strangle Sunghoon, but you also can't help but be hyperaware of Jaemin's muscles pressing into your own.
Despite the current weirdness between two-thirds of you, this was something that didn't need to be discussed at all. Although, sitting here, you and Sunghoon fiddle with your hands and squirm a little in the heavy atmosphere. In situations like this, it's difficult to know the right things to say.
Jaemin leans forward, stands up, and shuffles over to Coach Brown's bedside. "You gotta look at this, coach," he laughs.
While you and Sunghoon sit glued to the couch, the whispers of what you want to say lodged firmly in your throats, Jaemin chatters on like it's just another day.
You feel a flash of pride. Then hurt.
How was it so easy for him to go about and act as though nothing affected him?
You shake the thoughts from your head. This isn't about you.
The three of you relax more through the visit, although Mrs. Brown gently cuts it short to allow Coach Brown to rest.
You all wave goodbye and promise to come again, then you're standing in the parking lot, hovering by your cars.
You're about to ask Sunghoon to drive you when he speaks first. "Jaemin, you can take her back, right? I have something else after this that I already committed to."
The bastard is lying; you know for a fact he's playing nothing but video games tonight. He meets your eyes and grins.
Your welcome, he mouths, none the wiser.
You roll your eyes.
"Yeah, I was going to take her anyway," Jaemin says, shooting you a suspicious side glance.
The two of you say bye to Sunghoon and step back into Jaemin's car. Instead of saying anything, he turns the music up until the bass reverberates the entire car. You spend the drive listening to bass boosted music and wonder if he's lost his mind. Still, you tolerate it—until he takes a couple wrong turns.
"What the hell are you doing?" You try to shout, but the music drowns out your words.
He doesn't even glance at you. You realize, scanning the horizon, that he's driving you to the park nearest to your house. Jaemin pulls into a spot, turning to you when he turns off the engine.
"Want to go on a walk and talk?"
You've often driven past your local park on weekends, swarming with families and soccer games, but today, on a random weekend evening, it's peaceful. The sunset just barely kisses the horizon, blending shades of orange and pink across the sky.
Jaemin walks at your side in shorts and a gray sweatshirt. His hoodie's pulled up, and you're wearing one of his baseball caps over your head.
You walk side-by-side for a while, kicking rocks down the pavement.
After a while, he finally speaks first. "I'm sorry for not telling you directly about the move."
You stiffen. Your legs are still in motion, but your movements feel robotic. Yeah, you'd wanted him to figure it out on his own, but you weren't expecting him to actually know so fast.
Your surprise must show, because Jaemin then clicks his tongue and exhales. "Whew. That must've really pissed you off, if you're that surprised that I got it right."
You find your voice. "Yeah. I didn't love hearing about it through your team. Again."
He winces. "I know. I told him not to mention it, but he kinda went a little rogue there."
"No." You shake your head. "It's not just that aspect of it."
Confusion. "Then…?"
You shrug and throw your arms up. "I wish you told me yourself, Jaemin. No team. Not because you need to tell me in the name of the contract. I wanted you to tell me, face to face, friend to friend."
His jaw drops. "I—"
"I thought we've grown since the start." You hate how your voice trembles. "You knew how upset I was when this started, but you went ahead and did the same exact thing. No mention of these deliberations, even when I see you every day. It's like I mean nothing—"
A shadow crosses his face. "Don't finish that sentence," he snaps.
The two of you are stopped in the furthermost part of the path by a cluster of trees, hidden in the corner from the rest of the park-goers.
You poke a finger into his chest with each word. "I. Mean. Nothing. To—"
It all happens in one swift motion. Jaemin grabs your wrist before you can poke him again, then he tugs you wholly into his chest. His eyes flash before he crashes his lips onto yours.
Your first kiss with Jaemin is the opposite of your near-kiss; from the beginning, you collide, rough and wild, pushing against the other.
This is what you missed out on; it could've just been like this at the rink, too. The realization fuels another flash of irritation paired with a slight thrill. Kissing Jaemin gives you the same rush as competing. Pure adrenaline and dopamine override your senses.
All you can think about is his lips on yours. From the way he pulls you close, hands firmly placed on your back and hips, you know he's equally as lost.
More, you think. The urge completes the thought you've pushed back for months: regardless of the extensive time you've spent together, it will never feel like enough. Down to the level of comfort, the silent understanding, and now the physicality—in this moment, you never want to let Jaemin go.
Probing, you swipe your tongue across his lower lip. He hesitates, easing the pace into slow rhythms. It's not an outright denial—you try again, this time lightly nibbling.
"Alright," he pulls away and presses his forehead to yours as you both catch your breath. "That's enough."
"You started it," you huff with a laugh.
He laughs, then scans around your surroundings. It's not the smartest thing, but there's no one around now, at least.
You lean back in, but he shakes his head. "Can we just…talk?"
He sits down on the closest bench and gestures next to him. You follow.
"I'm sorry for not telling you. It was true though—I wanted you to hear it from me."
You bite your lip. "I believe you."
"I'm sorry for…doing that, too. Just now," he adds.
The relief evaporates immediately. "And you're sorry about…what, exactly?" You ask coolly.
He pales. "I—"
"No more beating around the bush, or going through our teams," you say. "Just tell me what you're thinking please. I think I deserve the truth."
Jaemin thinks for a minute, then grins. "I have feelings for you."
"Jesus, Jaem—" Your whole body feels like it's burning up and smoking into the evening sky.
"What?" He shrugs. "I wanted to just get that out in the open, before you start getting ideas that you don't mean anything to me."
He gives you a pointed look. You stick your tongue out at him.
"I'll say that too. You mean a lot to me."
"I get it," you grumble. His charm has completely disarmed you. "You mean a lot to me too."
His smile shines bright and blinding, even against dusk. "I'll be here for this season before moving, then I'll be three hours away. I still want to give us a try. We can try to make it work even through our schedules."
Even through the warmth of his confession, a cold dose of reality hits you when reminded of your own impending training. "Jaemin…that might get a little crazy, don't you think? Training schedules are one thing, but competition and travel are another."
"I want to go to your competitions," he declares. "At least a good amount of them. I want people to see me supporting you."
You should be happy—after all, Jaemin's discarding his notorious privacy—but the thought of the general public remaining permanent witnesses to your private life makes your stomach coil. Your mind leaps to the worst possibility—what if you flopped next season? Would you retire, disgraced? Would they talk about you online—Na Jaemin's girlfriend, a washed-up skater anchored to him by memories?
"Even if your girlfriend doesn't reach the same legend status?" You ask with a bitter smile.
Jaemin deflates. "You've had a great career."
There it is: had.
You sigh. "Can I think about it?"
"Why?" He demands.
"I just—I want to think about it Jaemin, jeez! One day you don't want to kiss me, the next day you're kissing me and telling me that you want to be together—it's a lot."
"You wanted me to be open and honest," he says quietly. "So I'm leaving it all out there."
He's right. You're being a massive hypocrite, and he's presenting everything that you've wanted right there.
Even with the perfect man offering you everything, you can't shake the rotten doubt that it's too good to be true. You'll ruin what you have, just like you've ruined everything else.
"I mean, I've said it before, but I still think that my image benefited from this arrangement more than yours."
"Come on," he says, hugging you from behind. "You know I don't care about that stuff. "
"I know." You lean back into his chest. It's almost easier to speak openly when you're not looking directly at him. "It's just…when I think about it—really try to think about it—I don't know how everything's supposed to fit together. Once we both go back to training full-time."
His hug on you loosens a little, although you feel his shoulders tighten. "Like…you don't know where I fit into your life after this?"
"No," you respond, then hesitate. "It's like…"
That was the thing—for all of the time you'd spent out of the other's orbit, it was now hard to picture your life without Jaemin's presence. You could see the possibilities laid out clearly: going to his competitions or watching them online if you were out of town. Calling him before your events to calm your nerves, then calling him again after to debrief.
Undoubtedly, Jaemin brought the levity into your life that had been missing for years. But when you tried to conjure your role in his life, your mind drew a big, looming blank.
"I just don't know how I'm going to fit in your life, Jaem," you admit, your voice low and quiet. "We're so different. You're a success that's able to just climb and climb, and I've been struggling for the past five years. I don't know if I belong in your world."
His voice drops. "It's the same world."
"You know I don't mean literally." You untangle your limbs and turn to face him.
Jaemin's lips tighten into a straight line that's neither a smile nor a frown. There's the slightest crease bending between his eyebrows.
Your chest constricts at the sight, and you struggle to breathe. More than the sadness pooling in his features, there's something worse under the surface: disappointment.
You open and close your mouth, forgetting your words, but Jaemin speaks first.
"Do you know you have a tell when you jump?" He says.
"I—excuse me?"
"It has nothing to do with your speed, or even your technique right as you load into it," his eyes turn fiery. "I can tell if you're going to land it based on your expression alone. When you're about to land it, you get this cute, determined scrunch across your whole face. When you're about to pop it or mess up the landing, you get this scared look in your eyes. Like you're about to cry, even before you take off."
"So what?" You manage to choke up. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"You're giving me the same face right now, babe." Jaemin looks tired. "You look like you don't believe in this at all."
"I just need time."
"Then you can have it."
Silence stretches and expands between you. You hate this. You want to grab his hand and tell him that everything is going to be okay, but you can't make promises that you're not sure you can keep. You're hurting both of you in the process, but you can't stop.
"I just need time," you repeat, a broken record. "After the show?"
"Okay. We'll talk about it then." You see it cross his face again. Disappointment, disappointment, disappointment. "Let me take you home."
You finish the final touches of your makeup. You take a deep breath.
You're wearing the same dress from your Nationals free program. The ice blue fabric clings to your torso before flowing down your legs in sweeping waves.
You'd selected this dress for the show shortly after Nationals concluded—it was one of your favorites, and you hadn't been in the mindset to pursue a new look on a tight timeline, anyway—but you feel a brief flash of regret.
Dressed like this, it's impossible to not think about the last time you wore this dress. What started as yet another sad stamp in your fractured career pivoted to so much more. Your near-catastrophic failure of a program turned comeback, followed by the return of Jaemin into your personal life.
You pick up your phone, thinking to text Jaemin your revelation, only to remember and put it back down again. You'd left for the rink without checking whether he'd extend an offer to carpool or, at minimum, reach out at all to clear the air. He didn't—now, your first time seeing him today would be within the next thirty minutes, right before your show together.
A deep urge digs at your gut. You want to march right into the room you're mostly sure Jaemin's getting ready in with Sunghoon, drag him out, and demand answers. That, despite everything, he hasn't given up on you.
It's just an instinct. You lean back in your chair and close your eyes. A deep breath.
As you are choosing to handle this maturely (which rules out marching into his dressing room), you brace yourself for what's bound to be your first encounter: your off-ice warm up.
You've shown up ten minutes early. You're cycling through your second round of dynamic movements—light jogs, lunges, leg swings—until the remaining skaters begin to turn the corner.
You hear the slight lapse in chatter, but you ignore it. You're only looking for one face in the crowd.
A hand grabs your bicep. Sunghoon. "Hey, what's going on?" He hisses low into your ear. "Jaemin's pissed."
You swallow. "How pissed?"
"Pissed." His eyes narrow. "You don't seem surprised."
"Well, I…" A familiar figure rises in your peripheral. You free yourself from Sunghoon's grip. "I'm handling it. Promise."
Worry crosses his face. "Is that…good timing right now? Right before everything?"
Your confidence droops a little, but you push through it. "The timing is shit, but it has to be now."
Sunghoon releases your arm. You step forward toward the corner of the space, where Jaemin warms up with a small group of skaters.
He's wearing full-length black trousers that elongate his legs. His long-sleeved top echoes yours in shades of white blending into ice blue. A perfect pair.
You haven't seen him in days. It's like observing him through the lens of a stranger as he enraptures the attention of all around him with endless charm.
For the first time, it occurs to you; if you truly step away, this could be your new reality. Rooting for him from a distance rather than working through each struggle together. Polite yet restrained smiles of acknowledgement that refuse to reopen old wounds. The thought makes you ache.
You know it, then. You can't bear the thought of becoming strangers to one another again. As much as it stings to face your fears, the possibility of losing Jaemin hurts you more.
Rationally, you know that you can only blame yourself for this current situation—after all, it was your insecurities that had pushed him away.
Time after time, Jaemin had proven his genuine feelings and intentions toward you. This time, it was your duty to do the same.
Despite your reassurance to Sunghoon, you're scared to confront him. You're scared, but you push through anyway. You know, deep down, that going on the ice with Jaemin without addressing anything first will crack something deep in your foundation. You don't know how he'll react, and you don't want to find out.
"Hi," you breathe out from a slight distance.
Jaemin steps away from the group. His expression controls itself in an even neutrality, but he scans over your costume and over the details of your makeup.
"Hi," he responds.
A pause. There's a million things you want to say—what you know you should say, but you have no idea where to start.
"Are you ready?" You ask weakly.
"Yes." Then, he adds. "You don't need to worry. We'll give them a good show."
A good show. They're innocent words by themselves, but the accompanied tone leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.
"Performance," you can't help but correct. "We'll give them a good genuine performance."
He raises an eyebrow. "Is that not what I just said?"
He's messing with you. The cold shoulder sends hot desperation down your spine.
"Please don't be like this," you plead with him. "Can we just talk?"
"We are talking." He doesn't even look up at you.
"Come on, Jaemin. You know what I mean."
He leans down to retie the laces on his skate. He pulls so tight that the fibers creak against the boot. "I have been talking to you. Ever since we crossed paths again—I think I've been more than clear about where I stand. You're the one that needs more time."
"I don't need any more time." You admit. Your throat is raw. "I don't."
He stops.
This is it, you think.
Except, it's the opposite. Jaemin finishes lacing up his skates in a flash of panic and darts away.
"Jaemin," you call after him. You double back, grabbing your bag before taking off after him.
He weaves past the other skaters, who look at the pair of you with either curiosity or confusion. You're sure that some sort of account of this will end up on some sort of gossip blog or forum later on.
It's not hard to catch up to Jaemin, given that he's hobbling on top of blades covered by blocky skate guards. You end up cornering him in his own dressing room.
"Are you done?" You ask, exasperated. "We don't have time for this. I'm on in fifteen, then you're on with me right after."
"Yeah," he mutters, eyes darting around the room to and fro. "Let's not do this now. Let's wait."
"No way." You're blocking the door now. "God, just—listen to me, Jaem."
Realization dawns on his face, and an uneasy smile stretches completely across his features. "I'm listening."
"Thank you," you cough. Your face feels hot enough to melt ice. "I messed up yesterday."
He nods and waits for you to continue.
"Ever since you came back into my life, it's just felt like everything spiraled out of my control. Having you back and supporting me wholeheartedly while I've been struggling for so many years…" You frown while trying to find the words. "I guess I didn't believe it. I didn't feel like me or any of the work I've done for the past few years was worth that sort of blind optimism."
"It's not blind," he offers.
You ignore him. "You're perfect in, like, everything you do. I had you up on this crazy high pedestal, and I thought I would never be able to actually meet you there."
You look at Jaemin. His gaze is soft.
"You show everyone the best sides of you, but I want to see all of it. Whether you're excited or irritated at how training went, if you're annoyed at your fanbase." You draw in a breath. "I want to see all of you. I want to be with you, after this. Away from the cameras, and just for us."
Jaemin's eyes roam over your face. Then, he exhales loudly and hangs his head on top of his thighs. His shoulders shake as he laughs to himself. "Good god…"
Everything burns. "What?"
He rises to his feet and stands above you. His hands cradle your chin, their touch cool yet gentle. "I shouldn't have lost my temper at you. I'm sorry."
Your throat is dry. "Then…?"
"I got carried away even letting myself think that an idea of us would be possible." Jaemin admits. "I wasn't thinking enough about how you felt."
You nod your head wordlessly, transfixed by his words.
"You don't give yourself enough credit. Your work ethic, your charisma…you don't have to prove anything to anyone." He pauses. "It's not like anyone's perception of us will change, since I guess we're already publicly dating, but I'm ready to love you out loud. Whenever you're ready."
"Love."Your head spins. "Jaemin—"
"Jaemin, you don't know that you love me. Wrong." he anticipates your words with a shit-eating grin. His thumbs caress your cheeks. "I didn't realize it at the time because I'm such a dumbass, but I think I've loved you my whole life."
You press the backs of your hands to your cheeks, which slightly overlaps with his hands lining the sides of your face. "You have?"
"Yup." He takes one of your hands in his and presses a soft kiss to your skin. "No pressure to say it back, though. Take your time."
You don't need time; you've always known it deep down. Regardless of location, age, or circumstances, Jaemin's always reserved a space within your heart.
"One minute," you murmur, reaching for your bag. A pink bunny plushie slides out, and you hand it into the hands of the original gift-giver.
"Mr. Hops?" Jaemin tilts his head.
"I don't compete without him," you lower your gaze shyly. "So I guess you'll be in charge of making sure I have it at competitions."
Jaemin hugs him tight. "I—"
"What I'm trying to say is," you take a step towards him. "I love you too."
Jaemin closes the gap between you. The kiss carries all of your conflicting emotions and promises that you're still a little scared to say out loud. All you know for sure are two things: first, you love Jaemin, and second, to love Jaemin, you're determined to be more comfortable with the unknown.
"Jaemin, I've been knocking, you're on—" Sunghoon lingers in the threshold, jaw dropped. "What the hell?"
The room falls into wide stares. You jump away with your arms raised in surrender, Jaemin squeezes Mr. Hops to his chest, and Sunghoon points a silent, accusatory finger around the room.
"I've been looking for you, Jaemin," his finger moves to you. "You're on in like, five minutes." Finally, it lands at Jaemin's arms. "Why is Mr. Hops here?"
"We can explain," you blurt out.
Sunghoon glares at you. "You're going to explain, you dirty liar. After. You guys have to get your asses out there first."
The corners of Jaemin's eyes crinkle as he looks at you. You feel a warm swell of affection in your chest.
There's so much more you want to say to him, but the show must go on. For now, you press a quick peck to his lips and interlace your fingers together. "Ready?"
Jaemin's smile is so wide that it looks like he might explode with happiness. "For you? Anytime."
Sunghoon fake gags but holds the door open for you.
You hold hands the entire way to the ice. The crowd loses it. You faintly perceive the screams and camera flashes, but all you focus on is the feeling of Jaemin's hand in yours.
When you step on the ice, you think, this time, that this is just the beginning.
coach!suguru x figureskater!reader | figure skating au | angst and fluff | tw: mentions of weight | in which suguru will do anything to make you perfect while you'll do anything to be out of the game | 7.8 k words
♡ link to my main [archived] masterlist
♡ looking for more JJK? here you go!
⋆。⋆˚。⋆。˚。⋆. .⋆。⋆˚。⋆
teacher's pet - melanie martinez
⋆。⋆˚。⋆。˚。⋆. .⋆。⋆˚。⋆
The morning has frozen over completely with a thick, cold fog hanging in the air. Grass and trees are covered in a layer of iced moisture. Yet, when your alarm starts blaring at 04:20, you sit up in bed and rub the sleep from your eyes. Your bedroom feels so cold today.
Then, his text comes through like clockwork.
[04:31] Sugu
Up?
Eyes still heavy from exhaustion, your thumbs move slowly over the keyboard. You squint at the luminescence of your chat with him.
[04:31]
Yes sir :)
[04:31] Sugu
Good.
Be here by 5 please
His message earns a soft sigh from you.
Your routine is the same everyday. The trek to the bathroom is not long, but this early in the morning it might as well be five blocks away. By now you have shed your clothes onto the cold tiles, feet bouncing lightly on the ceramic to keep yourself warm. Then you tow the scale out from beneath the sink and step on it with heavy feet.
45.7
Slightly lighter than the previous week. He wants you to be perfect, and so you will be. Between the strict diet he has put you on, and the exhaustion that hits you as soon as you retire from the rink for the day, and then continuously practicing the program he has choreographed with you, there is little room to do anything, let alone eat. Perhaps the only thing motivating you to keep living this way is the look on Suguru's face every single time you prove yourself worthy.
You have never skated better than now, under his guidance. You'll never forget the first time you saw Suguru; you almost dropped to your knees from how good looking he is.
Suguru Geto always seems poised and controlled no matter what he does. He keeps his composure even when he's frustrated at his band of skaters.
At first, you couldn't believe your ears when Nanami told you that he was retiring; in fact, you almost cried, but then he broke the news that his protégé, someone with the same rigour and discipline as him, Suguru Geto, would be taking over. Nanami got you gold in the last winter olympics; and now it's Suguru's turn to do the same.
Last time the Koreans almost one upped you. Almost. Suguru is adamant that this time you will put all your competitors in the ground.
Suguru was one of the most disciplined people Nanami could have passed the title to; often, you think, disciplined to the point of austerity.
Practice begins at five whether you have slept or not. If you under-rotate, he makes you repeat the jump until your legs tremble and your lungs burn white in your chest from lack of air. If your toe pick placement is off by even a centimetre, he sees it and corrects it. He has made Yuki cry a bunch of times.
He has made you skate until you cried. Yuki obviously cries almost every session yet she still turns up.
And even Satoru.
The other skaters always watch him with a careful kind of distance. Yuki admires him despite it all. People fear him, a little. They all do.
Even you at times.
You have known for a long while that his reputation was not built on kindness.
But even then, you know the fractures in that discipline. You've seen it; it barely makes itself known but you can feel it in the moments he corrects your form, stepping closer than necessary. His hands settle at your waist to adjust your position, firm and precise, thumbs pressing just enough into the dip of your hips to guide the rotation. He always leans in slightly, breath warm against the shell of your ear as he murmurs instructions in that low, even voice. It never falters. Like that moment two months ago.
Goddamn Kento and his plans to spend more time with his family. Now, Suguru has you fantasizing about the same bullshit dreams.
What makes it even worse are the fan edits; you can't go on Tik Tok or Instagram, or the next fuck ass app without seeing some sort of edit of some choppy videos taken from the previous Olympics of the two of you, standing side by side before you go onto the ice. People actually ship you two, like he's not your coach but some star-crossed lover.
Of course, you indulge sometimes. You find yourself looking at them late at night. People in the comments always argue whether it would be ethical or not: He is your coach after all. But he isn't much older, only by eight years. Heck, Nanami was only eleven years older and nobody shipped you two.
Maybe there really is something.
But since that whole thing got blown up, Suguru has grown more distant at competitions. He actually keeps his distance now — like that makes a difference. Everyone on the internet still gushes about how cute of a couple the two of you would be and the worst part is that you see it.
You feel a closeness in the way his fingers linger a fraction too long before releasing you. The way his gaze traces the line of your leg when you extend into a spiral. His dark eyes are always assessing — but also absorbing you.
In the quiet hours of practice, often late at night when when the rink lights hum overhead and frost clings to the plexiglass barriers, he softens in ways no one else would ever notice. Outside, the parking lot is empty save for his car, and the sky is dark and glittering with stars. Other nights, it hails and you can hear the ice rattle the roof overhead like heavy rocks showering down from above.
His skates are on, circling you slowly as you hold a position, eyes narrowed in concentration, and then he steps forward to tilt your chin up with two fingers. You think he doesn't mean to whisper his words like that, but it never gets old and still has your core burning with this unbearable ache only he can cure.
“Don’t shrink,” he'll say, thumb brushing lightly beneath your jaw. “You’re better than everyone here so skate like it— like you want gold.”
There are moments, rare, fleeting, when you think he forgets himself. When approval flickers openly across his delicate face after you land something difficult.
By the time the kettle boils, hot steam disrupting your daydreams of him, you have to push those blasphemous thoughts aside. You want him. And after three years of skating under him, you're not even sure if it is want or something stronger now.
The rest of your morning routine consists of making a flask of coffee which far exceeds the recommended daily intake of caffeine, hoping for the best, and hastily fisting your pocket for your keys before the door is slamming shut behind you.
When you're sitting on the bench, hunched over to tie your skates, Yuki comes over with a scowl on her face. Her footsteps are heavy against the carpet, blade guards adorning the sliver of metal beneath her skates. There is a thin sheen of perspiration on her forehead.
"Can you believe it?" She huffs. "He's saying I need to eat less. Less? As if I'm fucking eating anything anyway."
That earns a scoff from you. With one final cinch, your laces are done and you rise from the bench, shifting your weight from side to side to test the bend; the leather feels stiffer today. Your toes feel pinched.
"Bad mood? Good mood?"
Yuki rolls her eyes, hands fumbling for the water bottle in her bag. "Bad mood. Always. Not with you though."
"Don't say that." You say in a breathy huff of amusement.
Yuki glances at you, eyebrow raised. "Sure.
"Well, wish me luck." You sigh.
"You skate too well to need that." She winks, backhanding your forearm gently. "Go get 'em, tiger."
Your laugh is light as you step onto the ice, metal sliding across the wetness. The rink smells of metal polish and cold, damp air today. While you're warming up near the edge, legs lunging and retracting, arms stretching high above you, Suguru eyes you for a moment.
He has tied his black hair into a bun, but the shine of his locks is enough to catch the overhead lights. His face is delicate and handsome. You eye him briefly but you tell yourself to lock in.
For a moment, the world narrows to the space between the two of you, but you don't know if he is watching you or not now. Your eyes are still heavy from waking up so early, so when they close and you effortlessly begin spinning on the ice to prepare yourself for whatever rigorous routine Suguru has planned today, you don’t even notice the way his dark eyes flick toward you every few seconds, the careful tilt of his head as he watches.
You’re focused, almost trance-like and not seeing anything beyond the rhythm of your own movements.
Unwillingly, he tears his eyes from you.
Suguru is gliding along the edge of the rink, posture perfect, arms folded across his chest. He's watching Satoru spin now, and when the white-haired man leaps gracefully across the freshly-smoothened ice, he nods his head in approval.
Early morning, everyone's tired.
The way your coach moves is too deliberate, too measured, and yet everything about him seems effortless.
Even when he starts murmuring something under his breath to Satoru, correcting posture, there’s an extra weight in his gaze that he can’t hide. The way he studies you while pretending not to is driving him insane; there is little balance between care and yearning that he can never admit aloud.
As the icy air glides over your goosebumped skin mid-spin, you feel his presence near you. The spin comes to halt on account of your pick driving into the hard ice.
"Sugu..." You murmur. "Good morning."
He stills at your nickname for him, but then it melts away as soon as it comes.
"Your shoulders,” he says softly, though his voice is commanding, breaking your reverie. “Tilt them back a little more.”
Before you can adjust, his hand is already at the small of your back, pressing gently. His touch is instructional, guiding your torso to open just enough without forcing it toward the ceiling. But still, you stiffen for a fraction of a second, like you always do, and yet he keeps his hand there as you rotate, the warmth of his touch a sharp contrast against the freezing, sterile air.
"Atta girl." He says in a fond exhale. "Yes, just like that."
Oh, jesus christ.
Does he have to say it like that?
You feel your knees buckle but for fear of the embarrassment of falling, you let the momentum carry you and then the spin slows to a stop.
"You need to bring your arms a little higher." He says. "—should feel the line from your shoulders to your wrists.”
You blink, trying to steady your breathing, but the flush rising in your cheeks betrays you.
"Sorry, distracted." You say quietly.
His eyes narrow, and for a moment you think you might have ticked him off this early in the morning but the corner of his lips twitch. He never concedes to that smirk, opting to raise his chin a little.
"Need to have that fixed before we fly to Italy." He says simply.
Italy.
The word lands heavy between you. A month. Thirty one days before the Winter Olympics. You've done it before so you know you can do it again. Somehow each time, it drains you the same.
You nod stiffly. "Fine."
"Good." He breathes. "I don't want to be disappointed."
You quirk an eyebrow at him, feeling all remnants of your blush slip away in the cold. "Don't think I've ever done that to you."
He pauses, holding your gaze. "No, you haven't but I don't want a first."
Suguru's words hang in the air. You push off before you can overthink it, blades carving a sharp crescent into the ice. Your body knows what to do even when your mind is swirling endlessly with thoughts of Suguru's hands on you, his lips ghosting your ear as he whispers straight up filth in that sultry voice of his. You can't help it; sometimes it feels as though this cat and mouse game has been going on for too long.
The world blurs into white and silver and the faint hum of the blindingly bright rink lights overhead. You focus on the aircon unit just above, keeping your gaze steady until you feel controlled enough to close your eyes mid-spin. Breathe in. Core tight.
You glide past him, pretending you don’t feel the intensity of his gaze tracking you.
Suguru joins Satoru now, the two engaged in light conversation. Your mind is elsewhere though, gazing on his sharp jaw. His dark lashes; that soft, almost delicate prettiness of his features that makes people underestimate him and how brutal he can be.
You pause at the opposite end of the rink, legs already burning from the early hour. A hand on your chest to steady your rapid breathing, you exhale deeply.
"Already?" Satoru yells from the other side of the rink.
Sensing the playfulness in his words, you throw him the finger and push off the ledge.
"None of that, come on." Suguru murmurs.
Beside him, Satoru smirks. "Protective, huh?"
The two men watch as you accelerate across the ice and then land three quads perfectly in succession.
"Think she'll retire soon?" Satoru asks, leaning his elbows on the ledge. "She's been competing for years now."
"She's nowhere near retirement age, 'Toru."
"Just saying— she looks more burnt out every time I see her." He quips. "Maybe time to let Yuki take over."
"She's not ready." Suguru says absentmindedly, eyes following your form as you repeat the jumps again.
Satoru smirks, sharp cerulean eyes flickering to watch Suguru's face more than your impressive landings. You do them with so much ease, it's like you were born to do this forever.
“Not ready,” Satoru repeats lightly. “Or you’re not ready?”
Suguru doesn’t answer immediately.
"Look at her." Satoru says. "She can land four quads perfectly— what's the shelf life of her ankles doing that repeatedly? The strain of competing like this?"
On the ice, you launch again. The first quad lands clean. The second comes and so does the third. A faint spray of ice trails behind you as you glide, chest heaving. The icy air hurts to breathe but you push on. You pretend you can’t feel their eyes on you — the weight of his gaze specifically. The fourth is fine. You won't crumble under the pressure of his gaze.
“She’s pushing too hard,” Satoru murmurs, quieter now.
“She knows her limits,” Suguru replies.
Your legs feel heavier than they should this early in the session.
“Again." Suguru calls.
Of course. You do not protest, and just reset, circling back on the ice until you have enough acceleration to pull your body upwards. Your chest feels tight.
Satoru hums under his breath. “You’re going to grind her into dust before Milan.”
Suguru’s jaw clenches slightly. “She’d tell me if it was too much— she's not stupid."
"Well, hasn't she?"
A moment passes where nothing is said. Suguru replays Satoru's words about grinding you down.
He doesn't want to admit that just two months ago, late at night, the two of you were sitting on the benches when everyone had gone home, you mentioned something along the lines of retirement to him.
Not that you wanted to; the thought of leaving the ice forever has never been something that's crossed your mind. You just wanted out of competing. Maybe something more with him. No lines could be crossed if he wasn't your coach anymore; you hate to admit the thought has occurred to you too often to be a fleeting feeling now.
"Maybe— I don't know... would be nice for me to hang the skates up for a little bit. Let Yuki take over." You said softly, colds hands rubbing at the sore spots in your feet. "I've been doing this since I was five."
Suguru didn't look in your direction then, because if he had let his eyes wander down, he would have seen the consequences of him pushing you so hard. It would have made his chest ache.
"I don't think Yuki's ready." Suguru said to you, gaze lingering on the empty rink. "She doesn't dominate like you do."
He kept his posture composed, shoulders squared, and a thick strand of black hair falling neatly across his delicate face.
You sighed. "I'm tired of competing."
"You're not replaceable." He clipped, voice hard. "I can't have you leaving like that."
For a moment, there was an awkward silence and he thought about saying his goodnights, but when he glanced at you and saw how dejected you looked, he kept his mouth shut.
In the background, faint music still played from the overhead speakers. The playlist you skate to filled the emptiness. It was comforting, being there with him. Like it was just the two of you in this world.
Suguru exhaled slowly through his nose and stood instead, offering you his hand in a gesture so simple it could be mistaken for nothing. It was almost nothing. You wished it was nothing.
“Come on,” he said. “Skate with me.”
You blinked. “Now?”
“It’s empty.”
It was. The ice had just been smoothened out after your session. The night was coming to an end, and in six hours you would have to wake up and repeat the same routine, be back in the rink for practice.
You considered.
No Satoru teasing from the boards. Just the two of you and the echo of your blades.
You hesitated only a second before taking his hand. His fingers were warm despite the cold, and much larger than yours. Steady.
He helped you up from the bench and guided you gently toward the ice. Not in the commanding way he did during practice, but softer. Almost careful, as though you meant something to him. You stepped onto the rink together and with both hands firmly clasped in his, he was still facing you as the two of you glided on the wet ice.
The first twinkling of piano keys from Sabrina Carpenter's Don't Smile started playing as he pulled you in a little closer, lifting your hand into the empty air to twirl you on the spot.
It felt strangely intimate. Stripped of performance.
You weren't sure when you stopped seeing him as a coach, but then and there it felt like just two people, who have spent entirely too much time together, standing far too close under sterile white lights, breathing the same cold air.
His sharp jaw, shadowed, was softened by the fluorescent glow.
“You look different when you’re not performing,” he said quietly.
You swallowed. “Different how?”
“Softer.”
Your heart was racing at what he said, but there was little time to recover when Suguru began guiding you gently into a turn, skating backward while you followed his lead. His other hand settled at your waist, firm, fingers beginning to splay over the curve. It was not instructional and definitely was not necessary. You could feel the hotness of his breath against your ear. His hands feel hot on your body.
The rink felt smaller with every rotation. Your free hand lifted unconsciously, resting on his and he could swear his heart stuttered. Somehow drifting even closer during a turn, blades slowing without either of you meaning to, you spun to face him.
Something unreadable flickered across his features.
His hand at your waist slid slightly higher, thumb pressing faintly against your side as if anchoring you there. Your fingers began curling into the fabric at his shoulder. The air was thinning by the second.
His gaze dropped briefly to your mouth.
When did he get so close?
You swallowed, tongue wetting your bottom lip out of instinct as the space between the two of you grew smaller and smaller. He was so close then, his nose barely skimmed yours. You could feel his grip tighten just under the curve of your breast; your breath hitched in your throat.
Soft singing spilled into the rink; the beat softened, a delicate run of notes filling the silence between heartbeats. You couldn't believe he had let his guard down like that. The disciplined coach. The architect of your career. The man who understood consequences better than desire.
His forehead rested against yours. A soft, almost broken exhale left him.
“We can’t,” he whispered. His restraint wasn’t born from uncertainty which was the cruellest part.
Suguru had never been unsure of what he felt for you. He had known for months by that point and he almost gave in. If he did, it would have been the end for self-restraint.
But his hand did not leave your waist. You pulled away first. It made him feel nauseous because if he had it his way, it wouldn't have been like this. When his hand dropped from your waist, you felt the cold hit your skin like never before; but still, as you skated toward the benches, the final notes of the song faded into a hollow echo.
The speakers clicked softly into silence again, leaving only the faint scrape of your blades and the sound of your own heartbeat.
You did not look back that night, or else you would have never been able to leave.
But you felt him watching you the entire way.
All of this comes back to him as you catch him staring blankly into space. He tears his gaze from the ghost of you standing inches from his mouth two months ago, focusing instead on the very real and present you now — pushing through exhaustion, forcing another quad when your legs are already trembling. You manage to land that one fine but when you look at Suguru, a hard expression is on his face.
“Again,” he calls. His voice is steady.
Grumbling to yourself, you launch yourself upwards. Mid-air, you feel the familiar ache of fatigue trembling in your thighs and calves. The pain is enough to make your landing uncertain, so when you hit the ice, knees bending to absorb the impact, your balance wavers. The landing hits like a jolt. You almost tip forward, but manage to stay upright at the last moment, though not without a shallow groan escaping you from the strain and the ache.
Satoru exhales sharply.
You glance at Suguru, and see his hard set of his jaw and the tight line of his shoulders. It tells you that he saw every wobble.
Beside him, Satoru shifts, eyes narrowing.
“Suguru, look at her,” he says, voice low, leaning closer to his coach. “She’s exhausted. She can barely land that last one clean. You’re going to push her too far before Milan.”
Sweat beads your hairline despite the freezing air. You swallow, forcing your legs to steady themselves, and push off again, shaking, but refusing to let the fatigue win.
Satoru watches you, silent now, smirk gone, and tension lining his handsome features as he shoots a fleeting glance with Suguru, who doesn’t acknowledge him.
“Satoru,” he says firmly without looking away from you. “Run your footwork.”
You see Satoru sigh dramatically from across the rink but nonetheless, the white haired skater obeys, blades scraping away. Satoru is an amazing skater, extremely graceful on the ice and his movements are fluid — but he is not you. Still, Suguru expects him to take at least silver in the men's.
Suguru's expression is unreadable but every part of him that wants to cross the invisible, thinning line, makes him grit his teeth. Your eyes meet his and you see him swallow hard, eyes locked to you.
For a while he had to convince himself that he loved the attention you brought, the success, the brand deals and the constant feeding into his reputation. But when you finally look away, choosing instead to hone your focus on your cantilevers, it takes every fibre of his being to tear his eyes away from your lithe form on the ice.
For the entire week, you convince yourself that Suguru's training isn't completely exhausting you, but when the days to Milan begin diminishing into nothing, you feel as though every muscle in your body is being ripped apart. Yuki pretends not to see the bags under your eyes, or the way you turn up to practice without a single word being spoken. You're on the ice more than you are at home. If you sleep, it isn't undisturbed and Suguru's texting you to arrive by 5 AM anyway.
Satoru is halfway done lacing his skates when you arrive at the rink. You aren't even that late; when your alarm rang this morning, admittedly you snoozed it more than once and you also aired Suguru's text. Something inside you is beginning to resent him for being so harsh on you this period but a big part of you is still clinging onto hope that you may finish whatever the hell that was two months ago.
"Someone slept in." Satoru drawls, gazing at your tired form through the white hair falling over his forehead. "Did you really stay until 1 AM yesterday?"
You huff, dropping your bag onto the bench with a loud and echoing THUD.
"Didn't have a choice." You mutter. "Couldn't land my fifth enough times."
"Your program only requires four?" Satoru asks, eyebrows creased. "Why's he making you do five?"
"If I can land five perfectly then I can do four."
The white haired skater next to you scoffs loudly, and rests a hand reassuringly on your forearm. "It's not sustainable. Your ankle will give out in the next year."
"Chance will be a fine th—"
"Where have you been?"
Suguru's voice clips your words angrily. He looks dishevelled today, hair down, a few strands over his face, features twisted into annoyance and frustration and an outburst that is slowly clawing its way out of his throat.
Beside you, Satoru rises silently to his feet and he moves slowly to the entrance of the rink. He shoots you a wary look before leaving you alone with Geto.
"I-I—"
"You what? You're slacking?" He laughs. "You were meant to be here five minutes ago."
"Sugu, I'm tired, okay?" You say, defeated. "Sue me if I wanted an extra few minutes in bed."
You run your hand through your hair, a soft sigh exhales from your lightly glossed lips.
"You think the Russians are getting extra minutes in? Or the Koreans?" He asks, bile lacing every word though he hasn't raised his voice yet. His dark eyes are sharp, piercing through the exhaustion, through you, as though he can see every fibre of weakness, every trembling muscle beneath the surface.
You straighten as best you can, dragging your tired body up from the bench, and meet his gaze. The bright white lights reflect like the sun on the slick ice; the rink is quiet this morning. Only the four of you, and three others occupy the space.
“No,” you murmur, voice hoarse from early mornings and long practices. “But it's fine, I've been acing my program.”
Suguru takes a step closer, his presence suddenly feeling oppressive and commanding. Your chest tightens as you realize just how close he is.
By now, Yuki has stopped moving on the ice to watch the two of you from a distance. Satoru is pretending to practice hydroblading, but the sound of metal slicing against wet ice is quiet, and you can feel their watchful eyes on you.
"Yeah?" Suguru starts quietly. "It's not good enough."
"Good enough?" You spurt, eyes wide in disbelief. "Who else is landing you five quads over and over again? I don't see you giving anyone else shit when they're twenty minutes late?"
Something snaps inside Suguru, and he runs a hand through his long black hair. He pinches the bridge of his thin nose, silent for a moment.
"You're slacking. You're getting complacent." He says simply. "Being tired isn't an excuse, Y/N."
“I’m not slacking!” You finally snap, frustration bleeding through the exhaustion. Across the rink, your words carry.
Everyone has stopped what they are doing to watch the two of you go at each other's necks so early in the morning.
His jaw clenches, and for a fraction of a second, you see him wrestling with the same truth you feel coursing through every ache in your body. He wants to protect you, but still, he is pushing you. He hates himself for it, and hates you for reminding him of just how human you are when you’re so incredibly skilled, so impossibly relentless on the ice. Yet, even now, you aren't sure why it still isn't enough for him. You think he wants to see you break.
Suguru’s hands tighten and relax at his sides, flexing constantly.
Then, you throw down the skates you don't even realise you're still holding. They clatter onto the floor. Suguru looks down, then back up at your face; something unreadable flickers across his eyes.
"What?" He asks calmly. "Having a tantrum now?"
"No," you exhale, almost in a laugh. "I'm retiring. I can't do this anymore."
Pushing past him, your shoulder knocks into his and he can feel his vision blurring as adrenaline courses through his body. His hand latches onto your arm at the last minute.
"That's it?" He grits. "You quit, just like that?"
"I can't keep doing this with you." You say.
"You're making a scene." Suguru warns quietly.
Your chest rises sharply as you inhale, catching the faint smell of the rink: metal, cold air, and him. The scent is faint but enough to make your stomach tighten. Yuki watches from the far side of the rink, hands pressed to her mouth, wide eyes betraying worry she’s trying not to show. Satoru has joined her side, uncertainty etched on his pale features.
For a second, neither of you speaks.
The rink feels too bright. Too exposed. The fluorescent lights hum overhead, reflecting off the ice so brightly it hurts to look at. Quite simply put, every skater within earshot has stopped pretending not to listen.
Suguru's grip on your arm never loosens. You can feel the pulse of his palm on your skin.
"What? You're worried about people listening? As if they don't already know how exhausted I am?"
“I’m worried about your career,” he snaps back, still quiet, still controlled. “About the work you’ve put in. About Milan.”
Suguru's thumb shifts slightly against your sleeve; you feel the heat from his skin and his proximity to you is making your stomach lurch. His eyes are filled with something stormy because somewhere along the line, you stopped being just his most promising skater; you became the first thing he looks for when he steps into the rink and the one thing that makes him want to get out of bed at the crack of dawn. Your performance really, is the only one that matters because you make his pulse spike every time without fail. You have for some time now.
He notices the way you tuck your hair behind your ear when you are nervous, overthinking, anticipating criticism. The way your jaw sets before a difficult jump, and the deep breath you take before you step onto the rink. He sees the way your squeeze your hands exactly three times before your skates hit the rink as a good luck ritual.
Suguru's expression falters when your eyes soften, shoulders slumping in the tense air.
“You wanted this,” he says, voice still lowered to a hush.
"I wanted you... don't you see that? I don't care about the medals or whatever anymore." You say. "I wanna quit."
His expression betrays him completely. The look of anguish in his eyes dissipates, and is replaced by the very same look from two months ago when it was just the two of you alone on the ice. It's the same adoring, tender look that you can't get out of your head every night.
But he swallows the lump in his throat, and he lets your arm go. His restraint will always win over his feelings for you.
"I can't do this with you. Do you have any idea what people will say—"
Your angry scoff cuts through his words. "What others will say? Suguru, people are already talking!"
"It's unprofessional—"
"And if I quit?" You ask, pushing your hair out of your face. "I'm tired of competing, I don't want to do it anymore."
"You cannot quit." He clips, an edge to his voice. "You're all I have."
"You have Yuki—"
He barks a laugh, and then without missing a beat:
"Well, I don't love Yuki."
His words make your falter for a mere second, but then you push it all to one side as frustration makes you see red.
You throw your hands up in defeat. "No, you love medals and reputation."
"You're fucking stupid if you really think that."
"No?" You laugh. "Then let me go— let me retire so I can get the fuck away from all of this."
"You will skate." Suguru says firmly. "You will get back on the ice until I say you can retire."
In that moment you realise he's never going to let you go. With a scorned huff, you shake your head, a forced smile pulling at the corner of your lips. Because if he doesn't let you retire, you'll make damn sure you can find a way to get out of it. If he is worried about reputation, there is nothing you can say that is reassuring enough for him to fold.
"Fine. I'll skate." You say. "But don't forget you're the one who forced me back onto the ice."
Suguru draws in a sharp breath, watching you retreat back to where you threw down your skates. When you begin lacing them, he can see your mouth moving, profanities and curses tumbling past your lips in breathless whispers but he forces himself to look away.
By the time the 2026 Winter Olympics comes around, every practice session has felt like being dropped into a pot of water you know is boiling yet you can't do anything about it.
Suguru hasn't folded under the intense pressure of your lingering gazes; the way your hand hovers over his arm just to draw back at the last second; or the way your eyes always find his in a crowded room. Every time you try to toe the line, he pulls away until he starts doing the same and then restraint finds him and he stops. But since the outburst on the rink, you feel as though resentment is beginning to wane over the part of your heart that wanted him so badly. The plane ride over was awkward, and under any other circumstance you would have gladly sat next to Suguru, yet you found yourself squashed in between Satoru who couldn't stop snoring, and Yuki who couldn't stop drooling on your shoulder.
Suguru barely talked to you. Barely looked at you once. Until you were struggling to take your suitcase off the carousel, and he silently reached over and took it off for you. His hand graced the small of your back and lingered there for a second before he tore his gaze away from you.
You tell yourself that none of it is important when you shed your white jacket, handing it to Yuki who is still wearing hers. She gives you a light smile, a reassuring stroke of your arm, and tells you you'll be great because you always are. Suguru's reputation doesn't come from nothing.
His skaters embody perfection.
Others shrink back in the presence of you. You have done gold before. There is no reason you can't do it again.
Today should be no different.
Suguru steps forward, his expression stoic. As you turn to face him, a strand of hair falls over your face and his hand reaches out but then he stops himself, suddenly aware of all the cameras and people surrounding you. The cameras are everywhere; federation officials standing just behind; other coaches standing around; athletes stretching within earshot.
The air smells like the inside of a freezer and hairspray.
He swallows and you see his Adam's apple bob in his throat. The slender hand withdraws and falls to your elbow.
He feels so warm.
"You'll be great out there." He says quietly, and it is the same tone he has used for years. His words are measured, low, and carefully stripped of anything that could be mistaken for affection. Yet, his hold on your arm says otherwise. Under his heavy gaze, you realise he is standing closer than he needs to. Everything unspoken, your confession which has been unaddressed, hangs overhead like a raincloud.
His hand on you feels like a silent apology.
He is standing close enough that you can see the strain gathered at the corners of his eyes, the fatigue he wears like a second skin. His thumb is pressing faintly into the translucent fabric of your costume as though he is grounding you to the earth.
Suguru clears his throat softly. “Stick to the program,” he adds, more firmly now. “Don’t overthink the fifth. You don’t need it— but it will be a new record.”
Yet you want nothing but to destroy it all. Not the fallout; you don't wish for that at all. But you want all of the control and restraint to crumble — you want the chaos of letting it all go.
You wonder, briefly, what would happen if you reached for him now. If you let your hand settle on his chest. If you said his name the way you do when the rink is empty and the lights are off.
The program isn't deviated from. When the music starts playing, you skate like you have always done.
Music fills the rink, singing bouncing off the walls as your spin slows to a halt. In the brief moment the beat of the music slows, you pause as per the program. His choreography.
As agreed — as it always has been.
Your hands are fluttering above your head, fluid and feeling the icy coldness of the rink's air. It hums with expectation.
Suguru nods. A simple action as if to say "you can do it again".
But amongst all of this, something settles. The rink goes still. The last thread snaps and your decision lands — soft and irreversible.
Three have already been landed and everyone went insane at the perfect landing. Gold is secured. Four have been done with ease.
You remind yourself the fifth is only for show. Just like all of this anguish and torment, it's completely unnecessary. And to that end, you accept it, letting the heavy feeling settle in your chest as your skates begin to accelerate backwards, every muscle in your calves pushing you on as you glide across the ice.
Your blades carve clean crescents into the ice as you build speed, muscle memory carrying you through choreography your body has known for years. Three have been done but none of it matters because you have accepted that while you're in the game, it's always going to feel like this. Clinical. Clean. Repetitive.
Every movement being breathless and precise — but completely unfulfilling because all you want is him.
Your eyes lift and there he is, unmoving.
Behind the rink barrier. Black coat, hands braced against the boards. Suguru is watching you the way he always does; he's not proud, not smiling. Controlled. Expectant. His dark eyes burn with something else like adoration and hope.
You see the future now: More medals, more seasons, more hotel rooms with separate floors and rules that flood bitterness into your mouth. More practices with him withdrawing his touch.
You see him stepping back every time it matters.
The edge of your skates deepen in the watery ice.
You vault up and the world melts away, because mid-air, time fractures. A slow exhale that feels like all of your worries, that ache in your chest, the uncontrollable fire in your loins every time Suguru approves of you, seems to flitter out in one breath. You have done this jump a thousand times.
Your body knows exactly where to pull in, when to spot the ice, how to snap the rotation clean.
It’s subtle. Almost invisible, but Suguru sees it.
He has has watched you jump this axel hundreds of times: In empty rinks at dawn; in late-night practices when the Zamboni hum was the only witness; in competition warm-ups where your breath fogged sharp in the icy air. He knows the exact angle of your shoulder when you pull in. The snap of your hips. The ruthless precision of your air position. And he knows when you are hesitating.
One. Two. Three...
There.
Something in your spin is a fraction of a second just too late but incredibly intentional.
A hesitation that doesn’t belong and has never been there before. Hesitation that feels like the moment he almost kissed you late at night on the rink, and you pulled away from him.
His fingers, gloved in black knit, tighten against the rink barrier. He feels the woven softness pull taut against his whitening knuckles.
Pull in.
He's mouthing it to himself. Beside him, Yuki tears her fearful eyes away from you for just one second to watch him. He's whispering it to himself as though you would fix your mistake mid-air if he pleads it any more.
She sees it now, the fear and the worry. She doesn't understand why your spin slowed for a mere millisecond, but when she sees Suguru's face paling at your error, the realisation of what you are doing fills her with dread.
His sharp jaw sets. You have time. He calculates it instinctively, like he has always done. Velocity, axis, remaining rotation. You can still save it and you always do save it. Usually.
Pull in.
“Fuck— no, no—”
The words leave him before he knows he has even spoken.
The edge of your blade meets the ice at the wrong angle. He sees the torque ripple up your toned leg before the sound reaches him. Your expression twists into something ugly that he has never seen before and a deafening crack, cutting abruptly through the music is swallowed by the entire arena’s sharp inhale.
You fold completely onto the ice and the crowd gasps in horror. And for a split second, the world goes silent in Suguru's head.
He’s seen it before: Not on the ice, but in quieter moments. When he stepped back too far; when he told you to focus on your career; when he pretended the line between you was solid steel instead of something he was carving thinner and thinner everyday.
You don't get up. He thinks that if he wills it hard enough, you will.
Yuki's hands have flown over her mouth as she cries your name, eyes brimming with fearful tears. For a second nobody moves.
Then, Suguru finds himself vaulting around the barrier with a violence that shatters every boundary he has ever tried to enforce. Coaches aren’t supposed to rush the ice like this. They aren’t supposed to look unprofessional. But something snaps inside him and he doesn’t care anymore.
Your name tears out of his throat before he can control it.
The music completely fills the rink in the silent horror of onlookers.
Crimson blooms beautifully onto white. You are crying out now in breathy sobs, hand is shaking above your ankle, bent now, with the bone protruding through skin in a jagged edge. The agony steals all air from your lungs as the adrenaline and shock in your veins tells you to try and get up, but it hurts too much and you can't.
Yuki is still frozen behind the barriers, looking at your crumpled figure in the middle of the rink.
Suguru drops to his knees so hard on the wet ice that the impact shoots up through his bones, but he doesn’t feel it. Not when his eyes fall to your ankle. For a moment, his mind refuses to process what he’s actually seeing. Your skate is twisted at an angle that makes his stomach lurch, bile rising to his throat, and the boot is no longer aligned with the clean, disciplined line of your leg that he has spent years of his life perfecting.
The leather has split slightly near the laces from the force of it. Your joint is misshapen and swelling before his eyes. Folded over on the ice, you breathe in ragged and sharp inhales. You barely feel Suguru's body press against your back as he hushes you, cradling your head into his chest.
Suguru has seen injuries before. Sprains. Stress fractures. Torn ligaments. He has sat beside his athletes with ice packs and steady voices, mapping out recovery timelines with clinical calm. He knows the body. He knows damage. Hell, he remembers when Yuki fell on her tailbone and the bruise there lasted for almost two months. She couldn't sit; and he remembers giving her a day off to recover before forcing her back onto the ice again. She was fine and she managed to make it work.
But this is something else entirely. Suguru thinks this is catastrophic; the careful, disciplined mask he has worn for years shatters in a mere heartbeat. His jaw tightens so hard it aches. He exhales, but it doesn’t steady him and his hands are trembling now.
“What did you do?” he whispers, and you can hear the softness in his voice; there is no accusation, no hard edge — his tone sounds like pure devastation. Because he knows. The realization settles heavy and suffocating because this isn’t a season-ending injury. This is career ending.
He knows the exact rotation where you sacrificed the landing; the exact correction you withheld, the moment you didn't pull in enough. He can replay it frame by frame in his mind with merciless clarity. Suguru understands with the same sickening certainty that the line he tried to protect has not just been crossed but now obliterated in the span of seconds.
He never thought you would do something like this.
"I'm sorry, Sugu." You whisper against his chest.
He can feel himself come undone at your words. In fact he can barely hear himself think. The crowd is whispering now, people recording the whole thing with their phones, and no doubt this will make national and international news tomorrow.
His hand tightens at the back of your head, fingers threading into your hair as if he can anchor you to him by sheer force. His forehead presses briefly to your temple, and he closes his eyes for a moment at the sight of your ankle. His breathing feels hot against your matted hair.
But then, footsteps skid across ice.
“Coach, we need space.”
Hands reach for you and Suguru doesn’t move at first. He doesn’t relinquish his hold of you but when you're being pried away, you feel him let go slightly.
"Sugu please don't go." You plead with watery eyes, hands fisting the collar of his coat. His hand shifts to smooth over your hair, damp with sweat and coming undone now.
He forces himself to look again as they cut away the ruined boot. The sound of scissors slicing through leather is obscene. When the skate comes free, the full extent of the damage is revealed and he feels his stomach lurch again. When the crowd of medics surrounding the two of you try to ease him back, his hand shoots out and grabs one medic’s wrist.
“Careful,” he snaps, voice low. “Support the heel. She's in pain."
You whimper when they shift you onto the stretcher. The sound rips straight through him but his hand never leaves yours, thumb stroking over your knuckles in frantic, repetitive motions; you're not sure if he is grounding you, or attempting feebly to ground himself. The sequins and dark blue jewels on the translucent fabric of your costume glitter under the bright white lights.
When they begin to wheel you away, one of the officials places a firm hand on his shoulder.
“Coach, you can’t—”
He shrugs the hand off like it burns.
“I need to be with her.”
There is something in his expression, something cold and unyielding. The official steps aside, lips pressed in a flat line.
"There isn't anything you can do at this point." The man says. "Her ankle is done."
The words ring like a knell in his ear. Suguru runs a hand over his face, a frustrated yell ripping from the depths of his throat as his mind replays the moment you fell on the ice.
He doesn't walk beside the stretcher as they rush you down the corridor. Before he can get another glance at you, the team of medics tending to you have disappeared around the hallway into a sterile, white room.
Your tears are still wet against the sleek fabric of Suguru's coat, your apology echoing in his head.
He doesn't even care now that protocols are dissolving one by one. Reputation. Yours and his. Your career is over within a fraction of a second because you willed it to.
The line he tried so hard to keep behind has completely melted away.
♡ link to my main [archived] masterlist
♡ looking for more JJK? here you go
sorry if this was dog bunsss
wait credit to @bbfawns for planting the figure skater trope in my head many many moons ago omg
a little bit of indulgence as a gift to myself for my bday~
yuri!! on ice was one of the first anime i watched HAHA and figure skater kakashi is such a delicious concept i couldn't resist
as i was drawing this, an absolute bunch of headcanons popped up into my head, which i shall be typing down below:
1) Sakumo was a very well known skater—before rumours of drug usage popped up and blew up suspiciously quickly thus ending his career—all because he had stood up for one of his rinkmates against a similar allegation.
2) Kakashi, who at the time loved watching his dad skate, suddenly was bombarded as he was let out of elementary school by reporters, and news of his dad's ban from competing and the civilians' view on the man confused little Kashi, who only knew Sakumo as his cool and kind dad.
3) Kakashi started skating very young, both the influence of his father and his friends, and his own innate talent for the sport blooming.
4) After the scandal his dad faced, Kakashi became a stickler for every single rule given by the skating commitee, even though he was years off of competing age. This resulted in his skating being cutthroat and precise, lacking free movement and artistry that his father was known for.
5) His dad had withdrawn into himself as the months went by—only after one of his old rinkmates pestered him for answers and lab reports did the truth come out. The lab reports that Sakumo had been given were fake. A press conference detailing the truth was held, but it was too late. The damage to his reputation, and the subsequent pressure put onto the young and prodigious Kakashi, already cut deep.
6) Obito and Rin shared the same rink and coach as Kakashi, both being two years older than him.
7) Namikaze Minato was their coach, who had taken a season off from his own competing to be more present for his wife at home.
8) Minato's nickname back when he was competitively on the rink was "Yellow Flash" due to his bright blond hair, and his skating which looked like he was gliding in a smooth line across the rink, and his insane jump combos.
9) Kakashi got the scar on his eye due to accidentally blocking a hockey puck (from an antagonising bunch of kids sharing the rink that day) too close to his face—the grazing causing his left eye to become slightly clouded—so that the object didn't hit Obito. He still has vision in that eye, but it is extremely blurry.
10) Kakashi moved into the same apartment complex as Minato-sensei during his first junior season, because it was closer to the rink.
11) His relationship with his father had soured over the years—until the press conference happened, halfway through his first junior season. That resulted in his next two skates being choppy—too rigid, failing jumps he hadn't since he was eight.
okay that's it im out of juice now but I can probably cook up much more given inspiration :P
12) Obito was jealous of Kakashi at first, but after Kakashi protected him on the rink, he'd been trying to get him to actually talk with him. Scathing words were thrown from Kakashi which Obito didn't understand why until he saw the news of the new press conference, and then declared that Sakumo was his original inspiration for skating, and that framing him for something like standing up for his teammate was stupid, and that he would've done the same. This, inadvertently, changes how Kakashi views things, but he has to win a mental battle against all that he's been told over the years v/s believing in his father/the truth.
13) Obviously, Obito isn't the only factor in this equation, as Minato has been helping him as much as he can, and Rin, being his rinkmate, has always been kind to Kakashi regardless of what media says Kakashi is like and how Kakashi himself behaves.