Jade (Yuzuru Hanyu)

9 - Heirloom

"LEATHER WHAT NOW?!"

"Shh!" Sonya shushed Tami since Momo's was fairly crowded at the moment.

I was trying to keep a serious face in front of Tami's shocked and flustered expression, but it was getting harder by the moment. I continued my story while biting my inner cheek;

"Handcuffs."

"A-and you also mentioned the black..."

"Jacuzzi, yes."

"Also satin-"

"Mhm, bedsheets...red."

"You were literally in his bed. In.his.bed!!! LITERALLY!"

"Oh, indeed I was." Not bursting into laughter was now feeling impossible so I couldn't help but put on a small smirk.

Tami's eyes were frantically going in between me and Sonya, "YOU'RE SEEING THIS, RIGHT? OR AM I GOING INSANE? WHAT IS THAT SMIRK? WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING US?!"

"I've told you all."

"You can't trick me, Bennett. I know that look and I've never seen it before on your face. There's something more."

"Well, it's just...I found him cooking in the kitchen, shirtless."

"Sonya, check my fever, I think I'm going to faint."

"You're fiiiine." Sonya put her hand on Tami's forehead to pretend like checking her fever without removing her narrowed eyes from mine and added "And you're lying."

I started laughing until I was in tears. "Of course I am!! There's no leather handcuffs or red satin bedsheets."

If someone saw Tami's expression they would probably think she just found out she's adopted.

"What do you mean there were no handcuffs? Is the jacuzzi also a lie?"

"No, it's perfectly real." seeing her suspicious expression I added, "Swear."

"And shirtless cooking?" A slight hope appeared in her eyes.

"Oh, that was also a lie, sorry."

"Ugh, I was getting hyped there." Sonya grunted with disappointment.

"I'm sorry my boring life couldn't fulfill your fanfiction fantasies."

"Please try harder next time."

"For?"

"Seducing him."

"Come on, not you too. Tami is already enough for the role of the provocateur."

"Ok, sorry but this story was so intriguing I just couldn't help it."

"It was! I can't believe you tricked us, it was mean." Tami muttered before violently stuffing her mouth with ramen.

"First of all, you have absolutely no right to blame me, you deserved every bit of it. If you didn't ditch me in the bar and leave with that drummer guy, I wouldn't embarrass myself in front of him. I'm still blushing every time I remember the flashbacks of that night."

"Have you seen him? He was like a Greek god AND, in my defense, I was so drunk I didn't even realize you were equally messed up. But I really am sorry."

"It's ok. There's nothing we can do about it anyway."

After some time, Eiji finally arrived. While he was telling us about their lovey-dovey last night with Alice, Tami was pretending to gag but stopped at once when I threatened her to take away the tattoo shop gift card. Despite Sonya's protests, I told her she will receive her present on Christmas since we are going to be together.

Regardless of all my efforts to concentrate on the conversation, my mind was on the ad I published this morning. I had to buy the skates today, tomorrow at the latest for the kids to find them right on time. One of the photos was already sold within the first hour, but there were still five more to go.

I told him he wasn't the young popular bachelor anymore. See, if these were his competition days the photos would be gone within the first minute.

As if someone heard my plea, a notification appeared on my phone's screen, letting me know I have a new order. I squealed without noticing, causing all three to look at me.

"Umm..it's just..a funny meme."

Well there was a good reason for the squeal because someone just bought all five of the remaining photos and I couldn't help but to feel myself like Gollum, seeing that all the money I needed was now waiting for me in my bank account.

My precious.

✨

"Yoshida-saaaan."

A middle aged man appeared in between the stacked racks within the small shop, frowning upon seeing me.

"Jade-chan? What are you doing here? Didn't I adjust and sharpen your blades only last week?"

"You did, and they are great. I'm not here for mine." I put the skates on his small work table. "Can you sharpen these as well? But we don't have much time."

"Whose skates are these? I need to see the old ones as well to adjust them accordingly."

"I bought them as Christmas presents for kids, so I can't bring you the old ones yet. Pleaaaseee they will come to you anyway if they ever need further adjustment."

"But I can't...It won't work-" I kept looking at him with puppy eyes until he gave up.

"Ah, fine. Yuzu-kun would send his skates all the way from Canada and you can't even bring me those from inside the building."

I bowed deeply, "Thank you so so so much! You're the best!"

Yoshida-san was the owner of the small shop under the Sendai public rink, in which he's been doing a great job sharpening the blades of the skaters' boats for well over two decades. On our first day of training, Yuzuru brought me here for him to examine my boots. I was listening to him with my mouth agape while he was explaining to me which types of the jumps I struggle with as well as my most repeated mistakes. He was like a fortune teller but instead of using tea leaves or coffee grounds, he was using the blades.

He was taking care of each skate as if they were fragile creatures which had senses.

"They have memories. If you look at them close enough you can see every fall, every take-off, every successful landing, the most glorious moments as well as the darkest ones when the skater feels the loneliest within the solitude of the rink without the cheering fans. This is why I'm not just sharpening the blades but also taking care of the leather, the lace, the hooks. They are the dearest companions to a skater on which you can see a whole life full of failure and success. If you think about it, they are no different than war heirlooms, witnesses of the spectacular fight of a proud soldier. A Skater's instrument to play the music of the ice."

I knew he was thinking about Yuzuru when saying these words. Both of them always had a special place in each other's lives, Yuzuru trusting only him with his skates, and Yoshida-san doing his best on providing them with the best care anyone could ever provide.

After he handed me the skates, we wished each other Merry Christmas and I hurried my way to finish wrapping the gifts and put them under the tree.