The Ice Prince // Yuzuvier Fan Fic

Chapter Forty Nine

Yuzuru:

I was exhausted. There wasn't a part of my body that didn't ache somehow and all I wanted to do was sink into a warm bed with Javi's arms wrapped around me and sleep for a month. But I couldn't stop now. It was too close.

"Yuzu." My agent called out to me as I hopped in place testing out my ankle. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course." I huffed and twisted my body to prepare it for the jump.

"There's only 3 weeks left until the Olympics and there is still speculation about whether or not you'll be competing. We've been talking and we think maybe you could do an interview so that you can answer any pressing questions."

"OK." I murmured as I landed with a wince. Ouch.

"I know you don't like the press but if you give them a chance - " He stuttered to a stop. "Huh?"

"I said OK." I sighed and looked at him. "We can do an interview."

"Hontou ni?"

"Don't make me change my mind." I threatened and he held up his hands, scurrying away before I could say anything else.

My agent set up the interview with prominent news channels that had large sports segments from Japan and other interested countries rather quickly and it was only a few days later that they were setting up their cameras in Coach Brian's office and peering at me with unconcealed interest as I warmed up with Coach Ghislain.

"You ready?" He asked me after checking my skates.

"No." I said quietly and he stilled at my unusual honesty.

"If you really don't want to do this you can still say no."

"I'll be OK." I smiled at him when he looked like he didn't believe me and he sighed as he handed me my skates. I could feel the camera on me as I sat down to put them on. For some reason, the world found it fascinating watching me tie my laces. It didn't seem particularly exciting to me... although it was quiet sexy watching Javi's hands when he did his own laces. The sharp fast movements as he tugged them tight did something to my skin that made it tingle with awareness. OK so maybe there was a reason.

I took a deep breath and pushed off onto the ice. The reporters currently snapping a thousand photos of my every move didn't know this, but it was my first time on the ice since the accident. I'd been keeping to ground exercises and training in the pool to keep the weight off my ankle and Coach Brian was only letting me on the ice today to calm the media as my agent had suggested. It felt like coming home in the best way possible and I couldn't help the smile spreading on my face.

I didn't attempt anything fancy. Under Coach Ghislain's watchful eyes, I went through my normal series of warm up drills and did a few laps around the ice to test the pressure on my ankle. No jumps. I skidded to a stop by the rail where he was standing and his eyes were shining as he looked at me proudly.

"Stop." I warned him.

"I didn't think I'd see you on the ice again so soon."

The same sentence was repeated to me a few minutes later when I sat down for my interview.

"I'm sure you can understand how surprised we all are to see you standing." She said and I took a few seconds to organise my thoughts.