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THERE WAS A TIME Nagi wouldn't practice outside of his schedule, but that was back when he didn't take skating seriously enough. With his newfound motivation and the Olympics approaching, he was willing to push himself harder than usual, which involved practicing on his own.
He had to admit it felt better than being at Blue Lock, anyways. So the extra practice didn't bother him as it used to in the past. Although Chris was very passionate and a good coach — with lots of expertise — Nagi still preferred free skating over memorizing and practicing routines, and he was only able to do that by himself.
He was just about to leave, already thinking of his cool-down routine, when Reo got on the ice. Nagi hadn't seen him in weeks. They had been so busy preparing for international competitions this season, that he hadn't been able to do more than text the other.
The Olympics were this year, and with Itoshi Rin being officially a senior since last month, the competition had turned more intense. Reo smiled at Nagi, waving in his direction before settling on his starting pose and starting his short program while he listened to the music through his headphones.
Nagi zoned out as he followed the movement of his friend's glades. He couldn't help but think of Jia, of how convinced she seemed that Reo had a place at the Olympics. 'Money moves the world' she had told Seishiro, going on another of her long rants about how he was wasting his time. She liked to do that when they arrived home around the same time and had to forcefully sit at the same table.
Thankfully, he's managed to avoid her these past weeks. He wants to keep it that way, and only ever face her once the Olympic invitation is on his hand, to show her she had been prejudiced and deeply mistaken. Thus, Nagi would go to the Olympics to shut her up and battle Isagi on the most important stage for skaters like them. He would accomplish that dream; one that was fully his.
Like a second thought and at the sound of a crash, he looked at Reo again and found him holding onto one of the railings at the side of the rink. His arms trembled while he muttered something at his reflection. His knuckles were most likely white under the gloves.
He must have fallen again, or worse, slammed against a corner.
Any other day Nagi would have let Reo deal with it alone – that was Nagi's preferable way to deal with his own shit, after all. But, for some reason, he was already skating closer to the human ticking time bomb.
"What is it?" He asked.
Reo lowered his head and stretched, hiding his expression. When he straightened up again, he still avoided Nagi's eyes. "Nothing. It's just that in the air it felt so wrong... something felt off and I couldn't... do it."
