Michele x Emil Series (Yuri on Ice)

Nickname

Nicknames: an important hallmark in a relationship. Calling a significant other by a nickname creates that sweet, playful bond that young lovers engage in. Nicknaming a boyfriend or girlfriend is an art in its own way, and certainly, it's an art that can make a smile appear on the canvas of a face.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case for skaters Emil Nekola and Michele Crispino. A strong bond they had, but nicknames they did not. Emil was a short name as it was, making it next-to-impossible for his boyfriend to think of a smaller version that would be pleasant to the ears. Em was the best that came to mind, but it seemed as plain as a desert even if said in a passionate tone.

Michele only had one nickname that he acquired in life: Mickey. It was a nickname that his sister commonly flaunted, but Emil hopped aboard the "Mickey Train" upon becoming acquaintances with the Crispino twins. He still called the Italian "Michele" from time to time, but now that they were dating, "Mickey" was almost exclusively used.

Indeed, Emil could've found a different nickname for his lover, but he saw no reason to. "Mickey" seemed like such a cute and appropriate way to refer to the other skater. The Czech man already said that name with such passion so many times that he didn't feel as though any other nickname would do the same justice. Michele, however, viewed things a bit differently.

One night, Michele sat on the couch in their living room with a book in his hand. Sometimes it served the man to escape reality for a moment and interact with a different world, even if all of his experiences with such a world were purely imaginary. Though he was sucked into a void of countless pages, Emil seemed to pull him out of it with his presence alone.

The Czech man got on the couch and swung his legs on top of the cushions. He had just gotten out of the shower and into his clothes for the night. Heat radiated off his exposed skin. Getting into a comfortable position, he rested his head against Michele's shoulder and stared at the book. "Hey Mickey, what are you reading?"

"Don't call me that," the man softly ordered as he creased the top corner of the page he was on and set the book down on the wooden table in front of them.

"Huh?" Emil gasped, turning his head to look at Michele. "Why?"

"Because it's the name that Sara gifted me," the other explained, keeping his gaze downwards. "It's the only thing I have left of her love for me." He may not have had his sister by his side anymore, but he at least got to hear that name emerge from her lips from time to time.

"But," the dark blond moved away from his boyfriend and sat in a cross-legged position, facing Michele, "you were always okay with the name before." He was certain of it. Emil worked that nickname in his conversation whenever he could and his boyfriend didn't seem to object to it. Even when they were acquaintances, he didn't seem to mind such a name.

Michele turned his head to face the other. "Yeah, well, that was back then. Things are different now that we're..." he stopped at that point. The skater wasn't exactly used to the term that should've finished off that sentence.

"...boyfriends?" Emil finished, smiling to show how proud he was to say that word out loud. He was so excited to share that status that he paraded it on social media all of the time, much to his lover's annoyance.

"If you want to be direct about it," the Italian mumbled off to the side. He focused his purple eyes on his partner once again as he said, "You should try to find a nickname that's unique... one that only you can call me." To Michele, nothing showed a sense of belonging quite like a nickname did.

"So you want a special nickname," Emil concluded with a wink which caused his boyfriend to be flustered in return. The Czech man sat there for a moment in thought as silence encased the two of them. Rubbing the beard on his chin with two of his fingers, he looked up for a moment and searched through his field of creativity in hopes to find the perfect name. Suddenly, he gasped as the idea jumped out at him. "I know!" the man held up his finger. "Crispino!"

"You idiot," Michele looked at the male with utter disbelief. "That's my last name." Being dumb must've been a curse for being so cute, he thought.

"But it's an adorable name," the other beamed, leaning forward. Of course, he would say that about any name that Michele would've been born with. Any name associated with such handsomely tan skin and ravishing hair was a sexy name, according to Emil.

The skater crossed his arms. "It makes it seem as though I'm your boss or something."

Emil giggled. "Well, if you're not my boss, what are you to me?" He playfully shoved the other to further his teasing. One day, he would get his lover to say the b-word. But until a few walls of insecurities were broken down, it would remain a forbidden word.

"I'm your..." Michele grunted and turned the other way, "It's a stupid nickname, if you can even call it that."

"Ah, but you have yet to hear my reasoning. You see, when I think of "Crispino", two things come to mind." With his interest starting to rise, the male went back to facing Emil. "I think of the word crisp as in a dessert like an apple crisp, and I think of the suffix ino. You told me that ino sometimes makes a noun diminutive in Italian. So, me saying "Crispino" is like calling you my little crisp!" Pride flowed through his heart. It sounded just as good out loud as it did in his head.

Michele loosened his arms, sputtering for a moment. Admittedly, Emil put more effort into the name than his boyfriend originally thought. Perhaps the Czech man was cute and just slightly dumb. In any case, the Italian rolled his eyes. "Remind me to stop teaching you Italian."

"Come on, don't play tough kitty," Emil urged. "You love the nickname and you know it." The more Michele disliked something, the more he secretly liked it. That was something the dark blond learned relatively fast in their relationship.

"I hate the nickname," Michele strongly refuted. "I'd rather you go back to calling me Mickey."

"Too bad," the other said. "You asked for a new nickname and that's what I came up with. No take-backs!" He pounced on his boyfriend and laughed on top of it. In a short moment, his arm was wrapped around Michele's shoulders as the Czech man leaned up against his boyfriend once again. He glanced upwards at the other with glimmering blue eyes, taking notice of the annoyed expression painted on Michele's face. "You're really cute when you're mad. Know that, Crispino?"

"Whatever you say... Kola," Michele responded. A bit of red had reached his cheeks.

"Kola? Where did that come from?" Emil asked.

"Since we're using each other's surnames to form nicknames, that's my nickname for you. It sounds like cola," the Italian looked downwards to avoid the captivating glance of his boyfriend. "Smooth and sweet just like... you know..."

"I love it," the other said as he gently lifted his boyfriend's head back up. By then, the Czech man was also showing a small amount of red on his face. Unlike Michele, though, Emil didn't cower away. He intently stared into those swirls of purple as he softly mentioned, "Almost as much as I love you."

Michele didn't have a response for that one. Instead, he stared right back at his lover. With heat and passion visible on both of their faces, it was hard for them to contain the desire that burned brightly on the inside. Their snuggling was close. Michele nuzzled further into Emil and brushed his fingers through the dark blond mess in front of him.

Close wasn't close enough when they could be closer. Emil leaned in closer, but did it slowly so that Michele's fingers could still comb through his soft hair. To show mutual feelings, the other also leaned forward bringing their lips so close there were only a few inches between them. It was a moment that lasted only a few seconds in reality, but seemed to move so slowly in their heads. Soon, their lips were an inch apart, and finally, their lips were interlocked.

Heat rushed to both of their ears as they kissed for a few moments. A rush shot past their beating hearts and spread like strokes of paint throughout their body. Enveloped in comfort, the two males enjoyed the moment as if it was an eternal sensation.

The two eventually split in order to catch their breath, but Emil still stayed close to his boyfriend. Both of them breathed heavily as the blush on their faces deepened. The dark blond closed his eyes and softly laughed. "I'll take that as appreciation for the name I gave you, my little crisp."