Sneak Peek Time - Chapter 33
Are you guys bored of all the content yet? I can always take off for another year or so... ;)
Writing is going well. Io has edited the next two chapters for me... there's more, so much more... I'm sorry. I really thought I could wrap it up faster, but there's so much that I hate cutting out, and I think you'd all like it. So I'm keeping it.
Now it's time for Yuuri's first World Championships.
Alexei nodded along in time to the music for a minute before taking one of the earbuds out and looking at Yuuri. “I like it. This is for the ice shows this summer?”
“Yeah. I’ve been toying with it for the last month or so.”
“Do you need help?” Dangerous territory, but he was the one asking, not Yuuri.
Alexei was actually a little surprised when Yuuri shook his head. “No, I want to do this one myself. Completely. Besides, if I get stuck, Ciao Ciao can help.” Yuuri nodded his head to the side of the rink where his coach was sitting, going through some paperwork. “I showed him what I had so far last week, and he said it looked like a good skeleton. He’s being pretty hands off with it.”
This was promising. It’s where Alexei would have wanted Yuuri to be with Celestino by the end of last summer, not mere weeks before Worlds. As it was, he still had some growing to do.
“OK, enough of a break. Back on the ice.” Yuuri nodded and headed back for the ice, leaving his hard guards on the boards and getting moving again.
Celestino came up and settled next to Alexei at the boards. “You wanted him to stay.” It wasn’t a question, but Alexei treated it like one anyway.
He nodded. “But he was never going to grow that way. As a skater or a person.”
Out on the ice, Yuuri was skating the jumps for his free skate. His Tanos had been fairly clean at Four Continents, but could have been better -- he did agree with Celestino on that -- and they’d spent some time cleaning those up. Alexei had also given Celestino some suggestions for gym work to be added to Yuuri’s workouts.
“I’m not sure about the quad Lutz in the free for Worlds.” Celestino leaned forward. “He wants it too much, and it just…” Celestino trailed off. “I’m not judging Madame Baranovskaya’s work, or yours as a jump coach.”
“No, I see what you’re saying. He’s trying too hard for it. I agree. Every time he’s skated it in his free while I’ve been here, it’s been off. He’s landing it fine outside of the program. Once it’s in... He’s out of practice with it, he has to push for it since it’s in the back half, and there might not be time to clean all that up before he needs to leave for Nice, let alone before I leave. His Salchow might work.”
Celestino grunted. “You know he won’t go for that.”
Alexei nodded. “I swear he wasn’t nearly this stubborn last year. Maybe I’m lucky he’s your skater now.”
“He stayed in Juniors too long,” Celestino replied, giving Alexei a sideways look. “In my opinion.” Celestino paused. “I want him to succeed, but I’m not sure I’m the right coach for him, and he’s not sure about me either."
