Akira refused to make the call, insisting that he take Akechi home himself. "What! Why would you do that?" Akechi strongly protested.Â
Akira explained that he believed his manager would simply push him too hard and maybe even force him to do the interview that morning despite his condition. Akechi considered his argument. "It is true that my manager always insists that I do these interviews. Honestly, I probably got sick because I've been working too hard." He thought.Â
Then the next moment, he was struck with nausea that made him wince and he leaned back over the toilet. He gagged wetly until he expelled his stomach contents in a stream. He flushed the toilet, spitting with disgust. "Perhaps you're right... I really don't think I could make it all the way though an interview."Â
Akira agreed and again, offered to take him home. This time, Akechi agreed and they made their way out of the station. They took shortcuts and back roads to avoid being seen, especially when Akechi had to stop as he was reduced to vomiting in an ally. Once he caught his breath, they continued on and finally managed to reach Akechi's house.Â
He helped him inside and Akechi went straight for the restroom. Akira searched around the house for a first aid kit and brought a thermometer and stomach medicine, along with a glass of water. He knocked on the door to the restroom, he could hear Akechi coughing harshly from behind the door. Once it stopped, he heard a weak "come in." He came in to see Akechi hanging over the toilet looking miserable. He was pale and his bangs were stuck to his forehead with sweat. Every few seconds he would bounce slightly with a hiccup that threatened to become a gag at any moment. Akira came and sat beside him on the edge of the bathtub.Â
Akechi suddenly lurched forward over the toilet, puking loudly into the bowl. Then he came up panting and wiped his mouth with toilet paper before flushing it down. "Why are you staying here with me?"Â
Akira shrugged and told him he just wanted to make sure he was okay. Akechi found himself smiling. "Thank you."Â
'I’m late for school' Akira realized. 'I feel like my bond with Akechi has grown stronger.'Â
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Akira put Morgana in his bag and took Yusuke to Takemi Sensei’s doctor’s office.
It took them some time, and they had to stop frequently for Yusuke to catch his breath.
When they arrived, Akira banged on the door and Morgana scratched it until Takemi Sensei finally opened it.
“What- what are you doing here!” She sounded angry, but when she took one look at Yusuke, she scowled but let them in.
Without even having to ask, she handed Yusuke a basin. At once, Yusuke pitched over it and coughed up a mouthful of sick.
Akira looked at her in surprise.
“What? Look at him. He’s as green as a frog.” She said plainly.
Yusuke laid on her examination table and Akira sat in a chair while she checked him over.
“It’s most likely a virus. I’m prescribing him something that should help his fever go down and should be easy on his stomach. He needs lots of sleep and fluids so he doesn’t get dehydrated. He should recover in two to three days.”
When Akira took Yusuke back the the coffee shop, he put him back in bed and Yusuke fell straight to sleep.
Summary: Yuri’s relationship with Yuuri is a complicated thing. It changes a lot over the years. From rivalry to friendship to confidant. He becomes a constant in Yuri’s life, one he’s grateful for (even if he’ll never admit it).
*Options: A, B, C, D. I have no excuse. I wanted to do them all, so I did them all. The way the soulmates thing works in this is you start to see in color after you fall in love with your soulmate. That’s it. Enjoy!
If he could, Yuri would be seeing red right now. He’s told that’s the color of anger and he feels beyond angry at the moment. Furious. Pissed off. Fuming. He’s a swirl of aggression with one destination in mind. Some would probably consider it rude, but Yuri just witnessed the most incredible step sequences he’s ever seen (far superior to his moronic rink mate) and he’ll be damned if he’s not going to light a fire under the guy’s ass. His jumps may have been atrocious, but he was enjoyable to watch nonetheless. He’s the type of competitor Yuri wants to go up against next year and he’s not going to let the other spiral down because of one poor competition.
His foot slams against the stall the other is locked in, then again when the door doesn’t immediately open. The moment it does, he starts yelling and spewing out anything he can think of that might get him fired up. It’s the kind of thing that would light a fire in Yuri and he can only hope it will end up doing the same for him. He won’t know until the other’s next competition, something Yuri will be sure to watch.
That night he finds out more about the Japanese Yuuri than he ever wanted or needed to know. He gets pulled into a dance competition, that he’s embarrassed to say he loses to the drunk man (not that he’d ever admit it out loud). He watches in horror as Yuuri and Christophe do unspeakable things on a pole that seemingly appears out of nowhere. He sees the moment Victor falls in love with the supposedly shy man, who is practically dry humping Victor in front of everyone, and finds it disgusting. It’s an all-around horrifying affair, one Yuri will be glad to forget about as soon as the night is over.
Yuri watches the other man’s next competition and it’s quite possibly the worst thing Yuri has ever seen. Not a single one of his jumps ends in him upright and his movements can only be described as jerky and uncoordinated. Any respectable figure skater would be mortified by such a performance and the fact Yuuri drops off the face of the planet afterwards, is a pretty good indicator that he was. Rumors start to circulate that Japan’s best figure skater might be retiring from the ice. Something Yuri wishes he could change, but he has other things to focus on, like preparing for his first year in the senior division.
When Victor runs off to Japan a few months before the new season starts, Yuri has a pretty good idea of why. The only problem is he doesn’t know where the Japanese skater calls home. He waits patiently for Victor to slipup and leaves for Japan the instant he finds out the city from Victor’s Instagram. It’s more of a small town than a city and Yuri might prefer it to St. Petersburg if he took the time to consider it. Admittedly, he’s more concerned with finding Victor and Yuuri than exploring Hasetsu (he still finds the time to make a small purchase for himself).
His time in Japan is eye-opening, but he leaves when the time comes because he knows he’s been beat. Yuuri’s performance may not have been perfect, far from it, but it’s the kind of performance you can’t tear your eyes away from. The older skater drew his audience in with the way he moved and the emotions he created in tandem with the music. Yuri can admit to himself that the pig beats him in that area, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get better and crush him during the season.
He returns to Russia with a newfound determination and agrees to training with Lilia Baranovskaya because he knows she can get him what he needs. Part of Yuuri’s appeal as a skater comes from his intense ballet background and while Yuri has had ballet training in the past, it’s nowhere near the level Yuuri has. He needs more flexibility and smooth movements and to entice the judges with his ability to do things the other skaters can’t. He’s younger and his body can do more. Lilia will be able to help him take advantage of that. It’s what he needs to win and he’s willing to push his body to its limits if that’s what it takes.
The start of the season rolls around in no time, he knows he’s more prepared than ever for it and he’s excited to find out he’ll be taking on Yuuri in Russia. Skate Canada goes well enough, he would have preferred gold to silver and beating JJ would have been a fantastic bonus, but he’ll take what he can get. He has bigger things to focus on with the Rostelecom Cup looming and he’s happy to see Yuuri does well at the Cup of China. Beating Yuuri in his home city will be great, but he still wants to go up against him at the Grand Prix.
Things end up getting a little dicey when Victor has to rush back to Japan because of something that happened with Makkachin. It’s obvious that Yuuri is shaken up by what happened and it shows in his free skate. It’s not the complete meltdown he had during his previous season, but it makes it so he barely qualifies as the last participant in the Grand Prix. Despite the fact he finds Yuuri’s performance infuriating, Yuri understands the man did his best to keep his emotions in check and gives him a little birthday gift (after a deserving kick in the side of course).
Somehow what was supposed to be a simple gift, ends up changing their relationship more than Yuri was originally anticipating. They exchange phone numbers while Yuri is seeing the other off at the airport and Yuuri texts him later to let him know he’s arrived safely. A few hours after that, he receives a picture of Makkachin looking completely happy and healthy in Victor’s arms. He replies like he doesn’t care, but he’s glad to see the old dog is still doing well. Apparently, that’s an open invitation for Yuuri to text and call him whenever he wants.
His decision to explore Barcelona on his own ends up being a poor one. His crazy fans follow him around incessantly and annoy him to the point he has to sneak away. Somehow, he gets trapped in an alley and is considering his next move when someone pulls up next to him on a motorcycle. It’s not hard to figure out who it is, especially when he removes his sunglasses, but Yuri is understandably shocked to see him.
It shouldn’t be surprising when Yuuri, his sister, his ballet instructor, and Victor show up to ruin everything. Not long after, Phichit and Christophe also show up and Yuri beginnings thinking of ways to get out of this mess. The only reason he doesn’t is because Otabek sits next to him and doesn’t appear to be desperate to leave. He’s perfectly calm about the change and raises an eyebrow at Yuri when he catches him staring.
Everything appears to be going fine. They all have a pleasant enough dinner together and avoid talking about the competition the next day. When Phichit notices the rings on Yuuri and Victor’s fingers, things go downhill quickly. Victor starts going off about it being an engagement ring and them getting married once Yuuri wins the gold. The other competitors at the table get rattled by the mention of it, but Yuri is too busy starting at the pig to notice what the others say.
He’s looking down at the ring on his finger with wide eyes and a blush is steadily filling his cheeks. There’s an unmistakeable sparkle in his eyes and Yuri feels an irrational surge of anger at the fact Yuuri can now see in color. Honestly he thought it would happen sooner, he’s seen the way the two act around each other, so being angry about him finally seeing in color makes no sense. Victor started seeing colors after the banquet last year and Yuri hadn’t gotten upset about that.
For once, he’s glad when JJ shows up to ruin the mood and takes the opportunity to slip away from everyone else. He’s able to keep his frustration at bay during his short program. He goes as far as thinking about Katsudon and Victor during his performance, along with his grandpa and new friend. The anger flares to life right before his free skate when Victor informs him Yuuri is considering retiring after this season. It’s unacceptable and Yuri plans on telling him so through his performance.
When he falls during his performance, he brushes it off and skates the rest of it flawlessly. After it’s all over, it haunts him. He’s terrified that one mistake will keep him from getting the gold and Yuuri will get the perfect reason to feel comfortable retiring now. Tears roll down his cheeks as he collapses on the ice with his hands covering his face. Instead of Yakov meeting him the moment he steps off the ice, it’s Yuuri there to pull him into a tight hug and whisper thank you in his ear. He fights the urge to cry again and hugs Yuuri back so tightly, he can hear the man struggling to breath.
The gold goes to him. It’s a narrow victory, but he can’t stop smiling. Yuuri ruffles his hair affectionately and places a crown of flowers onto his head with a little smile. This time it’s Yuri who hugs him and he can feel the press of their medals against his body. The hug is returned with enthusiasm, but not to the degree Yuri had taken it to earlier.
“I’m so proud of you. You were absolutely incredible out there. Everyone is talking about what an amazing young man and skater you’re becoming.”
“Thanks.” Yuri pulls back a little so he can look Yuuri in the eyes when he asks his question. “You’re not retiring, right? That’s why you were thanking me.”
“No. I’m not going to retire. I didn’t want to drag Victor down. He’s still so talented and has so much left in him.”
“Only because of you.”
“I know that now.”
“Because you see in color.”
Yuuri’s face twists into a bit of a frown, then it smooths back out. “Are you mad about that? The other night you got this weird look on your face after it happened.”
“I don’t know why I was. It’s stupid.”
“Of course, it isn’t. It’s okay to feel things you can’t explain. Maybe it’ll clear up in the future.”
“You sound like you know something.”
“Just a theory. We’ll see whether it ends up being right.”
“Are you going to tell me what it is?”
“No. That’s for you to figure out.”
“I hate you.” Despite the fact Yuri was expecting Yuuri to laugh, the older man looks at him with horror in his eyes. A hand wraps around Yuri’s waist and he’s tugged into their apartment before he can protest. The door clicks shut behind him (Yuuri’s doing), then he’s smashed against Yuuri’s chest. “What are you doing? Get off me!”
“Yuri! You’re crying! What happened?”
“What are you talking about? I am not-” Yuuri pulls back far enough to wipe something off Yuri’s cheek and he catches a glint of gold glimmering on Yuuri’s finger in the process, causing him to let out an ugly sob. “You’re an asshole! You should have told me!”
“Told you what?”
“Your stupid ring!”
“Oh… Oh!”
The hands around Yuri’s waist move to his shoulders so Katsudon can guide him to the couch and shove him onto it. He disappears to the kitchen, then appears a moment later with two glasses of water in hand. His stupid ring shines again when it catches the light and Yuri fights his desire to strangle him in his own home. With an angry huff, he takes the water from Yuuri and wipes at his cheeks while Yuuri’s getting situated on the couch.
“When did it happen?”
“While we were video chatting. I freaked out, like a moron, then hung up on him. He probably thinks I’m the most ridiculous person he’s ever met. He’ll probably want nothing to do with me now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. He feels the same and I’m sure he freaked out too when he started seeing in color.”
The grip Yuri has on his water gets even tighter and he forces himself not to throw it in Yuuri’s face. “What do you mean? He can see in color?”
“I thought you knew. Why do you think I tell you to wear green to make your eyes pop? He never stops staring at you when you wear green. It’s like you’re the only person in the room.”
“How would I have known? It’s not like he told me! Beka’s private about things like that.”
“I’m aware. It’s not like he told me. I just noticed. Guess I should have known you didn’t.”
“And what does that mean?”
“Yurio,” Both the waters are placed on the table, then Yuuri takes Yuri’s hands in his own and gives a little squeeze. “The two of you are a little blind when it comes to the other. Guess that explains why it took you so long to get your colors.”
“We’re not even dating.”
“You know getting your colors has nothing to do with that.”
“What if Otabek doesn’t want more?”
“Don’t be silly. Otabek has been in love with you for years. He’s been waiting for you because he didn’t want to pressure you into a relationship. He’s knows you’re the kind of person that has no problem going after what you want. I think he expected you to come to him when you were ready.”
Yuri scoffs and rolls his eyes. “That sounds just like Beka. He’s a moron.”
“Your moron.”
“Not yet. How mad will Victor be when he finds out I’ve disappeared to Almaty for a few weeks?”
“I doubt that’s necessary.”
“Yes, it is. I need to talk to Beka and I’m not doing in on the phone or computer.”
“You really don’t need to go.” Yuuri pulls his phone out of his pocket, then unlocks it with his finger and begins reading. “Hello, Yuuri. He’s still so formal. Would you mind checking on Yuri? I think I said something that might have upset him while we were talking earlier. I’m getting a plane ticket to St. Petersburg right now. I normally would give him time to calm down, but this time was different than normal. Thank you for your help. Then he sent me his flight time and number. You don’t need to go to Almaty.”
“I’m picking him up at the airport. Can I borrow your car?”
“Where’s your car?”
“I ran over here.”
“You-Yurio! It’s twenty degrees outside and you’re not wearing a coat!”
“I’m Russian. It’s fine.”
“That does not make it fine!”
“You should have told me.”
Otabek doesn’t jump in surprise like most people did when Yuri would sneak up on them. If anything, some of the tension in his shoulders drains and his body becomes more relaxed than normal. Something that only happens when he is around Yuri, not that Yuri has considered what that meant until recently. Now that he actually thinks about it, it’s reassuring to know him being there makes Otabek feel more comfortable.
“Not sure what you’re talking about.”
“The colors. Yuuri said you’ve had them for a while. Why didn’t you tell me?” Some of the tension returns to his shoulders, but he still turns to look at Yuri. “I think I deserved to know. It was because of me, right? Because you fell in love with me.”
The bag in Otabek’s hand is set on the ground and he easily crosses the space between them in a few steps. His hands cup Yuri’s cheeks so gently, Yuri can hardly feel the warmth coming from Otabek’s skin. One of his thumbs strokes across Yuri’s skin and he feels a shudder run through his body at the new sensation. Part of him hopes Otabek leans forward to kiss him, while the other is still looking for an explanation.
“I have only and will only ever love you. You give me clarity and not because of the colors. Even if I didn’t get my colors from you, I would have still loved you regardless. You inspire me and push me to be the best I possible can without even knowing it. You are the most incredible person I have ever met.”
“So, why didn’t you tell me?”
“Yura, what would you have done if I told you before you were ready to hear it? Get distracted? Angry? Frustrated at yourself for not seeing them too?” The kiss Yuri had been hoping for gets pressed against his forehead and he does not blush because of it. “You’re an intense person. You go for what you want and push yourself harder when you don’t get something immediately. You treat life like you treat skating. I didn’t want you to treat love the same.”
“And now that I’ve figured it out? What’s your plan now?”
“Now? I’m going to grab my bags and we’ll go to your apartment so we can talk in private.”
“Sounds boring. I was hoping for something more adventurous.”
“Like what? Kissing in the rain?”
Yuri makes a sound of disgust, closely followed by a pleased hum when Otabek’s hands drop away from his face so his arms can wrap around Yuri’s waist. “Definitely not. It’s cold enough outside without the rain. I wouldn’t mind the kissing though. I’ve heard it’s enjoyable and Yuuri might have given me some tips.”
“Like what?”
“I’d rather show you. If you think you can handle it.”
“Keeping up with you will always be a challenge, but I think I can handle it. I’ve done a pretty good job so far.”
With a taunting smirk, Yuri pulls away and starts heading for where Yuuri’s car is parked out front. “Well, are you coming or not?”
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Summary: Guang-Hong performs a program inspired by the way his relationship with Leo has changed over the years and remembers some of the moments they’ve spent together.
*Options: A, C, D. Listened to Duet for two Solo Violins and String Orchestra (Dedicated to and written for Yehudi Menuhin) by Steve Reich and Kristjan Järvi (found on Spotify) while imagining his performance. Enjoy!
It started abruptly. Two violins coming together in a beautiful duet. Playfully dancing around with one another. Getting to know each other and feeding off the music the other created. It was what drew him to the piece in the first place. It pulled him in, keeping him captivated by the familiarity of it. A story came together in his head. One he knew very well because he lived it.
The next moves were easy. A combination of him and Leo. Snippets of the first performances they’d ever seen the other do live, pieced together into a graceful dance across the ice. His blades slipped across the ice effortlessly and his arms weaved through the air in well-rehearsed movements that were more Leo than him. A tribute to the very start of their friendship. One that continues to change his life.
Guang-Hong bit his lip nervously as he glanced at the familiar boy standing beside him on the podium. His brown hair clung to his forehead and his cheeks were flushed from exertion, but the huge smile on his face made it obvious he wasn’t feeling it. The gold medal hanging from his neck glimmered under the lights of the rink and his eyes shone with pure happiness. His body moved side to side with music only he could hear as the announcer repeated the winners once more, then gave a cheery wave before they were dismissed.
When his eyes landed on Guang-Hong, a blush erupted on the younger boy’s face and he fought the urge to cover it with his hands. The boy smiled in response, then wrapped a friendly arm around Guang-Hong’s shoulder and gave a little squeeze. Before either of them could say anything, a woman holding a camera told them to smile and snapped a quick photo of the two. Later he would use the picture for his phone background, but in the moment he was too nervous to enjoy it for what it was: the start of a beautiful friendship.
“Your name’s Guang-Hong, right?” Unable to speak because of the lump in his throat, Guang-Hong nodded his head in reply. “Is this your first year in the junior division? You did really well!”
“Um, thanks. I really liked the music for your free skate. It was really upbeat.”
“Picking the music is my favorite part! It’s the reason I love skating.”
“Mine is how invincible it makes me feel. It’s comforting.”
“That’s a pretty great reason. It shows in your skating. You’re really talented.”
“So are you.”
A bright smile appeared on Leo’s face, then he looked over Guang-Hong’s head and made a wait motion with his hand. “I need to go, but we should exchange numbers! We’ll probably have more competitions together and it’ll be nice to have a friend.”
“That does sound really nice.”
He landed the first jump with ease. A triple he’d nailed a million times before. A jump he was confident in. One Leo had talked him through when he was learning it and came away from practice frustrated at his inability to do it. It never failed to surprise him how at ease he felt whenever Leo was there to talk him through things. Even if he couldn’t actually be there, just talking to him was enough. That was how Guang-Hong knew they’d moved from being casual friends to good friends-maybe best friends.
Realizing that had been a punch in the gut. He’d had friends before, but someone he could talk to about anything was something completely new. His fears, his hopes, his dreams. Leo would never laugh or try to rationalize why it just wouldn’t be possible. The older boy would simply smile and encourage him to keep going. To be bigger and better. To be the best he possibly could. To be who he wanted to be. It’d been something he didn’t know he needed in his life until he had it.
Leo appeared on the screen with his headphones on and his phone shining light brightly on his face as he smiled down at it. The moment he looked up, he pulled one of the buds out of his ear and waved excitedly at the camera. Guang-Hong shyly waved back, then waited for Leo to finish whatever he was doing on his phone before he spoke.
“Hey.”
“Hi! How was practice?”
“Great. I finally have my short program down. I just need to polish it up.”
“And the jump?” The excitement on Leo’s face had Guang-Hong smiling brightly in response and nodding his head. “I knew it! What did I tell you?”
“That I could do it.”
“And you did! You’re going to be incredible this season. I just know it.”
“You will be, too.”
“We both will and we’ll stand on at least one podium together. I just know it!”
“I hope so. It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other.”
Leo motioned between the screen and himself, then smiled knowingly. “I know what you mean. It’s not the same. Maybe we’ll both end up in the Cup of China. You could show me around!”
“I just hope we can compete together. Next year you’ll be in the senior division and I’ll still be in the junior division.”
“We could still end up at the same competitions.”
“But it won’t be the same.” He pushed the mouse around on his desk, so Leo wouldn’t be able to see how upset he was.
“True, but in a few years you’ll be in the senior division with me. It won’t be that long.”
“I guess.”
“Until then, we’ll both work as hard as we can to make sure we get to the Grand Prix this year! That way, we’re guaranteed to have at least one together.”
“Okay.”
“Great! Now, what did you think of the show?”
Guang-Hong laughed brightly and rolled his eyes at his friend. “It was pretty good.”
“See! I would never steer you wrong!”
“I know.”
The next part of his program was the part he hated to think about. Time between competition they were both competing in together was a fickle thing. Sometimes they would go months without seeing each other in person and their training schedules and time difference would make video chats and phone calls nearly impossible. Those were the months he found himself dreading because, more often than not, he felt lonely.
His combination spin went off flawlessly followed by an arabesque across the ice, then a combination jump. A perfect quad, a flip, a triple he nailed. He could feel the momentum building in himself and the music. Leo had been the one to open his eyes to the music. Long conversations about the subject had opened Guang-Hong’s mind to the endless possibilities of music. It had been one of the first things they had bonded over and one of their favorites.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Guang-Hong pulled the collar of his hoodie over his mouth and looked down at his keyboard. “Really. The piece is great. I’m sure there are plenty of people who would love to use it.”
“But you don’t want to. That’s what matters. You don’t have to like every song given to you. What is it about this one you don’t like?”
“I don’t know. It’s nothing. It’ll be great.”
“Music is supposed to make you feel. It’s meant to bring out emotion in you. Do you feel anything when you listen to it?”
He shrugged his shoulders and glanced up at the screen to find Leo watching him intently. “Not really or maybe I do and I don’t like it. It’s kind of… lonely. I guess. It doesn’t make me excited to perform.”
“You should tell your coach that.”
“But it took them so long to find it.”
“Why don’t you find your own? I pick my own music.”
“I suppose I could, but only if you help me.” When Guang-Hong looked up, he was happy to see the excited look on his friend’s face. “Do you have time now?”
“I should get to sleep.”
“Oh, okay. Some other time.”
“I said I should, not that I’m going to. Let’s get started. What are you wanting to do?”
“Well, I’ve always wanted to do something with a story.”
Leo smiled brightly at him, then picked up his phone and started typing furiously on the illuminated screen. “This is going to be so much fun!”
His body moved fluidly across the ice as he let himself get lost in the music and the memories and the feeling. Every jump felt higher and every move more precise than ever before. He didn’t need to look to know Leo was watching him with that proud smile he always wore whenever Guang-Hong was proving him right. His faith, his trust, and his love. That’s what he said that night and every night since then.
He was speeding toward the finish now. Soon it would be over, but just like the story, his life would continue. The music would stop and he’d never have any real reason to skate this program again, but he’d find new music and skate a new program and some things would stay the same while others changed. Just as their relationship had blossomed from friendship into a romance that Guang-Hong knew would continue to grow stronger. He felt it in his bones and knew it with every brain cell he had.
“Happy birthday!” Guang-Hong immediately slammed the door shut, then opened it right back up to find his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. “Happy birthday?”
“How?”
“How what?”
“You’re here. In China. What?”
“Surprise!”
Tears started to build up in his eyes, making the smile on Leo’s face look a little wobbly. “You came all the way to China to surprise me for my birthday?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“That’s a long way to travel for someone’s birthday. You could have just called. It would have been fine.”
“I didn’t want to call. I wanted to come. Telling you happy birthday over video chat and watching you open your present isn’t the same and I think we’re both old enough to admit it’s not enough anymore.”
“What does that mean?”
Leo stepped into Guang-Hong’s small apartment and shut the door behind him with a soft click. His soft hands gently guided the smaller man’s face up, then he leaned in close enough Guang-Hong could feel his breath against his lips. The distance should have felt too close, but all he could think was how much better it would be if Leo leaned that last bit closer. As if he could read his mind, Leo closed the short distance between their lips.
Nothing could have prepared him for the electric feeling that ran through his body at the soft brush of their lips against each other. Just like when they first became friends, he suddenly felt like something he didn’t know was missing finally filled a hole in his life. It felt right that Leo was now both his best friend and his significant other. It made sense the same way the stories he heard in music did.
“Happy birthday.”
“Very.”
Leo laughed loudly, then pulled him in for another kiss. This one longer and deeper. He could feel this one in his toes and the tips of his fingers. A bone deep tingling that he never wanted to end. It felt like home and life and love. It felt like skating freely across the ice without a care in the world. It felt right.
His chest heaved from exertion. His arms thrown wide, as if he were waiting for someone to fill them. Sweat dripped slowly down the side of his face and all the muscles in his body felt like they were on fire, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was finding Leo in the crowd of people surrounding the rink.
The moment their eyes met, he let out a loud laugh and pushed his body to get off the rink as quickly as possible. There was no tackle kiss onto the ice like with Yuuri and Victor, but their bodies collided together hard enough for Guang-Hong to nearly lose his balance and drag them both down. Like the first time they met, only Leo’s arms around him kept him from falling to the ground. His body suddenly got spun in a quick circle that had his feet well off the ground.
“That was incredible! You looked absolutely gorgeous out there.”
“Did you like it?”
“Like it?” Leo framed Guang-Hong’s face with his hands, then brought their foreheads together so they had to look each other in the eye. “I loved it. Thank you.”
“I need to get to the kiss and cry, but after-”
“After I’m going to kiss you, until you tell me I can’t.”
“That might be a while.”
With a little wink, Leo leaned down to press a quick kiss to the tip of Guang-Hong’s nose. “I have all the time in the world for you.”
So if comets brought the organic compounds necessary for life to begin on Earth over 4,000 million years ago, what's to say it can't happen again on another planet that has a similar environment?
