Ice Rink

When Yuzuru casually suggested going to the rink on that day, Alex jumped with joy and Mia knew that there was no going back.

A small stop to drop groceries and get their skates were the only thing stopping Alex from going straight to the ice.

Mia smiled as the boy carefully checked everything he needed to go to the ice before they went on their way, he had a routine to check to make sure he wouldn't forget anything and it was always funny in her eyes.

Yuzuru grabbed her hand as they walked the short distance between his house and the rink, not bothering with anyone who might be watching them.

The building itself wasn't that big but once they were inside, it looked bigger.

Alex was excitedly pointing things out to Mia that was as clueless as you could get.

Watching them both warm-up side by side was something that Mia didn't seem to be quite ready for. And neither was she ready to see them place their skates on their feet at the same time, side by side with similar thoughts.

She couldn't help to think What if, what if Yuzu had been to one to father Alex... Things could have been so different.

But he wasn't, and every day Mia was reminded of that.

Each day that approached the goodbye to Japan and Yuzuru seemed to go by faster and she just wished that time could stop and the trip back to Toronto wasn't a reality.

Yuzuru was amazing with kids, an amazing coach that she has no doubts could be successful once things had settled in his career.

They had a lot of fun at the rink. Yuzu and Alex skated together and worked on her son's jumps and Mia had fun as well watching them with fascination.

There were no doubts in her head that Yuzuru was the best skater ever, even if she didn't understand any of it, watching him on the ice show just showed her how special he was in his craft.

If Alex could make his dreams come true and become even half of what Yuzu was, all she could do was support it with her best efforts.

They giggled as Yuzuru fell trying to demonstrate something, they talked through different ways to improve Alex's skating but most of all, they had fun.

Time at the rink was sacred for both of the boys and Mia had to feel proud to be allowed to watch them, to be in their little bubble of joy and share that space.

Later on, when Alex was long in bed and they were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, Mia asked him the question that had been in her mind ever since she watched them skating together.

"Have you ever thought about coaching?"

Yuzuru seemed a bit taken aback by the question, not expecting it to come from her. In the end, he still answered.

"Honestly? Not in the near future. I don't feel like I have more to teach than any other coach in the world, but I do feel like I can do things on the ice that no one else thinks of. So right now? I just want to keep doing things like I've been doing and skate while I can."

"What about when you retire for good?"

"I haven't thought that much about it."

"Well, you still have a long time to think about it. You're at your peak, after all."

Yuzuru chuckled and hugged her close.

"I'm not, but thank you for the nice words."

"I do believe them..."

"You don't know that much about figure skating, angel."

"I don't, but I know that you're more entertaining to watch than others."

"That's because you only have eyes for me." He joked kissing her cheek.

"Maybe..."

He was silent for a few seconds, caressing her waist while she dried the last dishes.

"I do like choreographing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I started doing my own choreography when I turned pro and I feel like it's working well."

"Maybe you could do that for others too."

He smiled gently and nodded.

"I would like that... You think Alex would let me do something for him?"

Mia turned suddenly, realizing where this conversation was going.

"You want that?"

"I would love to do it for him."

"People would go crazy if they knew..."

"They don't have to know."

"But you won't get credit."

"Mia... I'm not doing it for credit."

"You're doing it for me?"

"And for him too... I want him to succeed, he reminds me so much of myself when I started. More than that, I care a lot about you both so if I can help in any way..."

Mia didn't even know how to react to him. She both wanted to kiss him senselessly and take him to bed, but the boundaries between them were still a bit unclear.

"You drive me crazy, you know that?" Mia asked with a serious face.

"What can I do to make it better? To make you less crazy?" He asked with a smirk that she recognized instantly. Yuzuru always had that expression when he started flirting with her.

"You can take me to bed..."

He grinned instantly, not even bothering to hide that he was already expecting all of it. It was a matter of seconds before he was carrying her bridal style across the house and into his bedroom.

"You are the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. I just want to worship you."

And he did, fulfilling his promise without much fuss. Entangled in the sheets, Yuzuru made her see stars once again. It wasn't even hard to get lost in him, to trust him completely.

The hard part, Mia had learned, was thinking that she wouldn't have this for a lifetime.