The Mother

Yuzuru was truly speechless at the way she managed to say that without even as much as a flinch. It obviously surprised him that she felt confident enough to whisper it in his ear.

It's safe to say that it didn't help him resolve his situation either.

"You're trying to make this harder for me?" He whispered back and she chuckled.

"Sorry." She said biting her lip before hugging Alex.

"Mommy! Feeling better?"

"Yes, I just had a bad night."

"Nightmares?"

"Something like that, hun."

"Yuzu made it better?" He asked with all the innocence in the world even if she was almost certain that he had seen them kiss.

"Yes, he did."

"Yay!"

"So what's the plan for today?" She asked while grabbing one of the muffins that Yuzuru had brought.

"I was thinking that maybe you could come a bit earlier, we could do a tour of the backstage and Alex could meet the other skaters."

"Yes!" The boy exclaimed with excitement, as usual.

"That won't draw too much attention to us? I don't want you to get in trouble." Mia asked honestly.

"The cast won't say anything, they know better."

"If you trust them..."

"Oh, I don't trust a lot of them, but they respect the bounderies and wouldn't go to the media with anything. Even if they did, it would be more their loss than ours."

"You think so?"

"I told you before, I don't care if people see."

Alex was looking at them confused but Mia just shrugged. She trusted Yuzuru and his judgment on this.

"Okay. If you think it's alright, then we can go."

"Good! My mom will help you around if I can't."

"Your... Your mom?" Mia asked, stuttering slightly.

"She wants to meet you both. Is that ok?"

Mia highly doubted that this Japanese woman was fond of her son potentially dating a single mother. Maybe she just wanted to meet her to tell her to back away.

Might as well do that before they even speak about what they truly are.

They didn't go with Yuzuru to the venue since he was afraid that there was media outside, but equipped with their backstage passes, Mia and Alex walked to the big arena about an hour later.

She had to admit that the staff was her salvation because there was no doubt that she would get lost without their precious help.

Yuzuru had asked her to go near the dressing rooms and text him when she had arrived and the girl obeyed it dutifully, not risking any possible screw ups.

They were just standing there when a woman aproached them with a gentle smile.

"Hello? You're Mia?" The woman asked.

"Hum... Yes." She answered confused at how the woman knew her name. Was she a part of Yuzuru's team?

"Yuzuru is on the ice. I'm Yumi, his mother."

Mia was certain that her eyes has doubled in size as she realized who the woman actually was.

That idiot had really sent his mother without a single warning to her and made her look wven worse from the start.

"I... ma'am...Mrs. Hanyu... I."

"Please call me Yumi, I've been wanting to meet you for a while."

Mia was confused. How much had that crazy man told his mother and how could she hide in a hole for the rest of her life?

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting to meet you like this. I apologize for being disrespectful or looking a bit lost."

"It's alright, Mia. Can I call you that?"

"Yes, of course. This is Alex."

"Hello." The boy said with a big grin.

"What a beautiful boy we have here. Yuzuru tells me he skates."

"Yes, he loves that ice. Sometimes I even think it's all he cares about."

"Believe me, I know that well."

The woman was not only incredibly nice, but also very open to them, smiling and trying to make them comfortable. It was far from what Mia expected and for a few minutes, she even allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, the woman didn't disapprove as much as she expected.

Either that or she didn't know.

Yeah, probably that.

"You didn't come to see me, after all. Let me show you the ice."

The older woman guided them through the halls as if she had done this countless times. Mia wondered just how many shows she had watched of Yuzuru. Maybe even all of them.

When they entered the big space where the ice was located and everything was set for the show that would happen in a few hours. On the ice was the unmistakable figure of Yuzuru dressed in a black and white costume. She noticed he was getting ready to skate and almost wished she wasn't watching any spoilers of the performance.

Only then did Mia notice that there were singers on the stage and that this show had live performances. She didn't expect this at all.

Maybe some research would have been nice.

She watched him skate to the live song in complete awe.

Mia had seen him skate in Toronto when Alex asked him to, but there was something about being in full costume and actually performing that it made him change to a completely new person.

The confidence that he showed was similar to when he was teasing her, but on an amplified level for sure. Far more visible to anyone watching.

Her awe only amplified when she saw how the program ended, with a sudden split that made her wonder just how flexible he truly was.

Somehow, that man never stopped surprising her.