𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 - yuzuru hanyu.

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: matcha mille crepe

The bell on the bakery shop door jingles as you open the door.

Yuzuru follows you into the shop, and the elderly couple greets you both with kind and welcoming smiles. "Nice to see you two again," Mrs Suzuki, one of the two owners says, and you smile. "Same goes for you. How are you doing?"

"Very well, thank you. What would you two like today?" Mrs Suzuki asks, and you look at the rows of cakes, pastries and bread on display intently, your eyebrows knitted together - which Yuzuru can't help but find adorable.

"I'd like a... matcha mille crepe cake... and a loaf of milk bread, please. Yuzu?" you say, before asking Yuzuru what he'd like to order.

"I'll just get a melonpan." he says, and he fishes in his pocket for his wallet. But you're faster, pulling out your card so you can pay.

"(Name)! Let me pay, for once." he says, and you shake your head with a smile. Ever since you two were kids, you'd always paid for the pastries that you had bought at the shop, and you'd also grown used to Yuzuru's protests of how he'd like to pay instead of you.

You never let him, though. "It's one out of the few things that I'm able to do for you." is your response every time Yuzuru asks you why you never let him pay.

Yet, he doesn't understand your logic somehow - you've done so much for him over the years, could you not see that? Staying with him through practices, buying him food, cheering him on at competitions, you've really done more for him than he could ever ask for.

"Are you two sharing the cake? Because I'll get extra cutlery for you two," Mrs Suzuki inquires, snapping Yuzuru out of his thoughts. You nod to the old lady's question, thanking her silently before telling Yuzuru you're going to go get a table. When Mrs Suzuki comes back, she hands Yuzuru a tray with the matcha cake, your loaf of milk bread and his melonpan.

"You two still not together yet?" she asks as Yuzuru gratefully accepts the tray. The sigh that leaves his lips is enough to tell the old lady that the answer remains the same.

"You should ask her sometime. I mean... it is obvious you are quite smitten - I've seen you two grow up together." Mrs Suzuki says to Yuzuru with a soft, reassuring smile, and Yuzuru nods at her in understanding.

"It's not the right time, Mrs Suzuki."

"When will it be, then? You delay, and delay, and delay - you are not usually like this, Yuzuru. What's got you so afraid?"

Mrs Suzuki is right. Yuzuru keeps telling himself that it's not the right time to tell you that he's in love with you - but when will the right time that he so desires be? All he wants to do is hold you, kiss you, love you - except, there's a mountain of obstacles in his way (namely, his busy schedule and with the addition of Haruto coming into the picture.)

Yuzuru doesn't like to admit it, but yes. He's afraid. Afraid that telling you he loves you will equate to him losing you. He cannot just throw away a friendship of ten years and more all due to his impulses - impulses that have been plaguing his mind for the past few months.

He cannot fathom life without you. He needs you.

Which is precisely why he cannot tell you. If you do not reciprocate his feelings, things between you two would surely be awkward and never the same again. After all, you two do live in the same apartment, you see each other every day, and your daily routines always include each other in it.

"I don't want to lose her." he says, voice barely above a whisper. "If I tell her, and she does not feel the same - I wouldn't know what to do."

Mrs Suzuki looks at him with a certain look in her eyes. "She obviously feels the same way, Yuzuru - anyone could see that she reciprocates the feelings you hold for her."

He can't help but feel a little bit giddy at the idea of you possibly reciprocating his feelings.

"You really think so?" he asks.

"I know so, Yuzuru. I've seen you two grow up together, after all. I know your relationship with each other very well. She does not look at you the same way she did a couple years ago. There's a certain... fondness in her eyes. Something that tells me that she cherishes you more than anyone else."

A smile makes its way to Yuzuru's lips, and Mrs Suzuki smiles as well. "I hope you're right, Mrs Suzuki." he says, and the older lady chuckles. "Alright, alright - go back and talk to (Name). Yell out if you need me."

When he slides into the empty seat at the table, you eagerly grab the fork on the tray, wanting to have a taste of the matcha cake. "You seemed to be having a nice conversation with Mrs Suzuki," you comment.

"Yeah, it was rather nice." he beams, grabbing a fork of his own. You push the cake towards him, offering him the first bite. He shakes his head, pushing it towards you. You sigh, but a small smile graces your lips.

You pick up your fork, cutting off a tiny bit of the cake and holding it up to Yuzuru's mouth. "Say ahh." you say, and Yuzuru's face immediately heat up, pink dusting the apples of his cheeks.

"What?" he sputters out, and you push the fork closer to his mouth. "Eat the cake, Yuzu." you say, and god, he doesn't even know why this interaction is making his heart pound against his chest wildly.

"Come on," you say, pouting slightly, and Yuzuru finally gives in, opening his mouth and taking a bite of the cake. "Is it good?" you ask, a grin on your lips.

"Mhm," Yuzuru says, slightly muffled as he chews on the cake. "You'll like it."

"Will I?" you ask in amusement, raising an eyebrow with a small chuckle. Yuzuru nods, and you cut off another piece of cake before putting it into your mouth. It's not too sweet, and the light creamy frosting in between the layers of the cake is perfect.

"That's so good," you say, your voice muffled as you motion to cut off another slice of the cake for yourself. Yuzuru chuckles at your eagerness to eat another slice, watching you with amusement as he tears open the packaging for his melonpan.

"So... practice went well today, right?" you ask, and Yuzuru nods with a smile. "It was pretty good. I'm kind of nervous, to be honest." he confesses, and you tilt your head in question.

"Why?"

"I can't help but feel a bit of pressure, since I won four years ago. All eyes will be on me." he says, and you nod. "You don't have to worry," you say as you chew on another piece of cake. "You've always done your best in every skate. I'm sure that you'll win gold this year again."

"Don't say that! What if you jinx it?" he jokes, and you laugh. "I won't! I'm speaking it into existence - you're going to win, Yuzu!"

Butterflies erupt in his stomach at the sound of your laughter, and he's too caught up in your shared moment of joy to the point where he only realises that you've got a smudge of frosting on the side of your lip.

"Wait, hold still." he says, leaning over the table to wipe it off your lip with a napkin. Your face feels hot at the action, and you have to tell your heart to calm down after realising how fast it's beating against your chest right now.

"Frosting." he murmurs, and you nod. "Thank you." you say, silently - and Yuzuru just smiles at you before taking a bite of the melonpan.

When you two are on your way back home, you two stop at the convenience store to buy a couple of drinks - drinks that Yuzuru would personally not drink, but he knows that you would. The taste of alcohol is disgusting to him, so he never drinks. When you're drunk, he's often the one taking care of you, and he doesn't quite mind at all. He's faster than you this time when it comes to paying at the convenience store, and you look at him with a pout on your lips.

And the only thought running through Yuzuru's mind is that he wants to kiss you.