𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐒 - yuzuru hanyu.

𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍: consolations

Despite not having any feelings for Haruto yourself, you can't help but feel somewhat guilty for rejecting him. The dejected look on his face and knowing that you were the cause of it made you feel awful.

Yuzuru was confused when you didn't seem too much like yourself after he had finished practicing - it was as if your mind had drifted off somewhere else.

"Are you okay?" he asks you, wiping his the sweat off forehead with a towel. You nod, a tight lipped smile gracing your features - Yuzuru knows something happened.

You notice how his bangs seem a bit messy, and you lightly brush them back into place absent-mindedly - Yuzuru nearly jumps at the sudden contact, his cheeks heating up into a shade of bright pink.

"Want lunch?" you ask, and Yuzuru nods, towel still in his hands as he puts his skate guards on. You don't fail to notice Yuzuru's pink cheeks, and you assume that it's because of the cold air from the rink - little do you know that you are terribly wrong.

You also see Haruto from across the rink, and when his eyes meet yours, he hurriedly looks away. You gulp, guilt washing over you once again - why do you feel so guilty? You don't even like him.

Maybe it's just that you've never liked disappointing people. You've never liked rejection, so you don't want others to experience it, especially not by the hands of you.

"All done," Yuzuru says, and you notice how he's changed into his sneakers. His ankle is wrapped, and you wince when you look at it - you can't imagine the pain that he's suppressing right now.

"Your ankle okay?" you ask, and Yuzuru nods, smiling to reassure you. "Good as new!" he says, and you look at him blankly, knowing he's just saying that to make you not worry. Basically everyone in the world knows that Yuzuru's ankle is not "good as new" at all.

"I swear, I'm fine." he says, noticing the expression that you give him. "Okay," you hum. "Let's go to a restaurant closer to here, maybe - then you won't have to walk as much... since you know... we have to protect your ankle."

"That sounds good." he says, and he links his arm with yours excitedly, and this time you're the one surprised by the sudden contact, your face heating up as your heart does somersaults.

As you two leave, you don't realise the longing look that Haruto gives you two.

Maybe it's better you didn't see it.

Because even at the restaurant, the guilt is practically eating you alive. You shouldn't feel guilty, rejection happens all the time - but why do you?

Maybe it's because you thought you were leading him on - it would've been better if you just ignored all his advances, wouldn't it? Been a little less open and friendly at dinner with Shiyue and Xinyu (but you couldn't bring yourself to do that.)

Yuzuru looks at you with a frown when he notices that you're just looking blankly at your tteokbokki. He nudges you on the shoulder, and you turn to him - he can immediately tell something's up.

"You're feeling bad about something. What's up?"

Sometimes you hate how Yuzuru can read you like a book. Do you really want to tell the guy that you like about how you rejected someone else? What if Yuzuru asks you why you rejected Haruto - you can't just say it's because you like him.

This is not the way you want to confess to Yuzuru.

"It's nothing," you lie, and Yuzuru does not look convinced in the slightest. "I'm your best friend - you can tell me anything. I tell you everything!" he says.

What Yuzuru says is mostly true. Statistically, it is 99.99% true. The 0.1% is that he hasn't told you that he likes you.

"I..."

"(Name). Something's wrong, and I don't like seeing you upset. Just let it all out."

"I... fine." you sigh. "Haruto confessed to me yesterday."

Yuzuru thinks he's about to lose his mind. Is this the worst day of his life?

"Okay..." Yuzuru gulps, trying to hide his feelings. He doesn't know if it's working - he wishes Xinyu was here to tell him if he was doing a convincing job or acting or not.

"I... I rejected him."

Yuzuru wants to scream in joy. So this is not the worst day of his life - maybe it is one of the best. But after Yuzuru realises that you're upset because you rejected him, his mood suddenly turns sour.

"Why are you upset about that?" Yuzuru asks - then he remembers you hate rejection. It's like you to feel bad for rejecting somebody, and he knows this is the situation you're going through right now.

"Oh - I know now." he says, and you nod. "It's just... I don't know why I just feel bad for rejecting him? I mean, I don't like him like that but - was I ever leading him on?" you question.

"I mean... I don't think so? But everyone interprets things differently, and maybe he just interpreted your intentions wrongly." Yuzuru says, and he pats you on the head to console you.

"Look. Don't feel bad for not feeling the same way. It's not like you can help it, right?" Yuzuru says, and you nod. "Yeah. You're right." you respond, and you finally take a bite of tteokbokki.

Yuzuru spends the rest of lunch trying to make you feel better, cracking lots of jokes that make you howl in laughter - he just wants nothing more but to see you smile and laugh. Knowing he put a smile on your face brings him immeasurable joy, and he just feels all warm inside whenever he sees the corners of your lips curve up into a smile.

But there is one thought that sticks at the back of his mind.

And that is how he does not want to have the same fate as Haruto - he can only hope that you do not reject him when the time comes for him to confess.