All About Us [Yuri Katsuki x Reader]

142 - Tempest

His breath was pale against the chilly air. He blinked thoughtfully as the frost caressed his face. He always had a deep rooted appreciation for snow and thought of just how timely it was for it to fall now of all times. But as much as he thought it to be beautiful, he, like most people really did not want to have to walk through it if they could help it.

The three of you had opted to take a taxi into the city and much to his relief, the traffic was actually bearable despite the build up of all the white powdery substance. The trip to the rink later that evening proved to be uneventful and he was grateful for that, in fact the three of you arrived earlier than any of you had anticipated (it would give him ample time to relax a bit before the program started). He had already prepared all the stuff that he needed before hand so that there wouldn't be that much of a hassle (however the same couldn't be said for his silverette coach who had nearly forgotten to bring his wallet and his phone with him). 

The sixth event of the Grand Prix Series, the Rostelecom Cup was well underway. After all that the Japanese skater has been through over the course of rigorous training and much preparation, the hour of reckoning is drawing nigh. This would be a make or break moment for him wherein the odds were stacked against his favor as he usually found it to be the case when it came to him (or was that just his nerves doing the talking? He wasn't so sure).

But despite all of that, he strangely felt rather at ease, all things considered. That in itself came as a huge surprise to him seeing as how his anxiety would usually get the better of him during this kind of situations. It also didn't help any that he was in a place that he was unfamiliar with and he also wasn't on friendly terms with the other competitors (having only met a few of them briefly before with the exception of a certain Russian blonde filled with burning hatred for him). He just let it all roll off of him like water .

He felt as if though he were stranger in his own skin. He wasn't usually like this. He would like to justify that the sudden surge of confidence came from the fact that probably no one wanted him to win here. Majority of those who would be watching from the stands were more likely to appreciate watching his coach skate rather than him. And they have every right to not want him to do so. He was practically an intruder, stealing Victor, their champion, from the ice was probably one of the biggest contributing factor...and for some odd reason, it made him tremble deep inside, not with fear, doubt or anxiousness but rather a twinge of excitement and thrill. He did not need anyone else to look down on him because he already does plenty of that on his own on a daily basis, but all the same, this feeling is making him all the more determined to prove everybody wrong. He had invested far too much of himself in this to just half-heartedly back out now. He wanted to prove that he has every right to be here just as much as the other skaters do.

 And damn it all, he has never recalled a time where he felt this way just right before a competition. It was, with a lack of a better word, strange. But he welcomed the feeling nonetheless.

He already had everything in place and he was going through his short program once more with Victor in the hallway when he felt someone watching him from behind. He turned to notice that there camera men already taking footage of them. He wasn't the least bit put off by their presence, he could dare say that he was used to the attention. He couldn't say that he liked being the focus of someone's attention and be in front of a camera but he could put up with it to some extent. With a job like theirs, the media is to be tolerated if you want to make a good impression. So he let them be and continued talking with Victor. They would move on soon enough.

"So, are you nervous?"

The dark haired skater stretched his arms and shook his head, "Oddly enough...no."

His coach hummed in acknowledgement, "You don't seem to be particularly happy about not being nervous."

"I wouldn't call it happy..." The younger skater started, "I just don't want to get too cocky and have it all back fire on me, that's all...It's probably the pre-program jitters getting to me." He brushed off, not wanting to delve in more into the subject.