#skating au

[iybms]

helmet hair

#my art #klance #keith vld #lance vld #2020 #skating au

[subbyp]

one piece figure skating au wherein Sanji and Zoro have one of Those Sports Rivalries. you know, the kind where their names are pretty much never mentioned without each other and people who follow the sport at their level have Opinions on which one is better (Zoro’s fans maintain that Zoro has a better technical skillset and that Sanji basically just gets by on charisma. Sanji’s fans think Zoro’s routines are bland and unchallenging and make memes about his one facial expression). They themselves respect each other but definitely are trying to outdo each other and also have the OPLA “trying to banter but it just sounds like insults” disease.

then Sanji’s career is suddenly disrupted by being outed as transfem (not saying by Judge but definitely by Judge). there’s this huge controversy over can she skate, and if so with whom and in what context, which keeps her off the ice for months and looks to end her career completely. this is when Zoro offers to do a pairs routine with her in an upcoming exhibition.

now everybody who follows Zoro knows that he 1) hates exhibitions because there’s no winner and 2) hates overtly themed routines because he thinks they’re a crutch to distract from a deficiency of pure skill.

which is why it’s surprising when their pairs routine, a lindy hop-style piece set to a medley of Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate and I Wish I Were in Love Again, which is choreographed half as a knock down drag out fight and intended as an inside joke about their rivalry, turns out to be 1) absolutely oozing with sexual tension and 2) probably the best performance, athletically and artistically, of both of their careers.

seriously, to be able to combine swing dancing and stage fighting, on ice skates, in your first routine together, is such an insane achievement on a technical level that it almost overshadows both the controversy over Sanji’s gender and the colossal waves of UST emanating from every recording of that performance.

which was kind of the point.

well, the first part was at any rate. Zoro wanted to show his respect for Sanji as an athlete and his rival and to deliver such an incredible performance with her that it would get people to talk about that rather than about her gender. he was not anticipating the other bit.

(at least now most of the memes about him have changed to being about how his competition-obsessed stone-faced ass is doomed to go down in history for an exhibition routine about his rivalry boner, which is…better?)

#one piece #one piece modern au #sports au #skating au #roronoa zoro #black leg sanji #Zoro/Sanji #zosan

[theroundbartable]

Skater au.

Arthur and his friends are actually a bicyle group who call themselves "the knights". They meet every day to learn new tricks and practice. (As they ride their bikes, you know? Horses, knights, but bikes)

They love their exercise but have a growing hatred for those skater kids who keep blocking the skatepark. The "Druids" mostly just linger around anyway and are quicker to leave when police gets involved ("cause of them damn kids lazin' around")

Incoming Merlin, actual professional skateboarder who won several dozen prices under the pseudonym "Emrys". He has no prejudices against the bicycle gang and falls hard for Arthur before the topic comes up.

Merlin must now handle his reputation as internet star, keeping his identity hidden from his new friends, and try not to hurt himself while trying to get a hang of bicycling, which he sucks at terribly.

Arthur starts to like him too, but does his damn hardest not to lose Merlin to those "Druids".

#bbc merlin #merlin #merthur #prompt #au #skating au #bicycle #concept

[aliyahgracedrawing]

Based on @qirongisabrat ‘s request for Bram as a figure skater, like my other drawings

Unlike the other drawings I did, I thought his outfit would work well as a skating outfit. So… yeah…

#bsd #my art <3 #bungou stray dogs #digital art #my artwork #my art #bungo stray dogs #bungo stray dogs bram #bram stoker bsd #bram bsd #bsd bram #bram stoker #bsd skating au #bungou stray dogs skating au #skating au #skating au bsd

[winteringthesnow]

On Ice

How Bad/Good are the LMK characters on the ice?

Characters: Sun Wukong, Macaque, Nezha

Sun Wukong

Oh yeah, he’s not doing this. 

He will stay outside watching until your finish skating cause he can’t chase after you in the rink and drag you out of there to go somewhere else cause he is afraid to get on the ice. But with enough convincing, he will try it. You gotta do a lot of convincing though.

The moment he’s on the ice, Oh no, you have to keep your eyes on him, cause one blink and he’s already on his butt and is crawling to the side to get himself up. Is embarrassed af. He does not like the fact you’re seeing all of this and laughing your ass off, especially if you know how to Ice skate to a certain degree. 

When you try to help him up from the icy floor, you have fallen at least once because this man is HEAVY. Somehow you both do get up and his hand just never leaves yours. He is on you 24/7, and he is never letting go of you. He is clinging on to you for his dear life and you think it’s cute af. 

You try to teach him, keyword tries and he does get the hang of it, sure. But the moment you let go, he is on his butt again. You reassure him that everything’s going to be fine and give him pointers on how to do it. But if you fall? You’re both fucked 

Compliment him, he thrives off on praise so when he gets it right or if he's close. Compliment him. It gives him so much motivation to try harder for you and would love to see the proud look on your face when he finally does it right

You offer him the polar to train on and hold on so he won’t fall. But every time he declines, because secretly he likes holding you, he likes the way you hold him. He likes how you affirm him, and how you encourage him. That you’ll risk your time enjoying yourself just to teach him. That you’ll risk falling on the hard cold floor because of him just for him to enjoy the experience. He is incredibly moved by the gesture but won’t say it, especially when you two aren’t dating. 

Is literally offended that 5-year-old kids could do it better than he could. 

If ever you try to help someone else like just help them up from the icy floor? He becomes very possessive and clingy. Like the moment this person is up, he just pulls you to him and either puts his arm over yours, holds you by the waist, or just hugs you from behind. After he makes his point he just tries to drag you away from that person, again keyword tries. It ends up you leading him instead.

If the others come along? I can't decide whether he likes them seeing you teach him or not.

Because on one point he likes that their eyes are on both of you. That you are teaching him and no one else.

But on the other hand, he feels inferior and that he needs teaching. That he needs teaching and someone helping him. He is so used to people idolizing him and putting him on some high shelf that he can't climb down on. He is so used to everyone seeing him as someone who is supposed to be perfect in every way so the fact that he can't do this? threatens him and his ego. It doesn't help that either Mei, Macaque, or Nezha (if he comes along) teases and/or mocks him about it.

So, when you don't look down on him and teach him instead, definitely surprise him and gladly take up the offer. That instead of making fun of him, mocking him, calling him out, or being disappointed in him. You teach him and help him. May seem like a little act to you but it means a lot to him. Just don't tease him about it.

At some point you both decided to rest in the lounge area and talk. waiting for the others to be down and after you both just wanna head home, just literally tired af. Legs hurt and your feet have blisters on them.

You cannot tell me that this man's butt isn't wet like his pants from his butt to his legs are just wet af. You both are him and just cuddle the rest of the day, because of how tired you both are.

The next morning? Ya, everything is numb and hurts at the same time. You can't feel your legs, feet, arms, and back. Your arms are involved to how heavy SWK is and he feels bad about it

Wukong would love to give a massage if he wasn't as tired.

Macaque

Unlike Wukong, Macaque is a pretty fast learner. At first, he won't be able to get it right but sooner or later, he gets the hang of it and boasts to you.

If you don't know how to skate then this man will tease you as much as possible, before helping you learn.

His hands are just on yours holding you tight, to make sure you wouldn't fall.

But if you do he will say something like "Already falling for me, starlight?"

He will say quips at any moment he can. Flirt with you as much as possible. Absoulutely use it any opportunity he can.

Soon when you do get the hang of it yourself, you two are just side-by-side, chit chatting

if he so happens to see Wukong slipping and falling, he will immediately call him out for it. he just lives of of Wukongs failures

You try to drag him away but he just proceeds to rant about how he hate SWK for the 12154414 time.

And you end up shutting him by kissing him on the lips

This definetly caughts him offguard and starts blushing.

"Pretty bold move, starlight? How 'bout another one? hmm~"

He genuinely just wants to have fun with you with the experience. If he ends up learning any tricks that he could possibly do, he would immeadeitly show off to you.

Though he prefers to maintain a calm and confident demeanor he will undoubtedly poke and prod at you, joking and laughing the entire time after you've both relaxed.

If ever you help someone when they fall on the ice and it isnt Macaque? Oh how dare you.

He's gonna be possesive af. No doubt.

Probably kisses you right in front of this person and just shoving it to their face about you're his and only his.

Slides his hands around your figure

You try to excuse yourself from this behavior with you face blushing red

He likes the sight very much and gives him so much pride that he's able to have an effect of you.

Is clinging on to you 24/7 at this point and won't let you leave his sight and you don't really mind cause you like his presence.

At the end of the day, you both are tuckered out.

He makes tea for you and ends with cuddling on the couch.

Anything you ask this man, he will immeadietly on his feet, getting everything you need to wind down and relaxed

His tail wrapping around either your waist, you leg or any part of your body that can make you closer to him.

He just wants your presence close to him at all times because it's so addicting for him.

You both binge watch some of his favorite musicals that you don't mind watching.

And if you like musicals? Even better!

Nezha

I can begin to describe how godly this man is on the ice.

I mean it's not a surprise right since he already skates on those rings of his.

Not only is he agile but he's also very fast. Whether you know how to skate or not, you wouldn't be able to catch up. He'd be gone for one minute and the next he's already next to you.

You know those tricks and twirls people do? Yeah, he knows how to do that too.

If you don't know how to skate, he will teach you. He's in front of you holding your hand while skating backward. Since fire is his whole thing too, his hands are warm in contrast to your freezing ones.

He will give you tips and pointers on how to balance properly and on how to glide on the ice without slipping

If you know how to skate thought? Like if your a proffesional?

Get ready to act the most amazing performance yet.

As music blared on the speakers, you both circled around with each other, eyes only on one another as the people stared in curiosity

People started to glide further away slowly to give you both space to perform and some others may have taken their phone to record the performance.

But none of you cared, moving on the ice with such precised and accurate moves, build from trust as Nezha would lift you of the ice and still set you down with proper grace.

Holding hands as you twirled around each other. Feeling the music and vibrations of the beat as you felt each other on rink.

Both surprisingly synced with each other albeit the whole scene being an impromtu.

You danced on the ice like swans on water, arms and a leg raised as held to steady you.

The cold air around you chilled your body but at every contact with him the warmer you felt as the freezing air became barely noticable

The songs ends as you heaved breaths. Calming down and finally stopped.

The crowd errupts to cheers as you sheepishly laughed at the praise

Later on, you both plan to have a weekly visit to the rink to perform your hearts out.

You both rested at home as you made hot coco for the both of you.

Your legs were numbed but you were somewhat used to the feeling due to the experience but he massaged it nonetheless to soothe your aching

The day ends with the both you cuddling bed and reminisced the memory you just made.

#Skating au #fanfiction #lmk #lmk sun wukong #lmk macaque #lmk nezha #sun wukong x reader #lmk x reader #macaque x reader #nezha x reader

[echo-rambles]

writing minsung in love is guaranteed to put a smile on my face holy shit

-o0o-

Jisung appears, struggling to put on his hoodie one handed. His head pokes through the collar, the fabric all bunched around his neck and one sleeve hanging loose by his side. “What’d Jinnie say? Is he ok with being abandoned?” 

Minho immediately moves forward, making him drop the hockey bag and tugging the hoodie into place. Thankfully Jisung doesn’t give him any problems, smiling brightly as Minho clicks his tongue and is purposefully rough as he helps Jisung stuff his arm into the empty sleeve. 

“Apparently he’s going out with Changbin-hyung.” Jeongin informs him, before Minho can even open his mouth and relay any information. 

“Like a date?” Jisung blinks, looking between the two of them before landing squarely on Minho. 

Jeongin nods solemnly, like it’s a fact of the universe. Minho bites back a terrible giggle as he pulls Jisung’s hood over his head. 

-

“Alright, looks like I'm stuck with you.” He slinks back onto the couch, practically laying himself in Minho’s lap.

He smiles down at Jisung, running a hand through his hair. “Ah, don’t complain. We both know that’s your favorite place to be.”

“Can you two be gross in the car? Please?” Seungmin jingles Minho’s keys in the air, impatient to leave.

-

Jisung makes a little whining noise, and it shouldn’t be as endearing as it is. Minho wants to squish his face. “When are you getting home? I miss you so much.” 

“You saw me this morning.”  “That was hours ago! Jagiya, I wanna see you now.”

-

“I love you.” He says it because he means it.

Because it has Jisung's smile growing, the shape reminding Minho of a perfect tangerine slice. “Yeah, well I love you more.” 

“Gross.”

“You're gross!”

“Get in the car before I decide to leave you here.”  

“You'd never! You love me too much.”

“Do you want to test it?”

“Fine, I'm going!” Jisung huffs and moves to scramble around the car.

#stray kids #minsung #echo writes #skating au #GOD I LOVE HOW STUPIDLY IN LOVE THEY ARE RAAUGHH #oh right uhhh spoilers if you haven't read calescent #im slowly chipping away at the minsung companion piece i promise #would you believe me from these snippets that there's going to be soooo much more angst in this fic #calescent was full of fluff #twisted up in you has a big chunk of Angst

[lostcauses-noregrets]

hii!! i was wondering if you have any eruri fic recs where they play sports, like any type of sport is good. thank you. 🫶🫶

btw i am absolutely in love with your blog and i hope you have a wonderful day !! 💕

Sure thing Anon! I've got a rec list here of Sports AUs which @the-memoirs-of-a helped put together and I also have one for Skating AUs. Please also enjoy this beautiful art by @ackermantihora The capture of the freedom bird and @itaya54's stunning snooker Eruris. Enjoy!

#asks #eruri #fic rec #sports au #skating au #eruris on ice #snk

[feith-rikya]

All these characters are from an RPG campaign called; Gehenna's Gates, set in the world of Vampire The Masquerade. Feel free to ask any questions!

This was a little commission that i did for my friend @ladyhannah,

with her character Elizabeth De Lacy and Alastor Van Hlesing, in a skater/hockey au.

They are a very fun couple, I loved drawing them for her. And it's nice to go out of the main plot every once in a while.

#vtm #vampire the masquerade #vampire #vtm art #vtm oc #vtm npc #ventrue #dampyr #figure skating #hockey #ice hockey #skating au

[murderoushagthesequel]

Fuck Off

vivan left one ask with 4 prompts so 3/4 "dorlene with dorcas as ice skater and marlene as hockey player with rivalryyyy"

i used the work fuck a lot lol. anyway i'm now in love with marlene and james being on the same hockey team and dorcas and regulus being figure skating partners.

"Get out of here, McKinnon, you know Regulus and I have the rink reserved for the rest of the afternoon." Marlene skates in a circle, shooting a puck whizzing right by Dorcas' skates. "Hey! You could've hit me with that!" Dorcas says.

"If I wanted it to hit you, it would've hit you, Meadowes. Besides, aren't you supposed to be a good skater? I'd expect you to be able to get back on your feet after a tiny little hockey puck hits you." Marlene responds quickly with a mocking tone and leans on her hockey stick, grinning in the middle of the ice.

"I could dance circles around you," Dorcas retorts with a glare. Marlene shrugs. "As I said, Regulus and I have the rink reserved."

"Oh really? Where's pretty boy now, then?" Marlene asks, slowly skating closer to Dorcas, standing by the door onto the rink. Dorcas whirls around to find that Regulus is gone and it's just her and Marlene now. Shit. "Seems to me he ran off with Potter as soon as practice was over." Marlene is now against the wall right next to Dorcas.

"Fucking traitor," Dorcas swears under her breath.

"Oh, don't say that, Cassy, that implies that we're enemies."

"Don't. Call me Cassy," Dorcas bites, inching closer to Marlene. They're standing inches apart, Marlene grinning meanly and Dorcas seething.

"I thought you liked my nicknames for you, doll," Marlene teases, taking off her helmet so Dorcas can see just how smug she looks.

"Shut up."

"Make me."

And Dorcas does. She pushes Marlene against the wall of the rink and crashes their lips together. Marlene's gloved hands immediately come up to pull Dorcas closer and she drops her helmet on the ice.

"This is dangerous," Dorcas whispers against Marlene's lips.

"You started it, love," Marlene responds. She sounds out of breath and when she opens her eyes they're blown wide.

"Fuck you," she says, and kisses her again. She said she could dance circles around Marlene and she intends to prove that. Dorcas lets herself into Marlene's mouth, hearing a small moan in response. She would gloat if kissing Marlene didn't feel so fucking good. She couldn't pull away if she tried. Fuck.

"Oh gross," a voice next to them says in clear disgust. Much to Dorcas' dismay, Marlene pulls away.

"Like you can fucking talk, Black," she says. Regulus immediately goes red just as James Potter emerges from the changing rooms wearing normal clothes, but looking thoroughly fucked.

"Oh, fuck off," he says, stomping off the ice.

"Yay! Go Marlene!" James says from the stands, and this time it's Marlene's turn to blush furiously.

"Have you thought about this before, McKinnon?" Dorcas asks, relishing in the chance to tease Marlene back for once. She runs a hand along Marlene's cheeks, feeling her shudder in response.

"I-" Marlene looks around for an answer and then glares back at Dorcas. "Oh shut up and take me on a date," she demands. From anybody else, Dorcas would think that rude, and decline immediately. But it's Marlene.

"Sounds nice," she says. "But first I think we better get changed out of these skating clothes, eh?"

Marlene is pulling her off the ice and flipping off Regulus before Dorcas even finishes her sentence.

#hehe #marlene mckinnon #dorcas meadowes #dorlene #marauders #jegulus #regulus black #james potter #marauders era #microfic #marauders microfic #dorlene microfic #skating au #sapphic microfic #marauders au #dead gay wizards #vivian tag!! #hag's 100 follower thing #hag's 200 follower thing

[raisin-shell]

I’ve been teaching myself to roller skate since June of 2023. I’m getting more comfortable just stiff legged due to arthritis but I’m getting the hang of it!

#roller skating #skating au #mun speaks #mun talks

[belugasnailsart]

Some sketches from mine and my boyfriends little au where everyone is a skater or snowboarder or something.

Danny’s headband definitely isn’t a copy of Reki’s, I would never do that/s

Some context for these, Danny is a pro snowboarder, and constantly sends Tim custom postcards when he can’t make it to a competition, and the lil baby photos are from Tim’s first time snowboarding (at 8) and his first time skating (at 11) respectively

Image 1 ID: A rough sketch on paper of a postcard. The postcard features a bust shot of Danny Stoker in front of a mountain. Danny is an adult man with a loosely curled afro, and a sweatband around his forehead. He is smiling, and doing a peace sign. There are hearts scattered around him, and the postcard reads 'Sending Love From Llaima Volcano' in cursive font. Underneath the postcard is an annotation reading 'snowboarder Danny'. \End ID 1

Image 2 ID: A rough full body sketch of Timothy Stoker, aged 8. He is dressed in a large puffer jacket with a big fluffy hood, that is noticeably too large for him, as well as plain pants that are slightly too large and large velcro snow boots. Some strands of his dark, loosely curled hair, fall over his face, and he has a pouting expression, and is blushing. \End ID 2

Image 3 ID: A short comic, sketched roughly on paper, consisting of three panels. The first is a small square panel, and has a small, simple drawing of an 11 year old Timothy Stoker on a skateboard. He has motion lines around him, indicating he is wobbling, and his hands are outstretched for balance. The next panel is a rectangle, and directly next to the first. It shows Tim, now on the floor, only his curly hair and his arms and feet visible, as he has faceplanted on the floor. The skateboard is visible in the background. The third panel is under the first two, and is a larger rectangle, and showcases a more detailed drawing of Tim, his face now lifted to face the camera. He has grazes on his nose, cheeks and chin, as well as bandaids on his forehead and hand, and his eyes are wide with star shaped pupils. He is smiling widely, and his right canine is missing. His right hand is in a thumbs up gesture. The skateboard is still visible in the background. \End ID 3

#timothy stoker #danny stoker #the magnus archives #tma #tma fanart #tma au #skating au #childhood au #snails scribbles #traditional art #traditional sketch #traditional drawing #sketch

[iybms]

the fic is next

#my art #klance #keith vld #lance vld #2020 #skating au

[wolfiered23]

I’m so glad I finally get to share this, but @harrowrat359 and I have taken their AkiMizu Skating AU and turned it into a fanfic with beautiful art courtesy of them! The art alone is worth it, guys, go check it out!

#akimizu #project sekai #my fic #art #shinonome akito #akiyama mizuki #figure skating #hockey #skating au

[eatmy-customjorts]

mocha you need to explain the skating au to make up for my crushed balls now

OKAY i hope this works to make them better

ok ok ok au time

putting it under the cut because it's gonna be a long one

all the living characters do ice skating and all the supernatural/dead characters do competitive artistic roller blading (like figure skating but with wheels)

teru is a famous figure skater who's gone to win first in lots of competitions and stuff (but doesnt really like the sport, he just does it because his family is famous for having a line of professional skaters)

kou is in training and stuff for skating, but he isnt super great at it and wants to try out for the roller figure skating team

nene used to only do ice skating but started going to the roller rink after getting a maintenance job there

mitsuba was a figure skater but got into a REALLY bad accident and isnt supposed to go on the ice, but he still wanted to be there and started going to the roller rink instead (the floor isnt as hard)

akane switches places, he's supposed to do figure skating but of course he goes to the roller rink at night and competes in nighttime 'secret' competitions they have there

yes the roller rink has nighttime shows where they do roller derby, racing, artistic skating, etc. you can bet money on this and it's illegal

and all the other characters are pretty self explanatory i think

anyways

the whole storyline of it mainly centers around kou

he starts going to the secret events without telling teru

first he just watches then he ends up learning how to rollerskate and gets REALLY good at it

and he competes in the events

the reason he had started going was (surprise surprise) he found out mitsuba was there and hadnt seen him in months even though they werent close or anything and they end up on the same team for competitions and stuff

btw the 7 mysteries are all employed by the rink somehow

same with the broadcasting club, they do all the announcements and music and stuff

but teru finds out kou has been doing this and reports the events so kou will focus on ice skating

and the rink is shut down for a bit (severance arc???) but opens back up again after (mainly) kou and akane try and get it back

this whole au also follows the events in the story, so for all the different arcs something related to it happened in the au

anyways teru is upset its open again but accepts it because of kou (and akane) (coughs)

anyways!!! thats all i have so far let me know if you have any ideas

#tbhk #au idea #skating au #mocha rambles

[sharkinlovewithadolphin]

Take This Dance (9275 words) by sharkinlovewithadolphin Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Free! Rating: Gen Relationships: Tachibana Makoto/Yamazaki Sousuke, Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka Additional Tags: Side Story, Weddings, POV Alternating, ngl the POV in this is a mess, i got distracted with RinHaru, as always, Love Confessions, Online Dating, ish, Wedding Fluff, Best Man Role, Nagisa is a bridezilla and he's not even the one who's getting married, Makoto struggles with his feelings, Alternate Universe - Other Sports, Figure Skater!Haru, Figure Skater!Makoto, Hockey Player!Rin, Hockey Player!Sousuke, Implied Sexual Content, (barely but still), a single reigisa crumb in the end. for my proofer            

Summary: The untold love story of hockey player Sousuke and pair figure skater Makoto, unfolded at their best friends’ wedding. Made for and proofread by @illbebuyingallofthoseflowers <3 Read it here (AO3) or after the cut. A fic playlist can be found here (YouTube) and here (Spotify)

Being a hockey player and slowly falling in love with your best friend’s boyfriend’s figure skater friend was not what Sousuke had planned. He never wanted anything to do with figure skating at all. When his best friend fell for a figure skater, he thought he was absolutely ridiculous, until he himself laid eyes on the guy’s friend. Truthfully, he didn’t even expect to get a crush on someone no matter who they were and what they did, especially not while he was so focused on his own career. Alas, it was what had happened. He found himself trying to navigate his emotions, which became more and more difficult as he was invited to more and more events and gatherings by Rin where Rin’s boyfriend’s friend, Makoto, was present as well. Their interactions would either be incredibly nice or incredibly awkward, there was no in between. The events with alcohol included seemed to go a little more smoothly, with Sousuke being able to dull some of his nerves around the other man. Still, almost a year passed by since he first met Makoto, and he hadn’t really moved any further with him. He couldn’t even call himself friends with him just yet, as much as just acquaintances with mutual friends. Rin and his boyfriend, Haru, had gotten engaged with some grand gesture, surprisingly enough not by Rin, but by Haru of all people. Haru had planned it out with his… Sousuke still wasn’t sure who he really was to Haru, but his name was Nagisa. Something like a manager? Maybe just a close and passionate friend? He knew Nagisa did most of Haru’s online posting for him, too, as the contrast between the two was hilarious. Like night and day, even when it came to social media. Nagisa was a bit over-the-top, energetic, very outgoing and friendly. A little too friendly, at times. Haru was the complete opposite. He was even quite bland in Sousuke’s honest opinion. He didn’t fully understand what Rin saw in him, but he treated Rin right, so Sousuke figured he couldn’t complain too much. For the proposal, Haru and Nagisa had invited people closest to Rin to come to the Philippines for a figure skating event called Asian Open. Sousuke made the cut and was invited along with Rin’s family. He had even booked tickets to Manila all on his own, and managed to find a hotel too, though that part was with some assistance by his big brother. He had gone extra early to the airport to make sure he could find his gate in time, but he had nearly wound up ruining the entire surprise proposal when Rin had spotted him at the airport. Sousuke somehow avoided ruining the surprise completely, but he knew he hung on by a very thin thread. No one would have been able to forgive him if he had ruined it, but it was to his luck that Rin was mostly oblivious whenever he was around Haru. That, and then his lie about going just to see Makoto. Somehow that was believable enough to Rin, and he couldn’t help but wonder why. He also later wondered why on earth he hadn’t just gone with Rin’s family instead, as they easily dodged any suspicion by going a day later. But off he went, on an airplane on his own, to watch one of the biggest moments of his best friend’s life. He had to give it to the Nanase kid, he really knew how to surprise Rin and give him exactly what he wanted, and even the things he didn’t know he needed. Rin was a romantic, and there wasn’t really a more dedicated romantic gesture than declaring your love for the whole world to see, even if it was done after a rather sexual figure skating performance. Maybe that just added to the surprising element of it. It sure did surprise Sousuke, who had never really watched Haru perform before. Sousuke had been sitting beside Rin’s family and, much to his own distraction, Makoto, too. And as he cheered on with the first signs of overwhelmed tears running down his best friend’s cheeks, he felt a hand in his own, and to his surprise, it was Makoto’s. He quickly looked to the side, but Makoto just looked down where everyone else in the arena was looking: at the two on the ice. The blush on Makoto’s cheeks when he realized where his hand had gone proved Sousuke’s suspicion that it was done unconsciously. He looked cute like that, Sousuke concluded. Cheeks flushed and expression and body language all shy. He gave Makoto’s hand a reassuring squeeze and held it tightly, though not so tight that he wouldn’t be able to take his hand away should he want to. He didn’t appear to want to, as the two held hands in between the sides of their bodies, slightly hidden away from any curious eyes throughout the rest of the event. That was the start of a blossoming secret romance between them, mostly shaped through texts as their schedules often collided with winter sports season keeping them, as well as Rin and Haru, apart. They had both silently agreed not to tell people they were talking together, though both unsure why. Maybe it was the lack of any official labels that made it difficult to confess what was going on between them, or maybe it was the rush of keeping it a secret that was simply too thrilling to let go of just yet. Besides, they had only held hands in real life. Everything else was digital. All the romance and all the progressively more sexual and suggestive behavior was all done through texts and phone calls. After the season came to a close and they got back to Tokyo again, all the confidence they had both gotten with each other and all the progress in their temporary-long-distance relationship completely disappeared as they met up in real life again for the first time in two months. Things were suddenly different when they didn’t have two screens and thousands of kilometers in between them. It was like standing in front of a stranger while fully knowing that they knew almost everything about each other. It was strange, and it was weird, and it was awkward. And as they tried their best to navigate through it, it was as if they couldn’t. They had both dated before, but somehow, standing in front of each other and walking beside each other to find a place to eat, it was still as if it was the first time experiencing and experimenting with those romantic feelings all over again. Everything seemed so new, and Sousuke didn’t know what to do, even if he did know what to do - he could hold Makoto’s hand, but he also couldn’t get himself to do that. Every single small movement, a bump of a hand, a misstep of a foot, anything, made them shy and self-conscious, and it left Sousuke feeling frustrated with himself. Their texts became rather awkward after that, too, which only made Sousuke feel worse. A week after they had both gotten back to Tokyo, it seemed as if they were trying to avoid meeting up; to avoid another awkward interaction, but without success, as Rin and Haru invited them over with some other friends. Sousuke knew Makoto and his unusually awkward tension was obvious, so when his frustration came to a boiling point that made him question whether Makoto was just not into him anyway, or if there perhaps was something wrong with him, at least in-person, he decided it was time to leave. So he did. To his surprise though, Makoto followed after him, calling his name out from behind him a good 100 meters away from Rin and Haru’s apartment. Sousuke stopped walking, but didn’t turn around. “Sousuke?” Makoto nervously asked. “Are you okay? Are you sick?” “No, I’m not sick,” Sousuke stated simply. “What’s wrong?” Makoto continued, but Sousuke didn’t give him any answer. “Can you please look at me?” Sousuke hesitantly and slowly turned around to face Makoto. “What’s wrong?” Makoto repeated. “You haven’t spoken to me all evening and then you just left…” “I just want to go home,” Sousuke vaguely explained. Then, a little more quiet, he added: “I couldn’t stand being there.” “What? Why not? Did something happen?” “You know… Makoto,” Sousuke began, sounding calm but a little impatient as well. “It’s okay if you’re not into me, but it’s-” “What makes you think that I’m not?” Makoto confusedly asked, eyes widening. “It’s pretty obvious,” Sousuke stated, with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “But we can’t really avoid each other because of those two, so I guess we need to accept that it didn’t work out so things aren’t so awkward. I just need some time to move on.” “I don’t- Sousuke I really do like you,” Makoto objected, though unconvincing to Sousuke. “You don’t have to take pity on me.” “I’m not!” Makoto raised his voice and took a step closer to Sousuke. “I really want this to work out!” “You do?” “Of course I do, but I can’t do it alone,” Makoto argued. “You have to talk to me.” “So do you,” Sousuke countered. “You’ve been all distant.” “Because you were… I just wanted to give you space, it seemed like you needed it,” Makoto explained. “Or maybe like you weren’t really sure about us.” “I didn’t want space, but, it was just… strange,” Sousuke tried to explain. “It was strange for me too,” Makoto admitted. “When we met. If that’s what you mean.” “It was different,” Sousuke agreed. “It’ll take some time to adjust to be able to see each other in real life,” Makoto smiled. “But I want to. To adjust.” Sousuke let out a sigh, then smiled back. “Me too.” They looked at each other for a moment, adjusting to the idea and feeling of the new type of strangeness in the air between them, a sense of a new beginning for the two. Something different. “I think my own expectations got the best of me,” Sousuke admitted. “Same with me,” Makoto said. “I don’t like feeling shy like this around you, it’s… strange.” “Compared to our texts and calls?” “Yeah…” “You were shy in the beginning of that, too,” Sousuke teased. “Hey, so were you,” Makoto blushed, then he suddenly looked all flustered, as if he had thought of something inappropriate, which peaked Sousuke’s curiosity. “What?” Sousuke couldn’t help but pull out his cocky side, giving Makoto a daring raise of an eyebrow and a sideways smile. “Nothing,” Makoto tried, clearly lying. “Thought you were the one that said we should talk,” Sousuke dared, making Makoto look outright perplexed. “I was just… thinking…” Makoto trailed off, looking away. “You didn’t do what you said you would.” “Wha-” Sousuke began, but cut himself off, remembering his flirtatious: I can’t wait to kiss you, it’ll be the first thing I do. “Oh. Right. Sorry.” That was all he needed. Confirmation and consent. Sousuke chuckled shortly before he let his charm take over his nerves as he bravely and without hesitation reached out, grabbed Makoto by the back of his head and pulled him in for a kiss, feeling the weight of the expectations and the tension lifting off of his shoulders, and knowing that Makoto must have felt the exact same, kissing him back almost with urgency. *** Three months later, a wedding invitation came in the mail. Sousuke and Makoto were officially dating, though they were still keeping it a secret from everyone, and doing a phenomenal job of that. They always had the perfect excuses, and they always managed to act like they usually would around each other, although with more familiarity, but to other people that could might as well just be because they knew each other better and not because they were intimate with each other. Or fucking, as Sousuke would’ve probably proudly put it, Makoto figured. They spent their nights together more than they did apart, and Makoto was beginning to consider asking if they should just move in together, but he had a feeling Sousuke was beginning to pull away the more serious their relationship became. He had his fears about it himself too, so he couldn’t blame him. They had talked about going public several times, and each time they decided to keep it a secret, not just for the thrill of it, but because they had both witnessed the media attention their two friends had gotten and they didn’t want any of that. They were getting closer to telling close friends and family, though, but it never felt like the right time for it. And again - whenever things got more serious, it seemed to Makoto as if Sousuke was hesitant to take those incoming next steps of their relationship. But again, it’s not like Makoto wasn’t hesitant about it himself. And so, on April 3rd, two months after the wedding invitation and right after the ALIH season, they went without any official date or plus-ones to the wedding. Makoto had considered asking Miu to go together, but she was naturally going with her girlfriend, so Makoto went to Osaka Castle alone, earlier than the guests, to help the couple with the last details. Sousuke also arrived earlier to assist Rin and help along as well. It had snowed for a couple of days, bathing the grounds of the castle - as well as the castle itself - in a thin layer of snow. They had originally thought that it would have been lovely to have the cherry blossom trees as a backdrop, but the bloom would unfortunately be quite late with the frost postponing it. The snow and the morning sun reflecting in the clear frost added another dimension that cherry blossoms might not have, though. The whole scenery around Makoto looked almost straight out of a winter fairytale. “You look even nicer than in the picture,” Makoto suddenly heard a familiar voice say somewhere behind him as he made his way towards where the ceremony would be held, to help set things up. Makoto spun around with a surprised expression and smiled when his eyes met with Sousuke’s. Makoto and Sousuke had exchanged pictures after they had gotten ready, showing off their suits even if they had already seen them before. They had spent the night separately, in case Rin or Haruka needed any of them in the evening, the night or in the morning. “I’m wearing a jacket over my suit,” Makoto pointed out, standing still and watching as Sousuke continued to step closer and closer. “I’m not talking about the suit,” Sousuke remarked, and Makoto could tell he wanted to greet him with a kiss. Makoto wanted him to do it, too, but instead Makoto quickly turned around to face the view of the scenery again. “The snow is really nice,” Makoto smiled, nuzzling into his scarf a little. “Cold as fuck, too,” Sousuke commented. ”I’ve had to wear my hockey undergarments.” “Same here. Or not hockey, just regular thermal underwear, but still. I know Nagisa made Rei customize some thermal underwear for Rin and Haru,” Makoto chuckled. “Every detail, right?” “That kid’s more obsessed with this whole thing than they are,” Sousuke commented. “Oh, yes, definitely,” Makoto agreed with a smile. “He wanted it to be as grand as possible. I’m convinced Haru would be more than happy to just elope, but I’m sure they don’t mind either way.” “Rin’ll definitely love all of this,” Sousuke laughed. “But he might regret it with all the people there to see him cry his eyes out later.” “Be nice to him,” Makoto lightly scolded. “That’s a bad idea. He might get used to it,” Sousuke joked, making Makoto snicker. The two continued to walk over together to where the ceremony would be held, in front of a pond surrounded by cherry blossom trees with their flower buds ready to bloom at any moment. In front of the lake there was an arbor decorated with roses - that was where Rin and Haruka would be standing. The castle could be seen in the background of the pond, creating a stunning backdrop for the ceremony. While setting everything up, rearranging the chairs until Nagisa was completely satisfied, Nagisa pointed out all the small details of everything there; how difficult it had been to have the arbor transported and how all the gray blankets that they had hung on every one of the chairs had a figure skating skate and a hockey stick embroidered into them by Haruka’s designer, Rei. Makoto really liked that subtle detail. Nagisa added a comment that everyone was allowed to bring one home, too, as a practical gift for all the guests. Makoto had to give it to him - it really seemed as if he had thought everything through, down to the last detail. It was still surprising to Makoto that Nagisa had turned down the request to be Haruka’s best man. He certainly acted the part, giving his role as self-proclaimed wedding planner his utmost all, proving exactly how an incredible friend he was. Makoto still remembered the moment - it was right after the proposal. Nagisa had declared that he called dibs on officiating them, already looking up how to get permits to do so, despite without becoming a priest. He had argued that it was only fair that he was the one to officiate them, since he was the reason why the two were together to begin with. “I wanted you to be my best man, though,” Haruka had pointed out, but not saying no to the idea either. “I can do both,” Nagisa had argued. “I thought you already called dibs on planning it?” Rin had added. “Besides, you can’t both officiate and stand beside Haru.” “You’re supposed to be the one standing next to him,” Nagisa had cheekily said. “The other side,” Rin had sighed in defeat. “Well I can try,” Nagisa had simply suggested, sounding very determined about it. “Well… I wanted to ask both you and Makoto, but I’m sure Makoto doesn’t mind standing on the post alone?” Haruka had smiled and looked at Makoto apologetically. It was almost a little offending to think that Makoto would be anything but honored to just be there at all. He definitely hadn’t minded the idea of standing alone beside Haruka at that time, and he still didn’t, even if it felt a little overwhelming. “Just make sure you don’t overwork yourself, Nagisa.” Nagisa had definitely chosen to overhear that last part. It was like he was the one who was getting married. Or even if he was the one to get, Nagisa wouldn’t do as much as he did for Rin and Haruka, Makoto figured. It was almost too much, if he was honest. But he knew Nagisa enjoyed it, so he didn’t try to rationalize or argue, just offered help whenever the opportunity would arise. *** The small group entered the castle and were led to a room that Rin and Haruka had been allowed to use as a dressing room, where Nagisa, Makoto and Sousuke would begin the process of assisting the two grooms with their montsuki-hakamas, after patiently waiting for them to undress out of their regular clothes. First, though, they watched them get into thermal underwear on top of their regular underwear, much to Sousuke’s amusement. “What an absolutely sexy choice of underwear. You truly couldn’t have picked anything better,” Sousuke couldn’t help but tease Rin, gesturing to the thermal underwear. “Shut up, I know you’re wearing the same thing underneath your suit,” Rin quickly snarled, folding a white nagajuban around himself, the left side of it on the outside. “Well, you could’ve at least put on some pretty lingerie underneath for your husband-to-be,” Sousuke continued to tease. Rin rolled his eyes and flipped him off. Haruka just watched the two, with a faint blush across his cheeks at the mention of him. Nagisa looked far too amused by the whole interaction. “You’re free to do that on your own wedding day,” Rin pointed out, while adjusting the gray koshi-himo sash around his waist on top of the juban. Sousuke laughed, while Makoto gained a blush, trying to keep his imagination from running wild. After Rin and Haruka had put their black kimonos on, they tied their date-jimes around their waists and put their obis on, tied them around their waists on top of the date-jimes. As Nagisa and Makoto helped them both put on their black and white striped hakamas, first the front, then the back, the heaviness of the moment seemed to fall onto the room like a heavy blanket, and they all felt it. Haruka and Rin turned to each other, facing one another as they tugged on their black haori jackets, and with tears in his eyes, Nagisa first handed Haruka his white haori-himo, and then Rin his as well. Rin and Haruka put the haori-himo strings on each other’s jackets, in a moment so full of care and intimacy it almost felt too private for the three other people in the room to witness it. Rin and Haruka obviously didn’t mind, though, as they were too focused on each other. Rin shed a tear and then another, breathing in sharply through his nose and trying to keep his posture. Sousuke didn’t even make a single comment or remark about it. When a tear slowly fell down Haruka’s cheek as he bit his lip, Rin pulled him in for a tight hug, careless about wrinkling their clothes, all while Nagisa bawled his eyes out in the background, trying his best to not ruin the moment with his loud sniffing and blowing of his nose.

*** After watching Rin and Haruka get dressed, the three others left them to have a private moment to themselves, though the photographer arrived shortly after, taking Haruka and Rin around both inside of the castle and outside the area to take pictures of them, while the rest stayed back and finished up the last preparations before all the guests would start to arrive. Which they did, one by one, with Rin’s close family being the first ones to arrive, eagerly awaiting their son and brother, as well as his fiancé and their in-law-to-be. Miyako wore a traditional, black tomesode kimono with beautiful floral patterns embroidered into it, though she wore a winter jacket on top of it, hiding most of it. No one blamed her though, as it really was quite cold. Gou wore a pretty, red-wine colored dress underneath her jacket, as well as black, thick wool leggings. When Rin and Haruka returned to the castle, most of the guests had already arrived, though they were all down by the pond where the ceremony would take place. They broke a lot of tradition with their wedding, to some of the older guests’ slight dismay, but it made for a perfect setting for them, and no one could deny or complain about that. Instead of just the close family members being present, most of their close circle of friends and even some acquaintances were there. And instead of a priest, they had Nagisa. Haruka’s family wasn’t there, but with the case against Azuma making the reasons why they weren’t even invited become public knowledge, no one asked into it or made any comments. Haruka least of all seemed to notice their absence. After all, he had never known their presence, so it really didn’t matter to him. Having Rin’s family, and both of their circle of friends, was more than enough for him, as he walked down, hand in hand with Rin, to the rose-covered arbor where Nagisa, Makoto and Sousuke stood. People in the seats were clapping, cheering, talking and reacting to their clothes, as well as to the moment itself. They reached the arbor, and the ceremony began. Nagisa stayed true to the shinto traditions, offering prayers to the gods first, before patiently and lovingly giving Rin and Haruka instructions to give each other their oaths. Words of utter love and devotion nearly cracked the shell that Nagisa, Haruka and Rin were all trying so hard to hold onto. If any of them cried, especially Nagisa, it would make it difficult for the ceremony to continue, and Nagisa was absolutely determined to have everything be perfect. Makoto, though, could freely shed a tear, and he did, and he looked past the two grooms, up at Sousuke, who was smiling uncharacteristically broadly and proudly at his best friend, looking seconds away from shedding a tear too, though Makoto knew he would deny it himself if asked. Rin and Haruka did the san-san-kudo ritual, with Nagisa pouring sake into the three different-sized traditional wedding cups for them. They took three sips of each cup, starting from the smallest one and at last, the largest. Then, with shaky hands, they exchanged matching, pure silver wedding rings with diamond details and “HN ♥ RM • Always & Forever • In rivalry & in love” and the date of their wedding day engraved into the inside of it, details only for them to see - and Nagisa too, naturally. They shared one quick look, and with barely enough time for Nagisa to announce his long-anticipated line of you may now kiss your groom, Rin’s hands came up to cup Haruka’s face, before he quickly and almost desperately pulled him into a deep kiss. Haruka’s hands found their place in the crook of Rin’s neck, fingers running through the strands of hair at the back of his head, as he kissed him back with all the tender but persistent love that he possibly could, all to the sound of their family and friends cheering and clapping. *** After the ceremony, the two newlyweds went back to the castle to change into suits before dinner and the party thereafter. The guests roamed around the castle’s area outside as well as in the large tatami room inside the castle where the dinner would be held, while everything was getting ready for it. The celebration after dinner would take place in another room of the castle without tatamis on the floor, but with a bar and open space, so people could freely dance, another part that wasn’t exactly traditional for a shinto wedding. Haruka had no doubts since the beginning of the wedding planning that Rin had been quite inspired by all those western romance movies he liked to watch, and likely fed those same movies and ideas to Nagisa as well, but he wasn’t much for traditions anyway, so he liked that they could freely choose what fit them perfectly. Makoto noticed it, too. How tailored to them and their guests everything seemed to be.   Sousuke and Makoto helped Nagisa and the waiters with the first food deliveries. Nagisa had completely lost his calm while on the phone speaking to various people, though. Makoto couldn’t keep up or make out what the issues were, but from what he could gather one call was about the DJ and another about some of the food. As Nagisa stormed out the doors a good 20 minutes after his last hectic phone call, Makoto quickly walked after him and got out right in time to see Naigsa yelling at some caterers for being late while simultaneously checking and counting to see if everything was there. “Screw traffic! You almost ruined the wedding of a lifetime! And look-! You’re missing a baguette!” Nagisa yelled and pointed at a basket full of bread inside the open van. “I can’t believe this demonstration of absolute incompetence-!” “Nagisa please calm down, it’s just bread,” Makoto tried to remind him, stepping up behind him and giving the caterer an apologetic expression. He noticed a waiter and Sousuke having come out to help bring the food in. They hesitantly grabbed something each before slowly making their way back up the stairs to the castle, clearly unsure of whether they should be taking the things in or not, though neither wanting to interrupt and ask. “Just bread?! Just bread?!” Nagisa continued to yell, this time directed at Makoto. “We might rob some guests of the greatest invention that bread is and you don’t even care?” “Well I’m sure there might be some of the guests that don’t want the bread anyway… there could even be some gluten intolerant people, right? So it probably won’t be noticeable anyway?” Makoto tried to reason. Nagisa let out a harsh tch-sound as if that was the most ridiculous argument he had ever heard. “Fuck not noticeable, of course it will be!” “Nagisa!” Makoto yelped, shocked. He had only ever seen Nagisa angry when they had been watching a hockey match together. Not even in the courtroom had he lashed out, not even for a second. “Language!” “Well then,” Nagisa spat with an attitude Makoto wasn’t even aware he could possess. “Since you’re clearly not going to bring anything useful to the table, please just go make out with Rin’s best man instead, while I’ll go find someone who can bring me the missing baguette.” “Nagisa!” Makoto called out, even more shocked than before and now flustered, too. He glanced in the direction where Sousuke had walked off, and saw him looking at the spectacle from up the stairs, out of reach of hearing them. “Why are you so shocked? It’s not like it’s anything new.” “Wait- You mean you know?” “Of course I know?” Nagisa’s demeanor changed a little. A mixture of unimpressed and amused, but also a little worried, clearly not wanting to overstep deep down, but also still too stressed out to be considerate. “How?” “You’re even worse at hiding it than the grooms were,” Nagisa said with an eyebrow raised. He then let out a breath, before his lips quickly went up and down in a short sideways smile. “Plus, nothing escapes past me either way.” “I don’t…” Makoto wasn’t sure what to say. He couldn’t deny anything, but he also didn’t know if he was ready to confirm anything either. “Sure. Anyway, have fun if you want instead of just standing there, but don’t lose track of time or do anything else that could mess up the wedding or I won’t hesitate to mess with you,” Nagisa threatened, and before Makoto had time to even react to Nagisa’s uncharacteristic behavior, he was already off to somewhere else, phone in hand and up against his ear. “What was all that about?” Sousuke asked, having stepped up to Makoto after a moment of Makoto just standing completely still and looking at Nagisa who was walking back and forth further away while talking on the phone. “I- um…” Makoto began, but he had no clue how to finish that sentence. He barely had any idea of what had just happened. “... Baguettes? I think?” Sousuke gave him a confused look. “Baguettes…?” Sousuke asked, as if checking if he had heard correctly. “I don’t think he can quite handle the pressure,” Makoto rightfully noted, mostly to himself. He shook off the shock and surprise, and helped the caterers, along with Sousuke and the waiters, bring in the food. ***

In the large tatami room, the guests had gathered and found their seats around the tables, looking on as Rin and Haruka made their entrances, now wearing suits. Rin wore a maroon colored suit with a white dress shirt, a black tie and a black handkerchief, and Haruka wore a gray suit with a light blue dress shirt underneath, and a navy blue tie and a matching pocket handkerchief, both with a pretty, gold pattern. They took off their shoes and stepped inside, receiving cheering from their guests as they easily found their seats while holding hands. The ceiling lights cast a reflection in their silver wedding rings and their gold engagement rings, making them even more noticeable. Shortly after sitting down by the table, Rin tapped his glass with a knife and gained the attention of everyone in the room. “Hi everyone,” he began, a bit awkwardly as everyone was now staring at him. He was used to being watched, but giving speeches had never been something he had done a lot of. It was just friends and family, though, so he managed. “Before the food comes out, Haru and I just wanted to say thank you to all of you here today, for coming and for wanting to partake in celebrating us and our love,” he looked down at Haruka, and smiled even broader, and the guests cheered. “And we also want to give a personal thanks to Haru’s main sponsor and stand-in grandpa, Yevgeni, for financing and making sure we got this beautiful venue. And of course a very special thanks to the professional menace and our very dear friend, wedding planner, officiate and manager, Nagisa,” Rin paused to gesture at Nagisa who was sitting across from him at the same table. “He’s been in charge of making sure today has been and will continue to be as perfect as it possibly can be. And for being the reason we’re even here today. Without you, I’m not sure I would have ever gotten the chance to meet the love of my life, and for that I’m forever grateful. So cheers to you, Nagisa,” Rin raised his glass and continued to look directly at Nagisa, who looked seconds away from full on sob-crying. The guests raised their glasses as well, and Rin looked up and let his eyes scan all of the familiar faces. “And cheers to the rest of you here. And cheers to my Haru, too,” Rin looked down at Haruka again. “I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” I love you, Haruka mouthed, expression emotional as he quickly found Rin’s free hand on instinct, moving his thumb across it in circling movements. His other hand held up his glass, as he toasted with the others and then took a sip from it. During the meal courses, speeches were held, the first to kick it off being Miyako, who congratulated the happy couple and sent her best regards and hopes for them and the future they were going to build together. Her husband was next, having written a speech about Rin and his upbringing, what a happy and promising child he was, how quickly he excelled in hockey, and how proud he was of him, and how happy he was to see him so happy outside the rink - even more so, than on it, unless Haruka was on that rink with him, Toraichi cheekily added. Rin’s sister spoke of their sibling bond, of watching her big brother grow and become a man - although so very childish at times. She thanked him for giving her another brother, one that would look after her original one; one that deserved all the love that Rin was clearly more than willing to give him. Makoto gave his own speech, which was shorter than he had wanted it to be, but held a meaning he hoped would be clear anyway. He talked about Haruka, their time shared on the rink over the span of many years, and how he had watched him come out of his shell after meeting Rin. No one brought out such emotions from Haruka as Rin could, and it had been nerve wracking at first, but then it quickly became wonderful to witness. Nagisa’s speech was the longest of everyone there, and arguably the most emotional one too. He talked about how Rin and Haruka had originally wanted something small for their wedding, but Nagisa had insisted that love like theirs was meant to be celebrated, worth to be celebrated. They had wanted him to have some sort of assistance, but he didn’t want someone, especially not a stranger, to risk messing it all up. Because they deserved this special day, and to remember it as nothing short of perfect. He proceeded to go on about Haruka and their first meeting, and the day Haruka asked him to be in charge of his social media, and what a wonderful adventure it had been ever since, especially after he drew Rin into the picture. More speeches were made and done with, from various people, including shorter ones from Yevgeni and Rin’s teammate. Each one had something new to say, some new point of view of Rin and Haruka as individuals and as a pair. It was interesting, it was fun, it was emotional. “Enough with the sap,” Sousuke joked, making people laugh, while he stood up from his seat across from Rin. “It’s my turn to make fun of you now. And don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because it’s your wedding day.” “I expect nothing less,” Rin smiled, mentally preparing himself for being made more fun of, possibly less affectionately than the other speeches that had included some light teasing at his expense. “Okay, so as most of you here know, I’m Sousuke. I’ve known Rin since we were very little, back when he still hadn’t grown out all of his teeth yet, and when we were still around the same height, which of course didn’t last long,” he teased, making Rin roll his eyes at the childhood memories of Sousuke rapidly growing taller and taller than him. “We met through hockey, connecting through it and became friends both on and then quickly also off the ice. You were there for me through my shoulder injury, and I was there through your knee one. And all the other injuries that come with the sport, of course. I still remember having to carry your ass off the ice after you slammed into a wall and broke your foot and nearly got whiplash because you were too careless, and also too small for your opponents back then,” Sousuke said, a smile across his lips as he reminisced on the past. Rin couldn’t help but smile back, even with the teasing. “I was there when you got scouted for the first time, and you were there for me during my first heartbreak. It’s a bit frustrating that you’re such a late bloomer and that you then met a guy like Nanase who - for some reason - worships you, which probably means that I won’t be able to return that favor,” he smiled, nodding his head and looking at Haruka for a quick moment. Haruka was pretty sure that was the first compliment he had ever gotten from Sousuke - and likely the only one he would ever get from him. “You two are so very different,” Sousuke continued. “And I was so sure Nanase would tear you and your career apart when you first started to offend him in interviews a year ago, but I’m happy to see I was wrong about that. Then I was sure that he would completely mess up your career with how distracted you were - and still are - by him, but so far you’ve managed pretty alright. When you’re not a blushing mess, of course, or when you ditch practice to go watch his dance performances. But enough about that. I hope the best for you two, and I thoroughly plan on spending all your honeymoon money on booze for myself tonight,” Sousuke ended his speech by raising his glass in demonstration, receiving cheers of agreement from his and Rin’s fellow hockey teammates, and some laughs from the other guests for all of his wits. Despite all the fully characteristic and expected teasing, Rin still felt sentimental, shedding a tear through his humorous laugh. “Don’t go crying now,” Sousuke teased. “Shut up,” Rin complained with a smile. “Thank you, Sou.” Sousuke nodded and sat down again, clinking his glass against Rin’s before downing the alcoholic content of it.   After some time of a break in all the speeches, filled in with more eating and talking, Rin took a deep breath in through his nose, and with weak-feeling legs and nervous hands, he stood up, tapped his knife against his glass once more, and pulled out a piece of paper from his suit. This was going to be a lot harder for him than his short opening speech, and he knew it was going to take everything in him to steady himself through it. He unfolded the piece of paper, cleared his throat, kept his gaze on the paper and tried to get his words out as best as he could. “Haru,” Rin began, feeling his voice begin to tremble already. “Fuck, sorry, give me a second,” Rin interrupted himself, making the guests laugh. Haruka didn’t laugh, though. He watched with careful and attentive eyes, as Rin downed his drink in one go, before returning his attention back to the paper. He glanced up at Haruka, and as their eyes met, he instantly felt grounded. “Let’s try that again,” Rin wittily said with a sideways smile, trying to cover his nerves by lightning up the mood as best as he could. “When I first saw you, I didn’t think much about you. You looked attractive, of course, but at the time I thought you were just a silly figure skater and nothing more. But you are so much more than that, and always have been.” Rin looked up from his paper and onto Haruka. In his head, for a moment, it was just the two of them. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for all those little coincidences that led us together,” Rin continued, smiling widely and glancing over at Nagisa. “And for the puppeteer who was behind all of them,” He added, giving Nagisa a smile before looking back down at the paper and then at Haruka once more. “You came into my life quite abruptly, as nothing more than an arrogant ballerina. And to you, I was nothing more than a stereotypical hockey goon. We quickly proved each other wrong in our assumptions, though, as we started to get to know each other better.” Rin looked down at his paper and bit down on his quivering lip, still smiling widely and feeling absolutely overwhelmed with emotions. “I cannot believe how lucky I am, to have met you, to have known you, and to have loved you, and to be loved right back by you.” Rin clutched the paper as if it was a lifeline, knuckles almost turning white, nerves slowly getting the better of him, voice growing more and more unsteady, eyes slowly filling with tears, but he fought it back - all of it. He was desperate to finish, desperate to say his written words out loud for Haruka to hear. He was too busy looking at the paper to notice the tears in Haruka’s eyes. “I promise to continue to love you, on the good days and on the bad days, and through sickness and health, for as long as you could possibly want me to, and even after that. From this day forth and for the rest of my life, I’ll work to prove to you just how much I love you, and to make the space in your heart that you’ve carved out for me, feel more worth it with every passing day.” Rin let out a deep breath through his mouth, lowered the piece of paper in his hand and finally looked at Haruka again, who was wiping a hand across his eye. Rin nearly broke down right then and there, but instead he reached out a hand to place against Haruka’s cheek, then bent down and met Haruka halfway in a deep and rather messy kiss. He had only just gathered himself again, sitting back down, pouring some water into his glass and taking a sip of it, when Haruka decided to stand up and unfold a piece of paper, and Rin instantly knew there was nothing he could possibly do to prepare himself for what was to come. Haruka’s speech, no matter what he had to say, was destined to emotionally wreck him entirely, just because of the gesture itself. “Rin,” Haruka copied Rin’s opening, gaining his full attention and everyone else in the room, without even needing to tap a glass or any other means of getting people to quiet down. “Meeting you felt like a punishment at first. You were loud and annoying. You were also persistent, not to mention extremely competitive,” Haruka listed, making the guests laugh in surprise. “Hey now,” Rin interrupted, his laugh affectionate but also slightly offended. It’s not like he didn’t know all of that already, but it was their wedding after all - surely Haruka couldn’t be serious in bad-mouthing him like his team members had done in their speeches. That didn’t feel fair. “Let me finish,” Haruka patiently and lightheartedly scolded, then smiled softly. “Sorry,” Rin apologized with a chuckle. “You’re extremely competitive, just like I am, and because of that, we got to learn more about each other and how much we have in common, and with time I came to realize maybe you weren’t so bad afterall. You came to understand me, and for all unlikeliness, you came to love me, and you wanted me to love you back. And I did, and I still do.” Haruka spoke with such a soft voice, a voice only Rin had ever had the honor of hearing before, and they both knew their guest must have been surprised by it. All that softness and affection that was usually reserved only for Rin, was now on full display. “We came to realize how much we complete each other, how nicely a pair of figure skates can fit a hockey player. We’ve also been through a lot, but I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. Because even if there were times of pain and struggle, we proved that it couldn’t keep us apart. I love you so much,” Haruka said, reaching his free hand down to gently wipe away a falling tear from Rin’s cheek. “Even when you’re being annoying, and even when you’re right, I still love you.” “I’m always right,” Rin managed to playfully say, before his breath got caught in his throat, but instead of bursting out crying, he let out a chuckle as tears began to stream down his cheeks, and he reached out for Haruka, who quickly took the initiative and sat back down again, leaning forward and pressing his lips against Rin’s. *** After eating, the gathering put on their shoes and moved onto another room, where Makoto ended up sitting quietly to himself while Sousuke stood by the dance floor, talking to some guy from his hockey team that Makoto didn’t fully know. They were standing close to each other, and the guy had a grip on Sousuke’s arm, pulling him closer to whisper something into his ear that made Sousuke nudge him while laughing. It was likely just so the guy could be heard over the music, but there was still something about it that bothered Makoto. Makoto wished he was the one who could just carelessly laugh with Sousuke in a room full of people, not caring who would see or what others would think. Instead, he had been uncharacteristically withdrawn from the party, feeling like an outsider, sitting by himself at a table. He had sat with Miu and some of his other friends, but they had all gone to the dance floor. Makoto hadn’t felt like dancing, so instead he had settled on just sulking, trying his best to convince himself that wasn’t what he was doing - and to convince others, too, by appearing to just be taking in the moment, or perhaps just resting. “Don’t feel like dancing?” A familiar voice asked and Makoto looked at Nagisa standing beside him. “Oh, um… no, not really. Not right now,” Makoto admitted with a friendly smile. “Sorry about earlier,” Nagisa apologized. Makoto didn't know what to say. He didn’t hold any grudge about it at all, but he was still surprised that the outburst even happened at all, and the amount of things Nagisa seemed to be aware of, all the secrets he apparently somehow just knew. And if he knew, others must have known, too. “Since when have you known?” Makoto settled on asking instead. “I had my suspicions before it, but the day of Haru-chan’s proposal was when I knew,” Nagisa answered, voice completely free of any judgment or ridicule. Makoto didn’t reply, just thought it through - the reply, as well as the moment referred to in the reply. He wanted to ask how Nagisa could have possibly known just from that, as he didn’t think he was being obvious, but no words came out of his mouth. Maybe he wasn’t ready to ask that question. Maybe the possible answer held too much; too much he wasn’t yet ready to touch upon. “I have to go make sure the cake gets out here safely, but can I give you some advice?” “Advice?” Makoto looked at him confused. “If you don’t choose the right time, the right time chooses you,” Nagisa said, and it sounded far too ominous. Not necessarily a threat, more just a very powerful statement, as if he knew how things would go, even if they hadn’t yet happened. “Just look at the grooms. The circumstances and the media pressured them a lot, not to mention him,” Nagisa added with a spiteful voice, clearly referring to Haruka and Makoto’s old coach. “But if they hadn’t pushed past that, we wouldn’t be where we are right now. Don’t sit here and be bitter or sad about you and Sou-chan. Just go talk to him. No one’ll think it’s weird if you talk, it’s actually more weird that you’re avoiding each other. Especially today of all days.” Makoto sat silently and took a moment to fully let Nagisa’s words settle within him, but when Nagisa moved to turn around, he spoke up: “Thank you, Nagisa.” Nagisa gave a short hum, a smile, and then he was off again, probably to yell at some more poor caterers, Makoto figured. With Nagisa having left again and with one glance over in Sousuke’s direction, Makoto downed his fifth or so glass of champagne of the evening, and then he stood up and walked towards Sousuke. “Sousuke?” Makoto asked, once he was within hearing reach, raising his voice to make sure he could be heard over the music. “Oh, hi Makoto,” Sousuke greeted, voice raised as well, looking at Makoto surprised and clearly putting up his facade of them being friends, rather than what they actually were. For the first time, it bugged Makoto just to see it. “Dance with me,” Makoto demanded, then quickly realized how commanding his tone sounded, and his alcohol-fueled blush turned a darker shade of red. He instinctively wanted to apologize, but he held it back. “Uhhh… okay?” Sousuke looked at him with wide, curious eyes, clearly taken aback by the sudden request, but he nonetheless excused himself to his teammate and followed Makoto onto the dance floor. Right as they were about to move to the beat of the music, to finally have some sort of connection for the first time that evening, in what felt to Makoto as forever, the music stopped, and Makoto quickly realized why. The cake came out, and so he and Sousuke had to instead stand beside each other and watch Rin and Haruka smear cake into each other’s faces, with Rei in the background practically screaming for them not to get it on their suits, which they naturally didn’t hear. Souske and Makoto went to have a taste of the cake themselves, and Makoto wished he had never gone over to Sousuke to begin with, because now things were just plain awkward. Again. He didn’t act like himself, he knew that much, but he couldn’t stop. The only good thing about the whole situation was that the cake at least tasted delicious. All the other guests also enjoyed the cake and other desserts and snacks, while the music played on. After a while, with everyone having stuffed themselves anew, the music changed from the upbeat songs to a slow one. “It’s time for the grooms to share their first dance as newlyweds!” Nagisa announced loudly, making both Rin and Haruka blush despite them standing in the middle of the floor, ready for that first wedding dance, fully knowing it was happening, yet being flustered with the announcement and the mass of attention. They had, of course, practiced a wedding waltz for the occasion, executing it flawlessly with laughs and broad, loving smiles. Everyone’s eyes were on them, watching as they took up the room, dancing around and around. Once the song and their dance came to a stop, another slow song began, and Rin and Haruka pulled each other close, swaying along to the music. People started to join them, first Rin’s parents, and then more and more, mainly couples. In the commotion of the wedding dance, Makoto had lost track of where Sousuke was. He looked around, only to see Sousuke suddenly standing right in front of him, an outstretched hand in front of him in an offering. He didn’t say anything, and he didn’t need to either. Makoto placed his own hand in Sousuke’s, and Sousuke hesitantly yet gracefully and charmingly guided him onto the dance floor, as if he had done it many times before. “Are you really ready to go public right now, Tachibana?” Sousuke asked, and Makoto knew it was just to make sure they really were on the same page. “I’m ready if you are.” “And that’s not just the champagne talking?” Sousuke asked, clearly aware of the way Makoto’s feet seemed unusually and slightly unsteady. Makoto also figured Sousuke had probably been watching him just as much as he himself had been watching Sousuke, so he must have noticed the drinking, and he might even have known why. “No,” Makoto smiled, affectionately. Sousuke pulled him close to himself, and then he took the lead and guided him around the dance floor. He wasn’t exactly a perfectly trained or skilled dancer, but Makoto barely even noticed, until Sousuke messed up a step and Makoto accidentally stepped on his foot in the process, and then they both let out a hearty laugh. After that, Makoto rested his head on Sousuke’s shoulder, and continued to allow Sousuke to gently sway him around to the music. If they hadn’t confirmed their relationship to everyone by then, they sure would come to do just that by the end of the night. As the night progressed, so did their alcohol intake, and with that, all rational last remains of carefulness faded as the music became more and more fast paced and they continued to move closer and closer, more and more sensually, completely carefree. Ironically enough, their first public kiss was to the song Stay With Me, which everyone of course recognized, all except for Makoto and Sousuke, who didn’t even hear it, as they were too busy listening to their own heartbeats. They barely registered the sound of people singing and screaming along, trying to sing as loud as the music through the speakers. They were so caught up in each other they didn’t even notice Nagisa dancing around with Rei right beside them either, but they would come to figure that one out the next morning, with all the stories told and the photographic evidence of the entire evening, from the sober beginning, to the drunken end.

#free! #soumako #rinharu #harurin #sharkbait #fanfics #rinharu fics #hockey au #skating au #fic: take this dance #fic: i'll make that cold expression of yours heat up #ish #my writing #shark writes

[foggyjune]

Dorky edit for my dorky Xiaolin Showdown skating AU.

I swear I’m still working on it

#it would help if my computer wasn't on the brink of death #i don't have any money goddammit #xiaolin showdown #chack #skating au #xiaolin showdown fic #i've been working on it for so long that i'm now the age i put chase at and i deliberately made him older than me when i started #chase young #jack spicer #wuya #katnappe #figure skating #my fics