"The thing about figure skating is that it's the most brutal sport disguised as something incredibly beautiful to look at, something elegant and frail.
Just like Samuel Jeon."

******

Figure Ice Skating.

To some, it's just a type of dance. For the viewers, maybe it could just be something they watch to keep them entertained. For the skaters, it could be an extreme physical expression of emotions and music.

The meaning of figure ice skating varies depending on the person.

It could be a dream, a vision, a goal, but to some— it's their life.

_________________

"Are you sure about this?"

"I am."

___________________

A week had passed. A lot had happened indeed, and this might be the only morning that Samuel woke up feeling a bit light after finally having a good night's sleep.

The rays of the sun were already peeking through the small gap behind the curtains as Samuel pulled himself up; eyes still closed, he then stretched his arms over his head, taking a deep breath as he walked out of the bedroom to find his injured skating partner. Suddenly Samuel's nostrils were invaded by a whiff of something cooking— cooking?

"R-rice?" Samuel mumbled under his breath, still half asleep, only for his eyes to shoot wide open when he heard Justin's giggle from a distance.

"Morning... Rice?" Justin said, smiling as Samuel looked at him with panic painted all over his face.

"O-oh my God, Justin! What are you doing there?" Samuel gasped as he saw Justin standing straight without his crutches and no wrapping around his ankles.

"Pfft. Shocked much? Well, you were sleeping so well, I couldn't dare wake you up. I was actually able to stand and walk for two days now, so I had Dr. Choi remove the wrapping for me first thing in the morning today. Looks like I'm fine now— uhm... Well, surprise?" Justin was awkwardly scratching the back of his neck with a cheeky grin on his face as Samuel slowly made his way towards him behind the counter at the kitchen.

"Oh gosh!", Samuel was still in disbelief, wondering if what he was seeing was real or if he was dreaming, probably still sleeping, but when Justin took a step and placed both of his hands on his waist, hoisted him up on the counter and settled between his legs, kissing him senseless, Justin confirmed that it was real.

"C'mon... Say something." Justin started pecking Samuel's lips again, cupping his face to make it deeper, kissing the fresh tears that then started streaming down on Samuel's cheeks. "Now we can skate again— over and over... We can." Justin was smiling ever so brightly when Samuel swung his arms around his neck, pulling him close for a hug. "You... Really," Samuel said, nuzzling his face at the crook of Justin's neck.

It was time to go back on the ice again.

________________

[Now playing: Cruel Summer : Taylor Swift]

Having both his feet on the sturdy floor again felt like home for Justin. They still had a ton of things to do, but he just couldn't possibly sit still, knowing that now he could skate with Samuel again. He couldn't wait, so after having a quick bite of the breakfast he made, he pulled Samuel towards one of the empty rinks in the building, starting a random song after doing some stretches.

"Let's go," Justin said, staring straight into Samuel's eyes, feeling the intense need to move his body and follow Samuel's lead. God, he'd been craving it for a week.

"Are you sure? Aren't you supposed to be resting, still? I mean, you just recovered and we don't want to—"

"Please," Justin said, feeling that fire being lit from the pit of his stomach, making him boil with enough need and excitement to have those reflect in his eyes, sparkling even more when his partner smiled.

"Fine... Try to keep up then." Samuel flashed Justin a playful wink before striding towards the center of the rink, taking a leap so fluid, he did a split in midair; while Justin's breath hitched, body moving on its own, following Samuel's every move as if they're connected past their flesh and bones.

It felt surreal— unreal.

It was just so fascinating that even after lying low for a week, they were still moving in perfect sync. They hadn't agreed on doing any particular choreography. They were just skating at will. Samuel's eyes were closed, letting himself feel the beat, while Justin's eyes were fixed on him, heart pounding hard and fast inside his chest, mouth curled up to a bright smile even when he was steadying his breath.

It was warm.
Hot.
He felt alive... Finally, alive again.

Their eyes then met, making Samuel's pupils dilate, feeling the adrenaline rushing through his veins as the fact that Justin's skating beside him again sank in. They just briefly nodded their heads, before launching themselves for a series of axel jumps, then spinning side by side at the same time on one leg, proceeding towards a Biellmann spin, pulling their free leg above the level of the head, subconsciously spinning around each other.

"Fuck... I missed this." Justin breathed out as he held Samuel's hand, guiding it up as the latter spun beautifully for him, making him feel bolder that he placed his hands on Samuel's waist, hoisting him up over his head, holding his breath as the bright sun rays passing through the glass windows of the skating arena hit Samuel's face, covering him with his shadow while hovering over him.

"I missed you," Samuel said, looking straight into Justin's eyes, looking so beautiful as always.

Angel.

Right now for Justin, Samuel looked like an angel with his arms spread wide and proud, legs stretched into fine perfect lines, still smiling so bright, gasping when Justin tossed him up, catching him again with ease, letting Samuel wrap his legs around his waist, kissing him breathless as Justin spins them around, laughing when they pulled back, feeling their rapid heartbeats against their pressed chests.

It felt like summer again, finally.

_________________

A few days ago, all of the participants for the upcoming US National Figure skating Championship received a letter, inviting them for a two week long pre-competition workshop to be held in Ford Ice Centre Bellevue, where the said competition was to be held as well.

Samuel initially declined the invitation given Justin's condition, but thankfully, his partner did recover on time, so they were now in their own homes, packing their things for the workshop and the competition itself that would proceed immediately then after.

It was indeed a good opportunity to get well acquainted with the area; have themselves get used to the rink and practice, which would definitely aid them on their performances.

"You good?" Kate asked, seeing that Samuel's bags were already settled on the floor and the latter was just sitting on the bed with his laptop, transferring some files to his phone, like the video recordings of his and Justin's practices, Mark Hamilton's choreography guides as well as some music to keep him entertained on the bus later on.

"Mhm-hm. Just making sure I got everything. You?" Samuel asked, still browsing his files, catching a glimpse of that particular folder filled with the songs he recently chose to leave in his past.

"Almost. God, I can't believe we'll have to be in the fishbowl again— for two weeks at that. Wonder why we have to rub shoulders with those we're about to crush. Ugh... I just hope we'll get nicer rooms this time compared to last year. I'll really flip if they squeeze six of us in one room and two beds again." Kate sighed, recalling her awful experience last season.

"Pfft... Well, lucky me, I skipped the Nationals last year. Don't worry, I heard they'll be generous this time, thanks to some of the donations we received from the gala. Samuel's eyes were still fixed on the folder, tempted to click on it, pressing his lips in a thin line when he did so without thinking.

"You mean thanks to you, joining. I'm sure your mother wouldn't tolerate risking you being uncomfortable given that she's one of the board members this year," Kate said, which made Samuel roll his eyes at her.

"Yeah? All that just to make sure her son wouldn't embarrass her name. Then again, I'm not gonna complain. You know we like our own space, so let's just keep this to our advantage." Samuel winked at Kate with a grin as he glanced up at her, and next thing he knew, he was already transferring the songs to his phone. There's no harm in doing so anyway. They're just songs— songs that once helped him silence his own demons.

"True. How are you and Justin, by the way? Is he okay now?" Kate asked, being one of the few who knew about Justin's injury.

"Mhm... He's fine. We even managed to practice our routine for the prelims. I don't know, he's like Hercules or something. He just bounced back like nothing happened. I'm still worried, though. I don't want him to overdo it before the competition." Samuel closed his laptop once he made sure that he got everything on his phone, keeping his luggage as light as possible.

"Pfft. He's always so extra. Well, I'm glad that he's fine now. I'm pretty sure your mother will come and observe us there like she did here last week. Gosh, I swear to God, she still scares the shit out of me." Kate shivered as she zipped up Samuel's bag.

"Well, I can't blame her, really. This is her first appearance in the skating community after her hiatus. Her skating classes sadly flopped which she herself failed to maintain it, so this competition is basically her come back. This means a lot to her. That goes the same for me too. I want to bring home that damn gold and welcome her back into the skating world." Samuel had a small smile, while Kate looked at him with both fondness and sympathy, understanding what her friend meant by that.

"Gold or not, just know that I'll always be proud of you, Sammy." Kate took Samuel's hand in hers, "Your failures and success are both yours, not hers. Keep that in mind, okay?"

"Thanks, Kate. I will," Samuel said, trying hard to sound convincing.

To whom, he didn't know.

___________________

The bus to Nashville was almost full when Samuel and Kate entered. Samuel immediately smiled at Rose when he saw the latter already sitting on the third row, bag placed on the seat beside her while Kate went ahead as if she saw nothing and settled at the vacant seat at the fifth row.

"Kate..." Samuel whispered, a bit surprised that Kate and Rose still weren't talking.

"Go. I'll be fine here. Save a seat for your partner." Kate assured, giving Samuel an alleviating smile, even though they both knew that she was not fine.

"I can sit with you, y'know?"

"And have Justin complain to me later? No thanks. I'd like to sleep since I'm beat from practicing this morning," Kate argued, shooing Samuel away, while the latter just breathed out a sigh in defeat.

"Fine, I'll be at the back, then. Later, okay?" Samuel let his gaze linger on his best friend for a minute before he let her have her own space.

Almost everyone was on the bus already, except Justin who had stopped by the clinic to get his ankle checked again before they had to leave.

It was loud, considering that the students competing for the junior division and gymnastics were also with them in the same bus, so to save his ears from the noise, Samuel pulled out his earbuds, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the windows as he played a random song.

Samuel was sure he was about to fall asleep when someone suddenly plucked one of his earbuds off of him. In normal circumstances, he would've flipped, but not right now when he knew who exactly it was, so he huffed out with a smirk instead.

"You're here? How was the check up?" Samuel asked, breathing in Justin's sweet vanilla scent as the latter settled on the seat beside him.

"All good. Dr. Choi got me a whole baby bag, to be honest. I'll be damned if these aren't enough. Pfft." Justin waved the medicine bag in front of Samuel as soon as the latter opened his eyes.

"Pfft. Cute. Now be quiet, 'm sleepy." Samuel casually laid his head on Justin's shoulder while the latter plugged the earbuds that he snatched from Samuel to his ear, smile immediately dropping upon realizing whose music it was.

It's odd, really. It'd been days since both of them last heard from Victor, but then again, the latter's traces kept on haunting them— or just Justin at least. It kind of sucked that Justin knew Victor so well that he could recognise the latter's mannerisms in Samuel from time to time. Like how Samuel would unconsciously hum one or two of Victor's piano pieces in the shower, to the way Samuel would glance up to him with a smirk that somehow resembled Victor's look whenever the latter found something funny and didn't want to laugh out loud— the way Samuel would hold himself back. Justin knew that he might be just over analyzing things but he couldn't really help it. His realisation of being in love kept on making him weak, amplifying the voices in his head, making him notice everything up to the smallest details— and he hated it. He hated how he kept on getting greedier every passing day.

And the most cruel part about that is, he was aware of it.

"Hey." Samuel glanced up at Justin when the latter suddenly snatched his other earbuds off of him, then handing him his own while fiddling with his phone.  "I discovered a new song. 's nice. Give it a try," Justin said instead, trying his best to avoid Samuel's gaze, breath hitching when he felt the latter's lips, pressing softly against his cheek.

"M'kay... Thank you," Samuel mumbled, oblivious about the demons whispering in Justin's head. He found it rather endearing that Justin wanted to share things that he liked with him.

Justin made moving on easier for him.

"S-Sammy..." Justin whispered, not sure of what he wanted to say. He just feels like calling Samuel's name.

"Hmm?" Samuel hummed, tenderly tilting Justin's face towards him. "Why?" He asked.

"N-nothing..." Justin swallowed the lump in his throat when Samuel leaned in and kissed his lips.

"Ugh! Seriously? Get a room, you two. Tch, some are single here y'know?" Yuna Kim, Boston University's representative for solo classical playfully rolled her eyes when she caught Justin and Samuel making out from the row beside her.

"Pfft... Close your eyes, then." Samuel smirked as he leaned in again, kissing Justin deeper this time, winking at Yuna when Justin grinned against his lips, now kissing him back with the same hungry need.

___________________

The noise immediately died down as soon as their bus drove past the huge gates of stadium with the rink. The participants from other schools were already there, lined up beside their own buses at the university grounds, and Samuel could already sense the tension building up even though they were still on their seats.

The competition is really near— It's happening.

As soon as their bus stopped, everyone started getting on their feet, collecting their bags one by one, then lining up in the isle, making sure that they were all wearing their jackets, sporting Boston University's proud name, while Reese Parker, their skating coach together with Mark Hamilton stood in front of them.

Samuel was standing beside Justin in silence, for they both weren't new to this. Though, this might be the first time that they were paired up together as a solid team, that is.

Reese Parker then clapped his hands into two counts, followed by the students stomping their feet twice on the ground.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

He did it again, doing three counts this time, making every one stomp their feet thrice as well, following the rhythm their coach had set.

"We all know why we're here right?— Right?" Parker exclaimed, waking everyone up when his voice roared and echoed here in the bus.

"We will take the gold!" Everybody shouted in unison. Repeating it again and again, lifting their spirits up and releasing some of the tension by shouting their chant— "Go BU, go BU. FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!"

They were here to win, and laugh triumphantly once they do.
They were here to eat, and laugh triaumphantly once they get their fill.

After reciting their cheers loud and proud, everybody was now standing straight, collectively taking a deep breath as the bus door swung open. They were the last ones to arrive apparently, making the others turn their eyes on them as they got off the bus one by one with their heads held high.

"Hah... Gives me chills, every time." Justin boomed, patting his chest as he softly nudged Samuel's side.

"Lucky you— here I am getting a headache instead," Samuel chimed in as he and Justin stepped out, standing side by side at the end of their school's two lines.

"Want a massage later? Hmm?" Justin asked with a cheeky grin on his face, while Samuel just rolled his eyes at him, conscious that they were now being stared at by maybe everyone here.

"Justin Wong!" Amidst the other teams who were eyeing them— not so subtly, that is; a rather chirpy voice then broke the silence, bumping into Samuel, almost shoving him to the side as the woman everybody here knew rushed and launched herself into Justin's arms.

"Finally! You're here! Fashionably late as always... I missed you!" She squealed, pressing a rather intense kiss on Justin's cheek, while Samuel couldn't help but let out a choke in disbelief.

A choke he almost immediately swallowed when he saw Justin with a bright smile painted all over his face, hugging her back as if Samuel wasn't there.

"Cassie... You're back, I see." Justin chuckled, and suddenly, Samuel felt something he'd never felt with Justin, at least— being out of place.

Samuel now felt out of place, and sadly, Justin looked too distracted to notice it.

_________________

It is no secret that Samuel hated Justin's guts before they started whatever they had between them now. The accident back when they were twelve might be one of the reasons for that dislike, and so was the one that Samuel was witnessing now with his own eyes at that.

Justin Wong had many— rather publicized affairs. Some of it even made the news outside the skating community given the celebrity status of his parents. One of those affairs was his on and off again relationship with the country's sweetest ice fairy— Cassandra Johnson.

Cassandra was the daughter of two well known actors, just like Justin. Given that, Samuel had been aware that the two have known each other from way back. If Samuel was not mistaken, the two even did a cover shoot for one sports magazine a few years ago, but he never really paid it any mind. However, right now was a different story.

Right now, he was hyper aware of how Justin was holding her waist.
Right now, he could clearly see how Justin was looking at her.

Right now— Samuel was upset.

Samuel and Cassandra often faced each other in official events. Whenever Samuel was competing, then you would expect Cassandra to be there as well. Samuel's gold award count was supposed to be a point higher if not for his injury last year, causing him to miss the Nationals; which then made Cassandra win the senior classical ice skating division. It had always been that way, them taking turns in getting first place. Though, what Samuel didn't expect was for him to get involved with someone whom Cassandra had first. Well, he couldn't really blame himself, for Justin had always been there, and to be honest, Samuel hadn't even thought about her once, if not for her showing up now, clinging onto Justin like there was no one around. 

"Shameless," Samuel mumbled under his breath, glaring at the two who seemed to be too busy with each other to even notice his presence, as he walked ahead of the line, asking the one who was standing beside Kate to step back so he could take his place near his best friend— probably the only one he could tolerate at this time.

"Uh, Sammy? Why?" Kate asked, a bit surprised that Samuel appeared out of the blue.

"Nothing." Samuel was looking ahead, now back with his cold stare, making Kate look back to where Samuel's spot was supposed to be, now seeing Justin with Cassandra there.

"O-oh... Tinkerbell is here, huh? C'mon Sammy, they're friends before anything—"

"Not now, Kate. Not now." Samuel placed both his hands inside the pockets of his jacket, tilting his head slightly on the sides to stretch his neck, hoping to release some of his tension there.

_______________________

"Aren't you supposed to still be in Russia? You didn't even attend the last workshop, so I thought you would be skipping the Nationals this season," Justin asked, feeling happy to see his friend. It had been months since he last heard from Cassandra, and although they'd hooked up once or twice in the past, the latter remained a good friend for him, for they basically grew up together even before Justin had met both Rose and Victor.

"Are you kidding me? Of course I'd be here! Y'know the board loves seeing me compete with the 'winter prince'— Ah, speaking of him, I thought I saw Samuel? Wasn't he just here?" Cassandra inquired, which then made Justin snap back, finally realizing that Samuel wasn't standing beside him now.

"Oh, shit— Jess, where's Sammy?" Justin asked the girl who took Samuel's place on his side.

"Huh? With Kate, there at the front," She said, pointing in Samuel's direction.

"Roll call! Stay in your lines, please!" Justin was about to go where Samuel was when they all heard the announcement from the front.

"Tch, let's catch up later, Jus. See ya!" Cassandra playfully punched Justin's shoulder before rushing back to her line, while Justin silently hissed, massaging the bridge of his nose, wondering why Samuel suddenly moved up front.

___________________

"On behalf of the International Skating Union, it is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this workshop..."

The opening ceremony was now starting at the Ford Ice Centre Bellevue, where the US National Figure Skating Championship was to be held in two weeks time as well. The chairman of ISU was reciting her speech, welcoming the participants this year. Jeon Hye-Jin was also in the front, standing beside the other members of the board, staring at her son from the crowd, making Samuel be glad of the fact that he wasn't beside Justin now.

Samuel was aware how his mother liked to keep him out of any distraction during major competitions like this, and if he was not mistaken, his mother was still upset about that rather scandalous kiss he and Justin shared at the gala a few weeks ago. For her, skating was skating, you wow your audience with your performance, not by pulling off some unnecessary stunts, and Samuel understood that quite well.

His mother was there, reminding Samuel that he shouldn't be thinking of anything else besides winning.

"You okay?" Kate asked, nudging Samuel on the side.

"Of course... And you?" Samuel was still wearing that blank face of his with a cold stare.

"Peachy— except for the fact that I'm literally about to shit my pants if your mom continues to stare at us like what she's doing now." Kate made Samuel snort out a laugh, bumping his shoulders against Kate who was now giggling quietly beside him.

"Tch, stop. You should be used to her being like that by now." Samuel chuckled, thankful that despite everything, he still had Kate to make him smile.

"Pfft, as if I'd ever. Told you, she scares the bejesus out of me," Kate chimed in, making Samuel press his lips to a thin line, suppressing a laugh as he playfully smacked Kate on his side.

___________________

It was only when the opening ceremony was done did Justin get the opportunity to approach Samuel. They were now at the university pantry where snacks were being served, standing in line with their trays on hand, waiting for their turn and Justin was behind Samuel.

"Sammy... Are you mad? E-earlier, y'know that was nothing, right? Cassie's just a friend— a childhood friend to be exact-"

Justin kept on talking and for some reason, Samuel didn't want to hear any of it. Thinking about it now, back on the streets, Justin didn't really bother explaining himself like this when Samuel asked about his other friend, Joe; but now here he was, taking the trouble to defend himself even if Samuel hadn't really spoken anything about the topic. Which just goes to show— for Samuel at least, Justin was aware that there was definitely something.

There was no point in hiding it, everybody there knew that Cassandra and Justin used to have a thing. In fact, they were almost inseparable during events like these, that most sports magazines and newspapers would have their photos posted, dubbing them as the hottest skating couple; and honestly, Samuel was sure that if not because of him being there, that would've been the case now as well.

And no, Samuel refused to be affected by it— not when his mother and Cassandra were there to poke on the injury the moment he decided to show any signs of his weaknesses to the public.

"Pfft... Calm down. I'm not mad. It's not like that, Justin. Y'know, Kate is going through something because of Rose. I'm just worried about her— 's all." Samuel ignored the way Kate was now raising her brow at him on his side as he faked a smile at Justin, making it as believable as possible, letting out a silent sigh when Justin's face brightened up at that, meaning he just bought up Samuel lie.

"Thank God... I mean, I'm sorry about Kate—"

"Hello? I'm still here?" Kate cut Justin off, while Samuel glanced at her as if silently telling her to let it pass, making Kate just roll her eyes.

"I— I'm sorry. Uhm... What I'm trying to say is that Cassie is really nice. She's been a friend for so long and—"

"Justin! Here!— Please?" Everybody then turned towards the huge glass walls of the cafeteria where Cassandra just loudly called Justin, together with a couple of reporters who were there to hopefully bag another interview with the skating industry's celebrity couple.

"Go... It'll be a nice exposure. We're fine, Justin." Samuel looked at Justin again with a smile on his face, before Justin could even decline Cassandra's request.

"A-are you sure? I mean, I don't really need any unnecessary exposure, Sammy... I-"

"It's fine. She's your friend, right? Go on, now." Samuel grabbed the tray from Justin's hand, placing it under the one he was holding as he sent Justin away.

"Thanks... Uhm... I'll be back, I promise." Justin was smiling awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck before heading to where Cassandra was; while Samuel immediately released a deep sigh the moment he left.

"Tch. Y'know that guy is really smart when he wants to— but he's a bit too stupid when he needs to." Kate hissed, watching as Samuel watched Justin and Cassandra pose for photos, standing way too close for his taste. Then again, he was not one to complain, when he's the one who told Justin to go there.

"Leave it. I have way too many things on my plate to worry about him and his friend." Samuel sighed, tearing his eyes off of the two as he waited in line to get his food.

____________________

Samuel was on a call with his sister, complaining to her about his old foe he got to see today being chummy with Justin when he decided that it was time for him to go and prepare himself for the day. Bidding him goodbye, she reminded Samuel again to take care of himself before ending the call.

He was in his own room, since it was their first day there and Mr. Parker went to check on them last night before the lights went out. So as much as he wanted to stay with Justin, he couldn't, though honestly, he felt giddy to see him again today.

Skating with Justin had been a treat for Samuel lately. Whenever they shared the same space, Samuel felt more free— more alive, even. It was as if Justin had the ability to draw out the best in Samuel, making him pull off every move with ease, and to be honest, Samuel was loving it.

After taking a shower Samuel was now ready to head out for practice, thinking of dropping by at Justin's room next door, only for him to freeze on his spot, seeing the later talking to Cassandra in the corridor.

And no, after what happened yesterday Samuel didn't really feel like putting up with any bullshit today.

"Cassandra Johnson... I thought NYU's staying on the second floor? Are you lost?" Samuel couldn't help but interrupt Justin and Cassandra's rather touchy conversation, making the woman roll her eyes at him.

"Ah, Sammy. Morning." Justin greeted him with a wide smile, pulling him towards his side, while Cassandra eyed the way Justin took his hand. Again, Samuel felt like being petty today, so he didn't let go, instead he intertwined their fingers together.

"Morning." Samuel moved towards Justin's back, pressing a soft kiss on the latter's nape before resting his chin on his shoulder, making Justin giggle a bit.

"Pfft... That tickles, Sammy." Justin was still holding Samuel's hand so it looked like the latter was hugging him from behind— well he was. Technically, that is.

"Wow. I didn't know you're friends with my best friend, Samuel Jeon. Justin here has a lot of explaining to do, I see." Cassandra grunted, sucking in a deep breath, sharp eyes glaring at Samuel who was eyeing her the same way.

"Well, we just got here Cassie. Told you me and Sammy are friends now—"

"Friends? Mhm... Are you sure?" Samuel teased, nuzzling his face at the crook of Justin's neck, boldly placing a kiss there, puckering his lips rather dramatically to give Cassandra something to stare at while they were there, smirking when the woman scoffed in disbelief.

"Pfft... You're awfully clingy today, princess. What's with you? Had a good night's sleep? Hmm?" Justin used his free hand to caress the side of Samuel's face, totally forgetting where they were and who they were with, now that Samuel was there, being all sweet to him this morning.

Samuel's sure that Cassandra was about to flip judging from the look on her face, if not for Mark Hamilton blowing his whistle, signaling everyone to head to the rink for their morning practice, which then made Samuel pull back, all while still holding Justin's hand.

"Ah... Cassandra, nice to see you again, by the way. Too bad we can't chat more. We're kinda busy, y'see? Bye, then." Samuel pulled Justin away as the latter continued to stare at him, looking stupidly smitten, not even bothering to look at his friend.

Hmm... There we go. That's more like it, Samuel thought, placing his free hand on his back, raising his middle finger as he and Justin walked away.

"Pfft..." Samuel couldn't help but giggle at his own pettiness. "W-why? You really look happy today— not that I'm complaining, by the way. I like it. Cling to me more, please." Justin let go of Samuel's hand to wrap his arm around his waist.

"Oh, I'm sure you do. Do well today, and I might give you a reward later, lover boy." Samuel playfully flicked his fingers against Justin's crotch, making the latter flinch with a hiss, squeezing the dip of his waist.  "Woah... Easy there. It's just 8 in the morning. Pfft..." Justin gulped, cheeks flushing red as he continued to take Samuel away.

"Why? Don't like it?" Samuel smirked, raising a brow teasingly at Justin.

"No? 'm not gonna lie, I love it, actually. You're so fucking hot." Justin let his hand drop on the dip of Samuel's back, squeezing the latter's ass to tease back, giggling when the latter swatted his hand off of him, intertwining their fingers together again instead.

"I said later. Hold back a bit, okay?" Samuel sneered with a hint of warning while being playful, still.

"Right, right. Sorry— how about at lunch?"

"I said later. Patience, baby. Patience."

__________________

Everyone was now gathered at the skating arena. The rinks were marked for each group, making sure each school and participants had their own space to practice, and Samuel was there doing his stretches beside Justin outside their own rink, prepared by Boston University for them to use.

"How's your ankle?" Samuel asked, side eyeing Justin as the latter bent down, reaching for his foot that was placed over the barre.

"Good. I feel like I can run a marathon, to be honest," Justin said, while grinning cheekily at his partner.

"Tch. Please don't. We don't have enough time to play nurse." Samuel rolled his eyes at Justin as he also bent down to reach for his toes.

"Huh? But you did quite a good job. I mean, look at me? I'm now fine, thanks to your special— special treatment." Justin flashed Samuel a wink, making the latter's cheeks automatically flush pink.

"Shut up, you horny little thing," Samuel whispered low when Mark Hamilton glanced up at them, making them both giggle when he turned his eyes away.

__________________

It's not really new for everyone here to see BU and NYU's best skaters being called up to the rink at any given chance during pre competition workshops like what was happening now.

It started from the two skating prodigies, Reese Parker and Natasha Petrova, back when they were the ones representing their schools. They'd been at it even after they both graduated and joined their own clubs; at it until they retired from competitive skating— still at it now, that they even brought their ongoing rivalry to their own students. It started for fun, until it became a tradition. Now Samuel was taking Boston University's ace skater's role, while Cassandra took NYU's, which just stole up each other's personal vendetta against each other.

Samuel didn't usually take this kind of thing seriously, for he's often more concerned in winning his official matches, but then again, things were different this year— had been different since Samuel saw Cassandra touching what Sameul wanted to claim as his. So now he was there, taking his coach Parker's instructions seriously for the first time in years.

"Flash dance. What a feeling."

Okay, Samuel might want to take that back.

"Are you serious? Pfft. Flashdance, really?" Samuel scoffed in disbelief after hearing what his and Cassandra's piece was going to be.

"Really. I mean, what? D'you want to collapse and break your leg doing the quad axel of swan lake before The Nationals?" Parker said, showing the movie clip to Samuel from his phone to refresh the latter's memory of the routine. "This will do. You know the dance, don't you?"

"And what will I get from this, Mr. Parker? Surely you know not everything is free." Samuel's eyes followed Justin who was making his way to join their team at the outer side of the square mat he's in.

"Tch. Cunning like your sister. Well, anything. Just wipe that damn cocky look off Petrova's face and I'll be your genie for the day, kid." Parker's nostrils flared in anger at the mention of his rival's name.

"Then, would you keep a secret for me?" Samuel leaned in, whispering his request in their skating instructor's ear.

"Fine. Consider it done." Parker rolled his eyes at the smirk that appeared on Samuel's face as the latter straightened his back, turning towards his position, only for his instructor to stop him again. "Jeon."

"What now?" Samuel asked, raising a brow at the older man.

"Lose those hideous sweatpants, please." Parker made Samuel roll his eyes at him again, before pushing down his damn sweatpants, revealing the tight black biker shorts he was wearing for support, kicking his pants on the back towards the direction of his skating coach. "There, happy?" Samuel grumbled, before walking towards the center again.

"Mhm... I wonder what's the theme this year. Pfft..." Justin said, also aware of the two skating wizards' ongoing rivalry.

"Oh, I don't know? Present meets the ex?" Rose snapped, which then made Justin furrow his brows.

"Huh? We're talking about the same Samuel Jeon here, right? Sammy wouldn't possibly be affected by Cass. She's just a friend, and in case you didn't know, Samuel doesn't like me that much to be jealous— at least not yet," Justin said, and for him it was true. It'd only been a few days since Samuel called it quits with Victor, so he didn't think Samuel was in it with him as deep as him.

"Wow. You're really dense when you need not to be," Rose mumbled under her breath with a laugh.

"What?"

"Tch. Nothing. Eyes on the front. It's starting now." Rose pointed her finger towards the center of the rink as the music started.

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Samuel then folded his knees, getting down on the cold floor, knowing every scene from the damn dance scene he was about to reenact on the ice now. Cassandra did the same, meeting Samuel's mocking glare with the same sharpness, furrowing her brows when Samuel stumbled after the first few seconds of the song, disturbing her pace, mimicking how Alex Owens from the movie did so in the original scene, earning giggles from the audience.

"This cheeky brat." Parker choked out a laugh as he stopped the music, making Cassandra stop skating as well.

"The fuck?" She mumbled under her breath as Samuel smirked, pushing a tongue on his cheek as he stood up again.

"What? You have to be accurate, y'know?— From the top, please." Samuel took the hem of his loose shirt and tied it tight around his waist, accentuating his curves.

"Wait, that's way too much skin, don't you think so?" Justin was fighting the urge to hiss at everyone who was gawking at the visuals Samuel gracefully provided.

"Dude, coming from you who loves to skate shirtless? Pfft..." Rose let out a laugh as the music started again.

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[Now playing: Flash Dance/What a feeling : Irene Cara]

The two skaters then got back on the ground, starting off with their backs curved down low, face on their knees, arms spread wide.

Samuel got up at the first drop of the beat, presenting himself proudly as usual, bending his body into fine perfect lines and curves, keeping his movements big and precise just like what this choreography demanded. As much as he wanted to piss off Cassandra more, he couldn't, for he had to focus on his own form.

He did the first spin gracefully, fingers taute, arms fluid, legs following his every move. He took a leap, landing it flawlessly, keeping his steps clean, barely even making a sound against the surface as if he was just gliding, bending his back to a beautiful arch, lips curling up to a confident smile as the music came alive.

A risk taker. Dreamer.

"Oh God. Just look at him go." Justin couldn't help but let out a squeal, staring at the way Samuel's face brightened up in sync with the song.

"Well, he's the ace for a reason, y'know?" Rose grinned, noticing how Cassandra was doing a good job as well, but then again, no one could beat Samuel once he decided to own his element.

One. Two. Three.

Here came the chorus. Samuel then took off from the back outside edge and landed on the back outside edge of his opposite foot, performing a lutz jump, smiling wider as he heard the others gasp collectively when he landed it again flawlessly. He was not even counting— he didn't need to anyway. He knew the movie by heart, given that it was his sister's favorite, so it was only natural for him to know the dance. He then jumped from the left forward outside edge, about one revolution in the air, with the landing executed in a camel spin, following it up with a clean turn, spotting his movements on point.

This routine itself was tiring, considering the amount of jumps they had to do on their toe, yet Samuel executed every move exceptionally well. He let his body slide wildly, keeping everything sharp but still visually fun as he got down on the floor, doing a split, then getting up again as if his calves had springs underneath.

With his eyes glimmering, reflecting the rush he was currently feeling, Samuel skipped towards the edge of the rink, playfully pointing at each of his friends in the audience, even flicking Justin's chin as he made his way towards the center again to perform a beautiful salchow. He tirelessly moved both his arms and legs, letting the music run through his veins, fueling his adrenaline more as he prepared for a prolonged and fast camel spin, shifting his weight to his right foot, with the torso and the free leg stretched in opposite directions similar to the arabesque position he had learnt in his ballet classes. Samuel was wearing his ever so bright, dazzling smile.

"Here comes the butterfly jump," Rose announced, as if she was in charge of the commentary while Samuel and Cassandra skated on their own halves of the rink.

For a moment there, Justin felt his heart stop as his eyes briefly met Samuel's before the latter rushed towards the back, watching as Samuel's body folded into sharp precise lines, then he skimmed, smiling at Justin before proceeding with the big dive— and then the music stopped, followed by Cassandra's pained shriek, holding her ankle as she fell on the surface, making Justin turn on her side.

"Justin..." She cried out.

"Oh God." Rose was eyeing Cassandra as Justin shook his head before rushing towards her on the other side of the rink.

"H-hey, hey... Are you okay?" Justin inquired. He had just recovered from his injury so he knew  how painful a sprain could be. That's why he couldn't help but worry for his friend, especially since the competition was near.

"J-Justin... It hurts," Cassandra whimpered, grabby hands reaching up, wrapping her arms around Justin's neck as the latter picked her up from the ground. Her eyes turned sharp the moment she met Samuel's gaze, glaring sharply at them as Justin lifted her up to bring her on the side.

"That sly witch!" Kate hissed, running towards Samuel after witnessing the rather dramatic scene.

"Leave it, Kate." Samuel clicked his tongue in annoyance as they exited the rink, picking his bag and towel on the ground.

"Hah! You nailed it, Jeon! Good job!" Reese Parker raised his hand for a high five for his pupil's victory, only for Samuel to walk past him, ignoring him coldly. "I'm taking my break," He said, before exiting, not looking back even if Kate was calling up to him.

"Congratulations to me, I guess," Samuel mumbled under his breath. He won the petty match, indeed— so he wondered why he felt like the loser now?