Chapter Text
Chapter one: First looks
“Backstory”
Y/N L/N, a young 10-year-old girl, was born into a family of silver medalists. Your mother was an Olympic rhythmic gymnast whose technique was never good enough for the judges; she won second place back in 1996 and retired out of shame from her country. And your father? He was a figure skater who couldn’t even qualify for the Olympics and never made it past the “World Championships.”
All of these failed attempts led them to retire and have children after meeting at a celebratory party for those who placed on the podium back in 1996. A few years went by, and they got married in the early 2000s and had you.
From the moment you could walk, the expectation was clear: “You will only be a winner.”
You loved the feeling of skating on the ice for the first time, and once you finished your first figure skating lessons, you were determined that you would be the best in the world—and there was nothing anybody could do to take that away from you.
“Y/N, honey!! Are you ready for the party? Come downstairs quickly, I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, Mom, I’m coming right down!”
You said, adding a bow to your hair as a finishing touch. You ran downstairs while holding your dress and came across your mom standing by the couch.
She put her hands on your face and fixed your bangs before backing off.
“Now, since you’ve won gold at your pre-juveniles, you know your father is hosting this for you—”
“Mom, I already know this. ‘Blah, blah, blah, be on your best behavior and make sure to smile at the guests.’”
You cut her off completely, finding a nearby mirror to make sure you looked perfect.
She sighed heavily, rubbing her temples and speaking firmly. “And so you know, he’s finished with your current coach. Liz, was it? She’s fired. So after this party, expect a new schedule.”
You looked at her, completely unamused. It wasn’t like this was the first time they’d fired one of your coaches—you’d just move on to the next strict old lady. Whatever it took to make you the best was all you could think about.
“Yes, Mom. May we leave now? We’re going to be late.”
While sitting in the car, you wondered if kids usually grew up like this. You barely attended school, and your grades were barely average. It’s not like your parents would care about grades anyway.
You stared at kids playing on playgrounds, listening to their light screams—the kind that gave you a headache. Enough time passed thinking about that before you pulled up to possibly one of the nicer houses your father had chosen to host in.
You stepped out of the car and walked inside with your mother by your side.
You glanced around at familiar faces—old competition judges, family friends… some cousins you could never remember. Then you heard a familiar voice call out to you.
“Y/N, come over here. There are some people I’d like you to meet.”
It was your father.
You walked over and stood beside him, staring down at two young boys—one with auburn red hair and another with black hair that lit up blue in the light. A confusing color…
“Mr. and Mrs. Itoshi, this is my daughter, Y/N. She’s quite the talented athlete herself! Maybe not in something like soccer, but she’s an amazing figure skater. She actually just won—”
You drowned him out completely, zoning out while staring at the boy with red hair.
You felt an aggressive tug on your jacket and looked down at the black-haired boy.
“Stop staring at Sae-nii like that, you creep. He won’t be into you either—”
Sae covered his mouth and pulled him back.
“Rin, be nice. She’s a guest just like us. It’s not appropriate to say those things.”
You stared at him in slight shock, never having someone speak to you like that. A smile spread across your face as you laughed softly, looking at Rin squirming and muffling his words while glaring at you.
“I’m so sorry—I zoned out. Don’t worry about him saying those things, seriously! That just made this party a whole lot better. Do you guys want to get out of here for a little while?”
You held your hand out, looking at both of them. Sae removed his hand from Rin’s mouth and wiped off the drool with a cloth from his back pocket.
“Rin, would you like to leave this place?”
Rin looked at you, then back at him, pouting.
“Yes—but not because she’s asking! I hate this party. I want to go home and practice soccer.”
Sae patted his head and looked at you, giving a slight nod before grabbing your hand and holding onto Rin’s. You took that as a sign to speed up, guiding them through the party before stumbling outside, the two walking ahead of you.
Sae was the first to break the silence while sitting on the stairs.
“So, Y/N, you’re a figure skater, right? It was hard to hear your father—he didn’t seem too interesting. It sounds like a cool sport. Me and Rin are soccer players; we’ve been on the same team for a few years now.”
“Nii-chan’s the best striker in the world! And I’ll follow right behind him as the second best!” Rin said, beaming with pride.
You saw Sae smile slightly at him and found yourself smiling too—the feeling of warmth like this completely unfamiliar to you.
“Yeah, I’m a figure skater. I have been my whole life, and I’m going to be the world’s best. You’ll see me at the Olympics—just you two watch me!”
They both looked at you, and Sae spoke up. “As long as you watch us at the World Cup.”
“Nii-chan, what do you mean? Are you saying she’s sticking around with us? She doesn’t even play soccer!”
Sae sighed and covered Rin’s mouth again. “Ignore him. I’ll give you my number after the party—”
“Y/N!!”
Your father burst through the house’s front door, his face completely red. He grabbed your wrist and pulled you up from the stairs.
“Do you understand how long I’ve been looking for you? This is a party for you. Do you understand that? There are some big announcements you need to be here for. Come on.”
You looked back at Rin and Sae, signaling that your father was crazy by swirling your finger near your head. They both stuck their tongues out before the door closed behind you.