Taishi was worried as he watched his pupil so lost in his music and in that minor depression he was slipping into; he knew he had to keep him relaxed, but he feared he wouldn't be able to cheer him up, and it frightened him not to know what to do to achieve it.
For his part, Jake couldn't stop thinking about how he could help his beloved. He knew he was to blame for saying those things to him in such a bad way; he knew it shouldn't have been with that intention, but... he understood that it had all been a misunderstanding. Therefore, as soon as they arrived and let Bek rest, that would be the moment to set his plan in motion.
While both of them thought differently but with the same purpose of cheering up the Kazakh, they glanced out of the corner of their eyes at the younger youth, not knowing what was crossing his mind. The younger youth, despite listening to his music, remained in silence without looking at them; he only seemed to observe the window, but if he concentrated harder, he could see the reflection of both of them watching him, so he only let out a soft sigh.
"What is wrong with the two of you?" he asked suddenly as he calmly removed one of his earbuds, letting out a soft sigh because he was afraid to look at them. That was why he didn't lift his gaze and preferred to keep observing the road.
Both were surprised and startled by what happened. A bit nervous, the coach let out a soft sigh, while the Canadian stopped breathing for a few seconds.
"Everything is fine... so just calm down, keep listening to your music..." the coach commented so that he wouldn't overthink or draw conclusions; he also didn't want him to think they were searching for a solution or that they just viewed him as an oddball. Upon seeing him take the initiative to put his earbuds back on, they left him in peace, but Bek was not very convinced by the answers. Since only the coach had spoken and Jake had not, he closed his eyes.
Soon they arrived at the hotel and, of course, stepped out of the car in silence. It was then that the three of them boarded the elevator, where silence was expected to predominate, but it did not. Very softly, a melody originating from the Kazakh could be heard due to how loud the music in his headphones was; the only one who recognized that melody was Taishi, who smiled subtly in silence. His student was far too cute and very talented when it came to music, as he knew he liked to compose and that in his free time he created musical events as a DJ.
Upon reaching the floor where their rooms were located, the first to walk toward his door was Bek, who said nothing; he simply went inside and closed the door at the exact same time. The coach let out a sigh that was more than heavy; he could finally release the tension from his body after having been incredibly tense for his pupil in that moment. He walked quickly toward his door, but before opening it, he startled at a sudden grip on his arm.
"What's wrong?" he asked abruptly as he tried to pull away from the younger man.
"I want to talk about something I have planned..." Jake commented in a low voice, closing his eyes softly. He hoped the person closest to Aibek would accept his idea.
"Are you planning something with Bek?" Taishi asked, incredulous at what he was hearing. He only let out a soft sigh as he looked at the Canadian, seeming to have little faith in whatever he was going to say, so he crossed his arms but followed him into his room.
"I have a surprise in mind for him. It's something to cheer him up and apologize for the harm I caused him during these months..." Jake explained without ceasing to guide him into the room where they could speak together; rather, he just wanted to ask for permission—it was as if he were asking Bek's father for permission.
Receiving no immediate response from the coach caused him a bit of nervousness and sadness; he felt truly awful for not being able to meet the expectations of the man in front of him to be able to go out with Bek, which caused him to shift in his seat, somewhat trembling.
"Well... I still haven't forgotten that you were the one who hurt my little Bek... Are you sure you're going to fix it?" Taishi asked.
"I love Bek... if I confess it to him... Bek, since he was a child, has been the best part of my life. Hurting him wasn't right... but it hurt me to know that his heart could be taken by someone else, that hurt me... even so... I want to make up somehow for the poor treatment I gave him, as well as remedy the way I spoke to him... I want to apologize..." Jake's dark eyes filled with small tears. It still hurt him not to see that beautiful smile that used to form on that serious face thanks to his idiocy... he truly missed him far too much... he was his everything, and he hoped Bek's coach would understand and give him a second chance.
"Alright... but what are you going to do? You must have a plan... you already know how Bek is... very reserved..." Taishi decided to give him a second chance because, during the time the Canadian had been with his pupil, he had seen him act in a very different way, and that was what he liked most: he laughed more often and his gaze was bright. In contrast, before the argument (the reason for which he never knew), he could only see a depressed, sad Kazakh with no desire to move.
The Canadian's eyes brightened upon knowing he would have a second chance to draw closer to his childhood love.
"To start with, I would like to be able to join him in his training so that we can... I don't know, train together would be nice. Even, after the competition, I will take him away with me for a few days... I have something planned that he might like very much..." Now Taishi had a very energetic Canadian in front of him laying out his plans, but he never told him where he would take him. Of course, Jake knew clearly in his mind that if he said he would take him to a factory, the coach would refuse and forbid him from ever seeing the Kazakh again.
"Well... first thing in the morning he will be at the rink... so you must wait for us in the hotel lobby or at the rink, so just calm down..." With that, Taishi withdrew with planner in hand so he could order something for his pupil to eat; he didn't want that minor depression to cause havoc on his protégé's appetite again.
Upon being left alone, Jake began to pace around his room. He was truly happy to be able to take the beautiful, black-eyed boy on a lovely tour of a factory where they made teddy bears, though there was something else he hadn't said that would be the perfect surprise for his little bear Bek.
"This time... you are going to be more than happy, Beky... I will make you very happy... I just hope you forgive me..." He cheerfully arranged on his bed all the gifts he had ordered since that morning to choose which one he would give him tomorrow, and in three days he would give him the ticket along with another detail. He hoped his plan wouldn't be ruined by anything in the world, and that depended exclusively on Aibek's decision. "I already want to see your little face making a beautiful expression upon seeing your gifts... Oh, Beky... you are special in my heart."
Despite the Canadian's excitement, somewhere in Russia, a certain boy was as upset as could be due to the global news reporting on that kiss the Canadian and the Kazakh had shared, which enormously annoyed Zinov.
"You're going to pay for this, idiot Jayden!! You touch him again and I'll break your face!" The growl tore from him at the exact moment he threw a dart at a photograph of the named man, striking him directly in the forehead.