With such mystery hovering in the air, the Kazakh nodded meekly and put the envelope back inside the box, leaving it in a quite visible place just as he had been asked. He let out a soft sigh while a tender smile was sketched across his face; he looked extremely happy about everything that was happening. Now that the black-haired youth had his gift, he began to feel a bit bad about not having any detail prepared for Jake, though he preferred to maintain a soft smile. He appeared much calmer, but the intrigue ate at him from within; that surprise had him on the verge of breaking the rules and asking what it was about, or simply opening the envelope once and for all, but the Canadian had made it clear that he had to wait four days, just after the grand banquet that would be held at the conclusion of the competition.
Little by little, their gazes met once again. The purple-eyed boy did not hesitate to smile sweetly at him, beginning to pamper him with affectionate coddling while he finished opening the food packaging they would be dining on that night.
"You know?... I've always been staring at your eyes," the Kazakh commented out of the blue, observing the older youth with a mixture of softness and tenderness, looking completely relaxed upon confessing it. "They are a light purple shade, but suddenly, when you are very focused, the color becomes much darker... They are very cute."
"Wow... I didn't know. You are the first one to tell me that in that way..." Jake responded, smiling tenderly while drawing him closer with deep love. Taking advantage of the closeness, he began to bring small morsels of food to his lips.
"I'm sorry... it's just something I've been noticing lately," Bek murmured with a true blush of embarrassment, though he immediately concentrated on eating what the older youth offered him. As the minutes passed and the food on the plate diminished, exhaustion began to take its toll on him; it was most likely that he would sleep for hours the next day to regain strength before the big day of the competition. He glanced sideways at the Canadian, feeling somewhat nervous for having said something so intimate, as he never usually opened up in that way; it was as embarrassing as it was fascinating to him.
"Well... you are the only one who has dedicated such beautiful words to me," Jake commented at that instant, slowly shortening the distance between them. He took the younger youth's face delicately, fixing his purple eyes on those deep and beautiful dark pupils.
"Y... you are... very close..." Bek whispered. The fear of the closeness and the intensity of his opponent invaded him for a second, but he ended up letting out a quiet sigh and allowed himself to be hugged, seeking refuge in his chest upon finally feeling safe.
Slowly, the purple eyes and the black eyes melted into a single vision, creating their own private bubble. There were the two of them, fully enjoying the connection of their gazes, overflowing with happiness, until Jake leaned in completely and joined their lips in a kiss full of love. It was a soft, cute, supremely calm contact, without rushing and devoid of any negative tension between them.
"Jake..." the younger youth managed to murmur between the small kisses they shared. The Kazakh still dragged a slight trace of fear in his chest, but the Canadian took it upon himself to dissipate it completely; fascinated and delighted by the moment, Jake slid his hand tenderly toward that long raven hair, caressing it and playing with the strands while he prolonged that tender kiss. However, the sweet contact had to reach its end when air began to run short in their lungs. It had been a beautiful kiss: without rushing, without overflowing with uncontrolled passion, simply filled with immense sweetness and sincere affection.
"I'm sorry... it's just that you are very special to me... Having you this close... makes me have irresistible urges to kiss you," Jake confessed with a goofy smile and a sweet giggle, hugging his companion. To distract the younger youth from the tremendous wave of shyness that assaulted him, he brought him another piece of food, achieving his goal upon seeing how Bek enjoyed the bite he gave him with such calm.
"What things you say, Jake?... No... it isn't true..." Bek stammered, completely flushed. He tried to maintain eye contact with the light-eyed boy, but ended up gladly accepting every bite. The dinner was truly delicious despite being takeout.
Between small caresses, coddling, and spontaneous kisses, they completely finished dinner. The first to succumb to exhaustion was Bek; as soon as he touched the pillows of the bed, his eyelids began to close heavily. He looked to be fighting a losing battle against sleep. On the other hand, JJ contemplated his opponent collapsing from exhaustion. Fortunately, the owner of the suite was Bek, but Jake found himself in a true mental dilemma: he didn't know whether to stay and spend the night by his side or leave for his own room. One part of his heart begged him to stay, but the other warned him that it was better to retreat so as not to scare or make the tender being who was already dozing off uncomfortable.
"I know!" Jake exclaimed in a murmur, preparing to get up from the sofa, but the bedroom door opened suddenly, causing him to instantly go on the defensive.
"Are you going to stay? Sleep in the bed... you are going to wreck your back on the sofa, and the day after tomorrow you have to compete," commented the man who had just entered, crossing his arms while staring fixedly at the skater.
"Taishi! I'm sorry... it's just that I didn't know what to do..." Jake responded, looking at him with almost reverential respect. Dealing with his beloved's coach, and in the absence of a paternal figure present, Jake viewed the Japanese man practically as Becky's father.
"You are a far too indecisive boy... when in reality it is the simplest thing to share the bed with your friend..." Taishi reproached, letting out a sigh while placing a beautiful teddy bear on the nearby dresser, along with the younger youth's printed itinerary and a small photograph of a pet.
"Bek has a pet?" the Canadian asked with genuine surprise upon noticing the image.
"Yes, it is a brown ferret, identical to a little bear... He found it abandoned on one of the streets during a tour in America and kept it after settling all the legal paperwork. It should arrive tomorrow; its usual caretaker had a small mishap," explained the coach while approaching to check on Bek, who was already sleeping placidly. He removed the lounge slippers from his feet to leave him comfortable in pajamas; there was not much more to do for that night.
"Wow! I never imagined he had a pet... since we spend so much time traveling..." Jake was genuinely astonished. From what he remembered, Bek didn't have a good relationship with his parents and, now that he thought about it, he didn't even have it completely clear where the younger youth lived outside of competition seasons. "You have so much to learn about Aibek..." added Taishi, looking at him fixedly before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Tell me everything! Please, tell me everything about Aibek! Yes! You know him better than anyone! Tell me!" Jake requested, almost demanding with overflowing enthusiasm while slightly tugging at the coach's clothing. However, the only thing he obtained in return was a strong tug on his cheek from the Japanese man to force him to be quiet and stop asking questions.
"That hurt!" The Canadian's muffled groan was loud enough to break the peace of the room, causing a very grumpy Kazakh to wake up suddenly. Bek sat up on the bed and, with his face furrowed in annoyance, threw the pillows at both of them.
"Are you not even going to let me sleep?" he roared almost in a whisper due to the sudden awakening, hugging the blankets with monumental anger. He looked extremely annoyed and in a bad mood.
"I'm sorry, Aibek..." the coach apologized immediately. With total patience, he picked up the pillows from the floor, wrapped the younger youth in the blankets again, and handed him a mug of very hot chocolate to calm his bad temper, managing to soften the black-haired youth's face.
"It's okay..." Bek mumbled, accepting the mug of hot chocolate while cuddling again among his pillows, now much calmer.
"Well... perhaps... it might be better for me to retire..." Jake murmured, feeling guilty for having woken him up. He was about to turn toward the exit when a slim but firm hand grabbed him with force: it was Bek's. The Canadian froze in his spot.
"No... don't go..." the Kazakh requested with a touch of shyness and melancholy in his voice, attempting to calm the beating of his own heart.
Jake was incapable of refusing. At that precise instant, an invisible heart-tipped arrow pierced the Canadian's chest thanks to the beautiful and vulnerable sight the Kazakh was gifting him; his adored and incomparable Aibek.