I Know a Place We Can Go

Yuzuru loves skating in Japan. Being in Japan, not so much. He cannot walk down the street unrecognized. It's like he has this "identity", this persona to live up to - Yuzuru Hanyu, two-time Olympic champion, quasi god. It feels fake.

For that, he loves Toronto. There, he can be just Yuzu. He can fall in practice without landing in the newspaper. He can sit in a cafe laughing at Javi's jokes. He can, when he's feeling particularly reckless, press his lips to Javi's neck as they ride the subway home. He feels like he can be himself - free and real.