Ilia Malinin

The final music was already fading as all the skaters circled the ice after the competition, waving to the spectators and filming videos for their fans. The entire ice was filled with athletes, flags, and camera flashes, but Ilia Malinin and Diana somehow found themselves a little further away from the rest—almost at the edge of the rink.

Diana smiled at the stands and waved the Kazakhstan flag to the fans, sometimes making comical bows to the children at the side of the court.

Ilya stood behind her.

After his skate, his white shirt was almost completely unbuttoned—apparently the buttons hadn't survived the step sequence or yet another quadruple. He tried to quickly button it while still moving, but his fingers only got tangled.

“Seriously?” he muttered quietly under his breath, missing the button again.

The fabric came apart again.

"Diana!" the coach shouted from the side of the court.

She turned around immediately.

The coach looked silently behind her, and then pointed back with his eyes.

Diana turned around in confusion... and immediately froze, seeing Malinin, who, with a maximally irritated face, continued to unsuccessfully struggle with his shirt.

Moreover, it was so unsuccessful that there was almost nothing left to hide.

Diana looked away sharply, trying not to laugh.

The coach meanwhile showed her with a gesture:

"Well? Help him?"

At that moment, Ilya finally noticed their gaze and narrowed his eyes suspiciously:

• Why are you both looking at me like that?..