Arima’s arm fell off.
I don’t know who was more mortified–me or him.
Similar to the time they rushed Yuzu into the underbelly of the rink to literally staple him back together after his collision with another skater at the 2014 Cup of China–and that’s the last I will ever comment on that horrifying moment in Yuzu-history–I immediately rushed Arima to the other room. He needed to be away from Tuxedo Mask, Obi, Schweethart and any inanimate objects with prying eyes or cameras so I could take off his jacket and shirt and work on reconstruction, the whole time assuring “あなたは大丈夫です [You are alright].” I’m not sure if I was comforting him or myself. I shut the door, closed the blinds and turned off the lights lest we have another Shoulder Scandal 2018. It was too much of an emergency to construct a full pipe and drape quick change area, so I just had to promise him I wouldn’t look too closely as I tried to blindly pop his elbow joint back in.
And since Arima, like a certain figure skater, wears many layers, just getting to the source of the trauma was challenging. I say “Certain Figure Skater” because Arima is, well, a little sensitive about how much he is associated with said Certain Figure Skater. It doesn’t help that I accidentally referred to him as Yuz-I mean-Certain Figure Skater one night while talking to Cactus. Before I even realized it, I heard, “有馬です!! [I am Arima!!]” I won’t make that mistake again. Even Cactus’s eyes got a little wider when it happened.
But to be fair, Arima was first, and we had been together for well over a decade before Certain Figure Skater hydrobladed into my heart. What’s funny is how the Fanyus get so upset when people compare Certain Figure Skater to anime characters. Yet no one ever considers how the anime characters may feel about being compared to a human. So, every once and awhile, I like to tell Arima, “心配しないでください有馬くん. あなたは大丈夫です. [Please do not worry, Arima. You are alright.]” And maybe, just maybe, he won’t feel the need to drop an appendage to get my attention.