Yuri found herself shaking in a bathroom stall, and she felt a sense of shame. She had been so off of her game today, unable to connect to her routine. And she had a feeling as to why. The reporter on the Internet had described her physique as delicate. It was true, but it set her heart racing. She couldn't be found out, not now, not so late in the game. The amount of work she had put into learning how to blend in and to hide, the painful efforts to flatten her breasts, the routines, carefully choreographed so as not to be too "girly"...
Skating with her head full of thoughts had never been a good idea for Yuri. It had led to this predicament when her brother died, and now it led to her humiliation in the final. So she sat in the bathroom with the phone ringing, unable to pick up and hear the sympathy she knew awaited on the other end. She sat stonily, quiet but not crying.
Easing open the door, she slipped out of the stall, nearly running into an angry blonde outside, spitting mad and starting to shout at her. Yuri did what she did best in tough situations and ran for the door, getting a head start and speeding away. Her plane ticket was for a flight after the closing ceremonies; she had had the naive hope that she might make it that far. That people would notice her skating prowess, and that her brother would live on.
Certainly, everyone had noticed her, but not in a positive way.
After hiding for another day in her hotel room, Yuri was doing her best to prepare to sneak into the airport. She wasn't sure how she would recover from this or skate competitively again. Feeling this resignation, she dressed herself in the one female outfit that she had brought with her, grabbing the bag she saved for when she wanted to feel like a girl again. There. No more Katsuki Yuri for people to embarrass. Fumbling with the makeup that she so rarely used, she popped on a hat to cover her short hair. It was time to go home.
It was weird to go through the airport unrecognized, but Yuri definitely enjoyed it. Celestino's calls could be answered later. She was shocked when she stumbled upon the Russian skating delegation and nobody batted an eye. Victor Nikiforov even asked her if she would like a photo with him! Her immediate reaction would have been to say no- he was kicking her when she was already down. But he had no idea who this random girl was. She smiled and nodded her assent.
For just a moment, she forgot all about her recent disappointment and simply smiled wide like the crazed fangirl that she really was. And that photo captured a happiness she hadn't seen in herself since she was a child.
