So this website doesn't allow me to link to videos and such, but I will try my best to point you towards some reference for music and whatnot, if need be. For YoI fans who aren't too familiar with figure skating, I will post a fun fact at the top of every chapter, which can help give some insight in either the chapter or a following chapter. Because I am a big skating fan myself, my love for the sport might sometimes get the better of me, so if I ever introduce a concept you don't understand, don't shy away from asking. I hope to convert at least one of you into the world of figure skating.
Fact of the Chapter: The amount of skaters of one nation which can participate at the main events, like a world championship, is determined by how skaters placed in the previous year.
Yuuri
The Japanese and Russian National Championships take place at the same time. They knew that, but that doesn't mean they necessarily like it. However, with one of them having completely bombed their previous Nationals and the other one not having competed at all in this season, unfortunately, they can't really afford to skip it. Yuuri might have been able to get away with it, but there is some pride that needs to be restored. He can't really be known as Japan's Ace if he can't even win his national title back. So with a somewhat messy schedule hastily made, Viktor and Yuuri board different planes at Barcelona's airport.
Japan has always been considered one of the great figure skating nations, and when Yuuri first entered Junior Competitions, Japan had top ranking skaters in the men's field. In Yuuri's second year as a Junior, the World Champion was Japanese. Viktor had placed third that year. Yuuri remembers it well, because he wanted to be one of those Japanese skaters who could compete at equal ground with his idol. Around the time Yuuri moved to Detroit, the highest ranking Japanese skater didn't even make the top ten. At Yuuri's first World Championships, he had finished seventeenth, fifteen spots beneath silver medalist Viktor Nikiforov.
After that Japan had been sending only one or two skaters to Worlds every year. Yuuri always found a way to blame himself whenever Japan lost a spot. With the men's field slowly losing high-quality skaters, Yuuri became the only one to stand out. He was always the first pick for Worlds, even if he only placed second at Nationals, and it made Yuuri feel like he had never earned the title of Japan's Ace as much as it had been thrust upon him when they had no one else to turn to. When Yuuri had failed in Sochi, he had thought that was the end of it. They'd give his title to whoever won Nationals. Now, a season later, with a shiny silver medal and a world record under his belt, Yuuri is ready to blow his competition out of the rink and prove himself worthy of leading men's figure skating in Japan.
Yuuri has about two weeks in Hasetsu to prepare for his Nationals. They go by fast and before Yuuri can think too much about it, which in his case is a blessing, he has about ten minutes before the last group takes the ice for their six minute warm up. The short program is up, and Yuuri has no Viktor to perform for. He does have a phone though, and Viktor is sitting in his hotelroom watching Yuuri's Nationals on his laptop.
"Watch me," Yuuri says, almost whispers, to Viktor, as if he isn't thousands of kilometers away from him, "Don't take you eyes off me."
"I won't," Viktor whispers back, and Yuuri closes his eyes and pretends he's there with him, "I'm always watching you."
Yuuri is first after the warm-up. He hates going first, but at least he gets to skate before the nerves hit him. Yuuri focuses on a camera, and makes sure that even when they're apart, the world knows that Viktor belongs to him. The music starts and he blows the camera a kiss.
When the Grand Prix Final was over and they knew they wouldn't see each other for a while, they set up a game plan. They studied Yuuri's programs, compared them to the judges scores and evaluated what needed to be changed. What stood out about Yuuri's short program was not the unsuccessful quad flip (although the line of -2's on the scoresheet made Yuuri want to punch something), but his surprisingly low program component scores. While transitions had always been Yuuri's weakness in the components, he had always gotten high marks for interpretation and skating skills. Hell, even before Sochi, Yuuri had been the skater with the highest mark earned in interpretation (yes, even higher than the living legend himself), but the glaring 8.45 for interpretation was probably the part that stung the most.
Yuuri was used his component scores never falling below 9, and to have his best feature suddenly be awarded the lowest score, well, Yuuri was clearly not happy. Coach Nikiforov wasn't either. So they made adjustments. Yuuri's goal at Nationals was to win and nothing else. Yuuri might hate compromises, but he hates losing even more. In order for Yuuri to focus on the program, he makes his last jump a triple flip. The nice '10' Yuuri receives for his interpretation this time is enough to make up for that fact that he only has one quad in the short program.
Yuuri skates the free program on Christmas Eve. It's the day before Viktor's birthday, and Yuuri supposes that there is no better gift than that shiny gold medal that's just within his grasp. Yuuri is over 20 points ahead of second place after the short program, so unless he pops all of his jumps, he's sure he'll be alright. He calls Viktor again.
"What colour do you want your birthday present," Yuuri teases, "How about silver to match what I got you in Barcelona?"
"I'm pretty sure you gave me a shiny golden engagement ring, love," Viktor replies, and Yuuri knows that Viktor is looking at their ring. Yuuri finds himself doing the same.
"Gold it is then. Just remember I gave you a choice, so you can't exchange it if you realize you don't like the colour."
"Oh, I'm sure I will love it."
When Yuuri wins gold he takes two picture. The first one is of him, silver medalist Takuya, and bronze medalist Minami, standing close together at the podium posing with the medals. Yuuri makes good use of the selfie skills Phichit has taught him over the years. It gets posted on his (almost) dead instagram and Phichit is the first to like it. Thousands follow him.
The second one is taken from Yuuri's hotel room. In the picture Yuuri is kissing his gold medal as he looks seductively at the camera. This one he sends to Viktor with the caption: I think you owe me a kiss x.
It doesn't take long for Viktor to call him
Yuuri skates Stammi Vicino by himself at the exhibition. He imagines Viktor is there with him and he can't wait until they can skate together again.
Viktor
Choreographing two programs in two weeks is not impossible for the living legend. Getting new music made, making a program that utilizes said music, while also having it be competitive with skaters from all over the world (and more immediately, the new reigning Grand Prix Final Champion), all while maintaining his image of a skater who always surprises, well, that's a bit of a tall order. Viktor supposes he will have to figure out what he wants to skate about first and then the rest will just have to follow.
Making his short program about love would be predictable. Viktor knows this because that's what the internet says. He made Eros and Agape, and it would only make sense for him to skate to something like that too. Afterall, Yuuri and Yurio are his protegées, and it's not like Viktor has been silent about his love life recently. No, it only makes sense if Viktor makes love the theme of his short program, or perhaps even his theme of the year (It would be rather romantic). But Viktor Nikiforov is known for always surprising his audience, and while skating a short program to mirror Yuuri's is highly appealing to the romantic inside him, he has another idea in mind.
Viktor didn't just fall in love with Yuuri this past year, no, Viktor fell in love with a lot of things. Viktor fell in love with the quiet nature that was only a ten minute walk away from the Katsuki residence. The forest that stretched further than Viktor had dared to explore, but always came back to. The waterfall Yuuri had showed him the first time they'd decided to go running in the woods. The beach where Viktor would often take Makkachin on their morning walks. The beach where Viktor had finally realized that no matter what happened, Yuuri would always be the one.
Viktor fell in love with Hasetsu. The people, the town, the ninja castle that somehow still remained one of his most liked pictures on instagram. Viktor probably knew the names of more people in this little seaside town than of people in the entirety of Russia. The old man, Katsumi, who was always fishing by the bridge. The woman running the bakery, Kaya, whose daughter had just turned two. The chef, Hisato, who made the best ramen Viktor had ever tasted. Minako, who taught ballet in the day and ran a bar at night. The Nishigoris who ran the ice rink. The Katsukis who owned the hot springs and took Viktor in as one of their own.
Viktor fell in love with Japan, and that was what his short program would be about. With no time to waste, Viktor pulled up a playlist with his favorite Japanese music (all recommended to him by Yuuri one rainy day in July, where it had been too hot and wet to go outside), and began imagining what he could do with it. What he could show with it. When his plane landed in St. Petersburg, Viktor had his music.
Viktor wasn't dumb. He knew that even if he had been on the ice just as much as Yuuri in these past eight months, he had not gone through the same vigorous training, and while he was by no means out of shape (Viktor had lost count at how many times Yuuri had told him to show him the quad of the day just one more time ), he was definitely not ready to do a two-quad short program and then a four-quad program roughly 24 hours later.
Viktor had once told Yuuri that it was possible to win with only one quad in the free, if only you got perfect component scores. Disregarding the fact that that had never been done before, Viktor knew that programs as new as his would not be getting the component scores they could possibly get in the future, even if this was the Russian Nationals. So if Viktor can't win with one quad, maybe he can with two. Viktor has not had a planned two-quad free skate in over five years, but in this crazy quad era, maybe it's time for Viktor to surprise everyone by showing that you don't need them.
Viktor can't help himself from making his free skate about Yuuri. He'll have to live with being predictable just this once. The music he commissions is a simple piano and violin piece. It matches Yuuri's free skate, and Viktor makes it about a dance between two lovers. In the beginning only the piano is heard. It's slow, but inviting. The violin joins in and gives the piano a direction, and they slowly balance each other out and dance together like they were always meant to. Viktor calls the piece Passacaille in Barcelona.
Viktor doesn't tell Yuuri about his programs. He wants them to be revealed to Yuuri and the world when he skates them at Nationals. It could be considered controversial. Viktor's first competition of the season is in his home country and he decides to dedicate his skating to Japan, to Yuuri, to everything that is not Russian. Viktor doesn't care. His love is more important.
It's unsurprising that Viktor is in second after the short program. What is surprising is the small point gap between himself and Yurio. With only one quad in the short program, going clean is almost a guarantee for Viktor, and his always high components put him a couple of points over the 100 mark. It's more than 10 points below his personal best, but he's still in warm up mode. He'll take what he can get. Yurio, on the other hand, is still recovering from the Finals. Viktor knows that Yurio has reverted back to his original jump layout for both the short and the free, but that doesn't stop him from taking a hard fall after his combination jump, and consequently loses focus for the rest of the program. He is nowhere near the record he set in Barcelona and the anger on his face shows even before he gets his score.
"You should be asleep", Viktor says when Yuuri calls. It's midnight in Yuuri's time zone. His short program is less than a day away.
"How could I sleep after watching that program," Yuuri answers halfway between excited and overly emotional. Viktor is sure there are tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
"Did you like it?" Viktor asks. It's a stupid question. Viktor knows exactly how Yuuri feels about it.
"I loved it. I love you." Yuuri replies and now Viktor wants to cry.
"I love you too."
The free skate for men's singles at the Russian Nationals is a downright mess. Not a single clean performance (much to the annoyance of Yakov who has quite a few skaters here). When it comes down to the final group, there was an expectation that at least one of them would skate clean. Georgi opens up the final group by popping his first jump. Viktor and Yurio are the last to skate. About halfway through Viktor's performance, he thinks he's going to do it. The first clean program of the evening will be his to claim. He falls on his triple loop and curses that particular jump to hell and back. He still puts up a good score, but he's almost certain Yurio will take gold now.
After all his years in competitive figure skating, Viktor should know better than to predict someone's victory even before they have skated. When Yurio falls on his quad salchow, Viktor knows he is off his game. Yurio easily has the best quad salchow in men's figure skating, and when he can't land it, he gets distracted. He falls another two times in his program and only takes silver because of the huge point gap between him and Georgi after the short program. Viktor finds it surprising that he just claimed his twelfth straight Russian title. Who even does that?
"You, apparently," Yuuri says over the phone when he calls after the victory ceremony. Viktor is supposed to get ready for a press conference, but it's important for him to hear Yuuri's voice. All the journalists can wait.
"It's just such an odd number," Viktor responds as if there is a rule that once you hit five or ten, you really can't go further.
"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works," Yuuri says between yawns. Once again Yuuri should be sleeping and preparing for his own free skate the next day.
"By the way," Viktor says before sleep can claim his fiancé, "Your short program was beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as you."
Viktor is still blushing when the press conference starts.
For his exhibition Viktor skates Stammi Vicino the way it was always meant to be. The way Yuuri skated it in that viral video that made Viktor take a leap of faith.
Viktor's music in the free skate is Passacaille in Barcelona which is one of the soundtracks from the anime.
