Partially inspired by the Harding/Kerrigan scandal of '94. I couldn't imagine any of the skaters being the bad guy so put an OC in there ;)

Enjoy!

It was a fairly successful practise; just one day before the first round of the grand prix final and Yuuri Katsuki was managing to keep his cool. Stepping out of the rink, he was greeted by his coach, Viktor Nikiforov.

'Yuuri, what do you want to do now?' he asked, handing over a towel, 'I recommend a good night's rest to prepare for tomorrow's short program'.

Yuuri sniggered at Viktor's sudden change in attitude, 'don't be such a model coach now. This is my first time in Barcelona, I want to go out'.

Viktor smirked, 'what do you propose?'

'Christophe mentioned pre-competition drinks at a local bar', Yuuri suggested.

'Hmm', Viktor was unsure, 'you have to promise me not to drink too much, I won't be having you hungover for your short program'.

'I promise, Viktor', Yuuri agreed.

Yuuri and Viktor had been at the bar about an hour when Yuuri noticed the French skater, Pierre Dubois arrive. He considered it strange- the Frenchman had never so much as spoken to any of the other skaters, why would he turn up to a social occasion?

'Yuuri, what is it?' Yuuri snapped back to reality; he was in the middle of a card game with Phichit and Christophe.

'Oh sorry', he said, picking up a card, 'it's just strange to see him here', he whispered, gesturing to Dubois.

Phichit and Christophe both turned indiscreetly to see the new-comer who gave them both an icy (A/N: pun, gettit?) glare.

'He's probably just here for a drink', Christophe shrugged, Dubois was no competition for him and didn't deserve a second thought.

The trio continued their game until Yuuri felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Dubois looming above him, his intimidating demeanour increased by the level he stood at above Yuuri.

'Oh, h-hi, Pierre. Would you like to join us?' Yuuri asked, trying his best to be friendly. Dubois nodded, setting two drinks on the table and pushing one towards Yuuri.

'This is for you', he said simply, no expression on his face.

'Oh, thank-you', Yuuri said, taken aback. Was this a French custom? Who knows. Feeling Dubois' intense stare, Yuuri self-consciously took a sip. It was a Spanish beer- he never really liked the taste of beer but he drank it to be polite. Feeling nervous, Yuuri scanned the room for Viktor; he was at another table with Yurio in deep conversation. It looked serious- he better not call him over.

'Umm, we're playing black jack if you'd like to join', Phichit said, trying to break the awkward silence. Dubois simply nodded, accepting a deck of cards from Phichit. They were only 5 minutes into the round when Dubois laid down his deck of cards and stood up.

'I must prepare for tomorrow. Goodnight.'

And with that, he left.

Once he was out of sight, Christophe let out a loud snort, 'that was the most awkward thing i've ever had to sit through'.

'I think he has the hots for you Yuuri, he couldn't take his eyes of you', Phichit laughed, giving Yuuri a playful nudge.

Yuuri smiled back, pushing away his empty beer glass. He found the situation uncomfortable rather than funny but he wasn't going to complain now.

'Shall we continue?' Christophe asked, removing Dubois' deck from the table.

'Yeah', said Phichit handing out 2 cards to both Christophe and Yuuri.

'Twist me', said Christophe, considering his cards. Phichit handed him a '4', 'I'll stick with that'.

Yuuri was gradually starting to feel the effects of the alcohol he'd just consumed. The tips of his fingers were tingling and his chest felt warm; wait, he'd only had one beer, why was he feeling so fuzzy already?

'Yuuri! Your turn', Phichit reminded him.

'Huh?' he asked, confused. They're playing cards, right? Which game?

'You gonna twist or stick?'

'Oh erm...', Yuuri looked down at his two cards... a king and an ace... 'twist?'

Phichit handed him a '3'. All three players turned over their cards to reveal the winner

'Yuuri, why would you twist on a king and an ace? That's 21!'

'21?' Yuuri was confused.

'Is he really like this after just one drink?!' Christophe scoffed, 'clearly not a European'.

'Cut him some slack, he probably just hasn't eaten much today. Yuuri gets nervous before competitions and loses his appetite, right Yuuri?' Phichit defended his friend.

'No?', Yuuri slurred, why was Phichit's voice suddenly so weird? It felt like he was listening to him through a jet engine.

'Yuuri, are you feeling ok?' Viktor overheard this and quickly turned towards where his protege was sitting. Abandoning Yurio mid-conversation, he made his way over to the table and sat beside Yuuri.

'What's going on?' at that point he noticed the empty glass, 'how much have you had to drink, Yuuri?' he said angrily.

Yuuri grabbed Viktor's hand, 'your hands are warm', he giggled.

'I swear to god, Yuuri', Viktor stood up, 'I told you to take it easy on the drinks'.

'But he only had one, Viktor', Christophe interjected.

'Don't lie for him, he's not a child', Viktor yanked Yuuri from his seat, 'we're going back to the hotel, you need to sober up'.

To be continued...