"Guards? Check. Jacket? Extra bobby pins? Check. Lip gloss? Check!" Aiko said to herself as she looked through her skating bag. She was getting ready for a competition this weekend in Kyushu, the first competition with her new coach.
And with her parents being her spectators for the first time. This was going to be interesting.
"Aiko! Isoide! We are going to be late if we dont leave now." Yuuri yelled from the front of the house. Aiko quickly threw a book in her bag before zipping it up.
"Coming!" she yelled back. Yuuri was holding Toshiro, who was sleeping in his arms, his head tucked into the crook of his neck. The small boy rustled a bit before wrapping his arms around his daddy's neck, groaning at the sudden noises around him. Yuuri gently sushed him and rubbed his back softly until he fell back to sleep. Viktor had their overnight bags in hand, ready to go with Aiko ran in the room.
"Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes sir."
"Okay. Hopefully, we won't be rushing to the store last minute like last time." Yuuri joked as he headed out the door towards the car. Aiko blushed a little red before heading out after him. Viktor was the last to leave, carefully locking the door behind him.
Viktor loaded up the bags in the back seat while Yuuri put Toshiro in his car seat, hoping he wouldn't wake up from the sudden movement. That child was not a morning person by any means. Having him wake up now would send him into an entire days worth of tantrums and tears. Yuuri managed to buckle him in without waking him and headed up to the passenger's seat. Aiko climbed in afterward, putting on her seatbelt so she could dig through her bag for her headphones. After everyone was in the car, Viktor turned on the car and headed toward Kyushu.
Aiko put in her ear buds, playing the music from her program. She started doing a light practice with her arms, making sure to put emphasis on her facial expressions. That is what is going to sell the judges. I have to get this right! She said to herself as she played the music over again.
Yuuri took a look in the rear view mirror, watching her practice. A soft smile curled on his lips as he watched.
"Viktor. Take a peek. She's practicing back there." Yuuri said in a low voice, pointing to the rear view window. Viktor took a quick peek. A bright smile crossed his lips immediately. It had been a while since she had seen her this excited about a competition. Normally, she would sit in the back and read or sleep for the entire trip. It lit a little fire in his heart.
"She's back." Viktor said, putting his eyes back on the road. "This is going to be a good competition. I'm excited." He said, gripping the wheel a little tighter. Yuuri nodded in agreement, still watching her from the mirror.
Once they got to Kyushu, they checked into their hotel. Thankfully it was nearby the rink, so they could walk over after she was ready. Viktor sat down on the bed next to Toshiro, who was still sleeping soundly. Yuuri pulled out a small bag of hair supplies out of his suitcase and set them out on the counter.
"Aiko, kite. Anata no kami o sa sete kudasai." Yuuri spoke, his native language sliding off his tongue effortlessly. He always liked to speak to her in Japanese as often as he could, especially when they are out like this. Since the mainly spoke English in their house, this was a chance to practice her Japanese with others. She was pretty much fluent but since she only uses it at competitions or when she is visiting family, it tended to get a little rusty.
Aiko quickly came out the bathroom, sitting down on the chair in front of Yuuri. He first took a comb through her silver locks first to get out the knots. Yuuri typically does her hair for all of her competitions. Of course she was old enough to do it herself now, but Yuuri couldn't bare the thought of the day that she was ready to do it herself.
"Daddy, can Papa do my hair today please?"
Yuuri stopped what he was doing, looking down at Aiko. "But…I always do your hair." Yuuri said, the sadness slipping out already.
"Just this once. Please?" Aiko said with pleading eyes. Yuuri let out a deep sigh and dropped the brush down on the counter next to him. He sadly made his way to the bed next to Toshi, laying down. Viktor chuckled and headed over to the chair, picking up where Yuuri left off. He quietly worked on her hair, brushing it up into a high ponytail.
"Man. Your hair looks just like mine did when I was your age. It's almost a little creepy how much it reminds me of it." He spoke, pulling the hair tie as tight as he could around her hair. He started on her bun next, braiding the ponytail all the way down.
"It's hard to envision you with long hair Papa. I mean I have seen pictures of it and stuff but it's hard to picture you with hair like that now."
Viktor chuckled and nodded as he continued braiding. "That's funny. Many people had a hard time with my short hair. I mean it was long for most of my life at point. They were not very happy when I cut it. I still have people to this day asking about why I cut my hair. I let it grow out again for a while after your dad and I got married. I liked it. It was almost to the center of my back when I cut it again. I miss it sometimes." He said, finishing up the braid and starting to wrap it around itself, forming a bun on the top of her head. He carefully bobby pinned the entire thing into place, making sure it wouldn't move.
"Why did you cut it again if you liked it so much when it was long?" Aiko asked, trying not to move and mess up what Viktor was doing.
"You liked to pull hair as a baby." Viktor said, flatly, still bobby pinning her bun to place. Aiko gasped and turned around quickly, almost messing up her entire bun. She put her hands on the back of the chair and looked at him in disbelief.
"What!? I am the reason you cut your hair again?"
Viktor gently put his hands on her shoulders and guided her to sit back down. He took a small brush and pushed back some of the fly away hairs.
"When you were a baby, you would wrap your little fingers all through my hair, yanking it every single time you go the chance. Even when I put it in a bun, you would tug and cry for me to pull it out." Viktor explained, chuckling a bit as the memories flooded back into his head.
"Remember when she used to sleep in our bed and you would wake up to her basically tangled in your hair?" Yuuri interrupted, sitting up on the bed now.
"Oh yeah. We didn't have a crib for you for a while so you would sleep in between your dad and I. You would somehow find your way to my hair every single night. At first, your hair obsession was kind of cute. But after a few months, I couldn't take it anymore. So I went out and cut it short again. You were very upset. I think you wouldn't let me hold you for at least 2 weeks. You would just cry." Viktor said, spraying the front of her hair with hairspray to keep it neat.
"I…I can't believe that." Aiko said, her cheeks flushing a light pink.
"It's okay. It was better that way. Could you imagine your 45-year-old Papa with hair down his back?"
"You are right. You wouldn't look like dad with your hair that long. Not saying it wouldn't look good, I'm just saying it wouldn't suit the now version of you." She pointed out, wincing a little bit at Viktor putting her hairpiece down tightly into her head. He touched up a few rough area with a brush and pointed to the mirror.
"There you go. All done."
Aiko jumped out the chair and gave him a huge hug and kiss on the cheek. "It looks great! Thanks papa!"
Viktor smiled and hugged her back for a minute before letting her go. "Now go get dressed, Coach Yuna is probably already at the rink." He said, gently pushing her towards her bag. She nodded in agreement, rushing to grab her bag and heading into the bathroom.
Yuuri was scrolling through his phone when he heard a soft whine come from the bathroom.
"Daddy! Come here! I can't get this thing on right!" Aiko whined from the bathroom. Viktor walked up to the door and gently opened it. Aiko quickly stuck her head out the door and pushed him away. "I said Daddy. Not Papa."
Yuuri laughed loudly as walked up to the bathroom door. "She is getting bolder. I like it." He said before stepping into the bathroom and closing the door behind them. Viktor scoffed and walked over to the bed, checking on Toshiro. He was starting to wake up, wiggling around in the sheets and whining.
"Papa. Papa." He cried, finally sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Viktor smiled softly and pulled the boy into his lap.
"Good morning. Are you ready to go watch your sister skate today?"
Toshiro responded by burying his face into his chest. Viktor ran his fingers through his son's hair before laying a kiss on the crown of his head. "I am going to take that as a yes."
After some time, both Yuuri and Aiko emerge from the bathroom. Viktor's jaw drops as he sees his daughters new costume for the first time.
The color drew his eye first. It was a crisp white that faded down into a pale blue color as it reached the trim of the flowy skirt. It has long sleeves, adorned with sparkles and small crystals. The entire bodice was covered in pale blue crystals as well. The costume hung onto her shoulders, the back of the costume dipping all the way down to her lower back, showing off her carved back muscles.
"Isn't she beautiful Viktor? This is her first 'adult' type costume. How do you like it sweetie?" Yuuri asked Aiko.
"I'm not used to showing so much skin but I like it. I think it suits my body well." She said, looking in the mirror at herself.
Viktor sat, still speechless, on the bed. It finally hit him that his baby girl, wasn't a baby anymore. She was a beautiful young woman now and this short program was going to show that. Toshiro climbed out the bed and ran over to his sister, arms in the hair. Aiko smiled and picked him up. He wrapped his arms around her neck, giving her a tight hug.
"Sister is pretty! Pretty Sissy!" He babbled out. Yuuri nodded and grabbed him from her.
"Don't go messing up Aiko's costume okay? It is white." Yuuri pointed out as the small boy cuddled into his dad's chest. Viktor finally stood up, walking over to Aiko. He grabbed her hand and have her a quick twirl with a smile.
"You look like an angel Aiko. It's hard to believe my baby girl is all grown up. It was just yesterday you were yanking on my hair in my sleep."
"Papa, You act like you have never seen me in a pretty costume before."
"Yeah but this is different. This is my first time watching you objectively. I've been coaching you since you could walk. I've picked all your music, costumes, and even hair styles. This is my first time just looking at you instead of thinking of your entire performance."
Aiko lips curled into a smile.
"Well, I hope I make you and Daddy proud today."
"You already have." He said, kissing her forehead. Yuuri walked over to his husband and stood close, looking at Aiko.
"We have always been proud of you Aiko. You have always blown us away. I'm sure you never noticed but your Papa is always has been surprised by you. You should have seen him when you landed your first triple Axel in competition. He put his fists in the air and started screaming. He just kept shaking my arm 'Yuuri! Yuuri! She did it! She did it! Clean landing and all!'."
Aiko blushed a bright red and turned her head. "You guys are so embarrassing" she manages, grabbing her jacket, putting it on she slipped on her workout pants as well.
"Can we go now? Coach Yuna already texted me and asked where I was."
Viktor smiled and nodded, grabbing her skating bag for her. Yuuri grabbed Toshiro, holding him on his hip. They all walked out together, heading to the rink.
"Dad. My hair looks fine! I have to go!" Aiko's, whined, trying to pry her way out of Yuuri's hands.
"Just let me a fix your hair piece quickly okay? It's flopping in a weird way." He said, fumbling with it to make it stay. Aiko sighed deeply and sat quietly.
"Okay. All finished. Don't forget to stretch out good! Remember to be yourself and keep your form tight in your jumps!"
"Daddy!"
"Sorry sweetie."
Aiko grabbed her bag from Viktor, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She ran over to Yuuri and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She reached down and ruffled her little brother's hair before running off to meet her coach.
Viktor let out a deep sigh and grabbed Yuuri's free hand and Toshiro's hand as well. Yuuri started walking to the stands nearby, picking a seat in the front.
"This is strange."
"What's strange?"
"Being on this side of the barrier. I'm not a spectator often. This is going to take some getting used to."
"It will be refreshing. We can just watch and not worry about anything. I'm sure Toshi is happy to actually see his sister skate as well. He hardly gets to see her."
Toshiro smiled and nodded. "Sissy skate now?"
"Not yet. We have to wait for her turn. " he said, kissing his forehead gently. Toshiro lets out a frustrated sigh and sat back against Yuuri's chest. Yuuri gently wrapped his arms around the boy and smiled.
The rink was beginning to fill up as it got closer to the start of the competition. Viktor kept his eyes wondering, seeing if he could see Aiko warming up on the side. Yuuri put a gentle hand on his shoulder to bring his attention back.
"She will be fine. Relax. She is in good hands." He said, gently rubbing his shoulder. Viktor nodded and leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheek and a soft kiss on the lips.
Toshiro giggled, grabbing Yuuri's face and placed messy kisses all over. Yuuri laughed softly and ruffled his blond locks. Viktor smiled as well, taking his phone out to snap a picture, quickly posting it to Instagram with the caption "My boys having some fun today at Aiko's competition". Before he even got the chance to put his phone away, Toshiro jumped into his lap.
"You too Papa!" Toshiro said, placing the same messy kisses all over his face. Viktor wrapped his arms around the small boy, laughing wholeheartedly. The moment was short lived as the starting announcement echoed through the rink.
"Skaters. Take the ice for your 6 minute warm up."
Both Viktor and Yuuri's eyes immediately darted to the ice. Aiko was taking her guards off at the entrance and handing them to her coach. The older woman put her hands on her shoulder, telling her something that causes Aiko to smile before starting her warm up. Aiko skated on to the ice, doing a rough run through of her choreography, practicing her facials once again. She did a few easy jumps to get her blood flowing as well.
"She's not so stiff today. " Yuuri pointed out.
"Yeah but you can tell she's thinking a little too much. She's nervous." Viktor said, leaning forward a bit to get a better look.
Soon the warm up was over and the competition began. Aiko was the last to skate out of the 6 girls that were there. Unlike the other domestic competitions, she had skated in recently, she didn't know any of the girls here. She was trying to gauge the talent as she watched the girls from the sideline. They were good. Their programs were filled with high-level complicated elements. They weren't holding anything back. Aiko started to think that maybe this routine wasn't enough. Her nervousness was peaking at this point, causing her to go over every move in her head. She shoved her headphones back into her ears and started to blare her music as she stretched, hoping that would take some of the edge off.
Yuuri and Viktor looked at each other, a worried look in their eyes. They knew that look that Aiko was giving all too well. It was similar to Yuuri's. She was letting the nervousness and anxiety take over. Being in the stands right now was killing them. They knew exactly what to do to get her motivated again. They would take her to the back, let her stretch and talk to her about the program. They knew what could happen if she stayed this nervous. She would mess up, flub all her jumps, and possibly hurt herself. Yuuri reached over and grabbed Viktor's hand, squeezing it tightly, keeping his eyes on the ice.
"Last up we have 13-year-old Aiko Katsuki-Nikiforov of Hatseau!" the announcer blared out. The cheers filled the rink as she skated into the ice and greeted the crowd. Both Yuuri and Viktor stood up and started cheering for her.
"Davai! Davai milaya!" Viktor yelled, making sure he could hear her.
"You can do it sweetie! Just relax!" Yuuri said right after, picking up Toshiro so he could cheer his sister on as well.
"Go Sister! Go!" Toshiro yelled, waving his hands for her to see. Aiko looked over and flashed a quick smile before getting into her starting position.
"Aiko will be skating to Set Apart This Dream." The announcer continued.
The rink went quiet as the music fills the rink. Aiko smiled and looked lovingly at her parents as she started the routine.
Yuuri and Viktor sat on the edge of their seat, watching each move closely. They had seen her practice this routine countless times already, but something changed. They could see in the way she was skating; she was truly enjoying herself for the first time in years. A smile was plastered on her face as she went on to prepare for her first jump, a triple loop.
She jumped, getting in the right amount of rotations and landing cleanly. A perfect jump. Viktor cheered loudly, keeping his eyes glued on her. She was doing great already.
"The idea for a routine based on her ballet skills was brilliant. It really shows how mature a skater she can be." Yuuri said to Viktor. Viktor agreed, picking up Toshiro and holding him on his hip so she could see Aiko as well.
She was incredibly graceful, each movement looking like it was coming naturally to her. Everything was clean and precise but nothing looked overly rehearsed. It was a perfect balance. She started her combination spin, starting out with a camel spin that slowly changed into a layback. As she continued in the layback spin, she grabbed her skate and lifted her leg up, ending in a Bielmann spin. The crowd roared, helping her keep her momentum going. She was well into the 2nd half of the program and she still had a step sequence as well 2 more jumps.
Aiko took a deep breath as she prepared herself for her next jump, a triple axel. Viktor stood up, knowing that her jump was next. Aiko dug her toe pick into the ice, launching her into the jump.
She lost her footing on the landing, sending her falling onto the ice hard. Both Viktor and Yuuri gasped, worried that she may have hurt herself in her fall. She quickly got up and skated it off. She had to skate on. Next was her step sequence.
It was slower than what she was normally used to do doing so she was able to concentrate and really focus on making each movement of her foot as clean as possible. But the fall was still lingering in her mind, causing her to mess up a few of her her steps. She closed her eyes and pushed through the sequence.
Sweat was dripping through her hair and she could hardly keep her breath at this point. Even though the routine was slower than what she was used to, the actual movements were much more intense. Her legs were burning; her arms were getting tired. She was already disappointed in herself. She just wanted it to end but she still had one more jump, a triple toe loop, in the finale.
She tried to calm herself down before this last jump, taking a few deep breaths as she went into it. Her fatigue got the best of her and her skate wobbled on the ice in the landing, causing her to put both hands on the ice to keep from falling. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. This was supposed to be the perfect routine. It was supposed to show her parents that they made the right decision to let her have a different coach. It was supposed to be the routine that made her fall in love with skating again.
She finally was in her finishing position. The program was finally over. She couldn't hear anything over her ragged breathing. She was holding her tears back. She still had to greet the audience and she couldn't do that with tears in her eyes. She mustered up a smile, lifting her arms to greet the audience once more.
Yuuri, Viktor, and even Toshiro cheered as loud as they could for her. They wanted her to know that no matter what happened out there, they still loved her and thought she did an amazing job.
She skated to her coach, who handed her her guards and gave her a huge hug. She buried her face in her coach's chest, letting some of the held back tears loose.
"She's upset." Yuuri said plainly, watching it all play out. Viktor nodded and sat back down in his seat. Yuuri followed suit, pulling Toshiro onto his lap as well.
"She still did great for her first time skating that program in public. Her moves were graceful and beautiful. It really did show how mature she is. With even more practice, this routine could be amazing. But messing up that jump really got to her. She couldn't recover after that. It's upsetting to see her like this." Viktor said, running a hand through his hair.
Aiko and her coach, Yuna, were sitting in the kiss and cry waiting for the scores. Aiko's eyes were still red as she pulled her jacket on, zipping it closed. She grabbed the bouquet of flowers next to her and hugged them to her chest. She wasn't ready to see her score. She knew it wasn't going to be nice.
"Aiko Katuski-Nikiforov gets a 53.75 for her short program."
Aiko lets her head hang low, hoping that that would keep her tears at bay. Yuna pulls her into a hug and stroked her shoulder.
"It's okay Aiko-chan. This is the first time you have skated this program. Once we iron out everything, it will enough to send you to the Junior World Championships. This isn't a bad score at all, So don't worry." Yuna said, trying to comfort her. She knew exactly why she was upset. It wasn't because she thought it wasn't good.
It was because it was the first time without her parents by her side coaching and she had one of her worst performances to date.
Aiko was currently sitting in 5th place at the end of the day. One of the other girls had an even worse day than she did, keeping her out the last spot. She still had the free program tomorrow but in order to medal, she would have to pull out all the stops.
Yuuri and Viktor were waiting for her right outside the rink. Toshiro had enough excitement for the day and was sleeping peacefully in Viktor's arms, his sleepy head resting on his shoulder. Viktor rubbed his back softly, trying to keep in asleep through all of the chaos that was ensuing outside of the rink. Yuuri finally spotted Aiko and Yuna and motioned them over to where they were. Yuuri pulled Aiko in a tight hug as soon as she got there. He kissed her forehead gently and looked into her eyes.
"You were beautiful out there Aiko. All mistakes aside, you did an amazing job." He said, pushing a few loose hairs out of her face. Aiko could feel the tears falling down her face.
"I'm sorry. I know you and Papa taught me better than that. I'm sure you are regretting letting me go get a new coach."
"Aiko. We are not upset. Not in the least bit. Your dad and I haven't seen you that happy to skate in years. Before you fell, you were smiling and happy. That emotion you were feeling showed in your skating. You were graceful and everything looked like it came natural to you. That's the Aiko we missed. The one that begged us every day to take you to the rink. The one that wanted to stay longer to make sure you understood everything. The one who loved every second out there on the ice. That's the Aiko we saw today. We couldn't be more proud right now. You have grown into a beautiful skater and we can't' wait to see what this program will look like when it's perfected." Viktor admitted. Yuuri agreed with him, giving her one last hug.
"Don't give up now. You still have your free skate tomorrow. So let's get back to the room, run you a hot bath and get a good night's rest. You can still make it as long as you stay focused." Yuuri said.
"Your dad is right Aiko. Don't worry about today anymore. What is done is done. We must focus on tomorrow's free skate. So get a good nights sleep and I will see you tomorrow morning." Coach Yuna said, reaching over to give a quick hug before leaving.
"Thank you coach! See you tomorrow!" Aiko yelled as she walked away. Yuuri draped his arm around her shoulder as they started to walk towards the hotel room.
"When you go into your triple axel, make sure to-" Viktor started.
"Papa, remember your promise! No coaching!"
"I'm just giving a friendly pointer. Can I not give you some advice, one skater to another?"
Aiko gave him a stern look, one that rivaled Yuuri's in intensity. She really did take after him. Viktor let out a nervous chuckle, pulling Toshi up on his body.
"You look just like Yuuri when you do that. Its unnerving how much you act like him."
Aiko felt her cheeks redden. "Both of you say the same thing! Daddy says I look like you papa and You say I look like Daddy. Why can't I just look like Aiko?" She grumbled, crossing her arms across the chest.
"Looks like Toshi isn't the only one with a little attitude." Viktor pointed out, his smile almost ear to ear.
Aiko wiggled out of Yuuri's embrace and started to walk ahead of them, feeling her face get even hotter. Both men laughed, admiring her as she walked away. Yuuri reached down, grabbing his husband's free hand, lacing his fingers with his.
"She really is all grown up. Before we know it, we will be giving her away at her wedding." Yuuri said solemnly.
Viktor quickly turned his head and shook his head violently. "I don't want to think about my baby girls wedding! She is still my baby girl, no matter how old she gets."
Yuuri laughed softly, squeezing his hand. "Same here but you can deny she is a young woman now. We can't stop her."
"Not if I can help it!"
Aiko ended up placing 3rd in the overall. She skated a near flawless free skate program, boosting her up enough to make the podium. Her smile was bright enough to light up the entire rink. After the medal ceremony, Aiko went running into Viktor's arms.
"You see that Papa! Did you see it?" She said excitedly, almost like a child again.
"Of course we did. You did amazing Aiko! Your dad and I are so proud." He said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her head a few times.
"Don't worry. Next competition I will nail my short program and bring home 1st place." She said, burying her face in her Papa's jacket. "Coach Yuna wants to aim for the Junior World Championships this year since I finally 13." She said quietly.
"Do you think you are ready? It's not going to be easy by any means. You will have to work very hard, almost to the point of exhaustion. We will support you no matter what you choose, but know that this isn't an easy feat." Viktor said, this tone getting serious. He pushed her back a little so he could see her face. She was an open book just like Yuuri. He would be able to tell if she doubted herself in a moments notice. He looked at her face for any bit of hesitation, but she stood strong.
"I am ready. I have been skating my whole life to get to this point. Plus, how am I supposed to escape the 'legendary Viktor Nikiforov' narrative if I don't go out and make a name for myself?" she said, her lips curling to a smile. Viktor smiled and picked her up, swinging her around before putting her back on the ground.
"That's my girl!"
Toshiro walked up to his sister, his arms raised. Aiko picked him and gave him a big hug.
"Did I do a good job Toshi?" she asked the toddler. Toshiro nodded furiously. She giggled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Viktor snapped another picture of the 2, relishing in the moment.
"That's Instagram-worthy? Don't you think Yuuri?" Viktor asked, putting his arm around the smaller man's waist. Yuuri nodded in agreement.
Aiko turned red, slinging Toshiro on her hip now. "I swear that is all you 2 do. Post pictures of us on Instagram. I hope I don't look as bad as I did in the last picture." She groaned, walking away from the 2, towards the hotel room.
"You didn't look bad! It was cute milaya."
Aiko scoffed and pulled Toshi closer to her as she continued walking. Toshiro leaned in and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting his head rest in the crook of her neck. Yuuri took out his phone and took a picture of the 2 siblings, posting it to his Instagram promptly with the caption I couldn't be more proud of my little girl today. She is truly growing up to be a wonderful young woman.
