Things are hectic inside the St. Petersburg Stadium as everyone get ready for the Nutcracker show. The skaters practice their routine while teams of workers work around the clock to put up the set, the lighting and the sound equipment. Yuri is practicing his jumps when he sees a group of workers pushing a giant candy cane tree.
"You need help?" the Japanese skater asks.
"We're okay. A couple of workers cannot make it today so we're short of help, but we'll manage. You just keep practicing and we'll get the set done for you, Yuri." The workmen say.
"The tree look wonderful. I can't wait to see the whole land of the Sweet." Yuri praises.
"You have been skating from morning to dark nonstop. There is no way we will let ourselves ruin all your hard work with bad props. We will make sure the set is perfect for your show." The worker says.
Suddenly, the tree slips and falls onto the workmen and Yuri. Everyone screams. Luckily the workmen manage to hold the tree and push it back up. Viktor runs up to them and hugs his lover tight, "don't scare me like that!"
"I don't think I have ever seen Viktor worry so much about anything or anyone." A beautiful and elegant woman walks up to the Stay Close to Me couple. Yuri stands there too shock to speak. The woman is Anastasia, the legendary Russian female skater who won many Grand Prix and World since Yuri was a baby.
"Anna! I see Lilia manage to convince you to come be the Sugar Plum Fairy." Viktor smiles.
"You're going to be the Sugar Plum Fairy?" The Eros skater cannot believe his ears.
"Of course, I have know Viktor since he was a little boy. His show is worth coming out of retirement for." Anastasia smiles, "so you are Yuri Katsuki?"
"Yes, this is my Yuri. Isn't he the best?" Viktor says as he gropes his lover.
"Stop acting all mushy in front of Anna. She doesn't have to see that!" Yuratchka yells.
"It is a great honor, Anastasia-san. The show is going to be amazing with you here." Yuri bows sincerely.
"The honor is all mine, my dear. And call me Anna." Anastasia says, "I only know competitive skating. A show like this is a whole new world to me. You have to help me, okay?"
"There is no way you will need my help..." the Japanese boy blushes, "but I would love to practice with you sometimes, if it is possible!"
"I am looking forward to it, Yuri, I really want to get to know you better. Let me get ready for my costume and we can get started." Anna smiles and heads to the changing room.
"Hey! Everyone!" Chan walks in and beams brightly.
"Go away." Yuratchka grunts. "Don't you have some Kings or Presidents to protect?"
"I am just a rookie, my little princess." Chan shrugs.
"Don't call Princess!" The blonde teenager throw his sneakers at the Agent. Chan dodges as someone enters the rink. The shoes hit that person in the chest and falls into that person's hands.
"Otabek? What are you doing here?" Yuratchka asks.
"Your lady coach asked me to come. She said she wanted me to be the toy solider." Otabek replies while giving the sneakers back to his friend.
"I told Lilia it will be nice if the world leaders can see top skaters from around the world performing together; and we decided to invite all our friends into the Nutcracker cast." Viktor cheers.
"Does that mean..." Yuratchka's voice shakes.
"Yuri!" Chris comes in and jumps toward Yuri. The Ice Tiger jumps, kicks Yuri into Viktor's arm with one leg and kicks Chris away with another.
"Wow...double spin kick!" Chan whistles.
"Can this get any worse?!" The Russian Punk yells.
"JJ is here!" JJ enters and does his pose.
"NO NO NO!" Yuratchka screams. "Viktor, I hate you! Get those two things away from me!"
"We'll go see what Lilia wants us to do." Otebak drags JJ and Chris away.
Yuri stares at the door.
"Looking for someone? You don't think your best friend will miss this, right?" Viktor gently taps on Yuri's button nose and says, "my Fearless Mouse King, meet your General and your army."
Phichit comes in; follows by Minami, Leo and Guang Hong.
"You bought all my friends here! Thank you!" Yuri beams and hugs his lover tight.
"I'll do anything to see this smile of yours. I love you." Viktor plants a gentle kiss on Yuri's forehead.
"Watch out, Viktor! The Mouse Army is going to beat your Gingerbread soldiers to cookie crumbles!" Minami waves his fist and shouts. The rest of Yuri's army chants, "Right!"
"You're stupid to think you can be in Katsudon's mouse army. You look like a 13 years old little kid!" Yuratchka scoffs at the young looking boy.
"I can't skate with you guys?" Minami looks like he is about to cry. Yuri pats his head.
"Lilia! I got your Fritz here!" The Russian teen shouts to his female coach. Lilia walks up to Minami and looks him up and down. She then gives Yuratchka a nod of approval before walking off.
"I am going to be Fritz?!" Minami can't believe it, "Thank you, Yurio! I will be your worse little brother!"
"Thank you, Yurio." Yuri says.
"Lilia can't find a good Fritz." Yuratchka shrugs, "and you can't get a better Fritz than him."
"I'm going to be the biggest brat in the world ever!" Minami cheers.
"Sorry, kid. I don't think anyone can be a bigger brat than Princess here." Chan says.
"I am not a Princess!" Yuratchka yells as he throws his towel at Chan. The Interpol agent dodges and bumps into Yuri by accident. The Eros skater loses his balance and falls to the ice.
"Yuri! Your are freezing!" Viktor says as he catches Yuri.
"How long has he been on ice?" Yuratchka asks.
"I woke up at 6 am and he was already gone." Viktor answers, taking the raven hair boy out of the rink and wrapping a blanket around him.
"That's Yuri for you. Always the first to the rink and the last to leave." Phichit says.
"I'm sorry I made you worry, Viktor. I was just a little tired. I didn't sleep. I was too scared because I watched too many horror movie clips." Yuri mutters, "I don't want to wake you so I come practice."
"I told you I will watch those movies with you. Don't force yourself if you are afraid." Viktor says.
"Are you staying up late to learn how to be scary?" Yuratchka says, "don't overdo it, Katsudon. You're gonna collapse at the show."
Phichit grins, "Ciao-Ciao lectured Yuri a couple of time for staying up late and doing research all the time."
"When he was doing ballet he got in big trouble for staying up super late over a month reading up info on Clara." Chan adds.
"He is just serious about his work." Viktor defends his lover.
"Hey, Yuri! Look what we got!" The Orchestra shouts.
"You guys actually got a Celesta in here!" Yuri shouts
"We are going to play the music so amazing that we will take the spotlight from the skating performance!" The Maestro says.
"I am not letting the orchestra steal our show. Come on, let's go." Yuratchka says to Minami. The two of them go off to practice.
"I was worry to have so many people who are all so used to be in center stage sharing the rink." Viktor says to Yuri, "but you just melt everyone's hearts with your charm and make everyone work together. You never cease to surprise me."
"You're just seeing things, I don't have any charm." The Japanese boy blushes.
Viktor holds Yuri's chin up and looks into the boy's brown eyes. "You're the most charming person in the world and you can put anyone under your spells." the Russian coach tells his protege.
"Right, even Yurio don't have the heart to say no to you." Chan says.
"Speaking of which..." Viktor says. Everyone looks up and sees the blond teenager chasing Minami around the giant Christmas tree in the middle of the rink. Minami holding the nutcracker doll, prancing up and down, taunting the Russia golden child.
"It is like they are really brother and sister." Yuri smiles.
The Lohengrin skater stops, makes a face at Yuratchka and twist off the Nutcracker doll's head. The Russian Ice Tiger grabs the broken doll and stares at it. Then he turns to Yuri.
"What's the matter?" The Japanese boy asks.
"I can't cry. Show me how you do it." Yuratchka says and hangs the doll to Yuri.
The Eros skater takes the doll into his arms and the sappy smile on his face disappears. Sorrow and pain fills Yuri's soul-taking brown eyes as tears start flow out like a stream of sparkling crystal. His face is so heart wrenching but beautiful everyone's eyes turn red.
"Yuri was crying with a face like that at the ballet championship when he was just a little kid." Chan says, "the judges were so touched by him they almost ran up to the stage and held him."
"I am just a cry baby." Yuri blushes.
"I think you just shattered my heart into a million pieces with that face." Viktor holds Yuri tight, "how can you cry like that?"
"I went to the ballet competition because Minako's studio was in trouble." the Eros skater leans into his lover's arms, "if I lost the competition, her studio would be gone. Every time when I thought of Minako losing her studio, I became so worried I couldn't stop crying."
"Yuri, you never told anyone that!" Chan says, "I don't know how you did it, Viktor. Yuri was always by himself. He ran when people tried to get close to him. I would never had imagined there would come a day when Yuri open up himself to have a lover who he hugs and kisses and tells everything to."
"I waited a month before he said one word to me when we were roommate. I can only imagine how long it took Viktor." Phichit says.
"He is worth every minute of it." Viktor smiles sweetly.
"Come on, we don't need to watch them acting all mushy. Let's get back to practice." Yuratchka says to Minami.
"We should start working on the battle scene too..." Yuri says to his rat army. The raven-hair boy takes a sip from Viktor's water bottle and heads back out to the rink.
"You guys are so cute, sharing water bottle like teenage lovers." Chan says to the silver-hair coach.
"Yuri couldn't find his water bottle. He feels horrible because I got it for him. I told him I will get him another one but he is still upset." Viktor answers.
"Didn't he lost his towel yesterday, too?" The agent asks.
"Yeah, He isn't usually that forgetful. I hope it's not because he is too tired. He is putting a lot of energy on the show." The Lilac fairy says.
"Yuri has always been crazy hard worker." Chan gets up, "he didn't eat yet, right? Let me go get you guys something to eat. I will be right back."
The agent gets out the door and calls his supervisor, "sir, I think we were wrong about Viktor having a stalker. I think the one having a stalker is actually Yuri..."
TBC...