Yuri on Ice (c) Mitsurō Kubo and MAPPA


Otabek was glaring at Yurri, who was smiling at the ground with worry as he kept his eyes on the ground and an ice pack to his bruised hand. Chris and his boyfriend were glancing in-between the two as if one of them was going to draw a gun like in the Western movies, and Yuri was holding Schätzli like he was a baby as he kept his eyes on the men, too. Why was he holding a cat? Because cats weren't as confusing as this scene before him. Cats were fluffy and cute and didn't make him question instant happenings. How did it all come down to this? With cat hair flying all over the store, tea left lukewarm nearby, and a mess of rose petals and thorns decorating Otabek's dress shirt?

Seriously, just how the Hell did it come to this?


"Have a nice day." Yuri waved at the couple and their giggling toddler as they left the bakery, smiling as they added few bills to his tip jar. Probably because he didn't look bothered every time their child pushed her cup of milk off the table? Maybe. Yuri wasn't bothered by it at all. After all, his date was Otabek was tomorrow.

'I have a date with Otabek tomorrow,' His smile widened as he thought that. 'I have a date with Otabek tomorrow,' The second time he thought about it, it was beginning to dawn on him. 'I have a date with Otabek tomorrow.' Those butterflies in his stomach quickly made him feel ill. 'Holy shit, I have a date with Otabek tomorrow.'

"Someone looks happy. Got a hot date?" Mila carried over a tray of dirty dishes and dumped them in the nearby sink. She knew she got the blonde as he stubbornly ignored her. "Thought so," She sang as she ran hot water over the plates. "So, what are you going to wear?"

"What I always wear?" They both looked down at his outfit; graphic t-shirt and jeans with flour and coffee aftermath staining them and sneakers. Yuri looked back up at Mila with a wince. "Maybe not?"

"Definitely not." Mila shook her head. "I'll help you out when we get off. I have a friend who owns a salon nearby."

Yuri raised an eyebrow. "I don't need my hair done or anything." Now that he thought about it, his hair was a little long. Maybe he could get a trim? His hand went straight to the long locks that he kept in a messy bun.

The redhead laughed. "It's more like a clothing salon but he could work on your hair too, if you want."

"Maybe..."

Mila noticed the uncertainty in his voice. "Something wrong?"

"Why me, Mila?" Now she was even more confused. "Why would some guy like that... You know," Yuri rested his arms on the counter, the slow, after lunch atmosphere falling into the bakery. It must have sucked away Yuri's earlier enthusiasm along with it. "He's so cool and nice, and he's charming. And I'm nothing like that."

"But, you are." Mila insisted.

"No. I'm not," Yuri shook his head, the doubt settling over him like a cold hug. "What if he doesn't like me after spending the day with him?" Yuri never bothered to wrorry about people not liking him after meeting him before. People were people. And if they didn't click, then it wasn't his fault. He just acted the way he did and didn't care if people didn't like it. Otabek was different, though. Because he was Otabek. One of the most different people Yuri had ever met in his life.

"Then that's his loss," Yuri rested his chin on the counter, the words not making him feel any better, "Yuri," His co-worker wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave them a squeeze. Bless this boy's fragile heart, it was probably beating, twisting, and doing all sorts of things at the thought of this outing. "You're an amazing person. I'm sure Otabek knows that much if he wanted to spend time with you. Especially if he went out of his way to come see you again, during a Sunday morning. We're always busy during the beginning of he week," She squeezed his shoulders again, Yuri nodding in agreement as he sat up a little more. "Lets go see my friend after our shift. That'll give you sometime to think about the date a little more, alright? It could get you more pumped!"

"Yeah..." Yuri gave a firm nod. "Yeah, you're right. I'm in."

"Wonderful!" Mila patted him on the back. "We'll leave at three. I can't wait to introduce you to Chris."


"When will she be arriving?"

"She called in five minutes ago. That leaves a ten minute window to travel all the way down here. Unless you count traffic, so I say twenty minutes, sir."

JJ loved it when he called him, "sir." It was out of respect and loyalty from most people but to hear it from Seung Gil made his heart flutter. And it took a lot to make a boss' heart flutter.

He took his eyes away from his assistant and took a good look at the office they "borrowed" from a lower level Bratva family (Well,they did ask the men holding it before to kindly give it up but judging by the faded bloodstains hiding underneath the new rug, that first plan didn't go well.) JJ missed his old office back at home but this one did well enough. It was located in one of the better areas of the neighborhood, surrounded by other wealthy homes and giving the impression that only gambling widowers and businessmen lived there. The office was wide, had a huge desk, poured enough sunlight to let him gaze at Seung Gil as he sauntered around the room, dressed in his black finery while he wrote his signature elegantly with the documents in his arms. JJ liked this new office a lot. Especially with Seung Gil just few feet away from his reach.

'Out of anyone I could have, I want my assistant,' JJ leaned back in his seat and sighed.'If only he wasn't working with me just because he wants to kill me.'

Seung Gil thought he was clever. He certainly was, but that wasn't to say that JJ was any less clever. He hid his intent to kill JJ as well as he hid his expressions and emotions through his apathetic features. He had fooled everyone as the calm and collective man that JJ just happen to meet at a party in Hong Kong, who had been hired on the spot by the boss himself. But JJ could read him like a book. He could feel those eyes watching him, watching his back to make sure that it wasn't going to be shot at or stabbed, and most-likely saving that job for himself.

Why didn't JJ just off him himself? There was a saying his father had taught him before his retirement. 'Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer.' And most importantly, just to add his own flair to the family tradition. 'Let your lovers fall into your arms, and kiss their necks before they slit your own.'

"Sir," JJ snapped out of his musings when Seung Gil spoke, like he always did. "Ms. Yang is here to see you."

"Let her in." A young woman with short black hair walked into the room, her smile innocent enough to fool anyone. Anyone but JJ, that is. Jean spun his chair in her direction and placed his hands on her hips as she dropped onto his lap. Her long, creamy legs wrapped around his hips and she began to play with his hair, seeming to be spurred on by the fact that another man was watching her do this. "Seung Gil," JJ looked over Isabella's shoulder and winked. "Lock the door on your way out."

"Sir." His assistant bowed, leaving the room.

"He's cute," Isabella raked her fingers through the boss' hair, tickling his ears. "Mind if I borrow him for the night?"

"Sure," JJ gave a winning smile. "If you're willing to never walk again, sweetheart."

"Is that a threat, or a promise?" She rocked her hips against his. JJ had to admit; this girl had bigger balls than most of his men,figuratively speaking, of course. "JJ, you know I wouldn't do anything to upset you. I know how jealous you can get." She adjusted herself to sit with her back against his chest and pulled out her cellphone, handing it to JJ as she made herself comfortable. "Anyway, here's the information you wanted. Nikiforov has managed to keep quiet for long, but not long enough. He's had men stationed around some little cities in Moscow and then some for a few weeks now. The thing we can't figure out is why. Why has he sent his men to Moscow? Last time we had anything on him, he was living off somewhere in Japan, under the radar." She looked over her shoulder to JJ. "Any ideas?"

"A few, but none that would be concrete enough to explain why he suddenly decided to send men to Moscow," Around the same time he decided to send Otabek there no less. Needless to say, it was coincidental, and unlike Nikiforov. "He's the leader of the most well-known and powerful family in Russia. There aren't any other families out there that would want to take him out, not unless they have a death wish. Maybe he's just keeping tabs in the country he was born in?" JJ knew he made sure to do the same back home anyway.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Replied Isabella with a shrug. "I just got the information you wanted me to get, and you know you owe me for this one, JJ. Especially since I had to talk to a bunch of arrogant, slimy men that couldn't keep their hands to themseleves." She gave a pout.

"I'm sure you did more thank talking, Isabella, but you're right. I do owe you." JJ agreed.

Her blue eyes filled with glee. "Does that mean-"

"No, you can't borrow Seung Gil for the evening."

Isabella pouted again. "He's not even yours yet. You can't just call dibs because you're his boss."

"I wouldn't do something as childish as call dibs, my dear," JJ smirked. "He's not an object. He's a man. And I'll sweep him off his feet like a man." He promised.


Yuri shivered, tightening his hood with his draw strings and squinting at Mila through the flaking snow fall. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost, almost," Where did Mil get that heavy yet stylish winter coat? And where could Yuri get his hands on one like that, because they were starting to turn blue even through his thick gloves. Did Mila get them from this friend of hers that she had been talking about the whole time they were working? "It just seems like its taking forever to get there because of the new inch of snow we got over night. We've been walking through it for a while now." So that would explain why his ankles were freezing. Yuri never would have though it was because of that -insert sarcasm-.

"If you fucking knew there was going to be a new inch of snow covering the street, why didn't we take a tram or car there?"

Mila clicked her tongue. "We can walk there for free. Don't be lazy."

He was feeling more numb than lazy, But Yuri didn't put up much of a fight after that. It wouldn't help him warm up any time too soon. He just hoped that this place Mila had been talking up would be worth it. He could be back at the bakery right now, enjoying the semi-empty shop after the lunch rushers left with Potya happily napping on his lap. Damn, he needed his cat right now.

Like a beacon through a foggy night, the British longhair lounging in the display window of a boutique shop gave Yuri hope as they neared it. Yuri sighed as the smell of tea and mothballs filled his chest and gave him warmth once they were inside the shop. More warmth came from the clothing that displayed by mannequins all over the shop, a radio by the cashier playing some cheerful music. The cat from the window padded over to the pair and rubbed its plush body around their legs. Oh yeah, Yuri was already loving this place.

"Mila!" The long-haired cat ran over to the fabulous man coming from the back and jumped into his arms, receiving a peck on the head before it was set by the cash register. "I'm so glad you came back to visit me... With such a pretty friend," The man cooed, strutting over with a smile. "Hi! I'm Christophe. It's so nice to meet you!"

"N-Nice to meet you, too." The jubilant air nearly knocked the wind out of the Russian. "I'm Yuri."

"He's the friend I was talking about before, Chris," Mila said after she exchanged kisses on the cheek with Christophe. "He needs help getting ready for a date tomorrow."

"Oh?" Chris' green eyes sparkled with curiosity and awe. "You need a hot outfit, then?"

"Something that'll make me look nice, at least." Yuri blushed. A 'hot outfit' wasn't what Yuri had in mind, especially since this was one of the first dates he ever went on with someone. He didn't want to scare Otabek away but he also didn't want him to think that he wore stains because he liked them. He had just gotten used to having stained clothes since his job could get messy. But this was different. This was a date. And dating was something he never got the chance to do. College and work had kept him busy, and while everyone patted him on the back for the 'nice excuse,' he wouldn't deny that the thought of dating someone crossed his mind. 'I have a date with Otabek tomorrow...' Maybe he should agree to getting a hot outfit after all.

"I'll help you look nice and then some, hon," Chris winked, walking a circle around the boy with a hum. Yuri felt a little self-conscious, gasping as his hood was bought down. "Hmm, we should definitely get you something to compliment those high cheekbones and gorgeous hair."

"It's not too long?" It reached Yuri's shoulder-blades by now. He neglected cutting it for so long.

"I could give it a nice cut and wash before you head out for your date," Chris chirped. He took Yuri gently by the arm and lightly dragged him to the back room with Mila and the cat following after them."So, Yuri. Tell me about this date of yours," Chris said as he pulled out two different suit jackets and pressed them along Yuri's arm, checking which one would look best on the boy. "What's he like?" He asked, switching to T-shirts.

"He's someone who came into my grandpa's bakery," Yuri explained, shaking his head at a shirt Christ showed him. Too tacky. "He kind of just asked me to show him around since he's never been to Moscow before and..." And the more he said it aloud, the more it really didn't sound like a date. That's right. He had said he would show Otabek around. Why did he have to go and think that it was a date? Where was the nearest cliff he could jump off of?

"Ohhh! I see what he's doing!" Chris looked excitedly at Mila, who returned the look. "He's using that as an excuse to date you!"

"What?" Yuri asked with confusion. "How did you get that from what I just said?"

"Because no one just asks someone they barely know to show them around a city they've never been to." The blonde waved a finger at the other. "And Mila told me how you two met up in the first place. You must have looked like a blessing from God when you helped him escape the cold."

Yuri glared at his co-worker. "You told people?"

Mile grinned in return. "Chris knows how to keep secrets."

Christophe looked away with his mischievous eyes. "Well, I might have told Masumi while we had dinner..."

"Gossping old hang..." Yuri quickly dodged the shoe that was thrown at his head, like it was a sixth sense. "So you really think its a date?" Asked Yuri, unable to hide the hope in his voice.

"Hon," Christ held out two different types of pants, leaning more towards the black jeans. "I'm sure right now, he's just about as flustered about the date as you are."

Yuri's heart swelled at the thought of that. Now he was even more excited about tomorrow than ever. After the trial and error of going through different clothing combinations and from keeping Chris' cat from decorating the clothes with cat hair, the three of them finally settled for some clothes that Yuri could rent out for tomorrow. "Don't even think about paying me," Chris waved off Mila and Yuri as they began to pull out their wallets. "Just have a good time on your date, Yuri. If you don't, then you can pay me." He winked. "As a way to repay my clothes for going out and not being appreciated by the man you fancy." Yuri saw the price tag on these clothes and agreed with slight worry in his thoughts. "Come back here tomorrow a few hours before your date and I'll work on your hair."

A few hours meant that he would have to be here before the bakery opened. Nothing new but Yuri was looking forward to sleeping in that day. He glanced at the feline licking its paw on a chair across the room. "Will your cat be there, too?"

Christophe laughed. He saw why Mila was friends with him. "I promise Schätzli will be here, too."


"Morning, Yurochka," Nikolai handed his grandson a mug of coffee and a piece of strudel as the boy came down the steps, watching in fascination as the boy gulped down the coffee and strudel all at once. He wasn't susre if he should be proud as a baker, or worried as a grandfather. "In a hurry?" He guessed as he was handed back the mug. The coffee had been piping hot. He felt even more worried now.

"Yeah," Yuri ran over to the counter and reached through the drawers for some mints. Coffee left bad breath right after it was drunken. He chewed on the mints as he fished his tips out of his tip jar. "I'm gonna be showing Otabek around today, but I need to do some things before I meet him." Like get ready for his date with Otabek, he thought with a little hop in his step.

"I see," Chuckled his grandfather. "Well, make sure you don't stay out too late and call me every now and again."

"Grandpa." Yuri didn't whine, but he knew how to protest.

"At least text me every now and then." Nikolia eased up a little, just so his grandson wouldn't act rebellious. Which he probably would, given that this was his son's son he was dealing with. Rebellion ran through the Plisetsky bloodline, and smothering it would only cause it to become more rampant.

Yuri sighed but smiled at Nikolai anyway. "OK, I promise I will. Bye!" He ran out of the store and made his way to Chris' salon, thankful that the snow had cleared up just a little over night. The weather here was just as unpredictable as the people who visited it. 'Like Otabek.' Unpredictable indeed, Yuri was almost grinning ear-to-ear as he made his way to the boutique, feeling a sense of familiarity as he walked through the door and saw Schätzli snacking on a treat. A sense of strange familiarity greeted him as he saw the British longhair resting on Yuuri's lap.

"Oh!" The foreigner smiled. "Yurio, it's so good to see you!"

Yurio?

"Yurio?" Chris came from the back room with a brunette following after him, the two of them carrying trays of tea and snacks. "Oh, Yuri!" Chris exclaimed, before looking at the man sitting in his spare armchair. "And Yuuri," He laughed. "Small world, isn't it? You two know each other?"

"He helped me when I was putting up lost posters for Makkachin," Yuuri explained as he was handed a cup of tea. Yuri accepted a cup as well, taking a seat in another armchair while Chris and the other man occupied a love seat. 'His partner?' Must have been since the man had his arm around Chris' shoulders. "I didn't think you two knew each other." Said Yuuri as he blew on the surface of the warm drink.

"We actually met yesterday," Chuckled Christophe as he looked at the blonde from across the room. "I'm helping him get ready for a date today."

"You have a date, Yurio?!" Exclaimed Yuuri with wide eyes.

"Don't act so surprised," Yuri felt a little hurt, and annoyed. "And why did you give me such a weird nickname?"

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you, I'm sorry." Yuuri adjusted his glasses in embarrassment. "I guess I just got caught off guard. You look like you do fine by yourself so I didn't think you'd be into dating. I shouldn't have just assumed. I'm sorry," The black-haired man bowed his head in apology and now Yuri felt like he should be the one who was sorry. He never met someone so polite before. "And Yurio is a nickname my sister calls me all the time. It kind of suits you more than it suits me, though."

"Don't call people names they don't want to be called." Yuri deadpanned, watching with slight amusement as swear ran awkwardly down Yurri's forehead. Maybe Mila wasn't bullshitting him when that magazine quiz she made him try said he was a sadist.

"Right, sorry."

"I think it's a rather cute nickname!" Christophe grinned as he stood and made his way over to his customer. "Anyway, little Yurio, we have to get you ready for your date, no? Come with me, I'll help you get ready." He said, taking Yuri once again by the arm and gently ushering him to the back room. Yuri had no objections to this but he did hope they would stop calling him Yurio soon, and hoped that it wouldn't become a thing.

Who was he kidding? Knowing the people around him, that new nickname was going to stick for who knows how long?


How does one preserve a nice cut of roses in such brisk weather? Otabek was learning that it wasn't as easy as he had hoped it was. He could feel the flowers press against his chest inside his coat and he hoped that none of the stems had bent or not too many petals had fallen off. He was making sure to not bump into anyone or anything as he walked away from the flower shop he was just in that morning. If he had bought a shared car or had taken a tram, taking care of the bouquet might have been a little easier. But that also came with protecting it from other people or worse, children that couldn't keep their hands to themselves when they saw something big and interesting. Thankfully, the children on the streets had their attention more on the snow and not him. And thankfully, Otabek was prepared for today.

He had spent last night going through what he had packed and making sure he had everything he needed. He asked Auyi for his opinion several times on what he should wear and buy and only got his answer after feeding the dog a few pieces of chopped beef. He couldn't ask for a better roommate to consult with and bribe with. Now he strolled down the street with his flowers tucked safely in his coat and his mind racing with where Yuri would take him that evening.

Now, Otabek was not shallow but that didn't mean he couldn't take a second to make sure he looked presentable enough for his potential bride. He stopped in front of a large display window and patted down his slicked-back hair, making sure that not single strand stood out. As he looked back at his reflection, he could see someone staring at him from the other side of the window. He made a move to pull away, embarrassed, but then he stopped. Those dark brown eyes and black hair, along with those simple a soft features. No. It couldn't be. But the closer he looked and the more frightened the man looked, the denial he had was slowly starting to drop. Yes, it actually was him. Yuuri Katsuki.

Otabek couldn't remember if he had rushed into the store or if Yuuri had rushed outside. The snow was beginning to fall again at an alarming rate that it nearly made the whole world go white. There was barely anyone else up at that time but Otabek was sure he could hear a thousand other voices going through his ears. The last thing he could remember, before he heard Yuri screaming, 'What the Hell?!' was something that felt like a tap against his chest and seeing the Yuuri Katsuki double over and hiss as he held his closed fist with his other hand. Wait, why did Otabek suddenly feel prickly?


And that was how they came to this. The cat hair flying all over the store, tea left lukewarm nearby, and a mess of rose petals and thorns decorating Otabek's dress shirt. No matter how many times Yuri replayed the events that led to this in his mind, he was only left more confused than before. And he was sure his confusion had been much more worse when he saw Yuuri practically charge out of the store through the door to the back room and found him holding a closed fist outside, double-over in pain, with Otabek standing before him. Yuri had several questions. Like what was Otabek made of to nearly sprain Yuuri's hand?

This was why he was holding Schätzli. He wasn't confusing. He was a cat, and a very cute an fluffy one at that.

"So," Yuri decided that the silence had gone on long enough. "I'm guessing you two know each other?" A small world indeed.

"You could say that." Yuuri agreed, glancing up at Otabek with what he could best pull off as a glare. Otabek had seen more threatening rabbits in his life that this.

"Yeah, you could." He agreed. He remembered Yuuri Katsuki alright. After all, it wasn't everyday you caught up with the person who stabbed you in the back. Literally.


AN: And we're gonna leave it at that for now, folks. This chapter was meant to introduce new characters and then some, and also to build up to the next chapter, which will reveal what happened to Yuuri and Otabek in the past and to finally kick off Yuri and Otabek's first date ^^ Thank you so much for reading and checking out the story. As always, it makes me so happy to know that you guys are enjoying. See you all in the next update!