Ryuugazaki: I was thinking that I make up for me going ghost by posting everything up to chapter 14 tonight and then give y'all chapter 15 on Saturday. Sounds good? Sounds good.
Chapter Ten
(Friday, 25 September 2015 – 4:20am, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Yuuri awoke to their phone ringing. They groggily reached over their head for their phone. "Hello?" Yuuri sleepily said.
"Hello," Victor's voice said. Yuuri rubbed their eyes. What could they possibly want at this hour? "We're still on for the museum today, right?"
"Sure," Yuuri said, trying to fight a yawn.
"Are you still up for it? I know you're not feeling well."
"I'll be fine," Yuuri said. "Now go to bed."
"Same to you," Victor said. "Good morning, голубушка."
"Good morning or whatever," Yuuri said. They ended the call and buried their face in their pillow.
#
(Friday, 25 September 2015 – 1:25pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Yuuri was waiting outside of the deli for Victor. They were feeling much better compared to the last few days, but they still felt that agonizing drowsiness that would make it difficult to keep your head up and eyes open. Phichit picked out their clothes again this week. This week, they were wearing black dress pants, a pair of Docs, and this shirt that was black and gold in the torso and white in the collar and sleeves. Phichit, like Yuuri, is extra in a very unique way.
"Yuuri!" Victor approached Yuuri from the left. Victor was wearing a pair of jeans, Air Force Ones, a navy-blue hoodie, and a sky blue Lacoste polo.
"You're not late this time," Yuuri casually said. Victor deadpanned. "You are, in fact, right on time."
"And you're actually awake." Yuuri nodded.
"Are we going to the same museum today?" Yuuri asked. Victor nodded. "We're going to look at different exhibits today, right?" Victor nodded again.
"I should've told you this last week, but there are different collections." Victor took out his phone and went to the museum's website. Then he gave his phone to Yuuri. "See? So if there's a collection you want to see–"
"The African art one looks interesting."
"Just the African art one? It's part of a bigger collection."
"We can see the other ones in the collection next week," Yuuri suggested. They didn't try to fix their sentence or offer an explanation. After all, this is the second outing they've had with Victor. Why wouldn't they expect subsequent ones? Victor smiled.
"You're right. Let's go!" Yuuri and Victor walked side by side to the museum and made uncomfortably one-sided conversation along the way.
#
(Friday, 25 September 2015 – 3:45pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Their museum excursion was a success, and they were in the local café. Victor had a large coffee and Yuuri had gotten a strawberry and crème Frappuccino. Neither of them was saying much; however, Yuuri seemed to be the more pensive one.
"Are you okay?" Victor asked.
"Are you?"
"I'm fine. You're the wound up one," Victor said. Yuuri looked away from him; Victor tentatively grabbed their hand. Victor desperately wanted to say something that would simultaneously calm them down and wind them up even more but refrained. Yuuri looked down at their hands.
"I need to be excused," Yuuri blurted out and dashed off in the direction of the bathroom. They went into a stall and sat on the toilet's water tank. They reached into their pocket and took out their pill case. Their pill case was in the shape of a macaron and Phichit had gotten it for them at an open-air market. Their breathing was ragged and they were trembling. "Come on. Not today, not today," they told themselves. Their hands shook even more as they tried to take the half bar out of the pill case. In their trembling, they didn't notice the half bar fall into the toilet. Yuuri looked at their fingers and into the bowl of the toilet. "Shit," they said. They sighed and took deep breaths. They lost the one relief they could have at that moment. They closed their eyes and tried to breathe. Then their phone buzzed.
Victor: Are you okay in there?
: I'm fine.
Victor: Then come out.
Yuuri gathered the strength to leave the stall, but not after a bout of quasi-positive self-talk.
"There you are," Victor said. "I was getting worried." Yuuri sat down in front of their Frappuccino and took a sip. Victor placed his hand over Yuuri's. "I just realized that I didn't ask you what your favorite part of the museum was today."
"I really liked the Owo bracelet," Yuuri said. "What was your favorite?"
"I really like the Kongo funerary statue," Victor said before they took a sip of coffee. "It's either that or the Asante soul-washer badge thing." Yuuri nodded. "I won't get points deducted for writing more than she wants, would I?"
"I don't think so," Yuuri said. "If it turns out she does deduct for going over, you can just write about the other one next week." Victor nodded. Then Victor's phone buzzed. "Is that Christophe?"
"It is, but why not just call him 'Chris'?"
"I don't know him well enough to call him Chris," Yuuri explained. Victor chuckled. "I'm serious."
"I'm sure you are," Victor said. He looked down at his coffee. "So, why the African collection?" Yuuri looked down at the hand that was shaking under Victor's.
"Well, there's this group of girls that I know, and they're all Afro-Caribbean," Yuuri said. "They like to talk about their tribes when they're not busy partying. They're charming."
"You party?" Victor incredulously asked.
"Only when my roommate is in the mood to," Yuuri said. "He's small and sweet, but he's also a voracious party animal. Which doesn't really make sense because he doesn't do too much at them. But yeah. That's that."
"And it hasn't rubbed off on you?"
"Oh no, no," Yuuri said and took a sip of their Frappuccino. They kept their gaze downward. Then they yawned.
"Tired?"
"No, just weary," Yuuri said.
"There's a difference?"
"A huge one." Yuuri took another sip of their Frappuccino. "'Weary' would denote mental or existential tiredness while 'tired' would denote a physical one. Or a mental or existential one to a lesser degree." Yuuri took another sip of their Frappuccino. "Aren't you the English major here?" Victor chuckled.
"I am the English major," Victor said before he took a sip of coffee. Then he reached over and poked Yuuri's forehead. Yuuri looked upward and relished how his finger felt on him. "You look like you're in thought."
"I think I am," Yuuri said. Then their phone buzzed. "Sorry." Victor removed his finger from Yuuri's forehead to allow them to take out their phone.
To: Yuuri Katsuki
Date: September 25, 2015 – 4:00pm
Subject: Medicine and Skating
Body: Yuuri,
Dr. Sá and Dr. Souza have both been in contact with me regarding your medicine. I hope you are taking them as directed and they are beneficial to you. If so, please let me know; if not, please also let me know so I can talk to your doctors and have them work something else out with you.
Also, I am notifying you to let you know that the Grand Prix prelim events have been announced. You are skating in the Rostelecom Cup and the Trophée Éric Bompard. I will follow up this email with the details of it.
Please call me as soon as you receive my email. We have to talk about this as quickly as possible.
Best,
Celestino Cialdini
Yuuri went to their texts to text Coach Cialdini.
: I can't call right now because I'm out with someone.
Ciao Ciao: Call me still.
: I will. Once I'm done being out with someone.
When Yuuri looked up at Victor. He was checking his phone, too.
"It was my coach," Victor said. Yuuri nodded. "He wanted to tell me that the event lineups were released."
"What events did you get?" Yuuri asked Victor.
"Skate Canada and NHK Trophy," Victor said. He reached into his pocket and took out two notes. He placed them in Yuuri's hand.
"Are you happy with the lineup?"
"I'd prefer the Rostelecom Cup and the Trophée Éric Bompard, but I'll live," Victor said. "Was your notification important?" Yuuri nodded. They took a sip of their Frappuccino. The anxiety was kicking in again, and Yuuri wanted to focus on something that wasn't Grand Prix or Victor Nikiforov related.
To: Laura Heiner, Gary Horn, Michael Stafford, Minerva Mirabella, Yvette Faucheux
Time: September 25, 2015 – 5:09pm
Subject: Absences
Body: Hello,
I am emailing you all to make you aware that I will be unable to fully attend classes some days in November and December because I will be participating in the Rostelecom Cup and the Trophée Éric Bompard. I am requesting that you send me any classwork and homework assignments that you will assign the class.
Should you have any questions about my participation in these events, I suggest that you contact my coach, Celestino Cialdini, at (518) 555-0182 and at ccialdini .
Best,
Yuuri Katsuki
To: Laura Heiner, Camilla Marola, Marvin Stosh, Mia Lee, Sarah Trotman
Time: September 25, 2015 – 5:43pm
Subject: Events
Body: Hello all!
I am going to be participating in Skate Canada and the NHK Trophy (and, eventually, the Grand Prix) in the October to December. This email is to serve as a notification of my absence from class during that duration of time and as a request for any and all classwork you will assign.
Regards,
Victor Nikiforov
(Friday, 25 September 2015 – 11:37pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
"I can't believe it! You're going to the Grand Prix!" Phichit exclaimed as he struggled to open a bottle of apple cider. "This is so exciting! I'm so excited!" Yuuri took the bottle from Phichit and opened it. "Thank you," he quickly said as Yuuri passed the bottle back to him. "Be excited with me!"
"I am excited. Just give me a bit." Yuuri weakly smiled and took a few breaths. "Also, it's not set in stone that I'm going to the Grand Prix. I've just been selected for two events that, if I do well, will take me to the Grand Prix."
"So you're going to the Grand Prix," Phichit said with a grin. Yuuri rinsed out two glasses for them. "Yuuri, mon trognon, you are going to do great, and you're going to get a medal. I can't tell you that it'll be a gold medal, but it's going to be a medal."
"Yeah, it won't be gold. Victor's getting that." Yuuri put ice in the glasses and gave them to Phichit. Phichit poured apple cider for them. They clinked glasses and drank. "But thank you for believing in me."
"I'm here to believe in you when you don't believe in yourself," Phichit said. Yuuri smiled at their number one cheerleader. "Oh! We should tell your family!" Phichit damn near dropped his cider. "Get your laptop! Let's call your parents!"
"Let me tell Mari to get Mom and Dad," Yuuri said. Phichit took Yuuri's drink from them as they went to get their laptop. He placed their glasses on the coffee table and straightened up the living room. He didn't often get the chance to speak to Yuuri's parents, but he didn't want them to think that they live in a pigsty.
: Mari, go get Mom and Dad.
Mari: Hm?
: I have news for them.
Mari: Did you finally find a girl?
: No, I have real news.
Mari: You're acting like that isn't real news.
: Mari!
: Just get Mom and Dad!
: Please!
: I have a significant announcement and I need to tell all of you about it!
Mari: Okay, okay, I'll get them. Calm yourself.
: Thank you.
Yuuri grabbed their laptop and brought it into the living room. They logged on and saw their favorite picture of Vicchan. Phichit finished straightening up the living room and sat next to Yuuri.
"Did you text Mari?" Yuuri nodded. "Is she getting your parents?" Yuuri nodded. They took a sip of their cider. "Are you ready?"
"Let me ask Mari," Yuuri said.
: Are you ready?
Mari: Ready when you are.
Yuuri called Mari from their laptop. Mari had her computer on the counter. Hiroko and Toshiya were dressed and looking bright. "Hello, Yuuri!" Yuuri's mother exclaimed. "How have you been?"
"I've been okay, Mom," Yuuri said with an embarrassed smile.
"How have you been, Phichit?" Hiroko asked.
"I've been fine, Hiroko-san," Phichit said with a smile.
"Mari tells us you have furiously important news to tell us," Toshiya said. Phichit smiled and waved. "Hello, Phichit. It is very nice to see you." Phichit smiled harder.
"Oh, Phichit, do you need me to translate?" Phichit shook their head. "Okay then. I'll just explain later."
"You don't have to," Phichit said. "I know enough Japanese to understand your parents." Yuuri smiled.
"Right, anyway!" Yuuri said as they clasped their hands together. Toshiya winced when they heard Yuuri's voice. "I have news." Hiroko motioned for Yuuri to continue, a huge smile on her face.
"Yuuri's going to the Grand Prix!" Phichit yelled. Toshiya winced again. Mari and Hiroko cheered.
"Wait, no! Not quite! Not yet!" Yuuri took a deep breath. The cheering died down. "Not quite. I'm in the preliminary events to go to the Grand Prix." Yuuri took a sip of their cider. "So, if everything goes well, I will be going to the Grand Prix."
"We are so proud of you, Yuuri!" Hiroko said. Mari looked at their father. He was as stoic as ever. "Aren't we proud, Toshiya?"
"We are always proud of you, Yuuri," Yuuri's father said with a straight face. But then he smiled; then Yuuri smiled. "Aren't we proud of your brother, Mari?"
"You two are so proud of him that you named the katsudon bowl after him," Mari said with a straight face. Then she laughed. "Oh, that is never going to get old!"
"Ah, we have to tell Minako as soon as possible!" Hiroko said. "And, Mari, be sure to tell Yuko and Takeshi." Mari looked down at her phone.
"Oh, they already know," Mari said.
"They're going to be so excited! We're so happy!" Hiroko wiped her eyes and smiled. "My baby boy's going to the Grand Prix." She wiped her eyes again. "Otherwise, how have you been, Yuuri?" Yuuri and Hiroko made light conversation back and forth until Mari interrupted them to tell them that Minako is overjoyed for Yuuri. She also made them aware of the fact that Yuko's daughters are also overjoyed. Yuuri forgot that she already had children. Phichit kindly ended the FaceTime call between them and the Katsuki family in Japan.
"Yuuri?" Phichit asked. They started to snap their fingers in front of Yuuri's eyes. "Yuuri, snap out of it." Yuuri broke out into laughter and slid onto the floor. "Oh no, you broke."
"I forgot Yuko had children," Yuuri said in between fits of laughter. "How terrible of a friend am I to forget such a big fact?" Yuuri laid sprawled out on the floor.
"Are you okay, buddy?" Yuuri chuckled. "Is that a yes?" Yuuri made a quasi-nodding gesture. "Good."
"How much of my parents did you understand?"
"Enough to get the gist of the conversation," Phichit said. He took a sip of his cider. "They named a dish after you." Yuuri screeched. "Okay, calm down now, ma poupée." Phichit was cackling.
"My parents are so proud of me that they've named a dish after me," Yuuri said, absentmindedly. "That's going to be super embarrassing when I go back to Hasetsu." Yuuri rolled on their side and reached for their glass.
"Have you told Victor the news?" Yuuri sat up and took a sip of cider. "I mean, does Victor know?" Yuuri shook their head. "You haven't told him?"
"No," Yuuri said. Phichit got on the floor with Yuuri, and they laced their legs together. "I don't really know if I should tell him. I mean, I'm going to be competing against him. That is to say, I will be if I go to the Grand Prix."
"Why do you have to keep saying 'if'? You're going to go! I believe in you!"
"Of course my cheerleader is going to say that," Yuuri admonished. "I'm going to miss you so much next month."
"Your events aren't until November," Phichit said.
"But I'll be doing a lot more and for longer and I won't be able to see you as much."
"We live together."
"Can't I be touching for once?" Yuuri asked. They chuckled and took another sip of their cider. "So what do you think I should do?" Yuuri asked.
"I honestly don't know," Phichit said with an apologetic shrug. "But I can say that if he doesn't know now, he probably won't put two and two together until the Grand Prix."
"Why 'until'?"
"Think about it: He's going to be so focused on practicing his routines that he won't be able to focus on much else. Once he gets to the Grand Prix, he'll have more time to focus on what he's been ignoring."
"That was really astute, Phichit," Yuuri said in admiration.
"Thanks! I took a psych class in my first semester," Phichit said. Yuuri smiled. "Oh! How was your museum outing today?"
"Had a mild panic attack and dropped my Xanax in the toilet." Phichit looked at Yuuri. They shrugged. "Victor touched me again."
"Just fuck him already," Phichit said.
"I will," Yuuri said. Phichit nudged Yuuri's ribs and laughed. "You think I'm joking, don't you?"
"Aren't you?" Yuuri shrugged. "Look, were you being serious or not?"
"Depends on if he wants to because then I'm very serious," Yuuri said.
"So are you being serious?" Yuuri shrugged. "You're hopeless." Phichit took a sip of his cider.
And they sat there talking and doing nothing.
#
(Saturday, 26 September 2015 – 1:54am, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Except that they didn't just do nothing. Phichit wanted to get toed up. "Let's invite Victor over," Yuuri slurred after their sixth shot of strawberry vodka.
"Yuuri, no, you're drunk," Phichit chastised. He somehow managed to weasel his way out of the shot game Yuuri was playing by themselves.
"But I wanna f–" Phichit threw Yuuri's pillow at them. "Ow!"
"That didn't hurt," Phichit said as he nursed his rum and coke.
"But I wanna–"
"How about we invite Masabeeh and Tal'at over?" Phichit suggested, trying to get Yuuri's mind off of the silver-haired demigod.
"They're Muslim," Yuuri slurred. "Muslims don't drink."
"How about Camille then?"
"They're visiting their brother," Yuuri slurred.
"Khoudia maybe?"
"It's late, and Khoudia's mom doesn't let them go out, and Muslims don't drink," Yuuri whined. "I want Victor."
"How about Ketty, then?"
"I said that I want Victor," Yuuri whined.
"I know, but isn't it kind of… you know… trashy to fuck someone you've only known for going on three weeks?" Yuuri made an incoherent garbling sound and took another shot. "Maybe also lay off the shots?" Yuuri took another shot to spite Phichit. "I don't know why I expected you to actually listen to that." Yuuri took another shot. "Are you still playing the drinking game or are you only taking shots to be petty?"
"Both," Yuuri said. "Call Victor right now."
"Yuuri, no," Phichit said. They took their phone from them and put it under their sofa cushion. "You can't fuck Victor right now."
"Okay so tomorrow then," Yuuri said. They took another shot. "Give me my phone."
"No," Phichit sternly said.
"I just want to tell Victor that I love him and that he should come –"
"No," Phichit said.
"In my face," Yuuri completed their statement. Phichit looked at them, bemused. "I'll grapefruit his fine ass, too."
"Is this some weird hoe thing you and Khoudia won't tell me about?" Phichit asked. Yuuri took another shot. "Please stop taking shots."
"Nah," Yuuri said as they poured another shot. Phichit snatched the bottle of vodka from Yuuri and finished it despite not liking vodka. Phichit also finished the shot. "You do know we have rum, right?"
"That is the emergency rum, and you can't have it," Phichit said. Yuuri rolled their eyes and felt themselves mentally falling backward. "You're drunk. Go to bed."
"But I want Victor," Yuuri whined.
"You're going to see him on Wednesday," Phichit said.
"No, but I want him right now," Yuuri said in Japanese as they slurred their words.
"You can't have him right now," Phichit said in English. Yuuri got up and staggered. They walked towards the door. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Victor's apartment and fuck him until his lungs ache," Yuuri said with sheer determination.
"You can't," Phichit said. "You don't know where he lives."
"I'm going to find him," Yuuri said. They grabbed their keys off of the hook they had by the door. Yuuri unlocked the door.
"Yuuri, no," Phichit said. He leaped up and dragged Yuuri away from the door. "Just go to bed."
"But I want –"
"I know, but not right now. Not while you're drunk." Phichit wrapped his arms around Yuuri. "Wouldn't it be so much more satisfying when you're both more comfortable with each other and you're in love?"
"In theory, yes," Yuuri said. "But you can also have sex without an emotional attachment to the other party, so your point is moot."
"But wouldn't it be so much more enriching if you did have an emotional attachment to him?"
"I love him. He thinks I'm sweet. He's held my hand. We can fuck now."
"You're hopeless," Phichit said with a sigh. "Look, just go to bed. You're drunk."
"Phichit," Yuuri said as they straightened up.
"Yes?"
"Fuck me."
"No."
"Then I'm going to fuck Victor," Yuuri said as they reached for the doorknob again. Phichit tried his damnedest to pull Yuuri away from the door.
"No, you're not," Phichit said. "I refuse to allow you to hoe out."
"Then I'm going to loudly scream Closer until you let me," Yuuri said.
"And you can do that all night. Because I'm not going to let you be a hoe tonight." Yuuri rolled their eyes and felt that sensation again. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it wasn't the most pleasant sensation to feel when you're trying to focus on one thing. "Second thought."
"Yes?"
"Carry me to bed," Yuuri said.
"We both know that I can't lift you," Phichit said. "Just walk to bed." Phichit let go of Yuuri and locked the door. Yuuri walked to the sofa; Phichit intercepted them. "Forget your phone. Just go to bed." Yuuri complied. They went into the bedroom and grabbed their laptop. They went to iMessage and went to their messages with Victor… Least they thought it was Victor. They decided to shoot their drunken shot.
: So messed up and I want you here
: You can have my absence of faith
You can have my everything
: Shoot shoot shoot shoot shoot I'm gonna cum all on you
Khoudia: 1. None of those songs are even closely related to each other, so you're already doing it wrong
2. Nigga you drunk go to bed
: Khoudia?
Khoudia: Yeah it's me hoe
Khoudia: Now go to bed and sleep off the alcohol because you're drunk and can't read
Yuuri closed their laptop and put it under their pillow. Yikes, that was embarrassing.
Ryuugazaki: I was probably high when I wrote this :0)