The residents of the inn all sat inside of the fort that had been created, popcorn in their laps as they waited for Yuri and Toshio to finish transfering the public television into the fort. Yalenchka was seated in front of them all, telling the story of the time when he was first introduced to the world of Power Rangers.
"Mama was trying to clean up the house that day," Yalenchka began explaining. "I like to help mama, but that day mama wanted to clean by himself for a while and said some of the cleaning he was doing could hurt me because of how small I was. So instead of putting on music like we normally do, mama decided to let me watch something on the TV.
"It was so cool when he went to the Power Rangers show! The people were jumping all around the screen and fighting the bad guys and it was all so cool! I even watched the entire season of it while mama finished cleaning and then when I was done with it, the whole house was really nice and neat and clean and just... wow!" Yalenchka threw his arms up in the air and fell back on the pillows gathered along the ground.
The members of the inn laughed at his excitement, the mood in the air playful and happier as Yalenchka told story after story. Yalenchka thoroughly enjoyed expressing himself and was constantly in high spirits and laughing with the townspeople. He was also getting close with everyone he talked to; he remembered their names and was even invited, along with Yuri, to go to their homes for dinner or a play date with their children.
Yalenchka hardly even noticed it, but he had everyone in the immediate area wrapped around his little finger. The entirety of Hasetsu will soon follow behind once word gets out about the boy. Yuri was quite sure of that, and he knew that his son got all of his likable charms from his father and would be cause for attention when he grew older.
Yuri plugged the TV into the extension cord and his father turned it on. The screen sprang to life, catching everyone's attention.
"Alright everyone," Yuri began, changing the channel to that of the ice skating viewing, "who's ready to watch some talented figure skating?"
"Me, me!" Yalenchka jumped up, raising his hand high in the air and waving it excitedly. "I wanna watch papa skate!"
Yuri chuckled and moved to sit down, pulling his son into his lap. Yalenchka excitedly got into a comfortable poition and began to wiggle as the commercials came to a close.
"Papa is going to be the last one to skate today, so we have to watch all of the other performances too," Yuri explained, waving his mother and father over and patting the seat next to him. "Come sit by us; we don't bite."
"You three get comfy," Hiroko told them as she began to leave the fort. "I'm going to go and grab Mari! That boy that looks like her idol will be skating tonight I believe, and I don't think she'd want to miss him skate."
"We'll be waiting for you, dear," Toshio replied, kissing her cheek before making his way to sit next to Yuri and Yalenchka.
"I'll be back!" Hiroko announced before leaving.
"But mama!" Yalenchka complained, pouting and grabbing a fistful of Yuri's shirt as he turned in his mothers lap. His bottom lip jutted out as he looked into Yuri's brown eyes and he gave his best puppy eyes. "I wanna watch papa skate now! The other skaters don't matter because they won't win anyway!"
"YinYin, that's not very nice," Yuri scolded, tapping gently on Yalenchka's nose a few times with a disapproving look. "Just because they aren't papa doesn't mean that they aren't as good! It's bad sportsmanship to not care for all of the competitors. They work just as hard as your papa does or they wouldn't be in the final competing against him."
"Oh, sorry," Yalenchka replied, going silent as his grip on Yuri's shirt loosened. He looked down at his hands and began to tear up. Yuri flinched when he noticed that his son was wearing the expression of a kicked puppy. He really didn't like to upset his son, and that's exactly what he'd gone and done. On the other hand, he couldn't let his son grow up to be rude, so it was necessary.
"Mama?"
"YinYin?"
"What's sportsmanship?"
Yuri laughed slightly as Yalenchka looked up at him with a confused look and glossy eyes. He ruffled his son's soft hair with his hand, smiling at the clueless boy. Even though Yalenchka was able to comprehend most things easily, it still slipped Yuri's mind sometimes that the boy was only a child.
"Sportsmanship is where you have a healthy bond with all of your competitors and wish all of them luck in winning the competition," Yuri explained. "Bad sportsmanship can really hurt other competitors feelings because that means that you are rude to your competition and, in most cases, hoping that something goes wrong for them so you can be better."
"What's an example of bad sportsmanship, mama?" Yalenchka asked curiously, turning back around in Yuri's lap and snuggling up close to his mother, leaning his head on Yuri's shoulder and tilting his head cutely up at Yuri.
Yuri tilted his head up, bringing a finger to his lips and humming in thought. He tapped his finger a few times before a couple appropriate examples came along in his mind. He smiled at his son and raised one of his fingers.
"One example is giving a competitor the cold shoulder. That means that you just don't talk to them or interact with them at all, even when they try to be friends with you." Yalenchka nodded to his words, blinking as understanding began to fill his eyes. Yuri raised a second finger. "Or a competitor will try to put you down with hurtful words."
"So does that mean that one of papa's friends has bad sportsmanship?" Yalenchka asked, causing Yuri to furrow his eyebrows.
"What makes you say that?" Yuri asked, putting his hand into his son's hair and stroking softly.
"You said that one of papa's friends kicked your stall in the bathroom one time and began to say mean things to you and called you a baka," Yalenchka told his mother, bringing up the story Yuri had told him a long time ago. "That's bad sportsmanship, right?"
Yuri sighed as he remembered that day and nodded his head. "Yes, that's bad sportsmanship." Yuri placed his forehead on his son's and smiled at the boy. "Your papa has really good sportsmanship and wishes everyone luck at each competition. Now, are you going to be someone with good sportsmanship or bad sportsmanship?"
"Good!" Yalenchka cheered gleefully, giggling. "I wanna be like papa and be the kindest person ever!"
Yuri laughed at his son's enthusiasm. "That's my good boy!" He began to kiss Yalenchka all over the boy's face, causing his son to giggle in glee and flush red in happiness. He placed one last kiss on the top of his son's head, deep in Yalenchka's soft locks, right as his mother returned with Mari.
"Just in time, dear," Toshio greeted with a smile as his wife took a seat next to him. "The commercials are just ending."
"Who do you think is going to win?" Mari asked, sitting on Yuri's other side.
"Obviously Viktor will win," one of the members of the inn replied, a dreamy look in her eyes as she thought about Viktor.
"I don't know, Ruka," her partner countered. "That Yuri Plisetsky just might give Viktor a run for his money. It's been close between the two for the last four years and Viktor is reaching his prime as a skater. Yuri, on the other hand, still has a long time to improve."
"Viktor can pull through this year, I just know it, Senri!" Ruka exclaimed to her counterpart, wiggling in her seat. "If he could skate like he did five years ago, then Russian Yuri wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Whatever you say."
"It doesn't matter who wins," another member inputted. "They will all put on a magnificent show and, in the end, it's all up to the judges. These skaters could quite literally do the exact thing they do today, tomorrow, and the results would be different because what the judges feel will be different."
"Everyone quiet please!" Yalenchka shouted, holding up his hands before bringing them quickly back into his lap. His eyes shined in excitement and he leaned closer to the TV. "It's starting!"
"We bring you to the spectacular event of the men's figure skating Grand Prix Final! These men have all worked very hard to gain a spot in this year's final and all have finally made it!" the reporter informed the audience.
The camera paned to the ice, where each competitor was practicing and warming up for the event. The reporter began to name off each competitor and different cameras were switched to, each one focusing on each competitor as they were names off.
"Our first skater today is Cao Bin from China, returning after six years to the final for his last competition as a competitive figure skater. He plans to retire after this season and hopes to be able to make the podium."
The camera then paned to a serious looking skater with slicked black hair and dark brown eyes.
"Up next will be Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan, returning to the Grand Prix after a two year break from an ankle injury. Let's hope Altin will finish this season without a reoccuring injury."
A man with a fade cut and blue eyes appeared on the screen next, smirking gleefully as he jumped in the air to perform a triple axel.
"Third in the lineup today will be Jean Jaquez Leroy from Canada for his third Grand Prix. He was fourth and almost on the podium last year and one of the pieces he is skating to this year was created by a dedicated fan of his. This year he has told us that he is skating for his wife and loving two year old daughter, Amanda Leroy."
The camera panned to a blond haired man with stubble on his chin, doing a camel spin near the edge of the rink
"Our fourth competitor is Christophe Giacometti from Switzerland, returning for his eighth consecutive Grand Prix final. He had made the podium every year he has made it to the final, but has yet to reach the top spot."
The camera panned to a boy with medium length blond hair and blue eyes, practicing the begining of his shirt program to work on timing.
"Our fifth skater of the day is Yuri Plisetsky from Russia, returning to the grand prix final for the fifth year running. Each year he has competed he has placed second. He informed us that he has been practicing very hard in hopes to surpass Viktor Nikiforov."
The silver haired man appeared on the screen once his name was said, his arms stretched away from him as he picked up speed for a jump.
"Viktor Nikiforov will be our final skater of the day and skating for the eleventh time here at the Grand Prix final. He has won gold at all of the finals except for his first two years, where he instead won silver and his coach explained that he would have gotten gold had Nikiforov not been undergoing a change in his body."
"Yeah, go papa!" Yalenchka called out, pumping one of his little fists in the air. "I'm going to give you the luck of my sixth finger so that way you perform your best, okay?" Yalenchka informed the screen as Viktor jumped into the air. The young boy wriggled out of Yuri's lap and placed the hand with six fingers on the screen right as Viktor landed. Smiling, Yalenchka spoke again. "Only you and mama are allowed to borrow the luck from my luck finger, so use it good papa!"
Yuri smiled at the innocence of his son, laughing lightly before calling the boy back over. "Papa will definitely use the luck you gave him."
"You really think so?!" Yalenchka asked brightly, turning with a hopeful look on his face. He was given an encouraging smile from Yuri.
"Of course!" Yuri replied, motioning to his lap. "Now come and sit down so that everyone else can see."
"Okay!"
The skaters left the rink at that time and began to get their costumes on for the competition.
"The performances will start in a few minutes, skater Cao Bin from China will be skating first. We will be back in a few minutes and allow our skaters time to change into their costumes."
... .:":.
"You aren't going to get changed, Viktor?"
Viktor looked up from where he was standing and saw the face of Phichit looking down at him and leaning over the railing of the stands. The Thai skater waved down at him, smiling before making the trek down the stands to stand in front of Viktor.
"I have at least twenty minutes until it's my turn to skate," Viktor replied, waving in return as Phichit moved towards him. "So I'll watch the first two skaters before I change and I might be able to watch Yuri skate if I change quick enough."
"You have the Grand Prix schedule down to a science," Phichit laughed, pulling out his phone. "Let me guess, you have Worlds down to a science as well?"
"Worlds is different every year," Viktor replied, smiling brightly when Phichit pulled him close for a selfie. Once the picture was taken, Phichit uploaded it to Instagram and Viktor continued to speak. "Depending on who's skating and which country is holding it, the schedule changes slightly because of the announcements and the preparation itself."
"Still, you probably know it better than most anybody in the world, since you have gone to skate there more than anyone else," Phichit stated in a matter of fact tone.
"I know that some dedicated fans probabaly have the worlds schedule down to a science," Viktor pointed out. "There are fans of skating that have gone to see worlds more than I've qualified to compete in it."
"Gee, for being such a numbskull, you can really be smart sometimes," Phichit whispered under his breath, huffing.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Viktor pouted childishly, hearing the low comment that Phichit had made about him.
"Ah, it's fine! Means nothing!" Phichit replied, startled and waving his hand. "Why don't you change now so that way you might be able to watch a few extra performances. You could always put your warm-up suit on to cover the actual costume until it's time if you wanted to."
Viktor's eyes widened in realization and he nodded his head, smiling at Phichit for the advice. "I never thought of it that way! I think I just might go and do that!"
"Get going then so that way you can get in the locker room before everyone else starts to change," Phichit replied, turning the Russian skater around and edging him towards the exit. "I doubt any of them would like to have the door wide open so everyone can see them while they're changing." Viktor laughed.
"Chris wouldn't mind," he pointed out.
"Chris is Chris," Phichit replied exasperatedly, "but the other skaters might be more self conscious of their bodies. So get going!" With one final shove, Viktor was sent on his way.
Viktor sighed as he made his way to the locker room, letting himself get lost in thought. His feet padded along the ground, not making a sound over the voices that milled in the air around him. A few people came up to him, asking for autographs or interviews. He politely declined the interviews and asked to wait for interviews until after he skated. However, he did decide to sign autographs when he was asked so he didn't seem too rude.
He hardly noticed when he was signing photos or declining interviews, though, because he was thinking of something he thought more important.
Yuri Katsuki.
The man had been on Viktor's mind constantly ever since the reveal of the video the day prior. He had been so entranced by the way Yuri moved that, once he finished practicing at the rink and skating some with Phichit, he immediately went home, sat on his couch, and watched the video over and over again for hours.
Skating was a passion of Yuri's, and it was further proven when the video was released and Phichit confirmed it the day before. He was told by Phichit that Yuri had been skating since he was five, his friend introducing the sport to him. Apparently, ever since Yuri started to skate on the ice, he wanted to become an amazing skater.
Reluctantly, Phichit also told him of Yuri's quite noticable obsession with Viktor.
Phichit said that Yuri told him the moment that he saw Viktor skate on TV, he was immediately entranced by Viktor's performance. He had told Phichit that he wanted to be as great as Viktor someday and began to practice as best he could. When Viktor had posed with Makkachin for a picture as a teen and they published it on a magazine, Phichit said that Yuri's friend got ahold of it and showed it to Yuri. Not long afterwards, Yuri had his own poodle and named him after Viktor himself.
Vicchan was his poodle's name. Quite a cute pet name, if Viktor said so himself.
He wouldn't mind being called Vicchan.
Yuri also apparently had posters of Viktor everywhere on his walls; every different kind of official poster released was somewhere inside of the boy's room. Though Viktor would normally think that sort of thing a little creepy coming from a fan of his, Viktor found that when it was Yuri collecting things about him, it was cute.
Yuri, himself, was cute.
Viktor had never been able to lie convincingly, especially to himself. The moment that he saw Yuri skate to his own program was the moment he truly realized just how hard he'd fallen. But, as he thought about it more and more, thought about Yuri more and more, he realized his attraction to the Japanese skater had been there for much longer.
The night of the banquet at Yuri's first Grand Prix was where he found attraction to Yuri. It was where he realized Yuri was a magnificent, confident person behind a shy exterior. It was where he realized that Yuri had another side of him that was alluring, commanding, sexy, and hidden daily by an attractive, adorable, cute personality.
It was where Viktor officially fell in love Yuri Katsuki.
The admittance to himself filled him with understanding and Viktor placed a hand over his heart, a long breath escaping his lips. Warmth spread all over his body, expanding from his rapidly beating heart. He imagined holding Yuri's hand in his own, the warmth it would radiate, and he relished in the thought that Yuri was most likely sitting at home, watching the Grand Prix, watching all of the competitors.
Watching him.
He felt like he was receiving a silent pair of voices in his heart, wishing him the best of luck here at the Grand Prix. He clenched the clothing over his heart and sighed in gratitude, smiling.
'Yuri, if you'll be watching, please don't take your eyes off of me. I'm skating for you, which is why I chose the music I did.
Yuri, I hope you'll stay with me.'