Un-Beta-ed
Sorry for the little time lag between releases. Hope everyone had a good holiday. Get ready for some feels.
I met somebody during one of my work shifts, we were speaking about fandoms and she mentioned Yuri on Ice and how it was similar to a series called Hannibal. She asked me if I had ever written fanfiction before. I had told her no. She said she was going to read some Yuri on Ice fics. If you ever manage to stumble across this fic, I lied hehe. I did write a fanfic.
Soul Mates
Chapter 11
Arriving at Sochi was a unique experience. Their were reporters waiting for the competition skaters right at the gate of the airport. Flashing lights were everywhere. I was curious as to who they were all trying to snap pictures of since Viktor was their own skater. Normally the reporters would want to interview the top ranking skater but why bother be at the airport then?
"Yuri! Please look this way!"
Huh?
Celestino grabbed my arm and pulled me towards a few reporters who were asking for me to look at them and shouting questions left and right at me.
"How are you feeling?"
"You are predicted to place at this competition, how do you feel about that?"
"What is your strategy to winning the Grand Prix?"
"Uhm…" Why were all these cameras pointed on me? I was entering this competition by the slim luck of the draw. What sort of strategy would there be? I think Celestino noticed my nervousness since he did quite a fair bit of talking to the cameras.
"We managed to catch a few words with your father earlier on in the day." One of the reporters said to me as I tried to walk away. I froze in my track. My father? How did they manage to speak with him? Did they have interviewers outside the inn too? "How does it feel knowing that he came here, to Sochi just to support you throughout your competition?"
My blood froze. He's here?
"Sorry, we really do have to move on. Look forward to Yuri upcoming performances." Celestino said grabbing my arm and my luggage bag before dragging my lame self out of the airport and towards the waiting cars.
"Just ignore them, Yuri." Celestino said to me. "Ignore anything the media says. You don't have to speak to the. You aren't use to the spotlight. Some of the local newscasters are vile people. They will try to taunt you before the competition starts to psych you out. Just don't let it get to you. No one will hate you for walking away from the cameras." He handed our luggage to the waiting driver.
Yeah, way to psych me out before the competition. Not as though I didn't have enough pressure over my head before hand.
"Yuri!"
A voice called out to me. I froze on my spot. Celestino was getting ready to open the door and called my name but I couldn't move. Someone stepped into my field of vision. Their was a body blocking my way from the madness of the airport and the quiet calm of the waiting car ride to the hotel.
"My boy! How long it's been. How has the training been?" I stared straight ahead into the persons chest, refusing to acknowledge his presence but the more i tried to ignore it, there more i felt him suffocating the air around me.
He's just doing this to taunt me. Ignore him. Ignore him.
I couldn't focus on any of the words he was saying on. It was only when he reached out to grab me that I finally found my will to move. I slapped his hand away before he could reach out.
"Don't touch me." I gritted out through clenched teeth, finally bringing my face up to meet his.
That man simply smirked at my reaction.
"You seem to have gained some weight, Yuri. I hope that your dogs death has nothing to do with that."
He's just taunting you. Ignore him. Ignore him.
"You're poor mother tried to get the dog to the hospital but things were just so busy at the inn thanks to all of your success that it seems the dog was getting neglected. Nobody noticed him getting sick. Sad story don't you think?"
I was struggling to focus on the scenery around me. I was seeing pictures of Viktor in my head. Pictures of him barking, pictures of him playing, pictures of him sleeping beside me every night while I was back home.
Home.
Something that I hadn't been back to in years. Could I really say that I took care of Viktor? Did he live a happy life? He always greeted me with such excitement but was he just living in an abusive home like everyone else?
"I wonder if that dog was really ever happy."
My vision focused again. But only on his voice. He was the only thing solid in my field of vision.
"You could almost say that you neglected that poor creature."
He's right. I got the dog and took care of him for a few years and then just up and left him. What did I do? What did I-
A hand on my back snapped me out of my thoughts. I gasped slightly at the impact. Celestino was standing beside me, ushering me towards the car.
"You must be Celestino." That man called out again. Celestino didn't stop talking though. He simply spoke over his shoulder.
"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak to my skater."
"I am his father, I believe I have a right to speak to my son"
"No distractions during competition. Family is included. I run a strict show here. What I say goes." Celestino said as he opened the door and ushered me into the car before he joined me and shut the door.
I sat as far away as possible from the door that he was standing just outside of. Squeezing myself right into the corner. Almost wishing that I could melt right into the door. He was never a part of my life but he still somehow managed to leave a trail of ice cold blood in me. It wasn't until a few minutes into our drive that I noticed Celestino was actually speaking to me.
"Huh?" I said. "Sorry, can you repeat what you said?" I looked towards him, and he had a knowing look on his face. One that had glimpses of sadness in them.
He shook his head before continuing. "Nothing. Just thinking about things allowed." He said before he looked towards the window. "You know" He spoke again after a few more minutes of silence. "I may be your coach but that doesn't mean you don't have to tell me about things in your life. I won't pry, Yuri. But I do hope that after all the years of us being together, you will come talk to me if you need to." He looked back towards me. I smiled at him, nodding me head before glancing back out the window.
We arrived in Sochi three days before the Grand Prix which was a good thing because I always had trouble with jet lag during competitions. It was only a six hour difference, but that difference was enough to throw off my performance a little. I spent the entire first day trying to sleep and adjust myself to the time difference. After a rough start at the training ground the following day, I went back to the hotel room, thankful that they gave separate rooms for coaches and competitors.
This was the first time that I was given my own room at a competition. Celestino said it was because this was the competition of all competitions. Guess that this was one of the perks of finally getting to compete.
"We will meet again tomorrow morning at 8am. Warm ups start at 10. The Grand Prix will start at 2pm. Rest well for tonight." Celestino said as he bid me goodnight.
I glanced towards my clock. It was a little after 9pm. Around 3 in the morning in Japan. I was feeling the fatigue still so I wasn't objecting the idea of a nice long sleep. I decided I was going to take a hot shower and go straight to bed.
I opened up the TV in the hotel room to add some background noise. I hated the quiet in the room. It was something I wasn't use to since Phichit and I use to stay awake talking right until we went to bed. Their was always the presence in the room. Now that I was alone, I would tend to think about things that I shouldn't before competition.
What if I fall?
What if I miss a jump?
What if-
I shut off my thoughts as I turned on the TV. Coverage of the Grand Prix was on every channel. If it wasn't an advertisement showing support for the skaters, it was news reporters speaking about the competitors or episodes of television series regarding winter events. I settled for one of the news stations.
They were speaking of Viktor. I turned the volume up slightly as I went to the shower so that I could still hear the broadcast even with the blast of water blocking up some of the sound. They mentioned some of the other competitors, Otabek Altin, a figure skater from Kazakstan who made a strong impression on the skating world this year, and Christophe Giacometti, a skater from Switzerland who has been to the Grand Prix a few times, and said to be Viktor's closest competitor.
"Lets talk about a new face to the skating world now." The news reporter said.
"Oh yes! Yuri Katsuki, of Japan!" I heard the other reporter say. I was about to poor shampoo into my hand and paused, startled at the mention of my name.
"This charming young figure skater of 23 years, making his Grand Prix debut! He has had a promising season, being the top figure skater from the Japanese Skating Federation."
"Your right on that one. Yuri took the world by storm. Little is known about this skater but the fact that he has multiple first place medals at other competitions is nothing to laugh at."
I shook my head at their nonsense and continued on shampooing my hair. They spoke about my move to Detroit, and about Celestino but then something I wasn't expecting came up.
"It looks as though, Yuri has gained some pounds since the last competition though. We have a picture of him from today at the airport and a picture of him at his last competition. Here they are side by side." I stopped scrubbing my hair.
Have I really gained weight? Is it that much of a difference? I looked down and patted my stomach area.
"You can see that their is something extra around his face now, slightly rounder, don't you agree?"
I reached up and patted my face.
"Well, the rumour has it that Yuri has gone through some rough experience recently."
I pinched my cheek and dragged my skin out slightly.
"Yes, rumour has it, that his long time family dog had passed away only days before the competition. It must be hard."
How do they know? Who told them? I don't think anyone would-
No.
He couldn't have told the media.
"What can you do? So is the life of a pro. He wasn't available to be around the dog when the family put him down."
Stop talking about Viktor. I flinched as shampoo suds escaped into my eye and started rubbing aggressively at my eyes to get it out.
"Yes, well his father was spotted today at the airport and gave us a chance to speak with him today. We will show that clip just after the break."
Stop. Why was he getting attention?
"What a supportive family. Being here for their son's competition."
No. He's not here for me. He's here to be the good guy. He's not who he looks like. I was rubbing my eyes still, cursing for the suds staying in my eye.
"Family, what a wonderful thing."
"Couldn't have said it any better." The news reporter responded back.
Their was a steady pulsing coming from my ankle, growing more noticeable with every word the reporters were speaking.
"To all the ladies out there too, rumour has it that Yuri has yet to find his Soul Mate."
I bent down in the shower to grasp my ankle, the pain was almost excruciating now.
"Nobody has confirmed what Yuri's mark is, or if he actually has one, but hopefully we will get a chance to speak with him about the topic further at the competition."
"Stop." I spoke out loud. I was having a problem focusing, the suds still falling out of my hair and my ankle pulsating.
"The Katsuki family has a wonderful bond, it would be wonderful if Yuri found his Soul Mate soon."
"No more." I cried out. I stood up and limped out of the shower stall. I limped towards the wall grabbing a towel to wrap around myself before quickly making my way towards the TV, reaching for the remote to turn off the reporters nonsense.
"We will leave you with this last photo before the break, a photo of the loving Katsuki family."
A photo, one that I hadn't seen in ages appeared on the television screen. One that showed me, with my mother and sister and that man. We were all smiling in the photo, huge grins on our face, standing in front of our family inn.
A noise escaped my throat, a cry of some kind. It startled me that I was able to make a noise like that. I shut off the TV and threw the remote across the room before crumpling to the floor in my room.
That photo was from years ago, from a family that was probably already broken at that time, laced with fake smiles in the photo. My ankle kept pulsating.
"Just stop already! You aren't even there anymore!" I shouted out in frustration. I raised a fist up and brought it down over my ankle. I felt a sharp pain but the pain of the unseen mark was stronger.
"Nobody is going to believe you now. It doesn't matter if you win or lose this competition." I screamed out brining my fist up and down again. "He got to the media first. He is just here to taunt me. It's his game. His set." I my had once more. "His match." I said as I brought down my fist once more.
