CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Yuri buckled down and made the unfortunate phone call home to tell his family that Mari and Minako would be returning without him and Viktor. He didn't go into much detail about what had happened, but apologized profusely and promised they would visit after Worlds instead.
He looked over to where Viktor had been waiting with the two women in the departures terminal, clicked the phone off, and put it in his pocket as he walked back to meet with them. He reached into Viktor's coat pocket to take his hand and stand next to him.
"It's done."
"Sucks you can't come back with us." Mari was saying, "But, it is what it is."
"I sent Yuuko-chan an email late last night so she'd know to tell her girls to cancel any kind of fanfare that they might've been planning." Yuri replied, "I'll try to call her before our flight if she doesn't email me back before then."
"How long do you guys have to wait?" Minako wondered.
"...Seven...eight hours?" Yuri couldn't remember. He looked to Viktor for help.
"Seven." He confirmed, "Which is better than having to wait a few days. We got lucky. There were still enough seats available that Yuri could tag along without having to be smuggled into cargo."
"Sounds like you're in for a pretty long day regardless, little brother." Mari said.
They all lifted their heads to the sound of a familiar announcement. Even though it was in Korean first, they heard the name of their destination city in Japan and knew it was the boarding call for their flight before the announcement repeated in Japanese.
Yuri reluctantly pulled his hand from Viktor's and moved to give his sister and teacher a hug before they left.
"Thank you both for coming out to support me." He said, bowing deeply, "I'm glad I could win gold for you."
"It won't be the last time!" Minako announced happily, "We expect you back home after Worlds so we can celebrate!"
Viktor was kissing Mari on the cheek as the ballet instructor gave Yuri her farewells, and then switched to give the same to her, "Do svidanija, Mari-nee-chan, Minako-san."
The two women waved and departed from the skaters, heading to their boarding area for their flight home.
Viktor and Yuri silently began their vigil after that, slowly walking over to what felt like the complete opposite side of the airport where their own flight's boarding area was located. There were three other boardings ahead of them though so there was no sense yet in taking up space where other passengers would need to sit.
Incheon International Airport wasn't an unpleasant place to spend a day at least. It was relatively new, another wing (Terminal 2) was being built and slated for grand opening the next year, possibly in anticipation of the Winter Games. Yuri had looked at a map of the place and realized that not only was there a skating rink, but a sauna/spa, cinema, a Korean Cultural Museum, Sky Garden, and if they felt they needed it, a Rest area. Yuri wondered if that meant it had those airport sleep pods he'd once heard about.
Viktor was unusually quiet.
Maybe not unusually quiet, but...expectedly somber.
The first hour of their wait, Yuri had seen the man pull out his phone and look at the black faceplate no less than 30 times, but each time he did, he seemed to put it away again without so much as clicking the screen on. Once in a while, it was because he had received a message, but he rarely replied.
Yuri held to his arm where they'd finally come to rest in the Sky Garden. The bubbling sound of the air pumps in the artificial ponds was relaxing, though Yuri could tell it wasn't helping Viktor any. He just slouched against the wooden bench, staring at his knees blankly.
The younger skater put his right hand on Viktor's thigh and leaned close, "Is there anything I can do to help...?"
"Can you speed forward in time so we can get to the part where it's over?" Viktor said, keeping his eyes low.
Yuri's brows furrowed, and he moved to put his left hand on the opposite side of Viktor's face to turn him and force him to look into his eyes. He held there for a moment, gently stroking his cheek where his thumb rested just under that pale blue eye, and then leaned forward to kiss him. Viktor relaxed a little, and when Yuri pulled back again, Viktor leaned to rest his head on the man's right shoulder. Yuri rubbed his ear against the top of Viktor's head where he settled, and the pair dozed there for about an hour.
Yuri eventually convinced Viktor to go with him to the indoor ice skating area, thinking being in his element would help cheer him up a little. There were even a few people standing on the sidelines that recognized the pair and cheered them on. Viktor smiled and waved like he always had, and gave them a little show, doing his signature quad flip and a few spins. They all clapped happily, and Viktor went back to skating next to Yuri.
The skating rink was crowded, with 4 massive pillar-like decorative structures poking out on the ice. Yuri thought they looked like enormous 20ft high ice trees. Directly above the rink were two tube-like structures, each containing the indoor rail system, and the 'trees' hid the pillars that held the tracks overhead.
There was a billboard panel at the far end of the rink, with a big display that welcomed tourists and guests alike for the Four Continents event.
There were a few families on the ice with their young kids, each wearing the signature blue rental skates and yellow helmets that the airport provided. Yuri and Viktor had kept their own skates with them for their carry-on luggage. A few times, some very young child, new to the rink, would skate past them without being able to stop, occasionally nearly colliding with them. Each time, Viktor would lean down to gently stop them by putting his hand out for them to reach out to, and he'd turn them back around to push them towards the waiting arms of their parents or older siblings. It was probably for the best that only a handful of people recognized who he was, as it might've been difficult to handle fanfare from a nuclear family right then.
Viktor suddenly felt a surge of energy, and pulled out in front again, skating backward in a wide arc, disappearing behind the huge 'ice plants' periodically before reappearing again on the other side.
Peaks and valleys...moments of low and high energy. He's practically losing his mind with how long this is taking. Yuri thought to himself as he watched the Russian practically speed-skating laps around the arena. This must be what Hell feels like to him.
Viktor eventually slowed down when he caught up to his partner for the 4th time, and Yuri spun around to meet him. It felt like ballroom dancing to Yuri after Viktor took him by one hand and put the other around his waist, pushing him backwards with the remains of his previous momentum. His eyes were out ahead of them though, and Yuri could only wonder what had gotten him so focused all of a sudden.
"What kind of program should I do next season?" He suddenly asked, answering that one question with one of his own.
"Eh?"
Viktor spun Yuri back around again so he'd be facing forward as they skated, and he lazily draped himself over Yuri's back, "If I did a program just for you, what would you want to see me do?"
"I've never really thought about that before." Yuri admitted weakly, "Do you want me to think of something...?"
"What song would you pick?"
The younger skater thought on it for a while, but then gestured for Viktor to guide him as he skated blindly so he could check the music list on his phone for something he liked. He flipped around and wrapped his arms around the Russian's torso, effectively sitting on the leg bent between his own, letting Viktor coast them along as he looked at his phone. There were a few possibilities as he scrolled through the playlist, but eventually, he stumbled onto one song, buried deep in his archive, and he pulled the earbuds out of his pockets to let Viktor hear.
They continued lazily skating along as Viktor listened, and Yuri could tell he was starting to like it, as he bobbed his head a little to the beat of the music. As the song started to repeat the main part of its tune, Viktor pulled away, taking Yuri's phone with him, spinning a few simple moves as inspiration started to hit. As the song came to an end, Yuri watched Viktor go back and put the song on repeat, practically mapping out a new program right there in front of Yuri's eyes.
He didn't see the Russian do any complex jumps though. That would come later. For the moment, he just saw the choreography percolating through Viktor's mind, slowly but surely evolving into something tangible on the ice. At one point, probably on the 5th or 6th go-through, Viktor developed a move that loosely reminded Yuri of the end of his own Free Skate. Instead of one hand coming up to his chest as the other reached outward while he was standing still, Viktor skated slowly forward, descended to one knee, and thrust his right hand out ahead of him, reaching out at Yuri.
Yuri could practically hear the music playing as he watched, enamored by the performance even as it was barely being created. When Viktor finally thought he had enough to start, he came back over to give Yuri back his phone and ear-buds, beaming down at him.
"I'm going to use this for my next short program, Yuri."
"Eh? Really? But you only just heard it..."
"I have to take it now before you decide to use it yourself." Viktor said, stroking Yuri's hair back affectionately, "I'm surprised you never suggested using it to Ciao Ciao."
"...It's too long for a short program and too short for free skate, so..."
"What, you've never considered editing it for time?" Viktor was surprised, "Your conservatory friend, the one who made your 'Yuri on Ice' composition, she couldn't pare it down for you?"
"I never thought to ask."
"Which makes me lucky then." Viktor smiled, "It means I can dance to this song for you."
Yuri flushed a little, "What about your Free Skate?"
"I haven't thought about it yet. I wanted to dedicate my time to finishing this season before I got too worked up about it. I have to focus, and pretend like I've done my old programs a thousand times more often than I actually have, so my performance at Worlds is equal to what it would've been had I not taken so much time off."
"I did tell you that you should practice them..." Yuri deadpanned him, "Remember?"
"...Maybe." Viktor huffed a laugh to himself, "But I wasn't competing at Four Continents, so it didn't matter if I practiced my own programs or not. You needed my attention more than I did."
Yuri was just relieved that Viktor had finally found something to be happy about again. They skated in lockstep for another 30 or 40 minutes before the growling in Yuri's stomach demanded dealing-with. So they packed up their skates again and started heading towards the restaurant area, trying to find something to eat.
The time passed more quickly after that, and things seemed to feel a little more normal. For the moment, it felt like they were just getting ready to go home, like nothing was waiting for them in St. Petersburg but an anxious poodle. The upcoming 9 hour and 20 minute flight didn't seem like such a bad thing.
When it was finally time to board, however, Yuri could feel Viktor getting anxious again, walking slower than he usually did to get onto the plane. Other passengers passed them in the boarding tunnel, and Yuri had to stop and go back to help coax the older skater along.
"...Come on, Makkachin is waiting." He said, taking Viktor's hand.
The Russian finally let himself get on the plane. Their seats weren't far on board; he'd reserved a Sleeper Ottoman for himself originally, and was glad that the one next to him was still available when he had to go back and order the second ticket. If nothing else could be said about First Class, the fact that it was somewhat cost prohibitive to most non-business travelers made it possible to luck-out and have seat availability right up until the moment of take off.
When they were finally, safely in the air, and the seat-belt light turned off, Yuri peeled out of his own Sleeper seat and moved over into Viktor's. No words need be said between the couple, and Viktor started lowering the seat down to its horizontal position, and squeezed over so Yuri could wedge himself in next to him. Once they were well tangled into each other, Viktor tossed his long coat over them like a blanket, and wrapped his arms around Yuri's head to pull him close to his chest. He clung to the younger man desperately for most of the flight.
Thankfully, as long as they were asleep, none of the flight staff bothered them.
Nearly 10 hours later, with one break in between for an in-flight meal, they landed in Moscow. With the time-difference, it was almost 9 o'clock local time, and there was still another 3 or 4 hours on the Sapsan train to get to St. Petersburg, so it was after midnight when they finally got into the city.
The same sort of shuttle that took them to the airport had gotten them back to Viktor's front door after that. Exhausted and travel-weary, Yuri collapsed on the bed, even though he wasn't sleepy. He longed for the family hot-spring back in Hasetsu. After a minute of dozing, he pulled himself back upright and went to where he saw a light near the kitchen. Viktor had been stirring the red-purple contents of a small sauce pan as it came to a very low simmery-boil.
"...You're going to be up that long?" Yuri wondered, "Mulling wine always takes you a few hours, at least..."
"I don't think I'll sleep tonight." He answered, stirring with one hand as the other rested on his hip. He huffed a laugh, "And I really, really need this."
"This whole time, you haven't told me when anything is supposed to happen." Yuri pointed out, leaning over to put his elbows on the counter, "Is it tomorrow? Er...Later today?" He corrected, remembering it technically already was tomorrow.
"The funeral is tomorrow-tomorrow at 3." He answered, pulling the small cook pot off the stove to pour its steamy contents into a slow cooker next it. He tossed in his favorite spices, some orange juice, and orange hull, then covered it with the lid and set it to low heat. He set a timer for 2 hours and cleaned up the small mess. "But I have to meet him before that just to get the address for where the funeral's even being held...and that's later today."
"And that's the part that's keeping you up tonight?"
"Da."
"I feel like...you haven't actually talked to this man yourself yet." Yuri wondered cautiously.
"No, Yakov's been doing that for me." Viktor explained, "I don't want my father to have a way of contacting me directly. Yakov knows to filter things out that I don't want or need to know about."
"Couldn't your father just find out where you train and show up there to give you the info?"
"He could, but he's not exactly ambitious. He's just..." The Russian started, but then paused, reaching up to rub his forehead, "...I can't even think of the right word. Sorry."
"Spiteful?" Yuri wondered, "Like...really scornful, judgmental, that sort of thing...?"
"No...well, yes, but..."
"...Vindictive?"
"Yeah." Viktor brushed his hair back, feeling his left eye start to throb with the memory of a distant incident, "Whatever it is that's driving him to reach out to me now, it's not enough to go out of his way to make it easy for me. He's going to make me work for this. He probably doesn't even actually want to talk to me, but something's forcing him. If there was something else going on, some ulterior motive, Yakov would've found out about it and never told me about Konstantin ever making contact with him in the first palce."
"Yakov must be very protective of you if he'd go this far." Yuri wondered, reaching over to touch his hand to Viktor's, "It's well above and beyond what I think Celestino would've ever done for me."
"He was there when the falling out happened." Viktor explained, "He's going to be there later today, too."
"Do you expect it to go that badly...?"
Viktor huffed a laugh, and twisted his hand slightly so he could put his thumb over where Yuri's fingertips overlapped his, "The last time I saw my father, he knuckled me in the eye so hard, it bled for 4 days. I thought I would go blind, and I think my father meant for it to, thinking it would keep me off the ice. That was before joining the ISU though, so no one but Yakov knows. And you, now."
"...There's no way he would try to hit you again though...right?" Yuri gripped a little harder, worried now more than he thought he'd need to.
"I have no idea what he's doing to do." Viktor shrugged, "It's been 16 years since I last saw him. My relationship with my mother became strained after that and we only occasionally talked on the phone after Yakov pulled me. After a while, she stopped returning my calls, so I stopped making them. I'm not even sure if she was still married to my father when she died. It doesn't really matter anyway."
Yuri wasn't sure how to respond to that.
Viktor was right...his life is completely backwards compared to mine. I could never imagine being so alone like he's been.
He drew in a deep, wordless breath.
Viktor turned his eyes towards him and tried to smile, "Promise you won't do anything stupid if he tries, Yuri."
"I can't just do nothing."
"If the years have been kind to him, he's bigger than both of us put together. You could say he was once the poster-child for Russian bear wrestling. He could break us both in half if he wanted." He turned to face Yuri and put his hands aside his neck, "I've let you follow me this far...please, Yuri, don't make me regret it."