A/N: Sorry for such a long wait since the last update. I had a bit of writer's block this story here and it took me a bit to get over it and back in the flow or writing (so to speak). I'm really anxious to get to the next arc but don't want to get ahead of myself and make it sound rushed. Sorry for keeping you waiting...I'll try to keep this from happening too often!
When Viktor returned, he saw a very bewildered Yuri standing on the beach staring into space.
"Yuuuuri. What's wrong?"
Yuri turned his head at the sound of Viktor's voice and blinked a few times before answering.
"JJ was just here with Isabella."
Viktor's ears perked up and he immediately became very interested in what Yuri was saying.
"Oh? What did he say? Was he his usual self with pompous promises of victory and such?"
"Hmmm, yeah...it was mostly that...but he also did something really weird."
"What he do?"
"He hugged me...really briefly...but told me he was glad that I was OK."
"Ohhh, maybe he's just happy you recovered well from your accident."
"Yeah, I guess so. But the way he looked when he said it...I just can't explain it. It was really...genuine, you know? It was a look I'd never seen on JJ's face before. It kinda unsettled me a bit."
"Why would it unsettle you?"
Yuri shrugged dismissively.
"I guess it made me think for a second that something more serious had happened in order for him to act that way."
Viktor was suddenly feeling a bit unsettled himself and looked around for some kind of distraction. As he looked at his watch, he found it.
"We should get going Yuri, it's almost time. We need to stop off quickly at the hotel to drop off our things before heading over to the arena."
Yuri nodded as he checked his own watch. The walked together to the road and hailed a taxi.
...
After a quick stop at the hotel to drop off their purchases and freshen up, they were on their way to the Gangneung Ice Arena. They were walking around trying to find the best area to sit in when they heard their names being called. As both men turned around to see who was calling them, Yuri found himself being bear-hugged by a very excited Phichit.
"Yuri! Viktor! It's so good to see you! How have you been, Yuri? You look really good by the way. What's living in Russia been like? How cold is it there, really? Is it cold enough to literally freeze your butt off? Sorry I'm hugging you, but I'm just so happy to see you!"
Yuri laughed as he returned Phichit's hug.
"Phichit-kun…I can't answer your questions if you don't give me time to actually answer them!"
The young Thai skater pulled away from Yuri and eyed him critically.
"There's something different about you. What's happened to you since the Grand Prix Final?"
Viktor laughed and dramatically brushed his hair over his left eye, while flashing a stunning smile.
"I happened, clearly."
Yuri laughed and playfully elbowed Viktor in the ribs.
"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious."
Phichit stood there and watched the exchange between the two men, his smile growing bigger and wider the longer it went on.
"My, my…look how friendly you guys have gotten with each other."
Phichit stepped in close to Yuri and looked him right in the eye.
"Just how friendly did you get over in St. Petersburg, Yuri?"
Phichit had his answer when the young Japanese skater's face immediately turned red and he began sputtering incoherently. Phichit, ever the Paparazzi Ninja, managed to get his phone out and snap a picture of the very flustered Yuri before he even knew what was going on.
"Ha! Another priceless 'Flustered Yuri' pic! It's been a long time since I've been able to capture such an iconic one!"
Fingers moved lightning fast, and before long, that same picture had been posted on Phichit's Instagram and was blowing up their phones.
phichitchu has uploaded an image
y-katsuki v-nikiforov
The face says it all! The cat's out of the bag. ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ #YuriKatsuki #ViktorNikiforov #FourCorners #Gangneung #Korea #IKnowWhatYouDidLastWinter
Yuri was mortified. "Phichit! You're insane! This is going to make the media go nuts!"
Phichit smiled and laughed it off.
"I didn't say anything specific. I left it all mysterious and ambiguous. I can't control what people think and/or speculate on, Yuri!"
Viktor laughed as he saw how many likes and comments the picture was getting. Phichit was right about not being able to control speculation. It was immediately running rampant and thousands of fans were already posting their theories in the comments section.
Yuri meanwhile was not so pleased with the development. He covered his face with both hands and moaned plaintively.
"The media has yet to interview me over the whole Grand Prix incident and now you've just provided them with fresh fodder."
"You'll be fine, Yuri. If the reporters ask me any specific questions, I won't tell them a single thing. Your secret is safe with me…for now."
With one quick wave to both Yuri and Viktor, Phichit was off and was soon lost in the throng of people milling about.
Viktor shook his head and sighed. "Is he always this…intense?"
Yuri groaned once more. "You have no idea. Living with him for four years was fun…but it was also nerve-wracking. You'd never know when Phichit would be hiding somewhere snapping candid photos of you and then posting them online. You have no idea how many times I only found out about my embarrassing times when they were out on social media for all to see."
Viktor threw an arm around Yuri's shoulders. "You don't have to answer any questions you don't want to, especially personal ones. If things get too intense, I'll step in and set them right. Viktor in Coach Mode is a force to be reckoned with. I'll protect you, my cute Yuri. Try not to worry too much."
After wandering around for a bit longer, the two skaters managed to find some decent seats. The opening ceremonies were beautiful and both men clapped eagerly as they wrapped up. Yuri found himself starting to feel the excitement creep up on him. It was a bit of a new feeling for him. He couldn't recall ever going into a competition with such conviction before. It was all very new and very thrilling. He totally understood, in that very moment, how people ended up becoming adrenaline junkies. That feeling was just incomparable. It would all kick off tomorrow with the men's short program. He nudged Viktor gently as they sat down and waited for the stands to empty a bit before attempting to leave.
"Hey, do you mind if we keep things low-key and have an early night?"
Viktor smiled reassuringly at the younger man next to him.
"Of course not. I actually think that that's a really good idea. This will be your first major competition in a while, it's best to go into it as well-rested as possible. If you start things off right with your short program and don't exhaust yourself right off the bat, you should sail comfortably into the free skate with tons of extra energy. Your stamina doesn't need any work, I can personally vouch for that."
Yuri blushed slightly at the hidden meaning behind Viktor's words. He got to his feet abruptly just then and put on his gloves before tugging at the Russian man's arms.
"Ah, well that's…reassuring…so we should…get going now, yeah?"
Viktor chuckled as he stood up and reached into his pockets, donning his own pair of gloves as a fashion accessory more than for utilitarian purposes. They walked out of the stadium together and strolled purposely toward the exit.
They had almost made it through the doors when they suddenly found themselves ambushed by a mob of reporters. The questions flew at them hard and fast, and from every single possible angle.
"Skater Katsuki, you're looking well. How has your recovery from your GPF accident been?"
"Coach Nikiforov, has Yuri Katsuki managed to up his game since training with you in St. Petersburg?"
"Katsuki Yuri, what do you make of Phichit Chulanont's cryptic post about you on Instagram earlier?"
Viktor opened his mouth as if to speak but Yuri surprised him by shaking his head. He closed his mouth and stood by silently, letting Yuri take the lead.
"In response to the first question; thank you, I feel rather well, recovered, refreshed and ready."
Yuri looked for the reporter who had directed the question at Viktor.
"If I may speak for Viktor on this one, my training in St. Petersburg has exceeded my expectations, I was introduced to a new kind of physical training and conditioning and it has benefitted me greatly. I think you will find out quite soon that I have indeed, upped my game."
There were some impressed 'oohs' and 'ahs' from the gaggle of reporters and Yuri smiled secretively as the cameras flashed around him.
"As for the third question…I swear to kami I am going to wring his little neck. Phichit is a one-man social media force army. He also has a flair for the dramatic and enigmatic. It's the first time we've seen each other since the GPF. He may just be having some fun. Who knows?"
When it seemed that the reporters were about to launch another barrage of questions, Yuri held up his hand and shook his head.
"I'm terribly sorry ladies and gentlemen, but Viktor and I have an early start tomorrow morning and we need our rest. We're calling it an early night and are heading back to our hotel for some rest. You'll have another chance to speak with me tomorrow. Thank you for your understanding."
Yuri confidently excused himself and pushed past the throng of media and out the exit, with a gobsmacked Viktor in tow. They walked right out of the arena and onto a waiting hotel shuttle bus. Their timing had been quite lucky, the bus was just about the leave when they hopped on. As they took their seats at the very back of the bus, Yuri suddenly noticed Viktor's silence. As he looked over to the Russian man, he saw that his eyes were wide and his mouth hung a bit open as if in shock.
"What?"
"Yuri…wow wow wow! You were amazing!"
"I…was?"
Viktor nodded vigorously as he took the younger man's hands into his own. His blue-green eyes were absolutely sparkling with delight.
"You were so calm, confident and assertive. You showed those reporters who was boss! Where did it all come from?"
Yuri scratched his head as he laughed a bit awkwardly.
"I think I was feeling mostly annoyed that they caught us when we were almost home-free. I just really wanted to get out of there so I put on a face and just got the questions answered as directly as possible."
"Well, it was great. I've never seen you handle the media quite like that before. It was great to see."
Viktor leaned in close and nipped playfully at Yuri's earlobe.
"It really turned me on."
Yuri "eep'd" as his face went red hot from Viktor's special attention.
"V-V-Viktor! W-w-we agreed to no that before or during competitions!"
Viktor smiled deviously against Yuri's ear before moving in for a second nibble.
"There are lots of other things we can do which don't involve that. Have you already forgotten?"
Yuri gulped audibly as he shook his head slowly.
"Well, I think perhaps that you've gotten somewhat rusty...I feel that you may need some gentle reminders."
And Viktor spent the rest of the evening doing just that.
...
The next morning, they were up and ready at 6 AM. They headed down to the main hotel lounge where the breakfast was being served. Yuri was especially careful about what he put on his plate and the portion sizes. He wanted to make sure he had enough energy to get him through the official practice but being very careful to not overeat. He picked up a banana from the fruit table and packed it away for later.
Once they were done eating, Viktor wiped his mouth with a napkin before broaching Yuri on the topic of what jumps he'd practice.
"So, I think the quad Lutz is your secret weapon right now. No one has seen you do it before in competition and I think it's going to make some jaws drop. So, I want to kind of save it for the actual skate. What do you think?"
Yuri nodded eagerly. "Yes! That's more or less along the same lines of what I was thinking. I want to really surprise everyone!"
Viktor smiled. I'm glad that I was able to pass that trait onto him at least...even if it happened somewhat subconsciously.
"We can always practice those jumps on the ground in the hotel room later or in a secluded area at ice level. But I feel super confident that you've got this jump down pat. Volkov's training has turned you into a jumping beast. I honestly can't wait to see the look on everyone's faces!"
Yuri smiled brightly. "I did learn from the best, apparently."
Viktor stood up and picked up their gear bag. "Let's get started on making you the best this weekend."
The two men walked out of the breakfast lounge and took the shuttle to the arena. Yuri looked over their schedule one more time on the way there, just to make sure he wasn't missing anything. There were 20 competitors in the men's category and they had been split up into two groups of 10. Yuri was in group A, which was slotted from AM to 9:30 AM. They were at ice level by 7:30, and Yuri immediately got his skates on. Viktor went about getting them checked in and taking care of other administrative issues while Yuri put in his earbuds and went about warming up. Volkov had taught him some really effective ways to warm up his muscles properly to make the most of their newfound power. He was almost done when he saw Viktor walking toward him. He removed his earbuds and turned to face him.
"They'll start the group warm-up right at 8. At 8:30 they'll start with the individual run-through's. You're third in the line-up behind Seung-Gil. Keep an eye out for that one. He's got home ice advantage and he's an absolute favorite to win it. Also, you're skating 6th tonight in the first group, right after JJ."
"That's a really lucky draw. It's the perfect position to be in. Ideally, I would have preferred that for the free skate...but I'll take it. He won't be expecting what I've got planned. I should aim for a score over a 100 here today to go into the free skate with a good lead."
"That's a good plan. JJ won't know what hit him."
"Somebody say my name?"
Viktor smiled at JJ and winked at the Canadian skater playfully. "Nothing too important, as it usually is whenever your name is mentioned."
"Ha! We'll see about that. I'll do MY talking on the ice."
Viktor snorted derisively. "If only you'd just keep the 'talking' to when you're on the ice. We'd all be so much more grateful for it."
JJ shook Viktor's words off like a pro and waved happily at them as he walked off to the warm-up area.
Viktor shook his head as he watched the Canadian walk away. "He's a piece of work, that guy."
...
Yuri's warm-up and practice run went without a hitch. He was sure to practice his triple Axel, quad flip and quad toe-loops. After his group was called off the ice, he once again got cornered by some reporters who wanted to know about his visible improvements in jumping ability and confidence. He answered politely without giving too much away, saying he owed it all to a new kind of training he'd been introduced to. His ambiguous answers had everyone abuzz trying to figure out just what the hell had happened to the young Japanese skater to change him so drastically in such a short time. Once the media got a bit distracted by other competitors coming off the ice, Yuri and Viktor extricated themselves from the media circus and skulked off to a quieter corner to watch the rest of the practices.
Phichit stopped by and hung out with them for a bit. He apologized to Yuri for causing him more trouble than he had anticipated with his Instagram post ad promised to try to restrain himself a bit more...but with no guarantees. When Celestino showed up, he excused himself and left with his coach. Around noon, they ate their packed lunches and decided to stay on to watch the Ice Dancing Free Dance competition. They were admittedly much more entertained than they had expected to be.
Viktor stared dreamily out onto the ice as he watched the couples skate and waltz beautifully in sync on the ice.
"Could you imagine us doing something like that?"
Yuri contemplated Viktor's question for a few seconds before finally answering him.
"Yeah, I think I can. I bet I'd be really great, too."
"Well, I think we could throw something together before Worlds. It'd be much more exciting and fun there since it'll be the first time we square off against each other since I became your coach."
Yuri's eyes grew as big as saucers.
"Really? You're serious? I would love that! Let's get working on it as soon as we're back in St. Petersburg!"
"Deal!"
...
About an hour before the men's short program, Yuri was back in warm-up mode. He went above and beyond, making sure that his leg muscles were fully warmed up and stretched out. He rotated and flexed his ankles, ensuring that they were ready as well. He watched Seung-Gil's performance with great interest, pleasantly surprised when the young Korean scored 99.32 on his skate. When it was JJ's turn, Yuri fully tuned in and watched the Canadian skater's performance carefully and critically. He seems about the same as always. Strong jumps and choreography. There hasn't been any growth or developments though by the looks of it. But he could just be playing it cool today and feeling out the competition.
As the Canadian's skate came to an end, Yuri lined himself up at the gate to wait for his turn to go on. He took off his blade guards and handed them off to Viktor. As JJ skated up to the gate, he stood in front of Yuri, out of breath, but smiling down at him.
"Beat...that."
Yuri squared up to JJ and looked him right in eye. "I plan on it."
An intrepid photographer nearby by snapped a picture of the standoff. He had no way of knowing then, just how critical that photo would be. By the end of the tournament, it would break the internet.
**Sorry, I don't actually know much about proceedings and protocol for professional ice skating events. I did the best I could with stuff I found on Google...so please forgive me if it's not that accurate!**
