CHAPTER SIX HUNDRED THIRTY FOUR
With the dining hall overtaken for other purposes, Broadmoor staff brought dinner to the library. It seemed like something of a somber occasion - Minako left, Yuri was quiet, Makkachin arrived with less than his usual enthusiasm, and Viktor trailed in at the end with his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe; everyone in complete silence - as a table was set for them. One of the two card-tables was set with a white cloth, and adorned speedily with everything you'd expect from a fancy restaurant. Flowers, candle-light, cutlery rolled in fabric napkins, and a basket of assorted warm breads with whipped butter on the side. Viktor's mulled wine was poured into ceramic mugs, and a small saucer of olive oil with ground cracked pepper and freshly milled Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese was set up. The whole ensemble was put together with expertise and speed, something Viktor was quietly impressed by even if he didn't say anything. Their seats were pulled out, and pushed in again behind them, and the fireplace was stoked nearby to give them something to listen to other than their own thoughts. Without missing a beat, someone just inside the Parlor room started playing on the piano. The teens that had been watching the projector in there quietly moved off without needing the suggestion; there was a shift in the mood, and it could be felt in the air as people walked through.
Just as the main course came out - braised rack of lamb with mashed potatoes and a wine-reduction sauce - a viola had joined the piano, and the soft music calmed the nerves of both men. Each knew the other had been given a brisk talking-down, but neither was willing to ask the other what had been said. Viktor wasn't ready to spend the entire night worrying about it though.
"Let's go do something fun tomorrow, after Gala practice." He suggested suddenly, wrists perched on the edge of the table with a knife and fork in his grip. He looked insistently towards his partner, "It doesn't even have to be anything official or that we have to pay for...just something different."
"...We're supposed to stick with the group though."
"Yeah, they'll come to... I just don't want to be cooped-up in here." He explained, and went back to his food, "I already feel trapped and they haven't even done anything yet."
Yuri nudged his slippers off and reached forward with his feet, pressing the heat of his soles across his husband's arches, "I know this isn't ideal for you..." He commented quietly, and offered a gentle pet, "You spent a lot of years having to hide yourself. But this is just temporary..."
"I know... It just...feels the same." Viktor shook his head, "Stuck in a bubble of someone else's making, supposedly in my best interests, keeping me from straying too far."
"It's not the same though." Yuri attempted, "What happened before was done to stop you from doing what you want. What's happening now is being done to make sure you can keep doing it."
"I know..." Viktor lamented again, shoulders sagged, "So why can't I get myself to believe it?"
Yuri's brows furrowed slightly, "Maybe you should talk to Mikhail about it."
"...Maybe."
"You need to have someone you can go to and talk to, when there's stuff rattling around in your head that I can't help with." Yuri went on, and started poking at his dinner again, "Someone older and wiser."
"...Why don't you think you're enough?" Viktor asked, worried, "I've told you more than anyone else on this planet."
"Sure, but even King Arthur had his Merlin, Luke had his Obi-wan, and Harry had his Dumbledore. Who do you have?"
"...I've talked to Mimi before." The silver pointed out, "Just the other day, actually. I'm not sure how much it would help to talk to him again."
"Just the other day was before he went ultra-business-mode and got all serious." Yuri answered, "I think you should tell him you're overwhelmed by the measures he's taken. Maybe you guys can come to some sort of understanding."
"...Maybe..."
.
Ramping up the courage to approach took well into the middle of the night. It seemed to take that long anyway for the detail to finish getting their documentation together and make their plans.
"The threat level at this point seems to be pretty low." Jim said as he packed his laptop away, "But seeing as so many people seemed to have come here just to antagonize your nephew, we'll keep a close eye on things."
Mikhail looked on seriously, "I know it doesn't appear to be that big a deal...but two eager dipshits messed with my daughter, so it's a big deal to me."
"That's understood." The bulky man nodded, "With any luck, this simple show of force will be enough to deter any other eager dipshits."
"As long as my kids feel safe, that's all that matters."
"Yessir," He agreed, and cocked his head up as he spotted two certain Olympians appear in the doorway behind Mikhail, "Evenin'."
"Hey." Yuri raised his hand; the pack was on their heels, looking around curiously, albeit subdued and anxious, "You guys done?"
The elder Russian turned around and nodded with a tired sigh, "Yeah, think so. Did you two need something?"
"Yeah, actually." Yuri answered, and looked to his nervous spouse. He nudged his head towards the older silver, "Go on."
Mikhail quirked a brow, "...What's up, Viktor?"
He just shifted uncomfortably where he stood, "...I'm...taking it under advisement that I should...talk to you. ...Somewhere else."
"If you're not ready to drop, that is." Yuri added.
"No, I'm good. Let's go." Mikhail agreed easily, and stepped up and around the two athletes. He waited a moment while Yuri offered an inaudible whisper of encouragement, and Viktor peeled off to follow, Makkachin at his side.
The pair and pup disappeared from sight, leaving just Yuri there with the much-larger Jim. Petite by any comparison, Yuri looked up, "...I was hoping I could ask you something myself."
"Yessir," The older man acknowledged, curious, "What can I do for you?"
"You asked earlier about our dogs," Yuri explained, and gestured down towards the two still at his sides, "Neither of them are trained. I got Jiro here as a gift from Japan a few months ago, as a reward for doing well at a different competition; he's an Akita Inu. He's got such a relaxed personality that I use him to help with my anxiety. Ghost though, she came from the middle of the Russian wilderness. Viktor's father probably had her trained just by being terrifying and huge. She's been really receptive and easy to handle so far, but...she's still a baby. She's going to be bigger than me by the end. I was actually kind of scared of her when she first got to us...but somehow, someway...she ended up bonded to me. I want to channel both of their inner bear-hunting instincts into something productive, and make sure that I can still handle them both when they're grown. Can you help me with that?"
"Ah...you want to turn these kids into a real security team." The burly man chuckled, "I think I can manage something for you. You got a bag of treats or kibble anywhere?"
.
Mikhail looked around the library as Viktor closed the doors connecting it to the empty Parlor room. He glanced back though as he heard the click, "Everyone else has gone to bed already. I don't think anyone will be eavesdropping."
"...Humor me." The younger replied quietly, looking nervous, "I'm more worried about sounding stupid than anything."
"...Why would you be worried about that?" Mikhail quipped, "You're a big dingdong at the best of times."
"That just makes me dumb, not stupid." Viktor puffed, somewhat defensively, "I like to think there's a difference."
"Fair enough...what's up?"
"In the fewest possible words...I'm not super comfortable with what's going on right now." Viktor explained, and crossed his arms with his back to the door, "I can feel my heart rate going up the longer it goes on."
"You don't want the extra protection?"
Viktor bristled, shoulders scrunched up a bit, "It's not that I don't...and I get why you're doing it. I just...think it's really extreme. It's making me nervous, and I'm never nervous."
"It's not just about you though." The elder retorted, "Two guys just tried coming after Nikki and-"
"I know."
"...Viktor, they've come after Yuri with a baseball bat, and your house was leveled." Mikhail went on, a look of concern on his face as he took a step closer and gestured at the man, "Why does this not bother you more?"
"It does!" He protested, "Of course it does!"
"Then why does it sound like you're asking me to dismiss the detail?"
"Because I-" Viktor stammered, "...I..." His words trailed, and he rubbed his face with his open hand.
Mikhail could see the struggle, and took another few steps forward, "I'm trying to protect us. I know it seems a bit much considering what you've experienced in your life...but if I have the means to do more, why not?"
"Because it makes me feel like I'm putting everyone in danger!" He blurted out, eyes shining in a desperate bid to keep his tears back, "None of this is even my fault! I had absolutely no say over the way things went!"
The elder Russian's brows crinkled, and he stepped into his nephew's space. He set a hand over the man's head and hugged him, "No one is blaming you. You're as much a victim of this as anyone else." He attempted, only to feel Viktor's knuckles press to his shoulder where he dipped his head forward, "You've been taking care of yourself for such a long time...having all this happen must feel like you're losing control."
Viktor nodded as well as he could, "It's like...there's nothing I can do... It's just like...when I was a kid, all over again..."
"I'd hate to think I just replaced Kon as your boogeyman." Mikhail pouted, and pulled back slightly to try and see his nephew's face, though Viktor still kept it covered, "I'm not doing this to punish or hold you back. I was hoping this would put you at ease..."
"All I want is for things to go back to the way they used to be." Viktor said, his voice cracking slightly, "But all I can think about is how much better-off everyone would be if I wasn't here... No one would be bothering any of you if not for me."
"If you weren't here, we'd all lose our minds with worry." Mikhail explained, and pressed his hands around the outside of the younger man's shoulders. He drew one blue eye through a few fingers, and looked into it, "Things could be so much worse than they are. There's some crazy people out there who take things way too far though, and I want to make sure it stops. For Yuri, for Nikki...for you, especially, before something happens. You know how bad it felt to see Yuri in the hospital before...imagine how much worse it would be if one of you ended up in one because of something we could've prevented."
"This is all so stupid..."
"It sure is." Mikhail agreed easily, and pat one shoulder before he let go again, "I want you to try and relax though. I've got it all under control. You should be able to rest easy."
"What are these guys even supposed to do though?" Viktor asked, one arm wrapped around himself as the other finally peeled from his face, "Follow us around? Stand around us? Act as much like stalkers as those hecklers?"
"They'll be around, yeah," The elder started, "They'll be in plain-clothes though, trying to blend in with the crowd. They're going to be the least intrusive to the environment as they can be. We have a plan for where the bunch of us will be going tomorrow during the Gala, so as long as no one wanders off, you should hardly notice anything is different."
"...Wanders off...?" Viktor echoed, "What does that even mean? We wander all over the place."
"The prep area is secure from spectators. You can wander around all you want down there. If you want to leave though, you should message me so I can have someone stand by the exit you plan to come out of. You don't usually meander at bigger events though anyway, so I can't imagine why you would suddenly want to now." Mikhail explained, trying to sound reassuring, "The rest of us will sit together in the skaters' viewing box. The guys in the detail will be in the audience nearby, blending in with the crowd, keeping an eye out so no one skulks too close to where we are."
"...We won't be at the Arena all day though." Viktor snuffled, and rubbed his nose on the back of his wrist, eyes down again.
"Do you want to go somewhere else?"
"I told Yuri that I wanted to do something fun after practice..."
"Like what?"
"I don't even know, just...something different. Something so I don't have to think about this giant mess going on around me." He answered vaguely, "...All I want to have on my mind is proving myself at the Exhibition tomorrow night. There's so much doubt out there right now about whether I deserve to go to the Games...I have to be able to show that I can do it, clean, so that I can prove that I was clean back then, too... Not just for the audience, or the ISU...or the JSF...but for Yuri, too...who seems too content to just take my word for it..."
Mikhail rubbed his chin in consideration, "I totally get that. ...I might be able to pull something out of my hat. You want me to surprise you?"
"...Sur...prise me...?"
