It must be said that, considering the state Yuuri had been during his short program, coming in second with enough points to get into the finals was quite impressive. Otabek took first place without a problem but unfortunately, Minami came in third, having to call it an end for that year's Grand Prix. But the youth didn't seem the least bit disheartened, promising Yuuri that he'd cheer him on at the Hot Spring Resort like he had the previous year.
This year's Grand Prix Final was to be held in Budapest, Hungary and the 6 competitors that would strive for a spot on the podium were as follows; In sixth place was Prichit Chulanont, followed by his old rink mate Yuuri Katsuki. Otabek secured the next spot while Yuri Plisetsky, much to his annoyance, had tied for second with Christophe Giacomette, leaving first place to be held by Victor Nikiforov, something most supporters and experts in the field weren't very surprised with. Most even speculated that the aim of the Grand Prix finals at that point was to figure out who'd take silver and bronze.
However, in the eyes of all those competing they cared not what the experts said, they were all aiming for gold.
"You've got to calm down, Yuuri." Victor sang as he sipped his mulled wine. As with the previous year, the finals were held the week before christmas. Although there was no snow, it was still cold walking through the streets of Budapest the night before the finals. Yuuri and Victor, following practice that day, had decided to take the evening off to explore the old city as it seemed neither one had been there before. Budapest was a rather delightful city, dressed in flickering christmas lights and oversized christmas trees. In nearly every little piazza they stumbled upon, a christmas market awaited them, selling cinnamon scented bobbles and ceramic angels on satin strings.
The couple had whittled away their afternoon in this way, occasionally stopping to purchase something from a stoll or to try some local cuisine. Before they knew it, the sun had set and the silver-white street decorations had illuminated the broad street they were walking along that, according to their mobile maps, was meant to lead from the riverside parliament where their hotel was situated to a historic plaza called Hero's Square.
Although the street beside them was busy with holiday traffic, it was a calming, quiet walk with only the occasional jogger, followed by what looked like a four legged mop, the poor creature struggling as it raced after its owner.
"I am calm." Yuuri retorted, blowing into his gloved hands, the chill was creeping through the material making the tips of his fingers numb.
"Good." Victor smiled into his drink, "I want you at the top of your game tomorrow, winning gold won't taste so good if you aren't."
"You really don't let anything phase your confidence." Yuuri sighed.
"What is there that could phase any of us? We are all professionals, are we not?"
"Well there's N.E.K.O…"
"Ah! so there was something on your mind." Mused Victor, having noticed Yuuri's distant look a while back.
"Well it's understandable, right?" Began to explain Yuuri, "They've tried to interrupt both our performances…"
"But we have proven the better of them both times." Promptly interrupted Victor.
"... And I can't help thinking that they are targeting us for some reason." Finished Yuuri.
"They can try to break me... us." Victor sternly said, "But I believe our love for skating and for each other is strong enough to survive a little hate."
"You're right." Yuuri smiled, as he looked up at the square that was starting to come into view, a high column with a man on horseback looking over the city below.
"Speaking off." Victor's voice took a lighter, more mischievous tone, warning Yuuri that Victor was up to something. "It's almost my birthday, last year you gifted me an engagement ring…"
"Ah yes, " Yuuri let out a nervous laugh, he still hadn't come up with anything but stopped when he felt Victor's hand at his chin, leading him to look at him. His face dangerously close to his, an alluring look in his glistening blue eyes.
"You know I expect something even more grand this year, right?"
"R-right!" Jumped Yuuri, flustered.
Victor smiled and seemed to lean in towards Yuuri but, before their lips could touch he dropped her hand and walked towards the pavement edge, Hero's Square a magnificent backdrop behind him.
"Let's cross, Yuuri!" Victor called, "The lights are green!"
But Victor smiled as he saw the man rushing towards him, still flustered from their encounter a few seconds before.
How was it possible to love someone this much? Victor wondered, a smile playing on his lip.
"I-it's… Y-your… Your Otabek Aitlen!" Thalia's squeal was so high that a nearby dog whined in annoyance.
Yurio facepalmed, shaking his head. Over the months since he'd met Thalia, she'd acted like a relatively normal, coolheaded human being but he'd forgotten that, in her heart, she really was a fangirl.
"Is she going to be okay?" Otabek asked in a low voice, watching as her nose bled, her head darting between the two of them.
"Sometimes she acts like an anime character." Yurio sighed in embarrassment. He hadn't meant for this to happen. Thalia had asked to hang out the day before the competition, and Yurio had accepted, forgetting he'd already agreed to meet Otabek, so he did the most reasonable thing, he met with the two at the same time. "Give her a second, it will disappear in no time."
"You two look just as gorgeous in person!" She jumped,"The brooding dark couple, a sharp contrast to Yuri and Victor's classical romance."
"C-couple?" Yurio spluttered. "Otabek and I aren't…"
"Oh please!" Laughed Thalia, "After that smoking exhibition you two had last year? It's all the fans could talk about!"
The two men exchanged a look, which asked a clear question- had Thalia finally lost it?
"Oh god…" Thalia's voice failed as her expression shifted from excitement, to confusion to embarrassment. "You guys don't know?"
"I don't read gossip." Otabek said, stoically.
"First I've heard of it." Scowled Yurio.
"Are neither of you one social media!?" Thalia gasped, genuinely shocked. "There's a whole Otayuri fanbase!"
"Otayuri?" Yurio raised a questioning eyebrow but Thalia continued.
"There have been speculations, fanart, even fanfictions about the two of you! I've even been called the Canadian Witch for apparently trying to steal the Russian Fairy from the Hero of Kazakhstan!" As if to emphasize her words she showed the two men a post from Yuri's angels with such an accusation.
"The 'w' in 'witch' looks alot like 'b' to me." Commented Yurio.
"So I went through all that online hate for nothing?" Thalia whined, disappointed, she had secretly shipped the two herself.
"We are not a couple." Otabak said, ending the conversation before it got any weirder.
"So, what did you want to do here?" Yurio asked, looking around at the castle they had agreed to meet in front of. A small christmas market lined the path that led to the ivy covered walls, twinkling christmas lights clustered across the gate. Kids walked past, shouting something in hungarian as they ran through the dimly lit park, hiding behind trees in a game of tag.
"Ah well, its a little stupid to suggest it now…" Thalia said, unusually shy, looking away from the two, running her hand through her curled hair.
Yurio folded his arms, waiting for her to answer.
"I thought it would be cool to go ice skating on the frozen lake." She shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. She had seen this place when she'd been touring around that morning and it looked really nice, the lake that usually surrounded the castle had been drained and refilled with a large ice rink, with music and lights playing out throughout the whole day.
"You know we ice skate for a living, right?" Yurio countered.
"Yeah, I know!" Thalia quickly explained, "But how often do you get to ice skate just for fun? I mean, that's the reason why most of us started in the first place, right?"
Otabek watched the two exchange words, there was a light bickering tone in their voices.
"I think it's an interesting idea." Otabek stated.
"You do!?" The two said in unison, sounding equally as confused.
"Yes, though I will have to go talk to the DJ." Otabak said, leading the way down the path towards the bridge that led to the ice rink's entrance just behind Hero's Square.
Yurio just shrugged in response to Thalia's confused look and the two followed the taller man in silence.
"Such amateurs." Yurio grumbled, a few minutes later as he sat on the steps on the edge of the ice rink, eyeing the civilians as they passed by. "Some of these people can't even stay on their feet properly!"
"Well, not everyone skates every day of their lives." Observed Thalia, carefully standing.
"But I don't understand the fun of just skating around in circles!" Yurio continued to complain, watching the people skate by. There were kids and adults alike, although not too many, it was late afternoon on a weekday, most people were most likely just getting home from work, even though the sky above was already dark.
"Are you going to sit there complaining or are you actually going to skate?" Laughed Thalia reaching out and pulling Yurio by his wrists onto the ice.
"You are so annoying, you know that right!?" He complained as he tried to pull his hands free, not needing her help.
"But that's why you love me." She joked, winking and skating in the general direction of the DJ standing beside the bridge.
"Tolerate you, maybe." He mumbled to himself, as he followed her.
Otabak was standing behind a large DJ control table with a number of disks and levers. He was flicking through a little screen, scanning through the available music. Not much was his style, but he could work with this.
"How did you get them to let you DJ?" Yurio called to Otabak, who was standing on a platform a little off the ground, with the bridge looming behind him.
"Recognised me from the competitions." Otabek explained as if it weren't a big deal. "Asked for a picture and signature and I've got this for as long as I want."
"Awesome!" Yurio yelled back.
"Any requests?" He called down. Thalia looked ready to answer but quickly shut her mouth.
"Oh? The Canadian Witch has a request?" Enquired Otabek.
"Oh nothing!" She quickly jumped, shaking her head and waving her hands. "It's nothing!"
"C'mon let's see if they have it." Otabak asked, crossing his arms, waiting for her answer.
Slightly blushing she skated towards him and whispered her request to him, causing Yurio to roll his eyes, what was the point of whispering? He'd hear the song soon enough.
"You sure?" Answered Otabek, already scrolling through the screen, "It's not a great party song."
"It's just something I've been practicing." She admitted, running her hand through her hair the way Yurio noticed she did when she was nervous.
"Sure, but no more requests from you." Otabak said, getting to work as she removed her jacket and hat, she'd have to worry about catching a cold later.
"Practicing?" Yurio wondered, skating towards her but she gestured for him to move away as she looked around, there weren't many people in the area so that was a perk, but that just meant that the few eyes there might wander towards her more easily.
She stood straight, Yurio crossing his arms, curiously waiting to see what Thalia had been practicing for as far as he knew, she was still banned from skating.
"Go for it." She called as Otabak pressed a button and a familiar opening tune wafted over the rink. Yurio's eyes widened, instantly recognising the song as Thalia began extending her arms in time to the music, this was his short program! It may not be the orchestral version he used but as the vocals bellowed into existence he had no doubt this was 'Defying Gravity'.
Thalia felt self conscious doing this, especially with both Yurio and Otabek looking at her. She knew this was an amateurish performance, something she'd worked on alone, out of sight and out of mind. But after all these months, seeing Yuurio, Victor and Yuuri's endeavours, overcoming one hurdle after another and coming out stronger, it had given her a new strength and this was the only way she could think of thanking them.
Yurio's inner critic would have called Thalia's movements unrefined and ragged and yet there was something captivating about her performance. Thalia wasn't dancing for points or to win some gold medal, she wasn't focusing on some competition, or on achieving every movement perfectly. She danced freely, her nervous frown shifting to a smile as she skated around her small section of ice.
She came to a stop, her breath coming out deeply as she tugged at her shirt, awkwardly looking around as the music died down, not wanting to look at Yurio or Otabek. She almost slipped as a sudden applause filled her ears when the music died. She looked up, to see a group of skaters standing behind Yurio, a few children were twirling, loosely imitating her spins. The only person not clapping was Yurio, he stood there with his arms cross.
What would it take for that guy to clap? She mentally wondered, remembering his reaction back in Japan.
"That was quite the show, Ms Kane Osmant." A voice called from the bridge above caused Thalia, Yurio and Otabek to look up to see Victor and Yuuri looking over the edge at them.
"T-thanks!" She called up, a lot more people she knew had seen her then expected and she didn't know how she felt about that.
"C'mon Yuri! Let's join them, it looks like fun!" Laughed Victor, grabbing Yuuri's hand and leading him towards the rink entrance before he could answer.
"How was it?" Thalia asked Yurio as the crowd began to disperse and Otabak picked a song with a more club-like beat.
"Are you okay with this?" Yurio carefully asked, gesturing at the dispersing audience. "People are definitely going to post that online, your sister might see it." Remembering the crazy call she'd received last time.
"Oh, I finally spoke to her." Thalia explained, was this Yurio being concerned? "She wasn't very happy but I told her I wanted to start skating again, even if it's just for fun"
"And how did she take that?"
"Well she kinda sank into her mystery project with more energy, know what I mean? She was working on it when I left the hotel today, but I think it's a start." Thalia concluded, smiling fondly as looked past Yurio to wave at a small group of men who were skating towards them. "Thanks." she quietly added.
"For what?"
"It's thanks to you… guys… you guys! That I got the courage to tell my sister." Thalia tried to shrug cooly. "See you face each obstacle head on inspired me to do that same."
"What is he doing here?!" Spat Yurio, jumping back like a frightened cat when he saw Chris, alongside Prichit, Victor and Yuuri, skating towards them.
"What kind of welcome is that, Yurio?" The Swiss man gasped, feigning an offended voice.
"We all kind of stumbled upon each other at Hero's Square." Yuuri tried to explain, Prichit had been trying to snap a selfie of the square and Chris had been wandering through the christmas market.
"That was quite the performance!" Jumped in Prichit, smiling excitedly. "Do you skate?"
"Oh yes, Yurio has got himself quite the fan." Chris mused. "If I recall right, you and Yuri met in a similar manner?"
"Ah yes!" Victor feigned a surprised expression, continuing with Chris's implication. "The heart is fickle, so easily stolen by a dance."
"Huh?" Yurio snarled as the group burst out into laughter.
"C'mon guys!" Yelled Pitchit, "The party seems to have officially started!"
And he led the small group closer to the main group of people, spinning and wobbling in time to the music.
"Thalia?" Victor called, causing her to stop and turn towards the older man who gracefully skated to a stop besides her.
"Yeah?" She answered, adjusting her hat and scarf, her jacket was still unbuttoned but she wasn't feeling very cold after her dance.
"You really love skating." It wasn't a question, more of a statement, he had seen her skate twice now, and both times there was no doubt that the girl was born to dance across the ice. " And it would be my privilege if you would let me coach you."
"WHAT? coach me?" Thalia spluttered over the music. "That's crazy, I just sort of started skating again, not professionally anyway, I'd just be wasting your time!"
"A coach wouldn't waste his time asking if he didn't see potential." Victor observed wisely, remembering the day Yakov had scouted him. "You set your own limits when you were a child, based on a decision you made as a child. Don't give me an answer just yet." He quickly continued, interrupting her. "But if you'd like to set your sights on new heights, I'd like to help you get there." And he winked before heading off to join Yuuri and the others, and leaving Thalia to mull over his words.