Viktor
[img from banquet of Yuuri and Jeremy talking]
Chris
Yeah, that's about what I thought I'd see
He's going to kill you though, you know that
RIP
Viktor
Potentially worth it
He no longer has the tie
I didn't let him take it out of the trash
Chris
…
Wait
You actually threw away the tie?
?
Viktor
Did you see the tie?
Of course I threw it away.
Are you surprised?
Someone has to save Yuuri from himself
Chris
Nope.
Not surprised at all
Also if you get him a CK underwear job and not me
I will never forgive you
I actually want that job
I am sure he does not.
"Oh Em Gee! YUURI! WAKE UP!" Phichit landed on top of Yuuri, provoking a grunt. "The internet can't stop talking about hashtag tiegate, and now CK has entered the chat."
"Mmm hmm. That's nice." Yuuri rolled over, but Phichit just bounced next to him. "I'm still sleeping. Go. Away."
"YUURI! Don't you get it?! Viktor was shitposting memes in Amsterdam, and now YOU JUST LANDED A JOB AS A CK UNDERWEAR MODEL!"
Obviously, he was still asleep and this was a particularly vivid nightmare. "No, that did not happen. I would know if that happened."
"Come on! Say it with me! 'Nothing comes between me and my-'"
Phichit fell backward as Yuuri's pillow hit him in the face.
Yuuri
Remind me again why you're my best friend?
I'm having a really hard time remembering this morning
Something about being woken up from a sound sleep
because my roommate was shouting things about
#viktorshotboy tiegate and calvin klein underwear
and how scythecapades is sure its me
WHY IS THAT ME?!
Viktor
Scythecapades still exists?
Yuuri
VIKTOR!
Viktor
So you're saying that I shouldn't send CK your photo?
Yuuri
Viktor
Viktor
Right.
I'll send them Chris's photo instead!
Yuuri
Good idea.
Skype Group Chat
Scythecapades
Keith Ryans ? ﾟﾇﾦ
Good morning, all
Just caught up with #tiegate
I predict someone in Detroit is having a bad day
Genevieve Haak ? ﾟﾇﾪ
Are we sure it's him?
And is it a bad day when Viktor gets you an underwear modelling job with CK?
I mean #viktorshotboy? Pretty sure that isn't Katsuki. According to the grapevine, he's not seeing anyone, let alone Viktor. Sure he's hot, but also slightly terrifying. Is hot and terrifying a thing? Delphine says it's a thing, but I don't know if I believe her.
Stephen Pak ? ﾟﾇ
If Viktor was here, I'm sure he'd say that all his friends are hot and therefore can be branded as #viktorshotboy
Also, we decided hours ago it's Katsuki
You're late to the debate
Mickey Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
I still don't understand why we should even care about #viktorshotboy
It was stupid of Viktor to post those things and giving it attention will just encourage him to post more stupid things
Keith Ryans ? ﾟﾇﾦ
Genevieve Yuuri makes most sense
Single or not doesn't factor into it
Spends time with Viktor does though.
So does hot
Christophe Giacometti ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Stephen I agree with that assessment about all Viktor's friends being hot
As I am one of them. And I am hot.
In fact, I volunteer to be #viktorshotboy
If it means I get a CK underwear gig. Anyone have a bad suit? Fuchs where are you? Need to borrow a suit.
And technically Viktor didn't come up with the hashtag, just used it for trending purposes
Stephen Pak ? ﾟﾇ
Mickey Because it's FUN?
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Also
There was only one suit that poorly fitted.
And Viktor was dragging him pre-banquet about his tie
Which was hilarious in and of itself
Though if Viktor dragged me about my suit, I'd probably curl up and die, not roll my eyes at him and walk away.
So definitely Katsuki
I don't know him well, but man, I doubt he wants that job
He doesn't really seem the model type, you know? In fact, said he wasn't.
Aaron Reyes ? ﾟﾇﾸ
The fallout from tiegate better be entertaining.
Can't wait to hear Yuuri's side of all this at the NHK since I am definitely not poking the sure to be annoyed Japanese skater on text right now
Not that I want to wait until basically the NHK for him to even reply
I bet glaciers reply to texts faster
SA peeps, other than spawning shitposting from Viktor, how was the banquet?
Genevieve Haak ? ﾟﾇﾪ
He should take the job. In my completely unbiased and has never once wondered what he looks like in just his underwear opinion.
That's it for me though. Dinner plans with Delphine
GTG
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Aaron Fun, in fact, I got a present for you all
Just remember that what happens at skating banquets stays among us and shall not be reuploaded to youtube
Or turned into more memes on twitter
It's a shame they didn't stick you at SA, Aaron, you would have had fun
Andreas Fuchs ? ﾟﾇﾪ
Christophe Verpiss dich!
Stephen Pak ? ﾟﾇ
No reposting? That's no fun
Carolyn Jones ? ﾟﾇﾸ
It's more Yuuri Katsuki so yeah, no reposting.
Give the guy a break
Park Eun-ji ? ﾟﾇﾷ
I have no idea how people befriend him. I don't think I've ever seen him without his earbuds in. Or when he really wants to avoid people, the big headphones.
Sara Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
Eun-ji Talk to him until he stops staring at you like he doesn't understand why you are saying things to him and eventually he'll reply.
From there it gets easier
Also helps if your brother is annoying and you can open every conversation with a "Sorry about Mickey."
He's gotten better at talking to people in the last few years though
Mickey Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
Nothing I did ever required you to apologize for me, Sara
Aaron Reyes ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Matt Tell me about it. They sent Ricky and not me.
Mickey Nothing, Mickey? Nothing at all? Ever? Because I'm pretty sure there is at least one youtube compilation of 'All the Times Crispino has shredded ice at Katsuki during public practices' out there.
Chris Giacometti ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Fuchs ?
Aaron and Mickey There are at least two. My favorite is set to a Dubstep Remix of Let it Snow
Matt There were more Yuuri shenanigans than just the ice dancing?! Why haven't I been told?
Carolyn Jones ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Chris I don't know? What happens at banquets stays at banquets?
Stephen Pak ? ﾟﾇ
More likely it didn't come up due to #tiegate
Mickey Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
If what happens at banquets should stay at banquets, shouldn't it stay on Matthew's phone then?
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Mickey Don't be a spoilsport! Where would the fun be in that?
It's not anything bad
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
ON BREAK! FINALLY!
Today has been the best day EVER
Last night: Me: Anything interesting happen at Skate America. Yuuri: Not really.
This morning: Wake up: OMG My roommate is a LIAR Later: EVEN A BIGGER LIAR THAN I THOUGHT
SO! If this is what I think it is
Post post post post post post post
Second hand details are not the same and Jeremy didn't take video because he sucks and was too busy laughing apparently!
Eun-ji Also I agree with Sara. Just pester Yuuri until he talks back. Though sometimes he's open to talking to new people without being pestered. It just doesn't usually happen at a competition.
Viktor Nikiforov ? ﾟﾇﾺ
YOU TOOK VIDEO?
Chris Giacometti ? ﾟﾇﾭ
You're alive?!
Decided to actually participate instead of just fuel our conversations from airport lounges in the Netherlands?
Viktor Nikiforov ? ﾟﾇﾺ
Rumours of my demise have been exaggerated. Apparently there is not a Death Note app yet. Which is good news for me.
Though I am not allowed to send a picture to my contact at CK for some reason
I was just recently reminded scythecapades is a thing, actually. Like very recently. Earlier today recently. And I even remembered my log in information for skype. So really, it's kismet!
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Viktor BEST TWITTER THREAD TO WAKE UP TO EVER! I am printing these out at the computer lab at school and sticking them to our fridge. It's going to be the best! You are a god among men!
[img ermahgerd Christmas came early]
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Viktor I DID!
Team USA is on board with posting it.
But if you think Yuuri'd hate it…
He doesn't participate in the group chat and I don't know if Jeremy and Steph can be trusted
And you know him better than they do anyway
Stephen Pak ? ﾟﾇ
Matt You're seriously asking the guy who spent his layover in Amsterdam this morning shitposting about Katsuki if it's all right to post that video starring Katsuki? LOL!
Phichit Hahahahaha Hahahaha Please post pics of the refrigerator with the memes.
Viktor Nikiforov ? ﾟﾇﾺ
Phichit oh no don't do that
Matt In chat should be fine. For general public consumption would not. He was not happy when he found out about the ice dance practice video that some volunteer uploaded. Kept complaining about people seeing how bad his edges were
Aaron Reyes ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Phichit LOL. You must be the most terrifying roommate of all time. Are you seriously going to do that?!
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Viktor *rolls eyes* Yes because people on youtube care about his edges.
Matt POST IT! PLEASE! I LIVE WITH HIM AND AM ENTIRELY TRUSTWORTHY!
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Stephen Well… Viktor's still alive. And it's not like I'm posting on Twitter…
Chris Giacometti ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Phichit Are you sure about being entirely trustworthy?
Also I never welcomed you to the Seniors chat. So, welcome! First Seniors foray next week!
Tagaki Keiko ? ﾟﾇﾵ
Matt He isn't in the Team Japan group chat over on LINE either. I've tried. Masao-chan has tried. Yuuko-chan tried but her husband said that it's impossible and we should all just give up. I don't think anyone in Men's has even bothered trying. All I get when I ask is a "Keiko-senpai, please stop. Please." It was hard enough getting him on LINE in the first place.
Viktor … Should I link you to a page on proper dogeza technique?
Sara Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
I need to know what happened. Sofia would find it strange if I just ask her, we don't talk much
She found it strange enough asking her to pass on a hello to Yuuri if she ran into him
Keiko-chan Why are you awake? Actually, I'm not entirely sure what time it is in Japan...
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Stephen and Aaron There will be photo evidence that I have done it posted in chat!
Chris completely trustworthy. For example, do you know how much footage I have of Yuuri dancing around the apartment cleaning or cooking that I never share with anyone?!
And thanks! My 3A has moved from iffy if I'll land it to ok. I'm ready
Tagaki Keiko ? ﾟﾇﾵ
Sara I'm already in Canada. I didn't want to deal with the jetlag from Osaka so we came early. Oda-san isn't coming in until tomorrow. And that's it for Team Japan at Skate Canada this year. They're leaning hard on the NHK, so spreading us out a lot.
Jeremy Anderson ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Phichit They were so bad that first pattern dance repetition at that SA practice. The really annoying part was how quickly he fixed most of them. Roberto had him run through it again with Steph this morning before his ice time and it's fairly clean. By the end of the week he'll probably have my balance shifts down because he's Yuuri.
Viktor Nikiforov ? ﾟﾇﾺ
Keiko-chan I'm aware. Yuuko-chan texted me. And, um, I'm hoping it won't come to that
Carolyn Jones ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Jeremy You still off ice? And still using your rinkmate as a stand in?
Matt Smith ? ﾟﾇﾸ
[link to privately hosted jive dance video]
Finally. Kept not wanting to work.
Sara Crispino ? ﾟﾇﾹ
! What is that?
Chris what dance is that?
Jeremy Anderson ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Caro Sort of. I can skate, I just can't do the holds and lifts and usually our assistant coach would stand in but there are currently... issues with Gustave… He won't be coming to Moscow as originally planned since Roberto has been told he can't fly until the end of December apparently. Kai is coming instead which is fine because I like Kai better. Steph is all pouty about it though, especially after striking out at SA. Twice. Though one doesn't even really count because it's never going to happen
Chris Giacometti ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Sara Pretty sure it's a jive, but there's enough swing mixed in to blur the edges. That side by side is definitely jive though. Viktor, how much ballroom does he actually know?
Viktor Nikiforov ? ﾟﾇﾺ
Thank you, Matt
Almost as fun as watching it as it happened.
Chris I don't know. More than me apparently.
Carolyn Jones ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Jeremy Did your coach finally find out that she's sleeping with him?
Aaron Reyes ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Why isn't he more fun at banquets all the time?
Stephen Rasulov ? ﾟﾇ
And here I thought the fun gossip was dying out! Drama in ice dance land!
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Chris/Viktor Who knows?
Yuuri collects dance types like some people collect Pokemon cards.
Jeremy Anderson ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Aaron He doesn't lose enough bets, would be my guess. Though this was a straight up deal he cut with Steph apparently. I was not involved in the negotiations that led to this.
Aaron Reyes ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Caro ! WHAT?!
Madison Cobb ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Jeremy STEPH IS SLEEPING WITH YOUR ASSISTANT COACH? WHAT? How can I train there and not know that? Peach you are failing at being rink gossip
Tagaki Keiko ? ﾟﾇﾵ
Matt THIS is what Ayako-chan and Sayuri-chan were talking about on the Team Japan chat? Are you sure I can't send it to just a couple of people? I can think of a couple people that would really have fun watching this, but they aren't skaters. They also wouldn't share it with anyone. Though the only group chat that I'm on with them, Yuuri-senpai is on as well, so maybe not. So. Nevermind.
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
What happens at banquets stays in Scythecapades. I wish they'd done a more interesting trick though.
Madison I thought you knew? I mean *Yuuri* figured it out without help. Actually I'm not sure what he knows. He suspects at least.
Jeremy Anderson ? ﾟﾇﾸ
Phichit Oh he is definitely aware. There may have been some choice muttering about it during that practice that got posted to youtube
Phichit Chulanont ? ﾟﾇﾭ
Keiko-san WAIT! WAIT! There's a group chat that Yuuri actually PARTICIPATES IN?! Hold on… I need to make sure that the sky is still blue and that there are no pigs flying...
今村 陸 (Imamura (Turov) Riku)
送信トレイ
To: 平野 美香 (Hirano Mika) 10月23日
スケートアメリカ宴会写真
平野さん いつもお世話になっており...
?[img file IMG_20121021_ ]
勝生 勇利 (Katsuki Yuuri)
受信トレイ
From: 平野 美香 (Hirano Mika) 10月24日
服はいつもどうやって選ぶの？
勝生さん お疲れ様です。問題を議...
From: Влади́мир Фомович Бороди́н 10月24日
Советский спорт статьи
Уважа́емый, Юрий Тошиявич!
From: Celestino Cialdini 10月24日
SA FS
Yuuri, I was looking over the footage…
From: 平野 美香 (Hirano Mika) 10月24日
ファミ通へのインタビュー
勝生さん お疲れ様です。ファミ通...
Yuuri frowned down at his phone again as he reviewed the e-mail one more time. Today was going to be another bad day.
Hirano-san, his manager, somehow had gotten hold of a picture from the banquet. From where was anybody's guess; Yuuri was fairly sure that she hadn't seen Viktor's meme-posting Twitter nightmare, and while Viktor might have actually been petty enough to mail her an incriminating image, he could barely remember her name, let alone contact details.
Speaking of Twitter, Yuuri made a mental note to get some payback for all the meme printouts Phichit had seen fit to plaster over their fridge door, since shredding the offending pictures and dropping their remains in the recycling did nothing but make larger copies appear.
Regardless, the fact remained that Hirano-san had a picture of him and was "concerned" about how he was presenting himself to sponsors that did attend the banquet, and had therefore requested his full measurements so that she could take care of the issue before the NHK Trophy. This meant she was going to order and make him pay for a new suit, something he'd be sorely tempted to blame Viktor for regardless.
Right now, Yuuri was starting to wish he'd actually let Viktor set that damn suit on fire, especially since he knew there was no getting out of this with Hirano-san on the case. Maybe the measurements he'd taken from when he ordered his costumes at the beginning of summer would work.
But then there was her second message, the one regarding Famitsu . That was… huge to Yuuri. They didn't do a lot of "celebrity" interviews, mostly keeping their profiles to people inside the video game industry itself: game devs, concept artists, sound engineers. Occasionally, they'd branch out to musicians who did songs in the credits, or sometimes a celebrity or idol who was really popular and enjoyed gaming. Yuuri, however, would hesitate to call himself a "celebrity" in any sense of the word, let alone "popular."
But it was Famitsu ! And apparently they had space in the November 30th issue and thought to contact Yuuri's manager about it. And for once, he wanted to do it. Really wanted to do it, actually. It was kind of cool . So he should probably cooperate with the whole suit thing so as to not complicate the Famitsu thing.
ARGH! Hirano-san had probably sent those emails one after the other for that exact reason.
He stood up, finishing his final stretches before taking his dance shoes off and slipping them into his bag. Then he slid out the pair of uwabaki slippers he'd started putting in his skate bag, shut off the lights, and got ready to head out to the rink. The Americans might have considered the slippers overkill, but the floors had been newly waxed the week before he left for Skate America and Yuuri was eager to preserve them as much as possible. He'd been absolutely shocked when he found out that Celestino was going to clear out and fix the space, but very grateful for it; he still used some of the studio space at the dance company, but now he didn't need to rely on it as much and had daily access to a proper barre.
He got into the rink in good time. Kai looked up from monitoring Phichit's warm-up as he entered; they were getting ready to work through his programs, after which it'd be Yuuri's turn. Celestino was currently over on the other side of the rink having a coaching session with Madison. His own session with Ciao Ciao would be that evening, again after Phichit's. It was the calm before the storm for them: soon, Phichit would be skating in Romania, then Madison plus Jeremy and Steph in Moscow. And then Yuuri would head to Tokyo before he and Madison skated at the NHK. This meant things were just going to be insane around the rink until qualifiers were over.
Yuuri sat down behind Kai and started to get his skates on.
"All stretched?" she asked. Her attention didn't waver from Phichit; any minute, she'd be going out onto the ice to work with him.
"Yeah. I also had some work e-mails that I had to deal with."
Kai held up a finger to Phichit to ask for a minute; he nodded in response. Only then did she give Yuuri her full attention. "JSF, or outside work?"
Yuuri hummed and tightened his laces. "Both, sort of. Maybe." He paused. "Do you think my measurements from the beginning of the summer are still accurate enough to use?"
Kai shook her head. "Probably not. The breaking work for 'Shake It Out' filled out your shoulders. They're OK, especially if it's a costume that involves stretch, but not ideal. Changing your exhibition?"
Yuuri shook his head and pulled on his other skate once its guard was in place. "No. Hirano-san apparently somehow saw a picture of me from the banquet at Skate America and has informed me that I need a new suit, and that she will take care of choosing it as I am apparently 'not to be trusted to pick out clothing to be worn in front of sponsors.'" He looked up and huffed. "That suit fulfilled all JSF dress code requirements."
Kai coughed, utterly failing to cover the obvious laugh. "That suit does not fit well. Get the measurements redone and look at the bright side."
Yuuri tugged his laces with such force that he thought they might snap. "There's a bright side?"
"You don't have to pick the suit out, it will fit, and you won't have to listen to your… Viktor complain about it any more."
"He's… he's not my Viktor." Yuuri leaned forward with a frown. "We had a deal, and Phichit is right there."
Kai raised her hands in surrender. "My point stands. Are you sure that he wasn't behind this? I mean, his suit was McQueen and he's known for being a bit of a fashion diva. And well, I may have heard about something tie-and-suit related happening on Twitter…?"
Yuuri took a deep breath as he got up and headed to the boards. "Don't even start about Twitter … No, I'm not sure, but I don't think he's the one who contacted her." He opened the gate and entered the ice, leaving his guards behind.
"Anything else I need to know?" Kai asked as she followed him.
"Other than my string of bad days seems to have not ended yet? No. Just some interview stuff. I need to get back to Hirano-san about that week in Tokyo before the NHK again, but I'll let you know. I think today calls for beating myself up on my quad Salchow. I might need help filming it to send to Alexei; he wasn't pleased with the landing in Seattle. And if it's not a problem, could you let me know when Celestino has a minute? I wanted to ask him about some of the transitions at the end of the free so I could work on them a little later." At Kai's nod, he skated off to his corner of the rink to get to work. There was certainly enough to do.
Yuuri sighed in relief as he found some on-street parking, pulling in as quickly as he could before grabbing his bag and jogging back down the street. He was practically late, if five minutes early could be construed as late. And it could, especially if he was wrong and the building he thought was the studio he was supposed to go to was not actually the studio and he needed to find a different building entirely. And given his luck, said building would be on the other side of Detroit, and he hated driving through the city.
But for once it seemed that things were going his way, and that he might actually be in the right place. Still, he double, then triple-checked the address before finally braving the five steps to the door of the bright red brick building and pulling one of the double doors open.
"Hi!" The staffer behind the desk was cheery in that usual American way; Yuuri had a feeling he probably spent more time styling his brown hair into a perfect pompadour than Viktor did strategically arranging his bangs every morning, and Yuuri knew first-hand just what a time sink Viktor's hair routine could be. Still, he immediately felt like a schlub standing there in his jeans and a hoodie in the face of such aggressive grooming, and if the way he was looked up and down was any indication, Yuuri's self-assessment was accurate. The look on the receptionist's face definitely read you do not belong here , even if only for an unguarded second. "You must be Yuuri. Your photographer is in Studio Lens Flare." The man motioned toward his left. "It's that way. Let me know if you get lost."
"Right. Thanks."
"Good luck. Hope you land the gig."
There was no "gig" to land, so Yuuri just nodded blankly. "Um. Thanks."
Thankfully, it didn't take long to find the door with the surprisingly understated sign declaring it to be "Studio Lens Flare." Given the name, the room beyond was actually quite bare. Yuuri had been expecting something videogame-y and over the top. Something louder, like it belonged in a Japanese gaming magazine.
A tall, lean Japanese man walked over to him. He was wearing a basic, striped long-sleeved shirt and unassuming jeans and while his hair was styled, it was much simpler than what Yuuri had been greeted with a few minutes prior, pushed back and to the side in a carefully casual way.
"Hi, Yuuri. I'm Daisuke Yamada. Is English OK? I prefer it since, you know, I grew up in San Francisco. I can speak Japanese if you prefer, though it's not going to be as good as yours."
Yuuri took a deep breath. "No. Um. English is fine. I speak it more than Japanese lately." He bowed. "よろしく お願いします。" The Japanese slipped out without him entirely meaning for it to, and he winced. "Um."
"Likewise." Daisuke grinned. "When I told my mother that I was going to Detroit to shoot you, she said that you'd be a properly polite Japanese boy and I should go easy on you because you are literally perfect. I thought she was joking."
Yuuri wasn't sure what sound escaped from his throat, but it was not one made by humans regularly, he was sure of that. "Perfect? I am in no way perfect, just–"
Daisuke shook his head. "It's all right. My family is from Kansai and my younger cousins still live there, so she's heard a lot about you the last few years. I thought that I was getting a call about shooting an e-sports guy, since it's for Famitsu and everything. Let's just say I was thoroughly corrected." He paused and looked around. "They gave me a prop budget, but after I looked you up, I thought something simple would be better. So, I figured the plastered walls with the right light in here, and then one of the alleys a couple streets down would be a good backdrop too. I know I asked you to bring your portables, so we'll just use those as the props. And if you're still up for it, I wouldn't mind some photos on the more casual side at your apartment with your video game setup. I know that Famitsu was interested in getting those too, if possible. We might have to move a few things around, and I'm going to have to bring in a couple lights, but…" He paused. "I assume you don't want your butsudan in the shots. Can that be moved? If not, I can try for some different framing."
Yuuri hadn't even realized that their little shrine had been in the photos he'd snapped of the space when they'd asked for some quick shots. "Um, with the doors closed, I don't really care since it just looks like a cabinet, but my roommate might. I'll text him." Yuuri tugged on the sleeve of his hoodie and rubbed the ribbing against his fingers. He needed to get the fidgeting out of his system before he had to actually pretend that he was comfortable with having his picture taken.
Daisuke was talking again. "So, I brought my friend to be the makeup artist. She'll be back in a few with some coffees for all of us, but the clothing your manager sent ahead is all in the dressing room over there." Daisuke pointed at a door in the corner. "It's pretty bare bones in there, sorry about that. I figure we'll start with the simple black and white one. I think it's outfit 1 or 2. There are pictures attached to the front of each garment bag to help."
Yuuri flushed. "Hirano-san doesn't actually trust me to pick out clothes or put outfits together. I…" He sighed and trailed off. "I'll do my best."
"Oh, I've seen your pictures. I'm not worried about being able to get shots that Famitsu will like."
The shoot lasted through four outfits; two in the studio, one in the alley – a maroon sports jacket with the sleeves pushed up over a white t-shirt and charcoal jeans with some tennis shoes – and the last from Yuuri's own closet, a University of Michigan sweatshirt picked out by Daisuke's makeup artist friend Bing over comfortable jeans. Those final shots had Yuuri on the floor of his apartment, playing video games and laughing at Daisuke's stories from his time at CalArts, back when he and Bing were getting their degrees. It was probably the most relaxed that Yuuri had ever been at a photoshoot, and made him wish other magazines could be equally easygoing.
Yuuri had barely closed his eyes when a balled-up paper wrapper hit him in the face, triggering an involuntary squawk..
"Don't fall asleep," Jonas chided, aiming another wad of paper. "We're heading to the gym in fifteen to run."
Yuuri grabbed that one and threw it back, which just made Jonas laugh. "Stop. I wasn't going to fall asleep. It's fifty degrees and sunny which it hasn't been for days, and from here on it's only going to get colder and I will be miserable. Let me enjoy this. I just sat through Statistics."
Jonas snorted. "You live in an ice rink, you're impervious to the cold."
"Maybe, if I'm skating. Or running. Or doing some sort of aerobic activity." Yuuri tossed the first wrapper back at Jonas so they wouldn't forget it. Only then did he see Jonas's expression .
"Aerobic activity?" He asked with a grin. Yuuri covered his face with his hands and groaned; he should have seen that one coming. "So… I'm assuming this means you've done it in an ice rink."
Yuuri was about to snap a denial, but then remembered exactly all the places Shouta used to find at the sports center for them, which technically qualified… He settled for taking refuge in the truth. "Depends on your definition of 'it' and 'ice rink.'"
Jonas clapped his hands. "I knew you had to be a kinky bastard."
Yuuri shook his head as fast as he could. "It wasn't like that! I was in high school and lived with my coach! Privacy was not a thing easily found!"
Jonas just nodded and gave Yuuri a look that made it clear he didn't believe a word of it. "All right, if you say so."
"Are you two insane? It's cold and you're sitting on the grass in November ?!"
Yuuri looked up at Celeste, who was bundled up like she was expecting a blizzard to hit any second. It was safe to say he had never been more pleased to see another human being in his life, because right now he desperately needed an excuse to end this conversation.
"It's fiftyish degrees out and I have a jacket on," he replied. "And if you think the grass is cold, you've never sat on ice in just athletic wear."
Jonas nodded. "He has a point. Ice is typically much colder than this grass."
Celeste shook her head, but dropped her bag and sat down next to them anyway. "That sounds awful, and will be added to reasons why I work out inside."
"Not into sports, right?" Jonas asked. He and Celeste didn't interact a whole lot, really just when Yuuri was around.
She shook her head. "Not really, and I'm definitely not an athlete. I'm just a normal college student, unlike Yuuri." She paused. "I just take a fitness class once or twice a week."
"Let me guess, yoga? Hot yoga. All the girls I know take yoga, even Kitti." Jonas paused and pointed at Yuuri. "And Yuuri. He does it too."
Yuuri grumbled. If Jonas was trying to embarrass him, he was succeeding. "It's good for stretching and flexibility. Which means I can do things that most male skaters can't. And it's pretty zen, so it's good for my brain."
Celeste just smiled. "No. That zen thing is why I could never get into yoga. Not for me. I take a pole class."
"Pole?" He was fairly sure that Celeste wasn't talking about the vault, and there was only one other kind of pole that Yuuri could think of… which meant that Yuuri no longer knew how to carry on the conversation, because he was definitely not going there.
"Like strippers?" Obviously Jonas's brain had gone to the same place that Yuuri's had, and unlike Yuuri, he had no compunctions about asking.
"Jonas! Nooo!" Yuuri covered his face with his hands again and groaned. Thankfully, Celeste just looked amused. "But…" He motioned toward Jonas before continuing, "Like strippers?" Improper or not, it'd already been said and he really did want to know, much as it made him grimace at his own impropriety.
"Oh my god. Boys. " Celeste shook her head. "I don't strip."
Argh . "I didn't-" Yuuri reached over and grabbed the discarded wrapper back to throw it at Jonas's face, because this was all his fault. "I just meant… That's not… Just...There are classes for that? The dancing part of it?"
Celeste nodded. "Yeah. They don't even take place at a strip joint," she added with a wry smile. No, Yuuri was never going to live this down. "Just a dance studio with a bunch of poles installed not too far from here. It's actually a really good workout, and tons of fun since we do bits of routines and stuff. A bit acrobatic, a bit dancey, and better than doing crunches, in my opinion. Really good for strength and flexibility too. Great all around workout. I really feel it afterward."
"Better than crunches… so it works your core?"
Jonas threw the wrapper back at Yuuri, who easily sidestepped it. "You just want to get out of doing decline sit-ups with me."
Yuuri looked back at Jonas. "Yes, I definitely do. But not entirely, I'll still need to do them – there's no way my trainer is going to let me get out of them completely – but if I can get an aerobic workout and core and flexibility and strength, that's like a triple or quadruple win. And would mean one less day I need to do decline sit-ups with Jonas." He turned back to Celeste. "So obviously, I know very little about pole dancing."
"Hey, I know a place that we can get you into even though you're not 21 yet. The bouncer is one of the brothers' older brother. Just name the time, man." Yuuri choked and Celeste covered her mouth with her hands, her face rapidly turning red. Even Jonas had the decency to look a little abashed. "Right, sorry, Celeste. Probably shouldn't have said that in mixed company, but… offer stands, Yuuri. And hey, you're welcome to tag along if you want to go too, Celeste. Equal opportunity."
"Uh, OK, but I think I'm good, really. Thanks, Jonas."
Yuuri pressed his fingers to his forehead and took a deep breath. "Thanks, I think, but can we talk muscle groups instead?"
Celeste glanced at Yuuri, cheeks still tinted pink in embarrassment. "I don't know muscle groups. These ones." She pointed to her upper thigh through her jeans.
"OK, so quads, good." Yuuri turned so he was sitting with his knees up and pointed to the underside of his own thigh. "Those?" Celeste nodded in response. "Hamstrings. We already said core, so I'll skip asking about abs. Um." He let his legs fall open and pointed to his inner thigh.
"Yeah." Celeste paused. "Do you know all of these muscles?"
"I know the groupings, but only some of the individual names. I need to, my personal trainer requires me to. Those are the adductors, by the way. Very good for flexibility." He bit his lip. "OK, there's one that I really really need to know, and you might not know, but… hip flexors?"
Celeste shook her head. "Where's that?"
Yuuri sighed. The only ones that he really hadn't wanted to point out. "I apologize in advance." He leaned back and placed two fingers at the join between his hip and groin area. "Around there?"
Jonas chuckled. "Are you pointing at your junk?"
Yuuri sat up immediately. " No ! Hip flexors! Specifically the iliopsoas. I need more ways to stretch mine."
"Like where you feel a stretch in the front if you do a straddle?" Celeste asked.
"Yes! Exactly that."
Celeste blinked at him. "You can do a straddle?"
Yuuri shrugged. "I can do a split standing up on ice skates."
Celeste just shook her head at him. "Yeah, there are moves that stretch them. It's good for your shoulders and back too." She paused. "Uh, Yuuri?"
He hummed, thinking. Taking a pole dancing class was honestly tempting him. He hadn't settled on dates for those Rhumba classes Minako wanted him to take with Steph yet, and she was going to Moscow next week anyway. He turned to look at Celeste when he realized she wasn't going to continue. "What did you want to ask?"
"Just, um, how flexible are you?"
"Very." He chewed on his lip. "Can men even take a pole class? Or is it frowned upon?"
Celeste nodded, her nose and cheeks once again flushed pink in the cold. "Yeah, it… it shouldn't be a problem."
"Let me know when you're going next, and I'll see if I can restructure things and go with you. If you don't mind. You said you go every week? I'm basically on my own all next week, since I have no intention of working with the assistant coach they're leaving." Yuuri stood up and offered his hand to Celeste, who took it and stood up. "Jonas and I are supposed to go running now." He absently brushed bits of grass and dirt off his backside.
"Oh, I don't mind you coming with me at all." She nodded. "I'll text you."
"Great." Yuuri smiled at her.
"What am I, chopped liver? I don't get a hand up, Yuuri?" Jonas grinned. "You can't go setting up fitness dates and leave me here."
Except Yuuri had not been setting up a fitness date; he'd been broadening his training options. With a roll of his eyes, Yuuri held his hand out and braced himself, knowing full well that Jonas was going to try to off balance him and make him fall. He had learned a thing or two growing up with Takeshi, after all.
[Aaron (bronze), Chris (silver) and Keith Ryans (gold) wearing their medals with arms around each other smiling]
a_sun_reyes I always skate best when I'm having fun and this was a fun competition! With giacometti-cg and keithryans #grandprixoffigureskating #grandprixfs #cupofchina2012 #gpfhereicome
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[image of Phichit and Ciao Ciao standing next to each other beaming. Phichit is holding a gold medal up]
phichit+chu First Seniors gold! There are going to be loads more to come! #CrystalSkate #figureskating #gooooooooold
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Yuuri
You've been working on a quad Lutz!
Chris
Now if only I had landed it in my free
How'd you get it so fast?
I spent all summer on it and I still don't quite have it
Yuuri
What do you mean?
Chris
You didn't have a quad Lutz in any of your programs at
all last season and then BAM at Worlds you landed it
You even got a positive GOE on it
Yuuri
I've had a solid 4Lz since about halfway through my
last season in Juniors
But there wasn't a use for it in Juniors
And I opted out of 4CC and Worlds my last year of high
school because of final examinations and graduation
I started working on it after the last Olympics.
So for over two years now
Which is not fast.
I don't get jumps fast
Chris
If you had it last season why didn't you use it?
With the way Liebestraum was at Worlds
Having it in Lohengrin as well
You would have been a threat, Yuuri
Not just to me, but to Viktor
Yuuri
There were issues
Chris
Like injury issues? Knee, hip, ankle?
Why wouldn't you tell us you were injured.
Yuuri
No
No injury
Just… issues.
Chris
The issues behind Viktor's surprise Detroit trip?
Yuuri
Yes
Chris
Ok.
He didn't tell me what those were
But I know it's something that you don't really talk about
You don't have to explain further
Yuuri
Thanks
I have Alexei back as my jump coach, so it's back in
my repertoire
Not that it helped my Free at SA much
Chris
How is that coming?
Because the back half after the Choreographic Seq
was as messy as my 4Lz
Yuuri
Slower than I'd like, but there's been some progress
Fixed my first spin
The GOE shouldn't be so bad
Chris
Went back to just ccw like a sane skater?
Yuuri
No. ╮(︶▽︶)╭
I just needed more practice at cw.
I haven't spun that way on skates regularly for years.
But it's sorted I think. Should hopefully have better
GOE again
Chris
Has Viktor talked to you about your free skate?
Wait.
Are you even really talking to Viktor atm? After… you know.
He hasn't complained to me that you aren't, so I assume you're
at least somewhat talking
Yuuri
I never stopped talking to him. Forgiving him for being an
idiot is easy at this point.
Though someone should really delete Twitter off his phone
for my sake.
As for talking about my FS: not really. At least not as much
as I wanted him to.
He was... not impressed
(*´∇`)┌θ (ﾉ_)ﾉ
Chris
That's not…
What is with him?
He's talked to me about it a lot actually
I mean that. A lot.
Do you want to know what he has to say?
I'll take screenshots of our chat for you
Might make you feel better about having an idiot for a bff
He's an idiot, but he knows skating
Yuuri
No, but thank you.
Your conversations with Viktor are between
the two of you
If he wants to tell me he knows how
Text, normal phone calls. Maybe FaceTime.
Definitely not through memes posted to twitter
He just doesn't want to hurt my feelings
Which is not entirely appreciated, honestly
But I kind of understand
He doesn't want to make me angry at him after the
whole twitter thing
Which is fine. I can give him that.
Chris
You two need to communicate better
And I mean that in general, but also in this specifically
I swear to god
Because most of what he's said to me would not hurt your
feelings
What did he say to you about it?
Yuuri
That it's stupid
And a little bit on why
The thing is… he's not wrong
Chris
I don't think he's right either
if that's all he said to you about it
Kai settled down next to Yuuri and waited for him to shut his hoped she wasn't messing with his schedule too much, but usually Yuuri didn't mind being interrupted on his breaks if he chose to stay in the rink.
"Picking up Phichit tonight?"
Yuuri nodded. "Don't worry, I know I'm responsible for getting him home in one piece. He messaged saying that he wants to eat something off-plan, so I'm letting him choose, which is probably a horrible idea. But we'll find out. I'll do my best to stick to my diet, though. He deserves to celebrate after winning his first gold medal in Seniors. And then the rest of you are heading out tomorrow. Red-eye to Moscow from JFK?"
Kai nodded. "Yes, but- Um. I had a question. It's not skating-related. It's, ah..."
"Katya's looking forward to seeing you." Yuuri paused. "I assume that was along the lines of what you were going to ask?"
"That wasn't–" Kai sat up straighter and took a breath, staring out at the ice. "What am I doing?"
Yuuri gave her a shrug. "Dating a former Russian Ladies' figure skater, I assume. Good luck."
" Dating?! Am I, though? It's only been a few weeks. I mean..." Kai trailed off, unsure what to share with her skater, or what he actually knew. The only thing she was certain of was that she should probably talk to Katya about how sharing certain things with Yuuri would be inappropriate. It was bad enough that he even knew about this.
"Her sister seems convinced that she's dating someone, but doesn't know who, so maybe? You would know better than me." He took a breath. "You don't have to call it 'dating.' You don't have to call it anything. 'Chatting with a former figure skater for Russia' works. ' Spending time with Viktor's assistant coach' also works." Yuuri pulled his bag toward him and slipped his textbook back in. He wasn't laughing, but he didn't have to; to Kai, his amusement was clear as day.
"Stop." This was not funny; even less so once her brain backed up a few sentences. "Wait. You said her sister ?!" Kai felt a wave of panic rising. Why hadn't it occurred to her that Mila Babicheva was Katya's sister and she was the little Russian that Madison was worried about moving up to Seniors the next season? The one who had taken gold at Finlandia? Whose program she'd sat down and analyzed with Celestino? Kai had known that, and yet it hadn't actually occurred to her. And now Kai was… something with her sister? She shook her head.
Yuuri sighed. "Technically Mila's her half-sister. All I know is what Mila has told me, which is that Katya has been texting someone a lot and smiling at her phone a lot. Which, to a fifteen-year-old who spends most of her time skating, is a grand romance. Especially when one of her rinkmates is Georgi Popovich and the other reads a fair bit of Austen and a lot of melodramatic Russian literature. He started Doctor Zhivago again, apparently. He needs new books. Do I even know any books that have enough melodrama for him? I wonder if he's read Norwegian Wood? It's famous. It has to have been translated."
" Yuuri !" Kai didn't care about Viktor's reading habits, a fact Yuuri was very aware of. This was just trolling.
With a small smile, Yuuri returned to the topic at hand. "You're worrying too much. Mila is not competing and therefore will not be in Moscow, so you won't have to meet her. Her family all lives in Saint Petersburg, too. The only reason Katya is going to be in Moscow is because she's low on coach experience at competitions. She didn't do any when she worked in Moscow and it's only her first year with Yakov, but he wants her to be independently functional. I know he did the same thing with Alexei back when Alexei worked with him, and Alexei was primarily Viktor's jump coach and then Katya's assistant coach."
Kai frowned. "You don't call him Coach Feltsman?"
Yuuri shook his head. "No one calls him Coach Feltsman at that rink, that's not… 'Yakov Ilyich' would be the correct form of address, but they'd only do that for show. It'd be like calling Ciao Ciao 'Coach Cialdini' all the time. I mean, I guess most of the skaters at the rink do, actually, but Viktor and Katya and Mila et cetera don't." He paused to pull a Ziploc from his bag and put it on his lap. "I usually call him Coach Yakov, though, when I talk to him. I think that I'm the only one though, but that's mostly because calling him 'Yakov-sensei' was strange and I didn't understand Russian forms of address when I was fourteen and really didn't feel comfortable when he barked 'Just call me Yakov' at me."
Kai looked out over the ice and didn't speak for a minute. "This is so stupid." Kai crossed her arms over her chest. So stupid.
Yuuri shook his head. "I don't think so. Katya's great. I've known her for almost six years. She's even thrown things at Viktor's head for me." He smiled. "She's nothing like my actual older sister, but it was nice to have someone that sort of stepped into that role when I was in Russia. I'd never left Japan before, and not having family around could be hard. I had Minako-sensei, but she left after six months to go back to Hasetsu."
"Am I about to get a shovel talk, Yuuri?"
Yuuri pressed his lips together, but the edges were curled up, obviously suppressing a laugh. "No. I don't think you need one. However, I told Katya that if she was just messing around with my assistant coach and did anything to make you upset and therefore mess with my season, I wouldn't forgive her." He paused. "She's well aware I can hold a grudge."
Kai covered her face with one hand. "You gave Katya the shovel talk?"
Yuuri shrugged. "Sort of, and for completely selfish reasons. I mean, you're both adults, are shovel talks really necessary? I do have a warning for you since you're going to Russia, though, because I've heard they're planning on going out after the banquet."
Kai waited.
"Don't believe a word they say about vodka, because I'm still pretty sure they're liars. And don't drink more than one bottle with them; they will insist on finishing the first bottle. That's about five drinks each as it is if there's three of you." He paused. "Oh! Only drink half a glass at a time, because they won't refill your drink if you still have some. But if you empty it, they will immediately pour you more and then you have to drink it."
Kai looked at him, eyes wide. What exactly was the drinking age in Russia? It was definitely lower than in the US, she knew that much, and she wasn't lucky enough for it to be as high as Japan either. "Did something happen in Russia this past summer that I should be aware of?"
Yuuri didn't answer immediately, but when he did, it was snappy and didn't allow for further probing. "Nothing I want to talk about." He gripped the plastic of the Ziploc with an audible crinkle and looked down before thrusting it at Kai. "Can you give that to Viktor or to Katya, or someone from the Saint Petersburg rink – even Yakov would work – and tell them it's for Makkachin? They'll all understand."
Kai looked down at the bag and the knotted, dark blue mass it contained with a frown. "What is it?"
Yuuri sighed. "I made Makka a dog toy out of an old practice shirt."
Kai gave him a confused look. "Why?"
"Because I was making a couple for Vicchan before I have to leave for Tokyo and the NHK and am going to be gone for two weeks, and I had enough shirt scraps left to make Makka one, and she needs it."
"But you do that because your dog will tear apart your apartment if he doesn't have something to help him think you're coming back."
Yuuri nodded. "That and his pillow. He already knows what's up, because I put it in the wash."
"Is Viktor's dog attached to you or something?"
Yuuri shrugged. "I've known her for almost six years too; I used to dogsit when Viktor was traveling for ice shows or competitions when I lived in Russia. But I'd never stayed with Viktor until I visited this last time and she ended up stealing one of my shirts, so I thought it couldn't hurt."
"And you have a soft spot for dogs."
Yuuri hummed in agreement. "And their owners."
"This is my favorite part of Rostelecom." Viktor's mother smiled across the table at him. "As long as Vitya is assigned, I know I can get dinner out of him before he needs to focus on the competition."
"Мама, you act as if I never see you. We go to the lake every summer." Viktor ran his thumb along the bottom of his wine glass. He was limiting himself to just one glass for the evening, though he sort of regretted that immensely responsible decision. Two glasses would have been just as responsible, really.
Riva just smiled wider. "Yes, but summer was half a year ago." She paused. "I will say that I was a bit disappointed that Katya couldn't come."
Next to her Yakov harrumphed, though quietly. "Nonsense. That girl is still as flighty as she was when she was skating. I thought that Vasily would have taught her some sense."
"I take it there is a new hockey player?" Viktor's father scooped a small amount of sour cream and caviar onto one of the bliny. "Katya always lost focus around the hockey players."
"Former Pairs skater, actually.'' Viktor smiled and did the same. Yakov's eyes narrowed in his direction, but they did every time they ate with Viktor's parents in Moscow and Viktor always ignored him. It was their own tradition.
Yakov's fingers closed around his glass of kvass before lifting it to his lips to take a drink. "This is all your fault, Vitya."
Viktor shook his head. "It is not. This one is all on Yura. She's his assistant coach and Katya was looking for him when she found them, and thus Katya met Kai. All Yura's fault this time. I was not even in the building, so I refuse to take the blame." He smiled beatifically.
" Yuuri's assistant coach?" Riva asked.
Yakov grunted softly in an affirmative. "She's not a bad sort. The kind of lake you can skate on. Good for Yura. She got in earlier today with his rinkmates. And since my assistant coach is an idiot…" Yakov grumbled and just shook his head.
Viktor's father looked at Viktor with a raised eyebrow in a silent plea for translation and Viktor laughed. "Kai is really calm. Like a perfectly still lake with no waves. So when the water freezes, it'd be nice and smooth and therefore easy to skate on."
"I like it. Need to remember it."
"If it ends up in some rubbish piece of literature, I expect a fair share, Lyonya." Yakov finally caved and took his own bliny. "How's the writing anyway?" Viktor reached out and turned the tray so that the Кра́сная икра́ was closest to Yakov; he might not keep kosher, but Viktor wasn't beyond helping his coach at least pretend that he might consider doing so.
Viktor's father waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. I am not going to end up on any bestseller lists. It will not pay the bills, but that is what teaching is for."
Everyone at the table was well aware that if Leonid wanted to stop teaching and write full time, he could do that without any worries over financial obligations. He wasn't going to, though, as Viktor's father enjoyed teaching and mostly just tinkered around with his writing as a hobby. Because as long as it was a hobby and beholden to no one else, Leonid could edit and tweak his writing to his heart's content without worrying about any publisher's deadline.
"What are you reading, Vitya?" came his father's question, as his mother drew Yakov into conversation about the season – and his opinion on Yuuri's and Chris's skating, if the few snippets Viktor caught were any indication. They may not have had the opportunity to meet Viktor's friends, but they cared about them. He knew his mother, at least, was planning on coming to Sochi when it hosted Euros as a test event in January, so he'd finally have the opportunity to introduce Chris to his mother.
"I just finished Emma again, so I thought I might continue on with Persuasion , but changed my mind and started Doctor Zhivago instead. I'm trying to decide if Yuuri would like it; the protagonist shares his name. I haven't had time to go to a bookstore and wander the shelves, and online just doesn't have the same feeling as picking a book off the shelf to look at it."
"I thought you said that Yuuri plays video games for fun." His father tapped a staccato beat on the tabletop with his finger.
Viktor nodded. "But I don't. And I have no idea what light novels he likes, which are the only things he does read and not enough of them to actually suggest any to me, anyway. If they've even been translated into English, let alone Russian."
His mother looked over. "I'm sure he reads plenty. You know, I hear studying psychology requires a lot of reading." She was looking entirely too amused. As usual, his parents simply did not understand Viktor's plight. Viktor couldn't talk about Yuuri's video games with him because he didn't play video games . He did, however, enjoy Russian literature and reading in general, so if he could get Yuuri to enjoy Russian literature, the problem would be solved. Reading all his father's favorite books was how Viktor had strengthened his relationship with his father as a teen, after all. He could do the same thing with Yuuri!
"Exactly." Viktor's father interrupted his thoughts. "Don't do something ridiculous like sending him a copy of Doctor Zhivago . If he wants to relax by playing video games, let him relax by playing video games. You can always ask him what his games are about if you've run out of things to talk about."
They hadn't. They never did, but they might . Viktor studiously focused on adding caviar to another bliny while Yakov chortled. "Vitusha, what did you do? You sent him a book, didn't you?"
Viktor glanced up to look at his mother before sending a glare toward his coach. He felt like he was 17 again, not almost 24.
"Please tell me that you didn't send the copy of War and Peace you bought at sixteen from that little used bookstore in Saint Petersburg you like. The one that sells those overpriced versions for no other reason than aesthetic." His father always had the knack of getting right to the heart of the issue.
"All right. I won't." Viktor took a long sip of his wine, ruminating that two glasses really would have been a better limit. Almost immediately, his father covered the bottom half of his face with his hand.
"Vityaaaaa." His mother looked like she wanted to laugh. Even Yakov was grinning while drinking his kvass.
Dinner was ruined and Viktor's уха hadn't even arrived yet. "He uses it as a doorstop!"
His father lost all semblance of composure and started laughing hard enough to cause his face to go red and his eyes to crinkle at the corners. This of course set Viktor's mother off. Riva pressed a hand to her chest as she laughed. Then even Yakov started to laugh. Maybe Yuuri had a point when he called Viktor ridiculous all the time. He pressed his hands to his face and started laughing too.
"Really, that's the best use for that thing that I've ever heard. And one day he will come to Moscow, and I will get to actually tell him this. I remember you complaining about how unwieldy that thing was after you bought it, and then you go and send it to your friend? Do you want him to hate you? Because single volume hardbound copies of War and Peace is how you make your friends hate you."
Yuuri hating him over War and Peace was not likely in the least. He'd tease Viktor about it, send pictures of the Pipsqueak dumping his chew toys on top of the book or using it as a very awkward pillow, but Yuuri would never hate him. Viktor just always wanted more from his Yuuri.
"Do you think that Yuuri will ever be assigned to Moscow, Yakov?" Riva asked.
The three of them looked to Yakov, who nodded curtly. "I do. I don't expect him to land outside of the top twelve at Worlds this year; he's going to get his act together with that Free Skate of his. I do know that the JSF pushed for his assignment at the NHK, just like the FFKK likes having Viktor at Rostelecom as often as they can. Skate America was an easy second choice, since he trains in the US and he was invited to Skate Canada last year."
"So maybe next year is what I'm hearing." Riva smiled, looking quite pleased. "About time."
"Мама, that is not what Yakov said." Viktor gave up and turned to signal a waiter. When he arrived, Viktor glanced at Yakov for half a second before requesting another glass of wine, then promptly downed the remainder of his first glass.
"Yuuri! I don't know what you're skating, but it's not what you're supposed to be working on!"
Yuuri reached into his pocket to turn the volume up on his iPod and changed position so his back was toward Gustave, the fill-in coach. Then he returned to skating sappy step sequences to sappy vampire movie music that still somehow managed to help him deal with everything. Even if he'd failed at the not-sleeping-with-Viktor part of his plan.
He knew he couldn't spend all his ice time on trying to box up his feelings for Viktor, but he could at least spend a little time. Correction: he needed to spend a little time. He'd fallen into a bit of a rhythm. Each snippet of step sequence had its own little spot in the song, and skating it soothed him. It kept his heart from breaking. Because that's what Yuuri was doing to himself. Little by little, he was breaking his heart just so he could keep Viktor close and not risk losing him.
Yuuri's personal hell would be not being able to talk to Viktor. Yuuri knew that he benefited from having Viktor in his life more than Viktor benefitted from befriending him; that the balance of what they brought to the table was not equal, and there was no way that he could make it equal. He could offer everything he was, everything he had, and it wouldn't be enough. None of that changed the fact that the highlight of Yuuri's day was when they messaged or talked. That he was happiest just sitting there doing something, anything while Viktor was also occupying the same space.
Yuuri couldn't lose that.
But this thing between them - whatever this was - was hard . Complicated. Blurred the lines. Tested him. Viktor was soft and kissable and hard and fuckable and all of that was in turns great and horrible, fantastic and disastrous. And then the obvious, the thing he tried to shy away from: No matter how much it all meant to Yuuri, it didn't mean the same to Viktor.
Yuuri was fun. Yuuri was #viktorshotboy with bad fashion sense. Yuuri was a meme from two weeks ago. As disposable as his tie.
If he was lucky, their friendship would remain as it had always been. As long as Yuuri didn't get attached and didn't let Viktor start to slip into the boyfriend space. Because every time that Yuuri fell into bed with Viktor, he wanted Viktor to slip into that space more.
So Yuuri needed to box all of his feelings up and put them away. It wasn't going to happen again. It couldn't happen again. Yuuri doubted Viktor wanted it to happen again, anyway. Someone who wants to sleep with someone again does not drag them on the Internet. Name or no name.
He needed a strength of will he wasn't sure that he had when it came to Viktor.
At that point, a figure in a painfully bright tight turquoise training shirt skated in front of him and stopped his step sequence in its tracks. Yuuri could have skated around him, but that really wouldn't get him anywhere, so he looked up at Gustave; the fill-in coach was talking, but the music was loud enough that Yuuri couldn't really make out the specifics. When his mouth finally stopped moving, Yuuri lifted one hand, and took his earbuds out. "Sorry, couldn't hear you."
Truth be told, he didn't particularly want to talk to Gustave. Gustave was talented, had had a decent amount of success as an ice dancer, had even finished on podium at a World Championship and would have gone to Vancouver and possibly podiumed if his partner – ironically enough, Viktor's ex – hadn't been injured at the time, forcing them to withdraw days before leaving for the Games. Yuuri wasn't sure what happened, but Élodie was now skating with a new partner and Gustave had come to the DSC.
Unfortunately, since he'd started over the summer, Gustave had shown much more interest in sleeping with Steph than in actually doing his job, something that Celestino was aware of only because Yuuri had lost his patience and said something to Jeremy within Celestino's hearing.
Gustave's lips currently stretched into a thin line. "I'm just as much an assistant coach at this rink as Kai. You need to listen to me. I know what Celestino wants you to work on, and whatever this nonsense is is not it."
Yuuri just blinked at him. He knew full well what Celestino wanted him to work on; they'd gone over it by phone in detail and Yuuri had every intention of working on it. Just not right at that second.
"Can you please leave me alone? I'm warming up, Gustave."
"Look, you don't have to like me-"
"Good, because I don't."
Gustave opened his mouth, but never got to say anything because a loud, accented voice shouted at him to get to work with Phichit. So Gustave snapped his mouth shut and skated over to where Phichit was staring at them from across the ice, eyes wide.
That would be a problem for later.
"Get over here, Yuuri," the voice called out.
Roberto D'Alonzo wasn't currently allowed to be on ice, so he was coaching from the boards but didn't ever work with Yuuri. In fact, Yuuri was surprised to see him at the rink at all, since Steph and Jeremy were in Moscow. Coach Roberto worked with ice dancers almost exclusively. Celestino had snatched him from the jaws of retirement a handful of years ago and offered him a position to coach only who he wanted once he'd realized that Roberto was planning to leave Italy and move to Michigan to be closer to his kids and grandkids, who had immigrated many years prior.
Ciao Ciao said it was serendipity. It probably was.
And while Yuuri was not an ice dancer and therefore outside of Roberto's remit, Yuuri did admire the work he'd done as an ice dancer, coach and choreographer over the many, many, many years of his career (the man was older than Yakov, though far less dour), so he had nothing but the utmost respect for Roberto. He skated over.
" Mi scusi , Coach D'Alonzo." Talking to Sara was helpful.
Roberto waved his hand. "No bother. Celestino warned me you were probably going to talk back to Gustave, and if I hadn't had to have surgery and it wasn't the middle of the Grand Prix, well, things might be a bit different around here. He's a lot different than when I coached him, back when he was twenty." In other words, back when Gustave was just starting in Seniors. "Just have patience. I'll talk to Gustave and tell him to leave you alone."
" Grazie , Coach D'Alonzo."
"I like that you take your work seriously." He laid his hands on the boards. "Now, I told Celestino that I'd work on your step sequence with you since you did me and my skaters a favor at Skate America. You've even helped out since with Stephanie's… enthusiasm problem."
Yuuri choked back a laugh. That was one way of looking at things. He hadn't been helping to get something out of it though; it was just what they needed and they were Yuuri's rinkmates, so it only made sense to help out. "I don't understand."
"Celestino asked, and I said fine. So that's what we're going to do. I've watched your skates and spent a bit of time watching you on the ice with Kai and Celestino. I don't think that you'd have as much trouble getting through your step sequence if you could breathe through the pauses better. So that's what we're going to work on today."
Yuuri tilted his head to the side. "Breathe through it?" Yuuri was pretty sure he knew how to breathe. And that wasn't even Yuuri being facetious; breath control was important in dance, and it'd been something that he'd learned young.
Like Celestino, Roberto was one of those Italians who really talked with his hands and they waved about in overtime as he spoke. "You lose too much breath. You dance. I know you do. You've brought that ballet dancer here."
Yuuri grinned at someone referring to Minako as " that ballet dancer ," but nodded. "I've danced ballet for most of my life."
"Then why the hell are you holding your breath during the pauses? You should know better!"
Was he? He frowned. If he was, he should definitely know better.
"This piece of yours. It's all here." Roberto's fingers thumped hard against Yuuri's chest; the unexpected strength of the blow made Yuuri cough. "You need to get some of this," he added, tapping Yuuri's head just as hard, "into it as well." Roberto paused to take a deep breath. "Now go and skate it, and I'm going to sit down and when I yell at you to do something you do it. Remember, we're all supposed to go easy on my heart or some nonsense. So say the doctors, and my daughter and granddaughter say I have to listen to them."
Yuuri nodded.
"Go!"
He moved out into his rink space and started skating, worrying less about the actual sequence of steps – their edges and balance shifts and all the things he usually did – and focusing more on breathing and not letting his breath stop just because he paused on the ice.
Sure enough, he had been holding his breath; he could feel the difference. How had he not noticed? How had Minako not ?! This was just embarrassing.
"Now do that without messing the rest up!"
He nodded. "Yes, Coach D'Alonzo."
Phichit looked over at Yuuri as he pulled into a spot in the strip mall. It was as good a time as any to try and get him to spill about his outburst with Gustave at the rink earlier. "I can't believe you did that with Gustave. I thought his head was legitimately going to explode when you told him you didn't like him."
"Well, I don't." Yuuri parked the car and they got out. "It won't take long. I just need to get some dance shorts. I can't find my old ones anywhere, and I am not wearing a ballet leotard to this class."
Phichit shrugged. "I should look at new dance shoes, anyway. I think I've worn a hole into the sole of one." Yuuri wasn't being fair, changing the subject like that; Phichit needed to figure out how to get the conversation back onto the right track, and quickly.
Yuuri shook his head. "Then you have definitely waited too long to replace them. If you're buying here, go with Bloch. I like them better than the Capezios they keep stocked."
Phichit just nodded, but then took a breath. "Look, I know you might think I'm just a kid-"
"I don't think that, Phichit. What's this about?"
It was about a lot of things, but primarily– "You know that Steph's an adult and doesn't need you defending her." Phichit was not going to let the conversation die. He had a desperate need to know everything all the time, but especially so now.
"I'm well aware of that, Phichit. Gustave wanting to sleep with Steph is not my problem with him. Actually, it is a bit, but that's not really my business. Steph taking him up on that every now and then is also not my problem with the situation. It's not great, but… I worry about her because she's a rinkmate, dance partner and a friend."
Phichit's brow furrowed and he ran to stand in front of Yuuri before he could enter the dance store, pointedly blocking the glass door. "Then what is?"
Yuuri sighed. "If Steph and Gustave want to sleep together, that's their business and not mine. None of it should be my business. There are just things that happened because of it that I don't like that made it my business."
"Like what?" Phichit shoved his hands into his pockets and stared. He wasn't terribly good at being patient, but he was getting better at waiting out Yuuri.
Yuuri chewed on his lip. "It impacted Steph's skating. Gustave wasn't fixing Steph's form because he just wanted to… I am not saying what I said to Steph to you. It was rude when I said it to her, and it'd be worse if I repeated it to you, but I think you can fill in the blank."
"Yeah. You said that he wanted to push her up against the boards and have his way with her. Which apparently made Celestino completely freak out for a sec."
"No, that's what I said to Jeremy , but… close enough. Either way, it was not one of my finer moments. Never mind. That poor form on those holds and lifts impacted Jeremy's skating. Jeremy likes ice dance and if Steph doesn't want to take it as seriously as he does, then she should let him find a new partner that does, regardless of what their mothers want. I don't actually think that's what Steph wants, though. She's just distracted."
"Because Gustave has a nice dick." At least that's what Phichit had heard.
Yuuri scratched the back of his neck. "I have no idea about that. I have not seen it, but sure, yeah, I guess. She's nineteen, she's living in the dorms at Wayne State, and her mother isn't breathing down her neck anymore, unlike last year. And I get it. But they are so close to being on that podium at Nationals, and getting to Worlds."
In truth, the American skaters had a much tougher road than Phichit did. The ranks for top spot were much deeper here in the US than in Thailand, where Phichit was already the best skater they had in Men's and no skaters who had the necessary technique level in the other divisions. So yes: for skaters like Steph and Jeremy, Nationals was their biggest and toughest challenge, the last hurdle to clear so that they could make the international teams for things like Four Continents and Worlds.
Phichit was so deep in thought that he barely noticed Yuuri stepping around him into the store to wind his way through displays toward the more casual dancewear. When Phichit eventually snapped himself out of his thoughts, he darted through the racks to catch up. "So basically it all boils down to skating?"
Yuuri sighed and turned away from the display he'd been looking at. "Isn't that why we're all at the rink training for hours a day? You're there for four hours a day. I average five. Madison is about the same, and Steph and Jeremy are at four too. That's a lot of hours to throw away just for…" Yuuri trailed off.
"Some dick?" Phichit cheekily replied.
Yuuri looked up at the ceiling and took a breath before nodding. "Yes. And I know it's a stupid thing to do, but when I did it last year, the only skating it was going to impact was mine. And since I felt like my skating was already a lost cause at that point, it didn't even matter." That one sentence was more than Phichit had ever been able to get out of Yuuri about how he felt last year. He'd certainly known that something was wrong with Yuuri, but never been able to really get to the heart of it, even as Yuuri cut back on both coached and free sessions, taken on more dance classes, and stayed at the frat more, avoiding the skate club whenever possible for more than a month.
Yuuri hadn't wanted to talk about it when it was happening. He hadn't wanted to talk about it after he pulled out of his funk, either. Which meant it was time for Phichit to change the subject before Yuuri shut down on him again. He couldn't bank on Viktor Nikiforov showing up to fix Yuuri a second time. "So why do you need dance shorts, anyway?"
"I'm taking a pole class tomorrow with a classmate, and she suggested shorts to help my thighs grip the pole better."
"Pole class?" Oh Em Gee. No way! Phichit could not have heard that correctly. "Wait wait wait. Do you mean pole dancing?" Phichit drew his phone out of his pocket and immediately opened Instagram. Though really, maybe Twitter would be better, since there wasn't a good pic to be had right then for Insta. Yuuri wasn't even holding a pair of incriminatingly skimpy shorts!
As if reacting to some sixth sense, Yuuri turned around, eyes immediately snapping to Phichit's phone. Phichit managed to dance away before Yuuri could make a grab for it; unfortunately, Yuuri had other means to keep Phichit from posting, and he didn't hesitate to use them. "Passwords, Phichit. Think about this before you do anything you'll regret. I do not need more nonsense on social media right now!"
That was kinda fair. Their refrigerator didn't even have room for more nonsense from social media at the moment, either.
"Celeste, did you really talk the hot Asian guy you were lab partners with last year into coming to a pole class?" Lizzie had switched up hair colors since their last class; at current, her bleached hair was dyed a bright teal.
Celeste nodded as she finished tying her own hair up into a ponytail and went to take the pole she always used; the pole to the right was being kept free for Yuuri's use. "I did. I don't know how I did it, but I did."
And sure enough, Yuuri was currently talking to their instructor, Jade, at the front of the room. She had leveled a look at Celeste that said she definitely knew what Celeste had been thinking, but really, Celeste had had no idea Yuuri would ask to come along to her class when she mentioned it! She was just trying to make conversation.
Yuuri nodded one last time at something Jade said before turning away and heading over to his bag, which was currently piled along with everyone else's in the corner. Celeste – and everyone else probably – watched as he stripped out of his training jacket and sweatpants.
"I love you, Celeste," Lizzie loudly whispered from behind her.
Which was understandable: Yuuri was wearing a loose sleeveless top – and really tight, really short shorts. Celeste swallowed in spite of herself. It wasn't like she hadn't known that Yuuri's ass and thighs were amazing. There was no hiding that fact, given his penchant for wearing skinny jeans. But now, there were no jeans. There were barely even shorts, and it was beyond amazing . That wasn't even an exaggeration. Yuuri literally had the kind of thighs humans in general wished for, and the way his shorts were clinging to his ass… Everyone in this class was either going to love her or hate her by the end of the hour.
Yuuri was a little red in the face, but smiled as he took his place next to her. "This is all right?" He paused and wrapped his hand around the pole. "I wasn't really sure. I don't have a ton of athletic wear that shows a lot of skin. You know, because the rink is cold."
Lizzie bounced forward. "You're dressed great! I'm Elizabeth, by the way. Lizzie for short. I'm sure you'll have a great time."
Yuuri turned and smiled shyly. "Thanks. I'm Yuuri."
"And I'm Brittany." Another girl leaned around Celeste and waved.
Yuuri waved back. "Nice to meet you."
"All right, girls, leave the new guy alone and let's get started with some warming up." Jade shook her head at all of them before turning to look at Yuuri. "Yuuri, don't worry too much about being able to keep up, just do your best."
"I'll definitely try my hardest." He sounded so sincere and determined that Celeste was not surprised by the chorus of giggles that followed from all around the room.
By the time they were ten minutes into class, leaning forward with their palms on the floor in front of them to stretch their calves, Celeste was pretty sure the scale was tipping toward everyone loving her.
"Oh, you're back from Moscow! It's been awfully quiet the last few days without Makkachin." Nadia stepped out of her apartment, swiftly closing the door behind her before Irina could escape.
Viktor smiled at her and leaned against his suitcase while Makka pressed up against his leg. "This time of the season is always hectic for me. Lots of coming and going."
Nadia just nodded. "Oh, I know, but I was hoping that things would settle into a nice routine for Makka since your boyfriend moved in. I haven't seen him in ages, though. I hope everything is all right with you two."
"My…? Do you mean Yuuri?" Makka stood up and pressed up against Viktor's hand for pets with a whine, seemingly reacting to the mention of Yuuri's name.
"See, even Makkachin knows that he's a keeper. I thought that since he moved in, he'd be staying with Makka while you traveled for competitions; she'd be so much happier that way."
"Ah. No. Um. Yes, she would, but, um, Yuuri skates as well. He trains in the United States with a different coach and had to go back to get ready for the season."
"Oh, I see. I suppose that makes things a little more complicated, but I'm sure you're looking forward to him coming back." Nadia smiled at him. "The two of you are quite cute together. I hope that the two of you figure out how to arrange things so that he's here more often then there. Makkachin would just thrive under the attention, I'm sure."
Viktor just nodded, aware that the conversation had gotten completely away from him. "He sent her a gift with his coach to Moscow." Why was he still talking?
"Oh that's so sweet . Do you hear that, girl? Your Papa's boyfriend sent you a present. You need to tell your Papa to sort out this living situation mess. I bet there are coaches here. Your Papa has one, after all." The dog barked and bounced over to Nadia for some pets before making her way back to Viktor. Obviously Makka agreed that Yuuri needed to move in with them. "I'm sure you're tired and just want to take a nap, so I won't keep you any longer, Viktor. Have a nice evening."
"You too, Nadia." Viktor watched as she headed for the elevator and then turned to unlock the door and stepped in with a sigh. Once he closed the door behind him, he turned and let his head hit the wood with a thunk.
He'd meant to say that Yuuri wasn't his boyfriend, just a friend who had been visiting. But his brain had just skipped over that part and his mouth had jumped straight to saying that Yuuri had had to go back to the States to train. With the way that conversation had gone, Viktor was positive that Nadia pictured him and Yuuri halfway to getting married at this point, and it couldn't have been further from the truth.
There had to be a way to fix this, but Viktor didn't know what it was and there was literally no one he could ask for help, because then whoever he asked for help might figure out that he was sleeping with Yuuri. Had slept with Yuuri. Was planning to sleep with Yuuri again.
Well, he could ask Yuuri what to do. Yuuri would probably know how to fix it. Maybe. There was only one slight problem with asking Yuuri: he was still the teeniest bit annoyed with Viktor over the whole #viktorshotboy thing.
He'd even given Viktor a mantra to chant on layovers in the future when bored. "I will not post memes about Yuuri to Twitter." It wasn't a very good mantra and Viktor was liable to forget to do it, but for now it was working. He hadn't shared a single meme to Twitter, even though it'd been terribly tempting to post asking if presents for one's dog can forgive bad fashion sense in #viktorshotboy.
Of course, Yuuri's threat to tell Yakov that Viktor wasn't to be trusted with his phone while traveling probably also had something to do with it.
Oh, self control was so overrated… except for when it kept Yuuri from getting annoyed with him again.
Makka insistently pushed up against Viktor's leg. Fair enough; the Nadia mess could wait until later. He had a dog to give a present to.