"Vitya! I saw that!"

Viktor looked over his shoulder at the boards where Yuuri was glaring at him with the force of Omega. "Oops! Did you? You weren't supposed to!"

Yuuko laughed where she was leaning against the boards next to Yuuri. "If you think him doing an axel is bad, you should have seen the double loop earlier."

"Vitya!" Yuuri hissed, glowering even harder.

"Yuuko! I thought we were friends!" Viktor whined as he joined them.

Chuckling, Yuuko winked at him. "We are, but Yuuri has been my friend longer. Sorry! Don't worry so much, though, Yuuri. I promise the girls and I are keeping a very close eye on him. He's being careful."

"You really shouldn't be jumping at all," Yuuri told him, though his face softened enough that Viktor was no longer afraid it was actually Omega about to leap across the boards and wring his neck.

"It's been a month," Viktor reminded him. "I'm not doing triples or quads. I'm certainly not doing beillman's or twist positions in my spins, either, I can tell you that." He'd learned the hard way that his ribs definitely still hurt trying to do a simple catch out of a camel spin. Spins, at least, had a larger range of freedom for adjustments. With jumps, you could either do them, or you couldn't.

Sighing, Yuuri pressed his glasses up onto his nose and finally exchanged the look of anger for concern. "I just don't want you to push yourself too hard and injure yourself again. You've still got another month and a half."

"Yes, yes, you're right," Viktor acknowledged, "but Yakov even said I could start doing doubles according to your doctor's instructions." Aha! He had Yuuri, now.

Yuuri's eyes narrowed threateningly. "Then I'll be having words with him."

"W-wait! Yuuri! What kind of words?" Viktor knew that look. He unfortunately really knew that look. Omega?

"I'm kidding, Vitya," Yuuri told him, that look gone as soon as it had come. "I'm just being a worry wart. I can't help it. I pretty much always worry. It's in my DNA."

Blinking, Viktor gave his head a small shake. It happened again. The light in the rink wasn't even that good with such small windows. It wasn't like his rink back home. Viktor couldn't just be seeing a trick twice like that, could he? "Yu…uri?"

"Hmm?" Yuuri tilted his head. "Vitya? Are you ok? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Definitely not a ghost, but - ah, nevermind. Sorry! Must just be the meds and those side effects," Viktor waved him off. "I think I've had enough for today." Grabbing his guards he stepped off and wiped the ice from his blades before slipping them on.

Yuuri opened his mouth to try and question Viktor further, but his phone started to ring and one look at the caller ID had him sighing. "Excuse me, I have to take this."

Once Yuuri was out of the rink and back into the lobby, Yuuko took a seat next to Viktor on the bench and smiled. "Thank you. For everything."

"I don't think I've done anything," Viktor argued as he began to unlace his skates. "I think I should be thanking you for letting me use the rink. I really wish you'd let me pay you something for the time."

Yuuko waved her hand. "No, no! The exposure we'll get alone having Viktor Nikiforov at our rink will be enough, trust me. I've already been getting calls. Besides, I was talking about Yuuri. I can't tell you how much I've worried about him day and night ever since the incident. Growing up among the Yakuza, I knew it would be a hard road for him to find someone to stand by his side. Even more so considering…well…Omega. Yet, here you are. Who would have ever thought? You made not just Yuuri's dream come true, but all of ours. Yuuri has been nothing but business since he took on a clan of his own, and doing that made him have to leave us behind here in Hasetsu. You've brought him back to us, and you've made him happy. Thank you. We really could never repay you."

"I used to think that it was Yuuri that saved me, but I guess we really saved each other," Viktor smiled fondly. "Even Omega saved me in his own right."

"That one is something else," Yuuko let out a small laugh. "Scary, isn't he? But so cool, too! Man, I wish I could be a badass like that and do more for omegas the way he has. I'm just stuck helping my husband launder money through an ice rink for his clan and raising three obnoxious triplets. How boring!"

Well, Viktor wasn't sure 'cool' was the word he'd use to describe Omega, but badass for sure. And Viktor had met the triplets. Obnoxious, but extremely cute. They only knew a handful of words in English, but he could certainly feel their enthusiasm anytime he came by the rink. "Well, even the boring jobs are important, and I really admire all your loyalty to one another."

"We may be criminals, but you won't find more loyal people than the mafia," Yuuko told her. "Otherwise," she made a gun with her fingers, "pow!"

"Yes, so I've witnessed," Viktor chuckled nervously, finishing removing his skates. Who would ever have thought he'd be here? Talking so casually to members of the mafia. Making friends with them. Falling in love with them.

Yuuko bent down suddenly and placed the finger gun to his head. "So don't go betraying our Yuuri, got it?" Viktor froze in surprise at the dark tone of her voice. She then started laughing and gave his head a pat, "Wow, you really looked scared! Thought you'd be used to that kind of talk by now!"

"Am I used to threats? From Seung Gil and Omega, yes! Not from sweet omega's like you!" Viktor whined, needing a minute to recover from the scare.

"Being married to Yuuri, you might as well just assume everyone is going to threaten you like that," Yuuko chuckled. "Anyways, gotta go fire up the zam. Welcome to the family, Viktor."

Viktor subconsciously reached for his heart and felt a warmth. When he was finished wiping off his blades and placing everything in his bag, he went to find Yuuri. The omega was off the phone, but he'd been cornered by the triplets who were all shoving their phone in his face. To Yuuri's credit, he was handling it with smiles and laughs. It begged a question Viktor had never asked: Had Yuuri ever considered becoming a mother?

Probably not, given the circumstances, but clearly members of the Yakuza did have children. Maybe not clan leaders, though…but then how was succession done? Were successors simply chosen? Was there a process? Viktor would add it to the list of things he'd need to know. As for him, would be an outstanding househusband and stay-at-home dad. Yuuri wouldn't have to worry about a thing, but Viktor also wouldn't press the issue. He'd be happy either way. As long as Yuuri was happy.

"They're showing me your double loop, and your double flip, and your double salchow," Yuuri told him.

Whoops. Busted! "Well? What does my second coach think?"

"Perfect form, as always," Yuuri commented. He told something to the girls that made them moan and groan in unison, but they put the phone away and scurried off as they said 'bye-bye!' to Viktor. "If you need any of the videos to send to Yakov, let me know. I can have Yuuko send them to me."

"No, Yakov doesn't need to see me doing doubles," Viktor laughed, though it might be funny to send as a joke. He wasn't needing to send training videos just yet. Instead, Yakov was sending him training plans that Viktor was actually following. They still had a lot to work out, but Viktor wanted it to be in person. For now, they were just coach and student. When he arrived at Worlds, he hoped they could be father and son again. Yakov, at the very least, had left a congratulatory comment on his post about his engagement.

That had certainly caused a storm of events within the figure skating community. Most people were extremely supportive, but also surprised. Viktor and Yuuri had been rather secretive and the only people in the community to have known were Chris, Phichit, and Yuri. Some were suspicious of the timing, thinking it was just a way to draw attention off the situation with the Bratva. Well, duh. Viktor was extremely tired of the texts, calls, and emails asking him to comment and he had no doubt it would be a topic he was bombarded with at Worlds. But also, what better time to propose than after you very nearly died?! He'd always have his haters, even long after he retired. Didn't they have anything better to do than bother him? Honestly.

"Are you ok to walk back after practice?" Yuuri asked. "I walked, but I can call Seung Gil."

Viktor shook his head as he threw his bag over his shoulder. "No, I'm fine. It's not that long, and the sun is setting. It'll be beautiful."

"And cold," Yuuri laughed, opening the door for them.

"I'm Russian, remember?" Viktor smiled. The second Yuuri let go of the door, Viktor held out a hand. Yuuri took it.

They walked in silence for a while, just enjoying the sounds of the ocean and the feel of the winter breeze against their skin. It was too long of a walk to remain completely silent, though. "Only a couple more weeks until the Olympics. Have you given it any more thought on whether or not you want to go?"

Too much thought, probably. Viktor remained unsure of what he wanted to do. "I feel like I should be there to support Yura, but I wouldn't be able to be with him in the village, or behind the scenes to comfort him and give him guidance. I'd just be a spectator, leaving myself vulnerable to world media and nosey fans. A few Russian media outlets have asked me to come on their shows to speak about figure skating should I come down, but I really am not ready for all of that after everything. I'm just ready for peace and quiet."

"I'd be by your side through the entire thing, if that helps," Yuuri told him, "but I understand if you'd rather just stay here."

It really had nothing to do about feeling sorry for himself or upset that he wasn't performing. Viktor honestly hadn't given that much thought at all. The Olympics could be fun, but they were also exhausting and Viktor was already too tired to deal with all of that. The Olympics were for the young, and Viktor certainly wasn't that any longer. "I think I'd rather stay here and watch at the onsen with a nice steaming bowl of katsudon and a bottle of sake. Seung Gil won't be disappointed, will he? Being that it's in Korea?"

"Ah, no," Yuuri told him. "Don't worry about that. It's hard for him to see the family he still speaks to when he goes. It's…kind of like my situation here. Visiting puts his family at risk with the local clans."

Right, and the other half of his family were the ones that had sold him in the first place. Viktor couldn't even begin to imagine what that was like. "Still, I would have thought he would have liked to visit his home country at least under your protection." Even just being in a place where they spoke your native language made you feel more at ease.

"I'll tell him how sorry you feel for him," Yuuri teased. "I'm sure he'd really love to hear how sympathetic you are and how much you think he must be feeling upset and down."

Now that was just uncalled for! "Don't you dare, Yuuri! I don't care at all!"

"Ok," Yuuri laughed.

It had quickly become routine over the last few weeks. Viktor would enjoy meals with Yuuri and his family. He'd started learning various phrases and although it was in small amounts, he was starting to be able to communicate more with Yuuri's parents. After eating, he'd enjoy a long soak in the onsen. Sometimes Yuuri and Seung Gil would be there, but mostly it ended up just being him. Then, he'd go to bed with Yuuri, and start his day all over again at the rink. It was a much better routine than he'd ever had in St. Petersburg. More enjoyable, to say the least.

One thing he had learned quite well, however, was that Yuuri was naturally a night owl. Unless work required it, he preferred to stay up late and wake at noon. So when Viktor woke and Yuuri wasn't there, he worried if work had finally come calling in ways more than a phone call. When Viktor looked over at the clock he saw it was before 6:30. That was extremely unusual for Yuuri.

Mari was the first to greet him downstairs. "He went to the Ice Palace."

Viktor blinked in confusion. "Ice Palace?"

"Yeah. When Yuuri was younger, whenever he couldn't sleep, he'd get up and go to the Ice Palace," Mari explained. "Yuuko had given him a key. I guess he still has it."

Seung Gil was up and drinking tea at the chabudai. He shrugged. "He told me he didn't want me to come with him."

Was Yuuri…skating? Finally? Viktor had a few nutrient bars in the room. That would do for breakfast. He didn't want to sit down for a proper meal and potentially miss out on Yuuri being on the ice. Makkachin and Vicchan were both annoyed that he was leaving so soon. He'd have to make it up to the poodles later. Seung Gil probably didn't give them half the attention they deserved during the day. Returning to his room, he dressed quickly and strapped his skating bag to his back. Instead of walking, he ran.

The run was actually just what Viktor needed, and he entered the Ice Palace feeling fresh and excited instead of winded and tired. Yuuko greeted him and pointed to the ice. Viktor darted through the doors. Sure enough, there was Yuuri standing in the center of the ice. He wasn't doing anything, simply staring up.

"I thought we made a promise that I'd be there to hold your hand when you returned to the ice," Viktor told him.

Yuuri turned around and smiled nervously. "Well, if I'm going to move any further from this spot, it's going to have to be with your help. I put my skates on and stepped onto the ice, but this is as far as I've gotten. I'm scared. I'm scared I won't be able to do any more than just…this."

"Stay there, then. I'll be right there," Viktor promised as he quickly began to pull his skates out from his bag. He didn't take nearly as much care as he usually did in making sure both skates were of equal tightness and that the laces were secure. He just wanted to be out there with Yuuri. When he stepped out he extended his hand and Yuuri took it. "Like riding a bike. Let's just start with stroking."

Gripping Viktor's hand tightly, they began to stroke the perimeter. Yuuri moved fluidly, even with clean crossovers, not at all looking at all like someone who hadn't been on the ice in years.

"Look at you go, Yuuri!" Viktor beamed, trying to be as encouraging as he possibly could.

"I'm hardly doing anything," Yuuri told him, looking down meekly.

Viktor stayed close, but he let go of Yuuri's hand. The omega's eyes went wide and he immediately stopped. He stopped with a tango stop. Not a hockey stop. Not a t-stop. A tango stop. The alpha couldn't help but laugh. "He says as he does the hardest stop in skating. Your flexibility hasn't gone anywhere it seems. Let's try something harder, then. You know the crossover pattern, the circle one from Juvenile moves?"

"Yes," Yuuri nodded as he pushed off for the center of the ice and set up. "I think I can do it. Not as fast as you're supposed to, though."

"It doesn't need to be," Viktor told him. "Go only as fast as you feel comfortable."

Sucking in an unsure breath, Yuuri pushed off. The pattern looked simple, but wasn't as easy as it seemed. The skater started off with slow and long crossovers and gradually got faster and faster as they snailed out of the circle until they were practically running. Yuuri was right that he was not as quick as he needed to be to pass under a judge's eyes, but that didn't matter. He was smooth, and every crossover was fully extended with a good reach. After the final step, he even extended his free leg and brought his hands up over his head in the usual presentation for a judge. The figure skater was very much still inside of Yuuri. Viktor began to clap.

"That wasn't so bad!" Yuuri came to a stop and turned around excitedly. "I didn't feel any pain, but that was also my good way. Hold on, let me try the other direction."

Viktor had to hold in his excitement, despite feeling the need to burst with it. He watched as Yuuri repeated the same pattern going the other way. It wasn't as steady, but it was still at a level far above most people. Viktor felt ready to explode with happiness. "You didn't need my hand after all! Yuuri, that was fantastic!"

Laughing, Yuuri started to play. Counter, rocker, bracket, into a loop and then a back inside twizzle. It was slow, but those were some of the hardest turns in skating. "My knees don't really bend the way they used to. Still trying to feel my edges."

Viktor could relate. "My knees don't bend the way they used to, either. Mine is age, though. Yours is just from not being used."

Humming, Yuuri started into a cross roll twizzle pattern. "I'm not exactly young anymore, either." He suddenly stumbled on his feet and fell backwards with a thud on his ass.

"Ah! Yuuri!" Viktor felt his heart stop and he hurried over. "Are you ok?"

To Viktor's surprise, Yuuri started to laugh. "Ah, typical me. I always felt like I fell more doing stupid things than jumps."

"The amount of times I've tripped over my toepick outweighs falls from jumps," Viktor agreed, offering a hand. He was just relieved Yuuri wasn't upset or hurt.

Yuuri wiped the snow off of his butt and the back of his legs. "Maybe that's a sign I've done too much for the day. Thank you, Vitya. I never would have returned to the ice if it weren't for you." Grabbing Viktor's waist, Yuuri pulled them into a hug and pressed his cheek to the alpha's chest.

While Yuuri had made it look easy and had a smile on his face, Viktor knew that it had been no easy task to find the courage to do what he did. After such a large tragedy that changed the course of his life forever, Yuuri had been able to put it aside and come back. "Everyday you amaze me more, Yuuri."

"You shouldn't be a coach. You have really low expectations," Yuuri teased him.

Viktor laughed, but it was drowned out by the sound of someone slowly clapping extremely loudly. Frowning, Viktor looked up and saw as three men in black suits entered. Yuuko had a horrified look on her face as she walked several steps behind them. The man who had been clapping shouted something in Japanese and Viktor could feel the air around him change. He could feel the way Yuuri disappeared and Omega surfaced as eyes turned red and muscles tensed angrily. Yuuri knew these men, and they were no friends.

"They have some nerve to show up here," Omega growled threateningly. "Stay on the ice. They will be lucky if I don't spill their blood upon it."

"Yu-Omega, who are they?" Viktor asked quietly. His heart still beat tensely in these moments, but it wasn't fear. Strangely…it wasn't fear. Viktor knew Omega could handle himself and any situation, so there was no need to be afraid. At least not for himself or Yuuri. He was, however, nervous about what was about to happen to the men Yuuri so clearly did not like and were not welcome there.

Omega did not answer, instead skating to the door. He did so much less gracefully than Yuuri. Whatever words were actually being said were not pleasant. Viktor looked at Yuuko who shook her head at him. He may not be scared, but she was. At least Viktor was safe on the ice as long as knives were involved. He could play keep-away from men with knives on the ice not in skates all day long. Guns, however…he hoped no one had a gun.

Things escalated, and then suddenly Omega was landing a kick to one of the men's chest, toepick and blade digging into his skin. Kicking him off his blade, the man fell to the ground and chaos ensued. Yuuko had to join in on the fight to equalize it, and with the element of surprise on their side they disarmed the other two. Omega was growling something as he held the attacker's knife to his throat.

"Oi! Yamero!"

All eyes turned to the new, booming voice. Viktor recognized him. Takeshi, Yuuko's husband. He had no idea what Takeshi was saying, but it was enough for the knives to back away from throats and for everyone to separate from each other. After some time and heated conversation, the two men picked up their injured and very much bleeding friend and left. Feeling they were in the clear, Viktor hurried to the boards.

"What was all of that?" He asked, trying to avoid the blood as he stepped off.

"That was the brother of the man who tried to rape and mate Yuuri after breaking his legs," Omega snarled. "I suppose he still hasn't gotten over the fact I killed his brother and mailed them his head."

Yuuko sighed and placed a hand to her forehead. "This is why Yuuri never comes home. Because of these assholes who just won't let it go when they were the ones to start everything! I guess I'm more surprised it took them this long to show up. Didn't think it would be here."

"Better here than the onsen," Takeshi huffed. "Would have ended up with several dead bodies instead of just one who got an ice skate stuck in his chest. You better clean those properly, or Yuuri is going to be angry."

Omega picked up his foot with the bloody blade. "He's lucky I didn't aim a little more to the right."

"You better be on your guard," Takeshi told Viktor. "This is going to cause nothing but trouble, and you'll always be an easy target to them."

Yuuko and Takeshi spoke in hushed angry voices as they walked away. Pulling his bag away from the blood, he took a seat and began to unlace his skates. Omega took a seat and did the same. "Here. Let me see," he held out a hand for the bloody skate. Using the leftover snow from his own blades he cleaned off the blood as best he could before using the towel. He'd just toss it and grab a fresh one from the onsen.

"We can't stay at the onsen," Omega told him as he handed back the skate. He actually seemed sad about it. "It'll put Yuuri's family in danger."

Sighing, Viktor nodded in understanding. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. I certainly don't want to do anything that might get your family hurt. Will we go back to your home?"

"Yes," Omega answered. "I don't really know anything about ice skating or what resources will be available to you, but we'll figure something out."

"Sweet of you to think of me," Viktor smiled, but it was short lived in his sadness. Sadness that he couldn't spend more time with Yuuri's family. Sadness that they had to live this life of fear. Sadness that they had to be separated from their own son because of all of this. "Is there really no way to deal with them? So that you don't have to stay away?"

Omega sucked in an angry breath. "The Suzuki Clan is a large and powerful one in terms of the area, and they have many allies that would be more than happy to get rid of me if asked. I'm powerful with a lot of friends of my own, but this is too close to home. I could probably win, but at what cost to my clan and Yuuri's family? Their business? It is not fair to put them through this when we could just stay away."

"Do you really think it's that simple, though?" Viktor asked. "It's obvious Yuuri's parents love him very much and miss him. It can't be easy to have to be apart all the time."

"I said it was simple, not easy," Omega argued. "You may have to make your own choices to stay away from people you love because of the life you've chosen."

It didn't feel like much of a sacrifice for Viktor, because he didn't have the same things as Yuuri did. He didn't have an immediate family, and in skating you were very used to only seeing close friends at competitions. Viktor maybe saw Chris four weekends a year unless they toured together for a summer show. Staying away from those that were important in his life wouldn't be much different than what he was already doing, especially after retiring from competition all together.

"I'll call Seung Gil for a car. We shouldn't walk out in the open," Omega said as he pulled out his phone.

Viktor cleaned up and stored both their skates away and grabbed the bags. Yuuko was trying to clean up the puddle of blood and sadly mumbled a goodbye. She didn't even get a chance to say goodbye to her friend, because he wasn't there. Omega was. After so many weeks of seeing Seung Gil relaxed, it was strange to see him come fully armed to pick them up. Back to it, then.

Omega must have told Yuuri's family what happened, because he could see the disappointment all over their faces. He wished Omega would have waited for Yuuri to be able to say it. It likely would have been kinder. More compassionate.

"Well, I guess that was the longest vacation I've had in years, so my only complaint is that I can't blame this on you," Seung Gil huffed.

It was a little sad Seung Gil considered this vacation, because there hadn't been much relaxing for him at all. From what Viktor could see, he was still working. Always working to keep Yuuri and Omega safe at every turn. He didn't believe Seung Gil ever truly got to relax and have a real vacation. "I'm sorry. I was having a good time here, too." He'd miss the healing waters of the onsen. Yuuri had a pseudo-onsen at his home, but it wasn't a real hot spring. Not like here.

Dinner was a somber state of affairs, and Viktor didn't even finish his meal before going off to find wherever Omega had gone. After looking through a few rooms and asking around, he eventually found Omega in the onsen. Omega didn't object to Viktor's presence, but he didn't much acknowledge it, either. All of this seemed to be bothering him more than he was letting on.

"Yuuri's attackers…you took care of them?" Viktor eventually asked. He'd always assumed - or hoped, rather - justice had been served, but he'd never actually asked.

"They were the first thing I took care of as Oyabun," Omega answered. "They were the example. I knew it would cause problems for my family, but I had to do it. I could not allow them to continue living after what they had done."

Viktor understood. He wasn't sure he'd feel very good if Yuuri's attackers were still out there somewhere. He'd feel a need to take care of it himself. "Would you change anything? Knowing what you do now?"

"No," Omega answered with confidence. "There was no other way. I took the fall so that other omegas would not have to live in fear of those disgusting alphas chasing after them. You know, the Suzuki Clan hasn't conducted a Hunt since then? All it takes is one person fighting back to make a change."

Then it was worth it. "Can I ask you something? Lately, when speaking with Yuuri, there are times when I feel like it's you, but only for a split second. Can the change happen that quickly? Is it some kind of bleeding effect? Or is it maybe Yuuri actually becoming you? Can that even happen? Can you two…become one again?"

"Don't get it twisted, Viktor. We will never be one person ever again," Omega told him firmly. "That's not how it works. Despite what I said and the threats I made about Yuuri, you can't just 'kill' alters. We just go into extreme hiding, which you witnessed as well as I did after the Bratva with Yuuri. A bleeding effect? Maybe. The change can happen like that. There were moments recently where it felt like I was there and then gone in a flash. It's hard to tell. To us it just feels like a moment of disassociation when it happens abruptly."

Viktor was disappointed, but not because he'd have to continue dealing with Omega. It was because he thought if Yuuri could be 'whole' again, he'd stop being so unsure of himself and might grow to have the confidence Omega had. Well, they'd all dealt with things the way they were for this long, so they'd just continue to make it work.

"You're stuck with me, Viktor, so don't get any funny ideas."

He couldn't help it. He laughed. "And what exactly do you think my 'funny ideas' might be? Me, kill you? As poetic as me being killed by an ice skate to my chest might be, I don't have any desire to make that happen. That was kind of cool, by the way. You thought on your feet…literally."

"I've learned how to use my surroundings," Omega smirked briefly before returning to his somber state. "I am sorry. I know Yuuri would have liked it for you both to be able to remain here until after Worlds. I complicated things."

Viktor wasn't sure if Omega wanted the gesture, but he placed a comforting hand to the omega's back anyway. Omega didn't shy away from it, so Viktor kept his hand there. "I would have liked to stay here, yes, but I will go wherever you go. Family is what we make it, where we make it."

"You are just the perfect alpha, aren't you?" Omega hummed, a little resentful.

It was a jab, but Viktor had learned to play into them instead of take them personally. Omega was always looking for a negative reaction, and he wouldn't get it. Instead, Viktor ran a wet hand through his hair and winked. "According to all the top men's magazines, yes. Yes I am. But I'm also your perfect alpha."

"Hardly," Omega huffed, turning around and leaning his back against the edge. "You aren't even that attractive."

Viktor gasped playfully. "Take that back! Omega!"

"Why?! I would have much preferred another Asian man, not just some pretty white boy who thinks every single omega in the world wants to jump his bones," Omega told him.

"Well, technically, part of Russia is part of Asia-,"

Omega dunked Viktor's head under the water. "Don't you even with that bullshit! I will drown you!"

After clearing his airways of the water he'd swallowed, Viktor laughed before settling against the edge next to Omega. An Asian male, huh? Viktor pressed his lips together. It had to be addressed. "You're technically a different person than Yuuri. You have your own wants. You're own desires. Do you want to be with Seung Gil?" Viktor had absolutely no idea how he would handle that kind of relationship. It would be…strange. Difficult. Viktor didn't even really want to think about having to share Yuuri, but he had to respect the fact that Omega was his own person. Yes, he was in Yuuri's body, but he was his own mind.

Sighing, Omega sunk down further into the water. "No. I do feel a certain way about Seung Gil, but I do not want to be with anyone. Not like that. Work is my focus, and I can't let anything get in the way of that. Anyone. My mission is too important to have distractions."

Viktor couldn't even believe he was saying this, but, "You can have a mission and still have a support system. Relationships don't have to be a detractor. Seung Gil loves you."

"And you'd really want that? Sharing Yuuri's body with someone you hate?" Omega asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Definitely not," Viktor answered, "but part of falling in love with Yuuri has been understanding that you are not Yuuri. You are your own person. I would be the asshole white boy you claim me to be if I were to really try and keep you from finding love of your own."

Turning around, Omega placed his arms on the edge and sank down, resting his chin on his forearms. "How perfectly alpha of you to say such a thing…but no. No. I do not want to change things between Seung Gil and I."

"Ok," Viktor acknowledged, letting it go. There was relief, but Viktor still felt guilty. The more time Viktor spent with Omega the more human he became in the alpha's eyes. Viktor wanted him to be happy. "How soon will we be leaving?"

"As soon as Yuuri returns," Omega answered. "It wouldn't be right if he didn't get to say goodbye."

Viktor was happy with that response. "Do you need me to sleep somewhere else?"

"We've slept together before, Viktor," Omega told him.

"I'm just trying to be respectful," Viktor told him with a smile.

Omega huffed, but he smiled back. "As soon as we make it back home safely, you need to mate. Don't put it off any longer. Today's events just reinforce the fact you'd be safer bonded."

"Never thought I'd be hearing you say that, but alright," Viktor nodded. "How do you think mating even works with multiple personalities? Mated pairs can often feel each other's feelings. Hear each other's thoughts, even. If I mate Yuuri, would I only have that kind of bond with him?"

"Mating connects the body regardless of the state of mind," Omega said. "I imagine I will unfortunately have your thoughts and feelings thrust upon me when I don't want them. So realize, Viktor, by me telling you to mate Yuuri, I must very much feel it is necessary."

Viktor understood the urgency completely. "I don't think Yuuri will have a problem with it. He wanted to mate before Worlds anyway."

"Good," Omega pushed himself out of the water and stood. "I'll see you in bed, then."

Viktor remained in the onsen for another twenty minutes or so before getting out. Omega must have adopted Yuuri's nightowel tendencies, because while he was tucked beneath his covers, it was with a laptop. Makkachin and Vicchan wagged their tails at Viktor's entry, and he greeted them happily before changing and getting into the bed with Omega.

"What are you even working on?" Viktor asked curiously.

"Just looking at books," Omega told him. "Laundering money is an art."

Right. Sure. "I'll leave you to it, then." Turning his back to Omega, Viktor kissed at Makkachin to have the poodle join him further up in the bed and settled in with him. Vicchan worked himself between Viktor's legs, and the alpha wondered if the dog could sense the difference between Yuuri and Omega. "Oyasumi, Omega."

Omega hummed.

Viktor took a moment to take in the room one last time, knowing this might be the last night he'd spend in it. It sucked that their time was cut short, but they'd accomplished so much here. Viktor had met Yuuri's family. He'd gotten an acceptance. Yuuri had stepped foot on the ice again. They'd done so much, and Viktor was happy. Returning back to Yuuri's home wasn't a setback, but just the next step forward.