CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

-Ready, set, GO! South Korea is on the horizon!-

It was already February 12th, and Yuri could hardly believe it. Bags were packed, routines memorized, music on CD, ready to go. Four Continents would be starting officially on the 14th, Chris' birthday, but the Men's Singles competition wasn't until halfway through the competition.

Yuri looked on his phone at the schedule for the 500th time, "Men's Short program on the 17th, then the Free Skate on the 18th...then the Gala at the end of the next day..."

"You ready?" Victor asked as he returned to their bedroom, having already started taking some of their things to the shuttle that was waiting outside.

"Getting nervous, as always."

"We haven't even left the house yet though." The silver teased, and kissed his partner's cheek as he reached for the big black rolling-suitcase, with all of its poodle and Hasetsu stickers.

"I know, I know..." Yuri grimaced, and glanced over his shoulder at his idol, "But it's time to go."

"I guess it would feel a bit like a new experience after thinking so long that the Final was the end." Victor agreed tacitly, and wrapped his arms around is partner's waist to hug him close, his chin on that favorite shoulder, "But you've already done Nationals, little of it as you think. And don't forget, you'll be allowed to have some katsudon after you get on the podium again."

Yuri could only drool at the thought, and Victor smiled, and gave that food-expectant tummy a gentle squish before he pulled away again.

"Come."

"You packed your 'Duetto' costume, right?" Yuri asked nervously.

"It was the first thing I packed."

"And mine is-"

"I packed that one second. I made sure to mash them together so it's like they're making love the entire time we're traveling."

Yuri went red as he heard the words, which amused Victor for hours. The Russian kept one hand on his beloved's leg as they travelled, rubbing his thumb back and forth slowly as the airport loomed ever-closer. He even leaned over onto Yuri's shoulder to greet his soon-to-be in-laws when they called to wish their prodigal son luck, and they were, of course, happy to hear him.

Soon after, Yuri went to check his emails one last time before he knew his phone would no longer have internet access, and he saw a message that surprised him, "Oh, it's from Minako-sensei..." He said to himself, and opened it up to read that she would be at the competition to cheer him on. Surprisingly, Mari was going to be there as well, "Mari-nee-chan is going to be at Four Continents, too?"

"Why wouldn't your sister come?" Victor wondered casually.

"Well, she came to the GPF because of Yurio mostly..." He admitted, "Heck, even Minako-sensei said once that she wished I hadn't bombed at Sochi because, because she wouldn't be able to find out which rooms all the other skaters were staying in anymore. I sometimes wonder if they came to cheer me on at all." Yuri sighed nervously.

Victor gave a scoff of a laugh at that, "Of course they did!" He insisted...though it suddenly reminded him, and he whipped out his phone again. He pulled his fiancé close for a sudden selfie before fast-tracking to Instagram to post it, "Hashtag #SkateHusbands at #FourContinents!"

Yuri noticed then that Victor's phone case had changed. No longer was it a caricature of Victor's 'Aria' costume...it the blue variant of his own 'Duetto' costume. He blushed lightly at the recognition, When did he even have time? How long has it looked like that? ...Why didn't I notice it before?

"Oh, do you like it?" Victor mused, realizing where his partner's sudden silence came from. He held his phone out for inspection, "It came in this morning; just in time! What do you think?"

"...Kind of jealous, actually." Yuri answered, "Where do you get custom cases like this? The rhinestones on it even have that holographic shine."

"If you want one, just tell me, and we can put together the graphic." The Russian explained, "It's a little website that prints knickknacks; all we have to do is send them a good, high-resolution starter image, and they'll do the rest."

"Oh, wow...I had no idea is was that easy." Yuri puffed, and pulled out his own phone again to ponder. When he turned it over though to look at the case he still had - light blue and speckled with several cute toy-poodle pictographs - he paused, and his previous excitement faded down to guilt, "...No, I couldn't..."

"Couldn't?"

"It's...dumb." Yuri said, and shook his head as he put his phone back again, "...This is the same phone-case I had last year. I just...can't quite bring myself to get rid of Vic-chan like this, I guess."

"Ah, I see...that's okay. There's no harm in keeping what you have." Victor nodded, and put his phone away as well. He reached to thread their fingers together on the seat-divider, and kissed that closest shoulder, "Just do what makes you happiest. For me, celebrating you makes me happiest. I'm sure my phone case will change a hundred times over the next year, each one a depiction of all your different costumes."

"You always know how to make the butterflies in my gut flutter." Yuri said, cheeks pink as he smiled nervously, "Don't ever stop."

.

"MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" Axel called out; the triplets looked at Victor's post only a minute after it had been posted, "They're on their way!"

Yuko came rushing into their living room a moment later to check the post, "Go Yuri!"

"We should set up another public viewing at Yu-Topia!" Loop suggested, and the other two agreed excitedly.

.

By the time the skating duo arrived at the Dong-hae Medical Spa Convention Hotel, Yuri was once again severely jet-lagged. He made it far enough to get into the hotel room, and immediately made for the sanctuary of sleep.

Victor almost wouldn't allow it though, "Yuri! We should go look around first!"

"Look later. Sleep now. There has been face-bed contact."

"But you slept the entire way here!" Victor protested feebly.

"I prefer to call that 'recreational dozing.'" Yuri corrected, and turned his head to make his point, "I don't know how you can be so awake after such a long trip..."

"I never feel more alive than when I arrive for an event!"

"And I thought I was the one with stamina..." He puffed exhaustedly into the blankets.

"I suppose I have more travel-endurance~!" Victor suggested, a finger on his lip in amused consideration. He couldn't help it though and tugged on his beloved's feet where they hung off the edge of the bed, "The energy of this place...it's intoxicating! I want to go out and see everything!"

"My events don't start for another couple days...we can go sight-seeing tomorrow..." Yuri explained, "For now...sleep..."

Victor shook his head and sighed, and moved over to at least push his partner into bed properly. That done, he looked around their small space. It was early afternoon and bright outside, so he rummaged in their bags until he found the face-mask Yuri needed to be able to sleep normally within all the light. He gently sat on the edge of the bed and slipped it onto his fiancé's head, "I'm going to go take a look around then while you nap. I'll come back in a few hours. Message me if you wake up before I return, okay? I won't be far." He asked, and rubbed the man's back as he spoke.

Yuri nodded and yawned, "I'm sorry I get so jet-lagged after these flights...I want to come...I really do, I just..." He said, one eye uncovered the peek back at the man, "I'm deceased."

"Yuri, it's fine. Really!" Victor insisted, "Get your rest. I'll scout the arenas and see who all has arrived. I'll show it all to you once you're awake again." He moved to pull the comforter over, and turned his beloved into a bed-burrito, "I'll see you later."

"See you..."

Victor quietly left the room after that, and pulled his coat close, looking rather official again in his coaching regalia. He headed down to the administration desk in the Press Building to check himself and Yuri in with the ISU delegates, got their passes, and entered into the arena proper. He looked around curiously, trying to get his bearings for the huge soon-to-be-Olympic complex, and got out the information packet that the ISU had provided.

"All Championship events, as well as some official practices, will take place at the Gangneung Ice Arena, with an ice surface of 30m x 60m. The remainder of the official practices will take place at the Gangneung Ice Arena Practice Rink with an ice surface of the same. Both facilities are in the same venue, indoor, air-conditioned, and heated. Hmm..." He looked over the pamphlet and saw the location across the street, "I wonder if Yuri has aspirations to be an Olympian?" He asked to himself, not quite noticing the crowd that had started to gather around him...or the photos being taken.

"Is that...Victor Nikiforov?"

"Is he here to compete...?"

"I don't think he can; he's part of the European group..."

Whispers rose on all sides, and he finally turned his head back to see the people grouping up nearby. He was bewildered for just a second, but then fully turned around and gave them all a casual wink, "Hi there, everyone~!"

"It IS him!" The crowd cheered. Camera flashes went off like fireworks. Victor could hardly move 10ft from that location for the next two hours, as wave after wave of surprised skating fans took notice that he was there. It was unheard-of for a skater to turn up at a competition that they weren't participating in, never mind one that they were barred from participating in, but he quickly reminded them that Yuri was his reason for being there. When it seemed like the crowd had finally sucked everything out of his afternoon energy reserves, he sighed and slouched, and looked around for an escape route.

Phichit and Celestino arrived soon after, and shook their heads at him sympathetically, "I wonder where Yuri is if Victor's here without him...?" The younger of the pair wondered, and looked around in case his friend was just off to the side somewhere, avoiding the claustrophobic mass.

"Probably sleeping." Celestino suggested, "He never did travel well."

Phichit sighed, "Yeah... Oh well, I'm sure we'll see him around soon. I'll call him later."

Victor hadn't seen them as they passed, but soon, he found himself with a dire need to leave the area. He'd given enough time to fans and was eager to scout the ice rinks. He politely bowed out from the next requests for photos, and high-tailed it across the road to where the newly-finished ice arena loomed overhead. He put in his ear-buds for good measure, and hoped to use them as an excuse to ignore other people wanting to distract him. It worked well enough, and he skirted passed several large crowds without much trouble. He showed his pass to the security guards at the door and was let inside.

The arena was enormous, at least three times larger than most venues he himself had performed at in the past, save the Olympic arenas he'd been in during years prior. He whistled in admiration.

"Well well, if it isn't Victor Nikiforov, come to grace us Continentals with his shining presence." Came a voice, one that Victor only barely heard.

He turned around cheerfully, but his expression stalled as he realized Jean-Jacque Leroy was standing there with his fiancé, "Oh, hi." He said stiffly.

"Too good for your own Championship?"

"I'm not here to compete." Victor grumbled as neutrally as he could, "Hopefully that'll spare you a last-second melt-down like at the Final."

The brash Canadian took the insult in stride, "You're not the one to beat anymore." He pointed out, and stepped into the Russian's comfort-zone with a lean, "And one Silver medal doesn't make Yuri Katsuki a frontrunner either. The law of averages says Phichit's a stronger contender; at least he won international Gold this season already."

"And Otabek."

JJ bristled, "Maybe so."

Victor could feel his thinly-stretched patience fraying at the edges, "You have it easy until Worlds. When I'm back, I'll set everything straight." He said grimly, and thought, Why am I even saying that much?

"Even you have your work cut out for you, genius." JJ pulled his sunglasses off his nose and settled them on top of his head, "You practically handed your crown away to Katsuki and Plisetsky."

Victor sighed tiredly, "Is talking to you always this dull and exhausting?" He grumbled, and put his hands in his pockets, cocking his head to the side, "You talk like you've ever come within 35 points of beating me."

"Maybe I haven't yet, but my time's come. I'm a prime contender for Gold...here and at Worlds."

"You were a 'prime contender' for Gold at the GPF, too, and you barely coasted to Bronze by the grace of other peoples' shortcomings." Victor retorted glibly, giving the ages-old 'air quotes' with his fingers for emphasis, but then shook his head, "Yuri will be on the podium with me at Worlds, I guarantee it. If you manage to rob Otabek of Bronze a second time, I'll consider it a miracle."

"We'll see, old man." JJ laughed, and turned back with his dark-haired fiancé to continue their tour of the facility. He raised his hand sarcastically in a taunting wave, "Pretty soon the only gold you'll see is the gold on your finger! We'll see how long that lasts after one of you quits skating!"

Isabella at least had the sense to scold him for being such a jerk, but she only had the nerve to so quietly, so no one really heard her.

Victor just scoffed a little and rolled his eyes as he watched them leave, and turned again to look at the ice. His legs itched with longing, but he knew he had to have patience. If Yuri loses his nerves and doesn't make the podium here, then I'll bury JJ at Worlds myself, he thought. That conceited little weasel may insist on saying he has six quads in his Free Skate, but he's yet to actually pull them all off. Yuri could do it...he has the stamina. I just need to get him to believe he can do it.

Some other skaters he recognized started showing up to do the grand tour as well. GuangHong was there with Leo de la Iglasia; Otabek sulked around alone as he always did - though it seemed JJ had found him next, and walked beside the Kazakh like they were somehow good friends - so he wasn't alone for very long. Seung-gil seemed more at ease on his home turf, among many others. There were even a number of female and pair skaters he knew, took several photos with them happily, and gave his well wishes in their own events.

It was strange to be at a competition where he knew so few people though. It was a sad realization that most of his better-known rivals were part of the European bloc. He'd have to wait until Worlds to give Chris the proper skate-thrashing he'd earned from the FaceTime chat they'd had prior to the European Championships. He smiled and kept on walking.

Fairly soon, the sun hung low in the winter sky, and Victor knew he would need to head back to the hotel to check in on his athlete. He opened up the text message window and typed away.

[Yuri, are you awake yet?]

A moment later, a reply came.

[Working on it.]

Victor smiled, and couldn't help but imagine the poor man still half in bed. He started to type a new reply, [Take your time. I'll bring coffee. You're going to love this place! Maybe we'll both compete here together soon.]

[We will?]

[This is where the next Winter Olympics are being held. Don't you remember?]

[I guess I do...]

Victor raised a brow, but then shrugged, [I'll be in the hotel in about 30 minutes.]

[Okay, see you soon. LY.]

[LY2.] Victor answered, and put his phone away again. He put his ear-buds back in place and started his break for the exit, thumbing through the ISU event-map to find the nearest café. ."