CHAPTER TWENTY

-So much to gain and so much to lose! Tanos for the Free Skate, as far as the eye can see!-

As expected, Yuri's body was sore from tip to toes, but it was a good hurt, he thought. When he roused again and saw that it was [7:25], he thought for a moment that he'd slept over 12 hours and shot up, stiff as a board, frantic that he might've wasted the day and missed the Free Skate entirely...only to realize that the little glowing dot on the alarm clock that lit up for "pm" was off...so he'd actually only slept through the night as he'd meant to.

He fell down to his back again in the mess of tangled bed sheets, and turned his head to look over at his partner, and the satisfied look on his sleeping face. The Russian's heavy breaths, cries, moans, every sound...they replayed in Yuri's mind again. He supposed he should be grateful that Victor had 'trained' him properly before they'd ever left St. Petersburg. He could only imagine how badly he'd skate the Free Program if he'd gone back onto the ice as 'hurt' as he was starting to feel; that creeping ache down below where his body had been put through something it had never experienced before.

I wonder if Victor felt sore after I tried to do it on him that one time...? Yuri considered, but then closed his eyes and shook his head, Nah, no way. I barely even put it in before I was done. I bet most of this soreness is from how much Victor moved.

Too awake from being startled by the clock to go back to sleep, Yuri fumbled to the edge of the bed, pulled the one free blanket up and set it over Victor, and stepped into the shower. The hot white rush of water poured over him, and thoughts of 'YoI' started flooding through his mind.

I can make it better...I can make it harder, get more points for the jumps... I was able to do some of my jumps yesterday with an arm up...can I do both arms like Yurio though...?

He knew the other competitors would be wracking their brains over how to improve their Free Skates just to try to catch up to him, especially JJ, Otabek, and Phichit. Yuri was confident he could keep a spot on the podium no matter what he did, but whether he could keep Gold or not...that nagged at him.

I have to stay two steps ahead of everyone, no matter what...

By 8:30am, he had dragged Victor out of bed, through the shower, and down to the hotel's restaurant area. He nibbled on a wedge of honeydew melon as he went over his jump schedule for the 5th time. Eyes turned up to the happy Russian sitting across from him - ankles threaded over one another under the table - and he got a flutter in his stomach.

I can do this... He thought adamantly, I've skated 'Aria' before without trouble...I have to be able to skate 'YoI' to his satisfaction...

"You're so serious." Victor teased, and lifted a piece of yolk-dipped butter-toast to his mouth, "Are you that sore?" He whispered, leaning over his plate slightly to be more-easily heard.

Yuri's face just went red, and he shook his head 'no' emphatically, only to pause and give a middling shrug and nod, but then shook 'no' a second time, "I mean, I am, but...I'm actually thinking about my Free Skate." He explained more normally, "I don't want to lose myself over being in 1st place like I did in China. I felt really good out there yesterday...and I feel a lot different now..." He said, and reached over the tablecloth to press his hand over his fiancé's, "Everything is different..."

Victor smiled and reached his thumb around to give a gentle stroke to the one finger he could reach, "Why is it different?"

"...I guess...I just feel like I'm a step closer to really being involved in things; in seeing myself and other people in my wedding dreams." He answered, "Or maybe I'm just starting to believe that this is all really real, and isn't a dream in itself. I mean..." He paused and shook his head, sucking in a quick breath, "A year ago, I was a depressed mess, thinking I'd never skate again and that I'd never get another chance to meet you. The idea that I'd be a GPF Silver medalist, and engaged to marry you, while also being well on my way to Four Continents Gold...was just beyond the pale. Any rational person in my position should be really worried that this is all some screwed up fever-dream...but I can't deny that this is real. I'm too sore for that." He laughed.

Victor chortled a laugh into his orange-juice, and tried to stymie himself before he accidentally snorted boogers into it. He shook his head and set the cup down gingerly, "I am sorry about that. The Tylenol from earlier should kick in soon."

"It's fine," Yuri answered, and gave that hand he held another gentle squeeze before he pulled it back again and pointed a finger down on his move list, "I'm thinking about how to boost my chances of another good score. I managed to hold my own with the Tano jumps yesterday...I should try again."

"Of definitely, I agree." The Russian nodded, and finally got his sip of orange juice. He set the cup down, lips parted to say something else, but then spotted a particular shape out the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but look up. He saw Phichit and Celestino arrive in the restaurant, and they both waved at him; when he waved back, Yuri looked up in confusion of the gesture, and turned to look.

"Oh! Phichit-kun! Celestino!" He called out, and waved for them both to approach, "You should sit with us!"

"I didn't think you'd be up this early, Yuri." Phichit commented, and set a hand on the back of an empty chair to grab it and pull it out, "But it's good to finally see you outside the skating lineup."

"Right?" Yuri laughed quietly and scratched the back of his head, "Seems like that's the only way we could find each other so far. You guys should go grab something to eat first though; I'd feel bad if your stomachs growled while we're catching up."

"We finally meet up and you're sending us away again?" Celestino teased, "I see how it is."

"You know what I mean!" Yuri protested, and made a face at them. They finally agreed to get their plates though and set their things down to free up their hands; Yuri turned back to his fiancé, "I can't believe it's taken this long to run into people. Phichit-kun hasn't even had a chance to fuss at me yet for not coming to Bangkok still."

"Oh, give it time...I have a feeling it's coming." Victor mused.

Sure enough, too...as soon as Team Thailand came back, Phichit had a knowing-scolding smile, "So when are you coming to visit me, Yuri?"

He blanched, and Victor snorted another laugh, "...Mmmmaybe over the summer?" He suggested, "There's just so much going on right now. Qualifying for 4CCs and Worlds, and having Victor stay on as my coach, has really changed a lot of my original plans..."

Phichit just cocked an eyebrow as he took a seat, "What plans did you have before?"

"None at all, but that's not the point."

Celestino was the one laughing then, "I had hoped he'd call over the summer to ask about being reinstated, after taking time to finish school. In the end, the only phone call I got was so Victor could scold me for picking Yuri's music before."

The Russian leaned closer and held a hand up to hide his voice, "Thank you for not letting him use that thing he got from his conservatory friend."

"There, you see? Vindication." The elder coach nodded sagely, "It wasn't the worst decision I ever made."

Yuri deadpanned them both severely, "You two do realize that it was Ketty who composed 'YoI' after that, right?"

"Of course, of course!" They answered, each mimicking each other's gestures as they waved off the young skater's dubious accusation.

Phichit shook his head at the duo of coaches, but then turned his attention back to his friend and podium-rival, "It's going to be hard to keep up with you if you keep advancing like you have been, Yuri." He diverted, "I can hardly believe you're the same skater I trained with in Detroit. Not even just because of the scores you used to get...but because of how miserable and distant you were when you left to go back home."

"Yeah..." Yuri agreed, and tapped a pen on the notepad before setting it down, "I lost all belief in myself back then. Now...I feel like greatness is right there in front of me, and it's so close, I can touch it..."

"What kind of training does Victor give you that makes you so good in such a hurry?" The Thai skater was eager to know, "You're the first person he's ever coached, but whatever it is...it's working!"

Yuri laughed nervously, "...I don't think I'd be able to tell you all the things he does to make me better..." He clasped his hands together and wedged them between his legs anxiously, "But mostly, he made me start to believe in myself. The more confident I got, the better I performed. I would never have achieved any of this without him."

"Yeah, he definitely brought you out of your shell." Phichit agreed, and set a finger down carefully on the top of a hard-boiled egg, then took a butter-knife to crack the shell around its circumference, "So what are you going to do for your Free Skate, now that the bar's been set?"

"...I want to try and do some of my jumps with both arms up."

"Oh, like the Russian Yuri!"

"Yeah...that one simple change made a huge difference at the Final." Yuri nodded, and adjusted his glasses slightly, "What about you?"

The Thai skater seemed a bit defeated with that question, averting his eyes a little, "At this point, unless you drop dead sometime between now and the Free Skate, there's no chance I'll win Gold, no matter what I do...so changing my program won't really help."

Victor hissed across the table, "Don't be prophetic! It doesn't work out well!"

"No chance to win Gold? Are you kidding?" Yuri was really surprised, "Look who you're talking to."

"Yeah, the Come-Back King." Phichit pointed at him, "And the one most likely to stand on the top of that podium tonight."

"Oh come on, JJ could sneak it out from under me just like Yurio did..."

"You're the one that broke the Free Skate record though. JJ's was high, but it wasn't high enough."

"And yet even Yurio crushed me in the Short Program, just like he said he would before the 'Hot-Springs on Ice' Exhibition."

"You were robbed." Phichit insisted, and pointed at his friend again for emphasis, "You and Otabek both. And besides, the way you're skating, you may break your own record again here at Four Continents."

Yuri slouched back into his chair and crossed his arms, "Maybe."

"Stop doubting yourself so much!" Phichit practically jumped out of his own chair, "You could break 225 if you believed in yourself!"

"...Mhh..."

Phichit practically jumped out of his chair, "IF YOU DON'T WIN THE GOLD TONIGHT, I WON'T FORGIVE YOU."

Yuri balked and pushed away from the table a little. Eyes turned nervously to his coach, but Victor just smiled, as though he somehow understood what had just happened. Yuri had no idea what to say in response though. The intensity of his friend's outburst had left everyone in the restaurant speechless, gawking in their direction to wonder what in the world was going on.

Phichit quickly noticed the awkward side-eyes though and sat back down, muttering an apology under his breath as he looked down at his half-eaten plate.

"...I'll...do my best..." Yuri finally said, keeping his distance.

"...It's the only way I'll be able to accept it if I can't medal, too." The younger skater explained quietly, and poked at his hard-boiled egg a bit with his fork, "I'd be okay with it if Otabek won Gold...but whatever happens, you can't let JJ get it. He's been insufferable this weekend. For a guy as supposedly-pious as he claims to be, he sure is prideful."

Yuri nodded subtly, "...Yeah, we saw some of that the other day."

"It's a cover," Victor interjected, "He's over-compensating for how much Otabek rattled him in Barcelona. I'm not sure why it happened, but...there you go."

"They trained together for a minute, back in the day." Phichit explained, "JJ taught Otabek how to do a quad Salchow. ...I'll bet he's thrown-off because he thinks he's better than Otabek, yet here's Otabek competing at the same level."

"That sounds familiar," Yuri said with a nervous smile, "...After Yurio taught me how to land a quad Salchow, I felt like he hated me. He came all the way to Hasetsu to take Victor away, and there I was, begging him to give me the means to keep Victor for myself."

"Oh, is that what you two were up to?" Victor laughed, "I was wondering what you were muttering about when I got to the rink that one morning."

Yuri nodded, "...Yyyyup."

.

Practice off-ice began again within a few hours of breakfast being over, and the pair wandered the would-be Olympic grounds, jogging along the concrete sidewalks by unfinished buildings. As they reached a rest spot, Yuri huffed and puffed to catch his breath. The soreness from the night before was still with him, and he groaned quietly in protest.

Victor rubbed his partner's back and shoulders for a moment, "Need a minute?"

"I'll be alright. Thanks though." He answered, and found a hand to hold, "I've been thinking about Yurio since bringing him up earlier... You think we should call and check on him?"

Victor looked at the time-zone listings on his phone's World Clock, "It's barely 7am back in St. Petersburg. Yurio probably isn't even awake yet."

"Later then..."

Victor nodded and put his phone back, then gestured to a nearby snow-covered bench, "Want to work on your Tano jumps? There's some hours yet to practice and then recover before the Free Skate starts."

"Probably should," Yuri said, though he gave a nervous look as he answered, "...But in a minute."

The silver Russian gave a worried-but-well-meant smile, and reached his arms around and over his beloved's shoulders, "I promise to leave your butt alone for a while," He teased, gently and slowly swaying the man back and forth where they stood by the curb, "Feel free to make the feeling mutual if you want."

"I'll take it under advisement," Yuri puffed, "For now, I just want to take a second right where I am."

"Mmh...me too."