CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

It was almost 1:30am when the two re-emerged from the neighboring wing of the airport. Yuri spotted Viktor and Yakov sitting together where Yakov had been sitting with Yurio originally; Viktor was so anxious that he was leaning forward in his seat, hands together in his lap, staring straight ahead like a young kid that had just walked in on his parents making out and wasn't sure what to do with his life anymore.

They got pretty close before either coaches noticed them coming, but Viktor was immediately up and ran the final length to close the distance, throwing his arms over Yuri's shoulders to pull him close. Yuri slid his arms inside Viktor's long coat to hug him back, eyes closed as he savored it.

Yurio watched silently, thinking back on what the Asian had said about the matter, and even further back on what a mess Yuri had been before that odd kind of 'therapy' had ever started. They pulled apart again shortly after, though held hands between them. Viktor was whispering something that Yurio couldn't hear, and he saw Yuri nodding in some kind of acknowledgment before turning back to face the teen.

"We're going to go talk. We'll come sit with you guys when we're done, okay?" The Asian remarked.

Yurio nodded, turning to step off when he heard Yuri clear his throat. He turned his eyes to see the older skater holding up his free arm. The teen hesitated, looking around, but then stepped briskly to give the brief hug, get his own back, and then trotted off as though he had hoped no one noticed it happened.

Yakov and Viktor side-eyed each other in complete shock at the sight, but said nothing.

Yuri started pulling away, nudging Viktor along where their hands were locked together, and they started heading back to their prior seats near the tech charging station. As they got out of ear-shot, Yakov stood next to the young skater left by him.

[What happened…?]

[Katsudon is...helping me.]

[In what regard?] The elder was a bit surprised to hear it.

[I'm not sure yet. I think probably in the way I need most.]

"You guys were gone forever it felt like." Viktor was saying, "What in the world happened? He just..."

"I think I got through to him. Or maybe he reached out...not sure, but we're making progress." Yuri explained, "There's a lot to go over." He felt a buzz in his pocket, and reached back to pull it out and see what had come through. He smiled and realized the first part of his plan had been successful, "Great, I can check that off my list."

"What did you do…?"

"Called in reinforcements." He answered with a smile, "Gonna need all the heavy artillery I can get my hands on for this."

"Explain."

As they sat back on the bench, Yuri pulled his coat back over his shoulders, keeping his arms free though, and he began to explain the conversation. From the long periods of silence, to Yurio's fears...the whole lot of it. Viktor sat in silence as he listened, eventually sitting back on the bench with a finger over his mouth in thought.

"The first person I called out to for help was Mikhail." Yuri explained, "He just messaged me back saying he was open to the idea, but with a catch, so that's what I'm trying to find out now."

"What kind of help are you asking my uncle for…?"

"Yurio needs a heavy-hitting sponsor that won't burden him with useless requests or demands. Something to cover basic expenses so he can focus on skating again rather than where his grandpa's next med refill is coming from." Yuri answered, typing away to ask what the catch would be, "Hopefully Mikhail's side-demand here isn't too unreasonable."

Viktor leaned over his husband's shoulder out of curiosity, trying to catch a glimpse of what had been written so far.

[When are you going to be coming up to SP?]

[Probably the day AFTER I land. I get migraines being on planes!]

Those messages had been from earlier in the night, shortly after they'd been dropped off at the airport in the first place.

[Sorry, it's late. I have a weird request. A skating friend I've told you about is in a bad way and needs a sponsor. Would you help?]

There was a gap in the time-stamps, likely because the older gentleman had been asleep when the message came through.

[A sponsor…? I guess so. Who is it?]

[Yuri Plisetsky.]

[Hm...the angry one. I'll give it a shot but he's going to have to meet me half way on some things.]

[Like what?]

That's when the new message had finally come in. Viktor actually took the phone to read it better.

[He needs therapy.]

Viktor looked at the screen sideways, as though looking at it from a different angle would make the message make more sense.

[Viktor here. Therapy?]

[Oh hey!]
[Yes, therapy. Anger management.]

"He's not going to like that."

"I think he'd benefit from it though, don't you?"

"Sure, but...you can lead a horse to water and all that..."

"He's the thirstiest horse on Earth right now."

Viktor looked at him skeptically, "You sure?"

"Yeah." Yuri took his phone back.

[Yuri again. I think that should be okay. When you said 'the angry one' though, have you talked to him? I know you saw him at the SP rink, but...]

[Oh yeah, during your Short Program.]

Viktor gasped, "He must've overheard Yurio yelling at me just before you went on! Scandalous!"

[Hang on, I'm gonna call. I'll put you on speaker so we can both hear you.]

Yuri stood up and looked around, seeing if there was someplace quieter and more private than where they were in the middle of the terminal. They eventually found a spot near a long line of closed stores, where other travelers had no particular need to go, and pulled up at a high-set table just outside a cafe. Yuri set his phone in the middle of the circular table and dialed out to the older Russian, then set the phone on speaker like he'd said and listened to the dial-tone until Mikhail picked up.

"Hey. Can you hear me okay?" He asked.

"Yes, we can hear you." Yuri answered, "So we're assuming you overheard Yurio yelling at Viktor."

"Certainly." The elder answered with an amused tint in his voice, "He was really pissed."

"I don't understand Russian, so...all I got was the last thing he said in English." Yuri sighed, "I think he was probably yelling about how he didn't want to be called Yurio anymore, because both of us stopped after that."

"In part. He was making his grievances known on the matter, so it was a good move to stop using the nickname. He was also really flustered about walking in on you two. The hell were you doing? You were right down to the wire at that point so I can't imagine you were doing much, but...goddamn, whatever it was..."

"Just as a disclaimer," Viktor chimed in, "We were both fully clothed at the time."

"We were on the floor." Yuri clarified, his cheeks pink, "That should say enough."

"So he made a mountain out of a mole-hill."

"I guess."

"Well, I can't imagine what went through his head after that, but since it sounds like he never calmed down, it probably wasn't good."

"His coach kicked him off the team and his choreographer dropped him like a bad habit." Yuri went on, "I think we can convince Yakov to take him back but we need help to show that Yurio will take this all seriously. If he has a sponsor, then at least he has one less thing to drag him down, so he can focus."

"It's an investment, that's for sure." Mikhail agreed, "And he's young, so it'd be an obligation for years to come."

"You don't have to stay on until he retires." Viktor explained, "Just long enough to get him through this slump, so he can medal again somewhere. Once he shows that he's back in the game, his regular sponsors will probably come back, too."

"You two are going to make it really hard for him." Mikhail pointed out, "The only slot he can hope for is bronze. Is that enough?"

"There's enough competitions where the three of us won't be up against each other. The Grand Prix series especially since we may not all be at the same Cup events, and European Championships after that. Besides, new season means new programs, so we'll all be under-performing while we get used to our new routines."

"Hmm." The elder hummed to himself, thinking it over, "Do I have to do anything other than give him money?"

"Not really." Viktor answered, "If you want any kind of recognition, you could give him supplies with your company's logo on it, but that's up to you."

"Right."

"So what do you think?"

"If he agrees to my condition, then...yeah, I can sponsor him. That boy needs some serious work."

"Thanks, Mikhail! You're a life-saver! Sorry again for waking you up!" Yuri said, finger hovering over the red disconnect button.

"It's fine. Goodnight and safe travels."

"Do svidanija."

The call was disconnected, and Yuri cheered silently to himself, "Yes!"

Viktor slumped down to the table, face buried where his arms were crossed, "This is exhausting…! Here I was hoping for a relaxing flight..."

"Me too, but I feel better about the whole thing now that we've gotten to touch on it a little." Yuri said, patting Viktor's head.

"And I can't even request my usual post-dealing-with-Yurio fun until we get back to St. Petersburg..." The Russian whined, still keeping his head down, "What a long time to have to wait!"

"You'll survive." Yuri said with a huffed laugh, "You waited almost year before that."

Viktor lifted his face a little so his eyes could see over the sleeves on his arms, "That was different. I didn't actually anticipate getting to that point with you. So it was more like...5 or 6 months, after I decided I was going to make you mine." His voice was muffled behind the coat.

"Still longer than a day."

"We haven't gotten to do anything since before the Free Skate!"

"That was yesterday."

"It's after midnight! It was almost two days ago!"

Yuri watched the man's amusing lament, and pulled up his phone from the table to take a picture while Viktor wasn't looking. He pulled up Instagram after that and posted it, "Hashtag...#TheStruggleIsReal."

"Ahh you posted that!?" Viktor's head lifted up quickly, and he got up to look over Yuri's shoulder to see what it looked like.

"Only a photo of you laying across the table." Yuri laughed, showing it.

Ahh! He got a shot of the top of my head! Viktor internally panicked.

The Russian swiped the phone to get a better look, zooming in on the crown of his head as well as he could, and then heaving a sigh of relief as he realized it looked normal. He gave his husband back his phone and then draped himself across his back, arms coming up under Yuri's so he could put his hands against the man's chest. He was even grateful in that moment that the chair and table were up as high as they were so his 5'11" frame didn't have to bend so far down to get what he wanted.

"Let's go tell Yurio the good news. There's only a little while left before the plane gets here, so this came at a good time."

"In a minute." Viktor said quietly, resting his cheek against the back of the younger skater's shoulders, his hands wandering a little where he could feel everything through the thin, form-fitting shirt against his husband's chest.

"You know I'm not gonna do anything too crazy while we're in a public space, Viktor..." He pointed out, his cheeks a little flushed, but allowing what was happening as long as that's all it was.

The Russian whined comically again, "Let me savor at least this much before I have to start fasting again..."

.

.

.

They'd walked quite a distance to have their chat, so when Yurio saw them coming back, he was up out of his seat in anticipation. He practically ran to them to find out the news, "So!?"

Yuri let go of Viktor's hand and spread his arms out, waiting for the requisite action before speaking, though the look on his face boded good news so it was easier for the teen to accept his immediate fate.

He ducked in and threw his arms around Yuri's torso, letting the older skater hug him over his shoulders before pulling his head up again, "What's going to happen!?"

The Asian looked back at his husband and nodded, letting Viktor explain.

"My uncle's going to sponsor your skating career for now." He said. He found it interesting that Yurio hadn't let go from the hug yet, "He has one demand in return, but I don't think it's unreasonable."

"...There's always a catch. What is it?" The blond asked, steeling himself for the worst as he looked past Yuri's shoulder at the taller man. It couldn't be any harder to deal with than the grueling training he went through under Lilia, "I'm ready for whatever it is."

"You have to go see an anger specialist." Viktor said, "That's it."

Yakov practically choked as he heard it, and lightly pounded a fist against his chest to clear the surprise, "...That Mikhail..."

"...An...anger specialist?" Yurio repeated, "I have to see a shrink? Where?"

"Probably in St. Petersburg. Mikhail made no mention of making you move to Moscow." Yuri said, he himself still curiously enamored by Yurio still holding onto the hug even after all the time that had passed by then, "So if you accept those terms..."

The blond was on edge; the idea of actually seeking real help had always been far from his mind, since he never thought his anger was an issue. It was always someone else's problem. Someone else made him mad. Someone else set him off. Someone else had gotten in his way or messed up. It was never his fault. He was Yuri Plisetsky, The Russian Tiger, Russia's Rising Star, the man who had ushered Russia into an age where it had two champions...and he'd be the last man standing between himself and Viktor. If anyone thought that was arrogant, tough. It was the truth.

The more Yurio thought on the matter, the more he realized how right the Katsudon Skater had been...'wrathful' had become his default setting. He pushed absolutely everyone away. The only person he could call 'friend' was a stiff older skater who propositioned his friendship like it was a job interview. They'd had one night out after this official designation had been ratified between them, and even that had been spoiled by others.

...No, it wasn't spoiled. Katsudon's sister and the old lady didn't even join our table until Viktor and Katsudon themselves showed up, and it was just a big pile-up of other skaters after that. Is there anythingthat's happened in the last few years that hasn't somehow pissed me off? Was I always like this...? Do I lash out at grandpa the way I do at Viktor...?

That thought made him more upset than the rest, and he had the urge to call everyone around him stupid for having suggested there was ever anything wrong with him...but he stopped. Yuri was still hugging him, and the thought of yelling didn't seem to make it past the critical threshold for lift-off. It just...faded.

He's right. This does make a person calmer... I always thought it was just because it was my grandpa before...but now...

"Yuri?" The taller figure asked, looking down at him.

Green eyes met brown, and the younger skater suddenly felt like he understood.

Despite all the horrible things I've said and done to him, Katsudon ended up being the only one who was willing to stick it out with me. I've kicked him, I've screamed at him, called him cruel names, told him to quit, and done everything I could to ruin whatever happiness I saw him having...and yet he'sthe one who's figuring things out for me right now. Who is this guy? This big idiot with a heart made of glass...

"...I'll do it." Yurio finally said, much to the relief of those around him.

Viktor smiled and looked past them to the elder coach. The look on his face was enough to get the unsaid message across, and Yakov seemed to understand. But, he shook his head.

Viktor's expression changed when he saw it.

"We'll see what happens." The gruff old man said, "If things start to get better, you can come back to train with the rest of the team. I'll need to see a real effort though, Yuratchka."

The teen turned around and nodded, "...I'll do whatever it takes."