CHAPTER SEVENTY NINE
Access to the Ice Castle wasn't wasted. Hours and hours were spent on the ice that afternoon, testing music and rehearsing programs. Yuri had heard Aria play at the Ice Castle once before, in the days prior to the original move to St. Petersburg, but it was still surreal to hear it again. Anticipating the entire show to be performed right there in front of his eyes, without the distraction of a competition he was losing, and without being dragged out onto the ice to participate...he was giddy with excitement.
The late-night march back to Yu-Topia was even more surreal though. After the frantic rush across the bridge earlier in the day, getting to slow down and really take in the feeling of Chris and Phichit being there made the young skater feel even more excited about the next day.
By the time they'd all finally gotten back to the resort, soaked in the onsen as a group, and finally got to eat, Yuri felt ready.
But not necessarily for bed, or for the wedding party to come...but to present his music choices to his choreographer for the next season. The day's euphoria over the skating to come had solidified how Yuri wanted the next season to feel for him.
The music had been sitting on his phone for weeks by then. He'd discovered them while home alone during Viktor's late-night solo practices in St. Petersburg. He'd gone through possible routines in his head a thousand times, and by the time the moment had come to reveal them...he almost couldn't imagine the next season happening with anything else.
Viktor was posting photos from the day to Instagram, and was quite pleased with a good number of them. The best one, he thought, was one where the five skaters had lined up along a bench, side by side with one foot on top of it, looking back over their left shoulders to replicate a similar photo Yuri and Phichit had once taken of themselves in Detroit.
"...Neh, Viktor..." Yuri said quietly, looking at where his laptop was glowing on the bed in front of his crossed legs, "I want you to listen to something."
"Hm?"
The younger skater pulled up onto his knees and shuffled over to put the ear-buds in his husband's ears, then sat back on his heels, "I've been thinking about my theme for next year and...I want you to hear the music I've picked. See if you can picture a show while you listen, okay?"
"You seem pretty set on this."
"Mh." Yuri nodded, "Listen close to the lyrics. I think it fits me pretty well."
The Russian set his phone down on the blankets and leaned back, putting his hands under the back of his head to wait for the music to start. He closed his eyes, and Yuri hit Enter on his keyboard.
Yuri could hear the soft echo of the song, but watched Viktor's face anxiously. Viktor had encouraged him before to be more confident about his music choices, but even then, he'd still been honest enough to point out when said choice...was kind of awful. That criticism, but the encouragement to try again, was what lead to 'Yuri on Ice.'
The Russian had actually smiled a little as the music got past the intro and he could hear the actual words, and he started moving his fingers to tap along with the beat as it continued on.
"I know this song." He said.
Yuri wondered if that was a good thing or not, but didn't say anything.
Viktor rolled over and pulled the laptop in front of him to look at something, then looked up at his partner as he pulled one of the ear-buds out, "What's this going to be for?"
"The Short Program."
"You'll have to pare it down. It goes over the limit by about 45 seconds. Are you sure? You'll probably have to take out an entire stanza, or at least the second half of the intro."
"I know. Editing songs for time isn't an issue. What do you think though?"
"Why did you pick this?"
Yuri flinched, wondering if that was approval or rejection, "...I wanted to do something upbeat like Eros for my Short Program because I have something a bit more serious in mind for my Free Skate." He answered, "Since my theme is Metamorphosis, I think it would be important to use a song that reflects how someone...or rather, how I...came from humble beginnings and kept moving forward until I got to where I wanted to be. That a person can drop to their lowest point and still come out the other end stronger, just so long as they keep trying."
Viktor nodded, and the song ended, "I like it."
The Asian's heart skipped a beat, "Really?"
"I can already envision the program. Even the costume. Do you have an idea for that too?"
Yuri nodded, flipping the laptop around again and looked up photos, "I liked how Phichit-kun based his outfit on the movies his songs came from...so I kind of want to follow in that idea. So...something like this, but...modified, obviously..." He turned the computer back around again with a large thumbnail on the screen.
"Yeah." Viktor laughed a little, seeing the glittery image, "I don't think the judges would take too kindly to you going onto the ice mostly naked like these characters."
"Mh."
"So what's your Free Skate then?" The Russian wondered, moving to put the lost ear-bud back in place as he watched Yuri scrolling through his media archive, "Do you have an outfit in mind for that already too?"
"I do." Yuri answered, looking at his husband briefly, "It's...how to describe it... I guess it's kind of like the Aria outfit, but with longer coat-tails and a solid, dark blue fabric rather than sheer. I almost wish the ISU would allow more theatrical outfits because I can think of a hundred extra bits I'd want to do with it if I could get away with it, but-"
"Why not do it for the Exhibition then? You can do whatever you want there."
"I know, but...I've had my heart set on this being my Free Skate since I figured it all out back in Russia." He said, finding the song and selecting it, "Here it goes. Listen closely, and reserve judgment until you've heard the whole thing. It's...kind of like a ballad. There's a story to it, and it builds up to the climax kind of near the end."
"Mh. I'm ready." Viktor flopped back to the pillow and waited. He opened one eye again as he felt Yuri crawling across the bed to flip off the lamp and plunge the room into near-darkness, scooting back only far enough to hit Enter on the keyboard again and start the song.
Yuri watched and waited, barely able to hear the beat as it played quietly in Viktor's ears. He could feel his heart pounding in anticipation of Viktor's judgment, and he anxiously watched each second tick by on the song's timer. Eventually though, after what felt like an eternity, the song hit its peak and faded out, and the Russian drew in a deep breath.
"...W-well..?"
"These are both good." He said, pulling himself up to sit again, "I'm kind of curious though what you'd want to do with your outfit for this song that would disqualify it from competition."
The younger skater huffed a laugh at himself, but then sat up straight, "The part leading into the crescendo...When the night is starless...I imagine the glittery bits of my outfit trailing off from my shoulders to around my elbows...Only we can spark it...light it up in the darkness, oh oh oh... But my gloves would actually have some kind of lighting effect, so it would glow on cue and make it look like I actually was lighting up the darkness."
"It's not dark during the Free Skate!"
"Technicalities!"
"You could have your whole outfit light up for the Exhibition Gala."
"But then I'd only really get to do it once...and if I somehow miss the podium, I won't get to do it at all, cuz I'd want to save it for the Gala at the GPF or something, not just one of the lead-up events."
"...Technicalities." Viktor huffed a laugh and shrugged, "So this is your Free Skate, sans glowy-hands."
"...So what do you imagine?"
"With you properly hydrated and getting enough sleep?" Viktor put a finger over his lips as he thought, "Five quads of increasing difficulty, with the flip at the end, and a complex spin sequence for the crescendo. Go for major point bonuses by putting the last 3 quads in the second half. You'd knock out all the other competition even if you took it easy for the GP Series."
"...And hopefully not pass out at the end and forget what year it is for a minute." Yuri joked morbidly.
Viktor heaved a breath at that, "Yeah, don't do that again...I nearly had a heart attack when it happened before."
"Sorry." The younger skater said, thinking it funny in hindsight, "...As much as I wanted you to win gold like you used to, part of me just wanted so badly to win gold for myself and impress you... It was hard to decide what I wanted more. I had to push really hard to compensate for your Short Program score...adding the extra quad was all I could think of."
"You did what I asked you to." The Russian said simply, moving to pick up the laptop and move it over to the nightstand on his side of the bed, closing it just enough for the glow to dim the room, but not completely darken it, "I wanted to kiss your gold medal more than mine anyway~." He leaned back towards his husband and nudged his way into the man's personal space, gently nosing him affectionately, "...And I meant it when I said that I expect you to win gold from now on, even with me in the competition."
"...Viktor..."
"Don't look at it like you're usurping or surpassing me. Think of it as though I'm passing the torch to you, Yuri." He cupped his husband's face in his hands and leaned closer to kiss him lightly, "I came here to coach you to a GPF gold medal, and even though that didn't happen the way I wanted it to, you still surpassed all of my expectations. More than anything...I want you to properly take over my winning streak and make it yours. You can do that now, and not even because I'm winding down."
"...Three quads though...when you want me to do five..."
"It was just a thought, you know." Viktor explained, "I haven't decided yet. I'm still going at my normal difficulty level for tomorrow...but I'll wait until we actually get to my first Grand Prix Series event to decide what jumps I'm doing. I'm not going to make it that easy for you." He started motioning for Yuri to follow him to the head of the bed, but was surprised to find him hesitant.
"...Ah...I'm..." Yuri stammered quietly, "...I'm still a bit sore from yesterday..."
"I know. You were stiff as a board during practice today." He winked at his partner and gestured again for him to lie down next to him, which Yuri finally agreed to, crawling up to meet the man. Viktor kissed him again as he came down to rest, moving his hands down Yuri's chest until they came to rest on his waist, "I'll be gentle. It's our last night before our proper wedding though, right?"
"Maybe tonight...we can just do like we used to, before Russia." Yuri suggested weakly.
Viktor nodded without a second thought, sliding his hand under Yuri's t-shirt as he slipped one leg between his partner's, "...I'd like nothing more."
Hearing the words, Yuri finally relaxed, knowing Viktor would stay true to his word, and let himself enjoy the attention, moving to slip his own hands under the Russian's clothing as well.
.
.
.
The next day finally came, and Yuri was the first to wake, his eyes opening just a few ironic seconds before Viktor's phone alarm went off. Yuri leaned over his husband to grab the device and shut it off, then returned to the warm spot he'd just left, and brushed the side of his finger against Viktor's cheek, "...Time to get up."
"...Sleepy..."
"I know. We were up really late. I'm still sleepy, too."
They could hear Makkachin scratching at the floor just outside, but the unexpected bark was what finally jolted the Russian into consciousness. Yuri shook his head and moved to get out from under the heavy covers and let the poodle inside. As the dog happily greeted his human, Yuri returned to sit on the edge of the bed, watching as Viktor returned the greeting to the pupper and then shooed him off the blanket again. He then reached for Yuri's hand and fell back down to the pillow, pulling the man down with and on top of him.
Yuri was a little confused, half sitting and half twisted over his husband's chest, but the perplexity faded quickly as he felt Viktor's other hand come up and lace his fingers through his dark black hair, pulling him down into a long kiss.
"Everything about today is going to be perfect." Viktor said quietly, "Let's go see what they've done."
.
.
.
The other skaters had been ready for a while, having packed their gear the night before like sane and rational people. They ate, and sat, and waited for 10:30am to finally come around before everyone gathered their things and started walking over to the Ice Castle.
When they arrived, things were noticeably different, with big flower arrangements greeting them at the door alongside the first gaggle of reporters who couldn't help but cover the event.
Viktor had reminded his husband that they would be there, but even then, Yuri was a little reluctant to accept them. For Viktor's sake though, he didn't complain.
They went in through the freely-opening sliding doors, and then past the skate rental desk, finally entering into the rink-side arena to behold the end result of weeks of planning.
Yuri was awe-struck, seeing first where the blue tarps had been removed. The entire interior of the rink wall had been replaced with caricatures of his and Viktor's outfits from across the last 2 years, inspired on a whole by Viktor's cell-phone case. Yuri recognized every one of them, noting that they switched between Viktor's and his own and then back again.
"...Sheherazade...Firebird...Aria...Dark Eyes..." He started listing them, pointing at them as he went, "All the Sochi programs..." He moved on, seeing the newer ones after that, "December...Eros...Winter's Wish...and YoI. They're all here."
"Oh yeah, you did do your old Short Program to Dark Eyes. I totally forgot." Viktor mused, leaning against Yuri with an arm over his shoulder, "One of Russia's most famous romance songs. I wonder why you did it?" He nudged the man a little.
Yuri's face flushed, but he shook his head, "...Honest, it was just a coincidence! Celestino picked it and thought it sounded nice!"
"You guys ready for the best part?" Yuuko asked, getting their attention from where she was standing in the doorway to the observation room. The group nodded, and she ducked back inside to hit the controls.
Slowly but surely, the rolled up tapestries hanging from the ceiling were starting to unfurl. Yuri pulled forward, taking Viktor with him by the hand, and walked out onto the ice to look at them all as they revealed their art.
At the far ends of the rink were two massive images, the biggest of the group; at one end featured the image of Viktor in his Aria outfit...but it was the black-collared version, and the background was black, like the photo had come from Four Continents instead of some normal competition. Yuri turned his head in curiosity, seeing the matching image of his own Aria outfit unfurling opposite it.
"Pictures from Duetto." Viktor said out loud, "Good ones, too."
"They would've all been good." Chris pointed out, "I'm excited to see that one in person."
"I already saw it!" Phichit noted, "But I can't wait to see it again!"
Several other tapestries of varying sizes were still unfurling even after the main two had already opened, and they looked at each one by one.
Similar to competitions where all the skaters would have life-size photos of themselves cropped and touched-up for display around the event, the unrolling images that hung from the ceiling were similar. Four featured images from the past year's performances, one each from the pair's Short Program and Free Skate. The other six images were from what looked like the triplets' Viktuuri account, or even some pilfered from Viktor or Yuri's personal Instagrams, displaying massive versions of photos they'd seen before. These included the photo Yuri and Viktor had taken on the last night at the Ice Castle before leaving for St. Peterburg; the quiet and simple one Yuuko had taken with Viktor's phone, where they held each other's hands calmly, as opposed to the excited one Viktor had taken half a second later. Another showed Yuri and Viktor at the medaling ceremony at Four Continents, another that had apparently been candidly taken by someone when they were still in Hasetsu, just after returning from the Grand Prix and had only just formally become engaged. They all turned on their heels to see each image fully, and Yuri drank in the memories as each photo came before his eyes. The next one was of the impromptu photo Viktor had taken of them in the restaurant in Barcelona where they were showing off their marriage certificate, then the next one was from Chris' Sochi Banquet gallery, where it showed Viktor and Yuri dancing together; the one where Yuri had gotten strangely close to kissing the older skater while holding up his leg behind him. Then the last one...Yuri got a little emotional. It was the Sochi Vindication photo they'd taken just prior to the World Championships, to make up for the photo Yuri had bailed on.
Viktor had hugged Yuri around his shoulders from behind as his eyes started to well up, and Yuri turned to where Yuuko was waiting on the rink wall, "...I can't... You guys really did a great job with all of this..."
"Viktor was a huge help, getting some of the harder-to-find pictures...like that one from Sochi." She pointed at the dance picture, "That one was really cute. I had to use it!"
"I had that one as my phone's wallpaper for like 3 months." Viktor admitted sheepishly.
"Why'd you change it?"
"Cuz I came to Hasetsu and didn't want to weird you out if you ever saw it!" He answered with a laugh, hugging him a little tighter, "I got my new Aria-themed phone case around then, too."
"Oh right, you had that gaudy gold case before...I remember now." Yuri laughed, rubbing his eyes to get the last tears out. He turned back to Yuuko, seeing Takeshi and the girls and everyone else starting to pile in behind them. Yuri drew in a deep breath, and then bowed to all of them, "I can't thank you enough for putting this all together." He rose back up to standing, and snaked an arm around his husband's back, "It means a lot to both of us!"
"Let's get started!" Viktor cheered excitedly.