CHAPTER NINETY SEVEN
It was about 5:30pm in Calgary when the last person before Yuri took to the ice. Concurrently, it was only around 8:30am in Hasetsu, in what could be considered the next day. The Nishigoris had quickly arrived amidst a late-fall rain storm, bursting in through the doors in a flurry of mist. The triplets quickly kicked off their boots and ran for the common room to get front and center in front of the television, which had already been set to the channel showing the Skate Canada event. Makkachin was panting softly next to Hiroko, where she'd settled in at one of the front-most tables to the screen.
"Good timing. Yuri's up next." She told the family as the rest came in, "Just after this guy that's out there now."
"We just talked to him and Uncle Viktor!" The triplets announced proudly, "Yuri's sick!"
"...Sick?"
"He's not sick." Yuuko clarified anxiously, "He just lost his voice."
"Why did he lose his voice if he's not sick...?" Hiroko wondered, patting the dog on the head gently.
"...He wouldn't say, actually." The Madonna took her place behind her girls as Takeshi took his spot next to her in turn, "He seems okay though. Viktor's taking care of him."
"There he is!" Loop pointed at the screen, and a tiny dark blob on the opposite side of the rink where the cameras were pointing, "And Uncle Viktor, too!"
Yuri was still in his aqua blue track-suit jacket, doing a few last-minute stretches as the current competitor finished his Free Skate.
The television screen split horizontally to show both Yuri and the current skater, and Newscaster Morooka's voice echoed for all to hear, "Japan's top skater, Yuri Nikiforov, is going to be hitting the ice once Skater Fernando is done." The bottom half of the window split again to show an excerpt from Yuri's Short Program, "He surprised us all this morning by having his coach, Viktor Nikiforov, announce their intention to reduce his much-anticipated, high-difficulty Free Skate from 5 quads to just 3. Skater Yuri has a number of his fans somewhat worried since he's avoided interviews since his Short Program on Friday, despite his unbelievable 108.25 score. Coach Viktor insists everything is fine, however, and Yuri seemed to do well at the official practice this morning."
Hiroko's face took on a worried look, "He must be sick if he's doing that."
Yuuko looked nervous, "Hmm...maybe..."
Yuri raised his right arm, put his hand behind his neck, and pulled down on the elbow to stretch out his shoulder, then did the same with the other before swinging them around to shake them out. Viktor was watching him quietly as the Spanish skater's song, 'El Padrino,' played overhead. It was going to be over within the next 30 seconds, and it meant Yuri's turn was only a few short minutes away. He had his ear-buds in though and wasn't really listening, tapping the toe-pick of each skate's blade guard against the floor as he moved from one foot to the other.
The Russian pulled up from where he'd been leaning against the rink wall, leaving the poodle-plush tissue box there, and stepped closer to his partner, gently setting his right hand against Yuri's hip as he slid in behind him. Yuri watched him go, standing still as he felt the man's arms come around from behind him.
He wasn't sure if his husband was saying anything, but he soon felt Viktor nosing the ear-bud out from one side and settled his chin on that same shoulder.
"How's your throat feel now?" He wondered quietly, "You think you'll have any trouble with it out there?"
Yuri shook his head and cleared it, "...I think...I'll be okay. The cough drop you...gave me earlier is still working."
The Russian nodded and hugged him a little tighter for a moment, "Try to avoid falling back on muscle memory, if you can help it. No one will know any different if you don't lift your head when you would've normally, but they will notice if you go into a coughing fit."
...That's the only thing I'm worried about right now... Yuri thought to himself, Any tight pull on my neck sends me into an instant spasm... Trying to look up with just my eyes at the last second, when I've been fully looking up all summer...I hope I don't get too comfortable out there and forget...
The song above them came to an end, and the Spaniard froze in his final position. The crowd was wild with excitement, waving their flags and signs, and tossing their gifts onto the ice. As he finally moved to exit the rink, waving as he went, Viktor let his husband go to let him pull the track-suit off.
Yuri had taken a page from Viktor's play-book about hiding his costume until the last second, but he hadn't quite gotten so extravagant about his methods that he was willing to wander around with a proverbial shower curtain around himself like the Russian had at Worlds. Instead, like at the Short Program, he wore his usual coat, but his lower half was hidden under a pair of pants with buttons all along the outside of the leg on both sides.
The jacket came off first, and Yuri handed it to his coach like usual, moving down to his hip to start undoing the snap buttons. When he was done, he handed those over as well, and sorted out the wrinkles, trying to flatten them out against his legs.
The Free Skate costume was much darker than the shimmering silver ensemble of the Short Program, but had subtle nods to Viktor's 'Winter Prince' and his own old Sochi outfit. The shoes and gloves were black as night, moving in a gradient to lighter colors as they made their way up the legs and arms, though the colors didn't get much lighter than a deep, albeit vibrant purple. A closer inspection would reveal wavy dark lines along the sleeves, traveling up, and rotating slowly around, as they moved up to the shoulder, then fading out again as they were replaced by Swarovski crystal. Amidst the purple and black, they shimmered like faint stars in a twilight sky, especially when the outfit was seen from behind. The pattern moving across Yuri's back looked like a water-color painting of a dark sunset, getting a little lighter as it moved down to the 'horizon' around his waist, then fading to dark again like a reflection of the sky on the surface of a quiet lake. A pair of long coat-tails parted behind him, coming to points just behind his calves, rising up in a U-shape along the side of his thighs, and then descending to another pair of points in front of his legs at just above his knees. There were crystals embroidered into the material there as well, though significantly fewer than were going across his shoulders and upper arms.
"The score for Fernando Rodriguez...168.45, bringing his combined score to 239.65."
The skater didn't seem too terribly displeased with his score, even though it had come within 7 points of being the same as Yuri's Sochi total.
Being 17, it's not bad for his first Grand Prix Series...but that would've been entirely unacceptable as a Grand Prix Final score... Yuri thought to himself grimly as he heard it, ...Especially for someone who was 22 at the time and had a lot more experience by then...
Viktor started guiding his athlete along towards the rink entrance, then paused to wait for the skate guards to be handed to him.
"Next to take the ice...representing Japan...Yuri Nikiforov."
Yuri cleared his throat, but ended up coughing again instead, making Viktor give him a worried look. Before the skater could move off, Viktor pulled him back by his wrist. Brown eyes met blue, but words weren't forthcoming. Yuri could tell the yank was just reactionary. He turned back around to take hold of that hand with his free one, pulled it up to kiss the ring, leaned in close to quickly kiss his husband, and then went out onto the ice.
Alone now, Viktor waited behind the rink wall anxiously. The sound of the crowd cheering went entirely unnoticed at that point, but at least Yuri hadn't forgotten what he was supposed to do. Even with all the individual fans calling out Davai or Ganba or Good Luck, Yuri ignored them until he'd gotten to the center of the rink, faced the judges, and gave a dancer's bow just for them, right hand under his chest as the left went out to the side. That done, he skated away and greeted the audience, waving to them as he went in small circles.
"Skater Yuri is nearly 25 years old. He skates tonight to the song 'Heroes' by Zayde Wolfe, in collaboration with Generdyn. His theme this year is Metamorphosis, which he announced while living briefly in St. Petersburg, Russia. He and his coach, Viktor Nikiforov, have since returned to Hasetsu in Kyushu, Japan, where they currently train as rivals as well. Skater Viktor is returning this year for his first full season since taking time off to be Yuri's full-time coach, after a masterful second-place victory at his only event last year...the World Championships." Morooka was saying as Yuri anxiously fidgeted around, rubbing at his throat, standing in his official starting place but not yet having given his signal to begin, "At an unofficial skating event held in Hasetsu shortly after Worlds, Skater Yuri's friend and former rink-mate, Thai skater Phichit Chulanont, joked that this coming season would be more of a competition between the two Nikiforovs as they face off against each other for the gold in the Grand Prix. Many have speculated that this belief is part of the reason why neither of them were assigned to the same events in the GP Series. Skater Yuri stated before his Short Program that he firmly believes he and Viktor will eventually square-off against one another in the Final. Both skaters are World Record setters, so many are anxious to see how they stack up."
Viktor watched nervously as Yuri continued to stall, Keep it together, Yuri...focus on your feet, not your neck...
Yurio watched from a section of stands that had been reserved for waiting skaters, hands stuffed in his track-suit pockets as he kept his skates up on the backs of the seats in front of him.
With one last deep breath, Yuri took his position. He kept his head low as he brought his hands up to either side, his right leg bent behind him to dig the toe-pick into the ice just behind his left skate.
The low, almost inaudible start of the song began to play over head. Yuri pushed forward with his toe-pick, gliding ahead with his eyes still closed. The audience's cheering died down as the skater began to move. He stayed fairly close to where he started, weaving his feet delicately across one another as the lyrics began.
I can hear the lost crying,
He came to an abrupt stop in time with the deep boom in the song, sliding out of it again.
I can hear the truth hiding, hiding.
His hand came up to his ear, then out again as he rotated, then in again close to his chest.
Yeah the shadows are calling us out,
Yuri sank low on his right leg, the left still going around him as he slowly spun backwards.
I see the fear rising,
He went back up to his full height, his arms both in the air as the left leg came up, then down behind him. He remembered to keep his head down in that moment, since he'd normally have raised it up to follow his hands.
Yeah when hope is burning, the shadows are calling us out.
He started to build up speed, moving backwards along the edge of the rink, waiting for the next boom in the music.
It's feeling like the sun's hiding,
The thrum of the bass launched him into the air, digging his toe-pick in to push him up; he spun four times and landed the Flip cleanly. The audience cheered him on, and Viktor clenched his fist in approval. The song was starting to get a little more energetic.
But we're gonna keep moving, surviving,
Yuri launched again with the boom, entering the first combo jump; triple loop, single Salchow, triple loop. It was like his jumps and landings were timing in perfectly with each syllable of the song. The audience was creeping up onto the edge of their seats, anticipating each new maneuver as the music became more and more intense.
No we won't go quiet tonight, stand up and shout louder.
.
It was practically 3am. Viktor and Yuri were the only ones still on the rink by then, although Mikhail had stayed behind to keep an eye on them, sleepy as he was. Watching Viktor drill the younger skater, trying to force the changes into him, was like watching someone trying to herd cats. It wasn't for lack of trying though...Yuri was just exhausted in every conceivable way. It was only when he'd ended up in a coughing fit that Viktor finally relented, realizing there wasn't much point in trying to continue when the skater could hardly stand anymore.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry..." The Russian said, patting Yuri's back as he pulled the man back towards the rink exit, "I think you've got it, though."
"...I h-hope...so..." The skater heaved, spraying more water onto his face than into his mouth at that point.
"We'll work on it a little more once we're in France. We'll go to some public rink in Paris and practice. Gradually work all the quads back in as you feel better."
.
Oh no, no, we won't be silent. The shadows are calling us out.
Flying camel spin, then the foot-change, and another camel spin. Yuri grabbed his blade and pulled into a horizontal doughnut spin, keeping as much speed as he could during the minor musical interlude into silence.
We are heroes
He let go of his blade and went backwards again, gaining into the first step sequence.
Heroes in the darkest times, when there is no light, Oooh...
.
Yuri was sitting cross-legged on the bed as Viktor made the tea he'd promised. Thankfully, Lemon and Earl Grey were standard fare in most rooms, so there was no need for the Russian to leave and come back. There were no actual lemons on hand though, just imitation honey, so he had to make do with what he had. Yuri was still clearing his throat more often than not.
"I'm still a little surprised that you ended up getting yourself into this state." Viktor commented, stirring the cup as he turned around to bring it to his husband, "Normally that only happens if you scream too much. You weren't yelling profanities in the parking lot, were you?"
Yuri tried to answer, but his voice was more of a rasp so he stopped as soon as he felt it. Instead, as Viktor held the steaming cup in his hands, Yuri reached for the notepad in the jacket the Russian had left on the bed next to him and pulled out the pencil along with it. He scribbled a quick note before trading the note for his drink.
Viktor looked at it, reading it aloud, "Whispering is worse than screaming." He looked up from the notepad to see Yuri blowing at the hot liquid, "...You sound like a pro. Done it before?"
The younger skater sipped a little, then traded the items back again, writing a little more before the swap.
Again, Viktor read the scribbles out loud, "I used to be 10 times worse. I first met Yurio while I was crying in a bathroom stall, remember?" He slouched a little, "You're too hard on yourself."
Yuri took back the notepad, but put it against his leg to write this time instead of giving his tea back, then held it up. The Russian gawked at the little doodle Yuri had drawn of himself shrugging, but then huffed a laugh as he realized his husband was trying to be funny. Yuri started writing actual words on the next page though.
"You just told me earlier that only one thing is allowed to be that hard on me." Viktor read, bewildered for a moment, but then remembering and laughing once, "Does that mean you're back to your old self now?"
Brown eyes moved away a little, making Viktor wonder what it meant, so he handed the notepad back and waited for the next message. It seemed like Yuri was writing a dissertation, turning one, two, three pages to write down what he couldn't say. When it was finally finished, Yuri was almost reluctant to give it over, so the Russian continued to wait until he was ready. He could see that the text was smaller and straighter on the lines than the previous scribbles, so he could already tell that the content of the message was more serious than before. When Yuri finally gave it over, Viktor leaned back against the headboard, crossed his ankles where his legs stretched out in front of him along the edge of the bed, and read it quietly in his head.
'I feel a lot better now...but I can't help but feel like this was an eye-opener for me. This was my first event back after winning at Worlds...and look what I did to it. I got a bunch of people mad at me, and my attitude made the judges score me less than I thought I deserved, just like you said they would at Four Continents. I became the very thing you described as disgusting. I forgot how to humble myself to others, and actually had the audacity to think winning gold here would just be some joke. I mistook arrogance for pride and self-confidence, and I don't think either of us noticed until it was too late.'
Viktor looked up at his husband over the spiral wire through the top of the notepad, but then looked back at the pad, flipped the page, and kept reading.
'Part of it was because of how much control you gave me to produce my own show this year, and let me override you when you tried to make changes. I was nervous at first, but every time you backed off after making a suggestion, it made me think I was doing the right thing, so I started getting a big ego about it. Another part of it is...how persistent you were in having me take you. When I poked you in the head that one time, and you collapsed on the ice thinking your hair was getting thin...it kind of brought you down to earth, in my mind. That was enough for me. But making such a convincing case that I should top you...I think it threw off my perception of the dynamic between us.'
Another page was flipped. Yuri knew exactly what the writing said as each paper turned, and he kept his eyes on his drink as his heart jack-hammered in his chest.
'I didn't think so much that I was getting power over you, but that you were seceding power to me...and I hated it. I felt like I was seeing the pretext of our first fight all over again...when you said you were wanting to back off of the difficulty rating on your own programs. I got all weird about it, and ended up hurting you. So with this...I didn't want to go there again. I did my best to do what you wanted, but I was losing part of myself in the process. I became the worst version of me that I can think of. Tonight, you got me back to where I needed to be on the ice, but I think I need the rest dealt with, too, before I can go on.'
Viktor was almost a little worried to flip the page to see what laid beyond it. But...he turned it anyway.
'I feel like the skating event for our wedding party was the last time I really got to be who I want to be, before everything started to change. I...want to go back to then. I can still find confidence in myself without becoming a seme, and you can still let yourself be vulnerable with me without becoming an uke. ...I can only hope that made sense...sorry...there really aren't any good words in English for it...'
Viktor stared at the notepad for a good while after finishing, not sure what to say in response to it, so he just let it down to his lap where he slowly let down his arm.
.
Yuri made his way across the length of the rink as the chorus played overhead, spinning and stepping and trying not to trip over himself as he went.
We are heroes, heroes in the darkest times, but we'll rise above, Oooh...
"Skater Yuri's next jump is a quad-triple combo..." Morooka stated, the television showing the build-up as Yuri rounded the end of the rink, "Quadruple Salchow, triple Toe-loop...bit of a wobble there at the end, but still fairly clean."
We are heroes...
Yuri threw himself into a flying sit-spin, becoming a black and sparkling blur on the ice.
When the night is starless, only we can spark it...
One hand rose up as he continued to spin.
Light it up in the darkness, Oooh...
He came back up to his full height, kicking his leg out to dig his toe-pick into the ice and stop suddenly.
When the night is starless, only we can spark it...
He rotated slowly, bringing his arms up and out in front of him as he went backwards towards one corner of the arena. He spun and crossed his legs, wheeling around to each beat of the song.
Light it up in the darkness, Oooh...
.
"I had no idea you were that unhappy." Viktor finally said, leaving the notepad on his leg as he brought his arms up to cross over his chest, staring at the paper.
Yuri nearly died to hear the words, and he waved his hands around desperately, "...N-no! I wa-" He choked in his attempt to speak, and dropped his head down as he tried to catch his breath. Viktor leaned forward to nudge the tea back to him to soothe his throat. In his frustration, Yuri went over to his travel bags and pulled out his laptop, opening a blank writing document, and made the font large as he wrote down what he had just tried and failed to say, and then flipped the screen around.
'I'm NOT unhappy! I'm the happiest I've ever been in my entire life! There's just aspects to how we are that I'm not coping with very well.'
Viktor read the words, then raised his eyes back to Yuri's like he was expecting a better explanation. Yuri recognized it and pulled the screen back around to himself to type more. He filled the screen as well as he could and then turned it around again.
'It used to be a huge joke that I was 23 and still single. Even YOU teased me about it sometimes. I used to have this thing for Yuu-chan before I went to Detroit, and half the reason I was so quick to leave, even knowing I'd have to leave my dog behind, and then stayed gone for FIVE YEARS...was because she got together with a guy who tormented me as a kid.'
Viktor recalled the early days of coaching the young skater. How Yuuko had said Yuri had a hard time 'putting himself out there,' and how Takeshi Nishigori had pointed out that Yuri had a hard time making friends. It dawned on him that the very man who said the words was probably a huge reason why that was the case.
The laptop soon came back around, 'I never wanted to feel that betrayed again. That hurt. I was never a take-charge kind of outgoing person to begin with, so when it came to dealing with other people, the safest course for me was to keep them at arm's length. The only time I ever felt safe was when I was around people who I thought would never want to get that close to me...like my rink-mates and coach. Phichit-kun was the first and only person outside my family that even knew how much I idolized you.'
Blue eyes scanned the text, and then raised to meet Yuri's again to say he was done and waited for the next blurb.
'Not even Celestino knew. I didn't want it to get used against me. I didn't want anyone to really know that much about me. I probably would've been able to keep it from Phichit-kun, too, if he hadn't ended up being my roommate while we trained together. But my point is...when I said before that I couldn't even imagine you doing certain things or being with certain people, it wasn't just because I respected you too much for all that. It's also because I can't imagine myself in those situations, being the dominant one.'
Viktor leaned forward to press his fingers to the mouse-pad and scrolled down a little to keep reading.
'I don't want to be there. I stayed single all my life because I knew that doing otherwise would force me to do things I wasn't mentally willing to. ...I'm happier following someone else, not leading them. I can only be myself when I have someone else's strength to hold me up. You're the first and only person I've ever let myself lean onto. Maybe it's because I already admired you so much and wanted to be around you, so I let my guard down...but you managed to find a way through the wall I'd built around myself. Inside the wall though, I never stopped being a small and broken tower... So long as you're holding me up, I'm okay, but...I'll just fall down if you pull away, even if you're just trying to help me stand on my own. I need you to keep being who you've always been to me. I admire you too much to be able to handle any kind of power over you, literally or figuratively.'
Viktor leaned back against the headboard again, pulling his finger up to his lip as he let the words sink in. Yuri watched him anxiously for a response, feeling as nervous and apprehensive as the day he'd premiered his 'Yuri on Ice' program at the Japanese Qualifiers. The thought of disappointing Viktor weighed on his mind...but the same thing that happened back then ended up happening in that moment as well. The Russian reached his hand up under his bangs as though frustrated, but then looked straight at him, and reached both arms forward. Yuri flinched a little to see it, the serious expression never quite leaving the man's face, but he finally relented and set the laptop aside. He scooched forward over the bed and sat sideways on his knees to Viktor's right, wrapping his arms around the man's chest as Viktor did the same in turn over his shoulders.
"You're not as broken as you think, Yuri." The Russian whispered against his neck, "But if it makes you happiest to go back to how we were at the wedding party...then that's how we'll be." He could feel Yuri's relief as he spoke the words; his smaller frame relaxed against him and his slight tremble eased up a little. Viktor nosed his way under the layers of his husband's jacket and kissed the man's neck where he could, "...Besides, that time in the locker room was probably the best we've had anyway."
Viktor couldn't see it, but Yuri's eyes shone to hear his words, and he closed them as he hugged his husband tighter. The younger skater let out a deep breath that he'd been holding in since they'd come back from the rink...things were finally going to go back to what he considered 'normal.'
.
We are heroes
Yuri threw himself into the air again for another combo; triple axel, half loop, triple flip. Viktor watched it happily.
"For once, it seems like he's actually listening to me." He mused to himself.
Heroes in the darkest times, when there is no light, Oooh...
There would've been an Ina Bauer maneuver at that point in the program, but they'd switched it out for the Lutz take-off from the Charlotte Spiral like in his Short Program. It caused no irritation to set off a coughing fit to lean forward, and it freed him from having to worry about the quad Lutz at the very end, too.
"Perfect quad Lutz right there! Skater Yuri is making that one his own! His friend and rival, Swiss skater Christophe Giacometti, will have to pull out all the stops to keep that one for himself pretty soon!"
We are heroes
Outside spread-eagle into a twizzle, then another backwards maneuver to gain speed.
Heroes in the darkest times, but we'll rise above, Oooh...
"Yuri's favorite part of any program...the long combination spin sequence!"
We are heroes
Butterfly jump, illusion spin, rising into a scratch spin, descending into a sit-spin with a twist variation...he was a blur on the ice.
"Skater Yuri's spin sequence is dizzying! He might go longer than his coach did during his Worlds Short Program!"
Yuri leapt into the foot-change and kept going, the next spins being the same as the ones at the end of his YoI program.
We are heroes
The most intense part of the song came up, and Yuri broke out of the spin to rush backwards along the rink wall again, flying right past Viktor as he went, then heading back out to the center of the arena. The drums were building up to the crescendo, and with the last one, Yuri planted his skates down to send up a flurry of ice crystals.
Oooooh
He rotated slowly, his left arm out in front of him, turning it down around himself as the right came up in its place, then bringing it down around himself as he turned again with his eyes downcast towards the ice. He pushed himself back around the other way, and then forward on his toe-pick.
We are heroes...
He raised his hand towards the audience, as though allowing for the lyrics to apply to them all now, and then descended to the ice on one knee. The last boom of the song echoed throughout the arena as the young skater stretched out his other leg, and reached his hand down over it, and brought it back up in a fist near where he bowed his head.
His throat was a knot of pain by then, but at least it was over. The song faded out and the mob of cheers and screams faded in. Breathing was painful already, but by the end of his Free Skate, it was even worse, feeling like fire passing through him. In that moment, he was grateful that Viktor had neutered the program as harshly as he had...he was certain he'd have passed out again if it hadn't been done.
Flowers, plushy poodles, and even the odd plush nigiri were thrown out onto the ice, and he could hear the soft 'paft' noise as they landed. He finally rose back up to his feet to wave and bow in gratitude for their attention, but his throat was so cramped that he could barely lift his head. He let himself turn to start heading for the rink exit so he could meet back up with Viktor and go to the kiss and cry, but he did so with a reluctant hand up against the middle of his collarbone.
Viktor saw it and knew what it meant, having Yuri's water bottle on hand already as the program ended. He pat his skater's back gently and moved down to put the blade-guards on himself so Yuri wouldn't have to, then slipped his track-suit coat over his shoulders and guided him to the kiss and cry. The skater held one hand under his chin to catch the stray drops of water as he tried to drink and cool off the burning, and he threw his skated feet out in front of him as he dropped onto the bench. The Russian sat next to him immediately after, and Yuri latched to his arm like he thought he'd fall right off the back of the seat if he didn't. Viktor clasped their fingers together and ran his free hand through Yuri's hair to get the few stragglers out of his husband's eyes.
"Try to breathe more slowly. In through your nose, out through your mouth." He said quietly, "You did really well out there...but even reducing the difficulty level this much might not have been enough."
Yuri glanced up at him with a confused look in his eyes.
"I could see you getting tired in the second half. You're still exhausted even now. You've pushed yourself to the limit and you're probably going to suffer for it later. At least you don't have another event for a couple weeks..." Viktor explained, "You might get sick now no matter what you do."
Yuri sighed and held his head low, but then jerked it up again, trying to speak but finding it painful. Instead, he pat his free hand against his chest twice, moved it up to touch his sore throat, then moved his hand over to his husband's chest and gave another worried look.
Viktor stroked the man's cheek lightly with a curled finger, "It'll be fine. If I get sick too then that's just how it'll be. It might be the only chance Chris ever gets to win gold at an event we're competing in together." He mused.
The younger skater was baffled at that, but then shook his head and smiled, leaning his cheek against his coach's shoulder to wait for his score. When it finally came up, he was relieved to see it was even better than he'd hoped.
"The score for Yuri Nikiforov...194.21. His combined score is 302.46."
The Russian seemed to approve, and clapped happily to hear it, snaking his arm around Yuri's head as he pulled his hands back together to make a heart-shape with them at the cameras. Yuri followed his lead and made the same shape with his own hands, even if half his face was obscured by Viktor's arm. The giant plush tuna nigiri on his lap made the whole thing look comical at best.
His family and friends back in Hasetsu were relieved to see the numbers they did.
"Amazing! Skater Yuri is back in first place after his Free Skate!" Morooka announced, "With only a handful of competitors left, can he hold onto the gold for his first event of the season!? Stay tuned for the conclusion of this year's Skate Canada!"
The last 30-or-so minutes of the Men's Free Program seemed to last forever. Yuri chewed down two cold-relief lozenges as he waited, hoping to make his throat go numb so he could at least talk a little again, though there wasn't much likelihood of that. He could already feel the chill of an actual cold coming on, even with his jacket on, and Viktor holding close as they watched the last skaters from the relative quiet of the under-stadium prep area. Yuri had already pulled a surgical mask over his face to prevent from getting any sicker than he already felt.
I have a feeling I'll be going to bed as soon as we're done here... I may even have to skip the mini-Exhibition later tonight...probably the Skate Canada Banquet, too. I can't be sick when Viktor skates in France...not after he asked me to do his Short Program like he did... People are going to ask about it... I'd be a fool to refuse to answer questions when it directly relates to him...
Even though it was 99% certain that the leaderboard wouldn't change with the last few performances, Viktor was still excited enough to see the final results that he hugged Yuri close and practically gyrated against him like he had during the previous year's Japanese Qualifiers. He even nuzzled against Yuri's cheek like back then, too.
"You did it, Yuri!" He was saying, "It's your first-ever gold at a Grand Prix Series event, and at Skate Canada, too! What a great place to start out, neh?"
It's the place where Viktor first really noticed me...and I won silver back then.
"We should get you out there to collect your medal!"
Yuri nodded, but then pulled away enough to waggle his hand close to his ear like he was holding his phone, and then held that same hand out to receive it. Viktor nodded and pulled it out of his coat, and watched as his husband tapped his gloved thumbs against the not-so-cooperative touch-screen before holding it out to him.
[Bed after]
Viktor nodded, putting the skin of his wrist against his husband's forehead just to be sure, "Don't worry. I'll get you there. You aren't running a fever yet so it'll be okay. Just put the mask back on as soon as you're done and we'll go back to the hotel."
Again, the younger skater nodded, and pulled the mask off of where it clung around his ears, letting Viktor have it (along with his phone) while he went back out to rink-side. The crowd was cheering as the podium was shuffled out across the ice.
Yurio was there already with Yakov and Lilia, arms crossed over his chest for lack of a jacket to stuff his hands into. He turned back to see his Japanese counterpart coming out from behind the curtain, "Well done, Yuri. How late were you up last night after we left, anyway?"
"Two more hours." Viktor answered for him, "We would've been out there longer if not for other things."
"Mh." The blond huffed, watching as the German skater came out to rink-side as well; the bronze medalist.
They were all finally called out to take their places and get their rewards, and Viktor held back to clap with the other coaches off the ice. Yuri got to wear his flag around his shoulders like a cape that time, and seemed to enjoy himself despite his illness. Yurio had even allowed their customary hugs to resume after that, and waved goodbye to the pair as they ducked out while they still could. Viktor only left Yuri alone long enough to let the event managers know that they were leaving early and not to expect them back for closing ceremonies, and then helped him escape from the venue without being asked for interviews on his way out.
He hadn't even bothered changing into his regular clothing to make the short shuttle-ride back to the official event hotel; the Hotel Arts Calgary.
It was almost more exhausting to peel out of his costume than it was to make the trip up to their hotel room in the first place. Yuri could no longer be bothered to put it away completely, merely setting the pieces over the top of a chair and then slouching over to the edge of the bed where his night-mask was already waiting for him on the nightstand. He sat on the edge of the mattress, pulled the mask over his head, positioned it over his eyes, and twisted to finally get in under the covers...only to feel his husband crawling in behind him and shoving him over just a tad to make more room and then snaking his arms around his lithe frame like he always did. Yuri could feel the skin of his husband's chest against his back; cold at first but warming quickly as he pressed them together.
That wasn't so much of a surprise...there wasn't much else for Viktor to do if Yuri was just going to be sleeping. But the younger man still felt a little bad about it.
"...Y-you...don't hav...have to..." Was all he could manage with his raspy whisper of a voice.
"Shh. Go to sleep."
He was out before Viktor even managed to pull the covers over them and turn the light off.