CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEEN
It was a mad dash to gather skates and bags, but Yuri did his best to be thorough. He knew Viktor's inventory like the back of his hand by then, and when a certain pocket or pouch was empty, he knew what to look for. The only thing he couldn't find was the man's water bottle...and that turned out to be because Yurio had it.
"What's with the rush? You look like you're panicking about something." The blonde wondered, handing the bottle over.
"...You remember that time in St. Petersburg when we tried to take you out for the day, and Viktor got on the subject of his old girlfriends just to see how long it'd take before I got weird about it?"
"Sure."
"The French one is here."
Yurio cocked a brow as he watched Yuri trying to close the rolling suitcase. Every time he tried though, one end of the golden-bladed skates would stick out again and prevent it closing at some other point. The blonde sighed and shoved him off, completing the task for him and pulling up the grip bar for him in turn, "And?"
"And?"
"Did she throw herself at him? Kiss him in front of you? Shove you out of her way?" Yurio offered.
"No...she..." The older skater struggled to figure out how to explain it, "...She's a sports reporter and...I don't even know now. It happened so fast."
"So it's over already then."
"I don't even know if that's true. Chris made Viktor leave, and told me to come get his stuff, but...Viktor looked really upset when he realized she was there. I just..." The carry-bag over his shoulder slid off and jerked on his arm, and Viktor's umbrella tumbled out in the process, clattering in a damp heap under the bench, "I'm su...supposed to...follow after them..."
The Russian Tiger watched as his 'Skate Dad' started to unravel.
"Yuratchka, come get your stuff." Yakov said, seeing Yuri just beyond the teen but being oblivious to what had happened.
"You take it. I'm gonna hang out with Yuri and Viktor for a while." The blonde answered, grabbing the two cases from his older counterpart. He reached down for the umbrella and pressed it to Yuri's chest, letting him take it in hand, before moving off.
"Yuratchka!" The coach barked.
"Please!" Yurio turned his head and paused, giving his coach a look and hoping he'd get the message.
It was only when Yakov heard the Japanese Yuri snuffling a reluctant sob that he understood something was wrong, and he sighed to himself, "Fine, go on. We'll see you later. I'll tell Mikhail you left."
The duo wordlessly left the prep area and exited out into the main hall. They didn't see anyone that familiar again until they'd managed to get outside. The rain was coming down even harder then than it had been when they first arrived, and lightening rolled across the sky as they pushed through the doors. Those who didn't want to wait inside for photo-ops or interviews had already scattered to leave, avoiding the downpour by retreating back to the hotels down the street, or looking for cabs where the street wasn't blocked.
Yuri had enough presence of mind to open up the umbrella and held it over them as Yurio scanned the area for his second 'Skate Dad.' They didn't spot anyone, even as they'd gotten to the first street corner. Behind a thick concrete pillar, Viktor and Chris had taken shelter under another 'wedge' of the large green roof. Chris was on his phone and hadn't seen them yet, but Viktor recognized his umbrella and then saw Yurio's golden mop underneath of it. It only took half a second longer to realize Yuri was the one holding said umbrella, and the Russian moved out from the shelter of the overhanging roof to get to him.
"Huh? Viktor...!" Chris looked up and saw him go, instantly getting soaked as the Russian went right out into the onslaught of rain. The blonde realized where Viktor was going though, and clicked off his phone, sensing there would be no need to text Yuri about where they'd gone to anymore since he was standing right there.
Hearing Chris' voice caught both Yuris' attention, and they looked up just in time to see Viktor get drenched. The rain was thick and heavy, and even though the pair were standing only 15ft away from the protection of the roof, the Russian was still practically soaked to the bone when he got under the big umbrella and threw himself over his husband.
Yurio scrambled to stay under the webbing as it shifted where Yuri was holding it, but he still ended up a little wet. The patter of rain on Viktor's rolling suitcase, and the sound of cars on the corner, was all the noise between them for a moment as the Russian held onto his partner for a while.
"...V-Viktor...?"
The older man wouldn't answer, not with words anyway. His hands reluctantly let go of their vice-grip around where they'd clamped down on the back of Yuri's coat, the left moving down the length of Yuri's arm to find his right hand and bring it forward. When he saw the ring, Viktor kissed it, and kept his lips against it for a moment as he tried to reclaim his thoughts.
Yurio moved off to stand under Chris' umbrella instead as he got closer, "The Hell was all this about anyway? I thought we were done with all the running in Calgary."
"There was running in Calgary?"
"...Oh, right, not your event." The teen grumbled, averting his eyes as his former rink-mate moved from kissing the ring to kissing its wearer, "Never mind then."
Chris never went back to answer the original question, and instead waited quietly. A minute or so went by before Yuri suggested they leave.
"We're staying at the Novotel. He needs dry clothing before he catches something."
"All right..." Chris nodded, "Let's at least get to the other sidewalk. We'll avoid most people that way."
The long walk was done mostly in silence, with Chris and Yurio in front and the others behind. Viktor had quickly moved in to relieve Yurio of half his burden though, grabbing the rolling suitcase to pull it along himself. Yuri held tight to his hand the whole time, staying to Viktor's left so he wouldn't have to see the Patinoire as they walked by it again. Mercifully, it didn't look like anyone they recognized was still on the deck or on the sidewalk, so they were able to pass without incident. The corner on the next street even had a bus stop, so they ran for it when they saw one go by to stop and collect passengers. Chris paid their meager fare, and all of 30 seconds later, the bus stopped again on the other side of the street from the Ibis and Novotel.
"Where are you guys staying anyway?" Yuri wondered as they carefully crossed back over to the other side of the road.
"I have my own room at the Ibis." Chris answered first.
"I have one with Mila in the Novotel." Yurio followed-up, "Yakov is with Georgi and Lillia is someplace fancy farther away, probably the same place Mikhail and Okukawa are at."
"Okay."
They paused in front of where the two hotels separated, and Chris stepped in to pat Yuri's shoulder before moving in to hug his rival and say something quietly in his ear. Viktor seemed to nod slightly, but still said nothing as the Swiss skater moved off, pulling out his phone again. They heard him contacting his own coach about the things he'd left behind at the rink, and started a vague explanation about why he'd left in such a hurry.
He was still on the sidewalk as the trio finally got inside the Novotel though. Yurio was almost entirely soaked as they came through the doors, but he went in without complaint as Yuri shook out the umbrella before bringing it in with him.
"Thanks for helping." The older skater said, wrapping the small fabric belt around the base of the umbrella to tie it off neatly, "You probably missed out on a bunch of interviews..."
"They can wait until tomorrow." The teen answered, "Yakov can tell them anything they want to know right now anyway."
"Mh..."
"I guess you guys are calling it a night then?"
"...Probably." Yuri answered quietly, turning his head to see Viktor waiting idly, free hand in his coat pocket as he looked down at his feet where a small puddle was forming, "I'll let you know if anything changes."
Yurio stepped forward to give the hug he owed at their parting, "I'm sorry this happened."
"...It's no one's fault." The older skater sighed, resting his chin on the younger figure's shoulder while he had him there, "But thanks." He pulled back and drew in a breath, mentally getting ready for the next part of things, "You should dry off too so you don't get sick. Last thing we need is everyone trying to be like me."
"You lost your voice on your own. We'd be bringing a plague. Small difference." Yurio said, half-jokingly, "Da skorava."
"Mata ne." Yuri answered, taking the carry-bag that the teen still had over his shoulder, and shaking it out a little to get some of the water off that had accumulated on the sides before slinging it over his own shoulder and turning away.
The Russian Kitten moved off to play the game of 'hurry up and wait' for the rest of his team, remembering suddenly that he didn't carry his own key-card to get into the room and had to wait for Mila to get back with the others.
Yuri had already pulled Viktor around to the elevators by the time Yurio had settled in one of the many chairs in the lobby. The nearest lift was still 5 floors from arriving.
He hasn't said anything since he laid eyes on her. The younger skater thought, turning to look at his husband, finding glassy eyes looking at the floor. It was so long ago though... Why's he this upset...? Maybe he's not as over it as he thought he was...
The 'ding' of the elevator finally came, and the doors opened, letting out several people before the pair moved in. Two previous passengers recognized them and got excitable, but Yuri pushed past them and shook his head wordlessly, hitting the button for their floor, and then the one to close the doors. He heaved a breath as he leaned back against the side wall, reaching up with his free hand to try and brush some of the wet hair from Viktor's face.
The younger figure's brow furrowed with worry as he looked at the shadows under his husband's eyes, and the water still dripping from under his hair to make his skin wet.
...He stops caring about himself when he gets like this. And he won't say anything either... What should I do? Just wait for him again, like before...? I don't like him thinking he's in it alone though...
The elevator stopped briefly on a lower floor, and a woman with a small child stepped in, realizing the unit was still going up, but resigning herself to wait it out. She glanced at Yuri, "What goes up must come down again, right?" She said, trying to poke fun at herself.
"...Yeah."
There was a moment of awkward silence as Yuri put himself between her and Viktor and tried to regain his thoughts, but the woman didn't seem to notice their circumstances.
"My son is competing at the skating event down the street. I came to show support. France is really something." She went on, "If you guys are in this hotel, you must be here for the event, too, right?"
The younger skater was a bit baffled, looking from the woman to Viktor's track-suit and then back again, "...Ah, yeah...we are. ...You don't...know who we are?"
"Oh, are you famous?" She asked kindly, thought clearly oblivious.
"That's Viktor and Yuri Nikiforov, mom. Godyou'resoembarrassing..." The young girl, maybe 8, explained, "Viktor skated last in Singles today. He's going to win. I told you that we should've watched. They always put the good ones at the end."
"Your brother is a skater?" Yuri asked, trying to make light of the situation so it wouldn't be so strange, "What in?"
"Pairs. He skated this morning. He's in 5th right now."
"What country?"
"United Kingdom!" The girl said happily, "I'm glad he's not competing in Singles though. Going up against you two would make him cry...probably."
"Petra!" The mother chided.
The girl giggled, but then the elevator came to a stop, and the light for their floor went off to signal their arrival. Yuri lifted his head to see it, and nudged Viktor lightly as the doors started to open. As they stepped through, the girl was waving, and Yuri turned back briefly to smile as well as he could, "Tell your brother we said good luck."
"I will! He'll love that! Byyyyyeeee!"
The doors closed behind them, and Yuri shuffled his husband down the hall until they were in front of their door. He pulled out their key card from his coat pocket and pushed the door open with his foot, letting Viktor go in ahead of him before following in after. As soon as the door clicked behind him, Yuri set the carry-bag down next to the bed and grabbed the rolling suitcase from his partner's hand soon thereafter, setting it against the wall before moving to the bathroom to grab a towel.
When he came back, Viktor was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning over his knees with his elbows on them. Water was dripping from his hair still, splattering onto the grey carpet between his feet.
"...It's always something, right?" Yuri said, breaking the silence.
It was enough to get Viktor to move a little, but not enough to make him speak.
The younger man came back around and set one large towel on the bed next to Viktor's leg, using a second over the man's head, ruffling it around to dry the majority of the excess rainwater away. With silver-grey hair entirely mussed up into an unintelligible mess, Yuri tossed the soaking-wet towel aside and grabbed the dry one to continue on with his task. He left that one where it was though once he was done, moving down instead to try peeling the soggy track-suit off. Shoes, coat, and pants came off easily enough, but the water had gotten through to the skating outfit underneath of it, making it damp all the way down to Viktor's skin.
"...Ah, you should've waited for us to notice you instead of coming running out into the rain like you did. I don't know what I'm going to do with you if you catch a cold or something. I think the judges will notice if I try to do your Free Skate for you..."
"...I didn't want to wait." The Russian finally said, catching Yuri off guard.
"Why? It would've been 10 seconds."
Viktor didn't answer that one, simply moving his right hand up to undo the decorative button on the front of his display-jacket, and then the small zipper hidden underneath of it. The coat came loose from his frame, slipping off one shoulder, but otherwise staying put, clinging to him like his hair had.
"Well, we should get you into the shower and warmed up... I'll order room service or something."
The Russian drew in a quick, shaky breath, but then pulled the towel off his head and ran his hand through his hair to push it back, "...I'm sorry you saw all that. I froze up."
"I wish I knew who she was before you saw her." Yuri sighed, "She was the one who did that super awkward interview with me between Groups. If I'd known it was her, I would've..."
"...Done what, tell her to leave?" Viktor finished, huffing a weak, disbelieving laugh at that, "She didn't even want to be there in the first place."
"Is that what she said?"
"I could see the look on her face when she realized I'd spotted her."
"If that's the case, she should've done more to avoid you then." Yuri pointed out, getting a bit defensive as he reached up to undo the buttons on the front of his own coat.
"I can't read minds. I don't know why she was there when she obviously didn't want to be." Viktor said quietly, his show-coat slipping off his shoulder a little more, "...You sound angry though."
The younger skater put his coat in the hall closet, and slid the mirrored door closed, seeing himself in the reflection. He did have a bitter look on his face, so he blinked and shook his head, trying to be rid of it as he turned back to the main part of the room, "I don't like seeing you upset. Today was a roller-coaster of emotions as it was, what with Chris' SP, and then with everyone getting such good scores. I feel like she-"
"Like you said, it's always something." Viktor finished again, "...Last year, it was your melt-down at Cup of China...but I got to turn that into our first kiss. Then at Rostelecom, it was the sticky-bun scare with Makkachin...but I got to hear you ask me to be yours until you retire from skating, like it was a marriage proposal. At the Final, you got these rings for us..." He held up his right hand for emphasis, "...but then you brought the whole thing crashing down that very night by saying we should end things after the competition was over. In the end, you convinced me to come back to skating, and I got you to agree to winning five World Championship Golds for me. Four Continents ended with my finding out my mother was killed...but by Worlds, you'd gotten my uncle back into my life, someone I liked as a kid. Then at Worlds, skipping over the Yurio drama, you passed out and forgot the whole previous year...but even after that, after you remembered...you sang History Maker for me to help ease my mind." He lifted his head, slate blue eyes scanning his husband, "...It's always something...but it always turns out fine in the end. We just...have to wait this one out, and see where it goes."
"I know that going with the flow seems easiest, but..." Yuri started, moving back around to gently set his hands on his partner's shoulders, leaning down a little to rest his forehead against Viktor's and closed his eyes, "...I can't just sit by and watch you throw your Free Skate away because of this woman."
The Russian looked on quietly, half-lidded eyes glancing forward to where his husband's were still closed in solace, "...What makes you think I'd do that?"
"Same reason I can't land my jumps sometimes." He answered, leaning up to kiss the spot he'd been pressing against a moment before, "You might be a genius, Viktor...but you're still human. Seeing whatsherface brought up a lot of memories for you. A lot of...unresolved...stuff."
"You think I still want her?"
Yuri's face got a little red, but he couldn't find the words to answer, simply twisting to the side to sit on the end of the bed as well.
Viktor reached over with his wet hand to take his partner's, and nudged him with his elbow, "I didn't cry because of that. She's the one that ended things between us, remember? I moved on. I found you."
"...But...then why?"
"The whole thing caught me by surprise." The Russian admitted, "Seeing her there so suddenly, in that skating arena where we'd spent the better part of a year together...it just reminded me of how bad I felt back then. To be cast aside like less than nothing, after everything I had done to try to be there for her. That's the difference between you and Sophia...when you were at your lowest point, and I came to help, you accepted it. She didn't. It's her loss now...and all she can do is look on at what she threw away."
Yuri let the man's words settle in his mind, and he felt his racing heart starting to finally calm.
"Now..." Viktor's voice picked up again, "...If you don't mind, since these clothes are coming off anyway..."
The younger man shook his head and laughed, looking up to see the happy gleam in his husband's blue eyes again, "Post-conflict carnal urges?"
"I'd prefer to think of it as 'post-I-just-owned-everyone-in-the-Short-Program' carnal urges, actually." He answered, leaning in to nuzzle against Yuri's neck, "Care to join me?"
"In a heartbeat."