CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWENTY SEVEN

The rest of the interview seemed to be largely benign, despite Yuri's initial worries. The questions had all been pre-written on the index cards, and aside from the two that were a little more personal than Yuri was comfortable with, even those questions were simple enough that Viktor could answer them without giving away anything he didn't want to.

And then...it was over.

Fifteen simple minutes of completely normal sport-related questions...and that was it. When the crew started packing things in and the fans gathered-in behind them started clapping and taking pictures, Yuri actually felt a little bad for having been so worried before.

Sophia collected her cards together and straightened them out over where her knees had been crossed over the edge of the second couch. She then set them down on the glass top of the coffee table and rose to stand, sorting out the wrinkles in her business-casual suit and skirt, and looked down at where the two skaters were still sitting, "...Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Viktor nodded in agreement as Yuri scooted to the side and rose to stand again in the space between couches, "Your friend did the right thing by giving you those prompts." He pushed off the edge of the seat to stand up as well, towering over everyone, "I'm kind of glad it worked out this way, without Linette."

"...You are?" Yuri and Sophia asked at the same time, and in the same surprised tone. They glanced at once another, but then Yuri looked away.

"Mh." The Russian nodded again, twisting at the waist a little to stretch out after having been in the same tilted position since before the interview started, "I think it would've been really weird if you'd shown up with her, singled me out of a crowd, and then run off again like you'd been trying to this whole time. At least, this way..." He rubbed his side a little where it had been squished into the lean, "...It forced the conversation, so we got to clear up a lot of things that had been left kind of open-ended before."

"...I suppose."

"Well, Yuri and I should be getting back to rink-side. Plisetsky is probably wondering where we are."

"Oh...okay."

Viktor was already trying to step through the narrow space between the couch and coffee-table, and Yuri was quick to follow after him. Once he was free of the confined space, Viktor reached his hand for his husband's and then turned to face the woman again, "It was good to see you again, Sophia."

Dark-blue eyes looked up into slate, and she nodded softly, "You too, Viktor."

"You should stick around for the Exhibition Gala later. Our new Pair Skate is going to be a lot of fun."

"Oh..." She started again, "...Sure."

This is getting awkward… Yuri thought to himself, turning his eyes from Viktor to Sophia and then back again as each one made their comments. Instead of letting it get dragged out though, he huffed a quiet sigh to himself and started walking towards where the crowd had created a path, "Let's go."

"Mh."

The crowd had started clapping again as the two slowly departed, circling back around to encapsulate them as they went though, just like how they had back at Incheon when Viktor had skated with those fans. Neither turned back to look at the television crew again before getting engulfed by the mob. There where hoots and hollers as could be expected, but the trio's attention was grabbed as the ruckus suddenly exploded into cheers and whistling. Flashes could be seen lighting up the walls and ceiling around the doorway back to the skating rink. Sophia had to jump up onto the nearest couch in an attempt to see what had happened, but when she finally had a vantage, all she got was an eye-full of Yuri having been pulled backwards off his feet, with Viktor leaning down over him into a surprise kiss where he held him up, so she stepped down again before she fell down instead.

[What was all that about?] One of the techs on the team wondered.

[Fanservice.] She answered quickly.

By the time the skaters had returned to the prep area, another 3 skaters had gone onto the ice, and a 4th was getting ready for his turn. There would only be 1 left before the break, and then it would be Group 2. They look around anxiously for Yurio, but failed to find him.

"Do you think he left or something?" Yuri wondered nervously, "I wonder how he scored…?"

Viktor moved along towards the area where they could find out, and when they saw the numbers, Yuri was wide-eyed in shock.

"211.72!?" He blanched, "He scored better than I did…! Chikushou..."

"I guess you should've stayed after all." Viktor quipped, "Maybe he'd have scored less."

"What's that supposed to mean…?" The younger skater was feeling worse by the second.

"You left, so Yurio was mad...and he used it to fuel his show just like I did. He did the same thing at last year's GP Final, remember?" The silver figure pointed out, "No matter what my uncle's done to help him get past his fury, Yurio is still an angry little bean."

All of two seconds passed before Yuri suddenly found himself bouncing off the wall and landing in a heap on the floor, a certain boot-print prominent on the back of his jacket.

Viktor casually turned to look at the source of the impact.

"I hope your interview was fucking fantastic." The blond growled at them.

The crumpled skater on the ground flipped over painfully and looked up, seeing the silhouette of the Russian Tiger there darkened by the lights just above him, "Imsosorrypleaseforgiveme!" Yuri wept dramatically, holding his nose where he thought it might be bleeding, "ItwonthappenagainIswear!"

"We'll see if you keep your promises better than Viktor."

"Wow..." The older skater said, almost flatly, though still sporting the remnants of the dumb-happy look on his face from before.

Yurio just stuffed one hand in his pocket and pointed the other at his elder indignantly, "Don't look so pleased with yourself. I'd have kicked you, too, if I could get you both at the same time without making a fool of myself."

"Why would you have kicked me…? I was supposed to get off rink-side. I wouldn't have been able to stay regardless."

Yuri was still twitching on the floor, struggling to get up, "V-Viktor…."

"You should've told him to stay."

"I did." He smiled as warmly as ever, "He was really torn, but..."

"But you were meeting with an old girlfriend who had the gall to suggest picking up where you left off. Of course he's going to follow you. Do you think he's an idiot?"

"No."

"Then you're the idiot." Yurio snarled, pulling his hand back, "And that's why I should've kicked you."

Viktor had his mouth open like he was going to say something, and a finger up in his defense, but hearing the words...made him go silent. He pulled the finger back and put it over his lip as he turned and closed his eyes in thought. They opened soon after though, and he leaned down finally to help collect his husband from where Yuri had been clambering at his skates, trying to get his attention. Once on his feet again, Viktor casually started dusting him off like he had so long ago at the last GPF Banquet, when Yurio had kicked him to the ground as the Russian team was leaving.

"One day, when you've had love and lost it, you'll understand why I did this the way that I did." Viktor explained simply, "It's impossible to explain to someone who hasn't been through it."

"I don't care. It was still shitty of you."

"I'll expect an apology for that one day."

"From me? Fat chance." Yurio huffed, turning to move away again, "The only apologizing around here should be you to me and katsudon." He showed his back to them as he moved on, "I'll see you on the podium, baka. Then you can shove that gold medal up your ass along with all the other stuff you're putting up there lately, including your head."

Yuri could feel himself sinking into his coat, retracting his head through the opening like a turtle retreating into its shell.

Viktor wouldn't let it go though, and his skate-guards gave him away just soon enough for the blond to turn away and feel a hand come up on his face again. Slate blue eyes glared down at him, but this time was different than on the ocean-side walkway in Barcelona. These eyes were angry, not half-amused condescension.

"You have a lot of nerve talking like that after everything we've done for you."

A small crowd had slowed down their passage as they saw the conflict. Yuri noticed them in turn, and tried to calm the storm.

"Viktor, it's fine...let's just go..."

The Russian had ignored him though, pulling hard enough on the teen that he was up on the toes of his skates. Like before, he had his mouth open, about to say something...but unlike then, his words were cut off rather than stifled.

"Ah jeeze, what'd he do now?" A certain Russian elder asked, coming up from the arena floor and walking right into the middle of it.

"...Mikhail!" Yuri was relieved to see him, and rushed up to the clashing pair to try and separate them, "It's just a big misunderstanding, really!"

"Pretty serious misunderstanding if this is what it lead to. C'mon, Viktor...let him go. You're causing a scene."

Yuri looked between them all and hoped for resolution, but nothing came. At least, not until Mikhail reached in for his nephew's forearm and jammed his thumb between the two long-bones just before the wrist. Viktor winced and his grip went limp, leaving the Russian Punk to fall back out of his reach again.

The silver skater pulled his arm back and scowled at both of them as he tried to shake the pain, "Your mouth is still too big for your brain, it seems, but I guess we do live in a world where the ignorant are always so sure of themselves." He turned on his skate-guard and started walking away, saying nothing, but looking back briefly to his husband.

Yuri was internally panicking again, not sure whether the look was a gesture to follow or a warning to stay where he was. By the time he'd decided to follow, Viktor had vanished into the crowd, and Yuri couldn't spot him even when he'd jumped to see past everyone that was taller than himself. He could feel his hands shaking where he stuffed them into his coat pockets, and the groaned pitifully to himself.

"What the Hell did you say to him?" He heard Mikhail lecturing a few paces behind.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true." Yurio answered bitterly, "He was acting like a tool."

"What? Why? And where do you get off just saying it to his face like that?" The elder was clearly flustered.

"Why is everyone so angry...?" Came a woman's voice unexpectedly.

Yuri glanced up, recognizing it immediately and finding a bit of solace in it, "Minako-sensei!"

"Yuri, why are your eyes re-"

"No time, let's just go." He said, whipping back around to take the woman by the wrist and started marching off with her in tow. He took her the opposite direction Viktor had gone though, and kept going despite her calls for an explanation, until he'd fully dragged her out of the building and was standing at the top of the stairs just outside the entrance.

"Yuri!" She called out to him...and he finally stopped, and let go of her wrist, "What was that for?"

The young skater turned back around to her, "...I'm in France and I don't have anywhere familiar to go! I just...I want to go to your ballet studio and hide for a while."

"What? Why?"

"Everyone's just so intense right now!" He blurted, half on the edge of tears from the stress of it, "First it was Viktor's Free Skate, then it was the interview he agreed to do with that old girlfriend of his, and now this... It's too much. I can't...I don't want...to deal with it. It's not even my problem but they're both just so mad at one another now!" His voice was starting to crack.

"...Yuri." The older woman sighed and stepped forward, slipping an arm over his shoulder. She started pulling him down the short set of stairs towards some trees nearby. The rain had stopped long enough by then that the long edge of a short brick wall, acting like the 'pot' to the small field of trees and bushes decorating the corner of the block, was dry enough for someone to sit down. Minako gently set the skater down to let him lean, and then just waited quietly. When it seemed like the tears had finally passed, she stroked his hair out of his eyes and looked at him, "What's the matter? You mentioned all those things before, but..."

"Why is he still like that?" He asked pointedly, "I thought Mikhail had taught him how to be normal."

"Oh, Plisetsky?" Minako wondered, looking up a little in thought, "Well, he's come a long way, but he still has outbursts once in a while where he goes back to how he used to be. Don't worry so much, it's not just you."

"He did it to Viktor..."

"Oh, well...I imagine he feels more comfortable dishing on Viktor because he's known him the longest." She explained, patting the younger man's shoulder softly to help ground him, "What's he say?"

"That Viktor was an idiot." Yuri said, reaching up to rub his eyes on the back of his coat sleeve, "I get that he's mad that we weren't there to watch his program, but I can't be in two places at once and I had to decide which one to go deal with..."

"And the interview was the other thing?"

He nodded, drawing in a tense breath.

"Why did she want to do that anyway?"

"It wasn't even supposed to be her..." Yuri said, raising red eyes to his former teacher, "She works for some local news station and got suckered into coming here when a friend of hers found out Viktor was skating this year. Sophia was only...supposed to point Viktor out, and maybe help get him to agree to talk about the event, but then that friend got sick and Sophia had to do it all herself. I couldn't let Viktor do it without me so I...I left Yurio behind..."

"And what does Viktor's Long Program have to do with it...?"

"He couldn't do it unless he was all fired up about things that happened when I was with him in St. Petersburg. Some really bad things happened that no one else really knows about... He told me to remind him about all of it so he could truly embody his theme for the skate." The raven-haired figure said between shaky breaths, "So he was already tense when he came off the ice..."

"And Yurio set Viktor off after all that?"

Yuri nodded, rubbing his dripping nose on his sleeve to join where it was already wet from his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, and went on a fast-paced diatribe about how the whole thing happened, "Viktor agreed to do the interview after his Free Skate even though he knew Yurio was going up after him, so when he was done, he was already fired up about all the memories I dug back up, and was going to do the interview while in that frame of mind. I wanted to stay and watch Yurio but Viktor said he couldn't because, as the previous skater he shouldn't be at rink-side when the next person goes up, so he said I should stay and just catch up later...but I couldn't let him talk to Sophia without me there because she openly said she wanted to date him again if he asked. Even though he said he didn't want to, I didn't think that would stop her from trying something anyway it I wasn't there, so I went with Viktor instead of watching Yurio. The interview started out really tense, but for me it turned out okay...I guess it wasn't so easy for Viktor because he was still on edge when Yurio drop-kicked me for missing his show. Then Yurio started saying Viktor was an idiot because he knew I'd go with him instead of staying to watch, and then made a really cruel comment about how Viktor had everything, including his head, wedged up his backside...like it was some horrible stab at how he and I are married and-"

"That's fine, I get it..." Minako stopped him, patting his head lightly as the young skater started sobbing into his hands again.

"...So Viktor went and defended himself by grabbing Yurio by the face like he did to Mikhail's kid, but this time he was actually really mad and wouldn't let go until Mikhail jammed his thumb into his arm...then he left...and I...didn't go after him..." He continued, clasping his fingers in front of his knees as he dropped his lead low, "So now Viktor's alone again and he has all this stuff going through his head... And on top of all that, Yurio's mad at me for missing his Free Skate twice in a row... I don't know what to do! I told him I was sorry but all he did was throw it back in my face!"

"Mhm..." The ballerina nodded, taking in all the information and processing it quietly, "Well, I can't make a magic portal that'll take you to my studio...but you knew that, and that's why you brought me out here, right?"

Yuri bobbed his head, raising his hands up to rest just under his messy black hair.

"Do you want to stay, or do you want to go someplace quieter?" She offered, "I'd take you back to our hotel room but it's really far away...and the medaling ceremony will start in an hour or so...I know you don't want to miss tha-"

"I don't know that I can face either of them right now." Yuri choked, "Yurio would just get even more mad at me because he'd think I'm taking sides against him..."

"Well, where are you staying then? Do you want to go back early?" Minako rose back to her feet, and offered her hand, "We can walk and talk. This isn't your event so you don't have to be here until the end. If you're not comfortable staying then Viktor ought to be the first person to accept and understand that, right? It's not like he's mad at you."

"He might be if I'm not there when he gets his Gold..."

"As if he doesn't have enough of them already." The ballerina pointed out, getting Yuri to look up at her, a stunned look on his face, "Come. Let's move before it starts to rain again."