(Author's Note: Everyone who read Ch138 before 5/27 please go read it again. I've added some 2.5 pages of content and drastically altered other parts. It seems like a lot of folks have gotten the absolute worst impression from it and it's become obvious that the message wasn't clear at all...so hopefully now it'll make more sense and people can stop being mad at Viktor for loving his husband and wanting him to be safe.)
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THIRTY NINE
The Burdigala Hotel was a lot fancier and modern than either of the Mériadeck event hotels used for the competition, and when the car pulled up, it was an easy thing to let the Valet Parking team take it.
Minako grabbed a few things of her own that had been set aside in the back seat, and then gave over the keys. The boys were out and looking up at the multi-story building, then around the area to see other stragglers still arriving. When the rain started coming down more noticeably, the trio ducked inside before getting drenched. There was a bustle of activity from hotel staff, putting down mats on the slick tile floor to prevent people from slipping as they came inside. Signs had been erected all around, thankfully in both French and English, guiding the way for Trophée de France participants and guests to the Banquet hall on the upper floors.
"Can you two manage on your own?" Minako suddenly asked, adjusting where she had a coat-bag slung over her shoulder, "Or do you want wait for me?"
"We'll wait for you." Yuri answered, "You always wanted me to give away event secrets and hotel room numbers, right? This is your first time at an after-party, so..."
She smirked at him and pat his head affectionately, "That's my boy. I'll be back in a few minutes!"
As the ballerina trotted off to change into her official evening-wear, Yuri glanced around the lobby, looking for a place to set up camp until she came back. Spotting some couches and tables just around the corner from the sliding glass entry-way, Yuri pointed and started moving over towards them.
Grey suede upholstery, three black pillows set against three yellow pillows on the couch, with two dark grey ones in the two singleton chairs on either side, and a sleek, metallic-looking table in the middle of it all.
Yuri fell into the first chair he passed and kicked his shoes off before putting his feet on the table, then looked over at the teen. Yurio was standing with his hands in his pants pockets; the heavy coat had been left in the car. He looked out through the slightly-parted curtains, eyes peering onto the street to see the lights of slowly-passing cars through the rain. It was coming down even harder by then.
"Sheesh, Mikhail and Viktor are going to be soaked to the bone by the time they get here." Yuri commented.
"If they get here at all." The teen amended, "In weather like this, they may seek shelter instead."
Yuri turned his head, looking outside as well, "I'm sure at least Mikhail will call if they need someone to go pick them up." He watched as the burgundy-clad skater passed him and sat quietly on the adjacent couch, pulling his hands out of his pockets just long enough to cross one arm over his chest and use the other to pull his phone from his coat, "So what'd you all do for the 2 weeks before the event anyway?"
Yurio glanced up, "They went sight-seeing. I just followed." He answered, leaning his head back, "Well..."
"Well?"
"I made them take me to the zoo." The blonde looked a little sheepish to admit it, "The city's tourism page had a tiger and a cheetah right on their front page, and Mikhail made me pick something to do, sooooooo..."
Yuri allowed himself to laugh quietly at that, "It was better than the one in St. Petersburg, I hope?"
"By far." He answered emphatically, then quickly looking back down at his phone again, "I took pictures. You wanna see?"
"Sure."
Instead of just handing him the phone like Mikhail had earlier, Yurio stood up and wedged himself in the open space next to him. The chair was half a love-seat to begin with, being wide enough to sit two thin skaters such as them easily. Yurio wasn't quite as kind to the table though, propping his shoes up against the edge of it and bringing his knees up, setting his head against one of the two pillows that had been set against the back of the chair, and then held up his phone. He flipped it to landscape-view and showed off the photos excitedly.
Nothing gets him going quite like talking about cats... Yuri quipped in his head. He crossed his arms casually, and then his ankles, and let the younger skater go on for nearly 15 minutes about every animal he saw at the locale. The white tigers and white lions became something of a lecture in genetics though, as the teen went into great detail about how neither was an actual, legitimate species, and all were byproducts of incestuous breeding by people who wanted the color. Yuri hadn't anticipated getting a college education on big cats, and it threw him off a little, but he listened anyway.
"They'd never survive in the wild if they were born like that out there." Yurio explained.
"...Aren't there tigers in Russia though? White would blend right in with the snow and dark-colored trees..."
"Sure, if it were winter all the time, but it isn't." The teen explained, "The woods are dark and green. The areas of Siberia where tigers roam aren't perpetually covered in snow. They'd be spotted a mile away by any prey during spring and summer."
"...Mh."
"You two look comfortable." Minako mused, finally back from getting ready.
Yuri sat up quickly, leaving Yurio to slip down into the space he once occupied, twisting awkwardly. The older skater turned his head though to glance at the woman, and his cheeks went pink at the sight of her. Yurio clambered up his back to right himself, but then his cheeks went pink too when he saw the woman.
"M-Minako-sensei...!" Yuri gaped, "Wow, you look really great!"
"It's been a while since I got to dress up all fancy for something!" She answered excitedly, spinning around in her usual fashion to show off.
It was a deep blue-purple iridescent color, with solid material from chest to just above her knees, and sheer covering her shoulders down to the elbow, and then down over the under-skirt, shorter in the front but extending nearly down to the floor in the back. It was held together at the waist by a simple belt with a few pearls and appliqué. She held a small matching purse in one hand, and wore a simple small-pearl necklace and bracelet on her left wrist. Her hair was styled in a loose up-do and was accented by delicate, thin silver chains.
"...Has Mikhail seen you in this yet?" Yuri wondered suddenly.
She shook her head and grinned.
"Yeah, he's gonna lose it when he gets here." He followed, then turning to whisper something behind his hand to the teen next to him, "If you thought they were annoying before..."
"Right...?"
Yuri just laughed, pushing to finally stand up and collect his shoes again and straighten himself out. He stepped up to his Sensei and offered his arm, "Shall we?"
.
.
.
By the time the Russians arrived at the Banquet hotel, the rain was coming down like a monsoon. The umbrella did precious little to keep either of them dry, and everything below their knees was soaked through. Thankfully, the hotel seemed to be slightly prepared for the deluge, and had a space in the reception area where box-fans and space heaters were set up just to help people dry off and warm up again.
[Are you gonna tell them we're here?] Mikhail wondered, shaking out the umbrella just through the doors and then slipping it into a plastic bag so it wouldn't drip everywhere.
Viktor fell into the grey-suede single-person chair just in front of the window. He glanced at his phone where he held it lazily in his hands, elbows high on the arm-rests, "...Nyet."
[...Why not?]
[Maybe I'll get a chance to spot how Yurio treats my husband when I'm not around, if they don't know I'm watching.] He answered, unlocking the phone and looking at his homescreen wallpaper again, [I need to see it with my own eyes.]
[The second you walk in that room, you're going to be mobbed.] Mikhail said, deadpanning him as he slipped into the chair opposite him across the table, [You're the event's gold medalist, never mind the rest...you think you can just sneak around?]
Viktor slouched even further, looking pitiful, [Why do you always have to be right? It's kind of annoying.]
[My kids say the same thing.] The older man laughed lightly, [You can try though.]
[Seems futile now.]
[What about Chris?]
[What about him?]
[We're Russian. What do we do when we can't be where we want to go, but still want to know what's going on?]
Viktor gaped at him, but then understood, turning back to his phone to pull up Chris' last text message and send a new one of his own, [Psst.]
On the top floor of the hotel, the Banquet was in full swing. The Swiss skater felt a familiar buzz in his grey suit-coat's front pocket. He smiled to see the message, and typed his reply quickly, [Hey. Where are you?]
[Nearby. Are Yuri and Yurio there?]
Chris looked around. He knew they were, but he wanted to have eyes on them when he answered, soon spotting them over by the food display along the far wall with Minako. He snapped an inconspicuous photo and sent it in lieu of words.
Viktor squinted his eyes as he tried to make out what was going on in the picture, holding the phone close to his face like it would somehow make a difference. It was a bit too dark to make anything out specifically though. He shook his head, [Does Yuri seem okay to you?]
[He's a bit subdued, but his lady friend from back home is keeping him in good spirits.]
[Come up already.]
[I can't right now. I made a scene earlier, so my uncle and I walked.]
[COME UP HERE.]
[Chriissssss]
[You promised you'd be here. Things will liven up once you show yourself.]
[Everyone's anxious to see you.]
[They've been haranguing Yuri about your surprise Pair Skate since you're not around.]
[Good haranguing at least?]
[Do you have to ask? Lol]
[Are you at least in the building?]
[Da]
[Where?]
[Ground floor, drying off. We got soaked in the deluge. We'll be up in a little while.]
"HEY EVERYONE, VIKTOR'S DOWNSTAIRS IN THE LOBBY." The Swiss man yelled over the clamor, getting most everyone's attention, "LET'S GO DRAG HIM UP HERE."
[Don't tell Yuri I'm here. Or Yurio.]
[Whoops.]
[...What did you do?]
[You'll find out in about 10 seconds.]
Viktor's eyes went wide and he jumped onto his feet, "We gotta run."
"Eh?" Mikhail tipped the front of his hat up to see the man looming over him, "Why? We just got here. My tootsies are still wet." He waggled his toes where he had them propped up on the short table.
"There's no time to explain...suffice it to say, Chris just-"
"THERE HE IS!"
Viktor blanched, his eyes getting comically small, turning his head to see people starting to pour from a nearby stairwell. They quickly grabbed him and started taking him back the way they came, and the Russian spotted his Swiss friend along the path, "CHRIS! BETRAYER, SCOUNDREL, I TRUSTED YOU."
The blonde just laughed and waved as he was carted by though, "See you upstairs!"
Mikhail blinked and watched his nephew disappear. After a second though, he groaned loudly and moved to sit up, grabbing his wet socks and shoes and putting them grudgingly back into place. When he rose to stand up, he stood in front of one of the space heaters and let it at least turn his cold wet pants into warm wet pants
"Sorry, did you guys just get here?" Chris asked suddenly, being the only person left from the stampede that had stayed. He waved innocently.
The Russian nodded glibly, "Took half an hour to walk."
"Yeah, Viktor mentioned you two doing that. He said he'd caused a scene...I hope it wasn't too dramatic."
Mikhail cocked a brow, but then turned about-face to let the space-heater get the back of his legs, and looked back over his shoulder, "It's not really my place to say. How's Yuri? Did he make it?"
"He's fine. It doesn't look like he followed the herd down when I told everyone Viktor was here, so he's probably still in the Banquet hall." The skater answered, then pointing his finger upward, "We should get up there ourselves."
"Yeah...probably so."