CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY THREE

Even though they knew, at least in their heads, that they were safe for the time being, those fragile skater-hearts kept pounding for several minutes more, eyes darting this way and that and all around, looking for any sign of the skulking shadow.

Yuri finally relented and cleaned the beer-spray off his glasses, then set them back into place before casting one last glance around the large, warm room...still seeing nothing to suggest the Russian bear was anywhere in the area. He put his hand over his chest lightly and breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up and across the table to his husband, seeing those pale blue eyes still scanning. Under the table, the younger skater reached his feet forward, toeing at the man's legs until he could get one untangled from where Viktor had tightly wound them both together. Once he had it, both feet went around it to pull it forward, and Yuri held it there, ankles around ankle. He kept his eyes on the man across from him until that anxious expression softened a little, and he felt Viktor's other foot come forward to join that second ankle to the fold.

"He's not here." Yuri repeated, "I don't know where he is, but he's not here."

"Yurio's not around either." The Russian noted, blinking down at the half-empty lager he'd roughly put back a few moments before, "...I hope they're not absent in the same place. They're all staying in the same hotel."

"He wouldn't have much reason to stick around Konstantin anyway." The younger man pointed out, "But he said he always used to take off when Mikhail and Minako-sensei got, as he put it, too weird...so, this probably counts. I'll bet he's checking out that big underground shopping mall. We only went once to pass the time and didn't really look at anything."

Viktor still had his hands in his lap, looking down at the table, and then back around and to the right, seeing where those two aforementioned people were sitting. A member of the wait-staff, dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and black pants, was already bringing two trios of beer samples to them, one small set for each, totaling out to six different varieties between them. His eyes turned back to his own table when he heard Yuri make a subtle laughing sound, trying to keep it under his breath, "What is it?"

"Look. They're doing the same thing we are." Yuri pointed at the pair discretely.

"Eh?" Viktor looked back again, not really understanding...but then seeing the bigger picture. The duo had their ankles overlapping one another like they themselves did. The Russian lifted himself a bit straighter when he realized it, but then lowered himself back down again to rest the side of his jaw against the palm of his hand, elbow on the edge of the table, "...Ah."

Yuri noted the strange, lackluster reaction, but filed it away for the time being, "Minako-sensei told me what she thinks of him." The raven-haired skater said, finally reaching for the forgotten chopsticks on the table again, and going for the piece of pork he'd set aside after he'd been sprayed. He Set it back onto the hot grill for a moment to warm it up again, "Given the way she reacted when Konstantin first revealed himself at the airport...Mikhail must've done a lot to get back on her good side."

Viktor turned his head back slightly to look at his spouse as the man spoke.

"...Your uncle isn't an idiot...he'd know not to bring your father around when he's trying to be charming."

"...Yeah." The Russian shook his head and huffed a half-amused sigh, "He wouldn't stand a snowball's chance of impressing Minako-sensei if Konstantin were breathing down their necks like the biggest, most awkward 3rd wheel ever."

"Exactly. So...crisis averted, then." Yuri said, clicking the chopsticks together so Viktor would look at him again. When those blue eyes came back around, he smiled and fished for the reheated pork strip, "Let's finish eating. This city's huge...we shouldn't have to look over our shoulders. We'll see him when we choose to and not sooner." He dipped the bit of meat in the sauce from before and held it up a little to let it drip, "Besides, what's he going to do here? This is our turf. There'd be rioting in the streets if something happened to you."

The Russian nodded, smiled, pulled his elbow off the table and reached for his own chopsticks again, "You're right. ...Though, I can't help but wonder what he's doing." He drifted his hand over the different offerings before finally picking two prawns to set against the crackling heat.

The younger figure blew gently on the pork before finally getting to eat it, then reached for the next piece to set on the black-domed grill, "Don't dwell on it. I'm sure Mikhail figured something out before they came here."

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Tak...tak tak... Tak...

Konstantin hunched over the tiny Japanese desk in his tiny Japanese room, stylus in hand, and Mikhail's tablet in front of him. At least the Wifi signal was decent. It was no newspaper, but at least the screen displayed text that he could read.

.

With the meal over, and Yuri about to fall into a meat-coma, Viktor made the gestures to pay their tab and then hoisted his over-stuffed partner back to his feet. Coats were pulled over arms and shoulders, and scarves replaced, but just as Viktor had put his hand on the lower part of his husband's back to help guide him out, his attention turned over to the side again.

Minako had started laughing about something; her face was flushed and almost all the beer was gone, so the silver Russian had a good idea what was going on. Still, his curiosity was getting the better of him, and he stepped off after tapping Yuri's shoulder to make him aware of it.

Hazel eyes lifted and turned to see Viktor moving away, heading to that particular table by the wall, and Yuri slowly followed after, rubbing his over-full tummy as he went. By the time he caught up, all he could do was sleepily paw for the back of the man's coat, burying his face against it as he barely managed to wrap his arms around to hold himself up.

Viktor turned his head and smiled, twisting a little so Yuri's head was against his side instead, and pat his hair, "You ate too much."

"I ate waaaaayyyy too much." He muttered in agreement, keeping his face hidden between the man's hip and his arm.

"He looks like he needs a nap." Mikhail chuckled, draining the very last drops from the last beer glass before he set it down, "Are you leaving?"

"Da."

"Where are you heading?"

The younger Russian rubbed his hand back and forth slowly across Yuri's shoulders as he answered, "Not sure. I was thinking we'd go check on Yurio. You know where he went today?"

Minako shrugged, "I'm guessing he went to the underground shopping center to pass the time. He took off pretty early this morning though. Haven't heard from him since." She leaned back in her chair and put a finger against her lip as she pondered, "I actually half-way thought he'd have caught up with you two already by now, so I was a tiny bit surprised when we didn't see him here when we spotted you guys."

Viktor shook his head, "We haven't heard from him, actually. We thought he'd stay with you guys until later. Ah well...I'm sure we'll find him. He thinks this city is boring so that shopping center is probably the only place he'd go to. Or maybe that big arcade thing that isn't actually an arcade."

"When are you heading to practice anyway?" The woman wondered, "The rink's been open all day for it, but it doesn't look like you've been there yet."

"No, we just went to registration to get our badges. We'll go to the rink later on. I didn't have my head in the game this morning." The Russian answered, resting his forearm on his partner's shoulders and gently thumbed the side of Yuri's head instead, playing idly with a few strands of hair, "Had other things on my mind."

Minako had set her chin against the back of her hand by then, and side-eyed Mikhail on the other end of the table.

The elder just cleared his throat nervously, "...Oh, well...yeah... I...ahem."

"What? I thought you'd be happier to know that Yuri and I finally had that long talk." Viktor shrugged, half-smiling to himself as he turned and started to pull the younger skater away, "We'll catch up with you after practice then maybe."

Grey-green eyes just blinked for a moment, but then went wide, and the man jumped up from the table to give chase quickly, "Vivi!"

Viktor paused and glanced back over his shoulder; Yuri grudgingly lifted his face from where he'd pinned it, and both watched as the elder Russian came around in front of them. Mikhail held there for a second, just looking at his nephew, but then reached his arms over the man's shoulders and hugged him. One hand pat Viktor's back, and he pulled away again, moving both hands to the side of his nephew's arms instead, "Ja goržus' toboj."

Wordlessly, the younger silver watched as Mikhail turned and went back the way he came.

"What'd he say...?" Yuri asked quietly, seeing as the elder set his hand gently to Minako's back, and leaned down to whisper something to her before he took his seat again, "That was weird."

"Not really." Viktor said, smiling and turning toward the exit again, nudging his partner along, "He's been bugging me for a while to tell you about my past. He just realized I did...so he said he's proud of me."

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The underground shopping center appeared to be a bust. Yuri clicked out of his phone and sighed, "We've been trying to find him for two hours. Can't we just message him to ask him where he's actually at?"

"Mhhh..." Viktor grumbled, "I didn't want him to know we were coming. He wouldn't have to sit around waiting for us that way."

"What else would he be doing other than wait around? He could be back at the Leopalace hotel and we'd never see him." Yuri pointed out, pinning his phone between his fingers in front of his chin, "Pleeaasssseee let me call him. Phichit-kun's going to be here in 3 more hours, and by the time he's all settled in with Celestino, it'll be dinner-time, and then we all have to head to the rink anyway... There'll be less confusion and travel if we're all together to begin with."

"...Less confusion and travel?" Viktor echoed, confused.

"...Yurio's...staying with us...tonight...?"

"Oh." The Russian made a strange face, then laughed nervously.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"I forgot."

"Viktor." Yuri gave him an exasperated look, then turned his face down at his phone to pull up the teen's contact information, "Here you were just saying early this morning that you had to make extra effort while you had the chance, because you knew we'd have company later."

The silver skater quietly chuckled to himself as he stepped closer, loosely wrapping his arms over his partner's shoulders as Yuri put his phone against his ear, "I would've done that anyway. It was a long week. I'll just have to figure something else out for tonight."

The shorter figure just huffed a laugh and rolled his eyes a little as he slipped one arm around his husband's back, then heard the dial-tone on his phone click and the Russian Punk's voice answer, "Hey Yuri, where are you? ...We're at the underground shopping center. ...No, we just ate like 2 hours ago, why? ...Oh, no, that's fine. We'll get you something. ...Okay, we'll figure out what train line to get on and we'll meet you there. See you soon." He pressed the small red button on the touch-screen and put his phone back into his back pocket, "He's at the arcade that isn't an arcade."

"That figures." Viktor nodded, pulling one arm off the front of his partner's frame and put that hand into his pocket casually instead, keeping the other where it was, "Let's go."