CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY FIVE

Braving the cold once again, the time had come to depart for the airport. Disinterested in going, however, Yurio departed on his own.

"I'll just meet you when you get back." He shrugged, standing outside the Excelsior Café once he'd finished eating, snow falling all around and caking the landscape and everyone in it in a flecked layer of white fluff, "I don't have a lot of stuff in Mikhail's room anyway. I left most of it in yours."

"Oh." Yuri deadpanned the teen, "I didn't notice."

"Yeah I left all my skating gear with you. No sense dragging it all over this city when the only reason I'm moving around is because no one planned on me being here."

"Maybe you can stay with Yakov and Mila." Viktor suggested, looking entirely less than his usual majestic self with Yuri's Flames beanie on his head, "I doubt they'd mind."

"Eh."

"Eh?"

"Eh." The teen repeated, "I'd sooner room with your pops than with that horny toad."

Yuri gave a look that was a mixture of horror, confusion, and surprise, "...Horny toad?"

"Mila. She gets clingy. Makes me crazy."

"Why would you say you'd sooner room with my father than with people you know...?" Viktor asked, less confused and more defensive.

"Because he's quiet." Yurio answered with a shrug, "He barely said a word to me this morning unless he had to."

Yuri could feel where his partner's hand was clenching a little harder around his own, likely without realizing, so he gave it a deliberate squeeze to make him more aware of it, then turned to the blonde standing on the curb, "Can't you just say what you two were doing in each other's company without being evasive?"

Yurio rolled his green eyes, "It was close to 5:30am when I got chased from the hotel room. I spent an hour dozing in the lobby and then went to the restaurant buffet for breakfast. Old Man Nikiforov seems to be an early riser so he ended up down there on his own around the same time. I watched him for a bit but then realized he was having trouble figuring the place out, so I helped him."

"...Why would you help a guy you barely know? Especially since the only thing you do know about him is what you've seen yourself." Viktor asked stiffly, entirely not liking where that story was going.

"Same reason I defended you at the RSF conference last year, after you and Katsudon moved to St. Petersburg." He answered, leaning back on one foot to stand more casually, staring up at his much-taller counterpart, "It was less about my approval of either you or him, than it was about my not wanting a fellow Russian to be seen as weak. Your pops is a big, ugly fish out of water here, and like some other certain people around here, he's too proud to ask for help, so I forced it on him so he wouldn't look stupid in front of all these foreigners."

Viktor grimaced at him, "You're one to talk."

"I never said you were the one I was referring to." The teen shrugged again and spun on his heel, heading to the edge of the street and glancing down both ways, "I don't know your dad that well, but h-"

"He's not my dad." The older Russian corrected curtly, "You have to earn that title. He's just my father. There's a difference."

Green eyes turned back to glance past the edge of that black hoodie and some strands of pale blonde hair, one eye squinting a little as the teen gave Viktor a look, "...Whatever floats your boat. My point was, Konstantin seems to have started to pull that giant stick out of his ass, so at least this morning, he wasn't entirely as insufferable as he was the last time I saw him."

Viktor drew in a long breath and exhaled slowly, turning his blue eyes towards the interior of the shopping center, "I'd really rather you not spend time alone with him."

"We weren't alone. There were other people around."

The older Russian wasn't going to argue semantics, so instead of picking a fight over it, he simply started to step away, pulling Yuri along with him, "Let's get going."

"Ah, wait...Viktor..." The younger figure protested slightly, reaching back with his free hand towards Yurio. When the teen came closer, Yuri pulled him into the expected hug, but held there a moment, whispering into his ear, "I get that you want to look like you're strong and in control, as though all these personal problems are beneath you...but please try not to antagonize Viktor by talking about his father like what happened to him is irrelevant. It's a really tense situation and the last thing he needs is to feel like his own friends are picking sides."

"...I'm not picking sides. I was just saying-"

"I know." Yuri cut him off, still holding on, "But when you talk about Konstantin as though he's no different than any other old man you know, it belittles what Viktor's gone through. Konstantin isn't like Yakov or Mikhail or your grandpa. He's an outsider. We're allowing him the chance to see our world, since Mikhail shoe-horned him into all this, but we're not necessarily welcoming him into it."

Yurio scoffed a little, but then turned his head slightly away, "...Fine."

"Thanks."

Viktor watched quietly, unable to hear what was being said, but seeing that it was over, whatever it was. Yuri drew closer to him again as he let the teen go.

"So what are your plans until later?"

The blonde looked back again, "Wander around some more. I'm sure there has to be something around this place that's interesting." He waved and started heading across the street to the next section of the shopping arcade, "Thanks for lunch, Katsudon."

"Mh." Yuri raised his hand to wave, "Call us when you want into the room."

Within a few seconds, the youngest skater was already vanished into the next crowd, and the pair started making their way in the opposite direction, going through the massive, covered outdoor hallway with its dozens of little shops on each side. The walk was quiet between them for a little while, neither of the pair having much to say.

Viktor eventually reached up with his free hand to pull the edge of the beanie down to just over the tops of his eyes, pulling Yuri's hand into his pocket at the same time, warming it against the winter cold. He kept his sights ahead though, only finally relaxing a little bit again when they were halfway between the different connecting streets, "...What'd you tell him?"

"To behave himself."

Slate eyes blinked at the shorter figure, but then warmed a little as the Russian turned to face the direction they were walking again. He stepped a little closer to brush their shoulders together, "Thanks."

.

.

.

Snow was coming down even harder than before, and the sky was getting darker as the sun set through the cloudy grey-blue sky. The airport train pulled into the terminal, coming to an easy stop inside the underground terminal, the doors screeching open to let everyone unload.

Viktor stepped out first, pulling Yuri along behind him as they squeezed through the crowd. By then, he'd managed to get a different hat; dark blue and 3 feet long with a fancy tassel at the tip where it swung behind his back. Making it more fun, though, was the fact that it had a series of triangular 'spikes' coming off the top and going down the length of it, making it look like a dragon's tail; it even had comical droopy dragon ears hanging from the sides. If nothing else, people would stare at the hat and entirely not notice the man wearing it, which was half of why the Russian chose to wear it in the first place, honoring his word to keep under the radar.

Yuri had reclaimed the Calgary Flames beanie for himself by then, but as soon as they had disembarked and had found seats in the waiting area, he pulled it off and stuffed it back into his jacket. He looked around the area nervously, glancing at and examining every face that passed him by.

"We're really early." Viktor said, grabbing the young skater's attention, "He won't even land for another hour at least, assuming the snow doesn't delay the plane."

Yuri grumbled and slouched in his seat, "Starting to think we should've just gone straight to Hasetsu instead of waiting."

"Well, our boredom will only last a little while longer. Once your friend gets here, it'll be a whirlwind of stuff to do."

"You're still up to helping Phichit-kun with his new quad?" The younger figure wondered, leaning his head against the man's shoulder, "We'll only have tonight and tomorrow morning before NHK actually starts."

"Of course." The Russian answered easily enough, reaching up and back to playfully wind the length of his dragon-tail hat around his husband's shoulders and neck, letting the tassel at the end hang in front, "It'll be fun to see if I can coach someone that I'm not in love with."

"You make it sound like all you had to do to get me onto the podium was seduce me up there."

"Didn't I, though?" Viktor mused, "You said you've been chasing me for half your life."

"I guess that's true."

"It's almost been a year since we got engaged, too." The silver skater went on, thumbing at his ring as well as he could given how his fingers were laced through his partners, "The whole Grand Prix Series means so much more now than it used to."

"Agreed." Yuri nodded, rubbing his cheek against the woolen coat, "Something's been bothering me though."

"What's that?"

"The way you cringe and go quiet whenever the situation between Minako-sensei and Uncle Mikhail comes up." He explained, "You've done it twice today alone. I thought you'd gotten past all that."

Viktor went quiet at that as well, looking vacantly straight ahead. After a moment, he grit his teeth and shifted where he sat, "For a little while, after Bordeaux, I had let myself stop caring about him getting so woven into this life I have with you. It took that long just to call him something other than Uncle. But then I just... It's hard to describe."

"Try."

The Russian stewed in his desire not to, but Yuri's voice urged him on, "When was the last time he saw or talked to his kids?"

Yuri was caught off guard by the question, blanching a little as he thought, "...Including Skate Canada or no...?"

"No."

"I dunno, not since summer I guess? ...Actually...I forget if he went back. All I remember is the stuff he did with Minako-sensei and Yurio in Russia."

"Exactly."

"...I don't follow."

"I'm just nervous about the future, given the past." Viktor said stiffly, drawing in another long breath, "There's only two ways it can go down."

"Only two...?" Yuri lifted his head a bit and sat up a little straighter, "Why only two?"

"History either repeats itself..." The silver Russian explained, then turning azure eyes towards his husband, "...Or it pays you back. I'm not sure which one makes me more nervous."

"I don't think it's like that at all..." The younger figure said, twisting on his seat, leaning a shoulder against the back-rest to look at his partner more easily, "Mikhail's been working really hard at all this. He's trying to make up for the mistakes he made. Why would he give all that up by running away again?"

"...The way he talked about his kid in Calgary." Viktor said, remembering the tense confrontation and the aftermath like it had happened only the day before, "Whatever his name was...the boy."

"Sergio."

"Yeah, that one." He nodded, "Uncle Mimi said that Sergio's lovely opinion of us came from his mother. The one that got cured of cancer and lost her mind after. Uncle Mimi himself has always been entirely on board with the way we are, and yet somehow, he wasn't able to instill that value into his own kid enough that when he left, it stuck."

"The daughters seemed okay." Yuri offered, "Well, at least Nikkita... I can't entirely be sure about Viktoria. She didn't say much, least not to either of us."

"...The fact that you remember their names after hearing them once is baffling."

"The fact that you don't is really telling about how you feel about your own family, immediate and extended." The younger figure pointed out, "But that doesn't really explain why you finally got over your reservations about Mikhail, only to regain them 2 weeks later. What happened in Russia that would make you feel like that again...?"

"...All that unwanted remembering I did." Viktor said anxiously, "I was forced to really confront everything that happened way back in the past, and try to reconcile it with the way things are now. It didn't really hit me like some revelation though. It just kind of crept into my head like a rat sneaking onto a boat, making trouble unseen and being a nuisance, getting worse and worse until someone finally spots it. It just became really obvious when we saw him and Minako-sensei at the Beer Garden earlier. I don't want him to hurt her."

"Oh..."

"Minako is really protective of the both of us." The Russian went on, slowly stroking his thumb back and forth across the side of his partner's fingers, more to sooth himself than anything else, "That's what she was whispering to me about last night before she and Yurio left. She's worried about how Konstantin will impact us, but I'm worried about how Mikhail will impact her. I just...haven't said anything about it to her."

"...I think that's the first time I've heard you say his whole name since you first saw him at the St. Petersburg Skate Club. This must really be bothering you."

"It's like I told you way back last year... Your family is my family. Forget and ignore the rest. My...blood relations seem to be a lot of trouble, no matter their intentions. The way Uncle Mimi just drops people when things don't go his way...he did it to me, he did it to my mom, his own sister...he did it to his own kids... Why would Minako be any different?"

"I think it would be best if we let her worry about that." Yuri suggested, "Yurio says they chased him from the hotel room so they could do stuff, but I really seriously doubt that's actually what happened. He was just being selfish and dramatic. Minako-sensei is strong and knows what she wants. She doesn't need him. She'll make Mikhail put effort into this, see how bad he wants it to work between them, before really letting him close. Plus, it's still his fault that your father is here at NHK, and I don't think one night or one conversation is going to be enough to redeem him. Not entirely."

"Mhh..."

"She's been on this earth twice as long as I have." Yuri continued, leaning forward to press his nose and mouth against the Russian's shoulder, "If anyone knows what to do or how to handle it, it's her. She'll drop-kick him if he does anything dumb."

"Still. I'm just really apprehensive about the whole thing. I know it's not my business, but I can't get rid of this nagging feeling that something's going to happen."

Hazel eyes drifted up a little, seeing the worried look on Viktor's face. He waited a moment, but then lifted his head and leaned in a little closer again, brushing the tip of his nose against the Russian's ear where it poked out from under the edge of the plush felt hat, "...I really hope that's not another one of your weird predictions that come true."

"Me too."

The following two hours went by at a snail's pace, passed by watching videos or playing games on their phones, idly scrolling through Instagram, and a brief but uplifting FaceTime call back to Yu-Topia. Viktor felt infinitely better after Mari had gone to find Makkachin and put the big brown woofer on the screen, especially after the poodle heard his human's voice and went bonkers for it.

Yuri was sure his partner would stay on the phone for the rest of the night if he was allowed, just chatting with his dog for the first time since they'd left for their Grand Prix Adventure a month prior. But the bustle and hustle of the hot-springs resort required the call be cut short, and Mari, along with the two senior Katsukis, waved good luck and goodbye before having to disconnect the call. Just as Yuri was about to suggest calling the Nishigoris, he heard the familiar call of his own name.

"Yuri!"

"Ah! Phichit-kun!" The skater was up on his feet, all but dragging his partner out of his seat and rushing over to the wide, open gateway.

It was almost absurd that Phichit could possibly have found a hat that was even more silly than Viktor's, but having fashioned a big plush hamster-head-hat from fluff and felt, the Thai skater seemed to have managed anyway. Before Yuri could even do his proper greeting, Phichit had already whipped a second hamster-hat from his carry bag and squished it over his older friend's head with a laugh.

"There!"

"W-What-"

"I've started working on promoting skating back home! You get an honorary first-hat since you've been there since I first got ideas about it!" Phichit explained excitedly, even grabbing a third hat from his bag and squishing it down on top of Viktor's head as well, right on top of the dragon-tail spikes, "I made one for you too as thanks!"

"Oh~!" The Russian mused, adjusting the hat a little so it wouldn't feel so lopsided, "This is neat!" He tilted his head and gave a confused but happy look, "...What is it?"

"It's a hamster, Viktor." Yuri explained with a quiet chuckle, "Phichit-kun keeps them as pets."

"I made one for Ciao-Ciao but he won't wear it in public." The Thai skater sighed dramatically, but then laughed again anyway, "He said he'd wear during the medaling ceremony it if I won gold this weekend, but I reminded him that Viktor's competing...so he agreed to wear it if I got silver. I'm just glad you're not competing this weekend, too, Yuri! I still can't believe your come-back at Cup of China! How's your leg after your SP anyway...? Mine hurt to see you hit the rink wall like that...you crashed into it like a freight train."

"...Still a little sore if I bump into something, but it'll be healed by the Final. I'm rooting for you to get in again."

"Well, thanks to you guys, I'll be getting to go to Detroit even if I don't make it into the Final Six..." Phichit got a little more serious, though he was still smiling brightly, and he bowed his head, "So thank you for that. Now I can skate easy without worrying that I'll have to watch you from home if I don't."

"Let's go find Ciao-Ciao and get your things." Yuri said excitedly, "We've got work to do before the night's over!"