CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX

Picking Celestino out of a crowd wasn't all that difficult. He was at the baggage claim area with two small carry-bags on his shoulder, waiting for the plane to start unloading its cargo, patiently standing amidst a large impatient crowd. Finally, the carousel turned on, the rotating metal plates moving along their belts.

"Ciao Ciao!" Phichit called out, "Look who I found!"

Bright green eyes turned to the sound of the younger man's voice, seeing a train of skaters being dragged quickly through the waiting area. He squinted a little to look at their faces.

Phichit...Yuri...who is...? Oh.

"Almost didn't recognize you for a second there, Viktor." The older coach mused, waving at them, "It's not like you to cover your head. Trying to avoid someone?"

Yuri blanched quietly between Phichit and his partner as Celestino seemed to look entirely past him.

Viktor pulled the hamster-hat off first, then the dragon-tail hat, and shook out the static that made his hair stand on end, but then shrugged and smiled in his usual friendly way, "Not really, just keeping my ears warm." He pulled his hand free from Yuri's only long enough to wrap that arm over the man's shoulders and lean against his back, "Coach's orders to not get sick, since I refuse to wear those surgical masks like he does."

"It's an east Asia thing. Phichit does it too sometimes." Celestino explained, casting his gaze onto his former student finally, "You've done really well for yourself, Yuri. Congrats on your gold medals."

"Thanks!" The Japanese figure bowed his head gratefully, glad his former coach had taken notice of him, "I wasn't actually sure I'd make it at the end."

"How do you feel about going back to Detroit after 2 years?"

"Excited!" Yuri said emphatically, "I never thought I'd get to go back...so going there for the Final this year after losing it so bad in Sochi before, it feels like some things are coming full circle. I'm really hoping Phichit-kun gets to compete there with me."

Celestino nodded, then turned his eyes back towards the Russian skater-coach, "Think you can go easy on the competition this go 'round? With that hat, you're really becoming a dragon sitting on a mountain of gold back home."

Viktor just grinned, setting his other arm around his husband's frame, clinging to his back, "If I'm a dragon, then you know I can't let any gold escape my clutches. If I sees it, I needs it."

"Well, it was worth a shot."

Phichit moved off as he saw his luggage sliding down the ramp and onto the moving belts, "Viktor said he'd help me land a quad Loop!"

The Italian seemed to go a little pale, then turned his curly-haired head back to his apparent competition, "You're not poaching are you? I'll be out of a job if you keep stealing my skaters."

Viktor just laughed at that, "Only this one." He nudged his partner from side to side a little, "I'm just going to offer pointers since Yuri asked me to."

The younger skater just raised his fingers in an anxious but well-meaning wave where he held his hands to the Russian's arms, giving a nervous smile, "Phichit-kun said he's having trouble landing the Loop, and I know he sometimes watches clips of Viktor's old programs for help... So, since Viktor's actually available to me, why wouldn't I ask him this favor?"

The coach's eyes got dark, and for a moment, Yuri could've sworn he was 30 feet tall suddenly, "...Are you saying I'm a bad coach?"

The skater's head thrashed back and forth in a panic, "N-no no! No way! It's just pointers between friends!" He pulled free of his husband's arms for a moment and went to the ground, face to the floor as he rubbed his hands together over his head, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that!"

Viktor just put a finger against his cheek as he watched, curling his free arm around himself to prop that elbow onto it, and smiled awkwardly, "...Haven't seen you do a downward dogeza in a while. Get it? Downward dog-eza?" He thought he was hilarious, "It's kind of like the yoga pose."

"It's nothing like the yoga pose!" Yuri just grimaced at him from the floor, "Downward dog looks like this." He demonstrated, hands on the floor and butt going into the air, only to realize Viktor was beaming at him suddenly and went back down again, "I'm trying to be sincere!"

The Russian continued grinning, moving his hands around to pull the dragon-tail felt hat back down over his fluffed-up head before reaching down to pull his husband back up to his feet, "And you did a very good job." He nuzzled close affectionately and pointed at the older man, "See? He totally forgives you."

Celestino just glowered at them awkwardly, entirely unsure how to respond to that. Thankfully, he was saved by his one remaining student coming back with their bags, and he turned his head as Phichit came close again, dragging several stacked suitcases behind him, "Is that all of them?"

"Yup, all five. They call came down the chute together, luckily, so we can get out of here." The Thai skater answered, his hamster-hat slightly lopsided on his head.

.

.

.

"There, you see it?" Yuri wondered, stepping out from the underground subway station and pointing southward down the street, "Barely a five minute walk from here."

"Wow! It really does look like a modern Tower of Pisa, just...without the terrifying lean!" Phichit said excitedly, dropping his one big suitcase at his feet after hauling it up the stairs, "What floor are you guys on?"

"Close to the top. Viktor likes having a view."

"Neh, Yuri...I'm getting hungry." The aforementioned Russian said, tugging a little on his husband's sleeve, "We should go somewhere to eat."

"...Isn't there a restaurant inside the hotel?" Phichit wondered; the group started moving to cross the street, heading in the direction of the Sapporo Prince, "We'll be there anyway, so let's just eat real quick and head to the rink."

"Sapporo's short-list of claims to fame include a bunch of really neat ramen places." Viktor pointed out, "You want to skip them for hotel fare?"

Celestino looked back over his shoulder, dragging his two rolling suitcases behind him, one handle in each hand, "The last time we went out to eat with you two, I got food poisoning. We'll eat at the hotel."

The Russian sighed dramatically, "You're no fun, Ciao Ciao... You only live once!"

"Exactly. I'd prefer to keep on living for as long as I can."

Yuri just quietly smiled to himself as he listened to the banter, but paused as they arrived at the intersection of Ishiyama Dori and 10 & 11 Chome. The Sapporo Prince Hotel was on the opposite corner, but Yuri's eyes went to the east.

"What is it?" Viktor wondered quietly, looking the same way curiously.

"Shouldn't we tell Yurio that we're back? He's been up almost as long as we have been, and he hasn't had down-time...if we leave without him to go to the rink, he might fall asleep in the wrong room or place and never get over here."

"He once fell asleep at a bus station in Moscow and woke up covered in cats. He'll be fine."

"...But the Leopalace is right there." Yuri pointed at it; the building was barely more than two blocks away, "We could just go there and get him."

"Assuming he's there."

"So I'll text him." The younger skater said, pulling his phone out and doing just that, "Even if he's still at the shopping arcade, it's just a bit further down the road. He could run over while we walk."

"Are you guys coming?" Celestino asked, looking a bit impatient in the cold, "Or can we go ahead?"

It seemed the coach had spoken too soon...before he knew it, he was in possession of all five suitcases and two-carry bags, and the three skaters were walking away from the Sapporo Prince. Celestino just gawked at them as they got further and further away with each step.

"Thanks for checking us in, Ciao Ciao! We'll be back in a few minutes!" Phichit said happily, waving as he walked backwards, then spinning on his heel to face forward again and keep going. He nervously leaned in close towards Yuri, "...I feel really bad doing that, actually..."

"That's why they get paid." Viktor pointed out, walking on Yuri's other side, "Besides, the hotel's right across the street...and there's bellhops right inside to help with luggage. He'll be fine."

The Leopalace Hotel was barely another 5 minutes down the street, but the growing chill of the evening made it feel like much farther. Yuri was forced to pull out his Flames beanie again to protect his ears as the snow started to flurry around them, whipping scarves and reddening cheeks and noses. It was a blisteringly warm relief to finally get inside the doors. Viktor pulled it open and held it there as Phichit jumped through first, followed by Yuri, then Viktor himself, keeping a hand against his husband's back as they went.

"BRRRR!" The Thai skater hollered, hugging his arms around himself, laughing as he shook off all the snow that had clung to his coat and hat, "It's been a while since we had a real snow storm like this! Tell me there's a shuttle that'll take us to the rink!"

"There is." Yuri answered, pulling the beanie off to shake it out quickly, then putting it back into his pocket, "And thankfully it's not that far. The road we walked down before turning to come here...the rink is actually just a ways further down, across the river."

"It's almost stifling in here." Viktor complained quietly, "The rink will be a nice break from both extremes."

"Yeah." The younger skater agreed, reaching back to dust the snow off his husband's shoulders as he pulled the dragon-tail hat off again and straightened his hair, "At least Yurio doesn't have a lot of stuff. We'll be in and out and back at the Sapporo Prince in 15 minutes tops."

"So he's here?"

"Yeah, he said he was walking in when I messaged him. The weather was turning so he decided to come back early."

"Isn't that him up there?" Phichit wondered, pointing towards a certain blond-haired head that was half-hidden under a hoodie and behind a wall on the second floor, "...Wait, no, maybe that's a girl..."

"No," Yuri laughed, trying not to be loud, "That's him. He let his hair grow out."

The Thai figure huffed to himself nervously, then whispered back at his friend behind his hand, "Don't tell him I got confused. He'll yell at me like he did at you that one time."

"Just don't let him corner you in a bathroom." The older skater whispered back, only to suddenly feel his partner retaking his hand and holding tight. Cherry-hazel eyes glanced back for a moment, but then returned to where Yurio was finally coming down the stairs, waving at them as it seemed like he'd departed from some unseen person behind the corner of the wall.

"Sorry, I forgot something and had to go back up." The teen was saying as he came down, adjusting the backpack straps on his left shoulder, "Looks like it's getting bad out there."

"Yeah, hopefully it'll die down again by the time we're ready to go to the rink. We missed the whole day so we need to get out there." Yuri answered, "Do you want to come with after we're done with dinner?"

"Eh, sure, nothing else to do."

"Be careful out there," Came another voice.

The trio looked up, behind where Yurio was still coming down the long flight, spotting another silver-haired head at the top of the stairs.

"Weather report looks pretty lousy for tonight."

Seeing Mikhail up there made Yuri feel strangely nervous. Not even spotting Minako a moment later would calm the odd feeling in his gut.

"Are you guys finally going to go practice?" She asked, coming down the stairs, but staying on the level platform where the stairs changed direction in a U-turn to go back towards the registration counters, "Will the shuttles still run in this weather? Maybe you should buckle down for the night."

"For this?" Yuri thumbed back towards the doors, the snow coming down a little harder then than it had been a moment before, "...It's hardly the worst snowstorm any of us have seen."

"If the shuttles stop, I'll laugh." Viktor huffed, trying to keep up his normal affect, "In Russia, we keep moving even if the snowfall is 10 times worse."

"In Japan...the snow stops the shuttles. But in Soviet Russia..." Phichit joked, giving his best Russian accent, "...Shuttle stop snow."

"Oh stop." Yuri teased, "You makes it sound like the shuttles are just so angry out there that they stop in the middle of the road and yell at the sky to knock it off."

"...Does it work?"

The skater paused, but then gave a more serious look and nodded, "Every single time."

"I KNEW IT."

"Are we going to go or not?" Yurio interrupted, coming down the last few white-marble steps to get to the lower part of the lobby.

"Yeah, we probably sh-" Yuri's voice was cut off as he suddenly felt his free hand get yanked forward, dragging Viktor along in turn with a quick jerk as he stumbled. A second later, he heard the telltale click of a camera phone taking a picture, and Phichit was grinning at him.

"Sorry, I saw the thing there and I couldn't help myself. It's the first selfie I've taken here!" The younger skater said excitedly, the snow-bush-purple-tree display just behind him. He was thumbing around on his device to post the picture online already, "Hashtag #Sapporo, #SkateBrothers, #NHK...what else...?"

"You're getting quite the list of titles, Yuri." Viktor pointed out, regaining his posture after the unexpected pull, and moving towards the doors with a subtle urgency that only the younger figure could sense, "SkateHusband, SkateDad...SkateBrother...what's next?"

"SkateCicle, after we get back outside." He answered, following quickly after. He felt his hand getting pulled forward and into the Russian's coat pocket, finding the man only stopping just shy of the doors to try and pull his hat back on with his free hand. Yuri turned his head, looking at the small gathered group that was hopping to catch up, and then up at Minako on the banister, "We'll see you guys tomorrow."

"If we don't see you before Opening Ceremonies, we'll just meet up with you after the Short Program." She said, waving after them, "Davai, Viktor!"

Blue eyes turned towards her, as though he hadn't expected to be singled out at that moment, but he put on a smile anyway and waved back at her, "Spasibo." The hat wasn't going on as easily one-handed as he'd hoped, so he reluctantly let go of his husband and pulled it down before pushing through the doors, the cold blustering its windy way through to chill the skaters as soon as they felt it.

Yuri waved and then quickly tried to pull his beanie back on again, chasing after his partner without another word.

Minako blinked curiously, looking back as she felt Mikhail's shadow coming up behind her, "That was weird."

"Yeah, a little." He agreed, "Oh well, they're on their way. I'm sure he'll be fine once he's on the ice."

The cold snowy wind was blowing right in their faces, and the Sapporo Prince was barely a grey blob in the distance, only really visible because of the lights that were on within its exterior. Yuri could feel his hat starting to slip, and one good gust pushed it right off his head, falling into the snow-heap just behind Phichit's feet. Neither of the Russians would slow down though, continuing the forward march towards the hotel like it was just another day in St. Petersburg.

"W-Wait, Viktor!" Yuri called out, pulling on the man's hand to try and go back.

The silver skater stopped only for a moment, reaching up with his free hand to yank the dragon-tail off his head, and plopped it down on Yuri's messy black hair, "Here."

"...What about you?" The younger man asked nervously, moving his own free hand up to help pull the hat down, with Viktor doing the same on the other side until it was evenly covering both ears.

"Me?" The Russian echoed, looking at all the falling white fluff, "I'm not wearing a hat because of the cold, remember? This is nothing."

"I got it, Yuri." Phichit said behind him, holding the red and gold beanie in his gloved hands, "Let's hurry though. This weather might be nothing for those two, but it's pretty cold for me."

"Couldn't agree more."

The last few minutes of the run back to the hotel were made mostly in silence, save the sound of the snow crunching underfoot and the occasional pedestrian or car passing them by. The storm didn't seem to be getting any worse though, which was good, since it meant the shuttles to the Olympic arena hopefully wouldn't be halted.

As they made their way up the elevators and got into the room, Yuri kept the dragon-tail hat on his head, his ears enjoying the warmth. The door clicked open soon after, four sets of feet shuffling in, and then closing again with another soft click. Phichit quickly moved towards the opposite end of the room, pushing the curtains apart to check out the view that Yuri had mentioned...though seeing little more than a wall of falling snow, fog, and only the lights of distant buildings.

"...Well, I'm sure it's good when the sky's clear." The Thai figure commented, rubbing his chin, turning his head to face the rest of the room...just in time to see Yuri getting pulled behind the bathroom hall.

Yurio lifted his head from where he'd been rifling through his previously-abandoned bags, adding his other things to the pile for later.

They both heard the bathroom door thump shut, plunging the room into awkward silence thereafter. The two remaining skaters glanced at each other for lack of knowing what else to do...and Phichit just moved to sit on the end of the bed, reaching for the remote control to the television to pass the time until the second pair came back out again. Yurio went back to his things.

Within the bathroom, Viktor had his partner pinned against the door, arms around him and face buried in the man's scarf.

Yuri could hear the deep breath being drawn, held, and then let go again, "...You okay...?"

"He was at the top of the stairs." The Russian said, voice muffled by the fabric, "He was trying to stay out of sight, but I caught a glimpse of him backing up just as Phichit saw Yurio."

"Do you want to stay here then...? We can do the thing with Phichit-kun tomorrow morning instead..."

"No, I need to go." Viktor answered, rubbing his face on the scarf before pulling back again, using his fingers to try and flatten the fabric out again so it wouldn't look so disheveled, "I just needed a moment first."

Yuri finally lifted his arms from where they'd gently been touching to the man's wrists, standing up on his toes a little before sliding his hands over his husband's shoulders and drawing him in closer. He felt the side of his partner's forehead through the plush felt of the hat, and closed his eyes, "Just three more days until we're on our way back to Hasetsu without him. Back to Makkachin, back to the onsen, back to Katsuki Territory..."

"...I want it to work..." Viktor said quietly, "I really do... I want to skate, and show him what this is all about, and make him see... But I just can't shake the rest. It's going to mess me up out there."

"Don't say that. You're Vik-..." The younger skater's voice cut off immediately, eyes going small as he realized he was on the verge of making the same mistake as he had the night before their wedding party. Before he could say anything else and make it worse, Yuri occupied his mouth with a kiss so he couldn't speak, and held there for a moment. When he finally pulled back again, he pressed his forehead to his partner's, "We'll get through it. Konstantin is just one pair of eyes in a sea of millions. The only ones that should matter anyway are mine, right?"

The Russian nodded, "...Keep your eyes on me alone..."

"Skate like you do in practice...and dance like you're trying to seduce me. If you want him to see what this is really like, what we're all about...you can't hold back. Everything on the ice is love. It's one of the few places where we can really be ourselves. Don't let him take that from you."