CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED SIX

Realizing the identity of the dark-haired woman before him, Viktor could do little more than stare quietly, small eyes blinking nervously as the vestiges of his anxious jealousy withered under the burning light of his misunderstanding. Still, the words his partner had said were echoing back through his mind, keeping him from responding as the expected back-and-forth of the last year's happenings bounced between the two former Detroiters. He could see that they were talking, but what they said escaped him.

"Viktor...?"

He closed his eyes quickly and shook his head to bring himself back to Earth, and looked at the woman with new sight, "...Ah, I...think I misjudged."

"...Who did you think she was...?" Yuri asked, a brow quirked in wonder, "Tess 2.0?"

The medic snorted in laughter, but stymied herself with a hand over her mouth and turned slightly away.

"It crossed my mind." The Russian said flatly, trying to unclench his fingers from where they'd gone stiff around his partner's hand. He turned his attention to the dark brown, almost black eyes looking back at him, framed by that dark, wavy hair, "It seems I owe you some thanks."

Ketty just gave a nervous smile, "Oh, for the music...? It was really no trouble...I was glad to finally make something that Yuri could actually use..."

"It's not your fault the first one went over like a lead balloon..." Yuri tried to defend, "All told, you did exactly what I asked you to do...and that music perfectly embodied what my skating career was really like back then..."

"Yeah, I was really nervous when you reached out to ask for something new..." The lithe woman answered, clasping her fingers together and idly rubbing her thumbs around one another, "But when you told me about everything that happened, and the way you were so excited about it...I knew I had to try again, and give you something better." She turned her eyes then back to the Russian, "You've done a wonderful job of bringing him out of the slump he was in before. When I heard last year that he'd broken the World Record, and beat you for the Gold..."

Viktor just gave an awkward smile, "...Yes...he did..."

Yuri gave an equally nervous smile.

"He won Gold yesterday, too." Tess suddenly said, giving a wry smile at the two skaters, "Didn't you."

"Ahhhhhhhh...t-tech...nically..." The younger skater answered hesitantly, "But only bec-"

His words were cut off by the sudden cheering and clapping of all the other spectators who'd been patiently listening until then. He clung to his husband's arm from the surprise of it, looking around to all sides before eventually settling into the adulations. He glanced behind himself then to Yurio, then back up to his spouse, and finally at the people around them all.

"Well...we came out here so we could practice our Team Skate for the Exhibition..." He explained, "We didn't think so many people would be here today, but-"

"We know." Tess cut him off then, and gave a wink, "That's why everyone's here."

"Sounds like we should get ready to put on a show, then." Viktor huffed, grateful that no one bothered to drag the whole conversation around to questioning him about giving up the Gold again, "Shall we?"

.

"Whew! Now I feel better."

"Me too."

The two silver teens practically had to roll one another out of the hotel lobby, stuffed to the gills from lunch. Behind them, following like something out of a zombie movie, was their catatonic father.

Nikki turned around as they made it to the sidewalk in the car rotunda, seeing how the man was walking with his eyes practically closed. She held her arm out to stop him from walking into traffic, "Hm...who needs smartphones to distract you when you just need to lie awake all night?"

A strained yawn answered her, the man's eyes watering under the shadow of his hat, "...There isn't enough coffee in the world..."

"You need a Starbucks IV drip, pipaw." Viktoria mused, "Or maybe a nap."

"Why are we standing out here anyway?" Nikki wondered then, looking around at all the different cars and vans that were coming up to load or drop-off their human cargo, "It's cold."

"Wait for it." Mikhail mumbled, lifting his head to blearily look towards the rotunda entrance.

Within a few seconds, the sight of a long, white stretch limousine was pulling in, and stopped just a few feet away. The two teens blinked at it, then at one another, then at their father, who just stared ahead as the driver got out and proceeded to move towards the rear passenger side to open the doors. It dawned on the teens then that the limo was for them, and much to Mikhail's chagrin, they started jumping around him in an excited circle, cheering their good fortune.

"Okay..." He started, though the teens didn't listen, continuing their ritual for a few moments longer...until two gangly arms came out to corral them each by their heads to pull them closed, "Okay."

"Okay?" They both answered, finding them all squished cheek-to-cheek together.

"Dad isn't driving today." Mikhail said stiffly, "There's some five hours left until the Gala tonight, and then Yuri's coming back to stay with us before we all head to Moscow tomorrow afternoon."

"O-Okay...?" They answered again, confused more than anything, "What about Minako?"

"She said she isn't coming back with us." He told them, "It's just us and Yuri."

That just made them dubious and even more confused.

"I already said I'm not breaking any of the deals I've made." Mikhail went on, finally letting the two girls go and standing back up to his full height before pinching the bridge of his nose, "But I'm dead on my feet and can't think straight. The limo is yours to guide. It'll take you almost wherever you want to go, with the adage that we're at the Arena for the Exhibition."

"...What about you?" They wondered.

Mikhail just started walking towards the now-open passenger side door, holding his hand out towards it to usher his girls within, "I'm going to try to sleep. Sometimes it's easier in a car than it is in a bed, at least for me."

Two pairs of jade eyes looked at one another before heading towards the open door, and the two piled in, followed soon after by their elder, with the door being closed behind them. Within the limo were all the luxurious amenities that one could expect, and most welcome of them was the heat. They were quickly able to remove their scarves, hats, mittens, and coats, casting them aside and finding their spots to sit.

"So...what...do we do?" Nikki wondered, "We've never been in a limo before."

Mikhail cast his long-coat off, folding it neatly as he moved to the bench-like seat along the wide interior wall, and setting it down to use as a rudimentary pillow. He pointed towards the front of the vehicle, and the rear-facing pair of seats that were set just beneath a small sliding glass window, "Slide that panel across and tell the driver where you want him to take you."

"We don't know the first thing about Detroit, pipaw. Where would we even know to go on short notice like this?" Viktoria pointed out awkwardly.

"You two are pretty resourceful." He answered, sitting sideways against the edge of the bench and pulling the front of his flat-cap over his forehead, then over his eyes as he laid down against his jacket, "You'll figure it out."

The two girls looked at one another, then at their father, then at the small sliding window at the front of the limo. Nikki shuffled forward first, and sat down in one of the seats just under it, reaching a small hand up to move the panel over and open the barrier, "What's good in this city for killing time?"

"The Riverfront area is fairly popular, Miss." The chauffer answered, "However, in the winter, there isn't much going on. It's still a nice place to look though."

Nikki rubbed her chin in thought, "The Riverfront..."

The river passes right in front of the Renaissance Center where all the skaters are staying...

"Yeah, let's start there." She agreed, plopping down properly into the seat and pulling the belt across as her sister came to join her in the seat beside. Pulling her phone out, Nikki opened a text window, thumbing away at the screen.

Viktoria gave her a strange look as she pulled her own seatbelt across herself, feeling the limo starting to move under them, "You look determined suddenly."

"I have an idea," The younger answered, "But I need to double-check with someone first."

.

It was déjà vu to Yurio for himself and Viktor to be heaving for breath and drowning in sweat where they'd collapsed on the rink wall, while Yuri looked down on them like they were both doing something they shouldn't be.

"Really, you guys are that tired already?" The middle skater crossed his arms, "We've only gone through it four times."

"We did it with...with all the jumps though..." Yurio puffed, one hand pressed against the center of his chest as the other held to the wall, "Don't you know...how to practice with...without the jumps?"

"Sure I do, but-"

"No butts." The teen barks through his breaths, "I'm taking a break." He said matter-of-factly, heading off towards the nearest exit to rink-side.

Viktor just laughed quietly through his own panting, but slid down until he was sitting on the ice, legs stretched out before himself, "A break...sounds nice..."

"You're giving up already, too?" Yuri whined, "We don't have that long to polish this one up before tonight."

"I think we've got it." The Russian offered, leaning his head back against the white panels and closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again though, Yuri was mere inches from his face, having crawled in on hands and knees to gawk at him, "...What...?"

"You guys might got it but I don't think I've got it." The younger man answered, sitting back onto the heels of his boots, "I'm worried I'll mess it up."

"You didn't mess up...the NHK Exhibition."

"I was only in it for like 30 seconds." Yuri explained, "This time, I'm in it through the whole thing. I'm not a genius like you or even Yurio... You know that him and Otabek coordinated their whole pair skate for Cup of China online and then put it together in person in a day, without even being on the ice for it?"

"That's neat." Viktor said, still trying to catch his breath a little.

"But Otabek had to practice it for weeks beforehand, sending video to Yurio after memorizing every new segment. They were going to do it for the Final if they both got in, but decided to do it early cuz Yurio was worried he wouldn't make it."

"He got Silver at both...of his events. He...he would've made it regardless of how...the rest of the events turned out."

"Viktor...!" Yuri whined, "I'm gonna mess it up!" He reached for the man's knees where they parted on either side of him, trying to get them to move, "Come practice some more with me!"

The Russian just sat still, looking at his spouse's nervous face. For a moment, he just stayed where he was, but then raised his right hand and waggled a finger in a 'come hither' motion. Yuri blinked at him, but sighed dramatically and scooted a bit closer. As he rubbed the frost from his hands off against his pants, he felt a pair of arms come across his shoulders, resting there as fingers wove together just behind his head. Hazel eyes looked forward then in confusion.

"You're worrying too much." Viktor said quietly, leaning back again to pull his partner closer before pressing their foreheads together lightly, "Remember what I told you before...about letting your body create the music. You once thought 'Eros' would be too hard, right?"

"...Yeah..."

"But you managed to memorize that one in time for 'Onsen on Ice.' You said it was the hardest Short Program you'd ever learned...but you embodied that piece and made it yours. You pushed yourself to learn how to move in ways you'd never known before, and created a story out of the dance."

Yuri looked down to where he'd parked his hands on the ice again, this time behind where those legs parted around him, on either side of the man's hips.

"Stop thinking so much."

He lowered his eyes then, and relaxed his posture, "I can't help it."

"Hm..." Viktor hummed, "I get the feeling you're not just worried about the Team Skate."

"I..." Yuri started, only to catch himself and pull away, hands sliding over the top of his partner's thighs until they came to rest over his own where he sat back, "I wish it was just the Team Skate."

The silver legend looked on, but then moved to push back up to his feet, hoisting himself up with a hand on the wall before offering them both down to help his partner up after. With Yuri now vertical as well, the Russian used his grip on those hands to spin his spouse around to make him face the other way, and pressed in close against the man's back, arms wrapping around protectively, "Tell me."

Yuri just sighed, tilting his head where he felt his husband nosing at the side of his neck, and rubbed his cheek lightly against that silver hair, "I feel like nothing is sticking. The muscle memory is there from when we practiced in Bordeaux, but it's like I can't add new information. This whole kerfuffle with Minako-sensei and your uncle... I don't know the first thing to do to help fix it, especially not before we all go our separate ways after tonight."

"It's not your problem to fix, koibito." Viktor said quietly.

"I know, but if it isn't fixed by someone then what'll it do to Yurio?"

"Mikhail said he wasn't going to change his plans just because of what's going on. His promises were to Yurio, not Minako." The silver Russian explained.

"This is all just so awkward." Yuri grumbled, looking over to where the blonde had sat with his gear and was twiddling away on his phone, while Otabek was on the other side of the rink going through his own Exhibition choreography. There were others on the ice as well, but each group made sure to give the others space, so no one was too close to anyone else, "Just as soon as we think we've finally figured it all out, something else comes up."

"I think you're digging too deeply into this," Viktor offered, "If my uncle and Minako don't work it out between each other, what difference does it make in the grand scheme of things? Mikhail's still moving to Hasetsu, Yurio's still going to be training at the Ice Castle under Minako, and I'm still going to be choreographing for him like I said I would."

"Yurio wasn't moving to Hasetsu to train though." Yuri pointed out.

"I know."

"You don't think it'll become a problem if Minako-sensei backs out of everything except the coaching part?"

"Nope."

"Wh...really? Why?"

Viktor unwrapped his arms from his partner's thin frame and set his hands on the man's waist instead, pushing against one side to make Yuri turn around to face him before settling them again, "Minako never came across as the motherly type to me. Not like how Hiroko does." He started, feeling where his husband's arms came to reach over his shoulders in turn and rest there, "She'd take a bullet for a kid she knows, but I just never really pictured her as being all that doting. Even if everything works out between her and my uncle, there's nothing that suggests to me that she would act like anything more than an older, wiser friend to Yurio. Or his mentor, as the case may be."

"...I guess so..."

"Besides," Viktor went on, leaning in closer to nuzzle his partner affectionately, "I think he's going to get more out of being around my cousins than anything else. He came pretty far just by being around my uncle for the last year...so this is already another big step. In the grand scheme of things...Yurio is still gaining a lot, even if he might lose one small aspect of the situation that wasn't guaranteed to be true anyway."

"...Then there's really only one other thing..." Yuri said quietly, leaning into his partner and letting Viktor hold him up for the moment.

"What's that?"

"Fixing the rift between you and Mikhail."

The Russian paused where he'd started nibbling at his spouse's neck again, and pulled back to look the man in the eyes. He made a skeptical face, "That's a work in progress, and it's nothing that'll get solved overnight...not even by you, Dr. Nikiforov."

Yuri's face went red at the mention, but he was given no chance to retort the statement, finding himself lip-locked with his husband half a second later, and feeling the ice moving under his feet again. Viktor had pushed off the wall to start that kiss, and used the momentum to push them back towards the middle part of their chunk of the rink.

From further down the wall, a number of eyes were watching as the playful antics of the SkateHusbands returned to the business of the Exhibition. Tess gave a reluctant, nervous smile at them, but Ketty watched in fascination.

"Yuri used to admire Viktor so much, he was scared of the guy." She started quietly, "I remember what a surprise it was to get that email from him last year, saying Viktor was his coach in Hasetsu, and needing music for his Free Program."

"Huh..." Tess leaned down against the wall, resting a cheek against the palm of her hand, "You should've seen the look on my face when I found out about them."

"When was that?"

"Two days ago."

"...Oh."

"Yeah." The medic shook her head and laughed quietly at herself, "I hadn't talked to him since way back when...so when the name Yuri Nikiforov popped up on the Men's roster, and I saw him there...I thought his admiration had taken a creepy twist somewhere along the way. The idea that Yuri had gone from 'entirely incapable of talking to Viktor' to 'married to Viktor' didn't even occur to me. Not just because of how I knew Yuri used to be, but because...well, I guess I just didn't expect Viktor to get that involved. Hell, I didn't even anticipate that Viktor would've ever been single long enough to even consider someone else...never mind a guy...never mind Yuri."

"...In east Asia, and in Japan..." Ketty said, eyes still fixed on the pair as they went through the motions of their practice, "...It's said that two people who are destined to come together are tied together with an invisible red thread of fate. That it may get tangled, stretched, and worn thin...but it would never break...and no matter how often the two people may nearly cross paths, in the end, that's all just the plot through which the string takes them until they meet each other."

Tess quirked a brow, "...If the thread is invisible then how do you know it's red?"

The musician just stood stoically for a moment, unsure how to answer, but then shook her head to clear the conundrum, "That's not the point!" She huffed, making a face at the woman next to her, but then leaning to rest her elbows on the rink wall, "I just meant...Yuri was chasing Viktor for years and years, even long before he ever came to Detroit. He'd get so close and then run away, over and over again. But...it's like there was a string between them, making them come back to one another, until one day..."

"...Yuri got drunk and seduced him?" Tess laughed, "Or so he tells it."

"I guess that's one way of going about it."

"Phichit sent me pictures."

"Ohmygoshyouhavetoshowme."