CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED FOURTY ONE
"GRANDPA!"
The sound of a few pops from the elder Plisetsky's back was enough to give Mikhail flashbacks to a certain roof, and he felt a twinge of pain in his own bones. He groaned quietly as he pulled the small door closed behind them all, even as Yurio pleaded apologies further inside. When all the pleasantries and introductions were made and done, the Rozovsky patriarch was invited to sit down, and he flopped into the corner of a long, old, dusty couch. Potya's leash was wrapped around his hand and wrist, keeping the ragdoll close by as activity buzzed in the kitchen.
Standing so still, he was like a rather large, person-shaped armoire, Konstantin kept a silent vigil in a corner of the room, looking out the window to the street. Steely eyes watched the world go by; cars, families walking along the sidewalks, even a few birds that Russia's deep winter couldn't scare away.
"Ty sidela očenʹ tiho." (You've been very quiet.) Mikhail asked suddenly, rolling his head against the back of the couch to look towards the large man, [I thought you'd be more talkative.]
[Nothing much to say.] He answered back, not even moving to look, [You went quiet yourself after coming back from that phone call.]
The silver figure looked on for a moment, but then drew a long breath and stared at the ceiling, [My lady friend in Japan had some things to say that weigh a little on my conscience.]
[Still up to your old tricks, even after what happened at my son's competition?] Kon wondered with a huff, at least glancing over one of his massive shoulders.
Mikhail didn't budge though, and his expression remained still, [...No. Not my old tricks. The heavy hand of fate, maybe...]
[Hm. Must be something then, if my taunt didn't even get a blip of a reaction from you in protest.]
Jade eyes turned towards the bustle of activity in the kitchen, where Yurio and Nikolai were doing their best to impart the Plisetsky Grimoire of Pirozhky onto the two silver teens. It felt like hours, watching them go to and fro in the small attached room.
[She looks just like her.] Kon said suddenly, drawing Mikhail's attention back again, [Your youngest and my Tat.]
[I was wondering how long it would take for you to say so.] He shrugged, closing his eyes as he leaned his head further back on the couch, [Longer than I expected.]
[It doesn't look like they got any of their looks from their mother's side.]
[You don't even know what their mother looked like.]
Kon's eyes turned, staring down at the thin figure, [True. Still. It seems like those Rozovsky genes shine through brighter than anyone else's. You'd never know Viktor was mine if not for the eyes, as you so passionately insisted for so long.]
Mikhail didn't want to think much about that, so he simply exhaled and let his mind go blank. He raised his arm slightly when the felt Potya climbing up onto the couch-seat next to him, and flopped over, pressing her back to the side of his leg before starting her afternoon grooming session. He lowered his arm back down again in front of the ragdoll's chest, and she set her right paw against his wrist as she licked her toe-beans.
[It's kind of sad.] Kon went on unexpectedly, [Tat and I tried so many times to have kids, and in the end, we lost the only one that made it. But you...? You didn't even want any, and now you have three.]
[Four.]
[...Four?] The bear repeated, [Did I misremember somehow?]
[No.] Mikhail's eyes opened a sliver to glance down at the feline, who had moved to using the wrist of her paw to rub behind her ears, [Well...who knows, really. Maybe I'm full of shit. That's happening a lot lately. In the end, maybe nothing will change.]
"Okay, so now, we preheat the oven to 400, and while it's warming up, we cut out the dough into circles." Nikolai's voice cut through the clamor, and the three teens followed the elder man to the wooden table to the side of the room, "Yuri, butter the pans down while the girls and I start here."
"Da~!"
[Oh. You must mean him.] Kon pointed at the blonde as he all-but-skipped across the room to find the flat trays in the shelf-space under the old oven, [Are you actually adopting him or something?]
[Ah five then, Jesus.] Mikhail sat up a bit straighter then, interrupting Potya in her delicate work and prompting a meow for it, [And no, not unless he asks or wants to...he's turning 17 in 3 months. He might not stick around for long.]
The bear's expression hadn't really changed at all, but the aura around him seemed darker, as though the words 'are you fucking kidding me' were heard as much as they were felt.
Mikhail just pulled his hat off, dropped it to his lap and ruffled his hair, [Don't do that! I can sense it from here! The cement in my spine is practically vibrating from the indignation coming off of you.]
[God is testing me.] Kon said, practically between clenched teeth, [To make me witness all the gifts He gives to you when He takes all of mine away.]
[Maybe He's punishing me.] The silver shot back, looking up from behind his bangs, [Just because I have everything you ever wanted doesn't mean I ever got what I wanted.]
[And with all your vast riches, what is it that you want that you can't simply buy?]
Mikhail leaned back again, only for his flatcap to tilt off its spot on his lap and land on Potya's back. She blinked at it for a moment, but then went back to her grooming, ignoring it out of hand. The slender Russian just sighed, [Control.]
Kon's brow ticked a little as he gave a skeptical look.
[From the moment I came into this world, someone else was always pulling my strings.] Mikhail explained bitterly, [Even after I got away, it never seemed like I was ever able to decide for myself how things turned out. I'm practically the richest guy to come out of Russia without becoming an oligarch, but I'd give it all away happily if I could have the power to make decisions without them somehow blowing up in my face later. Especially lately, I'm no different than a mad scientist, mixing chemicals like a blithering idiot and somehow still being shocked when my hair gets singed at the end...and then I just go and do it again.]
[Control is an illusion. The only one in control of anything is God.]
[Oh come off it.] The younger figure motioned a hand at his in-law gruffly, [If I wanted to hear about a celestial dictator's grand plan for my life, I'd go to church.]
[Surrender this idea of yours to be the one who has the last word in things, Mik. You'll be much happier.]
[How can I surrender!? I've been fighting all my life!] Mikhail barked, getting the attention of the four in the kitchen, [And I've either lost, or have no control over either of the two things that currently matter the most to me!]
Kon deadpanned him, [What are you talking about? You've spoken a lot of words but haven't actually said anything.]
[Viktor hates me and Minako's pregnant! And I can't do a goddamn thing about either!] The thin man half-yelled, standing up from the couch, and leaving Potya to roll into the empty space he'd just de-occupied. He quickly grabbed his hat and squished it down on his head, then abruptly handed the stunned feline to the hulking man-bear, [Hold the cat. I'm stepping outside. I need air.] He said, unwinding the leash from this arm to hand over as well, then tip-toed through the living-room towards the front door.
The bear just looked down at the surprised feline, whose tail twitched slightly from the surprise. In Kon's arms, she looked like a mouse, and she scurried up the front of his jacket to perch on his shoulder like one might to escape the rising waters of a sinking ship. The gruff man just sighed thinly, "Kto Minako?"
Nikki and Viktoria both looked to Yurio for a translation of whatever had just been said, but the blonde just pushed out from the table, the chair squeaking loudly on the hard floor, "I swear, I can't take him anywhere."
"What did he say though!?" The girls both asked in unison, "About Viktor and Minako!?"
"Nothing that we didn't already know. I'll go drag his ass back in here before he drives off and forgets us here."
"Stay put, Yuri." Nikolai said, holding his hand out to block the teen's way, "Give the man his space."
"He's got the keys to the rental though!"
"Do you really think he's just going to drive off into the sunset and leave you three...er...four here?" The older man asked, "He's just stepping outside...and we have pirozhki to finish. I can hear your girlfriend's stomach growling from here."
Grrggggglglggrrr...
Nikki's eyes went wide and her face bright red, "...Ah...what?" She looked to her older sister for back-up, but Viktoria shrugged, face red as well but having no clue what to do about it.
Yurio dragged his hand down the front of his face, pulling his eyelids down a little, "Why would you say that? We spent nearly 10 minutes earlier explaining that they're supposed to be my siblings."
"But they're not. You're nearly 17, a good-looking young man, successful and popular...you should have a girlfriend." Nikolai went on, turning his attention back to the dough scraps he'd rolled up into a ball, then to the rolling-pin to flatten it out to cut more circles, "Or do you avoid them all like the plague because you're gay?"
Yurio's face turned blue from the horror of the suggestion, "W-What!? No!"
[Right, Konstantin?] The older man leaned back in his chair, [Your son's gay, too. He came here with his fiancé last year. I think they're married now, aren't they? I saw that his last name changed to yours at their competition in America...or heard it, anyway. The announcer said Yuri Nikiforov even though the scoreboard said Yuri Katsuki. Figure skaters...they're a special breed, right?] He laughed.
The bear's eyes were hidden under the shadows of his hat, but he stood as still as a tree in the middle of the living-room.
"I'm not!" Yurio pleaded franticly, suddenly reaching for Nikki's head to pull it against his chest, "See!? Look at how perfectly straight I am!"
"...So she is your girlfriend."
"NO! SISTER!"
"You're confused."
"You're confused!"
[My son is not gay.] Kon said suddenly, dragging everything back to himself, even as Potya was pawing at the frayed brim of his hat, [He's a coach and the Asian is his student.]
Nikolai gave a skeptical look back, but huffed a quiet laugh to himself, [Well, that's okay.] He nudged his head towards the Russian Tiger as he rolled the dough flat, [Even if you're gay, Yuri, it won't matter to me one bit. I've known you since the day you were born, and you won't stop being my feisty grandson just because you bring a boy home instead of a girl.]
[Just because I'm a figure skater doesn't mean I like guys! Sheesh!] Yurio gave an exasperated look. He'd have smoke coming out of his ears for how fried his brain was from the sudden change of topic, but his stomach was growling too, and he forced himself to finish buttering the pans he'd retrieved earlier.
[You picked figure skating over hockey though.] Nikolai pointed out, reaching for the metal circular cut-out, and pressed it down into the dough. Nikki moved her hands quietly over to pluck the shape from the mass, and waited for her sister to spoon the filling into it before folding the dough over like she'd been shown.
[That's because I'm small! I didn't want to keep getting crushed by all the stupid jug-heads on the ice! But being small in figure skating gave me a big advantage! I became the best because of it!] The blonde explained franticly, [Good enough to keep a roof over my head when Galina was too busy boozing to work for a living!]
[That's true, I suppose. She was always a wild-child who never listened to anyone while growing up. I suppose we spoiled her while things were still good.]
"Are you guys still talking to Viktor's dad or are you just talking in Russian out of habit?" Viktoria suddenly asked.
"Oh...sorry." The elder smiled, "I don't get many chances to speak English these days, so I forget." He lifted his head towards the bear, [How many pirozhki do you want? Fifty?]
The two silver teens side-eyed one another, but then just smiled nervously and shook their heads. They blinked in surprise and lifted their heads though when they heard the sound of the front door open, a few steps, then the door closing, and nothing after.
"...Papa was standing there that whole time...?"
.
"...Please not first, please not first...please not first..." Yuri begged, mostly to himself, as he pulled the lever on a ping-pong-ball machine. He clenched his eyes shut, listening to the sound of a single plastic ball, painted with an unknown number, being dispensed from the big jar next to him.
"Nikiforov Yuri-san will go fifth."
"YES!" He cried out, jumping around in a circle with an arm up in relief, "FINALLY!" He shot his eyes open and looked into the rest of the room, and the rows upon rows of skaters and coaches who were all waiting to find out their order for the event. He spotted Minami's brightly colored hair and pointed straight at him, "NOT FIRST!"
The small teen shrugged happily, "Even a broken clock is right twice a day."
"Don't try to steal this victory from me!" Yuri pleaded, coming down from the small ledge of the stage at the front of the room.
"Will Fujiwara Hikaru-san please approach and draw a number."
The same brown-haired teen from Regionals, prior to the Barcelona Grand Prix Final, rose from his seat and stepped into the center aisle, passing Yuri as he made his way to the front. Yuri, of course, was over hills with happiness over his rank, and plopped down into his seat next to Viktor in the third row. He practically bounced from side to side in his spot, "Not first, not first...I'm not going first...hmm hmm hmm..."
"I think he's pleased with himself." Viktor mused, leaning his head to the right to speak the words at Yuri's biggest fan, then reached an arm up to saddle over his partner's shoulders and hold him still. On the stage, Hikaru pulled the lever as well, and heard the proclamation that he would go twelvth. Viktor huffed a laugh, much to his husband's chagrin, "I hope I go first."
"You would."
"Naturally."
"Even at an event you're going to compete in for the first time..." Yuri said, finally sitting normally again, "...You'd still want to set the bar for everyone else."
"Sono toori." (Of course.) Viktor smiled, watching the next 'victim' go up to the front, "Not to be mean or anything, but just to get it over with. It's kind of fun to get scored first, and then spend the rest of the evening seeing how close people come to passing it. Especially with you here..." He said, then lifted his head to scan the room, spotting the black and teal chicken-butt a row back and on the other side from themselves, "...And that mysterious character, who everyone says is so good even though he's been gone for so long."
"Mysterious...?" Yuri quipped, "Asahi-kun isn't mysterious. He's as perfectly boring as all the rest of us."
"I'm not boring!" Viktor corrected.
"Kenjirou Minami-san, please come to the front for your placement."
"Yoshaaaa!" The teen jumped up, squeezing past Viktor and Yuri's legs to get into the aisle, and marched to the stage with purpose. He pulled the lever, but closed his eyes, wanting to hear the rank rather than see it.
"Kenjirou Minami-san will go fourth."
Big brown eyes opened wide, and the teen seemed utterly deflated, "...F...Fourth...?"
"Saito Asahi-san, please come forward to draw a number."
The path from the stage was practically flooded with tears, and Minami nearly dropped as he was passed by the much older skater. He crawled the rest of the way and clung to his idol's knees, "Yuri-kun...I'm fourth...why is the world so cruel!?"
"Why is fourth so bad?" Viktor wondered skeptically, "It's not 1st, last, or...well, 13th, if you're superstitious that way."
"The number four in Japanese is sometimes spoken as 'shi,' which also means 'death.'" Yuri explained, "It can be a bad omen."
"Oh, is that why you collided with the rink wall that one time?" The Russian laughed, "Because you went fourth during the Free Program?"
Yuri's eye twitched, and he brought a hand up to his nose like it would burst to bleeding all over again just by thinking about it, "...Of course not...!"
"Saito Asahi-kun will go first."
"Ah, damn." Viktor sighed, "Maybe second."
"Tanaka Yousuke-san, please come to the front for your rank."
"I'm still baffled that you ducked out of the way." Yuri went on, looking at his fingers to be sure he hadn't sprung a red leak from his face, "After learning everything about your motives for coming to Hasetsu back then...I'd have thought my bloody nose was the least of your concerns."
"The suit I wore was expensive." The Russian explained, seeing the dark shadow of Asahi passing just behind his line of sight. He glanced up to watch him go by, noting how the man's eyes were trained down towards them, only to flick forward again when they caught his own, but then went back to what he was saying before, "It was my grand debut as a coach. I wanted to make sure I looked good for the post-event interviews..."
"I'm truly heartbroken." Yuri said dramatically, pulling one hand up to his chest, "I would've let you bleed on me."
"The one time you ever saw my blood, you fainted."
"Nikiforov Viktor-san, please come forward to draw a number."
"Hm...saved by the call." Viktor mused, pulling his partner's face towards him with a finger against his chin. He stole a quick kiss before rising to step by, hoisting Minami up from where he'd still been latched to Yuri's legs in the center aisle. He put the small figure in his previous seat and pat his head, "Stay here."
Minami squeaked happily, and clapped with all the rest in attendance as the legend made his way forward.
The room quieted down again as the Russian reached for the lever and gave it the usual crank, turning his head and twisting on a heel before he could see the number painted on the ball's surface. He heard the light click as it came to rest, bumping into the ball previously summoned, and waited for the call.
"Nikiforov Viktor-san will go eighth."
"Wow~!" He sighed and stepped down, trying to smile in spite of himself. When he retook his place, he just shook his head, "That's practically at the end!"
"I'm sure you'll survive." Yuri teased, reaching his right hand across to pat his partner's thigh reassuringly before letting it settle there for the rest of the assembly.
"I suppose." The silver genius tepidly agreed, sliding his arm back across his spouse's shoulders like before, "I'll be the first competitor on the ice tomorrow either way, so I guess I can deal with not competing first, too."
"That's going to be so cool!" Minami said excitedly, sitting on the edge of his seat to see past the Russian's shoulder, "The JSF must be really excited to brag about getting you on the roster! The whole Opening Ceremonies thing has been choreographed for other events, too, so they wouldn't just be able to throw someone in there on such short notice."
"Viktor's not just someone though." Yuri pointed out, leaning forward as well to see the younger skater, "He choreographed his whole NHK Exhibition the night before presenting it."
"It's not like I'm just going to go out there without practicing it with the other dancers first." Viktor huffed, "It's not as easy to join someone else's choreography as it is to plot out my own. Though I'm flattered you both have such faith in me." He smirked.
"Yeah, the rest of us have to just live with coming out towards the end, doing something simple as a group like we usually do." Yuri slouched a bit, leaning his head back against his husband's arm, "Cookie-cutter stuff...but I guess it's easiest this way."
"I'm so stoked!" Minami was almost in tears from excitement, "I hope this thing ends soon so we can all go practice!"