CHAPTER THREE HUNDRED NINETY NINE

Yuri only managed to doze for around an hour before his typically-anxious mind pulled him from the peace of near-sleep. Just as he was about to move though and try again, Viktor rolled towards him, and gently grabbed his head to pull it close. Yuri felt a pang of déjà vu, even though it was weird to feel like he was remembering that gesture from a poodle's perspective, but when Viktor suddenly awoke and dragged him upward as he sat...it was hard to avoid.

"...I can't sleep..." The Russian mumbled, eyes narrowed hazily in the dark.

"...Why not...?" Yuri wondered, despite being held sideways against the man's chest.

Viktor turned his face to look down, arms unmoving, "...My ankle is throbbing..."

Those four words caught Yuri's attention like a fishhook, and he pulled himself free quickly to fumble for the light switch. With the room beamed with illumination again, they took a moment to let their eyes adjust, and the sight before Yuri's was shocking. The ankle in question was swollen, the skin shiny, and blotched with red, "Shimatta...!" (Shit!)

"...Oh...well, that would explain why it hurts."

"What did you do to it!?" Yuri panicked, quickly hopping back up onto the bed, jostling Jiro around like a pebble, and got behind his partner. Hands quickly snaked under the man's arms and around his chest, and Yuri pulled him back until both legs were fully on the bed as well, then dragged him up towards the head of the bed. Pillows were grabbed from everywhere in arm's reach to make a 'nest' for the Russian to lean against, with another few stacked up for the right leg to be propped up on, "This is bad!"

Viktor just blinked, still a bit too sleepy to keep a normal mental pace with things. He turned his head as Yuri came up against his side again though.

"...Viktor, what'd you do to yourself...?" The younger man asked again, this time less frantically, "You were supposed to take it easy..."

"I had to find you."

"Eh?"

"When you walked away." The silver legend elaborated, turning his gaze to the other side as Jiro stumbled across his thigh, finding a spot between them both there and tried to go back to sleep. Viktor set his hand around the pup's back and rubbed his thumb through soft fur, "You took off with our fuzzy son, and didn't say a word about where you were going... I didn't think I was welcome to follow, or even call out to ask why you'd left, so I stayed where I was. By the time I decided to go after you, I didn't want to waste time by walking...so..."

"...You ran on a sprained ankle..." Yuri finished, smacking his forehead so hard, it knocked him onto his back, "...Whydidyoudothisthing..."

Viktor couldn't help but jump on temptation, and rolled over again despite the puppy trying to snooze between his legs, draping himself between a pair of upturned knees so he could lay himself overtop of Yuri's nearly-naked frame. He set his chin down on the man's sternum and wedged his arms under Yuri's lower back, "I shouldn't have let you out of my sight. I didn't know where you were. I kind of panicked."

Yuri just brought his hands up to cover his face, "...You might've hurt yourself worse now though...what if you can't skate at Four Continents...? Bad sprains can take more than 2 months to heal, and the Olympics are sooner than that, too...!"

"...I'm sure it's no worse than it was before...I just flared it up by running on it..."

"You just got brought on by the JSF... This looks so bad...!"

Viktor whined a quiet sigh, "...I know... I can still hear Yakov yelling at me..."

Yuri let out a despairing, groaning cry, only to abruptly push up onto his elbows, squashing his partner's face against his chest, "We should've iced it as soon as we got here!" He wiggled himself out from under the man's weight and kicked his legs off the end of the bed, "Don't try to get up! Just stay here...I'll be right back."

The Russian blinked where he lay, lifting up only in time to spot the sleeve of a bathrobe disappearing beyond the edge of the wall. The door opened and closed in quick succession, leaving the room quiet once more. Viktor turned his head to look at Jiro...and got a paw in the face, "Mh-"

Nearly skipping down the hall in his hurry, Yuri sought for the ice machine, bucket in-hand. A strange, awkwardly-strained smiled crossed his face as he rounded the corner to the small hall that housed his query.

...I feel really weird...being relieved that Viktor's ankle is the thing I'm worrying about now... It seems like such small potatoes compared to everything else this weekend...

He pushed up the cover of the steel-faced machine and reached for the metal scoop inside, crackling the frost within and shoveling two piles into his bucket. With the lid clapped down again, Yuri turned on a heel and started heading back the way he came.

Not that it isn't serious in itself or anything... Viktor really made a mess of himself... But I'd sooner deal with this than Asahi's situation all over again...that was super stressful.

Yuri reached his hand out for the room and jiggled the handle, thwump'ing himself into the panel before realizing the door wouldn't open. His eyes became beady white things on his face, "Chikushou..." (Crap.) He raised a hand up and knocked, "Viktor, I...left my keycard inside... I'm locked out." He could practically hear the elevator-music playing in his head as he waited for what felt like ages before the door finally clicked and turned inward, revealing a half-dressed Russian inside, giving something of a sultry look.

"What brings you to my door, stranger?" Viktor teased, fingers curling around the top of the panel as he leaned forward, "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Yuri's face went from pink to red, and he scurried inside with a bit of a laugh, feeling a quick pat against his backside as he passed.

The door clicked and Viktor shuffled in as well, easing himself down onto the edge of the bed and lifting both legs vertically in a rather dramatic display, before twisting and lying them down along the bottom edge, "So, my love...we have 90 minutes to kill before the Banquet really starts." He started, stretching his topless frame out into something of a Goldblum, "Thirty if you count the moment the doors open."

Yuri gently - though suddenly - grabbed the Russian's offending leg and pulled it close, hoisting the now-tied bag from the bucket it had lined, and pressed its cold bulk against the swollen joint, "I dunno..." He answered, his mirth from a moment before fading down to nervous guilt, "With everything that happened at the Exhibition earlier...I don't think my head's in the right place." He glanced down to where Jiro had slumped against his crossed legs, and was curiously looking around the room.

"...Oh." Viktor sulked, "...Maybe I can help you get in the mood?"

Yuri hesitated, but then shook his head lightly, trying to flatten the bag around the curve of his partner's foot to cover as much of the bruised and swollen area as he could, "...I...think I just need a while to settle everything out. I won't make you stand on ceremony for long but...for now..."

"...Wait for you."

"...Mh..."

"I guess that's fair." The silver Russian acknowledged, though feeling a little disappointed. He let his elbow out from under himself and slumped down onto his back, looking up at the textured ceiling as the frozen cold of the ice seeped deep into his aching ankle, "Maybe I'm just too simple in that regard... We've had so many moments over the last year where we made amends with our 'post-conflict carnal urges,' that I guess I expected tonight would be the same..."

Yuri felt a little more guilty then, "I know... I just can't get my head in the game for it right now. What happened to me...to us...was so different this time... I feel like I just need a little while to decompress and let it really be over. You..." He started, slouching a little, "...You can take me if you need it for yourself though..."

Viktor lifted his head and gawked, but then just made a face and dropped his silver-haired head back down the comforter beneath it, "There's no way I could do that to you. That's the thing about 'making love,'...you do it together, not alone. That's just 'taking love.' I'm not that way."

There was an immediate sense of relief that washed over the younger figure, "...Yeah..."

"I do appreciate the offer though." Viktor went on, pushing up onto both elbows to lift himself up again, "That's just the kind of thing I'd expect from you, even if you knew already that I'd decline."

"As they say, 'intent is 9/10ths of the law.' I know I'm not always the most engaging bed-fellow...but I try..."

"I'll just have to work extra hard to seduce you again." The silver legend teased, "And I'll start with a different approach."

"Eh?"

.

With a now-damp ace-bandage wrapped around the ice-bag, and Viktor's right leg sticking out of the tub, dangled over the edge, the Russian put his first plan into effect. Yuri had his back pressed up against his chest, leaning against him as they both sat in the steamy warmth of the bath. He lifted his wet hands from the water and smoothed them over his husband's dark black hair, "How's this?"

"This is great. It's almost as good as the onsen back home." Yuri said, a slight sigh of content on his voice, and he slid a little bit further down until his chin was just above the water, "Just need some mint tea and I might fall asleep right here..."

"We're not off the clock just yet, my love." Viktor pointed out, smoothing the raven hair out a few more times, "But we can get you some mint tea as a nightcap later if you want."

"Mmhhh..."

"We should consider summoning Minako up here tomorrow morning, too."

"Eh? Why?" Yuri turned his head slightly to look behind himself.

"Remember how poorly I was the morning after my quad-fest at NHK?"

"Oh...sure, but...you did 8 quads at the time... You jumped your way into the record books that night."

Viktor deadpanned, "...Yuri."

"...What?" He turned a bit more, pressing his shoulder to the Russian's chest.

"You did 8 quads tonight."

"...Eh?"

Viktor nodded, "At least, I assume you did quads at the start like normal... I got out there right between what would've been the quad Flip and triple Axel."

"Oh...uhm..." Yuri got a bit sheepish, looking down at the water's surface as he thought back on it. He sat forward and started counting on his fingers, "...Lutz, Flip, Axel...Loop...Axel again..." He started to mumble slightly, "Lutz...Flip...Toe-loop..." He gasped aloud, and spun quickly, making the water splash, "OhmygodIdiddo8quads." He brought his hands up over the sides of his face, eyes going glassy, "Ican'tbelieveit."

"Most of them were arms-up jumps, too. And technically..." Viktor mused at his husband's antics, "The jumps would've all been legal in competition, because you only did each one twice. You have no excuse for the Olympics now."

Yuri just blinked...and sank, bubbles rising from under the water.

.

With a still-rather-swollen ankle, getting Viktor's brace on was a challenge. In the end, he was forced to wear it, the ace-bandage around it, and one of his snow-boots instead of the leather dress-shoe he brought for the occasion. Only one foot would get to attend the Banquet as intended.

With fancy attire in place, Yuri offered his hands and helped pull his hobbled partner up to his foot, the right favored and held up slightly.

"Ready?" Yuri wondered, taking one arm over his shoulders.

"Just think...one day, this'll be how we get around normally."

"Hopefully no-sooner than a thousand years from now."

"For sure."

Yuri held the door open with his foot as he ushered the Russian through, pawing for his keycard just to make sure he had it, before they both waved goodbye to Jiro and let the door close behind them. It clicked, and Yuri set the DND sign on the doorknob.

"Do you really think housekeeping will come at midnight?" Viktor teased, feeling an arm snake around his lower back to help steady his awkward gait.

"You never know who might come by. I'm just hoping no one knocks on the door. Jiro doesn't need to be spooked while we're gone cuz of strange banging noises from outside."

"You could always come back and get him once you've sat me down somewhere upstairs." The Russian suggested, stopping in place as they waited for the elevators, "This hall is pretty empty. I guess most people are already up there." He turned his head and smirked, "We're always so fashionably late to these things."

"It was for a good cause."

The ding came quickly, and doors slid open, revealing an empty coach to take them to the top of the building. Once those doors opened a second time though, letting the duo spill out onto the Banquet floor, it was clear that the hotel would be top-heavy with the number of people floating around. Party music thumped in the distance, and groups of people were taking photos all along the corridors, trying to get the most unique backgrounds.

"YUUURI-KUUUUUUN!"

"It begins." Yuri deadpanned, stopping where they were, waiting for the excitable teen to pop up from any direction.

Viktor smiled and pat his shoulder where he held onto it, "Smol Nugget to the rescue."

Nearly launching out of the crowd, Minami manifested with flare, done up from tip to toe in a fancy suit that impressed even the somewhat hoity-toity Russian; a 3-piece suit with a bowtie and top-hat. He pulled the hat off and bowed dramatically, "Welcome to the Banquet! We've been expecting you!"

"Were we the last ones to turn up?" Yuri wondered, offering his one free arm forward.

Minami was quick to take his idol up on the offer, and rushed under the arm, both of his own arms going as well around Yuri's frame as they could before Viktor's got in the way. The young skater squeaked out a tiny scream of excitement to get to hug the man, but then finally pulled up again, "Yes, actually! Everyone else got here pretty early!" He looked down then, and saw the big boot on Viktor's leg...and pointed at it...and yelled rather loudly for everyone to hear, "WHAT IS THIS!? THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE."

Viktor and Yuri both blanched at the outburst, but Minami was running away again at top speed before they could shush him. Within seconds, somehow, he was already rushing back...with an office chair. It was wheeled right up to them and stopped suddenly, as though a taxi had arrived to pick them up.

"Good sir," Minami gestured at the seat, "Your chariot awaits."

"...My...chariot?" Viktor chortled, looking from the teen to the chair and then to Yuri, then back to the chair. He shrugged and huffed a laugh before turning to sit back against it, "...Now what...?"

Minami pushed...and pushed harder...but all he managed was to get the back-rest to push up against the Russian's frame, and turned him in place slightly, "...Shimatta...this is embarrassing! I thought for sure that this would work!"

"Viktor weighs like 3 times as much as you do, Minami-kun." Yuri teased, "Even I can barely hold him up for long."

"I'm exactly as heavy as I need to be to be the best figure skater in the world, I'll have you know." The silver legend pointed out, a finger upward for emphasis. He blinked his eyes open quickly though as he felt the chair suddenly move for real, and looked back over a shoulder to find Yuri and Minami pushing him along, "Oh, well, this is different." He mused, "Normally the cart goes behind the horse."

"This might be the only time in recorded history where 'putting the cart before the horse' actually works out." Yuri supposed, weaving his husband through the crowded hall, though letting the younger figure next to him steer, "Has anything official started since most people were here already?"

"Nope! They're keeping a tight schedule." Minami explained, nudging to the left so the chair would get rolled into the biggest of the allotted rooms; it was a field of round, elaborately decorated tables, with bamboo and tree-like decorations scattered throughout, "We're seated way over there!"

Yuri looked over, and spotted Hikaru and Yuto at one table several rows over, each with their coaches, and Minami's own coach there as well.

"You should come sit with us. It's like the Team Kyushu Table from before you guys went to Universal!" The teen suggested excitedly.

"There's more people from Kyushu than there are seats at that table," Viktor pointed out with a half-shrug, crossing his bad leg over the good, "Or is this more like the Chugoku-Shikoku-Kyushu Regionals table?"

"Yes, that." Minami laughed, nudging on the chair to get them moving again, "We hope you're not upset about that? We know you guys helped Asahi-kun, but...he's never been that social with us so we didn't think to save him a spot. You know how it usually goes...we offer and he declines anyway. We just skipped a step this time..."

"It's fine." Viktor answered for them both, smiling more for the fun of getting pushed around like a King - despite his palanquin being an office chair - than anything else, "Is he here, at any rate?"

"I thought I saw him a little while ago," Minami explained, nudging the chair around the last round table before they arrived at their own, "After that thing you guys did to get him onto Insta, a bunch of company people were wanting to talk to him about sponsorship stuff. I'd heard that he basically worked with no one but Mizuno, but...really? Only one sponsor?"

"It's a process." Yuri tried to say, wondering how much he should say, "...He never really needed more than the one, not until now anyway. He's trying to branch out, so this is as good a place as any to network. Viktor got me a bunch more sponsor deals at 4Cs last year because of it."

"Really?" The teen was surprised, light brown eyes watching as Viktor got up and transferred to a different chair, propping his leg up on the one directly beside him as Yuri pulled it out, "After your Silver in Barcelona, I'm surprised people weren't falling over themselves to get in touch with you."

"They were," Viktor teased, sitting sideways in his own seat, "Yuri just wasn't falling over himself to reciprocate."

"Things happened before that Banquet." Yuri pointed out, eyes hidden under the glare of his glasses, "My brain wasn't thinking about sponsorship deals."

"Oh...right." The Russian shrugged, and gestured to the seat with his leg, "I hope it's okay that I put this here...I can take the boot off if it's too bulky against your back."

"It's okay where it is for now." The younger figure stepped up closer and wedged himself between the seat and the table, pressing his hand against his husband's shin before sitting down normally, "I'm more worried about how slowly the food will come out." He explained, feeling the emptiness in his stomach as he looked out across the table to the others who were there, and bowed his head towards them, "Hi everyone."

They waved back politely and offered a few platitudes before going back to the menu cards that had been set down across all the plates. Yuri reached for one and pulled it up to read it, seeing his partner do the same...only for both to realize all the writing was in Kanji and only one of them could read it. So, Yuri moved to gently usher his chair to the side and slightly closer to the largely illiterate foreigner, and started going down the list with a finger.

Viktor slid his arm back across his husband's upper back and pulled the man a bit closer, enough so that he could rest the side of his chin against the edge of one shoulder and watch as Yuri went about his translations. It didn't take long for him to pick what he wanted, and the menu card was set back down again.

Yuri twisted in his seat and leaned back against his spouse's chest, finding hands sneaking in around his sides, under his elbows, to lace fingers together over his stomach and pull him closer. A chin returned over his shoulder, and he felt lips brush the side of his neck. Silver hair slid softly by his skin, and Yuri tilted his head to nuzzle into it a little, then opened his eyes back up to the rest of the scene, "...Kinda feels like we were here for months rather than only a few days."

"Agreed."

"Do you think Euros will be a whole lot different, since we're not competing?"

"Hard to know." Viktor answered, unlacing his fingers again to wrap his arms around the younger man's frame a little tighter. He closed his eyes and dozed for a moment against the back of a shoulder, "I guess it depends on whether or not the Euro folks consider us worthy of backstage access just based on knowing who we are, or if they'll be strict and keep us out."

"Maybe it won't be so bad to really just be spectators, in all ways." Yuri supposed, resting his hands lightly on the forearms around his core, "No backstage drama...no competition stress by proxy... I'm sure we'll hear all about it anyway from Chris and Yurio."

"But at least we won't be part of it this time," The silver legend said quietly, "I could do with a drama-less weekend. We need a few."

"...For sure..."