(Author's Note: Is there a compelling reason why 120 average users per day come to read NAD, and less than 1% leave a review? I mean, I know school started again, but this has been going for weeks. I'm half-tempted to drop ffnet cuz I'm just not getting anything out of this site despite the hits. Content creation and consumer feedback go hand in hand, especially for a product that is free. No feedback = no content.)

CHAPTER FOUR HUNDRED FIVE

Yuri pushed aside the sliding outside door to Yu-Topia, turning slightly to kick the snow off his shoes as Viktor stepped in beside him.

"Tadaimaaaa~!" (We're home~!) The Russian called, putting a hand up to his ear as he listened for the tak tak tak sound of nails on hardwood to herald the coming of The Woofer.

Toshiya pulled back the paper wall behind the main counter, and leaned out through it onto his elbows, "Welcome back. I think Makkachin's actually on a walk with Mari."

"Hi dad. ...Mari took Makka for a walk?" Yuri echoed, "How come?"

"Does there need to be a reason for a dog to go on a walk?"

"Ehhhhh I guess not... I think we both just assumed he'd be here when we showed up." Yuri explained, pulling off his Ravenclaw beanie as he turned his eyes towards the oddly-quiet man standing beside him.

Viktor's eyes were huge and warbling behind a thin veil of tears, "Makka...chin...isn't..here..."

"Uh oh..."

"They should be back soon, I think." Toshiya back-pedaled, waving his hands frantically before the Russian could unleash his typhoon in their entryway, "Why don't you guys go into the dinner hall? I'll have some katsudon made for you while you're waiting."

Even then, Viktor was practically catatonic, eyes still wet with uncried tears as he leaned heavily against his partner's back where they sat at one of the many low tables. Some soccer game or another played on the communal television for other patrons sitting nearby. Yuri focused on the papers in front of him though, even with the pair of clingy arms wrapped around his waist and a weighty husband pressed against him, himself sitting within the curve of Viktor's loosely-crossed legs. The MRI report was on top of the small stack.

We got confirmation that it was just a Grade 1 sprain...but right in the middle of the biggest season of our lives... It really is a blessing in disguise that the RSF kicked Viktor to the curb when they did.

With his left arm perched on the table to hold up his chin, Yuri gently slid the fingers on his right against the back of his partner's wrist where it came around his front, idly offering what comfort he could in the moment as he continued to pour over those papers. He nudged the MRI away and glanced at the negative X-Rays, then at the treatment recommendations on the following pages.

Rest, ice, elevation, bracing, compression bandages, walking only as required, crutches if going long distances...and physiotherapy. Pending no upset or new injury, he can return to skating in 2 to 3 weeks.

He leaned back then, both arms resting over the ones wrapped around him, "I've read the notes 7 times now...feels like the first time every time."

"...I can't skate until after Euros at the earliest..." Viktor whined against his partner's neck, "It's going to be torture."

"You weren't going to be able to skate the whole time we're in Russia anyway though."

"We were only going to be there for the weekend. Plus I wanted to skate on my old rink a little bit...for posterity's sake."

"Ah..."

"Oh! There you boys are!" Hiroko's voice suddenly chimed.

The two lifted their heads and looked back, spotting the petite woman in the doorway back to the main lobby area. Minako was beyond her, getting her boots on in front of the sliding doors, "Tadaima." They both said in tandem.

"Has your father put orders to the kitchen already?" Hiroko wondered, trying to sound like her usual cheerful self even if it was clear that it was taking every ounce of willpower in her small frame, "You're here for your Victory Katsudon, right?"

"Yes to both." Yuri answered for them, "We're waiting for Mari-nee-chan to come back with Makkachin, too. Dad said they went out."

"That Mari..." The older woman grimaced, "I told her to be back by now. I wonder where she went if she's been out all this time?"

"When did she leave?"

"Right after Minako-senpai got here."

The two skaters looked at one another briefly, then back at Yuri's mom, "So she's been gone for nearly 4 hours?"

"Has it really been that long?" Hiroko glanced around for the nearest clock, and saw that it was indeed after 6pm already, "Wow, time flies."

"Everything okay?" Yuri wondered, leaning slightly to see if he could glean the sight of his former ballet teacher through everything between them, "Minako-sensei."

"Everything's fine." She answered stiffly, continuing on with her preparations to go back out into the cold.

Feeling anxious already, and knowing the woman well enough that 'everything's fine' meant anything but, Yuri turned in place within his husband's grasp. Arms loosened around him, and eventually he was able to get both legs aside the man's torso, only to lean far-enough forward that Viktor was forced onto his back as Yuri 'crawled' forward slightly, trying still to get a better vantage. With hands on the ground aside the Russian's head, Yuri leaned to the side, only for his mother to get the message suddenly and step out of the way, "You sure?"

Minako finally looked back at him, but the expression on her face told Yuri more than words could. There had clearly been tears during that conversation, something he wasn't ready for, and he sat back in slight shock.

"I'm going to call it an early night." The ballerina said, turning to face the door again, pulling her hair up from where her scarf had pressed it down behind her neck and shoulders, "The others will be getting back early tomorrow, and I'm going to go to Fukuoka to meet them when their plane lands."

"Oh..." Yuri acknowledged quietly, feeling hands settle on his thighs where they parted over his partner's core. Eyes went down to the man, and Viktor looked up at him in turn, turning his head where he'd been trying to look through the doorway from his place on the floor.

The Russian nudged his head towards Minako abruptly, which only made Yuri slightly confused. Viktor pulled himself up a bit, hands groping for leverage higher around his partner's slim frame, "You should go with her tomorrow."

"Eh? What about you?"

"Our pups have their vet visit in the morning. I'll just take them myself."

Yuri nodded, then lifted his gaze again as Viktor went down to his back again, "Minako-sensei. Can I tag along when you go?"

She looked back over a shoulder, hand on the sliding door, "...Oh. Uhm, sure, I guess. ...I'm leaving by 7, so don't be late."

"Hai."

Minako started to pull on the door as she turned to face it again...only to find it opening for her. Mari stared straight at her in stunned surprise, and Makkachin flew in beside them, catching sight of the two men in the common-room and immediately making an overly-hyper B-line towards them. The abrupt laughter coming out of the poodle-assault made it easy for Minako to slip out without another word; Mari turned on a heel to watch the woman go, but said nothing, giving only a worried look.

As the ballerina disappeared beyond the courtyard walls, Mari turned back and stepped inside, closing the doors behind herself as she heard the sound of her brother and in-law being mauled by cold-wet poodle kisses. She huffed a sigh and started pulling her scarf off, "Whew, sorry that took so long...I only meant to go to the Ice Castle and back, but Makkachin got other ideas. He dragged me all the way back to their house, and when we saw Jiro through the glass in the front door, I knew that meant those two dorks were back..." She nudged her head towards the skaters, "Took forever the convince Makka to follow though. He must've thought they were home because of the puppy."

Yuri managed to pull himself up from the chaos, flopping out of the whirlwind of limbs and fluff, onto his back. He rolled to get right-side-up again, and reached to adjust his glasses, "...Yeah, sorry, we had to take Jiro home for Viktor's appointment. They won't let dogs in unless they're certified."

"Makes sense."

"We're thinking of getting Jiro trained to be a therapy dog though," Yuri went on, "He did a really great job at the competition yesterday."

"Oh, was it bad?" Mari wondered, slipping her jacket off her arms, "I thought competitions were supposed to be fun."

"They will be!" Viktor insisted, squishing and stretching Makkachin's panting face, "I'm determined! This is the last time something bad happens at competition!"

"Last time, huh?" Mari deadpanned, "What happened this time?"

"Other than this?" The Russian hoisted his right leg straight into the air, releasing his poodle's face to gesture both hands at it rather dramatically, "This is the worst possible thing."

"My brother had a panic attack in advance of you being a massive dork and slipping on the ice?"

Viktor pouted and lowered his arms to cross them over his chest, "...It's a big deal."

"Mhm."

Yuri sighed, leaning back against their table on an elbow, "We ran into one of my old rink-mates from Juniors. It was...kind of a fiasco. I mean, it's taken care of now and things are better, but..." He slipped off the table and flopped onto his husband's chest instead, lying there like a big splat, "...It was exhausting. I think, if not for the fact that we got to come back and pick up Jiro along with the rest of my stuff, it probably would've been a bigger disaster than it was."

"That bad, huh? Yeesh. Who was it?"

"The guy who robbed my Yuri of his Silver." Viktor explained flatly, one arm around his husband, the other reaching back for his dog to scritch at neck-fluff.

"...Oh, that Saito guy?" Mari wondered, putting her things away and coming properly into the resort, stepping up onto the raised floor from the cowhide rug in the entryway, "He was cute." She admitted hesitantly.

"He's also super gay." Viktor pointed out.

"How would you know?" She defended, both hands on her hips.

The Russian deadpanned her, but it was Yuri who spoke up, "Why do you think it was a disaster?"

"What?"

Viktor explained, reaching both hands up to squish and stretch his husband's cheeks like he'd done to Makkachin earlier, "Who could blame Saito for being in love with this face? Sucks for him though, Yuri's taken."

Yuri nudged the man back again though, pushing both arms away with a finger in the middle of each palm, "It was a big misunderstanding." He said, mostly to Viktor himself, giving a knowing look.

The silver Russian just sighed and closed his eyes, "The biggest misunderstanding."

"How many guys out there are in love with you?" Mari said, frustrated, "I swear, if it's not him," She gestured at the man down, "Then it's Yurio, now it's that guy...ugh!"

Yuri's face went red, "No one but Viktor is in love with me!"

"You just said-"

"...That it was a big misunderstanding! Asahi's in love with someone else!" He interrupted, "He just...kinda fell back on me because that other person died and he was alone."

"...Died recently?"

"No, it...was two years ago, right after my disastrous performance at Nationals. Immediately after. As in...today two years ago."

"It wouldn't have been today two years ago." Mari pointed out, "Each year, the days more forward through the week. Today as in December 26th 2 years ago."

"...That's oddly specific for you to remember." Yuri grimaced.

"I remember it cuz your competition ended on Christmas Day that time, and everyone was all happy and excited for the occasion, but you were just this dark cloud. Even though you didn't come home until months later, I could still feel it through the television." She explained, seeing the two bowls of katsudon set on the kitchen window, and went to pick them up. Out of habit, she set them down on the table in front of the pair, but then sat across from them instead of moving on, "So...the day after that was the 26th."

"Oh." Yuri sighed and turned around to sit properly, reaching for the papers strewn about and put them away in a folder, setting it aside to reach for chop-sticks instead, "Well at least it wasn't on Christmas...? I guess?"

"That would've been super awkward." Viktor added, sitting up as well. He crossed his left leg under the right, stretching the right out under the table as Makkachin set his head down on it, "Itō's death being on my birthday?"

"Yikes." Yuri murmured. He broke the wooden sticks apart and placed them accordingly within his fingers, "This is kind of a weird topic to be on right as we're about to have our celebratory pork cutlets."

"You're right..." The Russian chagrined. He got an idea then though, "Yuri."

"Eh?" He turned his head...and found lips on his own almost as soon as he stopped moving.

"Ugh you guys are gross." Mari whined, getting up immediately.

Viktor just pulled back slightly and grinned, "Itadakimasu, mai ravu." (Let's eat, my love.)

"It's not gross! We're married!" Yuri called, voice chasing after his older sister as they both half-laughed to watch her go.

"You're my little brother! It'll always be gross!"