A/N: Hi everyone ! I'm back again and with chapter 4 in my possession.
So a few quick things.
I know I said that my chapters were gonna be around 2,000 to 2,500 words long...but I lied. This chapterAND last chapter broke 3,000 😅. Things happen when I write. What can I say ?
Now because of this, next chapter is going to be a continued section of the date May 6th plus all of May 7th since it was getting too long and it also added length for tomorrow's chapter which is good.
This is also a backstory chapter for Victor. We FINALLY get a huge load of information as to why he's been acting so strange. Need I remind that this is all completely made up. We do not have a backstory for Victor yet so this is something I came up with all on my own. But with the backstory comes a few things.
This is where ALOT of my warnings come into play such as death, sad themes, angst, loss, and also...mentions of cancer and car accidents. So if any of these are sensitive topics PLEASE do NOT read.
But if you are okay with these topics, then I hope you enjoy the chapter !
Wednesday, May 6th, Yu-Topia, 1:30 PM
"Are you sure you don't need anymore help, Mom ?" Yuuri asked as he brought in a basket of clean towels. Hiroko smiled from the kitchen's entry way.
"I'm sure dear. I won't need more help until later this evening once we start getting customers. Oh, and when Victor and your father come back from grocery shopping. I gave them quite the list so I'm sure they'll need help bringing bags in and unpacking. You've done plenty for now. Go and take a little break."
Yuuri nodded, pointing a finger at the older women "Okay. But don't overwork yourself or you'll get an earfull from me later." He teased.
Hiroko chuckled, "I won't dear. Sometimes I feel you're the mother here you know that ? But I suppose that's not a bad thing. I taught you well."
Yuuri grinned, waving a see you later to his mom before making his way to his and Victor's bedroom.
He entered the room and closed the shutter doors behind him, walking over to his bed.
But he stopped midway, his glasses' case catching his attention as it sat closed on his desk.
With Victor gone at the store with Toshiya, now would be the perfect time.
Yuuri grabbed the case and sat on his bed in a criss cross apple sauce fashion. He opened up the case, a tiny folded piece of paper now in his line of sight.
It was the piece of receipt paper with Yakov's number on it that Yurio gave him the day before.
He had been itching to call him in order to find out about Victor's past, his family...and what happened to his mother.
It made sense that the older man would know. He had been Victor's coach for a very long time and was the main adult Yuuri would always see with him. Whether in the paper, the news, or on the internet, Yakov was always by his side. Almost like how a parent would always be with a child.
Victor no doubt had a difficult relationship with his family later in life, but then again, maybe he always had. Ever since Yuuri became a fan of Victor, he never saw people with him during competitions on TV that even remotely resembled him in the slightest. No silver hair, pale skin, blue eyes, or heart shaped smile.
None of that.
It's as if Yakov had been his family ever since he was 17 when Yurio claimed that Victor's mom had passed away.
But what about his father ? Or other distant family ?
Yuuri had no idea.
But the call he was about to make would no doubt change all of the unknowns that Victor held towards him.
He still felt slighty guilty about doing all of this behind Victor's back. But he would feel even more guilty if he continued to let Victor suffer through this by himself any longer.
Like Yurio had said yesterday. If Victor hasn't told him anything about his past, then he may NEVER tell him.
Yuuri unfolded the piece of paper and grabbed his phone that he had left on the window sill.
He went to the dial section of his phone, tapping the numbers written on the creased recipet.
He pressed the call buttom and put the phone up to his ear.
One ring
Two rings
Three ri-
"Hello Yuuri." A thick, Russian accented voice bounced off his eardrums, "I've been expecting your call."
What ? How did-?
"Yuratchka told me yesterday that you would call me eventually. He told me about the conversation you both had yesterday. So I assumed it was you since I do not get many phone calls anymore."
Oh. That explains it.
"H-he did ? I was wondering how you knew it was me. So since he talked to you...I'm guessing you know why I'm calling then..."
"Yes." He sighed, his voice low, " How bad is it ?"
Yuuri pursed his lips, "Well... definitely not good. It's like he's sometimes a completely different person. I've never seen him act the way he does when...it happens. He gets so quiet. And he spaces out. Sometimes his eyes go wide and they get glossy or his hands start to shake. It...scares me."
Yakov clicked his tongue, "Sounds no different than how he acted when he was around me. This is the first time he's truly been away from me while going through this. I was wondering he would act any different around you. I suppose not."
Yuuri sighed shakily, "He tries to act like he's okay. But I know he's not. I'm going to be honest and say it hurts to see him like this. He's not my Victor, and I know he won't tell me anything...so that's why I'm turning to you. Yurio said you knew everything and..."
Yuuri bit his lip, tears burning the edge of his eyes, "I need to know. Not for my sake...but for Victor's. I HATE seeing him like this and I can't help him if he won't tell me what's wrong. Please, Yakov. I need to know what happened. What happened in Victor's past ? What happened to his family ? What happened...to his mom ?"
He could hear Yakov sigh over the phone, " It's a lot of information Yuuri...so make sure you listen okay?"
Yuuri's silence was all Yakov needed to continue.
"Alexsandr Nikiforov and Elena Vasiliev. Those were the names of Victor's parents."
"I was friends with Alexsandr's father for a very long time so I had known Alexsandr since he was a boy. I would look after him quite often while his father worked so I became very acustomed to him. He was a very energetic young boy. You turn your head for a second and he was off somewhere else. He grew up before my eyes, and ever since he was young, he was very popular among the females. But even after so many confessions and love letters, he still only cared about one."
"Back before I was a coach, I owned my own skating rink and Alexsandr would visit me often. But I knew too well it was also to see a particular young women that would come by the rink to skate on her own time. That was Elena you see."
"She was a beautiful, kind, and intelligent young girl. Long silver hair, pale skin, a smile that could brighten anyone's day, and shining blue eyes that we're always full of life. She loved to skate and her skills in it were very impressive. It was a great talent of hers. Nothing short of a gift."
Yuuri was astonished. Everything that he just heard in Yakov's description of Elena showed no doubt that...
"She was just like Victor..." Yuuri said softly.
Yakov hummed low, " Yes. She was. In almost every way. I remember Alexsandr asking me to teach him how to skate himself in order to impress her. But the boy couldn't so much as stand on the ice. One day, Elena had walked in while I was teaching him. Alexsandr had fallen and Elena started laughing. He was so embarrassed, but Elena had offered to give him some pointers. Before long, he and Elena would meet almost everyday at the rink. It was what he looked forward to every single day. And I could tell she looked forward to it too."
"They spent their time together at the rink and on their own time as well. Alexandr would pull me and his father aside to ask for advice on dating or places to take her and he would shower her with whatever gifts he could buy her. Flowers, jewlery, her favorite snacks. His love for her was obvious to the eye. And...so was Elena's love for him."
"It seemed her eyes sparkled more when she was with him. Alexandr was an Alpha while Elena was an Omega so their relationship was strong from the start. It's as if they knew they were soulmates from the beginning. They got along so well and always made eachother happy. When he was 24 and Elena was 23, Alexandr realized he wanted that happiness to last for as long as it could, so he proposed to her at the rink where they first met. The wedding was held 3 months later during the Spring. And let me say that it was beautiful. I don't think I had ever seen a couple more happy and in love."
"About 4 months later, Alexandr had called me and told me that he had made plans with Elena to take his parents out to their favorite restaurant for their 26th wedding anniversary. He invited me to go along with them and I told them I would meet them at the restaurant. We created a time to meet at 6 in the evening but I noticed they were running late while I stood at the entrance. I had tried caling Alexandr or his father but neither of them would pick up."
"I left the restaurant and drove back down the streets they would have taken in order to get there but soon became blocked off by police cars, ambulances, and car parts laying across the street. I pulled in closer...and saw 3 bodies laying on the ground. But I wasn't able to completely identity them."
"Later after I gave my information and concern of the accident...I learned that the bodies which were pronouced deceased at the scene, belonged to Alexandr, his mother, and his father. They suffered from severe brain damage upon impact of the car that hit them and probably died immediately after the collision."
Yuuri's breathing was shallow, heart in his throat, "A-and Elena...? Did...did she ?" he stuttered.
"Elena was the only one that survived the crash. Well her...and the baby."
Yuuri blinked, "Baby ? You mean she was...?"
He could imagine Yakov nodding his head through the phone, "Yes. At the time, she was 2 months pregnant. She and Alexsandr were planning on surprising his parents with the news for their anniversary...but they never got the chance."
"Elena suffered from a broken ankle, a concussion, and a few cuts and bruises. Nothing compared to her husband and in-laws. I remember rushing to the hospital to see her. At the time...I didn't know if she knew about Alexandr or his parents. I wasn't sure if I should have told her or have waited for the nurses to say something. But I sat next to her and she grabbed my hand. The next sentence she said shocked me. She asked, 'Do you think Alexandr would have been a good father ?'"
"I could only nod, and try my best to calm her down as she cried. Somehow...she knew. Before hearing anything she just knew. I had always known she was clever and extremely smart...but nothing could have prepared me to hear those come out of her mouth. She had been married for only 4 months and lost her in laws, husband, and father of her baby all within an hour. But despite that, she eventually pulled her hands away and wiped her eyes. And she did the one thing I wouldn't expect anyone in her situation to do."
"She smiled."
"She was torn, broken, but I could still see the longing determination in her eyes. Determination to do her best despite everything. For herself, and for her baby. 'Its what Alexandr would have wanted' she said."
"I had asked her about contacting family and she told she preferred not to. I had remembered her family wasn't at the wedding so I simply assumed her relationship with them wasn't the best. She told me she spent more time at her friend's houses than her own so instead, I offered to watch over her for the duration of her recovery and pregnancy. She happily obliged."
"We held a memorial for Alexandr and his parents a few months later. There weren't too many people. Just some close friends. But our respects were paid and final words were laid to rest. Elena cried the whole time, but she still smiled when she could. It amazed me every time."
"Her injuries healed nicely and her pregnancy went without any problems. On Christmas she had gone into labor and I was by her side the whole time. And before long, she had a miniature carbon copy of herself in her arms...but as a male. Silver hair, blue eyes, pale skin, small lips, but with Alexandr's ears and nose. Elena was so happy. She didn't want to let him go."
"She had thought of names months prior, but decided to go with the name that stood as her late husband's middle. It was 'Victorovich', but was shortened to just Victor to act as a first name. Elena had also kept Alexandr's last name and so it was additionally passed on to her son."
Yuuri smiled softly, "So Victor was named after his dad..."
"Yes. Though Victor looked like her, he still reminded Elena so much of Alexandr, even as a baby. I could see the small things too when I held him for the first time. The name was appropriate and absolutely perfect."
"Similar to Alexandr, I watched Victor grow up before my eyes. Elena and I stayed very close in contact with one another and I was always on call when she needed me. But she was a very strong women and an amazing mother. She loved Victor deeply and tried her absolute hardest to raise him the best she could."
"She had come by one day when Victor was about 8 years old. Apparently she had told him about how she used to figure skate. Ever since Victor had been born, she found it hard to make time to skate while looking after him and balancing a job at the same time. But when he heard about it, he wanted to give it a try himself. And just like his mother...he was a natural."
"He would come by very often after that day to practice and become better. Elena would always try her best to come along when she could in order to give him pointers, so in a way, she was sort of like his coach. But oh how Victor smiled when he skated with her. They would glide across the ice, Elena holding him close the whole time. They were certainly quite the pair."
"Once Victor turned 12, I had told Elena that I decided to take up professional coaching and I offered to coach Victor since I believed he was a worthy person of competition. She was thrilled about the idea and asked Victor right away if he would agree to it. He had grinned, his eyes sparkling and Elena told me he had asked "When do we start?""
"He excelled in his training and almost every competition he competed in, putting him in the top of his class even at such as early age. His talent grabbed the attention of many, but even after receiving so many offers, he made his point clear during his first interview when he was 13, as to why he was skating in the first place."
"He had said 'I skate for my Mama. She is my #1 fan and idol. She never skated to compete so I want to accomplish what she couldn't. She is the one who graced me with this talent. I want to be just like her !'"
Yuuri smiled, but then something clicked in his brain, "Is that why he grew out his hair ? So that he could look more like his mother ?"
Yakov chuckled, "When Victor said something, he meant every word. He looked exactly like his mother but with a male body. You could have almost mistaken them for twins."
"As time went on, Victor became more and more successful in his career. He also started traveling more and longer distances away. He loved doing so... but the only issue was that it kept him away from his mother quite often. But she reassured him every time that it was fine. He was pursuing his dream and doing what he loved. That was enough. Elena attended what competitions she could and watched the rest on T.V. She was ALWAYS there to support him no matter what."
"However, it was during a competition in Russia when Victor was 16 that I began to notice something. For the last few months that I had seen Elena, I noticed that she looked different. He eyes were dull and she was thinner than usual. She was also very pale and looked as if she was lacking sleep. I asked her if she was okay, but she continued to tell me that she was fine."
"So that's where Victor gets his stubbornness from ..." Yuuri thought.
"It was when she nearly collapsed at the kiss and cry while Victor was skating that I demanded she tell me what was wrong. I guess Victor had noticed it too while he was skating because as soon as his performance was over, he skated right over to the both of us extremely worried while talking to his mother in rushed words. She shook her head and kissed his cheek, telling him to get his scores and then meet her in infirmary along with myself. And so we did."
"She was laying on one of the beds when we arrived. Victor immediately rushed to her side, grabbing her hand and asking her what was wrong. She pressed a hand to Victor's cheek and looked at me with sadness in her eyes. Supposedly, for the last 2 years, she had been battling cancer...and she didn't say anything about until then."
"I was shocked...but it explained so much. How tired she had looked, how skinny she was. She had been on chemotherapy but it had only done so much before it stopped working all together. The doctor had told her she didn't have much time left."
"I remember how Victor cried. He asked her why she didn't say anything sooner and she told him that she wanted him to focus on his skating. That she didn't want him to worry. But that only made Victor cry harder. He held her in his arms, running his fingers through her hair, but had a look of horror on his face when he pulled his hand away, some Elena's hair tangled around his fingers."
"He decided then to stop skating for awhile to look after his mother, and he asked for my help as well. He wanted to make sure she was well taken care of and not just dumped in the hospital do wait out what time time she had left. Victor did his best to make it worthwhile."
"He would take her on walks in a wheelchair, style what little hair she had left, would stay by her side while she was sick from her medication, would cook some of her favorite dishes, and would help her to bed at night. He was trying his best but I could tell him his eyes that he didn't believe it was enough."
"Elena's health continued to deteriorate over the course of a year and a half, and one night at the end of May when Victor was 17, things took a turn for the worse."
"He called me one night and said that she had stopped breathing and so I rushed over right away while calling an ambulance. They took her to the emergency room and was able to revive her, but she was dangerously weak after that. She could hardly eat and slept quite often. But Victor never left her side."
"One morning, while Elena was sleeping in her hospital room, Victor had told me was going to go out and get some fresh air and asked me if I would stay with his mother. I agreed and stayed behind. After about 30 minutes, Elena started to go into the shock out of nowhere. Her vitals and breathing spiked and I pressed the emergency button for help. Nurses and doctors rushed in, giving her oxygen and attempting to get her vitals under control. But nothing was working."
"I stood by her bed and felt her weakly grab my hand. Her final words came out in a weak whisper but they were still so clear. I could still make them out even with all of the commotion."'
"'Tell Victor I love him...'"
"That was it. Her body couldn't stand to fight anymore as it gave out. The drawn out beep on the machine echoed in my ear from the once slow sound of her heartbeat. I looked up to see Victor in the doorway, a vase of flowers in his shaking hands, tears streaming down his face as they announed her time of death."
"May 10th, 9:48 AM."
Yuuri almost couldn't breathe. That explained... everything. The reason why Victor has been acting the way he has...was brutal. Torturous. Something no one should have to experience.
Victor's mom...had passed away...on Mother's Day.
And he hadn't been there to say goodbye...
A/N: Annnnnd cue the tears ðŸ˜...
And I'm so sorry ! This is sort of like a cliff hanger because we aren't quite done with Victor's backstory as there's still a little more to tell since this chapter was realllllly long.
But don't worry, I have happiness coming soon. I promise.
But that's it for now everyone ! And I will be back tomorrow with Chapter 5 ! We're almost done !
Thank you for reading ! Bye Byeee !