Hi, everyone! I'm back! And I brought another chapter with me! *Gasp! (Whatever :D)
Thanks for following and favoriting on my first chapter. And a warm thank-you to the guest who reviewed (you made my day and gave me encouragement to keep writing!)
I've been thinking about the spelling of my character's names. Is it Yuri Katsuki or Yuuri Katsuki? Is it Victor or Viktor? (Does it honestly really matter at all?)
You guys can tell me whether or not should I change the spelling of their names. 'Cause I'm getting really conflicted...
But that's not important. What's important is that you guys enjoy and review this chapter!
*The more reviews the more chances of me continuing this story!
Ch 2: What's wrong with taking some risks?
The highest point of the program comes up and Yuri prepares himself for the final jump.
The quadruple flip.
He wanted to work on his consistency of this jump since he landed it only a few times in competition. His free skate at the Grand Prix Final, was just him having a good day. He needs to be able to land this 24/7.
Especially with Victor currently in Russia, working on his short and long programs for the upcoming 2016 Russian Championships.
So Yuri was training himself this whole time and would continue to do so until the Nationals were over. He wanted to surprise Victor when he came back from Russia.
"This way, he won't have to work so hard with me and can focus on his own training as well. I want to motivate him, not hinder him," Yuri whispered to himself.
Bending his knees and reaching his right toe pick back, Yuri plants it into the ice, leaping into the air. One...two...three...four… The moment the toe pick of his right skate touched the ice, Yuri unwraps his left leg and extends it back into a landing position.
Or at least he tried to...
His landing was a bit unstable, as he bent forward too much, causing him to rotate once more on the ice before he could regain control of his edge again.
"Damnit!" Yuri thought, but he had no time to go back and fix it.
The music kept on playing and he had to go on with the program. The final step sequence was a simple one. Yuri pushed the loop jump out of his head as he tried to stay focused on the music. The step sequences are all about musicality and personality.
Spins and field moves are Yuri's strengths. He's well known in competition for them. So he works hard to make them as perfect as they can be, to make up for any falls or poorly executed jumps during a competition.
Finishing his combination spin, he holds his finishing pose just as the music stops.
Perfect! Yuri thought. He finished right on time this round.
Clap, clap, clap!
Yuri looked up, surprised to see Yuko standing by the boards, applauding him. He smiles humbly and skates over to her. Yuko threw her hands up in the air and cheered.
"Woohoo! That was amazing, Yuri! Victor's gonna be really happy when he sees it!" Yuko gave him two thumbs up.
Yuri still couldn't get the failed flip out of his mind.
"Yeah, well. It's still a work in progress. Anyways, I still got a lot to work on. I want to be able to land all my elements, whether it's my good day or bad day."
"Yeah, but you shouldn't worry so much about your technical score. I like your style of skating because you're so emotional when it comes to it," Yuko admitted.
Yuri nodded as he opened his water bottle. "I know. But if I put improved on the technical scores, then I'd be able to place more often than not. Finishes that are off the podium, are longer good for me."
Yuko crossed her arms, smiling smugly.
"Whoa, look at you. Becoming all out there and tough for your idol/coach/fiancé, when he's suddenly making a comeback to competing again?"
Yuri chokes on his water. "Well, it's just that—cough—the last time we've competed—cough—I made a complete—cough—fool of myself—cough."
"That, I can understand. I still can't believe the things you did when you were drunk! I didn't think you had it in you! Hahaha!"
Yuko doubled over with laughter from the photos and videos of the night where Yuri had a little too much to drink that Minako shared with her.
Yuri's face began to flush and he groaned over how embarrassing that experience was. Though it still couldn't compare to the last banquet he was at for the Grand Prix Finals.
This time, Victor was the one who was making a drunk fool of himself.
Or was he…
Even after a month since the banquet, Yuri still couldn't let go of the game of twenty questions. It was a nagging thought on the side of his mind, he spent nights researching for any rumors or online proof of a past relationship Victor may have had.
Wait a minute...Yuko used to skate herself. And better yet, she's a female! She's bound to have noticed some women skaters from tv!
"Hey, Yuko?" Yuri asked.
Yuko's laughter gradually died down, and she regained some control.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Have you, um, ever watched ladies figure skating—more specifically from Russia?"
Yuko blinked. "Maybe...I think I have. But why? Are you trying to become straight?"
"NO! Sorry—no—I just want to know a little more about women's figure skating. You know? So do you know any of the competitors from there? Or maybe the results from the past few years?" Yuri asked curiously.
"Well. I do know that each year, the Russian Skating Union usually selects about the same group of skaters from the Nationals to go into the world competitions. The results themselves are usually different from the previous year, but the selected team of skaters are always about the same. It's strange really, but I could send you a list of the competitors and the results of Russia's Nationals over the last few years," Yuko offered.
Yuri sighed in relief. "Thanks, that'll be all that I need."
"I'll email you the list later. Anyways, you should hurry and finish up. We're closing pretty soon," Yuko reminded.
"Why? You usually close about an hour later," Yuri wondered as he checked the time on his phone.
"Yeah, but tonight's the start of the Russian Championships! Don't you want to see Victor's performance? And Yuri Plisetsky's?" Yuko questioned.
Yuri smacked his forehead. He had completely forgotten about this. Well, screw practicing some more, he's gonna go home.
Right now.
"Let's hurry back! I can't miss it!" Yuri cried as he frantically untied his skates and stuffed all of his gear into his bag.
In the Yekaterinburg Ice Arena.
The warmup period was almost over and Victor avoided doing any big jumps during the whole session. He wanted to take things slow and steady, so there's no need to be worried.
To be honest, he didn't need to worry much at all! The Russian Skating Union merely glances at the results of each years' National Championships.
What they mainly focus on is the skater's history and results from previous competitions, especially international competitions. Also, their coaches, the length of their training period, where they trained and more.
And considering his constant world records and his legacy of being a five-time world champion, and most importantly, his inhuman consistency, he's bound to be selected for this year's National team.
He looked around, smiling and admiring the fresh pool of new skaters around him. All warming up with single jumps and backspins. Yuri Plisetsky would be skating in the group after this.
Victor was about to finish his warmup with one more lap of crossovers when he saw Yakov wave him over from the boards. Skating over, Victor wondered what Yakov was going to lecture to him about this time.
"Victor, I know that I said this before but I'm going to say it again. If you completely bomb this Nationals, I won't be able to salvage your career. You hear me? So once you're out there on the ice, you're going to have to hold your own," Yakov stated in a fierce tone.
"Isn't that what I always do every time? You need to stop worrying Yakov, I swear, given your age, I'm afraid that it may be detrimental to your health…"
"Don't talk back to me like that! You know why I'm worried! Your decision to both compete while coaching that skater, Katsuki...it's insane! You're going to ruin yourself! I'm not about to let you go through it all again—"
Victor's cheerful persona suddenly fell. His face grew serious and he held Yakov close in a loose hug.
"I don't need you to remind me. I promise that it won't happen again. And if it does, I'll do the smart thing, and leave."
Yakov was not completely persuaded.
"Vitya—"
"Have faith in me," Victor whispered before skating away and using whatever time he has left of the warmup session.
One week after the Russian Championships, in Ice Castle Hasetsu.
Finishing his last combination spin, Yuri brought both of his arms out delicately in his finishing pose. Breathing heavily from his newly-revised long program to Yuri on Ice.
"Amazing, Yuri! That was a clean free skate! Even better than the one at the Grand Prix Final! What have you been doing while I was gone?" Victor demanded ecstatically as he skated over to embrace his student.
Yuri nearly lost his balance from the embrace but managed to keep it together.
"Whoa, whoa! Well, I thought that you'd want me to work hard since you won't be around very often. And not to mention your insane comeback at the Nationals...it was just...unbelievable! I mean—everyone expected you to flop after missing a whole season of competing!" Yuri cried in disbelief.
He was still in awe when Victor managed to deliver two clean programs and completely destroy the rest of the competition one week ago on live television. The combined total score for Victor, in the end, was about a whopping 297.43!
Yurio was the only skater whose score can compare to the champion of the Russian Nationals. A combined total of 289.27. Nearly all of the other skaters were affected by the veteran's score and didn't perform to their best ability.
Even though it wasn't Victor's personal best, it was higher than any score Yuri has ever received throughout his whole career.
Other than the one lucky night on the Grand Prix Final. Where he and Yurio both managed to get into the 300s mark with their combined total score.
Yuri managed to get out of Victor's tight embrace and ruffle his hair back in place. When he looked up again, he could see that Victor was no longer smiling, but rather looking at him in an extremely critical manner.
Yuri's spine shivered when he felt those deep turquoise eyes examine him. Victor leaned his head back and ran both hands through his hair, before examining Yuri once more.
"Yeah, Yuri. I was amazed by most of your program. But I found one small thing that made me slightly disappointed," Victor admitted.
Those words absolutely crushed poor Yuri's spirit. He was afraid that Victor would say that. Well, he's also sort of glad that it was finally released.
"Ok...where was it? That small part?" Yuri asked in a shaky voice.
"Mmmm...well I was kind of thinking of...something new to add to your free skate! It's not a big difference, you're still skating the same free skate, I just want to change something at the very end!" Victor said enthusiastically.
Yuri was taken back. Something new? Looks like he's gonna start rambling on about landing a QUADruple axel again. Yuri prayed that that was not going to be the topic.
"Aha! Let's take out that quadruple flip before the final spin. After the spin, I'd like you to add a really quick footwork sequence that'll lead into the final jump! Imagine how climatic that'll be! Well, what about that? Think you can handle it?" Victor asked grinning eagerly.
"Finish my free skate with a jump? But...what if I fall on it?" Yuri asked. And instantly wished he didn't.
Victor struck the ice with the heel of his blade, nearly shocking Yuri off his balance.
"I'm disappointed, Yuri. I thought you'd start taking risks and become more open. Especially since I'm returning to competing again for the remainder of this season. I guess I was wrong," Victor sighed.
"No—no! I'm just...still a little unconfident, I guess. But you're wrong, Victor! I do want to be more open, take more risks! I've been working on that since you were gone! But...since you want something more...tell me, what kind of jump should I include for the grand finale?" Yuri asked, gaining some of his confidence back.
Victor smiled again.
"That's up to you, Yuri. Don't tell me now. Or else you'll be giving me an edge in competing against you. You prepare the program yourself. And show only the first half of it to me. I'll see this revised free skate at the Worlds in Boston!"
Yuri nodded with determination. He knew exactly what to put at the end. The jump he struggled with most at the beginning of his previous season, but can now land consistently.
The quadruple salchow.
Wednesday. March 30, 2016. Boston, Massachusetts, USA. TD Garden.
Yuri Katsuki ran up and down the hallway outside of the practice rooms in the arena to warm up. Today was the start of the men's short program, and that means he would finally show his entirely new program choreographed by himself to the whole world.
He should be in a better state of mind than last year's Grand Prix Series, but honestly. He felt just as bad—if not—worse than he did last year!
"Start the program with the flying camel combination. Footwork segment into first double axel. Blah, blah, blah...what am I forgetting? What comes after the last mohawk turn? Ah!"
"Oof! Watch it, Piggy!" Yurio cried as he rubbed his head.
"Yuri Plisetsky!" The stern voice of Lilia Baranoskaya, the Russian Prima ballerina, bellowed.
"What have I told you about watching your language? Apologize at once!"
The Russian teen scowled but quickly let up again when he saw Yuri's extended hand, offering to help him up. Accepting the hand, Yurio sighed and apologized.
"Sorry."
"No, it's my fault. I wasn't paying attention," Yuri admitted.
"I know. I saw that. You get anxious way too easily. No wonder your consistency always fails you," Yurio pointed out.
Crushed, Yuri barely managed an audible, "Thanks, I already know."
"But it's also an asset. Your anxiety? Under the right circumstances, it pushes you to your greatest. I'm hoping that the circumstances are right for you today, otherwise, I WILL destroy you…"
Yurio gave Yuri a quick nod and tiny smirk before walking off.
First group. Men's short program.
Yuri got off the ice as the warmup ended. Victor gave him his skate guards. He would be skating in the last group, so he could dress as a coach during this time.
"Hey, Yuri. I'm looking forward to seeing this program of yours. Try and keep me watching for the whole two minutes, because my eyes will wonder if it's not interesting enough," Victor whispered.
Yuri nodded, gulping slightly. To relieve himself, he looked over at the first skater. Seung Gil Lee, of Korea. He and his coach exchanged some last minute words of encouragement before he took the ice, to the applause and cheers of the audience.
The song, Almavivo, came on and his short program began. His opening jump, the quadruple loop was a success. He goes into his transitional step sequence from there.
Yuri turned to Victor.
"I'll be at the washroom. Don't worry about me. I'm ok."
Victor scanned his face for any signs of lying. But he saw none, and let him go. Yuri ran to the washroom, looking at his phone, which displayed a text message from Yurio who wanted him there immediately.
Opening the door, Yuri saw Yurio standing at a corner that had a bench for sitting and gestured for him to come over.
"Did you find out anything about the mystery girl from the game of twenty questions?" Yurio asked.
"Not really. But Yuko did send me a list of past competitors from Russia's Nationals. I looked at all of them, but I can't really tell which one is a worthy candidate. They're all really good!" Yuri admitted.
Yurio grabbed Yuri's phone and looked over the list.
"Yeah, I did my research too. I watched them all perform. At Nationals, Worlds, European Championships, and the Grand Prix Series. I even talked to a few who were my rink mates. Like Mila Babicheva? Boy, she thought I was out of my mind when I hinted at any relationship between her and Victor."
Yurio shuddered at that memory.
"What about Sonia Ivanov? She placed first at two of the Worlds and bronze at the Grand Prix Finals," Yuri suggested.
"Right. But Annie Vasin never finished off the podium once at any competition," Yurio stated.
"Let's rewatch some of their programs again. Maybe we'll get a better idea after that," Yuri suggested.
Several minutes later…
"I really think it's this girl," Yurio pointed at Laurel Kopeykin, who's just finished a clean free skate on Yuri's phone.
"She's ok, but isn't she like five years older than Victor?" Yuri asked awkwardly.
"What!? Ok—ew—never mind—I take it back," Yurio huddled into the wall behind the bench.
"I think it's either that girl with the dark red dress, the Asian girl or the girl with the blonde bun. Their styles are really beautiful and their consistency is amazing," Yuri said.
"Wait—who?" Yurio asked, sitting back up.
"I said—"
"YURI KATSUKI!" The door of the washroom banged open with a large kick, almost being knocked off its hinges.
The silhouette of a stressed and dismayed Victor appeared at the frame of the entrance.
Yuri and Yurio quickly stuffed their phones back into their pockets and kept a calm face.
"What were you two doing in here? Ohhhh! Were you two trying to get along and be best friends now? Why didn't you invite me? I would've loved to join in on what you were discussing!" Victor made a sad pouty face.
Yuri opened his mouth but was cut off by Victor.
"Back to topic. YURI, YOU'RE ON THE ICE AFTER MICHELE CRISPINO, WHO'S PERFORMING RIGHT NOW! GET BACK OUT THERE!"
In the Ice Arena.
Michele Crispino finishes his last jumping passage, the triple lutz/triple loop, but was a bit shaky on the landing. He quickly went past it and entered his final choreographic sequence before ending his program with a finishing pose.
And done!
The audience applauded and threw down gifts and flowers for the Italian skater as he goes over to his coach and sits down in the kiss-and-cry as his score was being announced.
The short program score for Michele Crispino was 89.71. It was a good score, especially due to the fact he stepped out of the last jump of his program.
Yuri felt his heart beating against his chest as he removed his jacket and handed it Victor, who gave him a supportive pat on the back and a wink for good luck.
Or was it for the costume?
Stepping onto the ice, Yuri circled around the ice to get a quick feel for it. He skated towards the boards where he squeezed Victor's hands and managed a weak smile.
"I'll do my best to keep you glued to my performance," Yuri promised.
Victor nodded, "Don't forget that I'll be competing against you for the gold. And you did promise me five gold medals."
His heart racing, Yuri left the boards and skated towards the center of the rink where he would begin his program, meeting the applause of the people in the stands.
He stopped and placed his skates in a slightly spread apart position with both holds at his sides and his head down. Quietly breathing as his music came on and he began his program.
On Love: Eros, played over the speakers.
This better score higher than the Grand Prix Final, thought Yuri as he performed his opening step sequence and finished his two back-to-back spins.
He held his breath as he approached his triple axel from a spread eagle. Landed cleanly!
Flowing with confidence, Yuri skated his transitional footwork into his second jump. The quadruple salchow. Again, it was amazingly landed!
From there, he built up some momentum during his transitional steps that led into the last jump element, the quadruple toe/triple toe.
And he had to really hold onto the landing of the triple toe! He landed on his blade instead of his toepick, nearly falling in the process.
Getting a bit mad at himself, Yuri put all of his emotions into the final combination spin, which leads into the last choreographic sequence before ending his program.
Cheers, applause, and stuffed animals rained down from the audience. Picking up a box of coupons of free appetizers for his favourite restaurant back home, Yuri skates over to the boards where Victor embraced him in disbelief.
"I couldn't take my eyes off you. You had me impressed, Yuri. Let's see if the judges think so too," Victor said in a proud tone as he sat with Yuri on the kiss-and-cry.
The scores for Yuri Katsuki were displayed large and clear a moment later.
A combined score of 105.95!
Victor pulled Yuri in close once again and rubbed his head affectionately. Before suddenly snatching away his box of coupons.
"Not yet, Yuri. I can't let you gain weight again before you become five-time world champion!"
Later that day.
Jean-Jacques Leroy skates off the ice after a phenomenal short program. He had scored a 103.54 in total.
Yurio scowled as the Canadian skater walked past and held out his fist to the Russian teen, hoping for a fist bump, which he reluctantly agreed to. It was his turn now. And currently, Yuri Katsuki is in first place, followed by Christophe Giacometti and Georgi Popovich.
Looking behind him, Yurio could see Victor from the stands, waving to him and giving several thumbs up. Victor was going right after the skater after Yurio, who was a new French skater, named Seville Bauchande.
Not about to let them beat me! Yurio thought as he skated onto the ice, not giving any attention to Yakov who sighed at the teen's rebellious attitude.
Yurio put himself into position as his music, On Love: Agape came on.
He goes into his first jump, the triple axel. Beautifully landed! His position for the flying sit spin was also lovely to watch.
Yuri watched in awe as Yurio goes into a beautiful quadruple salchow/triple toe loop combination. And held his breath when the Russian teen wobbled severely on the landing of his quadruple toe loop.
Other than the unstable toe loop, Yurio delivered an amazing first program of the 2016 year. After the program, Yakov started berating Yurio on his quadruple toe loop but stopped upon seeing his score. A 105.52, ranking him in second place, right behind Yuri!
Yurio walked over to join Victor, Yuri, Phichit, and Minako, who flew all the way over to watch Yuri perform again. The French skater, Seville goes onto the ice.
This was Seville's senior debut and he wanted to make a good first impression.
Taking to the ice, this fifteen-year-old tried his best to hide his nervousness behind a cover of fierceness. Perhaps this similarity is what sparked Yurio's interest in this program.
Fragile Dream by Joe Hisaishi played over the speakers. Seville skated like he was almost afraid of falling. It was a beautiful program. No falls or stumbles occurred during the entire two minutes, just the sound of blades scraping against ice.
His combined score was 98.49, which was rather impressive for his first time skating in the senior division.
By the time Yurio looked up, Victor was gone. He was already down on the boards with Yakov, who looked anxious yet excited at the same time.
Not Victor, though, he looked like he was eager to get on the ice. But there was a slight hint of fear hidden behind his constant happy-go-lucky expression.
Yuri runs up to the front of the stands and waves at Victor, who happily waves back before Yakov nods for him to get onto the ice. Taking off his warmup jacket, he reveals a simple black and red top with loose sleeves.
Though it's not flashy in general, it looked like it was shining on Victor.
Yurio whacks Yuri on the back of the head when he caught him staring for too long. Minako began waving a giant Russian flag up and down as soon as Victor stopped into his starting position.
The song was Cubana.
Because this is the first performance since his comeback, Victor decided to keep things simple for the short program. He goes into his first jump, triple axel.
Yuri and Yurio leaned forward to see the jump being landed...cleanly. It was met with thunderous applause and the two Yuris shrunk back into their seats, reality hitting them extra hard.
Victor was more than just a giver of advice, he was their competition. And unfortunately for them, 'age' did not seem to exist in Victor's dictionary.
The veteran skater goes from a well-centered flying spin into his next jump, quadruple lutz. Again it was a clean jump. Yurio began to feel something that he didn't feel until Victor started performing.
And that was envy.
He envied how easy Victor made it look. Even though he knew that it was not easy, Victor admitted it himself to Yurio years ago. But he has such control over his nerves and body whenever under pressure that it rarely affected his performance.
Yuri, on the other hand, looked on with awe. It was like his childhood all over again. With Victor being an absolute god out on the ice and him watching with his eyes wide from the sidelines.
The final jump combination, quadruple toe/triple toe, came up. Victor goes into it from a step sequence and prepares for the first jump.
Cleanly landed. He goes into the second jump with his both arms over his head for added difficulty.
Landed again.
The audience got to their feet as Victor goes into his final choreographic step sequence into the combination spin. It was as if he was never gone for a season!
Gifts, flowers, boxes of food, and more rained down. The ice was literally littered with items as Victor skated off towards a—smiling Yakov!?
They sat down together as the score was being announced. A total of 110.68 was earned for Victor's short program. Unbelievable. Yuri Katsuki always thought about it, but now he knows it. His idol/coach/fiancé was a demigod.
A figure skating demigod.
Thursday. March 31, 2016
Yuri could not believe he was in this place. Especially since the men's free skate is beginning tomorrow. A shop. And not just any shop. But a Japanese shop. That sells items. About Japanese tv shows and books. An anime shop.
"Oi! Yuri, look at this! It's so cute!" Victor cried as he shoved a keychain with a stuffed egg-like plushy on one end into Yuri's face.
"Tell me again, why did you drag me here?" Yuri asked as several customers stared at the two men fawning over a keychain.
And the majority of them were teenaged girls.
"Correction, Yuri. I dragged us here. Because of the free skate tomorrow, I thought of getting a good luck charm for us this time, you got the rings last time. I wanna return the favor," Victor explained as he went to the rows of giant throw pillows.
Yuri stumbled over, desperately trying to ignore the whispers and giggles of the schoolgirls watching the only two males in this whole store, other than the employees.
"Ok, I get it. But an anime shop? Just because I'm Japanese doesn't mean I like all things...um…" Yuri fumbled for appropriate words.
"Japanese-see?" Victor asked.
"Not the word I was looking for, but yeah. And I didn't even know you watched these stuff," Yuri said.
Victor took out two small throw pillows. They had prints of Attack on Titan on them.
Victor grinned as he threw Yuri the pillow with the chibi Colossal Titan.
"Here you go! Your good luck charm! With your titan's power, you can knock down the walls of any skater you come across tomorrow! Oh! and did you know that season 2 is coming out April 2017? It's about time!" Victor laughed.
"You watch this show? Wait—you watch anime? Actually!?" Yuri asked curiously.
Victor showed some hints of embarrassment as he hugged his throw pillow and turned slightly red.
"Well, ummm. Not excessively…" Victor trailed off.
Yuri laughed nervously upon hearing those dreaded words. The words of an otaku. At least they weren't the words of a weeaboo. Victor brightened up again seconds later. He grabbed Yuri's hand and went over to the cash register.
"Doesn't matter what I watch or don't watch. What matters is that I like what you like, and you're gonna be an absolute gem tomorrow night at the free skate!" Victor pumped one hand in the air.
Hotel room.
Yurio was waiting for Otabek to answer his texts about going with him for lunch later that day. He checked Instagram while he waited and stopped when saw the recent photo posted by Victor.
"They're in anime shop!? Matching anime pillows!? What the fu—"
"Yuri! Are you doing your stretches or going on your phone?" Yakov asked as he exited from the study room.
"Does it really matter? Look at how Victor is fooling around the day right before the free skate!" Yuri showed the photo to Yakov.
"Let him be. I don't know how to work with him anymore, but at least he's back to competing again. Now, just have to talk some sense into his coaching career with Katsuki…" Yakov stopped abruptly.
Yurio was confused.
"What do you mean? I get that Victor's choice of coaching and competing isn't a very wise one, but I don't think he's a bad coach. Is he?"
Yakov rubbed his eyes and poured himself some coffee.
"He's rash and he always does things out of order. Katsuki seems more like a conserved person, and Victor is breaking that shell. I don't how things'll end up looking like. But I fear the worst."
Yurio nodded.
"I can kind of see it. Yuri did include a quadruple salchow in the beginning of his short program and I heard that he's going to end his free skate with a jump too! That's risky, considering his inconsistency and nerves. I dunno what Victor was thinking!"
Yakov slammed his coffee cup down on the table.
Hard.
The sudden impact made Yurio jump a little. He could feel the tension surrounding the old Russian man.
"Victor is being irrational. I thought one bad experience would teach him, but apparently, he's so infatuated by Katsuki, that he's completely forgotten what happened the last time he pushed things too far!"
With that, Yakov disappeared into his bedroom.
"You can do whatever you want after you finish your stretching routine, Yuratchka. Just—don't disturb me...please," Yakov said right before the door slammed shut.
Yurio blinked twice before moving from his frozen position in the middle of the room.
"Ok…?" He grabbed his phone and saw that Otabek responded to his texts and was waiting for him in the lobby.
Forget about stretching, he wants to go out to lunch with a friend! Grabbing his jacket and wallet, Yurio pondered over Yakov's sudden fit.
"What was that about?"
Next chapter will start introducing some more drama between our characters. I'm keeping things on the down-low for these first few chapters to build up for the later chapters. I like taking my time. If you have any suggestions, just REVIEW!
Thanks for reading! :D