Disclaimer: I do not own YOI, just this fanfic.
So I read a couple of your reviews from the last chapter, and from the looks of it, my assumptions were pretty accurate. So from now on, I'll be writing chapters that include more Yuri and Victor and I will show events of the past when it's necessary. I'll try to speed things up a little so I can get this backstory done.
I know not all of you guys like OCs, but I kind of already planned out this entire story and I don't exactly want to change a whole bunch of elements. So my best compromise is to not focus solely on the backstory alone, but use it as a sort of side plot. I don't know how well that's going to turn out, but hopefully, that'll satisfy the thirst for Victuri fans out there (including myself tbh...)
I finished this chapter a little earlier this time because this is my long Easter weekend! Hooray! :D And best of all: NO HOMEWORK for me!
Now, to make this weekend even better, you guys will have to REVIEW (so I'll know how to write these chapters from now!), FAVOURITE and FOLLOW if you haven't already!
Ch. 14: Chasing Stars
Tues. Dec. 27, 2016. St. Petersburg. Outdoor Ice Rink.
Yuri wrapped the extra scarf Victor had on him to keep himself warm from a sudden chilly breeze. It's been quite some time since they reunited and sat down on the bleachers next to each other to talk. Hearing parts of Victor's backstory allowed Yuri to understand more about what exactly was going on inside of Victor before their argument.
But Yuri still didn't understand why Victor would be so upset when he first mentioned Olivia—Liv. Did something happen between them? Did they end things on a bad note? Yuri was never in a romantic relationship with anyone prior to Victor, so he doesn't know how these things exactly work.
But he saw and heard enough from other people that he knows, are in or had been in romantic relationships before. And ending that relationship on a bad note, well it could lead to locking oneself inside of their bedroom for an entire month with nothing but tears to drink and ice cream to eat.
Another chilly breeze blew through the air and Yuri tightened the scarf around his neck along with his jacket. Victor scooched closer and wrapped an arm around Yuri's opposite shoulder to pull him in closer towards him. Yuri felt the warmth of Victor's body radiate onto him, and his own body's temperature slowly rising from within.
"Getting cold?" Victor asked.
"Nah, just my jacket. I was not prepared to sit out here for God knows how long." Yuri attempted to check his phone only to realize its battery had already died. "But I'm glad I'm here. Um…"
Victor sighed in a low breath. "Am I boring you with my horrible storytelling skills?"
Yuri shook his head choppily. "NO! I told you that I'd listen to everything you have to say. And I am."
"Well, and what do you have to say about it?"
Yuri bit his lip. This was difficult to him. What does he have to say about Victor's past events? What about it? Well, he was curious as to what happened in the end with Liv, but he knew that that would probably make Victor uncomfortable and sensitive again.
Other than that, Yuri also wanted to know more details about how deep this relationship between Victor and Liv went into. He remembered back in the game of twenty questions, Chris asked about whether or not if Victor "had slept with her." And Victor said "yes."
But Victor also slept with him that night after the NHK Trophy free skate event! Maybe Yuri shouldn't ask questions about the relationship between Liv and Victor, other than their unofficial coach and student one.
"So Liv, she seems...pretty special, from the way you described her. What happened after Yakov discovered about you coaching her? Did he get to see her perform her short program?" Yuri asked.
"Mmhmm." Victor nodded. "I remember it all so well. That was my first time seeing her entire short program to Theme of Angel Beats too. We worked so hard during that one week to make it count when Yakov judged it. Liv was like you, Yuri back when you were preparing to compete against Yurio for me. She was ready to break under that pressure."
Yuri knew that feeling all too well. The feeling of losing your idol/hero if you mess up this one chance. And he had to go through that when competing against Yurio for mentorship of Victor. And in the end, Yuri managed to get Victor to remain by his side as his coach and his...lover?
"I'd like to see her short program too. I'm also a fan of Angel Beats myself." Yuri admitted.
Victor lit up. "Really!? Yuri, why didn't you tell me? I would've ordered that online Kanade throw pillow for your birthday!"
"But I already have the Colossal Titan throw pillow! I don't think I need another one!" Yuri countered. "But, I don't mind having a Your Lie in April music box."
"Oh my god, I love Your Lie in April! That ending was...sniff, I can't say it…" Victor brought his hands to his face, while Yuri rolled his eyes and patted him on the back. After bringing himself back together, Victor stood up again and pulled Yuri with him.
"The next time I see a Your Lie in April music box, I'm getting it for you. Now, come on. You said you wanted to see Liv's short program. Well, there's no wifi out here, so we'll go over to my place." Victor grinned.
Victor's apartment? That's...the first time Yuri will be there. So what does that mean? Isn't going over to your boyfriend's—er, good friend's home a step up from your current relationship? That usually means you're now closer, right? Oh well, new things are happening all the time now.
Might as well go with the flow. Yuri helped Victor grab his belongings from the bleachers and place it in the trunk of his car before entering the passenger seat and letting Victor drive them out of the parking lot towards his home.
The entire trip was spent talking about their favorite scenes from Your Lie in April and whether or not they felt bad for Tsubaki. Victor turned onto the smaller street that led to his building's parking lot.
"You have to feel somewhat bad for Tsubaki! I mean, it's unrequited love! I just...I can't feel unsympathetic towards her!" Victor shouted as he parked in his designated spot.
Yuri sighed. "I get your point of view. But Kousei & Kaori are just meant for each other, you know? I'd feel worse for Tsubaki if Kaori's chemistry with Kousei wasn't so amazingly written. And that confession during the fireflies scene? So touching with that song playing the background! What's that song called?"
Victor unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car before answering Yuri's question. "My Truth: Rondo Capriccioso." He went to the trunk to grab his skating bag.
Yuri did the same. "Thanks." They walked side by side towards the front entrance of the large modern-looking building. After getting off at the right level from the elevator, Victor led Yuri down the hall towards his apartment complex and unlocked the door, revealing the large interior and an excited Makkachin.
Victor knelt down to greet his pet. Yuri patted Makkachin on the head shortly after. After discarding their outdoor apparel, Victor grabbed his laptop from his desk and made a comfortable spot on the couch for Yuri to sit down upon. Yuri couldn't help but feel slightly out of place in this environment, after all, this was his first time here.
The only thing that felt familiar was Victor and Makkachin, but everything else was foreign to him. So Yuri kept him to himself and didn't touch as many items as he wanted to. Victor bounced onto the couch next to him and turned his laptop on.
"I have a saved video of one of her Theme of Angel Beats short program. Ah, here it is…"
Monday. June. 24, 2013. After practice hours in the St. Petersburg Ice Rink.
Victor paced back and forth in front of a stressed Yakov who's sitting on one of the lobby benches with a cup of cold coffee. The rink was now closed for regular skaters, but Yakov managed to arrange somethings with the complex's manager to keep one of the arenas open during this time.
All for Liv's performance. She said that she would arrive around 6:25, but it's been over 3 minutes by now. Even though it didn't seem that long, it felt like 3 hours to Victor. It's been a while since he felt this nervous. And it wasn't even him who's going to be judged!
Yakov was about to complain about where Liv is when a new car suddenly entered the parking lot and out ran a female figure carrying a large skating bag over her shoulder. She entered the front doors and into the lobby where Victor and Yakov were.
Victor nodded at her in acknowledgment and gave a small smile. Liv turned to Yakov and offered him her hand to shake. He politely took it.
"Olivia Nguyen, nice to meet you," she introduced in a breathless tone, showing that she was in a rush to get here.
"Yakov Feltsman, Victor here, told a bit about what's going on. I don't want any excuses or defenses, I just want to see what you two have achieved. Forgive me if I sound a bit demanding, but as Victor's coach, I simply want what's best for him. And that means weeding out anything that may affect his performance next season." Yakov explained.
Victor felt bad for Liv being put on the spot. But there wasn't anything he could do now. They've done all they could over the past week on working on the short program. Now, it's all up to her.
Liv gulped slightly. "O—of course, sir. I understand." She mumbled.
Yakov nodded. "Good, let's get you on the ice."
After going to the female's changeroom to put on her skates and change into her warm-up outfit, Liv goes onto the large empty ice rink and began with some simple stroking to get the feel of this new environment. It's been a long time since she was in a rink as professional as this one.
But this rink was much larger and more pristine than her previous one. It felt intimidating, but exciting at the same time. After a few more minutes, Liv nodded to Victor that she's ready to begin her short program. She hands Yakov her phone which he plugs into the stereo system and prepares to press the play button.
Before Liv skates away, Victor called for her attention. "Hey, you got this. This isn't the Nationals or Worlds, or even the Olympics. This is an ice show, so don't compete. Just perform."
Liv gave him a weak thumbs up and then skated to the center of the rink where she would begin her short program. After going into her start position, Yakov pressed the play button for her song to begin.
Once again, My Most Precious Treasure started off the entire program. Liv immediately went into character as she skated her opening transitions into her first jump combination, triple lutz/double toe/double loop.
Unjust Life begins playing as she takes off into the triple lutz, rotating nice and tight before landing and continuing off her edge into her two double jumps. Victor felt a huge weight lift off his chest, the first combination was a success. Thank god for Liv's consistency!
Skating in time with the emotional music to the other end of the rink, Liv prepared for her next jump, the triple flip. Her entrance into the jump was strong but her landing was a bit under-rotated. Still, she managed to hang on.
Liv's spiral sequence came up next, and this time, she's not stopping right after. She continues on to finish her program. Victor doesn't know how things will go from here on out. It's new territory.
As Liv ends her Y-spiral, Theme of SSS begins playing from the ending of Unjust Life. The soft beginning piano part echoed throughout the empty ice rink as she built up speed into a layback Ina Bauer.
That Ina Bauer lead into her final jump for this program, the double axel. From the stereo system area, Yakov watched with interest gradually building up inside of him. This type of music was new to him, but it seemed pretty well suited with Liv. It wasn't classical but it wasn't contemporary either.
Liv lands a nice strong double axel, earning a small clap from Yakov. The piano begins to grow more intense as she enters a series of three turns into the flying death drop sitspin.
The second she lands on her toe pick and began spinning, the fast violin part of the song began playing, which matched the speed of her rotations. Liv added variations to the sitspin before exiting into her second spin, her personal favorite, the layback.
Victor enjoyed seeing Liv's layback, it was very pleasant to watch. Not many female skaters have the nice classic layback position with the turned out foot and leg parallel to the ice. Liv switched into sideways layback then the catch foot and ends it with a bielmann.
The song gets more and more energetic as Liv enters her circular footwork sequence. Every stroke, turn, and half jump was done in time with the music. She embodied the emotions behind the program strongly.
Angel Beats was about a group of teenagers who aren't able to let go of their past lives and move onto their afterlife.
Before death, they thought they were going to be able to achieve a lot, they had hopes and dreams. But after death, those hopes and dreams were left unfulfilled.
Leading them to rebel against their fate and fight against the one who controls their fate: God. And because they thought Kanade was an angel of God, they fought against her.
Liv puts all of her energy from the end of the sequence into the final combination spin, starting with the forward camel. The music had reached its climax. She goes into a cannonball before changing foot and then finishing it off with an upright I-spin. The piano plays the main theme one last time before ending it all, and Liv brings her arms up above her gently.
But in the end, they're all able to get past their communication error and fix things up. They are finally able to accept their life and find peace and ascend to heaven.
Victor and Yakov both clapped as Liv caught her breath and slowly skated to the edge of the rink. Yakov came over, handing her her phone and nodding. Victor patted her on the back, smiling like crazy.
"That was beautiful! So much better than your previous programs, honestly!"
Liv wiped some sweat off her forehead. "You really think so? What about you, Yakov?"
Yakov took his hands out of his pockets and sighed. He closed his eyes for awhile before opening them again and answering Liv.
"Your program was well choreographed and practiced. But there are individual parts you need to work on. Such as power in your strokes, speed, and your jumps. They're the tiniest jumps I've ever seen!" Yakov confessed.
Liv felt herself heat up and her heart palpitating. Victor felt the same thing inside of him. Come on, Yakov! Talk about good things too at least!
As if he could read minds, Yakov answered. "But...they are mostly clean and you can land them even under pressure. And...you have good expression in your skating, it's hard to tear your eyes from your performance. That's all."
Victor gestured for him to continue, liking where this is going. "And…? Can this coaching thing go on?"
Several seconds of silence passed. It was the one if worst waits the three of them had ever experienced. Yakov put his hands back into his pockets and faced Liv.
"Inform your coach, Angela first—"
"I will! I was originally going to go last weekend but then this thing came up so—"
Yakov brought a hand up. "Let me finish. After Angela knows about this, you will continue practicing by yourself for the rest of this summer."
Victor's jaw dropped. "What!? I thought you were impressed—"
Yakov stomped his right foot, hard. "Will you let me goddamn finish!? Sigh, Victor's goal right now is the Grand Prix Series and then the Nationals for a spot on the Sochi Olympic team. I can't let him disregard his own training.
"But...as soon as the Grand Prix Final is over, he'll work with you for the time before the Nationals come up. And if Angela doesn't get discharged by that time, then I'll represent her for you at that competition and whatever competition you'll be assigned to afterward."
Victor was shocked, it wasn't the answer he was hoping for but it was still a compromise, and he could accept that. Liv though was quite happy with this answer. To her, it was better than no season.
"Thank you, sir!" She shakes Yakov's hand with both of her own. "This is all I really need…"
Yakov smiled microscopically at the young woman. "Your welcome, Olivia. Next time, just 'Yakov,' alright? Now go get changed, this rink is already closed."
After removing her skates and changing back into her outfit that she came in, Liv left the arena with Victor walking next to her, a hand squeezing her shoulder.
"You did it! You saved this little coaching thing!" He exclaimed.
"I only did it to really make this performance count…"
"Still, you also saved your own career. Don't you see? This should be celebrated over!" Victor threw his arms into the air.
Liv kept on walking. "I wish. But we should start getting our goals straight. The competitive season will begin in more than a month, all of our eyes will be on the gold. But only the one who trained hard enough will get it."
Victor crossed his arms and smiled. "We'll just wait and see. Good luck on your training."
Liv turned around to wave goodbye before running to her car. "And good luck on yours."
Tues. Dec. 27, 2016. Victor's apartment.
Victor exited the video player and turned to Yuri, expecting an answer of some sort. Yuri blinked twice before realizing that Victor was waiting for him to speak.
"What? Oh! I, uh...that was really good, she's really good. So, what happened next?" Yuri asked.
Victor scratched his head. "Well...let's see. Ah, right! Liv got sick later on that week so I had to go and visit Angela in her place. And boy, it was pretty awkward…"
Yuri sat up straighter on the couch that he was gradually sinking into. "Oh yeah? Did Angela take it well that you were secretly stealing one of her students?"
Victor looked at Yuri with a fake offended look and dramatically brought a hand to his chest. "'Stealing?' What a horrible choice of words! I prefer the term, 'private tutoring.'"
Yuri tilted his head to the side. "Eh...there's not much of a difference, really."
"Yes, there is," Victor argued.
"No, there isn't," Yuri countered.
"Yes, there is."
"No, there isn't."
"Yes. there is!"
"There's already three strands of white hair visible on your scalp."
"NO, THERE ISN'T!"
Yuri pushed Victor back down on the couch with one hand, silently praising himself for this win. "Well, if you say so. Get back onto topic, Victor. How did you explain things to Angela?"
Victor continued to lie down on his couch as he thought. "Uhh…"
Yuri was ready to get up and get himself a drink of water when Victor shot up again from his laid down position. "I remember! So basically, I walked into her room after I got things straightened with the people in reception and did the usual greeting people thing."
"Was she surprised to see you, of all people there? I mean, you two heard of each other but never knew each other on a personal level." Yuri said.
"Yeah...she was kind of surprised, but she was really nice. Made me envy Liv for having her as a coach! But I don't know, I mean, maybe she's a lot stricter on ice. But during that day, she seemed pretty relaxed, cheerful. She was feeling good enough to go out for a stroll in the park behind the hospital."
"That's good. So you walked her?" Yuri asked.
"I pushed her on her wheelchair. It was during that stroll that I told her about me and Liv."
Yuri leaned in. "What was she like?"
Victor sighed. "She was wide-eyed and silent for a minute. I was expecting her to say something negative but instead, she directed the negativity towards herself. She began beating herself up, saying things such as 'I should've been there for her!' or 'what kind of coach am I?' and 'why did I bring her to this country in the first place?' That statement really got me."
Yuri blew a low whistle. Liv's experience in Russia wasn't too different from his own experience in America. Being in a foreign country is already difficult without the hardcore sports training and studying to pass post-secondary school. And neither of them did too well in their competitions while training abroad too.
Maybe, in the end, Liv decided to finally return to America. Maybe that's what happened to her. "It's really not easy being a country so different from the one you grew up in. It's good to have someone watch out for you. I had Phichit during my time in the US, I'm really grateful to him."
Victor smiled warmly at Yuri. "I'm glad to hear that. So I guess my being there for Liv kind of relieved Angela because the next thing she asked was whether or not Liv was feeling motivated to make it onto the Sochi Olympic team.
"I didn't exactly know how to answer that because there were times when Liv's ambitions were cloudy to me. So I told Angela that Liv's aiming to place in the top 3 at the 2014 Nationals. And she was glad."
Victor scooted a little closer to Yuri on the couch and crossed his legs, tossing his head back. "I never felt so much excitement build up inside when Angela encouraged me to stay by Liv's side and, it was like...she's counting on me. It felt nice. That day when you cried in the parking lot below the Cup of China rink...I felt that same feeling again. The feeling that I was being counted on."
Yuri recalled that memory, it felt like it was ages ago. "Yeah, I was counting on you just being there for me. That's all I wanted from you. That's the best thing a student could ask for from a coach."
"And the best thing a coach could ask from a student is for them to trust themselves. Trust that they can succeed through anything."
"But that takes two people for it to work. So a good coach and student combination would equal to unstoppable, unbeatable, legendary. I wonder how on Earth you were able to achieve so much when you and Yakov are practically Yin and Yang." Yuri observed.
Victor laughed. "Yeah, we never agreed on much during my competitive career. But we just had this invisible wire of communication between our heads. It was like we could guess what the other is most likely going to do and say. And from that, well, we worked some things out. And besides, we're complete opposites too! But look how well things turned out for you!"
A rush of pride swelled inside of Yuri. "I guess last season was a pretty good season…"
"It was your best ever!" Victor shouted. "You started off this season strongly too, despite your injury! You still won silver at the Grand Prix Final this season! Hard work pays off, Yuri."
"It does indeed. With a clear goal in mind and the right criteria to meet it, anything's possible."
Victor brought a finger to his lip. "Mmmm. Most of the time, yeah. There was something that Angela said back when I first visited her. It was after she encouraged me to help Liv prepare for the rest of the season. I think it was, 'without goals and dreams, we're just ordinary people, Victor. But even with them, we're still just ordinary people. Except now, we're ordinary people, chasing stars.'"
"'Ordinary people chasing stars…'" Yuri liked the sound of that. It made them seem special, not too much that they're considered rare. That's what skaters are. Just ordinary people chasing stars, stopping and wondering who they really are. But they'll never let the circle of pressure enclose around them.
Victor nodded. "That's all we really are. And that was me and my rink mates back in the summer of 2013. Every day was a day of preparation so that one day, we would finally be able to make that final leap and claim that star..."
Summer of 2013. Russia Figure Skating Rinks.
(Dansonn Beats' Chasing Stars)
Starting from July, all the skaters representing the Russian Skating Union had one goal in mind, to make the Olympic team. And to do that, they had to make it count at the 2014 Russian Championships, the deciding factor for who gets selected, and who doesn't.
And of course, the Union won't base it on the National ranks alone, they'll evaluate the skaters' previous competitions as well, and their performance at the 2013-14 Grand Prix Series. There were only a few positions available, and over a hundred skaters competing for it.
The probability is low, and even though it wasn't even December yet, the competition is already on. Moscow, Kaluga, Cheboksary, Saratov, Rostov, St. Petersburg, and more. Skaters everywhere trained day and night, on ice and off ice, all to make their country proud.
But more importantly, to make themselves proud and to make people who were counting on them proud. The 2013 Worlds had already decided the number of skaters that can be sent, that's set in stone. Now, it's just a battle for those numbers.
Coaches work overtime to bring up the skills and morale of their skaters, to quickly fix what they need to work on, to improve something that's already weak, to make something even better. Combination spins that were already given level 4s? Well, coaches made their students do more interesting variations, increase the rotations and speed, make it more centered.
Footwork sequences that were barely praised? Coaches and skaters look for music that'll bring out the flare in those series of edges, turns, and facial expressions. Increase the smoothness of the transitions, decrease the amount of flailing arms, because nobody likes that.
It goes from big problems to tiny details. And it's those tiny details that make the difference between gold, silver, and bronze. Between placement and no placement. It's all about refinement of quality. Figure skating is a sport, a sport, and an art. Strength and beauty need to be balanced to make a winning skater.
But now, it's mostly about strength. Strength, which was equivalent to jumps. Without jumps, figure skating would cease to exist. It was jumps that now determined which ones were the skaters with the strong hearts, and which ones were the skaters with glass hearts.
Because jumps are not just based on strength of the body, but also strength of the mind. Going out onto the ice with the whole country's weight on your shoulders is not a good feeling, it takes guts to tackle an entire program during any type of competition.
Heck, it even takes guts to tackle a single jump during practice! Every time a skater is about to enter a jump, their mind plays tricks on them. Will they land it? Will it be successful? Will it be beautiful? Will they barely hold onto their edge? What about the jump right after that? Will they be able to land this when it actually counts?
If those thoughts run wild, then they will most likely flub their jumps. And that cannot happen if they want a ticket to the Olympic stage. Training the mind of a skater comes through training the body of a skater. Build up their confidence by improving their skills, they'll eventually come to believe that they can do it and that they will do it when it really counts.
And when they actually land that jump or skate a clean program. That feeling afterward is often considered the "best feeling in the world," by both skaters and their coaches. But unfortunately for many skaters, that only comes up a few times in their entire career.
More often than not, skaters fall. Again, and again, and again, and again. They say that every fall makes a person stronger, but in figure skating, it could be the exact opposite. Every fall has the potential of making the skater weaker. That's what audiences expect every time a skater takes the ice: that they fall.
The entire arena always holds their breath when a skater is approaching their first jump, and about half of them always expects him/her to fall, stumble, or pop it. That's why skaters who were consistent are often hailed as the best among all the other skaters. That's how Victor earned his spot in the figure skating world and a place in all the spectator's hearts.
By delivering programs that the audience could just relax and enjoy, instead of tense up and shiver over the probability of the skater performing a clean or at least decent program.
And every skater out there wants to achieve what Victor was able to achieve. But then that won't any of them special. That's why it's a constant competition, only the ones who come out on top are considered a cut above the rest.
The entire summer was filled with training of all sorts, endurance, flexibility, resistance, plyometrics, with the intention of improving the performance of the skaters' short programs and free skates. The start of the new season will begin with the Grand Prix Series.
That's where the skaters showcase what they've been working on over the summer of off-season training. That's where they reintroduce themselves to the world as a new and improved skater. The six events of the series determine the top six skaters who will be competing for gold, silver, and bronze at the Grand Prix Final.
In the year 2013, the final six skaters included Jean-Jacques Leroy, Christophe Giacometti, Gordon Kang, Victor Nikiforov (of course), Alan Wakefield, and Michal Crispino. The top three skaters were Victor, Christophe, and Gordon.
That was in Fukuoka Japan, on December 6, 2013. And that was where Victor broke his old world record in the free skate score, from a 220.83 to a 223.05! Now that was something that got the entire figure skating world excited for right before the largest international event of this season.
After the Grand Prix Final, Victor had two weeks to work with Liv before the major deciding factor of the Olympics comes up, the 2014 Russian Figure Skating Championships. Two weeks to see how she fared over the summer months and during the time when he was away competing in the Grand Prix Series.
Two weeks to close that gap between her and the rest of her competitors so she would be able to make the cut. Two weeks of pushing Liv closer to the star she's chasing after.
"And I'm telling you, right now, Yuri. Those two weeks were an absolute battlefield." Victor stopped to catch his breath after storytelling for quite awhile while gesturing and moving around to emphasize some parts of what he's saying.
Yuri was getting overwhelmed just by hearing all of it. And a bit thirsty too. "I understand. The most stressful times of my life basically. But boy, it feels like a huge weight off your chest after it's done and over with!"
"Agreed. And—oh my god, what time is it?" Victor ran back a little to check the digital clock on the bookshelf. "5:30? Yuri, how long were you originally planning to stay here in Russia?"
Yuri walked up to Victor. "As long as it took for us to fix things up. I'm staying at a hotel in the downtown—"
"Let's head down and sign you out because you're from here on, you're staying with me until we've completely fixed things!" Victor grabbed both of Yuri's hands and began dragging him to the front door.
Yuri complained a little. "Wait, Victor! I just signed in yesterday morning! I can't just sign out! That'd be weird, they'd probably think it's because I didn't like their service or something!"
Victor shook it off. "Whatever, I'm not letting you stay here by yourself when I have an extra guest room! Besides, it's better this way! Makkachin agrees too! Right, boy?"
From the kitchen, Makkachin answered with a cheerful bark. Victor wrapped Yuri's jacket around him and forced him into his winter boots before pushing him out the door.
"Hurry up, Yuri! We need to get back here so I can actually prepare something good to eat for tonight! Because I was not expecting to see you! Now, tell me. Do you like salmon or tuna?"
Yuri lifted a single finger. "Well, actually, Victor. They taste about the same—"
"Tuna it is. Actually, that's all I have left in my pantry. I just wanted to make sure you're ok with it." Victor admitted cheekily.
Yuri sighed as they closed the apartment door behind them.
By the way, the part of the story that sums up the summer of 2013 all the way up to the Grand Prix Final is inspired by the montage on YouTube made by SummertimeSadness. That video is called Figure Skating - Sochi Ladies, and the song being played in the background is called 'Chasing Stars' by Dansonn Beats.
That song and montage really helped me make this chapter, and is what I based the title of this chapter on. Go watch it if you haven't already! Thanks for reading! I'll be back again (maybe a little later next week).
In the meantime, please REVIEW, FOLLOW, and FAVOURITE! Thanks! :D