The flight from Japan had been a long and uneventful flight, in Yuuri's opinion. The young man yawned and rubbed at his eyes as he took in the commotion around him. One would think that at nearly six in the morning the airport would be relatively empty, but being that it is New York, that was not the case at all. Yuuri looked to his side where Viktor was walking, pushing all their luggage ahead of him. An airport staff member stood behind him, carefully pushing his chair through the crowd. The staff had been really good to them the entire trip, ensuring everything was just right, but that didn't make Yuuri feel any better about his inability to help.
They reached the elevators, quickly, that would take them down to the taxi zone. From there they would head straight to their hotel to settle in. Or at least that was what Yuuri thought they would be doing. As the elevator opened on the floor below, the staff man pushed him out to the sight of a huge group off in the not too far distance, holding a large banner. The banner read, 'Welcome Yuri Katsuki and Viktor Nikiforov to New York!' And beside the words was a picture of Yuuri and Viktor ice dancing together from a few years back.
Feeling his face turning red, Yuuri turned back to look at Viktor, who wore a sly smile on his face. This had been planned.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Yuuri asks in a harsh whisper, unable to ignore his observation that Viktor looked immaculate, wearing a casual suit, while he looked like a hobo in his sweats and old t-shirt.
"It would have ruined the surprise! Besides, I did recommend you change clothes on the plane," Viktor reminded Yuuri.
The Japanese man huffed in annoyance, turning back to look at the group while saying, "Don't you realize that airplane bathrooms are not handicap friendly, there was no way."
Just then, the group noticed the two men's presence, and some began excitedly shouting across the way. Holding up the banner was Christophe, Pitchit, Leo, Emile, Guang-Hong, and to Yuuri's surprise, Minami. They were the ones shouting, shaking the banner up and down until there was no way to tell what it was meant to say. Standing nearby was Mila, Sara, JJ, and a man Yuuri had never seen before, all smiling in their direction. Behind everyone stood Yurio, Otabek, and Mickey, all looking like they'd rather be anywhere than there.
"You guys made it," Pitchit shouted happily, dropping his part of the banner to run up and attack Yuuri with a hug. Yuuri clung tightly, basking in the feeling of someone, besides Viktor, giving him a meaningful bone crushing hug, the best kind. If it weren't for Viktor, he would have forgotten what those felt like. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I probably shouldn't hug so tightly," Pitchit cried out, quickly pulling back from his friend.
Yuuri gave his friend a look of disappointment at the sight of him pulling back, "Pitchit, I'm not made of glass, you won't hurt me by hugging too hard."
But the Thai man didn't listen, he just stood up, smiling, and shaking his head.
In the duration of their little conversation, the rest of the group had gone forward to welcome the two men from Japan. Yuuri received many hugs, though the rest were all gentle, much to his disappointment.
After his episode after one of the competitions a couple years back, when he attacked everyone with hugs, it became a unanimous agreement to keep him in constant supply, for fear of him rampaging again.
After hugs and handshakes were passed around in welcoming (at least by those willing to participate) Pitchit suddenly danced in place with excitement.
"Yuuri, can I push you around? I've always wanted to have a disabled friend so we could race around with their chair!"
Viktor noticeably stiffened as he waited anxiously for Yuuri's reaction.
The raven-haired man turned to his friend and gave him a large smile, "Of course! Viktor is afraid to barely even touch the chair, let alone to push me fast. I've been dying to get some speed on this thing!"
Everyone laughed as Pitchit excitedly took Yuuri's chair from the airport staff member, then started pushing him in circles around the group, both of them laughing like little kids while Yuuri held on tightly to the arm rests.
After Pitchit had thoroughly warn himself out by pushing his friend around the group, they all crowded outside where Yuuri found a limo waiting to take them all back to the hotel.
"I thought you all weren't supposed to be here for another few days," Yuuri said, turning his head expectantly towards Pitchit.
To his surprise it was Yurio who responded before anyone else could. "We came to surprise you Piggy. I would have thought you of all people would realize that. Or did your brain stop working with your legs did?"
Everyone in the group tensed, worried at how Yuuri would react to the comment.
His reaction was not what they had been expecting. He turned teary eyed on the rest of the group. "You guys really cared enough to come early to see us in?"
A unanimous sigh went through the group as they all began talking at once about how he was worth it, at least the youngest of them were.
Chris spoke loud over the chatter to be heard. "Yuuri, we haven't seen you since the accident, so we wanted to come show our support for you, that is what friends are for."
Yuuri could feel the ache in his cheeks from all the smiling, Chris was right, these people were his friends, even if they were also his competitors at one point or another.
After everyone piled into the limo and got settled, Yuuri found himself sitting between Viktor and the man from earlier he didn't recognize.
The man noticed Yuuri's looks and turned to him with an apologetic smile, "I am sorry, it appears we haven't officially been introduced. I am Erik, Chris's fiancé," the man said, holding out his hand with a wink in Yuuri's direction.
Yuuri grabbed the man's hand quickly and shook it a bit too insistently. "M-my name's Yuuri Katsforov-! I mean Nikitsuki-! I mean!" Yuuri sighed, looking down as he could feel his face heating up to a bright red. He mumbled, "My name's Yuuri Katsuki, pleasure to meet you."
Everyone in the limo enjoyed a good laugh at Yuuri's expense, and Viktor took it as an opportunity to wrap his arm around his husband and squeeze him lovingly, placing a kiss on top of his raven-haired head.
Erik managed to calm down his own laughter and leaned back into Chris, staring lovingly up at him while saying, "You were quite right, Dear. This one is absolutely adorable when he's flustered."
After everyone had managed to stifle their laughter, a comfortable hum of chatter filled the vehicle as people started splitting off into conversations.
"JJ, tell me, how is the wife and kid doing?" Viktor asked the Canadian man who was seated on the other side of him from Yuuri.
The younger man's face brightened up, and with no further nudging needed, he began bragging about his family.
"JJ junior is doing amazing, already on the ice and everything. Took to it like a fish to water, you'd hardly believe he's only two! And funny enough you mention my wife, I was planning to wait until after the wedding, but since you've asked… We're going to be welcoming another little monkey into our home in a few months."
"That's wonderful news!" Viktor said enthusiastically as congratulations were given around the limo.
After well wishes were passed around, the conversations returned to where they had been moments before.
"So, tell me, Viktor, have you and Yuuri thought about adopting or not?" JJ asked, attempting to be indifferent, but failing, "You don't want the Katsuki or Nikiforov lines to end with you two, do you?"
Yuuri attempted to appear as if he were not listening to their conversation at that point, choosing to play with Viktor's hand where it hung in front of him from the Russian's arm being around his shoulder.
Viktor chuckled at JJ's question, "With both of us having been competitors, then coaching, then Yuuri's accident, we haven't had much time to think about kids. Besides, taking care of this one is like being a parent already," squeezing Yuuri's shoulders tightly, Viktor let the Japanese man know that he wasn't fooling anyone, and that the Russian knew he was listening in.
"Now just isn't the right time for us, but maybe one day…" Viktor said, trailing off, ending the topic at once.
Yuuri took that moment to look around at everyone talking comfortably in the car, appreciating the sight of every one of them until he paused on Minami sitting directly across the vehicle form him, remembering his earlier thoughts on the sight of the young man.
"Hey, Minami," Yuuri said, drawing the attention of the younger skater away from his phone.
Minami's head snapped up, face blooming bright red before his eyes started to glow with realization on who acknowledged him. "Y-yes Katsuki-sama?"
Yuuri cocked his head to the side, "Not to seem rude or anything, but what are you doing here? You told us you were staying back in Japan. Viktor and I even made a special practice routine for you while we were gone."
The sparkle leaves Minami's eyes, which widen in horror, "No disrespect was taken! Nor was it intended on my end either, Katsuki-sama! Chris-san sent me an invite, plus a secret plan! I wasn't allowed to tell you! But I promise I will still do all the work you've left for me!"
The older Japanese man felt bad for causing stress to the younger, and was quick to assure him of such.
"No, no, no! We're here now to celebrate a union among friends, now isn't the time to worry about competitions or practice or anything. You take this time to rest up, and we'll pick back up, post haste, when we return."
"O-of course!" Minami stammered, attempting to bow in the limo, but failing to do so in the tight space.
Yuuri chuckled and gave the younger man a smile before turning his attention back to his husband's hand still hanging off his shoulder.
The rest of the ride to the hotel passed uneventfully. When they arrived at the hotel, Yurio and Otabek disappeared into the labyrinth of the building to do who knows what, while JJ said something along the likes of, "husbandly duties" before disappearing himself.
The rest of the group proceeded to assist in the removal of Yuuri and Viktor from the vehicle, along with their luggage. Then Chris to the honor of leading the entourage to the two men's room, which he had meticulously picked out from multiple rooms he had rented out in the hotel for the wedding guests.
The room was easily one of, if not the largest room in the entire hotel. The large area provided enough space for Yuuri's wheel chair to easily fit anywhere in the room. The bed was large and cloud-like, and Yuuri was equal parts grateful and embarrassed as Viktor helped him settle into the bed with all their friends hovering nearby.
Yuuri heard giggling and realized Mila and Sara were no longer apart of the group. Looking towards the noise, Yuuri found a room set into the wall directly across from the bed, in a way that made it hidden from the front door. The room consisted of three walls of mirrors, a wooden studio floor, and a pole planted directly in the middle of the room, of which Mila and Sara were standing next to giggling about.
The Japanese man couldn't tell if he was feeling more mortified at the giggles coming from the girls, or relief on Chris's part for thinking to provide a private practice space. He had to give it to the man, he really did think everything through.
"Hey Vitya," Mila called from the other room, drawing everyone's attention to them, "You've been holding out on us. You've got a new talent, haven't you?"
Smiling, Viktor staled into the room and grabbed the pole, swinging his body around it while keeping his feet planted on the floor, coming to a stop inches away from his old rinkmates face.
"Mila," Viktor said quietly in an almost condescending way, "Now I will admit I do have a few tricks up my sleeve, but we all know Yuuri is the real star of the pole."
Viktor leaned in even closer, as if to kiss the stunned woman, before quickly moving to the side and prowling back to the bed, with a cat like grin on his face.
Two things, first off, this is a longer chapter, so please enjoy. Second, I attempted to make the entire chapter predominately one scene. Well, at least the flow more closely together than they did before, so I hope you guys like the way I did it.
Thank you so much for reading this story, it really means so much, and I really love reading all of your guys comments on it, it makes me feel so much more willing to continue the story when I know people actually do like what I'm writing.
Also, life has finally settled down for me. So I'll begin classes again this week, and audition for a few theater things, and maybe look for a job, but other than that I have more free time now to plan out what I want to write. So if anyone wants to see a specific scene occur then PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I love getting suggestions and will gladly find a way to make them fit into the story.
Hope everyone is having a good day! Until next time!