AUTHOR'S NOTES: I was never planning to write a sequel to "Lonely Hearts", but after winryrockbae suggested I write a fic about Yuuri finding out about Minako and Celestino's secret Christmas Eve hook-up, this fic was born.
FYI, you probably do want to read "Lonely Hearts" first before checking out this one. I suppose it can technically work as a standalone, but I think it's a stronger story if you're familiar with the original fic.
The Morning After
The morning after his big win at All-Japan – he still couldn't believe he was now the senior Japanese Men's Champion – Yuuri met with his coach, Celestino, in the hotel lobby to see him off. While he still had to skate at the exhibition gala later that afternoon and attend the closing banquet, Celestino had made plans to fly back to Detroit a day early.
"Now, no attempting any quads today, Yuuri," Celestino said with a wag of his finger after he finished checking out at the front desk. "There's no reason to do them in an exhibition program, and the last thing either of us want is for you to seriously injure yourself before Four Continents and Worlds. You should take the day off after you return to Detroit to deal with jet lag, but I expect to see you back at the rink early the next morning so we can get back to training. We have a lot of work to do if you want to make the top six at Four Continents."
Top six? Yuuri's stomach knotted, reminded of the previous night's celebratory dinner, when Celestino expressed the hope that Yuuri would make the top ten at Worlds, or, at the very least, top twelve to earn two guaranteed spots in next season's Grand Prix. As much as he appreciated his coach's confidence in his potential, he was only a first year senior, coming out of a respectable, but not spectacular junior career. He didn't even have a consistent quad yet! Four Continents wasn't quite as competitive as Worlds, but he had a long way to go before he could consider himself on the same level of big name stars like Patrick Chan, Cao Bin, and Adam Rippon.
Still, Yuuri didn't argue. "Yes, Ciao-Ci– I mean, Coach!"
Celestino laughed, slapping Yuuri heartily on the shoulder. "I keep telling you, Ciao-Ciao is fine! No need to be so…"
His voice trailed off, his attention focusing on something behind Yuuri. Wondering what had caught Celestino's eye, Yuuri craned his neck to look back over his shoulder.
His former ballet instructor, Minako, had just walked through the hotel's sliding glass doors, drawing curious stares thanks to the bright red Santa hat she wore. She slid off her stylish sunglasses, her eyes roaming around the lobby area until they landed on Yuuri. Her face broke out into a bright smile as she started to raise her hand in greeting, but midway, Minako paused, her grin losing some of its luster.
Yuuri furrowed his brow. That was strange…
"Yuuri!" Lugging a large shopping bag in one hand, Minako made her way across the lobby to join them. "Yuuri, Coach Cialdini, Merry Christmas," she greeted them, wrapping an arm around Yuuri's shoulders in a side hug.
Celestino smiled. "Yes, Merry Christmas, Ms. Okukawa," he said, nodding politely. "It's good to see you again."
Ms. Okukawa? Coach Cialdini? The night before, the two of them had been on a first name basis, acting more like old friends over dinner than a couple of strangers who had only just met.
"Oh, are you already heading back to Detroit?" Minako asked, her eyes dropping down to the luggage at Celestino's feet. "Yuuri still has his exhibition skate this afternoon."
"He doesn't need a coach to stick around for an exhibition. It's still Christmas Eve back in America, so as long as my flight isn't delayed, I should make it back in time to at least spend a few hours with my daughter, Emilia, on Christmas."
"Ah, I see…"
"On that note, it's time for me to head to the airport. I believe my taxi just pulled up," Celestino said, grabbing the handle on his rolling suitcase. "Yuuri, remember what I said about the quads. I'll see you when you get back to Detroit. Ciao-ciao, Buon Natale!"
"See you later, Coach. Merry Christmas!" Yuuri said, waving as he left.
Minako stared after him, a look Yuuri couldn't quite read on her face as Celestino walked though the sliding glass doors, briefly glancing back at them with an equally unreadable look before he climbed into the back of the taxi cab that had pulled up to the front of the hotel.
"Minako? Something wrong?"
Visibly startled, she turned back around. "No, no, it's nothing," she said, once again smiling. "How about I treat you to some breakfast, Mr. National Champion?"
Yeah, that still sounded strange when used in reference to himself...
"Oh, sorry, I already ordered room service earlier." Celestino would not have been thrilled to see the amount of food he had eaten, especially after they had all gone out for a fancy celebration dinner the night before where he was given free reign to forget about his nutrition plan, but if he wasn't able to eat his mother's famous katsudon as a reward for winning his national title, then Yuuri considered gorging on a full-blown traditional Japanese breakfast with a very generous helping of rice the next best thing.
At least he had resisted the temptation of ordering a whole Christmas cake for himself last night. That had to count for something, right?
"You have? Well, that's okay. I imagine you have rehearsal for the gala soon, anyway," she said. "Santa Minako mainly came by to drop off these Christmas and late birthday presents from everybody back home." She lifted up the shopping bag in her left hand. "I'm leaving right after the gala, so I didn't want to forget."
"Thanks." Yuuri accepted the bag from her, taking a peek inside. It was nearly filled to the brim with colorful wrapped boxes. "Oh, that reminds me, I have presents for everyone, too, but they're in my room. Want to come up for a few minutes?"
"My, my, my! Inviting a beautiful older woman up to your hotel room?" Minako slung an arm around Yuuri's neck. "My little Yuuri is finally growing up!"
"Minako!" Yuuri hissed, his cheeks on fire.
She laughed, ruffling his hair before pulling him in the direction of one of the elevators. "Really, Yuuri, you're just too fun to tease!"
They headed back up to his hotel room on the third floor, Yuuri relieved he hadn't left any of his dirty clothes laying around. Taking back the bag, Minako headed straight to the neatly-made bed – housekeeping must have come by while he was downstairs – and began unloading its contents, humming "Jingle Bells" a little too loudly to herself.
Yuuri frowned, closing the door behind him. There had been something "off" about Minako's behavior ever since she had arrived at the hotel, and he had a sneaking suspicion in the pit of his stomach that it had something to do with Celestino.
"Minako, did something… Did something happen between you and Ciao– I mean, Coach Cialdini, after I left the restaurant?" After they ate, Yuuri had returned to his hotel room to call his family, who had been unable to attend the competition due to Christmas always being one of the onsen's busiest times of the year, but Celestino and Minako had decided to go for a walk around the city.
"No, of course not!" Her voice was higher-pitched than usual as she continued pulling gifts out of her bag, setting them in a messy stack on his bed. "Don't be silly. Why do you ask?"
Yuuri rubbed at his forehead, recognizing that tone of voice. "Oh, my god, something didhappen!" He had known Minako all his life; she couldn't pull one over on him. And knowing Minako… "You slept with my coach?"
"Now, Yuuri, don't jump to conclusions –"
"You do realize he's married, right?" Yuuri asked as he began pacing around the room. "Well, separated. They're supposed to be finalizing their divorce in a couple of weeks, but still! You're a...a...a mistress!" He said the last word in a loud stage whisper despite nobody else being present in the room.
Minako sighed. "Oh, Yuuri…"
"Don't 'Oh, Yuuri…' me! This is –"
"Not really any of your business," she interrupted, although not unkindly.
"Not my business? Y-You're dating my coach!" Yuuri screeched, pulling at his hair.
This was bad. Very, very, very bad. What happened when – and it was always "when", never "if", when it came to commitment-phobic Minako – they inevitably broke up? Would Celestino drop him as a student? Would he have to move back to Hasetsu, beg his old coach to take him back, and probably lose any chance of ever becoming a world-class skater on the level of his idol, Viktor Nikiforov? Well, that last part had always been a bit of a long shot anyway, but training with Celestino, at least it felt like his most treasured dream was within reach, that it might be possible.
Oh, God, he should have known better to ever introduce them!
"Hey, stop. Listen to me." Minako stepped in front of him, blocking his path, and placed her hands firmly on Yuuri's upper arms. "I'm not dating Celestino. It was a one-time thing, I promise."
Yuuri lifted up his chin, blinking. "You're...not?"
"No, I'm not," she said, releasing her grip on him to wrap her arms around her waist.
"Oh…" He frowned, remembering the look on her face when Celestino left the hotel. "You really liked him, huh?"
Minako shrugged. "He's a really nice guy, but it's just not meant to be, you know? It's fine. I'm fine." She forced a smile to her face. "Anyway, enough about me. Why don't you open your presents?" She walked back over to the bed, taking a seat on the mattress and picking up the festively wrapped box on top of the stack. "Here, this one's from Yuuko and Takeshi," she said, shoving the gift in his hands. "Yuuko was so disappointed she wasn't able to come see you compete in person, but with the triplets still being so young, it just wasn't feasible to make such a long trip..."
They spent the next half-hour unwrapping Yuuri's presents, Minako regaling him with stories and gossip about everything that had happened in Hasetsu since he moved to the other side of the world back in April, right after his high school graduation. A pang of homesickness overcame him as he listened to Minako tell him about the time Vicchan got loose after Mari had given him a bath, everybody forced to chase the soaking wet dog all around the onsen until his father managed to capture him again with the lure of his favorite beef jerky dog treats. Of everything he missed about home, Vicchan was probably the thing Yuuri missed most.
He was almost tempted to take Minako up on the invitation she had made over dinner the night before to stay and spend the New Year holidays back in Hasetsu with his family, but he really did need to start training for Four Continents as soon as possible, especially if he wanted to have any hope at all in making the top six as Celestino apparently expected. Besides, he and his roommate, Phichit, had already made their own plans to celebrate the new year together. Yuuri didn't want to disappoint him, not when Phichit was also spending the holidays away from his family for the first time.
"Tell everyone thank you for all the gifts," Yuuri said after opening his last present – a new phone case from Mari – and setting it aside, "but it's about time I head back to the rink to rehearse for the exhibition."
Minako glanced down at her watch and jumped up from the bed. "Oh, I didn't realize how late it was. Don't let me keep you! I'm looking forward to seeing your Nutcracker program again."
After handing over the bag of gifts he had prepared for everyone back home, Yuuri walked her back to the door.
"Minako?"
"Yes?" She readjusted the Santa hat on her head, the puffy white ball dangling off to the side.
"Um, the reason why you don't want to date Coach Cialdini… Is it because of me?" he asked, staring down at his slipper-covered feet. "Because if it is, I'm...okay with it. Or at least, I can be. I mean, it's definitely weird, and –"
"Oh, Yuuri…" Minako placed her hand against his cheek in almost motherly affection. "That's sweet of you, but you're not the only reason why we wouldn't work out," she assured him. "We live in two different countries. Some people can be satisfied with a long-distance relationship, but I already know I'm not one of them." She dropped her hand, smiling sadly. "No, best to keep last night as nothing more than a fond memory. We were just two lonely people seeking comfort from each other on one of the most romantic nights of the year. That's all."
"But –"
"It's fine. Really."
"If you say so," Yuuri said, not really believing her. "I'm sorry for calling you a mistress earlier. That was way out of line."
Minako laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it. I've been called a lot worse in my day, believe me." She hugged him again. "Merry Christmas. Have a safe flight back to Detroit, and remember to video call Hiroko on New Year's – she was very insistent that I remind you about that."
"I will," he promised. "Tell everyone back home I miss them and that I'm going to try my best to make them proud at Four Continents and Worlds." Even if he wasn't able to live up to the lofty goals Celestino had set for him…
She smiled. "We already are, Yuuri."
DISCLAIMER: "Yuri! On Ice" doesn't belong to me.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I hope you enjoyed the story! This fic was written for the Yuri! On Ice Rare Pair Week, Day 5: Holiday.
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