And so time passed on. Yuri became more comfortable with his new schedule. Practice picked up as the next seasons' programs were created and music was picked. Yuri liked having a say in the music. His parents wanted him to show his individuality and embrace who he was growing up to be. School was better and Yuri was doing well in his classes. He had mastered the art of the timed essay. He still struggled with reading aloud due to his accent. Yuri seemed to be happier. Although there were some nights where Viktor and Yuuri would hear him talking to the picture of his grandfather, telling him about his day. All in all, things were improving, even if life was a bit hectic due to wedding planning. When they weren't practicing they were planning the wedding. This lead to a few uncomfortable conversations.

It was early on in the planning when Yuuri and Viktor were settling on the guest list and getting the invitations ready to send. They had ones all made up for their skating friends, the Nishigori's and Minako, and were filling out the ones for Yuuri's parents and sister.

"Viktor, what about your family?"

"Their um…" Viktor looked down at his feet. Yuuri took his hand in his.

"Viktor, what's going on? You can tell me."

"Well, um, it's a bit of a long story."

"Viktor, you've been there for me when I been at my lowest. Let me be here for you." Viktor looked up at his fiancé. He had tears in his eyes and was visibly upset. He leaned in and rested his head on Yuuri's shoulder.

"Growing up is Russia wasn't easy. My parents were rich doctors who wanted me to be one too. Naturally, I didn't want too and I took up skating. I had to make my way to the rink by myself every day. When Yakov discovered me it got worse at home. Before my parents just ignored me but things got violent after. Then when I was 14…" Viktor's voice wavered and the tears were flowing freely. Yuuri hugged him closer. "When I was 14 I finally came out to my parents. Things got bad and they kicked me out. Yakov took me in. He's the closest thing to a parent I have. When I was 19, they both died in a car crash, and, being the only living relative I got everything. I just wish they could have loved me. You're lucky Yuuri." Yuuri was stunned. Why did the world have to be so cruel and unloving to LGBTQ+ people? It wasn't fair. Everyone deserves to love and be loved for who they are. Yuuri held Viktor closer.

"My family is your family Viktor. You've told me before that there are so many people who love me. The same goes for you. You have a family right here who loves you. Even if one member is going through that phase where showing love to parents is uncool. You are loved Vitya, don't forget that."

They stayed hugging on the couch until they had to pick up Yuri from school. They didn't tell Yuri what happened. They drove to the rink and laced up their skates. That night Victor put all his heart into his routine.

And so time passed. Tests were stressed over, wedding related things were hoarded in the basement, and Yuri's friends took him out to get his dance costumes. Life was moving smoothly until Yuri got a little surprise from his friends.

"Wait… ALL of you got tickets to the dance show?"

"Why wouldn't we?" said Samantha "You're our friend, we want to support you."

Yuri was elated that he had people who wanted to watch other than his dads. They already had their tickets and on the night of the performance, they all sat in the front row to cheer for him.

"Make sure to film it for me to send to Otabek, ok?" Yuri said as he ran backstage to get changed.

"Welcome parents and friends. Tonight is a night to celebrate all that our wonderful dance students have accomplished this year. Dance is a language that we can all speak. It is an art. A way to tell stories with our bodies. Tonight we have group dances from each grade, as well we have a special solo from our one and only, Yuri Plisetsky. Our students have been working hard for over a month in preparation for this. We hope you enjoy the show." And with that, Ms. Lavelle exited the stage. The lights dimmed and the curtain rose. All the students were in even rows. Everyone was wearing black leggings, white tank tops, and a red flannel around their waist. Yuri was front and centre with his flannel rolled up to his elbows. The stage lights came on and the dance started. It was a very interesting opening number. All three grades were there on stage. It was an interesting mix of jazz and hip-hop. Yuri looked right at home up there. Dance and skating often go hand in hand as they both allow for artistic expression through movement. They truly did want to show off Yuri as they had him do five ballet pirouettes right as the beat dropped. That was something difficult to pull off as the knee is turned out and the placement of the arms makes rotation harder. Yuri was truly amazing. They all struck their final pose as the curtains closed. They all ran off stage to get changed into their next costumes.

After the grade 12's did their first dance Yuri was up again. Yuri was wearing a black polo and black dance pants while the girls wore red half-tops and black leggings. It was a rather upbeat jazz number with Yuri playing the love interest. Naturally being the only boy, he was typecast. It's the unfortunate reality of the dance world. If you're a guy you either are the designated lifter or the guy all the girls are in love with. There's not really an in-between. Yuri looked a bit uncomfortable as he played up the girls in the dance.

More dances past as the audience (mostly parents) applauded their children. When the curtain opened on the next performance, Yuri and his classmates stood strong. The girls wore their black ballet leotards, Yuri wore a black tank top and shorts. Each had a different coloured sash around their waist. This was the dance Yuri's class was looking forward to performing. They had choreographed this one themselves and were immensely proud of it. They wanted to invoke the strength they all had. No room for the typical dances about love and sadness. This dance was about power and energy. They wanted the audience to feed off the energy they gave off. It was working well. This dance was different from all the others in the show and it was fantastic. They all ended with their head held high and the audience cheered. Yuri's friends and parents cheered the loudest. Of course they did. The dancers ran off stage to get changed and the show continued.

When Yuri and his class came back on they all wore completely white. The girls in dresses, Yuri in pants and a shirt. The garments were splattered in paint. The creation of these costumes had been fun. During class, they had raided the art room for paint, taken everything outside and effectively had a paint fight. When Yuri posted the pictures of the fight on Instagram his fans went nuts. This dance was another jazz routine. Yuri was just happy he didn't have to play all lovey dovey in this one. He defiantly looked happier in this one. Once this dance ended they all ran off stage to get changed for their last group dance.

The grade 10's last group dance was a lyrical piece. Simple, sad, and elegant. The girls wore grey, flowing dresses with a grey ribbon in their hair. Yuri wore grey pants and a grey button-down shirt. It was one of those lyrical dances that was expected. It was more a splay of technique and flexibility than a fun dance. It allowed the dancers to show their emotions on stage. It was a song of heartbreak. Of lost love. Yuri channeled his emotions for his grandpa for this dance. It was tragically beautiful. When it was over the audience applauded and Yuri booked it off stage to get into his last costume. He had been gifted with a solo of his choice to show that boys could dance the same as girls. It was in hopes to inspire the young brothers in the audience to join dance.

After all the other dancers had completed all their dances, Yuri was up. They had him got last so that he could have a moment to breathe. When his teacher announced him, Yuri walked out in his black leggings and tank top. Backstage he had all his classmates write in coloured marker on his arms. He told them to write whatever they wanted. It was all to add to the effect of the piece. He chose the song "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd. It was a compromise on his rock music. He wanted his dance to tell a story. A story of all the people he wished were here with him. It was a powerful piece displaying his flexibility. His motions spoke volumes of what he was feeling. This dance was for his grandpa, who he wished could see him now. This dance was also for Beka so that he could see how much he missed him when Yuri sent the mp4 over to him later. When Yuri finished he got a standing ovation. His dads looked so proud of him. All the dancers came out for curtain call and Ms. Lavelle gave out some awards to her students. Yuri got the award for most physically strong. It truly was a fun evening. Once it was over, Yuri grabbed his belongings and ran to meet his parents and friends. His dads gave him a big hug and flowers. People always give flowers after a dance performance. His friends all crowded around him.

"Dude that was seriously awesome!" said Samantha

"That one with the epic music and the sashes was my favourite by far." Commented Olivier

"Man, you can really move!" whistled Thomas. Chris just slapped him on the back in typical Chris fashion.

Yuri turned to his parents. "Do you think Beka will like my solo? I did it for him." Yuri looked at Yuri and Viktor while twiddling his thumbs. Yuri sure had it bad for his boyfriend.

"Of course I liked it. It made me cry you fool." Yuri's head whipped around to look at the source of the voice. Tears sprung in Yuri's eyes as he shouted "BEKA!" and practically tackled the man to the floor. Both were smiling and laughing as they hugged on the hallway floor.

"What are you doing here?" I thought you weren't coming till the wedding next week?" Yuri was almost crying as they got up off the floor.

"I wanted to surprise you. Yuuri and Viktor picked me up this afternoon." Otabek gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Now why don't you introduce me to your friends."

"Oh ya, right. Guys this is my boyfriend, Otabek Altin."

He was greeted by a chorus of hellos. They all talked for a few moments before the family + Otabek made their way back home. Once they were back at the house Yuuri and Viktor laid down the ground rules which were then posted on the fridge. "So you don't forget." Smiled Viktor.

Number 1) If you're both in the same room, the door STAYS open.

Number 2) NO sleeping in the same room.

Number 3) NO SEX!

Well, this was going to be a long week.

Hello friends. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I'm posting all the links to the music on my Tumblr Lupinthealchemist under the tag On My Love: Family. Man writing this chapter made me miss dance so much. I want to get back on the stage so much. *sigh* Maybe someday. I hope you enjoyed the little surprise at the end. Thank you all for the reviews. You're all so nice. -Shadows