(To check out some of my drawings of Osha, check out my Pinterest – daisy0754)
Previously in, "The Charms of a Nikiforov":
"Well done, Yuri! How was it then, winning your first competition in a while?"
"…I started having fun! It's all a bit of a blur."
"Not because you hit your face off the wall and gave yourself concussion?"
"Haha."
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, nor the universe of Yuri! On Ice – they all belong to Kubo 3, nor do I own any of the famous skaters, jumps, music etc. I only own my OC's and this story.
Chapter 8
China's On! The Grand Prix Series Opening Event! The Cup of China Short Program
(Sixth Skate)
The Cup of China had come around before anyone knew it. It seemed like only the other day that Yuri was presenting his theme for the Grand Prix to the world of Japan – which neither Osha, nor Victor understood a word of, but when asked Yuko had explained to her that Yuri had basically proclaimed his love for her brother on national television…and all Victor wanted to do was burn Yuri's tie. For his little sister, this had been priceless and she had made a pact with herself not to reveal this to her brother until his wedding day to Yuri…which she was sure was going to happen, she hadn't worked hard on the hashtag Victuri for nothing. A hashtag and ship name which had featured on her latest Instagram post of the pair cuddled up, sleeping, on the plane to Beijing. She'd been sipping on some champagne when the picture moment occurred.
The competitors for this competition were:
Leo De La Iglesia, aged 19, from the US. He'd won Skate America and was in the strongest position to qualify for the final.
Guang Hong Ji, aged 17, of China, who'd come third in Skate America and was hoping to qualify for his first ever Grand Prix final.
(Osha knew both of them for her days on the Junior circuit and followed what they were up to on social media.)
Phichit Chulanont, aged 20, of Thailand was also competing and Yuri was very excited to be reunited with his former room-and-rink mate, as well as introduce him to the Nikiforov's.
There was also Christophe Giacometti, aged 25, from Switzerland – a family friend of the Nikiforov siblings due to his long standing streak of competitions alongside Victor. He'd won the Trophee de France and was very likely to qualify after this competition.
Another competitor was Georgi Popovich, 26, and from Russia. He'd been skating almost as long as Victor and Osha would always speak to him at practice…especially after hearing he'd been going through a difficult break-up with his girlfriend, Anya – who'd used to be a close friend of Osha's before she'd become obsessed with winning and being the best.
And, of course, the final competitor was their own Yuri Katsuki – who was using "the power of love" to inspire his programme and power into the Grand Prix Series.
At the current moment, Osha was leaning against the wall whilst Yuri and Victor were getting interviewed. She was scrolling through her texts to Sara, asking how she was doing in the Ladies Grand Prix Events, when she heard Victor complain.
"This is boring, can we go and get hot pot now?"
"I'm kinda in the middle of an interview."
"I agree! We should go and get hot pot!"
"Oshi, you're not helping!"
"Oh, was I meant too?"
The silver-haired duo both laughed as a red, duffle-coated figure shoved past Victor and Yuri – Georgi at their side.
"Oh, it's Yakov!"
Victor grabbed onto his coach's coat and chased after him, babbling about hotpot whilst Yakov ignored him, glaring ahead of him as he attempted to walk away. Eventually he turned his head and snapped at Victor.
"Victor, go away. Watching you play pretend coach makes me sick to my stomach. I don't want to talk to you. Not until you beg me to salvage your skating career, is that clear enough?"
Victor's eyes shrunk as he blankly stared back, a little hurt by this outburst.
"Hey, he's not been doing that badly for someone who is a rubbish coach.", Osha said, hands in her pockets, as she pulled up next to her brother. Her eyes narrowed on her former coach, who'd raised an eyebrow.
"Oshka, you promised me you wouldn't run off to Japan."
"I did not!"
"Yes you did."
"Oh…yeah I did."
She scratched the back of her neck and chuckled.
"Sorry Yakov!"
He "hmpfed".
"Sorry doesn't cut it, now both of you stop trying to break Georgi's concentration!"
An arm wrapped around Osha's shoulders and Victor dragged her and Yuri off before another word could be spoken. He smiled, brushing off Yakov's word and resumed the conversation onto the topic of hotpot.
"I guess Yakov's not interested, let's go!"
The three of them walked to the nearest hot pot place and Victor basically ordered the entire menu for them.
He better be paying for this, the high maintenance person that he is.
As the banquet was delivered to them, Osha and Yuri watched as the coach tucked in. Yuri because he didn't eat raw fish before a competition, and Osha because she was allergic to shellfish which her brother hadn't taken into account as he'd ordered…so she had to reorder a vegetarian hot pot dish, whilst sipping on a beer.
"VKUSNO! Hmm, why are neither of you eating the shrimp?"
"Oh, no raw food for me. Not right before a competition."
"Oshi?"
"Vitya, you and I both know I'm allergic!"
"But it's so good!"
"That doesn't matter! Stop waving that shrimp in my face before I break out into a rash you tupaya bashka!"
She slapped his hand away as Yuri let out a sigh.
"Boy, I really ran my stupid mouth at that press conference. What will people say if I lose after all that?"
"Hey! Yuri!"
All of them turned at the voice. Phichit grinned and waved at his friend, pulling down his mask. He walked up to the table as Yuri called out to him.
"Phichit!"
"I wondered when I would see you!"
Yuri stood and gave his friend a hug as Victor waved.
"Hi."
"Hi, how are you?"
The Thai skater gave a small bow before turning to smile brightly at Osha. She'd been a little dumbstruck at first – Phichit on screen did no justice to real life Phichit, who's smile was infectious and who's handsome face had her blushing almost instantly…had she not been Russian and totally in control of herself.
"And you must be Osha, right?"
"Yes, hi!"
She grinned brightly and stood up, now having to crane her neck a little to look up at him. He wasn't as tall as Yuri or Victor…in fact he was one of the shortest boys she'd ever met who'd been the same age as her.
"You're smaller than I expected."
"Oh?"
She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow to that statement. Yuri laughed and looked at his friend.
"Osha's 5'1, so yeah she is a little bit shorter than most girls."
"Hey, I'm not short, I'm fun-sized."
She pouted up at Yuri and bumped his side as he smirked.
"Your height is perfect….I mean…uh, for skating. Your height is perfect for skating because, you know, skaters have to be shorter than average for jumps and stuff…I'm not saying you're perfect or anything, nobody is perfect…just a good height."
Dude, calm down, stop talking about her height...you look weird! You can talk to girls, just close your mouth…Yuri please save me!
As Phichit felt himself turning redder, and babbling more, Osha cut over him.
"Well you're certainly one of the first people to say my height is a good thing."
"I've always said it Oshi!"
"You're not "people", Vitya, nor do you count as one."
Both she and Victor laughed as Phichit turned to Yuri, holding up his phone.
"I know, I'll invite Ciao Ciao! You want to see him, don't you?"
Yuri paled a little.
"…well…."
Minutes later the bright-eyed, pony-tailed coach appeared with a loud "Ciao ciao!" Yuri had sat next to Victor and Osha had taken the seat furthest away from all the seafood. Phichit had sat next to her and they all smiled at Celestino.
"Hey, coach."
Osha felt herself contain a groan as Victor held up a twitching shrimp.
"Want some shrimp?"
Ciao Ciao shook his head and waved a hand.
"No, not right before a competition."
"But it's so yummy, though!"
The two coaches began chatting and drinking, whilst Osha, Yuri and Phichit chatted about the other skaters.
"Hey, Yuri, mind if I give Leo and Guang Hong a call and invite them?"
"Well-"
"Da! It would be nice to say hi!"
"Oshi…"
"Please!"
Both her and Phichit held their phones in their hands, giving him big puppy-dog eyes. Yuri eventually gave up and the two 20-year-olds began texting Guang Hong and Leo, high-fiving each other at their minor success. When the messages had been sent, they began whispering amongst themselves as Celestino and Victor became gradually more and more drunk…the amount of beer bottles on the table growing.
"Ooooooshi, try the car-crab!"
Victor leant over, dangerously close, to her and Osha scooted back squealing "No, no, no, Vitya!" Her legs lifted up from under the table and she ended up kicking his hand away, causing him to jump back with a drunken yelp and then turn to Yuri…clutching his hand.
"Yuri, kiss it better!"
"Victor!"
"Kiss it, Yuri!"
With her brother distracted, Osha tried wiggling back into a decent sitting position – having ended half on Phichit's lap – but Celestino had collapsed over the table so she was only able to end up sat, tucked under the Thai boy's arm.
"Sorry, Ciao Ciao's a bit of a lightweight!"
"Haha, it's alright, Vitya is the same."
"Haha."
"You know, Phichit sounds an awful lot like Peachy?"
"Uh…guys…Victor's stripping!"
The pair looked over at where a semi-naked Victor was draping himself over Yuri, and both lifted their phones to take pictures. It was also at this moment, they noticed that Guang Hong and Leo were both standing with their phones raised, covered in what appeared to be Victor's trousers…and underwear.
"Osha, help me!"
"You know Yuri…I would help you, believe me there is nothing I'd love more than to help you, except well take lots of photos of this!"
"Yes, Oshi. Get in this selfie with me!"
Phichit wrapped an arm around her shoulders and snapped a picture, before immediately posting it online.
phichit+chu
Beijing, China
Wow! Great night last night w/ oshi+niki ?#phichit #Beijing #YuriKatsuki #VictorNikiforov
It was the talk of the Chinese skating rink the next morning and Yuri was not best pleased as he confronted the smirking pair. Phichit and Osha shared a look as he scolded them.
"Seriously guys?!"
"I wasn't going to-"
"That's a lie!"
"Shh Oshi! We couldn't help ourselves!"
"Ok, that is true!"
"No fair, you big cheaters, we didn't post ours!"
Yuri rubbed his face, panicked as he began stressing. Meanwhile, Osha's attention had been distracted by a certain Swiss skater attempting to sneak up on her friend.
"I'm going in, Peachy!"
"Wh-?"
Osha pressed a finger to her lips and ducked down, sneaking behind Leo and Guang Hong to approach Chris from behind. Just before he reached out to grab Yuri's ass, she smacked his firmly.
"Nice try, Chrissy!"
Both men jumped and turned to see the tiny Russian girl standing behind them. Chris smirked and leant his arm on her shoulder, stroking her cheek "seductively".
"Osha, Yuri, why didn't you invite me to the party?"
The Thai skater felt his brow crease as he watched the three interact. Osha laughed as Chris whispered something in her ear, and playfully swatted his chest. He folded his arms as Yuri smiled and Chris continued talking.
"You're in better shape than last year, Yuri. Your new master must be giving you very thorough training?"
"Oh, and you would know all about thorough training wouldn't you, Chris, darling? Considering how much you love the ice."
She winked at him. A cough interrupted them, and there Victor stood, smirking, in front of the other skaters.
"Osha, stop trying to make him straight! Hey Chris!"
He waved, snatching his sister's collar and pulling her away from the Swiss man. Osha whined, jokingly.
"Let a girl dream!"
She went to stand next to the younger boys, who'd all pulled their phones out and were snapping pictures of Victor and Chris talking. Chris' coach appeared and began lecturing Victor about how his pupil couldn't concentrate without him being there for him to compete against. A couple of Russian ladies, who Osha vaguely recognised, also called over to Victor and began talking to him.
Typical, he attracts all the attention.
"Wow, I take it all Russian girls are tall and beautiful?"
The sound of Leo's remark had her turning, arms folded and blue eyes narrowed, her jaw slightly open.
"And I take it the short girls are trolli then, hmmm?"
Phichit covered his mouth, laughing, and Guang Hong bit his lip as Leo tried to salvage some form of reply.
"No no no that's not what I meant…uh…"
Thankfully he was saved by the announcer calling all the skaters to warm up. The silver-haired girl wished them all good luck and sent them off with a smile. Phichit waved as he went off and it caused her ears to redden. From a distance, Victor smiled as his little sister bit her lip. He walked up to her and smiled.
"Come on, Oshi, let's go find a seat at the rink-side."
"Ok, Vitya."
Osha looked around for a seat whilst Victor vanished to speak to Yuri. She spotted Celestino shaking Phichit's hand as he went to begin his short programme. She tilted her head and took the opportunity to admire his choice of outfit. It looked very regal and she was eager to hear the music he had chosen, wondering if it fitted his bright personality.
"First up is Phichit Chulanont of Thailand, aged 20."
She walked up and greeted Celestino, before leaning her elbows on the side and taking the weight off her knee. The music began and the skater moved.
"The music for this programme is "Shall We Skate?" from the film, 'The King and the Skater'."
He definitely talented…and has a lot of flare. Very befitting to the piece.
As the skate continued, Osha's mind began analysing…seeking areas that needed improvement and (in her head) judging how she would make the improvements. Celestino patted her shoulder, causing her to look round at him and spoke.
"He is impressive, no?"
"Yes, but he could definitely polish up every aspect of his programme. Talent is nothing without refinery. He has the audience behind him, yes, however he lets the music overwhelm him and that takes over the programme."
"Ah, but that is because he loves his music. He isn't sloppy."
"A skater must love the piece he performs to, but he mustn't let it be the centre focus of his programme. If Phichit could polish up his jump technique and put more emphasis into his step sequences, he would truly stand out over the top of his music and would definitely be a contender for the gold at the finals…he's good now, has a very strong chance of winning here, but the Grand Prix is tough."
She smiled at a stunned looking Ciao Ciao, before walking off to find Victor and Yuri, as Guang Hong stepped onto the ice, replacing Phichit who was at the kiss-and-cry awaiting his coach.
Well…I think I let my mouth run a little bit there, Osha….haha…I hope Celestino doesn't think I believe he's a bad coach…
Eventually it was Yuri's turn to skate and Osha gave him a firm hug over the barrier as Victor held his hand.
"Udachi!"
"Thanks, Oshi."
"The time to seduce me, picturing pork cutlet bowls is over. At this point you can do it just by being yourself. You've figured that out by now, haven't you?"
Behind him, Victor's younger sibling couldn't stop the smile on her face as she watched them. Yuri pressed his forehead against Victor's and whispered to him.
"Watch me Victor, don't take your eyes off me."
Then he skated off into the middle of the rink. Victor's cheeks flushed a little as Osha walked up to stand next to him.
He's different today. I don't know what, but something lit a fire under him.
He was dragged out of his thoughts as his sister spoke.
"You really care about him, don't you Vitya?"
"I do…"
She rested her hand on his and gave it a squeeze, their matching eyes meeting as Yuri's name was announced.
"Then make sure you look after him…DID HE JUST LICK HIS LIPS?!"
Her remark was ignored by her brother, who couldn't take his eyes off the Japanese man. Osha chuckled inwardly and focused on Yuri's performance. His step sequences were amazing and he performed them with such attitude that her heart swelled with pride that she'd been involved in helping him. Victor punched the air as Yuri began the second half of his programme.
"Ah, perfect!"
"Da, but it won't be easy now…all his jumps are coming."
As he landed his first jump – a triple axel – Victor and Osha hugged each other. When he nailed his quad salchow, they were jumping up and down, nearly screeching with excitement that they were attracting a few stares. His last jump combo was flawless and the pair of Russians celebrated wildly as he finished with rapturous applause. Victor's jaw was dropped and Osha was beaming.
"That was perfect, Yuri!"
Victor stretched out his arms to him, grabbing at the air. Chris, who'd been standing next to them, chuckled.
"The kiss-and-cry is that way!"
Osha watched proudly as her brother and friend received the highest score of the competition so far. Victor was hugging Yuri tight and stroking his hair, whispering something into his ear. She went back to the rink, waving politely at Phichit and Ciao Ciao (unbeknownst to her, she was the subject of their conversation, just in time to see Georgi's performance start.
OH MY GOD THAT MAKE UP CRACKS ME UP EVERY TIME!
…
Russian Dictionary
Vitya – Victor
Oshi/Oshka – Osha
Peachy (Osha only) – Phichit
Ciao Ciao (Phichit only) – Celestino
Chrissy (Osha only) – Chris
Vkusno - Delicious
Tupaya Bashka – Stupid Head
Trolli – Trolls
Da – Yes
Udachi – Good Luck
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