Last chapter! Thanks for reading! :)
EDIT: I've just uploaded the prequel, titled "Regret." Whether or not you check it out probably has no effect on this story :)
[ December 10, 2016 ]
It's the day of the free skate. Yuri gets up in the morning, grabs breakfast downstairs, hurries Yakov along. They get to the stadium. They warm up a little. They exit the ice as the competition prepares to start.
They're walking through the stadium, and Victor comes running up to them. "It's important," he insists, and Yuri pointedly puts his foot down and turns around. Yakov pauses and then does the same. "Yakov, if it's alright with you, will you be my coach again?"
Yuri knew this was going to happen, but it doesn't stop him from flying into a rage. He darts forward into Victor's face. "Does that mean that pig is retiring?"
He remembers their little spat from a few days ago, and how Victor ignored him after that. And rightfully so, Yuri thinks. But Victor only gazes at him wordlessly, his blue eyes dull and meaningful, and then catches Yuri in a hug.
Yuri doesn't resist.
They continue on to the locker room. Yuri does his stretches. He doesn't fucking care about beating JJ or anybody else. He cheers for Otabek. He watches Yuuri Katsuki dance on the ice, beautiful and flawless. He's changed so much since Hot Springs on Ice.
Yuri removes his skate guards in preparation to glide onto the ice.
Yakov and Lilia smile at him. He steps onto the ice. He's trembling again, but not out of nervousness – no, out of anger.
The music starts, and he launches into his routine with full force. He's not going to let that pig just quit – how could he just quit after winning gold? How could he throw Victor aside after winning gold?
How could he throw away everything Yuri's done for him?
The shithead!
He flies into a perfect quad Salchow. He doesn't hear the cheers.
He's going to beat Yuuri Katsuki. He's going to pound him into the ground. He's going to give this performance everything he's got – he's going to surpass his limits, because there are no gold medals for pigs to feed on!
He's ready to scream as the music takes him to new heights. He's showing the world his exasperation, his anger, his frustration. He remembers his free leg. He lands all his jumps flawlessly. He thinks about how proud his grandpa must be, up in the stands.
He thinks about Victor's hug.
He thinks about Vicchan, about his multiple sixteen hour flights to Hasetsu and back, about Hot Springs on Ice and all the katsudon, about texting Katsuki as "Mila" for his own purposes, about asking Yuuko to film Katsuki's performance and then sending the link to Victor.
It's come too far to end here.
His last jump is perfect. His flying sit spin is pristine.
He's ridiculously out of breath by the end and keels over on the ice, trying to catch his breath. The crowd is cheering. He doesn't care. He skates over to Yakov and Lilia, who look ridiculously proud. He nods to them, but he can't smile this time.
He can't smile until his scores are announced.
His score breaks the world record again. He allows himself a small smile as the cameras flash and microphones are shoved in his face. He mumbles something about being proud of his accomplishments, but the truth is that he doesn't care.
He's beaten Yuuri Katsuki to win gold in his senior debut. That's what he cares about.
They ascend the podium again in a flurry of excitement and disappointment and every emotion in between. Yuri's on the top level this time, holding up the gold medal.
Katsuki doesn't really look disappointed. "Well, it's not gold, but..."
"I won't kiss anything but gold," Victor declares.
Yuri tries to keep his presence hidden, pretending he's rearranging his bag as he stays in earshot.
"I... Victor..."
Here it comes.
"Please be my coach until I win gold! I promise I'll make it up to you with a gold medal next time!"
Yuri smiles to himself. Victor seems taken aback, and then he says, "Okay. But you have to keep on going after that – keep winning gold, keep skating... You've got to be a five-time world champion, at least."
Yuri escapes before they start hugging.
He doesn't need those stupid time-turning things anymore.
This was the last time he'll have regrets – the last time he'll have to go back in time to fix something because he can't give up his pride. This was the last time he'll allow himself to let things go, only to regret afterward.
That's the end.
Yuri feels like a huge load has been lifted from his shoulders. As he exits the stadium, he beams for the cameras.
[ December 25, 2018 ]
"As if you two could've done all of this without me."
Yuri realizes his mistake as soon as the words come out of his mouth. Now he wishes he had another one of those chances, because he really should not have said that.
Everyone's staring at him. Victor finally asks, "What do you mean? Of course you're important, Yurio – "
"I don't mean that," says Yuri, wondering if he should just tell them. He kind of wants to. They probably won't believe him, anyway, and they'll just chalk it up to the glass of champagne he tried earlier. "I'm talking about Katsuki's death before 2016 Worlds, his loss at Hot Springs on Ice, and his gold at the 2016 Grand Prix."
There's a beat of stunned silence. Katsuki laughs a little uncomfortably, but he's had a bit of champagne himself and he's clearly a little tipsy. "What are you talking about, Yurio? You won the 2016 Grand Prix – "
"Only because the first time around, you decided to fucking retire after winning gold!" Yuri snaps, digging himself into a deeper hole. Shit. Everyone's staring at him now with open mouths and big eyes. "Close your mouths, y'all look like fish."
"Yurio," says Victor, slowly, "why don't you tell us all about this?"
Yuri's not sure if that's a good idea, but he figures that he owes Katsuki one piece of truth, at least: "It all started when I killed Vicchan."
The uproar's amazing, but Katsuki quickly quiets them all and gestures for him to continue.
"Well, it was April, and I went with Victor to the 2016 World Championship..."
Because all of these things that Yuuri and Victor chalked up to fate – well, fate was none other than Yuri Plisetsky himself.
Note: How Yuri obtained his powers is so far up to debate. I'm considering writing a prequel to explain (because the idea I have in mind is more complicated than just a one sentence explanation), but for now, just know that he got them as a kid and was told to use them meaningfully :)
