A/N: This chapter was edited by Calloniel.
.
.
.
Ayame and Kyoko, the hosts of Talk With Us!, were two women that had started out as musicians in their teens. Their pop group had grown in popularity until it had disbanded ten years later, at which point the two women had decided to use their fame and money to start a TV show about the various celebrities of Japan, including politicians, authors, entrepreneurs, singers, and so on. Ayame and Kyoko were now in their thirties and still very popular among people of all ages. Ayame was known as the more bubbly, fun girl while Kyoko was reserved, polite, and more focused on knowledge. Ayame usually gave the show a good atmosphere while Kyoko was there to ask the guest in depth, sometimes inappropriate questions.
Yuuri was dreading those questions.
He sighed, trying to relax.
There was something unbelievably satisfying about being here, despite how nervous it made him feel.
Ever since winning the Grand Prix Final, Yuuri's popularity had skyrocketed. A large number of Japanese newspapers proudly featured him as 'the pride of the country'. He'd returned to Japan and had been immediately assaulted by the media. Everyone wanted an interview, a picture, or a signature. His inbox was filled with messages, ranging from congratulations from complete strangers to invitations for him to attend events and talk shows as a special guest.
When he'd called Celestino, bewildered by his newfound fame, the man had just laughed at him.
"Seems like you need to hire a manager, Yuuri! That's what happens when you get famous. Just relax and enjoy the attention. You deserve it after how spectacular you were at the Final. Oh, and go to some of those events and talks shows, will you? It'll do you some good to put yourself out there a bit more."
So now, barely a month after his performance at the Grand Prix Final, here Yuuri was, taking Celestino's advice. He'd gone to events, he'd been interviewed, and had been more friendly and extroverted than he could ever remember being. Being the center of attention had always made Yuuri anxious and uncomfortable, but he found that when it was linked to skating the attention didn't seem to bother him as much.
Regardless, it was nothing less than nerve wracking, and he nibbled on the stubs of his already miniscule fingernails while he waited in the backstage area of yet another talk show. He could hear the two hosts talking, making some small chat before introducing the special guest of the day.
"We have a great surprise for you all today," announced Ayame, one of the main hosts, practically bouncing in her seat. "Most of our guests these past months have been actors and singers! But with Japan's great success in the Grand Prix ice skating tournament, we decided to change things up a little!"
All Yuuri could see was what the little television box in the back showed him, and hearing his cue he was ushered by stage hands towards the curtains that hid everything behind the scenes. They held up three fingers, counting down as Ayame's voice continued:
"Please welcome Katsuki Yuuri!"
Yuuri slid his hands down the front of his shirt, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles before he walked into view of the audience.
Two thirds of the audience were women, unsurprisingly, and the applause everyone gave seemed more polite than anything else.
Yuuri wasn't disappointed. He knew figure skating wasn't the most popular sport in the world, and considering the talk show was for celebrities in general without a specific focus on sport, much less figure skating, he would have been surprised if anyone in the audience had known who he was. Oddly enough, that thought was more helpful than any of the pep talks his coach or manager had given him, and he managed a small smile and a wave for the crowd.
The stage itself was rather simple, as most talk show stages were, he'd noticed. The floor was shining wood, recently polished before filming, with a large blue rug in the middle where the two hosts were sitting on sofas. There was a large, cushioned chair meant for the guest settled off to the side of them, slanted towards the audience. A decorative coffee table lay between them, though its sole purpose seemed to be carrying a large vase full of carnations.
When Yuuri reached the hosts, he bowed low to them and the audience before sitting down.
"This is the first time we've had a figure skater on the show," Kyoko said, nodding sagely at the audience.
"And," added Ayame, "it's been at least a year since we've had an athlete as a guest, so please make Yuuri-san feel welcome, everyone!"
Yuuri gave her an awkward smile, scratching his cheek. "Thank you, Ayame-san."
The woman smiled, crow's feet at the corners of her eyes. "It's a pleasure, Yuuri-san. Now," she clapped her hands and turned to the audience, "there are some people here today who may not have heard of our dear Yuuri-san. Am I right?"
Close to all of the audience nodded decisively, with most of them emitting various exclamations of 'Yes!' and 'Yeah!'
In response, the serene background upstage transitioned smoothly to an image of Yuuri. He was clutching his gold medal in disbelief, staring blankly into the camera. At the time he'd been sure there'd been some sort of mistake in the scores, just waiting for the medal to be taken away and delivered to it's rightful owner. To this day, whenever he held the smooth trophy in his hands, it felt like something foreign, something that could never belong to him.
"You see," said Kyoko, straightening in her seat, "the Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of senior international competitions. There are several disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Last month, our dear Katsuki-san won the gold medal for the men's singles, even beating the renowned Russian skater Viktor Nikiforov, who has been dominating the Grand Prix for years!"
An image of Viktor, arms outspread with his leg behind him, gliding across the ice like an angel come down from heaven. He had a longing look on his face, a few strands of his bangs lingering in his eyes, but they did nothing to hide the piercing blue stare. Yuuri recognized the picture from Viktor's performance at the Grand Prix Final, and several female members of the audience made rapturous sounds of appreciation when they saw it.
Kyoko continued once the noise began to die down, "Yuuri also took part in the Japan National Figure Skating Championships a week ago, not long after the Grand Prix Final, and he won first place there too! He has proven himself the best Japan has to offer in figure skating!"
This time, when a picture of Yuuri in standing atop the podium at Nationals appeared, the applause was much louder. There was even some cheering thrown in.
"I'm not that good, Kyoko-san," Yuuri interjected shyly, his cheeks burning hot at her words. He was uncomfortable with the attention, yet pleased at the same time.
Kyoko laughed, hiding her mouth behind a dainty hand. "Modesty doesn't suit you, Yuuri-san. You won those competitions fair and square and you're allowed to be proud. We all are. From what I've heard, the Russians and Canadians are always doing better than us, so it's nice to know that Japan got first place this season."
"Go Japan!" exclaimed Ayame with a fist pump.
The audience laughed, and someone yelled "Go Japan!" back at her.
Ayame grinned and waved.
Kyoko, however, continued with a question, "So, Yuuri-san, what are your plans for the rest of the season?"
"Well…" Yuuri paused for a moment, praying he wouldn't stutter, "I'm getting ready for the Four Continents Championship which will be held next month…"
When the hosts, as well as the audience, stared at him blankly, he pushed his hands between his legs and stared down at his knees. Thankfully, Ayame took pity on him, and was quick to ask, "What's the Four Continents Championship?"
Instant relief. He looked up with a tiny grin. "It's an annual skating competition for non-European skaters," he explained.
Ayame grinned. "We'll be sure to cheer for you when the time comes!"
Yuuri gave a shallow bow. "Thank you, Ayame-san. That's very kind of you."
"By the way…" said Kyoko rather suddenly, "I've heard a rumour I'd like your opinion on, Yuuri-san."
Yuuri cocked his head, a sudden strike of fear in his heart. Here come the invasive questions I was warned about... "What is it?"
Leaning forward, Kyoko said conspiratorially, "A Swiss skater called Christophe Giacometti made an interesting statement during his interview after he won the Nationals. So I was wondering, is it true the Russian skater Viktor Nikiforov made some unwanted advances during the night of the Grand Prix Finals?"
Yup, there it is. Yuuri stared at Kyoko, unable to utter a sound, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The hostess raised a deceivingly delicate eyebrow, hardly bothering to hide her smirk. And, to make things worse, an image appeared on the screen behind him, Viktor drenched in sweat from a performance, winking with a sultry smile at the camera.
Someone in the audience wolf-whistled.
"No!" exclaimed Yuuri, frantically waving his hands to deny it. "No, you got it wrong! He only took his clothes off because he said it was too hot!"
Kyoko's eyebrows flew up, eyes widening, and Ayame's mouth dropped open with an audible pop.
The audience was dead quiet for a minute, before some brave woman let loose a loud whistle, clapping wildly. Yuuri put his face in his hands.
"Well, it turns out you two went ever further than I'd thought," Kyoko said evenly, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "Seems like Viktor's advances weren't that unwanted, were they?" The smirk was back.
Yuuri hated the suggestive tone in her voice. It just made the humiliation worse.
"Nothing happened!" He sounded more desperate and harsh than he'd meant to, wincing almost as soon as the words had come out of his mouth.
Mercifully, Kyoko gave up. "What a shame. That would have been quite the piece of gossip."
"So when are you having a rematch with Viktor?" asked Ayame, steering the conversation to a new topic effortlessly. "It would be interesting to see if you can beat him a second time! He was the best, after all, before you came along."
Before you came along. The words made Yuuri feel proud and guilty at the same time. Proud because he'd worked hard for this for years, and ashamed because his victory had tarnished Viktor's, his idol's, once undefeatable might.
"I'll meet him again at the World Championships in March."
Kyoko's eyes widened and she smiled. "Isn't that being held in Japan this year? You'll have the homefield advantage!"
Yuuri nodded, despite the fact that he thought the exact opposite. "It'll be held in Yoyogi."
Ayame clapped excitedly, bouncing around in her seat once again. "We'll definitely be there to witness the great clash of the titans, Yuuri and Viktor!"
Yuuri struggled with a grimace, hearing the translation of Ayame's words clearly in his head and not liking it one bit. He and Viktor weren't a spectacle to be leered at and awed over, despite the fact he'd done that very thing to Viktor many times in the past. The idea of it now though, smothered in popularity as it was, made him feel sick to his stomach..
"Thank you," he said quietly, wringing his hands together. "Ice skating isn't as popular as football or baseball, so it's always nice to know new people are interested in it."
"Speaking of which," Kyoko slid in, "after the break, we're planning on having the audience ask Yuuri some questions. So sit tight everybody!"
She smiled at the camera, holding the pose for a few seconds until the camera signaled cut before she relaxed into her seat with a sigh.
"Break time!" exclaimed Ayame joyfully, stretching lazily in place. She turned to the audience. "The show will resume in a few minutes, so enjoy the break while you can!"
"Yuuri-san," said Kyoko quietly, a small smile on her face. "Would you like something to drink?"
Yuuri nodded. "I wouldn't mind drinking a bit of water."
An assistant came onto the stage as if summoned by a spell, balancing a large serving tray with three cups on one hand and carrying a jug of water in the other. He set the tray down and poured some water into each cup. Then, with a bow, he headed back out of sight.
The break was spent quietly. Yuuri sipped at his water, occasionally chiming in as the two hosts discussed how many questions they should take for the next part of the show. Yuuri didn't mind taking however many questions they wanted, but was more nervous about the content of them. Just as Ayame reassured him that, if he truly felt the need to, he could skip a question, Kyoko put her hand to her ear.
"Break time's over," she announced, straightening her back and brushing off her skirt. "Get ready."
Yuuri barely had the time to set his glass down before the lights were brightening and Ayame's beaming smile was back.
"Welcome back, everyone! Ayame and Kyoko here with figure skater Yuuri Katsuki, and it's time for a little Q and A. But first, I've got a little treat for the audience."
Yuuri could hear the audience in question getting interested, making a little more noise than usual.
"We all know Yuuri is an amazing figure skater, the Grand Prix champion this year and hopefully for the years to come," Ayame continued, "but we haven't seen him in action yet. So I got my hands on this short video that we are going to see…" The screen behind her flickered briefly, transitioning from the serene city scene to static. "...right…" The video started. "...now."
Yuuri recognized it as a recording of himself, performing his free program for the Grand Prix Finals. He stood in the center of the rink, head bowed, arms out, and as the music started playing Yuuri began to move with dramatic, sweeping movements that carried him across the ice with ease.
Yuuri felt embarrassed watching it, turning his gaze out to the crowd. Everyone was watching attentively, and Yuuri could feel the expectation build up as his blue-clad form zoomed across the rink. Then, he performed his first jump - a triple Lutz - and the audience gasped, applause a slow crescendo.
Yuuri reddened as everyone started applauding enthusiastically at his quick step sequence, even the hosts, though they calmed down and watched eagerly as the Yuuri on the screen performed a layback spin, back arched unnaturally. Then he turned it into a proper spiral sequence by spinning on one leg, the other one raised high in the air, his two hands holding the foot so that the three limbs formed a circular shape while he spun. The two-handed Biellmann spiral was elegant, showing off his hard-won flexibility perfectly.
"Amazing!" exclaimed Ayame, completely enraptured with the performance.
Kyoko was silent, and even though her hand was discretely hiding her lips, Yuuri could see the hints of an awed smile.
When the video ended, everyone began to cheer, happy applause and excited exclamations.
Ayame clapped excitedly, a beaming smile on her face. "You looked beautiful, Yuuri-san!"
Yuuri gripped his knees tightly, trying to control his nerves. "Thank you, Ayame-san. That means a lot to me." The look she gave him was so kind and maternal that for a second, he forgot all about his slight stage-fright.
It came crashing back when Kyoko announced the next part:
"Now that the audience has seen what Yuuri-san can do and is more familiar with him, we will allow some questions from our public to Yuuri-san." She looked at Yuuri with one eyebrow raised. "If that is all right with you, of course." The challenge in her tone was unmistakable, and despite the fact they had already agreed to it, Yuuri struggled to smother the instinct to run away.
Yuuri just answered with a firm nod, keeping his mouth shut.
"Perfect!" Ayame turned to the audience. "Now, who wants to go first?"
A few tentative hands were raised, but it most of the public stayed as it was.
"You, in red!" said Ayame, pointing at a young woman who was wearing a dark red sweater.
One of the assistants hurried over to the woman, who quickly stood up, and gave her a microphone to ask her question.
"Katsuki-san," said the girl, "why do you skate backwards so much? Isn't it better to skate forwards so you can see where you're going?"
Kyoko nodded approvingly. "A very good question, one I'm curious to know the answer to as well."
He almost sighed in relief that it wasn't something personal. He could handle talking about the technical aspects of skating. "Most of the jumps and all of the spins need a backwards entrance," explained Yuuri. "If I skate forwards, there's a risk I might start digging into my toe pick by accident and that would make me fall. The blades on skates have a certain shape that makes it easier to go faster if you skate backwards."
"Shouldn't the blade be made differently, then?" asked Ayame. "It's a bit silly if you're forced to skate backwards all the time."
Yuuri shrugged, an embarrassed grin spreading across his cheeks. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's just how they're made, I guess."
"Next question!" announced Kyoko.
The woman in red handed the microphone back to the assistant while several members of the audience raised their hands.
"The man with the glasses," said Kyoko, pointing at a person near the back.
The man in question was handed a microphone, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at Yuuri.
"Is it better for you to skate first on the ice rink? Because if you're last, then there'll be traces on the ice from all those that went before you and the surface might not be perfectly flat anymore."
Yuuri smiled, surprised. The questions were a lot more respectful than he'd expected. He'd been told he would be harassed with invasive questions, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as he'd been dreading.
"The ice is resurfaced after every two groups are done skating," said Yuuri. "At a competition, even if you skate last, the traces in the ice from former skaters don't affect your performance much. I like being the first or second of my group to skate, because then I'd be skating immediately after the warm-up session and I'd be better prepared."
After that, there were a few more questions and some requests for some of Yuuri's personal experiences. All in all, the talk show event went rather well.
When the questions ended and it was time to say goodbye, these were Ayame's parting words:
"Oh, and since Yuuri-san is going to be skating in the Four Continents Championships, we hope everyone in Japan will watch his performance."
Yuuri turned green when he heard that last remark, already feeling the weight of their expectations on his shoulders.
-x-x-x-
Yuuri took the train back to Hasetsu. The talk show had been exhausting, and all he wanted to do was go home. He'd be able to soak in the hot springs for a little while, relax the muscles the interview had tensed up, and maybe even take Viktor out for a walk.
He was composing a text to his friend Pichit, a poorly disguised complaint of his sudden rise to fame, when his phone beeped.
An email? he tilted his head to the side, not recognizing the address. Is this for another interview?
He closed the chat window and opened his clicked on the new message and began to read, eyes flicking along the text. With every word his eyes grew wider and wider in disbelief, until he couldn't take it anymore and called his coach.
The phone rang four times before the man picked up.
"Hello!" Celestino greeted, accompanied by the quiet murmur of a television..
"I need your help, Celestino," Yuuri said quickly, English flowing easily from his lips thanks to the years he'd spent in Detroit.
"Yuuri!" Celestino responded warmly. "How nice to hear from you. How's victory treating you?"
"I got an email," Yuuri continued, ignoring his coach's question. "I got an offer for an endorsement deal! Viktor did it!"
"Viktor?" the coach echoed, baffled. "Isn't that your dog?"
"No!" exclaimed Yuuri, rolling his eyes, still wholly focused on the email he'd received. "Viktor, as in Viktor Nikiforov!"
"Calm down, Yuuri." The rumble of the television vanished. "There must've been a mistake. An offer for an endorsement deal is usually made by a firm or a brand to an athlete. And Viktor is neither a firm nor a brand, so he can't be sending you an offer like that."
"No, no, no." Yuuri shook his head, despite the fact the man on the other end of the line couldn't see. He felt the urge to facepalm at the misunderstanding. "Pios sent the request. But at the Grand Prix Finals, when I was talking to Viktor, he told me he'd ask the brand he works with to send me an offer to endorse their products. And he did it! Pios just emailed me!"
"But that's great!" proclaimed Celestino. "This'll do your image a lot of good, and give you more career opportunities."
Yuuri frowned. "That's the problem. I don't want to do it. I want to focus on being with my family more, and taking ballet classes and getting ready for competitions. It's the middle of the season! I can't get distracted with endorsement contracts now, and I don't want to be."
"Those are good reasons," Celestino conceded, "but you have to think a little further than that. Yuuri, most athletes use endorsement as a way to supplement their income. As long as you keep winning gold medals you'll be fine, but as soon as you start getting too old to skate, you'll be done for. Every sportsman has to face this reality. That's why you see soccer players and basketball endorsing various products. There are a lot of athletes who continue endorsing products even after they've retired from their sport, and they make a lot of money out of that."
"I don't need money," said Yuuri. "I skate because I like it, not because I want to be rich."
Celestino tutted, and he could imagine him shaking his head as he always did when he thought Yuuri was saying something stupid. "Boy, you may not want to be rich, but you'll want to support your family when you have a wife and kids. Maybe you'll be happy at a desk job somewhere after you've gotten too old to skate competitively, but if you want to live comfortably and take care of whoever you've settled down with, then getting an endorsement contract is a very good idea. You want to be friendly with brands and help them out now, so that when you've retired they'll be the ones returning the favour."
Supporting his family?
Yuuri tried to imagine it. Two kids, a boy and a girl, and a kind wife who could cook pork cutlet bowls. She would be a talented woman and a confident, graceful person that would be able to skate with him and would encourage their children to learn skating as well. He could see it. He'd be holding her hands while they were skating on an ice rink. She would have long, pale hair with blue eyes and she would skate beautifully…
… like Viktor did
Suddenly, the image of his fictional wife was replaced with Viktor, long-haired just as he had been in the Junior World Championship that had been held in Bulgaria. It was the young Viktor Yuuri had seen for the first time, the one that had truly awakened his love for skating.
"Yuuri? Are you there?" Celestino came into focus, increasingly loud in his ears.
Yuuri shook his head violently, trying to push the image of him skating with Viktor, holding hands with Viktor, out of his mind.
"Yes, I'm here."
"Good! I was worried for a moment there. So, will you be needing any help with this? Normally a manager would take care of it, but since you don't have one yet… I could just read it over and then tell you if it seems good or not, so you can know more before you decide if you want to do this."
The loudspeakers announced the next stop, Hasetsu.
Eager to leave, Yuuri stood up. "You'd do that? I don't really know a lot about the legal details of all of this."
Celestino laughed warmly. "Yuuri, you're not the first who has asked me for help. Most of the people I teach don't have managers because of the expense. I've often had to step in and help out. I'm not an expert, but I'll do my best."
"I'll forward the email to you, then."
"Yuuri?"
He shouldered his bag, straightening his glasses as the train groaned to a stop. "Yes?"
"Please think about it, Yuuri. The occasion to advertise for such an influential brand might never come again."
Yuuri paused, gripping his phone tightly and looking down at the floor.
You should sign up with Pios! I'll talk to them to get you signed up with them, that way we could do an advert together.
Would he? Yuuri stayed in place, mind racing.
Your first time could be with me.
Yuuri blushed, Viktor's words still engraved in his mind.
"I'll think about it," Yuuri finally said.