A/N: Next chapter might only be posted after my exams are over, mid-January.
.
.
.
Yuuri was walking his dog in one of Hasetsu's parks when suddenly his phone began ringing very loudly. His dog barked, standing up on his back legs and pawing at Yuuri's pocket.
"I've got it," he said, pushing Vicchan back down.
He brought his phone out, took a second to look at the name on the screen and then accepted the call.
"Hey Phichit," he said, seamlessly switching to English.
"Hello!" answered his friend, tone cheerful. "I just talked with Ciao Ciao and he told me you're going to endorse Pios! That's really amazing, Yuuri. Why didn't you tell me?"
Yuuri ran his fingers through Vicchan's fur, scratching along the dog's neck. "I only got the email yesterday. I've been busy catching up with my family and childhood friends." He frowned. "And I'm not even sure I'm going to endorse their products at all."
"Why not? I'd kill to have such a famous brand willing to sign a contract with me. Did you know they have Viktor Nikiforov endorsing them?"
Realizing this conversation might end up quite long, Yuuri tugged his dog towards a nearby bench.
"Of course I know," he said, "I read about it years ago in—"
"Riiiight, yeah. Viktor's number one fanboy. I totally forgot 'bout your obsession for a second." Phichit laughed.
Reddening, Yuuri sat down on the bench. "I'm not obsessed! He inspired me to become a skater—"
"More like inspires your wet dreams~"
"Phichit, can you please be serious for a moment?"
His dog sat down in front of him and lay his head on Yuuri's thighs, looking up at Yuuri with worried eyes. Yuuri didn't often speak with such a severe tone, and Vicchan could clearly sense something was wrong. To reassure his poodle, Yuuri began rubbing the side of Vicchan's head. The dog's tail started wagging almost immediately.
"Sorry. If you reacted less, it wouldn't be as funny and I wouldn't tease you as much, you know?"
Yuuri sighed. "I know you think it's funny, but it can be annoying. So please tone it down."
"It's just that if you sign with Pios they might have you do an advert with Viktor, since you're both skaters," explained Phichit. "And with what Chris Giacometti said about how Viktor behaved with you after the Grand Prix Final — "
"What do you mean?" asked Yuuri, his hand stilling on his dog's head.
"Well…" said Phichit, hesitant. "There was this interview with Chris, and he said that after you won gold, you and Chris and Viktor and another one of the skaters… the Chinese one, I think? Anyway, he said that you all skipped the banquet to go to some Russian restaurant, and apparently Viktor got really flirty with you or something — "
Yuuri spluttered. His poodle startled, surprised by the sudden noise.
"—so I'm thinking it could be interesting if you're both endorsing the same brand. I mean, judging by how often you talk about Viktor, I figure signing that contract with Pios could give you the opportunity to maybe get to know Viktor a bit better."
"Even if I do sign the contract, there's no guarantee I'll be doing an advertisement with Viktor."
The excuse sounded weak even to Yuuri. It didn't help that he was remembering Viktor's words from that evening in Sochi:
I'll talk to them to get you signed up with them, that way we could do an advert together.
He hadn't taken Viktor's statement seriously at the time, blaming it on the alcohol.
"Why else would they want to hire you?" asked Phichit, sounding genuinely confused. "They already have a figure skater endorsing their stuff, so if they have enough money to hire another athlete, they'd hire a tennis player or a basketball player to endorse some of their other sports products. Viktor is already endorsing all of Pios' skating products, so the brand doesn't really need a second skater to work for them unless they're planning on firing Viktor, which would be a dumb move. So obviously they're thinking of having you and Viktor together in ads. Two GPF winners skating together looks better than one person skating alone."
"You're really invested in this, aren't you?" asked Yuuri softly. "You sound as excited as if you received that proposal instead of me."
Phichit laughed. "Can you blame me? Getting a brand to notice you like that is a sign that you've made it, that you're popular. Not everyone is interested in endorsing, but even if someone isn't interested, they still know it's a good thing when companies want you in their ads." Making a sound of excitement, Phichit continued, "And isn't it cool? Pios is the first brand to notice you! You couldn't have done better if it was Nike or Adidas! Ahh, my little Yuuri is becoming a star!"
Yuuri snorted, petting Vicchan in a distracted way. The dog's tail was wagging furiously, happy to have his master back after Yuuri had spent most of his time in Detroit training with his coach and other skaters. While Detroit held fond memories of meeting Phichit and countless other kind people, Yuuri was glad to have returned to Japan to see his family, his childhood friends and of course his dog, Vicchan.
"I'm sure you'll be overtaking me any day now," he said reassuringly. "With those great jumps of yours, I bet you'll be the one winning gold next season."
"Wow," responded Phichit. "Victory sure has changed you, huh? Where are all these social skills coming from? Are all those interviews and talkshows teaching you how to please people?"
Yuuri shifted in place, biting the side of his cheek. "I was just being nice," he defended himself.
"I know that," said Phichit, "but a month ago you could barely deal with getting compliments without going completely red and mumbling. But now you're handling stuff much better than you used to. I think you're popularity is doing you some good."
Yuuri smiled. "Thank you."
"Oh and by the way, how's training going? You nervous about the Four Continents Championship?"
Vicchan was nearly falling asleep. The lack of activity and the way he was half laying on Yuuri's lap had the dog yawning and closing his eyes. Yuuri ran his fingers down the dog's side, brushing through any tangles he found. His dog was getting a bit old and age had sapped a lot of the energy of his youth. Yuuri feared the day his dog would succumb to old age. Just last month Vicchan had been taken to the vet for a check-up after he'd exhibited worrying symptoms, though luckily he'd made it out fine.
"It's been going well," said Yuuri. "But I'm a bit worried about the competition. I'm pretty sure Jean-Jacques Leroy will be competing too and he's really strong."
"He's the Canadian skater, right?" asked Phichit. "The one who ended up in fourth place at the Grand Prix Finals?"
Yuuri nodded, though a second later he remembered he was on the phone and Phichit couldn't see him, so he said, "Yeah. Apparently he got a small injury a few days before the competition. It healed, but without it he might have had a better score. He'll be hard to beat at the Four Continents."
There was a moment of silence, and then Phichit scoffed. Loudly. "Are you making a joke? You beat Viktor Nikiforov at the GPF! You beat the best of the best and you're worried about someone who made fourth place? Yuuri, I know you're self-confidence isn't great, but trust me when I tell you that you'll be awesome."
Yuuri could feel himself smiling, fondness welling up inside of him. Every day, he was thankful he'd met Phichit. The young man always knew what to say and when to say it, a skill Yuuri tended to lack more often than not.
"I can't wait to see you back in Detroit," said Yuuri, voice warm. "I missed training with you."
"It's weird to train without you," agreed Phichit, "but at least Ciao Ciao gives me more attention than he used without you there to take up all his time."
Yuuri rolled his eyes with a smile. "Celestino's my personal coach. But if you're seeing him even more, then I hope you'll have something to show for it when I get back."
"You bet! I've been working on my stamina so I can get better jumps at the end of my routine."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Yuuri's dog began to whine. Leaning forward to let the dog snuggle against the side of his face, Yuuri gave a little shhhh to calm Vicchan.
"Listen," he told Phichit, "I have to do something right now. How about we talk later?"
"Sure! Have a great day! Or is it night for you?"
Yuuri looked at the horizon, where a few barely noticeable rays of sunshine were still visible.
"It's early evening here. What time is it with you?"
Phichit gave a nervous laugh. "Technically it's early?"
It took a second for Yuuri to realize. "Do you mean you're awake in the middle of the night? The time difference is what, fourteen hours? Are you still awake at four in the morning? Phichit, you have take care of yourself more." His tone was full of worry.
"Hey, I'm a grown man," protested Phichit. "I can go to bed when I want."
Snorting, Yuuri stood up from the bench. "Not when you'll be falling asleep on the rink tomorrow. You shouldn't be calling me now — go to sleep."
Phichit whined. Even without being able to see Phichit, Yuuri could tell the noise was faked in order to make him back down.
"When did you get so assertive, Yuuri?" asked Phichit. "You're acting like my mother."
"Go to sleep, Phichit. And turn off your computer too. You need to be ready for class."
"So fussy," complained Phichit, though there was no heat behind his words. "See ya."
"Bye."
Yuuri hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. Vicchan started wagging his tail again, knowing he'd finally be able to resume his walk.
Yawning, Yuuri took a look around the park, noticing how empty it was. The sun was nearly gone, and by now most people would be at home instead of out in the cold.
He gripped Vicchan's leash tighter and said, "Come on, boy. Let's go home."
Vicchan barked, rubbing up against Yuuri's legs before pulling Yuuri towards the entrance of the park. Yuuri followed at a slow pace, sometimes pulling his dog away from distractions. If Vicchan found an interesting scent, he could spend an eternity inspecting it, which Yuuri wasn't willing to wait around for at the moment.
As they walked home, Yuuri took the time to think about the offer Pios had made. It was, as Celestino and Phichit had both told him, a very interesting offer for an athlete that had only won gold once, where there were better athletes to choose from. Granted, Pios hadn't mentioned how much they might pay him so their offer would be much less tempting if the amount of money offered was too low for Yuuri to accept. Yuuri was new at this and didn't even have a manager to handle the details for him, so it was possible Pios might try to take advantage and underpay him.
It didn't matter. Yuuri trusted Celestino to handle the situation.
What did worry Yuuri, however, was the issue of time.
He wasn't a genius when it came to ice skating and he compensated by working harder and for a longer amount of time. He didn't have much free time left. As it was, he struggled to juggle practice hours, his studies and keeping in contact with friends and family. If he added an endorsement deal on top of that, he'd end up burnt out very quickly.
Accepting to endorse Pios was a great career opportunity, but did Yuuri even have the time to spare?
Yuuri groaned, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and Vicchan stopped, looking up at his master inquisitively.
They were in the middle of a street in the residential area, full of beautiful houses with pristine gardens. Yuuri knew, without having to check, that most people living in those houses were probably elderly. Hasetsu's population was growing older every year, with young people leaving for the city in increasingly large numbers. Tourism wasn't as great as it once was, and Yuuri knew his parents were genuinely worried about perhaps needing to close their business if things didn't get better.
One positive thing Yuuri's victory at the Grand Prix Final had brought was the fact that tourism in Hasetsu had improved lately, something Minako-sensei and his mother had told him about yesterday. When he'd arrived, he'd noticed the difference too, with a lot more people in souvenir shops or in front of monuments. Hasetsu's population was still declining dangerously, but at least business had improved a bit.
Yuuri hadn't even known about how bad things had been going. After all, he'd been gone for five years, and before leaving Japan all he'd noticed was that a lot of businesses in Hasetsu had been forced to close down throughout his childhood. He hadn't even worried about his family, sure something like that Would never happen to Yutopia. It was only yesterday when he'd spoken with his father that the man had admitted how glad he was that Yuuri had won the Grand Prix, thus increasing global interest in Hasetsu, the hometown of a gold-medalist. The man had told Yuuri that if things had continued as they had, he would've had to close down the business in a few years to avoid crippling debt. Now the business was apparently doing very well.
Yay.
Yuuri sighed, feeling increasingly guilty. He'd gone to Detroit without thinking much about his family, and had abandoned them to a bad situation. If he'd been a better son, he would have stayed with them to put their needs before his and help with the business. But his dreams had taken precedence. Yuuri didn't regret it - figure skating was everything to him, and he would have been miserable doing anything else. But he still felt guilty knowing his sister had let go of her dreams of studying at a university in Tokyo just to help with the family business.
And now, there was a possibility for signing a contract to endorse Pios products. It would eat up even more of his time, making it harder for him to visit his family. But at the same time, extra money couldn't hurt. He could use it to help his parents if the situation worsened.
Choices, choices…
-x-x-x-
Yuuri's victory at the Four Continents Championship felt almost… uneventful. And how could it not be? He'd won at the Grand Prix Final against Viktor Nikoforov, the world champion. Next to that, the Four Continents Championship didn't count for much, especially considering Europeans weren't allowed to attend. At this point, only a competition with Viktor in it would manage to make Yuuri's anxiety appear.
However, if there was one notable thing to say about the Four Continents Championship, it was the fact that winning gold for the second time in a row had really bolstered Yuuri's self-confidence, which came in handy today as Yuuri watched yet another one of the competitors of the World Championship perform their free program.
There were only twenty-four skaters performing their free program out of the thirty that had been there at the beginning of the competition. Six skaters hadn't been allowed to continue after the short program, while those that had been qualified were performing today.
Yuuri was among those that had passed. Unlike the Grand Prix Final, he'd ended up in second place for the short program, and was now hoping that his performance for the free program would help him obtain enough points to win a gold medal. It helped that this competition was held in Japan, Yuuri's home country. Knowing he was so close to Hasetsu gave him a boost of confidence.
"Nervous?" asked Celestino, coming up next to Yuuri to also watch the screen showing the latest skater, a Swedish man with a lot of talent for sophisticated spins, perform his program.
"A little," admitted Yuuri. He'd been much more anxious a few hours ago, but a video call to his family had helped settle his nerves. Seeing his sister holding Vicchan up towards the laptop camera for him to see and seeing his parents' proud smiles had really helped him feel better.
Celestino put an arm around Yuuri's shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "Just remember to focus on your technique. You have a lot of endurance so you don't need to pace yourself as much as other skaters, so focus on keeping your technique flawless. You won gold at the GPF and the Four Continents, and I know you can win here too."
Yuuri gave a small smile. "Thanks, coach." The man's fatherly behaviour never ceased to endear him to Yuuri.
Celestino squeezed Yuuri's shoulder one last time before letting go and taking a step back. "Sorry, but I need to go to the restroom. Don't worry — I'll be back well before it's your turn, so I won't miss your performance."
Yuuri nodded. "You don't need to hurry. I'm one of the last ones who'll be skating anyway, so you have time."
With a thumbs up aimed at Yuuri, Celestino left.
Alone once more, Yuuri focused on the screen, ignoring the strangers around him in favour of analyzing the performance of the Swedish skater, who seemed to be doing badly. The man had already fallen once, and though he'd continued on admirably, he'd made enough mistakes for Yuuri to know he wouldn't end up anywhere near the top three.
Usually, Yuuri avoided watching his competitors skate because it only served to make him anxious, but ever since the Grand Prix Final, it seemed he had found some measure of inner peace and confidence that had been missing until then.
His anxiety wasn't gone and he doubted he would ever completely overcome it, but it had notably diminished.
Just as the scores of the Swedish man appeared on the screen, two arms wrapped themselves around Yuuri's waist in a hug from behind.
"Yuuri~~"
Nuzzling against Yuuri's cheek, Viktor smiled widely.
As soon as he heard the familiar voice, Yuuri's eyes widened and he tensed up.
"V-Viktor?!" he exclaimed, trying to pull himself out of the man's grip before he combusted from the breach of personal space. Unfortunately, Viktor's arms were as hard as steel, and the man himself didn't seem inclined to let go. "What are you doing?!"
"I came to congratulate you on your short program! It was very impressive," the man purred, making Yuuri turn even redder.
"It wasn't that good," answered Yuuri, nervously trying to extricate himself from the hug. "I only ended up in second place. Y-you did much better." Embarrassed by his stutter, he took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to calm his anxiety.
Viktor let go of him and Yuuri stumbled forward, glad to be free, only to nearly have a heart attack when Viktor just grasped Yuuri's shoulder to forcefully spin him around until they were face to face. Viktor leaned in, his face centimeters away from Yuuri's.
"I upgraded my routines since the Grand Prix, Yuuri, so I'll be expecting you to do your best with your free skate to beat me, okay?"
Viktor's eyes were… very blue. And very, very close.
"O-okay."
Viktor beamed, his whole face lighting up like the sun.
He leaned back with a happy sigh, looking Yuuri over. "Ever since I got that gold medal, I've been practicing for the moment we'd be competitors again. I hope you'll make me work for that medal again."
When Yuuri didn't say anything in response, Viktor clapped his hands excitedly, unfazed by Yuuri's lack of enthusiasm, and changed the subject:
"So, have you received a letter from Pios yet?"
Yuuri blinked. "You mean the email? Yes, I did."
Viktor's smile widened. "Wonderful! Have you already signed the contract?"
"Uhhh… no?" Yuuri's voice cracked a bit at the end and Viktor's face fell.
"What? Why not? Are you still discussing fees and other details with them?"
Yuuri's figure had grown hunched and he was shying away from Viktor, unwilling to face the man's disappointment. "No… I had my coach talk with them to see what they were willing to offer, and they are being very generous, but I don't think it's my kind of thing. I'll probably call them to turn down their offer in a few days, when I have more time."
The look of devastation on Viktor's face made Yuuri wince. He hadn't known Viktor would care that much.
"But why? I talked to Pios and I told them they should give you favourable rates and and compensation! Why would you turn something like that down?"
Yuuri squirmed under Viktor's intense gaze.
"I… I just don't think it's that interesting? And I'd rather spend my time skating and training?" The fact that it sounded more like a question than a confident declaration didn't help his case.
"But it'd be so interesting! I even asked them if we could film a commercial together and they said yes!"
The idea of filming an advertisement with his idol made Yuuri's face blanch.
"I'd rather not."
Yuuri turned to focus on the screen showing the ongoing competition, blatantly showing his desire to end the conversation.
"Come on! It'll be so much fun! They pay super well, and I could help you with some of those moves that were causing you trouble in your short program."
Yuuri shook his head, uncomfortable with Viktor's persistence. "... No."
"Pleeeease? I had to work hard to convince Pios this would be a good idea. And didn't you say you wanted an endorsement deal, that evening after the Grand Prix?"
"I. Don't. Want. To. Do. It," said Yuuri, irritation beginning to shine through.
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleeeease? For me?" The man pouted, batting his eyelashes.
"No!"
Yuuri tried to focus on the screen, but Viktor was being too distracting.
"Please do it?"
"No!"
But Viktor refused to let it go. He continued needling Yuuri, continuously harassing the young man despite the repeated refusals until…
"Please sign that contract?"
"Okay, I'll do it! Just leave me alone!" Yuuri shouted, his temper getting the best of him.
Immediately after, his eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth, shocked at how rude he'd been to Viktor Nikiforov of all people.
And then he realized what he'd just said, and turned to Viktor, who was wearing quite the smug smile.
The man gave a wave. "Okay, Yuuri, see you for that joint advertisement!"
Yuuri watched Viktor walk away, mind blank with the knowledge that Viktor had just shamelessly manipulated him into saying yes.
Sliding down to the grown, Yuuri's shoulders slumped.
"Ughhh…" he groaned.
"Yuuri?" asked a voice.
Yuuri looked up and saw a worried-looking Celestino.
"What are you doing on the floor?" asked the man, eyebrows raised.
Yuuri just shrugged helplessly.