A few days had past since the coffee shop incident, everyone at the rink seemingly to be acting like they were walking on egg shells, a few were divided on the situation and tensions were high already with the Russian nationals approaching. Yuuri of course hated confrontation, he wanted to stay away from the brewing civil war with the ice rink as much as possible - he really didn't like shouting and arguing. Walking down the streets of St Petersburg, knowing Viktor was already threatening to cut his current tie to shreds if he wore it at the Russian nationals and he wouldn't care who watched, shopping for clothes wasn't his forte, phicit helped him (i.e. picked majority of his clothes) in Detroit or he'd simply go for what looked like it could cover his off season stomach. He had really not expected this...
"Your going to have to burn that jumper," Katrina taking Yuuri by the arm and heading to the nearest store, "and don't get me started on that tie you wore for interviews."
"Where are we going?" Yuuri frantic as the surprisingly strong 15 year old girl, whom had also appeared out of nowhere, dragged him along the pavement.
"To get you better clothes, I certainly cant let you be seen with that tie at the Russian nationals," Katrina marching into the store.
"What's wrong with my tie?" Yuuri glancing nerviously at the racks of shirts, pants and ties around him, he could feel the gaze of the staff members on him, probably wondering what he was doing in their store.
She sat the dazed Japanese skater down on one of the shoe section stools, her shopping bags either side of him, she chatted to a sales assistant in Russian before she disappeared among the racks.
"Seriously whats wrong with my tie," Yuuri had no idea what he had gotten himself into but he could't just get up and leave - he feared the petite silver haired girl would just drag him back then again she probably had the shop staff on her side by now. Just like Viktor, he could not say no, no matter how much he really should for the sake of his sanity.
A little while later she returned with the staff lady she had spoken to plus another member of staff who all had clothes in their arms.
"Dress up time!" Katrina sang, taking Yuuri's arm again and leading him to the dressing room area, which seemed to be completely deserted as if Katrina had privately booked it just for them, and throwing some clothes into his arms before pushing him into the nearest cubical, "shout if you need any help."
After a few minutes of some incoherent mumbling and sighing, Yuuri eventually and a little timidly stepped out of the changing cubical and a few of the staff, male and female, did a few double takes while Katrina simply squealed and jumped up and down - Yuuri tried to take it as a good sign and not a prank.
He did a double take of himself in the mirror, "wow," the youngest Nikiforov could work miracles. She had dressed him a blue blazer with matching pants, a white shirt, a skinny black tie, dark grey socks and leather oxfords.
She took his glasses off and pushed his hair back as well, smiling at her creation, "see this is what you need to wear to your next press conference."
Yuuri was having to squint without his glasses but he had to admit, it was liking going from a 2 to a 10 in comparison to his regular suit, and yet, "it's still me."
"Of course," Katrina smiling, resting her arm on his shoulder, "the outside might be new but it only highlights what was already there. Okay next outfit."
They ended up spending hours in that shop with Yuuri trying on so many different clothes, getting more and more surprised by the outfits Katrina had put together and at how hot he looked in them. And...he was actually having fun with Katrina at a task, ie clothes shopping, which he usually hated - he had completely forgotten about the coffee shop incident.
In fact she convinced him to go to another shop just a little way down from the previous shop, Katrina taking an amusing picture of them both with their numerous shopping bags as they walked down the St Petersburg streetand another with the flower crown snapchat filter and uploading onto her Instagram - Phichit liking it literally as soon as it was uploaded. Seeing her excited over clothes and playing with filters on her phone, not thinking about expectations or all the drama going on in her life - she looked her age for once. A regular 15 year old girl that loved shopping - A LOT.
Of course he hadn't mentioned the elephant in the room for obvious reasons. But his attempt to cover up such awkwardness he felt about the situation may not have been any better.
"You and Yurio seem close," Yuuri immediately regretted that as soon as he saw Katrina's brow arch, as if she daring daring him to continue in a 'you want to play that game?' fashion as she continued to look through racks of clothing. "I-I-I mean you two seem like really good friends."
"Well...we're the same age,we're both young figure skaters, we both like fashion and scary movies..." Katrina trying her hardest not to let her feelings for the Russian punk. Sure he was no Disney prince, Katrina was under no impression of him being perfect, Yuri could be rude and easily angered. But despite his flaws, she still liked him, he saw her beyond 'Viktor Nikiforov's sister' and she saw him beyond the 'Russian punk'. Like she could tell Yuuri that, she didn't want her brother involved or Yuri to find out how she felt - not only would it ruin their friendship but he could possibly be murdered by Viktor as well. "Is me having friends a bad thing?"
"N-n-no you can have as many friends as you want to," Yuri panicking, caught between flailing his arms around and bracing himself incase she hit him, his words also racing from his mouth in a similar fashion, "have hundreds of friends, you have as many as you like I'm sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to I'm really sorry," Yuuri now on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness.
Katrina simply laughed at his antics, "your so funny Yuuri," turning back to the clothes rack, lifting up a cornfield blue blazer. "I know it wasn't you fault Yuuri," stunning the Japanese man that was currently on his knees still with misleveled glasses and a confused look on his face, "if your being awkward because you think you stole my brother from me I have no ill intent towards you. I just kinda want to get to know you a little, find out what makes everyone talk about you." When she looked back at the disheveled Japanese man still on his knees with his glasses hanging off and a completion as pale as a ghost, he could see that there truly wasn't any ill intention or feelings of bad blood between them, "you are Yuuri Katsuki and that's all I'll view you as."
Yuuri was a little stunned at her maturity, she could of easily put so much blame on him for what happened last year - that he was the one Viktor had chosen over staying with her - and yet she didn't take the childish route to play the blame game. In fact here she was helping him shop for clothes, she wasn't gaining anything from helping him (except maybe charging everything to one of Victor's credit cards) and some people wouldn't help the person that stole their family away from them.
Yuuri sighed in relief and got to his feet, "hey," Katrina looking up at him again, "why don't you go find something you like too...my treat...as a little thank you for helping me today."
She looked taken back for a second, "umm ok," throwing the blue blazer over to yuri, she looked a little surprised at the offer but she didn't turn it down, heading to the women's section - yuri quickly following in the hopes of not losing her.
Soon enough he was the one waiting outside the dressing room in its little waiting area, he checked his phone to surprisingly find a bunch of texts from Yurio of all people.
What the hell are you doing Piggy with Kat!?!?!
Where are you two?!?!
Why are you two shopping?!?!
Answer me!!!
Looks like he saw the pictures on Instagram then and he wasn't happy that someone else was spending time with Katrina without him.
And wasn't jealous at all it seems. Not at all.
"Yuurrrrriiiiii," Katrina called from inside the dressing room, "I can't get the zipper, can you get the zip for meeeeeee?"
Why do Nikiforovs like to do this to him?
And Yurio may murder him.
Viktor may murder him.
Yurio would murder him twice...somehow.
Maybe he should go get a female sales assistant.
"Yuurrrriiiiii."
"Coming!"
Yurio was going to murder him.
He had a good run, won a silver world medal, got his degree, made quite a few friends, travelled the world, broke a world skating record, got (somehow) engaged to his idol, ate a lot of pork cutlet bowls. Phicit would throw him a good funeral at least.
Yuuri timidly pushed back the changing room curtain with his eyes forced closed, so he couldn't see a thing, with his arms straight out in front of him like some kind of thriller zombie.
"Don't be such a baby," Katrina not sure if she should smirk at the Japanese mans awkwardness or feel some kind of pity, "it's just a zipper, I managed to zip half of it but I can't get the last bit."
"Oh," so she wasn't trying to get him killed, "ok," Yuri timidly pulling the dress zip the last half up.
"Ta da," the petite Russian girl twirling around in the dress before stopping in front the Yuuri (NB: the dress in the picture is from the Elie Saab spring 2014 couture collection - designer mad russians), "what do you think? Cute yes?"
"Yes very cute," Yuuri was still recovering from his mini freak out of being possibly murdered by a gang of Russian skaters led by the Russian Punk, he was straight up astral projecting while his soul tried to find its way back to his body now it knew it wasn't in danger.
"Spasibo Yuuri," Katrina smiled, turned out she had the same heart shaped mouth smile as Viktor when she was happy, swishing the dress around a little, feeling the fabric of the dress between her fingers as she moved, testing the flow and movement of the dress.
"I'm sure Yurio will like it."
It took her 0.03 seconds to go from giddy happy on fashion to blushing red, deadly quiet and frozen to the spot like a statue.
Yuuri wasn't 100% sure how to undo what he had just said, so went to the default falling on to his knees and praying for forgiveness, "I'm so sorry I didn't mean...I'm sorry, is so sorry."
"Hey Yuuri," the Japanese skater looking up at the small silver haired girl, her fringe falling over her face, "can you see me yet?"
"Huh?" This had to be a trap. "Well yeah your standing right in front of me."
ITS A TRAP.
"I guess not then," Katrina sighed, turning to the mirror again and away from Yuuri, "Yuuri I need to take it off..."
"Oh yeah sorry, I'll be outside." Yuuri nearly left skid marks in the carpet from his fast he got out of that dressing room. What had she meant by seeing her? She had stood right there in front of him. He wasn't sure what she had quite meant by seeing her. Where all Russians this confusing? So very confused. So very very confused.
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"Oh Yuuri your back," Viktor smiling happily as Yuuri made an ungrateful, darn shopping bags being so awkward to carry and open a door simultaneously, entrance into Viktors flat. "I making Borscht for dinner tonight."
"Sounds good," Yuuri honestly didn't know what Broscht was but sometimes it's best not to ask, putting the bags down on the sofa.
"Yuuri," the bags catching Viktors eye, mostly because he recognised the shops they were from, "did you go shopping?"
"Err yeah."
"Without me!" Yuuri braced himself for puppy dogs eyes and pouting to instead get Viktors arms around his waist as the tall Russian peaked inside the bags, curious to see what was inside, "...these actually look decent...like actually fashionable. Awww did you finally pick up some taste from meeeeee."
'I'm kind of offended,' Yuuri thought to himself, it was kinda like an invisible blow to the gut; even though he really wasn't as style conscious as some people, Yuuri still at least wanted to be considered presentable. "Well actually....Katrina helped...me."
"Katrina? She helped you?"
Oh shizzle sticks....
"That must mean she still loves me!" Viktor was literally jumping for joy, bouncing around shouting 'Zamechatel'no!' like a giddy child told they were going to Disneyland. "She obviously loves me enough to not be seen with that suit in public!"
In Viktor logic, his relationship with his sister wasn't as shattered as he had feared, Viktor had a new goal in view to repair their relationship and have his sister back in huggable distance before the end of nationals.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about something..." Yuuri watching his exceedingly happy fiancé jumping around the apartment as he and Makkachin watched from a safe distance.