"I know that I had originally been planning on waiting another year or two before retiring, but, I just feel like I'm ready to be done. Maybe I'll return after a year long break? I don't know. I just know that I want to go back to Hasetsu for a while. I know that I go every year, but those visits are too brief. I miss home," Yuuri told Phichit, Celestino and Minako. He was 27 now. He had won the Grand Prix Final 5 times in a row, and honestly, being on the top was starting to get exhausting. His anxiety meds weren't a cure all, and being one of the best figure skaters in the world was a lot of pressure. Yuuri could tell that soon enough, the pressure would start to overwhelm him, and Yuuri had learned that beating the storm was always the best option when it came to his anxiety. So, returning home would be a wonderful opportunity to relax and see his family and Vicchan.
"The banquets will be so much more dull without you though!" Phichit said.
"You know, Phichit, you could always find someone else to give copious amounts of champagne to. I don't have to be the drunk idiot, someone else can take my place," Yuri said exasperatedly.
Celestino, who somehow always managed to avoid the banquets, was puzzled, asking, "Do I even want to know what kind of idiotic things you two ended up doing?"
"No," Yuuri and Phichit said simultaneously. Both of them dreaded the day when their coach would inevitably find out about their Grand Prix Final banquet tradition. First, Yuuri would swear that he would only have some restraint and keep himself to one glass of champagne, and then Phichit would look at him dubiously with a glint in his eyes. Then, they would go to the banquet and Phichit would keep on giving glasses of champagne to Yuuri, and Yuuri would idiotically accept them. Phichit would stop meddling once Yuuri was drunk, but often times Yuuri's drunk self had poor judgement. Occasionally he had some restraint and could remember the events of the banquet the next morning, but often times Yuuri drank so much champagne that he would wake up in his hotel room the next morning with no memories of the previous night, only hoping that he didn't do anything too humiliating.
"And Yuuri, if you leave now, the debate will never be settled!" Phichit exclaimed.
"What debate?" Yuuri said.
"Ever since you rose to the top, there's been a raging debate on whether you were really hot, or really adorable. And then there's the group that I'm a part of that says, why not both! But, if you leave now, the debate will never be settled and the figure skating fandom will tear each other into pieces," explained Phichit.
"I'm going to just going to believe that you're making this all up, okay?" Yuuri sighed.
"Oh, Phichit's definitely not making it up. Moving on, if you're going back to Hasetsu, so am I, Yuuri," Minako told him, then, when Yuuri started to protest, said, "I came over here when you realized that Celestino's choreographer just wasn't a good fit for your style, and you suggested to Celestino that I come and choreograph for you, and maybe teach his students ballet. It has been amazing choreographing for you and some of the other skaters, and watching you learn how to choreograph yourself. And more so than that, it's been amazing being able to see all the skating events in person! But I've been thinking for some time that I should go back to Hasetsu and re open up the dance studio. I've loved every second of choreographing, but I think it's time for both of us to get back home. Celestino, if any of your students ever need help with choreography, you know how to reach me, but in general, I think it's time for me to revitalize the dance scene in Hasetsu!"
"I guess that's your choice Minako-sensei," Yuuri sighed, looking like he wanted to argue, but thinking better of it.
"So are you going to leave right away or once the season finishes out," Celestino asked.
"I'll probably go home after worlds," replied Yuuri with a shrug.
"Oh ho, getting cocky here, aren't you, Yuuri? Just assuming that you're going to get to worlds automatically? Like you don't have to get through Nationals and Four Continents first? I think that the fame is finally getting to your head. I was starting to wonder when that would happen," Phichit teased.
Yuuri just gave Phichit a Look™ , and told him, "Dude, I know for a fact that you've been assuming that you'll get to worlds as well, and the entire figure skating world both expects and assumes that you and I will make it to worlds with as much effort as it takes to breathe."
"Okay you've got a point," Phichit conceded. They had been on top of the figure skating world for so long that everyone seemed to just assume that they always would be, until they got injured or too old for the sport.
"Of course I do," Yuuri said.
Suddenly Phichit tackled Yuuri in a hug, saying, "Man, I'm going to miss you when you're in Hasetsu."
"Well, for one, you can always visit me while I'm there. I mean, it's not like we're short on space, and we'll keep in touch. I know that you'll make sure of that. Even when we're just seperated for a week due to competitions, you make us skype fifty million times. Also, when it comes to competing at least, you will not miss me in the slightest, and you know it!" Yuuri told Phichit.
"Oh, you know that we're going to skype as many times as our schedules allow! How else am I going to know that you're alive! Because we all know that your instagram is more dead than the dinosaurs. Seriously, I've tried so hard to teach you my social media ways, and you pay my lessons absolutely no heed. You have millions of followers who follow in vain hopes of you just posting a mere selfie. But do you do that simple task? No. And oh wow, I might be able to get gold for once with you gone! Like, I can't believe how many silver medals I have thanks to you. And I know that everyone says that in the era of living legend figure skater, Yuuri Katsuki, a silver may as well be a gold, but it'd be nice to have some variation in the colors of my medals!" Phichit rambled.
Yuuri just smirked and replied, "Or you might end up getting bronze. That'd end up varying the colors of your medals as well."
"Oh shut up," Phichit said.
"Ahem, since you two still have to get ready for your national competitions, I suggest you two actually practice instead of making fun of eachother?" Celestino chimed in.
"Okay Celestino," Yuuri said and went to put on his skates, Phichit following him.
~~~
Victor could accept that he had gotten last in the Grand Prix Final. It was, after all, his first time making it to the final, and there was only so much you can hope for. Sure, Victor was disappointed that he hadn't done better, disappointed that he had done so well in his short program only to come crashing down during the free program. Sure, Victor was disappointed that he hadn't been able to shut his mind off and concentrate during his free program, and disappointed when Yakov looked at him with pity, and when Yuri couldn't stop glowering. Victor was disappointed yes, but he could accept that he had gotten last.
However, there were some things that Victor couldn't bring himself to accept. That he couldn't make himself acknowledge to be a reality. Because right now, reality seemed far too harsh and cruel for him to care to acknowledge. Maybe if he could convince himself that this wasn't reality, then she would come back. Yup, this wasn't a reality. His dog was not dead and his coach was not trying to lecture him into returning to practice. He'll wake up from this nightmare tomorrow and see Makkachin at the foot of his bed, right?
"Vitya, are you still with me?" Yakov asked, used to Victor randomly spacing out when he called him.
"Unfortunately, yes," Victor sighed.
"Look, Vitya, I'm sorry that Makkachin died, and it was very unfortunate timing, with it being during the Grand Prix Final. I really am sorry, and I can recognize that you needed some time off, and I hope that that time did you some good. However, you haven't been to the rink in over a week. Russian Nationals are coming up, and you need to prepare. You must do well at Nationals if you are to eventually get to, and succeed, at Worlds, do you hear me? You need to be at the rink tomorrow!" Yakov lectured.
"Ugh," Victor whined in reply. He didn't want to deal with this. Not now, not ever. Couldn't Yakov just let him mourn in peace?
"I'm serious about this. I know that you loved Makkachin, but you can't throw away your career because of this," Yakov said, his tone steadily growing harsher.
Victor thought that he was right to want to have a longer grieving period before returning to skating, but knowing that Yakov would soon start screaming, he said, "I'll try to be there tomorrow."
"Thank you Vitya, I'll see you there at 6," Yakov told him.
"6! How can you be so cruel to me! I know that I need to make up for lost time, but that is just cruel, Yakov! Maybe I'm better off just not coming back ever," Victor groaned, but there was nobody to hear it, for Yakov, used to Victor's melodramatics, had already hung up.
"You know, what you could do to get out of your slump?" Mila asked Victor when she came into the rink.
"What?" said Viktor.
"Okay you know how much we used to love imitating Yuuri's routines when we were both super young skaters so Yakov wouldn't care as much about what we did, and wouldn't yell at us as much," Mila said.
"Ah, the good old days," Victor sighed.
"I know right! Anyways, what if you try that again. You used to love learning skating by copying Yuuri's routines, and seeing that you're still a massive fanboy, you would probably still enjoy it. And you haven't been to practice in over a week! That's so unlike you, you can normally barely take a single rest day because you love being on the ice so much, Victor! I know that you're still bummed about the Grand Prix Final, and understandably so. And I know how much you miss Makkachin and I'm so sorry for your loss, but maybe if you rekindle your love for skating by doing some of Yuuri's routines, you'll at least be a little bit happier? I know how much you've loved Yuuri's Stammi Vicino routine this year, maybe you can do that one? Or at least, I'm assuming you love it because you have five posters from that routine alone," Mila said with a smirk.
"Milaaaa, shut up," Victor whined.
"Hey, it's not like it isn't true. You have absolutely no subtlety when it comes to your crush."
"It's not a crush, it's just, admiration."
"This goes beyond admiration, admit it."
"I'm not going to admit to something that isn't even true in the first place!"
"Okay I'm not even going to deign to try to respond to that because either you're in denial, you're just being idiotic, or you're embarrassed. I'm going to go with the latter, and just so you know, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Well over half of the skating world has a crush on him. Anyways, think about what I said, I really think that you should try copying Stammi Vicino."
"I'll think about it, but I can't guarantee anything. Besides, I think I'll have to wait until at least nationals is over, because I'm pretty sure Yakov would skin me alive if I dared to practice anything other than my short program, free skate, and any other hellish drills he throws at me."
"Okay that's probably true, and speaking of that, we should probably start practicing our routines before Yakov notices and yells at us," Mila said, turning away to skate her short program, and Victor soon followed, trying to practice his jumps, but growing increasingly frustrated as he missed landing after landing.
~~~
Yuuri, of course, ended up winning Japan's nationals, and went on to win Four Continents and Worlds. It was at the interview after Worlds that The Question was asked. "Katsuki, what are your plans for the upcoming season?" an interviewer asked.
Yuuri glanced at Phichit, sitting next to him with a silver medal slung around his neck, wondering whether he should tell the interviewers now or wait. Phichit gave an encouraging smile and nudged him a bit, so Yuuri said, "Well, the one thing I know for certain is that I'm not going to be competing next year."
At those simple words, chaos broke out. Everybody in the general vicinity started shouting out, whether in a positive or negative way, Yuuri couldn't tell. Finally, an interviewer yelled, "Be quiet everyone!" When a hush fell over the room, she continued, "So, why are you deciding to retire? Is it age? Is it a minor injury? Have you stopped loving the sport? What's caused this?"
Yuuri took three deep breaths and then responded to the onslaught of questions with, "First of all, I wouldn't call this retiring. I'm just taking a year long break. After that break, I'll decide what the future has in store for me. Secondly, it isn't anything like the reasons you've been listing. My age hasn't gotten in the way of my skating yet, and I don't have any injuries. I don't even think that it's possible to stop loving figure skating at this point. It's been my entire life for the past 20 years, and I don't think I could ever fully leave it. It means too much to me at this point. The only thing that's truly caused my wish to take a break from competition is that I miss my home. I've been fortunate enough to visit at least once a year, but that's not the same as actually living there. I've lived on the ice and haven't done much else for a great majority of my life, and I just think it's time to go home and live my life without the weight of competition for a while. Right now I just really want to go back home and see my family and the lovely town of Hasetsu, and eat my mother's katsudon."
"How likely is it that you'll return to figure skating in one way or another," another interviewer asked.
"Like I said earlier, I don't think I could ever truly leave the ice. It's too much of an ingrained part of who I am. So I'm sure you'll see more of me at some point, I'm just not quite sure when," Yuuri replied, wondering why interview questions always had to be so repetitive, "Now, Phichit, I think that Celestino is trying to tell us that it's time for us to be on our way, right?"
"Um, of course! Sorry, we've got to go! You know how coaches are," Phichit added with a shrug as Yuuri and Phichit started to move away from the interview as quickly as possible. Celestino had not in fact been waiting for them. It was a well known protocol in the figure skating world that when you really wanted to be done with an interview, you pretend that your coach is making you leave.
~~~
"Stop sobbing over Katsuki's retirement already you idiot. I thought you would be done with this moping after you bombed nationals and finished for the season, but here you are again, being a melodramatic piece of shit all over again!" Yuri Plisetsky griped.
"Can't you let me mourn!" Victor cried. He had just finished rewatching Yuuri's interview for the 5th time, and he was in a state of shock. He supposed that Yuuri had every right to retire, but he still couldn't imagine skating without Yuuri in the sport.
"No."
"He won't skate! Ever again! Don't you understand! How can he rob the world by not letting us see his beautiful skating!"
"Oh shut up, he said one year. You can handle not seeing any new routines from him for one year. It's not like you won't still see him everyday with all those disgusting posters of him plastered around your room."
"Still, it won't be the same as seeing his new routines and watching all his interviews and knowing that I might be able to compete against him!"
"Dude, you did compete against him and you completely blew it."
"Ugh, I know that my pain and my failures bring you joy somehow, but please refrain from reminding me!"
"Also, you do realize that now that he's retiring, or temporarily taking a break or whatever bullshit he's calling this, he can make good on what he promised us, right?"
"Oh my god thank you so much Yura!" Victor exclaimed, attempting to pull Yuri into a hug to no avail. "I had completely forgotten about that! Or, I guess I didn't forget, I just thought that he wasn't being serious, considering how drunk he was when he promised."
"It doesn't matter whether he was being serious, does it? A promise is a promise whether you're drunk as hell when you make said promise or not. He made that promise, and I expect him to fulfill said promise."
"I know that I probably shouldn't listen to you, considering that you're 15 and have no moral compass, but, screw it. Maybe he's even expecting us to come, since he's announced that he's retiring! This is going to be so awesome! We need to find some plane tickets to Japan!"
"Why am I not surprised that you're so eager to leave? I never should have even mentioned this to you, I should've just left."
"OH! Also I've been working on something since nationals and I need to record it before we leave, is that okay?"
"Yeah, fine, whatever. As long as you never talk to me about whatever it is and just leave me free to ignore your idiocy. I know that it'll just end up being the most extra thing in existence, knowing you."
"It's only mildly extra, I would say? And since when did you willingly pay attention to anything I've ever done?"
"Never. And one more thing, make sure to book us separate flights. There is no way that I'm spending a 13 hour flight stuck with you."
~~~
Yuuri honestly couldn't believe that he was going back home. Despite planning it for months, it still doesn't seem real. The thought of not having the world's eyes constantly on him, the thought of not having any competitions to revolve his time around. The thought of being able to catch up with his family on the past 9 years that he's missed. The thought of seeing Yuuko, Takeshi and the triplets. God, the triplets must be so old now. The thought of having his mother's katsudon, because no matter how many times he tried to replicate it, it was never as good as his mother's. The thought of going to the beach. The thought of going to Ice Castle. It was all brilliant. Yuuri hadn't really realized how much he missed home until he started considering going back for a while.
Of course, he would miss Phichit like crazy while in Hasetsu. Ever since Phichit arrived in Detroit, became his roommate, and had wormed his way into Yuuri's life and refused to budge, thus becoming Yuuri's friend, they had been joined at the hip. Interviewers and fans alike would often try to fan rumors that there was an intense and bitter rivalry between the two of them, and it would make more sense if there was, rather than a ridiculously close friendship, but when they first started becoming friends, they promised each other that they wouldn't let competition get between them, and had stuck with it ever since. Yuuri wasn't the type to back out of promises. Therefore, it would be quite the change to go from seeing Phichit every day to maybe two or three times a week through skype if they were lucky. They would, of course still end up texting constantly, and Yuuri was sure that their friendship would be unscathed, but he would still miss Phichit like hell when he couldn't see him in person every day.
And Celestino. Yuuri owed so much to Celestino, it was unreal. It was Celestino who had been his coach for the majority of his career. It was Celestino who saw how Yuuri struggled to keep his nerves under control during his first competition with Celestino as his coach, and advised him to see a doctor. The doctor diagnosed Yuuri, gave him anxiety meds, and recommended he see a therapist. The meds and the therapy helped Yuri an intangible amount. Although Yuuri thinks that he may have still been able to succeed in figure skating without them, he was ridiculously glad that he didn't have to, and that he had learned how to manage his anxiety, instead of his anxiety crushing him. It was also Celestino who listened when Yuuri said that Celestino's go to choreographer didn't work for him, and automatically sought out Minako. It was Celestino who continued coaching Yuuri even once he was out of college, and never failed to encourage him. It was Celestino who managed to care for both Yuuri and Phichit despite their antics, and never showed any favoritism. Celestino had done so much for him and for his career, and Yuuri could never thank him enough. Yuuri could never hope for a better coach, and it pains him to think of how much he'll miss Celestino and Phichit both when he's away in Hasetsu.
Yuuri didn't know how he would ever survive without Celestino and Phichit, but he guessed that he would have to figure out how to, because today was the day that he was heading home with Minako to Hasetsu.
"Hey, shouldn't we start heading over to the airport? Your flight is in four hours," Phichit told him.
"Oh, right, I guess we should," Yuuri reluctantly agreed. Despite being excited to return home, he still dreaded going to the airport. The airport would be the last time he would see Phichit and Celestino for who knows how long. The airport would mean going home, but it would also mean figuring out how to live without competitive figure skating. The airport would mean leaving what had been his life for the past 20 years, and trying to figure out who he was beyond figure skating. In other words, the airport was terrifying.
"It's going to be alright," Phichit reassured, giving Yuuri a hug. "Everything's going to work out in the end."
"Thanks Phichit," Yuuri said.
"Now come on, we're supposed to be meeting Minako and Celestino in the airport in another hour and there's only so fast that public transit is going to be," Phichit told him.
"Yeah, you're right. Let me just grab my suitcase," Yuuri said, quickly going to his former bedroom and getting it.
"I still don't know how you fit all your stuff into one suitcase," Phichit said.
"Well, the only really big stuff is my furniture, and it's not like I'm going to take that with me. So it was really just clothes, skates, some books and costumes, my laptop and charger, and that's about it. Plus, the suitcase is massive. I still can't believe that you take one of a similar size for every competition," said Yuuri, knowing of Phichit's penchant for over packing with random crap that he wouldn't need.
"I'm going to be the rational person here, and say that it's due to magic," Phichit said, ignoring Yuuri when he rolled his eyes.
As they made their way to the airport, Yuuri asked, "Why did we stay in that run down apartment for so long? We got that thing as soon as I was out of college, we definitely could've afforded a nicer one."
"Well it was close to the rink, and you're hella frugal, and I grew attached to the poor thing. Plus, they allowed hamsters. Do you know how hard it is to find an apartment that allows hamsters?"
"Okay true. And yes, I do know. We looked at maybe 15 different apartments before we found one that allowed hamsters and then you automatically decided that we were getting it. But I'm still convinced that they only allowed hamsters because they figured that they couldn't do any more damage than the rats."
"I still don't know how that building passed inspections. "
"It'll forever be a mystery that I definitely don't want to solve, but still, I'll miss the place."
"Me too."
"Wait, Phichit, what do you mean 'me too'?"
"Oh, well, I was going to surprise you..."
"Tell me right now, Chulanont. You know that you can't keep secrets from me, namely because you can't keep secrets from the entire world, thanks to your instagram account."
"Well, once the lease is up, I'm moving back home too!"
"What!"
"I couldn't just stay in Detroit without you, Yuuri. Our apartment wouldn't feel the same. It'd feel so empty! I don't say this to make you feel guilty or anything, I think that it's really good for you to be going home, you deserve a break! But, I knew that I couldn't stay in Detroit, and now seemed as good a time as any to go back to Thailand."
"Wait, you'll still be competing, right?"
"Oh of course. You know that this is my chance to get gold and that I'm not giving it up for anything! But yeah, Celestino agreed to come with me to Thailand. The language will kill him, but oh well."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me sooner!"
"Oh I had this great plan and everything. You see, Japan is only 2 hours ahead of Thailand, instead of the painful 13 hours for Detroit, which is another advantage of moving back home, and so then I was going to call you at a time that would be obscenely late in America but normal in Thailand and then you would've freaked out, and then I would've explained. It would've been beautiful. But then you had to go and ruin it."
"I ruined it? If I recall correctly, you were the one who said that you would also be missing the apartment."
"Hush. That's just a technicality. Hush. Hush."
"Well, I'm excited for you nonetheless! Say hi to your little sister for me!"
"I'm so excited to see her in person again! I know that I visit pretty regularly, but it's still not the same. And I'll definitely make sure to say hi to Apinya for you if you tell Mari hi from me!"
"You do realize how much Mari hates you, right?"
"She doesn't hate me, she just doesn't appreciate my enthusiasm."
"Especially when your enthusiasm wakes her up at god forsaken hours of the morning."
"That was one time!"
"And she's held it against you ever since. I'll still tell her hi from you though. If she murders you, my blood is on your hands."
"Fair enough, now come on, it's our stop to get off!" Phichit said, pulling Yuuri out of their little bubble and into reality. A reality where he was boarding a plane and going halfway across the world.
They got off the bus and into the airport, where Minako and Celestino were waiting for them by baggage check in. Thankfully there didn't appear to be any horrendous lines.
"Ready to go, kid?" Minako asked Yuuri.
"As ready as I can be, I guess," he replied as they quickly checked their bags.
"Well, we can't go with you through the security line, I guess this is where we leave you," Celestino told him and Minako.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Bye, Celestino, thank you so much for everything! I couldn't have gotten nearly as far as I did without you, so thank you. I'll miss you," Yuuri said, giving Celestino a hug.
"I'll miss you too. And don't give yourself so little credit! Does the self deprecation jar have to make a comeback?" Celestino chided.
"No, it doesn't," Yuuri huffed, remembering how in his first few years as Celestino's student, he would have to put a quarter in a jar every time he said something self deprecating.
"You've been an absolutely incredible student. Know that if you ever need anything, just call me. Also, if you'd like, the offer will always stand for you to be my assistant coach," Celestino said.
"Thanks! And Phichit, I'll miss you so so so much, I could never hope for a better best friend and I don't know what I'll do without you!" Yuuri said as he was tackled in a hug by Phichit.
"I'll miss you as well! Don't you dare ever ignore my texts and we have to skype as often as possible! I'll make sure to keep you updated on my hamsters, but you have to keep me updated on your houseplants. Those things must have superpowers though, they never died during any competitions," Phichit told him.
"The only rational explanation," Yuuri chuckled. "Minako, even if you're coming with me, still, thank you for everything. You really didn't have to uproot your life just to help me out, I'm so grateful."
"I didn't have to, but I wanted to," Minako reminded him, "It was my pleasure, truly."
Yuuri then noticed that Phichit was still hugging him like an octopus, "Phichit, I have to go in the security line, you're going to have to let go of me."
Phichit disentangled himself, and they all called their goodbyes. Celestino and Phichit left, and Minako and Yuuri waited in the security line. Yuuri definitely did not cry when he noticed that Phichit and Celestino were out of view. Definitely didn't. Just like how Minako definitely didn't have tissues stashed in her purse, knowing that this would inevitably happen.
~~~
When Yuuri got off the train and stepped into Hasetsu Station and parted with Minako, who was heading back to her own home, he honestly couldn't decide whether to run to the onsen and try to get there as quickly as possible, or to take his time and stroll through Hasetsu. As much as Yuuri would've liked to get back to the onsen quickly, his exhaustion from a 13 hour flight outweighed his wish to get home. So he strolled through the streets of Hasetsu, the quiet chatter of people out and about mingling with the sound of birds, which came from the blossoming cherry trees. He was stopped a couple of times for autographs, which though a hassle, he gave out with a smile, remembering how Minako always lectured him to treat his fans kindly, and before he knew it, he was at the entrance of Yu-topia Akastuki.
"Hi, I'm home," Yuuri called when he entered. He was immediately greeted by excited yipping coming from one caramel colored furball of joy. "Aki! I missed you so much!" Yuuri exclaimed, going to pet his toy poodle and not even noticing that Mari had come to the entrance.
"What am I, chopped liver?" Mari asked after letting Yuuri have his moment with Aki.
"Mari! I didn't hear you come in!" Yuuri said, running to greet his sister.
"Obviously," Mari scoffed. "Come on, Mom and Dad are in the kitchen preparing for dinner."
"Is it katsudon?" Yuuri asked.
"Of course it is, like we'd have anything else when you came home," Mari replied, surprised that it was even a question at this point. Every single time that Yuuri came home, they had katsudon, to make up for the victories they missed between visits.
"I'm so excited! I've tried making it on my own, but, it's never the same," Yuuri said as they entered the kitchen. "Hi mom, hi dad! I just got back!"
"Yuuri! You're just in time! The katsudon will be ready in another five minutes or so!" Hiroko told him, bustling around the kitchen.
"It's good to have you back!" Toshiya said, beaming.
"It's good to be home," Yuuri said, and found himself meaning those words with all his heart. Despite having lived in Detroit for nine years, it never felt like home. People in Detroit felt like home with time, namely Phichit, but the city itself? Never. Busy Detroit was such a stark contrast to quiet, sleepy Hasetsu, and Yuuri could never find himself thinking of it as his home.
The katsudon was delicious, as always, but despite it only being 8 in the evening in Hasetsu, Yuuri was exhausted and as soon as he was done with his meal, he started falling asleep. Hiroko guided him to bed, and just as Yuuri was about to fall asleep, a message came from Phichit. Dude, this was apparently out yesterday, but we were too busy for either of us to check any social media messages to see it. But I've seen it now, and you've got to watch thisvideo ASAP! But Yuuri was far to exhausted to so much as click the link. He would deal with whatever it was in the morning.
~~~
"Mila, tell me when you start filming," Victor told her as he got into his starting position in the middle of the rink. He just hoped they had enough time to film the video before Yakov could come and yell at them to knock it off. Their diversion would only work for so long...
"3, 2, 1," Mila called, then started the music.
And Victor was off, skating to the beautiful, soulful song that was Stammi Vicino. It was so hauntingly lonely and longing. Victor had always wondered what had inspired such a song, but in every interview he could find, Yuuri would manage to spin the question, and never answer it properly. Victor hoped that he was pouring enough emotion into this performance. That was one thing that Yuuri never failed to do. Yuuri always had so much raw emotion that the viewer could never look away, and often found themself feeling the same emotion. It was absolutely mesmerizing, how Yuuri was so in tune to the emotion of whatever he was skating that it seemed as if he was the very source of the music. Ever since Victor had begun skating, he had looked up to Yuuri, admired his poise, his grace, his musicality, his step sequences. Ironically enough, those were the areas that most frequently earned him lectures from Yakov.
Victor stumbled on one of the jumps, although they were typically a strong suit of his, and his step sequences weren't nearly as refined as when Yuuri was skating them, and he knew that he didn't have nearly as much elegance or emotion as Yuuri always managed to have, but Victor still managed to make it through the program without embarrassing himself too much. He hadn't done Stammi Vicino justice by any means, but, it would have to be good enough.
"Hope you enjoyed! That was the routine Stammi Vicino, originally skated by and choreographed by the wonderful Yuuri Katsuki! I hope that this gives you all a good idea of what I'll be doing, and where I'll be going this upcoming skating season!" Victor said with a wink after pulling out of his final close.
Mila turned off the camera, then started to gush, "Oh my god Victor! That was incredible! That was absolutely beautiful! You nailed almost all the jumps and you were so graceful, and just! That was amazing!!!"
"Thanks Mila," Victor said with a smile. He was glad it looked fantastic even though he didn't feel as though he had done great.
"I'll post it to your youtube channel?" Mila asked.
"Well, that's kinda why we did this, so yes!" Victor said, and then noticed Yakov storming to them. "Oh shit."
"Which one of you imbeciles had the brilliant idea to tell Lilia that I wanted to talk to her about something very important!" Yakov yelled.
"It's not like it's a lie," Victor pointed out with a shrug. "You said that it was very important that you talk to Lilia about Yuri being put under her training. We were just relaying the message."
"And don't pretend like the implied message isn't true either. We all know how much you've been missing her recently," Mila added, smiling innocently.
"I am getting way too old to put up with this shit! I don't even want to know what inspired you to do this, though I'm certain it's somehow even more troublesome! You're both making my hair grow gray, and you two are banned from ever speaking to Lilia ever again!" Yakov shouted, then stormed away.
"Well, that went better than I thought it would," Mila admitted.
~~~
Yuuri replayed the video that Phichit sent him. Then replayed it again. It was only 8 in the morning, a time when no human should be awake, and he must be on at least his tenth time of watching it. But he couldn't stop. And he definitely didn't want to. Wasn't this the guy that got last place in the Grand Prix Final, and then disappeared off the competition grid? How on earth did that happen. This person, Victor, obviously had a ton of talent. His jumps were near perfect, and he managed to survive the ridiculously complicated step sequences, even though he didn't get it perfectly. He wasn't as graceful as he could be, it was obvious that he didn't have a background in dance, but overall, the performance was beautiful. The main thing that stuck out to Yuuri was the determination and passion that he held while skating it. Something that Yuuri's performances had lacked for years.
Fuck, did he really just admit that to himself? I mean, he'd always said in interviewers that he had never lost his passion for the sport, never lost his determination to succeed, he'd always told himself this as well. And he must've done a pretty good job of convincing himself of this, anyways. It wasn't until watching Victor's rendition of Stammi Vicino, and seeing how much his own version of it was lacking, that he began to realize that, over time, his passion and determination had faded away. He had to admit that in the recent years, ice skating had become to feel less exciting and exhilarating and more like a routine that he was forced to go through whether he wanted to or not, but it was all that he knew, so he had to do it. But in the video, Victor looked like he was genuinely enjoying himself. Looked like he actually cared about the music that he was skating to. Looked like he was determined and passionate and everything that Yuuri as a skater had started to lack.
There was, however, one thing in the video that struck Yuuri as odd. How the video was supposed hint at what he'd be doing the next year. But, it was probably unimportant anyways. Yuuri decided to ignore it in favor of going to the onsne. He may as well go and soak until he properly woke up.
As he sat in the onsen, he couldn't help but wonder when he started to lose his passion for ice skating. Did it only happen when he reached the top and had been there for a while? Had it always been slowly creeping in without him or anyone else noticing? When had the ice ceased to be his home, and started to be a mere fact of life?
Maybe Yuuri would've been able to come up with some sort of answer to his questions, but unfortunately he was interrupted by his sister texting him: Btw there's this foreigner that just arrived, and he's looking for you.
~~~
Victor couldn't believe that he was here. In Hasetsu. Talking to Yuuri's sister, Mari. Petting Yuuri's dog, Aki, who was the second cutest dog to ever have existed, though of course no one could ever rival Makkachin. Seeing the place where Yuuri had grown up. He couldn't believe that he was actually here! But as to why he was here, "Mari, where can I find Yuuri?" Victor asked.
"Um, he's either in his bedroom, still asleep, or in the onsen. Either way, I'd advise just going to the dining room, getting some breakfast, and waiting for Yuuri to come out. He's most likely asleep, and trust me, you do not want to be the one to wake an exhausted and jet lagged Yuuri," Mari said. "The dining room is just down that hallway."
"Thank you so much!" said Victor before heading to get some breakfast.
Soon after he finished breakfast, Yuuri came into the dining room, scanning over it and looking rather confused. Victor wasted no time in going over to him, enthusiastically saying, "Yuuri! You'll still be my coach, right?"
~~~
Yuuri was confused. What was Victor doing in Hasetsu? Wasn't his rink in Russia? And what is he talking about, Yuuri being his coach. Yuuri wasn't a coach. And why the word 'still'? He hadn't agreed to do this, right? What the actual fuck was going on here?
But, while his mind was still processing what Victor had said, his mouth betrayed him. "S-sure," he could hear himself say underneath the loud chatter of his mind.
"Yay!" Victor shouted.
~~~
"Phichit help," Yuuri said as soon as Phichit accepted the skype call. Thankfully it was still morning. The only time when skype calls from Japan to America worked.
"What happened Yuuri?" Phichit asked.
"Well you know that guy from the Stammi Vicino video that you sent me, Victor? Yeah he showed up at hte onsen today and asked me to be his coach and I may have agreed but I hadn't even processed what he had asked when I agreed and why is he even here Phichit, I'm so confused! Wait, why are you smirking like that!"
"Oh just because I have a pretty good idea why he's here."
"I don't suppose you'd be kind enough to tell me why."
"No, I don't suppose I would. But if that Yuri Plisetsky kid, you know, the kid who got gold in the juniors grand prix final, shows up in the next few days, then I'm right as to why this is all possible."
"Did I ever mention that you are the worst, Phichit."
"I think that you've gotten the definitions confused between 'the worst and the best'/"
"Just, Phichit, what do I do?"
"Easy, you coach him."
"How do I do that!"
"I don't know, but I'm sure you'll figure it out in the end. Anyways, it's not like Victor's hopeless or anything. From the video at least, he actually has a lot of potential."
"Okay, that's very true. He skated it better than I've ever skated it, at least."
"Yuuri, that is not true!"
"It is, Phichit, it is. He skated it with passion and determination, do you know how long it's been since I've had any of that?"
"Well, I mean, I'm glad that you're finally recognizing that you wanted to go home not only because you missed your family, but also because you don't love it the way you used to. I mean, I've noticed it for ages, but I doubt anybody else did."
"How did you notice before I did?"
"I am very observant, and you, my friend, are the most oblivious human to ever grace the planet."
"I can't exactly argue with that. But back to the original point. I'm going to be a coach, how on earth am I going to manage that?"
"Don't know, but I do know that you'll figure it out, Just make him do what you always did when you were competing. You could even pretend to be Celestino. You just have to say 'ciao ciao' every couple of sentences.
"Celestino would be so offended if he heard you say that... but thanks for the encouragement. How do I even get myself into messes like this?"
"Magic, obviously."
"This is the one time that I'll agree with you on that."
"Yay!"
"Wow, I'm going to be a coach now?"
"I guess you are! Bye, Yuuri, I've got to go! Keep me updated on how this situation turns out!"
"Bye Phichit!"
Coach. He was going to be Victor's coach. Well, that certainly was something. He didn't know what it was, but it definitely was something.