#bysoti(d)

Kai cursed as she flicked through Yuuri's contacts. At least she was familiar enough with the iPhone UI that the Japanese didn't throw her much. Or it didn't until she got into his contacts and realized that most of them were in Japanese and then a bunch were in Russian and only the ones that she didn't need were in English. Viktor's would obviously be in Russian. FUCK.

Виктор 🛑🍾⛔🚫⛔🍾🛑

Nevermind. Viktor's contact information turned out to be glaringly obvious. And if it wasn't Viktor—There was no way it wasn't Viktor. Absolutely none. She hit the button to make a phone call and sure enough, Viktor's contact picture filled the screen, so Kai put the iPhone to her ear as it rang, keeping one hand on Yuuri's back to rub small circles, in a futile effort to calm him down.

He wasn't pushing her away at least, so that was something.

"Yuuri!" Kai didn't think that she'd ever heard such a bright and happy sound from the Russian skater before in her life. Even when she'd been present during their interactions there was always this sort of distance that Viktor maintained. Was he always so happy when Yuuri called him?

"Sorry. No. It's Kai. I need you to fix him."

The change in the Russian's tone was immediate. "Fix him?"

"Yes." Kai didn't bother explaining and pressed the phone to Yuuri's ear. "I called Viktor." She was absolutely sure that the Russian skater could hear Yuuri's rapid breathing through the phone connection.

"Hos… Hospital." Yuuri pressed his own hand against the phone and Kai turned to Madison who had gone white.

“When are they supposed to arrive?” Takeshi shifted from foot to foot. He didn’t know what he should do with his hands. Should he just put one in his pocket like Yuuri was? No. He’d look foolish if he did that. He didn’t have that look of affected boredom that models like Yuuri could sport at the drop of a hat which made the whole 'hand in pocket, casually standing around' thing work.

He crossed his arms instead, but then felt like he probably looked like a hockey player out of place in a fancy suit, so dropped his arms to his side and looked at Yuuri again who was looking at his phone and not paying any attention to Takeshi’s dilemma. “They should be here already, right?”

Yuuri looked over at him, frowning as Takeshi shoved his hand into his pocket and then pulled it out again. “They just got here and are heading to the elevator.” Yuuri paused. “What are you doing?”

Takeshi huffed. “I don’t know what to do with my hands.” He held one out to Yuuri. “See this hand? It usually has Yuuko’s hand in it at these things, but she’s not here because your friends stole her!”

Laughing, Yuuri nodded. “That is correct. She’s been kidnapped, held against her will as my friends offer their designer cast-offs to her and Keiko.” He bit down on his lip. “Let Yuuko have this, Takeshi. Let her go and enjoy getting ready for a fancy party with a bunch of other women around her age. She’s getting her hair and makeup done by professionals, they’re going to dress her up in expensive clothing, and let her wear shoes that I’m sure that I don’t want to know the cost of. It might all seem overkill to you, but for LOVE-ly this is just another function where they’re expected to present themselves at a certain level. So yes, Yuuko could have just worn the same dress that she wore to the last banquet she attended and get ready in the room with you, doing her hair up the same way she’s done a million times, but why not let her be spoiled? Why begrudge her this?”

Nishigori shoved his hands in his pockets and stared at the elevator doors. He didn’t begrudge his wife anything, especially not this. He just worried that she’d think he was too boring or something after living the high life.

From the corner of his eye, Nishigori saw Yuuri nod and then look back at his phone, pulling his hand out of his pocket and typing something on it with his thumbs. The elevator door opened and a bunch of skaters, none of them his wife, poured out. The gold medalists in ice dance, the Americans Matt and Caro, paused and stared at Yuuri.

“It’s a new suit,” Matt whispered.

His partner smiled at them. “It is!” Caro dropped her hand from the crook of Matt’s arm and took a step forward until she was standing in front of Yuuri, forcing Yuuri to look up from his phone. “Hi, Yuuri.”

“Hi, Carolyn…san. Can I help you with something?” He blinked at her.

She hummed. “Just Caro. I swear we already had this conversation. Call me Caro.” She smiled. “Nice suit, is it new?”

Yuuri nodded. “Yes, well, sort of. I got it after nationals for a New Years thing.” 

“We should take a picture!” she stepped into the space next to him, and looped her arm through his, turning to look at Matt. Yuuri's eyes went wide and panicked. So maybe there was something of the awkward kid left in his friend. “Say cheese!”

“No! No pictures on Scythecapades!” Yuuri groused as Paul walked between the pair and where Matt was standing with his phone camera pointed at them.

Matt laughed. “Not even this one?” He walked over to Yuuri and showed him the photo.

Yuuri blinked, staring down at the picture, the corner of his lips eventually twitching up. “All right. You can share that one, if you absolutely have to.”

“Share what?” Yuuko’s voice came from next to Takeshi and he whipped around to look at his wife.

He opened his mouth to say something, but forgot what words were.

“You look lovely, Nishigori-san!” Matt stepped forward and quickly lifted Yuuko’s hand to press a kiss to the air just above it.

“Arigatou, Smith-san,” Yuuko beamed. 

Her chestnut hair had been curled into loose waves, and some of her bangs brushed to the side, held in place with a flower clip that matched the multitude of flowers that covered the dress she was wearing. The neckline of the dress was no different than most of the higher necklines that Yuuko preferred, but the entire top was made of a sheer mesh that disappeared under the flowers that made up the rest of the dress, but not before showing just a little cleavage. The flowers were mostly bright pinks and corals with sparse accents of spring greens and ice blues, made all the brighter against the black fabric. The dress itself came in tight at her waist and then poofed out in layers of fine black tulle covered in even more flowers, some just visible in the topmost underlayers too. Takeshi thought his wife had rarely looked more beautiful, and the times he did, she was unlikely to agree with him, their wedding being the sole exception.

Yuuri brushed past him and smiled down at Yuuko. “ゆうちゃん、きれい！そのドレス似合ってる。(Yu-chan is beautiful! That dress looks good on you.)”

His wife giggled. Giggled! “Yuu-kun, arigatou.” And then she turned expectant eyes on Takeshi and he didn’t know what to do. Yuuri had literally stolen his line. The one that Yuuko had taught them both when they were still kids and had told Mari that she looked weird when she’d gotten all done up that one time. 

Kanon came up next to her and leaned in to whisper something into Yuuko’s ear that made Yuuko blush. What did she say?

“Kanon-chan!” Yuuko turned to look at her with eyes wide. “I couldn’t! I promise to be careful.”

“Are you already causing trouble?” Yuuri asked the idol.

“I just told her that I was always going to let her keep the dress, but that if her husband ruined it, I definitely didn’t want it back!” She winked at Takeshi. “Go on, tell her how cute she looks.”

“I know we’re all thinking the same thing and I don’t know why we aren’t asking, so I’m going to put a stop to this small talk.” Maddy stepped forward and planted herself in front of Yuuri. “What happens to you when you come to Japan?! You dress like all the other college schlubs in Detroit, but you come to Japan and then this happens? Are those Louboutins?” She pointed at his feet and Yuuri looked down at his shoes.

Yuuri lifted his foot and twisted his ankle around so he could look at the dark brown suede ankle boot. He had no idea how Maddy could even guess at the brand. He shrugged. “They’re… shoes. I didn’t ask. Why would I ask about my shoes? You know, I didn’t choose any of this. I had to film a variety show thing and this is what my manager told me to wear. She doesn’t think I should be allowed to pick out my own clothes.” He looked down at the dark plaid pants he was wearing. They wouldn’t have been something he’d pick out on his own necessarily, but he didn’t think they looked that bad. He kind of wanted to keep them. Was that even an option? He had been told to keep some of the pieces from the No Non shoot the day before…

Caro started laughing. “The best part of that whole answer was Yuuri lifting up his foot to examine his shoe, obviously trying to figure out how Maddy could tell what brand the shoes were just to give up while flashing the red soles to the rest of us mere mortals.”

“Red soles?” And sure enough, when Yuuri looked at the bottom of his shoe, the soles were BRIGHT red. “I thought that was a fancy high heel thing?”

Phichit patted his knee. “Oh, Yuuri, it’s a brand thing. He designs men’s shoes too.”

“Please someone text this to Viktor because he’ll probably start crying that his best friend is wearing Louboutins and didn’t even realise it and just shrugged. Please.” Matt laughed.

“Does anyone here have his SNS?” Steph asked. “Because I don’t. He doesn’t really give it out.”

Chris winked at the waiter who set the cosmo on the small, low table in front of them in the lounge. “The view outside might be a bit lackluster, but the one in here isn’t so bad.”

Viktor shook his head and took a sip of his own drink. “They have a year to finish the construction, but still need to have test events at the venues. We’re just some of the lucky guinea pigs.” 

“I did notice a distinct lack of fainting couches in my room. I’m disappointed.” Chris leaned back and watched the bustle from the lounge bar as skaters and their entourages arrived. “Am I not VIP enough?”

“Different hotels. That was an old health resort that they’re remodeling that’s even further from Olympic Park, but Yakov insisted that we stay there for nationals because he didn’t want to stay in the middle of a construction zone. I think a couple of the smaller federations chose it for this competition as well since it is listed as one of the official hotels, but the Russian fed picked this one for us.”

“Well, remind me to send a thank you note to the powers that be in my own federation for realising that the reigning European Champion needs access to a modern bar and his best friend.”

Viktor smiled.

“Unfortunately, Yuuri isn’t European and skates in the Four Continents, but you’re a good consolation prize.” Chris laughed at his own joke which was terribly uncouth, but he really didn’t care at that moment because the look on Viktor’s face was priceless. Without a second thought, Chris grabbed his phone and snapped a picture.

Chris [img] His face when I said it was a shame that my best friend skates at 4CC

Yuuri You didn’t

Chris I did

Yuuri I can’t believe you

“I can’t believe you.” Viktor unknowingly echoed as he took another drink, much to Chris’s amusement. “I haven’t had nearly enough to drink to be teased like that, and I can’t have that much until after the competition. I promised Yakov I would be on my best behavior.”

“Well, that’s awfully dull.” Chris returned the wave of the German skater, Andreas, with a wink as the other skater headed to the elevator. A slender, elegant woman in a smart black turtleneck and dark gray fitted trousers exited the elevator forcing the German skater to take a step back and let her pass. Sensibly dressed with her incredibly pale blonde hair pulled back into a twist and small teardrop pearl earrings hanging from her ears, she radiated that no-nonsense demeanor of an official.   

“Мама!” Viktor waved his hand in the air.