abstractborders | Grand Prix Banquet REDUX

What he asked you to do?

[What was Yuri talking about?]

Yuri-kun, what do you mean? What did he ask you to do?

[He shouldn't have said anything but it was too late now. ]

Victor came to me before my free skate... after your's. He said you were planning to retire after winning gold.

[He's looking down, his hair hiding his face in a blonde mess. ]

He asked me to win gold. So you would keep skating. So I did, I won but I still messed up, I fell. I almost lost and I shouldn't have fell at all!

[Victor asked him to win gold. Asked him to win so Yuuri would keep skating.

The older skater is caught in a moment of shock, staring at Yuri like he's grown a second head or something like that. He had honestly expected the younger skater to beat him anyway because he knew how hard Yuri had been working but to know that Victor had told him to win..

He's torn between crying and laughing honestly.

Without a word he moves forward and wraps Yuri up in a hug, pulling him close before the other can protest and ducking his head some to muffle his voice.]

...Thank you, Yuri-kun.

[Yuri didn't want to be hugged. He wanted to pull away and yell at Yuuri. When did he EVER want a hug from Yuuri? Never. In fact, it was the exact opposite person he wanted a hug from, it was furthest ever from what he eve--

He starts to shake, pressing his hand over his eyes, fingers digging into his temples. ]

...Right. It's fine, whatever. Its... It's not like it was hard to beat you anyway.

[ Though there was a little shake to his voice. ]

You're the only person I would have wanted to win gold anyway, if it couldn't be me.

[It's said softly but it's sincere. Yuuri knew how hard the other worked. How badly that Yuri wanted it--probably more than he himself did. If there was any skater that had set foot on the ice during the Grand Prix that deserved the win it was the youngest skater of the bunch.

He gives the other another squeeze before drawing back, hands resting on the other's shoulders as he steps back some to give him a bit more room. The gentle smile is back as he tilts his head, a playful look creeping into his eyes.]

I won't make it so easy for you next time.

[Not that it had been easy. But he's not going to stop fighting; not anymore.]

[Yuri didn't lift his head. His other hand came up, pressing the heels of both hands against his eyes. He wasn't feeling all that playful.

He pushes his hands up, pushing the blond hair out of his face, even though it revealed tears were just pouring out of his eyes. ]

...W-well good...

[Still trying to keep up the charade even though he'd already shown he wasn't feeling that great in an extremely obvious way. ]

[The sight of those tears tugs at his heartstrings and it takes every bit of self control that he has at the moment to not pull Yuri into another hug. He got away with one and he's not entirely sure if he could get away with another.

So he instead just gives the teen's shoulders a squeeze.]

Want to try and find something non-alcoholic to drink with me?

[He really didn't want to try walking through this crowd with his face soaking wet with tears. He didn't really want to be here either.]

No. Then everyone will see me and think I'm stupid! I can't be the youngest person here AND crying like an idiot!

[Understandable.

Yuuri let out a thoughtful sound before he nudged the other to take his seat.]

Pretend to be looking at your phone. I'll be right back.

[ Easy enough to do. He pulls it out, pushing his free hand into his pocket. The screen was getting wet and his hand came right back out to wipe it.

This was stupid.

He shouldn't be upset. It was one fall, but he won. Stupid Victor... Victor didn't fall. Yuri didn't fall on his free skate either... ]

[A bottle of water being set in front of Yuri signals his return as he settles in a seat beside the other, setting a small plate of various appetizers that he'd snagged to try--and to share.]

I have another bottle in my jacket pocket if you end up wanting more. I figured I should grab a couple just in case they all disappear.

[Yuri at least managed to calm down while Yuuri was off picking up water. He uses a napkin on the table to wipe his face, running his fingers through his hair to get it under better control. This was embarrassing. It was HUMILIATING. ]

..Thank you..

[ He takes the bottle and opens it, drinking a lot of it down before looking around the banquet. He catches sight of the platinum head of Yuuri's coach mingling and he turns his head away quick enough to spin his hair around his face. ]

Shouldn't you be hanging out with Victor?

[It's not like Yuuri is going to judge you, Yuri.]

You're welcome. [He'd do whatever you needed him to do because he knows what it's like to have moments like this. Maybe not exactly the same but it was something Yuuri was all too familiar with all the same.

The next statement gets a surprised look from Yuuri who glances over in the direction the younger skater had been looking, a fond look on his face before he's looking at Yuri once more.]

We aren't attached at the hip. He's mingling--I needed a break from it.

Well Yurio was judging himself. He was unhappy with.. a lot right now and knew he shouldn't be unhappy at all.

He glances at Yuri then back out at where Victor was giving a dazzling smile. Thankfully Yakov was handling what was needed...

"...he only wanted me to win because of you. He didn't want me to win for.. because he wanted ME to win..."

"..I'm sure that's not true, Yuri-kun," Yuuri murmured softly, shaking his head as his smile faded. "He told me that he as just as proud of you as he was of me. That seeing both of us break his records gave him a lot of joy as our choreographer."

But this was still something he was going to mention to Victor. He didn't want..the last thing he wanted was for other people to be apart of some ploy to keep him skating. That wasn't right. It wasn't fair.

Yuri knew Yuuri wanted to think the best but Victor had done everything deliberately. He knew what to say and knew exactly how to get Yurio to fight harder.

"I almost lost, I FELL because of what he said.. I was furious that you would want to leave after getting so much better and I wanted to beat your record.."

He was entering angry teenager mode, twisting the bottle of water in his hands to crinkle the plastic.

"This medal doesn't even.. I can't seem to be happy about it."

While he was trying to stay positive about things, he knew that Victor was very capable of playing people the way he wanted to. It wasn't a malicious thing; it was just how Victor was. He knew how to keep people going. He knew how to get them to fight harder; to work harder.

Yuri just..he was young. And it probably came off as way worse than Victor had meant it.

"I'm sorry. It's..if I hadn't been so rash.." If he hadn't tried to quit to give Victor an out, the other wouldn't have pushed Yuri like that.

The sound of the plastic crinkling makes him cringe and he reaches out to rest a hand over the younger skater's.

"And that's not fair to you. You should be happy about it. You were amazing, Yuri-kun and you deserve that gold more than anyone else that was on the ice."

It was hard for Yuri to reconcile with himself as it was. He'd fallen and the points had been close. If JJ had skated his best then he seriously would have lost regardless..

"...what I'm doing isn't good enough to win on its own.. I was lucky JJ messed up. I was lucky you messed up in your first program!"

He knew he was being stupid but he felt just.. over done. His body would be sore tomorrow, his chest still hurt. And Victor hadn't even spoke to him yet.

Not since the podium.. it hurt his feelings.

"This is why I'd rather look up to you anyway, you don't make me feel like shit..."

Yuuri frowned softly.

"This was your first time at the Grand Prix, Yuri. You did amazing! Even if JJ had been in top form you would have given him a run for his money. Even if you had gotten silver it still would have been amazing!" He wasn't going to let the other talk down his accomplishments. He respected the younger skater far too much to listen to him talk like that; to doubt how good he was and how much potential he had.

"You--" Yuuri stops suddenly and he can't help but blush as he realizes what Yuri just said.

What.

"...Me?"

"No it wouldn't have. Third time behind JJ.. ugh." He twists the bottle, face growing red as he realizes he'd admitted something he hadn't meant to admit.

"It's stupid..! I just thought.. your step sequences were good and you were so angry last year about losing and I wanted... you started crying and it pissed me off because you shouldn't have been crying..!"

He fiddled more with the bottle, wanting to escape. "I was.. ...angry that you were just going to quit like that..."

"There's no shame in coming in second," Yuuri said sincerely. "If nothing else it would have just made it even more satisfying when you beat him next year." Because JJ would definitely be the one to beat next year if he got over his Grand Prix nerves.

Yuuri sat back, his hand slipping away from Yuri's as he listened to the other go on. He had always known that Minami had looked up to him but..Yuri? That was unexpected. And it made him feel...he felt honored.

"I felt like such a failure it just seemed like the best thing to do at the time," he admitted before letting out a soft laugh. "I spent the next few months so depressed and then I just got tired of it. I got tired of letting myself sink like that..so I came back."

"I was angry.. you.. I didn't expect that.. you crying. I was so angry because I thought.." He shakes his head, knowing this conversation was stupid and embarrassing.

"You worked hard and came back stronger so.. and you have Victor now too. And you ... you aren't quitting so Victor got what he wanted."

He still wasn't feeling successful. Maybe.. some day he would.

"...But it's not all about me," Yuuri said softly. "You won the gold, Yuri-kun. You..I couldn't even dream of being where you are at your age!" He hated that the other wasn't proud of himself; that he wasn't excited and gloating and just genuinely being happy about his win.

Victor was definitely going to get an earful later.

"You worked just as hard if not harder than I did. You blew everyone else away with your talent and you're just going to keep getting better. That's far more amazing than my come back."

Yuri sets the bottle onto the table, glaring at it like it was the one who had caused him offense. Clearly, it was all Dasani's fault. Whoever Dasani was. Who names water "dasani"? Who was the bastard who thought bottling water was a lucrative idea to begin with? Who was the worst bastard who agreed and marketed it?

At least it wasn't Evian or some other fancy water. What even made water fancy? Fish shit in all water.

"Of course you couldn't dream of it, I saw pictures of you at my age. You were fat." He wasn't THAT fat but Yuuri was clearly trying to get Yuri to react differently to the situation.

"Please, Katsuki, with how badly you did last year I'm sure everyone thought you wandered off to Aokigahara when you got home." He gives Yuuri a dirty look. "Don't say I never learned any Japanese for the sake of communicating with you."

Stupid language. Overly difficult.

"Everyone was just as amazed to see you show your face again as they were with me winning gold."

Yuri was painfully embarrassed that he'd gotten so upset. If he had to deflect with pointed, particularly mean comments he would. Maybe it'd make Yuuri go away and stop doing that weird.. .. Dad thing.

Grand Prix Banquet REDUX

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I'm on my.phone so I'm switching out of action text U DON'T HAVE TO

GOD

WOW.

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