An Unexpected Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 33: Moscow

The past four months have been nothing more than a blur.

After Ayumi left to return home, Yuri spent the remaining time he had fine-tuning his routines. It was the toughest period in the preparation season because he had to repeatedly perform the programs in full and identify any flaws, as well as prepare contingency plans for missed jumps. It was not a walk in the park for Ayumi either, having to balance her practice sessions, schoolwork and responsibilities in the corporation.

The Grand Prix series officially began in October, starting with Skate America in Chicago. Yuri's first event that season was Skate Canada in Mississauga, where he placed second behind JJ. Ayumi participated in the fourth event: the NHK Trophy in Sapporo. For some reason, she was not in her element and only finished third overall.

It was November, and it was finally time for the last event of the series: the Rostelecom Cup. To qualify for the final Yuri had to rank fourth or higher, while Ayumi had to rank third or higher. This was their last chance—they could not mess up now.

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My name is Yuri Plisetsky. My goal is to be named the top skater in the world in my first senior season. I'm the unbeatable Ice Tiger of Russia.

"Oh, Yuri!" a voice called from the driveway outside Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow. He quickly looked for the source of the sound and ran to crush him in a tight hug.

"Grandpa!"

But then...crack. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I forgot about your bad back!"

The two then found themselves in a beaten-down car as the lights of the airport faded behind them. Yuri was so happy to see his grandpa again after so long. He loved the old man very much, and he constantly worried about him. His grandfather was the reason he started to skate, and he knew he needed to win the Grand Prix for him.

Of course, Yuri never showed how stressed he was in front of his grandpa. He already had a lot on his plate, with a gradually aging body coupled with several medical complications. No matter how resilient Yuri knew he was, he didn't want to give him something else to worry about. He needed to show his grandpa that he was strong enough for the two of them.

"I made my pirozhkis for you. Eat."

The boy grabbed one from a bag and took a bite. It has been such a long time since he last had his grandfather's cooking. He started to make conversation. "Hey grandpa, ever tried a pork cutlet bowl?"

"What's that?"

"Something I had back in Japan," he explained. "They're really good!"

His grandfather grumbled. "So, my pirozhkis aren't good enough for you now?"

The boy had to backtrack quickly, but was interrupted by the sound of the radio. The news of Viktor Nikiforov returning to Russia was quickly making rounds. Yuri bit the pastry in his mouth in sheer anger.

"Don't get frustrated Yuratchka," the old man chided. "Just do your best. Don't bother yourself with Viktor."

Yuri could only let out a bitter huff.

"Oh, by the way, when am I going to personally meet your girl?" his grandfather suddenly asked. "Didn't you tell me both of you will compete here in Moscow?"

The fact that his grandpa referred to Ayumi as "his girl" was enough to make Yuri blush. "She isn't my girl grandpa. She's just my friend, and she didn't fly here with us."

Although he would not admit it to anyone else, he missed her a lot. Ayumi has not had much time to talk, especially after the NHK Trophy. She told him that the past few months back in Taiwan has been more difficult than it ever was. It took a while for her to re-adjust to her usual life, but she was getting the hang of it. He just wished she did not overwork herself to the point of not eating again.

"A friend? Stop lying. Do you honestly think I'm too old to notice how flustered you get whenever we talk about her? You like that girl, Yuratchka. It wouldn't hurt to admit it."

Yuri looked up in embarrassment, praying for lightning to just strike him down where he sat.

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"How do you feel about coming back to Russia?" "When will you return to skating?"

Viktor was nonchalant as reporters surrounded him at the lobby of Star Hotel. "Until the Grand Prix Final is done, I won't comment on any future plans. Right now, I see a lot of potential in Yuuri Katsuki. I think the focus should be on him during the Rostelecom Cup."

Yuri entered the hotel just in time to hear Viktor's answer. He was livid. I'm in it too! You stupid—

Suddenly he heard Viktor shout "Hey! It's Yurio!"

The reporters started to focus on him. Fuck!

Viktor wrapped his arms around the boy. "Did you all see the short program I put together for Yurio?"

Yuri flicked his hand away, spilling the cup of coffee he was holding. "You're not Russia's top skater anymore, Viktor. I'm the star of this event!"

He quickly shoved the grey-haired Russian aside and walked towards the elevators. There, he saw someone slipping quietly into one of them, and he quickly stopped the doors from closing when he realized who it was.

"What are you doing, sneaking around?"

Yuuri Katsuki let out a relieved sigh. "Yurio...Good to see you again."

As the two rode the elevator to their respective floors, Yuuri chimed in. "Uhmm... good luck to both of us in the Rostelecom Cup."

"Huh?! You will suffer a miserable defeat here in Moscow. I'm going to have Viktor stay in Russia."

The awkward silence that followed was interrupted by a ping.

Ayu: Hey! I just arrived in Moscow. Where are you? (11/22 8:04 p.m.)

"By the way," Yuuri said. "How was Ayumi the last few months? We haven't been texting each other much."

Yuri narrowed his eyes. The Katsudon was the last person he wanted to talk to about her. "She was fine, you idiot."

The Japanese skater was just grateful he even answered the question at all. The elevator finally stopped at the eighth floor, and Yuri made his way out.

He looked at the text message again and sighed. He really did miss her. He quickly typed back:

Yura: I'm at the hotel. See you soon. (11/22 8:06 p.m.)

When he got to his room, he decided to scroll through Instagram. It was not long until he saw her post more than ten hours before. It was a photo of her silhouette as she stood in front of the windows of an airport, looking out to the runway.

@a.matsumoto Looking forward to seeing you again. #GPSeries

He couldn't help but let out a blush as he liked the photo.