Chapter Text
CHAPTER FOUR HUNDRED SIXTY THREE
An alarm rang from a towel pile next to the wooden private tub, and Yurio grudgingly rose from the comfort of the hot water to silence it. His fingers were still pink, but at least now it was because of the onsen, not the bitter cold. He stepped out of the steaming pool and wrapped his many towels around himself, going back inside to change just as a few others were coming out to sit in the water. Before long, he donned the usual green resort robes, and plodded grudgingly over towards the big room where he expected the rest of the clan to be waiting.
Despite the knowledge of the daunting task about to be set in front of him, he couldn't keep himself from thinking about the conversation he'd had minutes earlier with his cohorts in Russia.
'...Asahi-kun and I have history and it just kind of came to a head in Osaka. We sorted it out. That's all.'
'It's not worth the headache of what might happen if you knew. He's already suffered enough for what he did. I've forgiven him. I won't let him be punished more for it.'
Yurio grit his teeth as he stepped across the threshold to the back hall, towel over his head to wick up excess water from his hair.
If that Saito guy really put the moves to Katsudon...how did he walk out of Osaka alive? I know first-hand how territorial Victor can be. He would've been all over that like flies on shit, he thought, waiting outside the big family room with a hand on the sliding door, How did Saito even get that close...? And why are either of them so keen on helping him after all that? I can see Katsudon being forgiving, but not Victor. Once on that shit-list, it'll take a goddamn miracle to get off it-
"How long you gonna stand out there?"
"Hah?" Yurio blinked hard and looked up in confusion, spotting a single eyeball looking down at him through a thin gap in the doorway.
The door parted all the way, and Mikhail loomed overhead, looking near as confused as the teen in front of him, "You've just been staring. I hated school as much as anyone when I was younger but it must be done."
Emerald eyes looked up keenly, barely spotting the two silver blurs out the corner of his vision, "How much do you know about what happened at Japanese Nationals?" He asked pointedly.
Mikhail cocked his head back slightly and quirked one brow, "Japanese Nationals?" He echoed, "What's that have to do with anything?"
"I'm just wanting to make sure we really know who's living under this roof," Yurio muttered, and squeezed by to start making his way towards the make-shift work-desk that had been assembled on the other side of the room. Potya had already made herself comfortable on the seat, and was easy to scoop up when the Tiger approached, offering a pitiful little mew as her tiny fluffy body was lifted up.
The workstation was like a small half-cubicle, with a short table - high enough to warrant a chair with a back - and a series of short walls that came up around the sides and back. In the center of the table, a new laptop - already open and on, with a peer-to-peer program loaded, though no one had logged-in on the other end yet - and on either side, note pads, mechanical pencils, a noise-cancelling Bose headset hanging from the wall on the right, and a printer-scanner hybrid in the back left corner.
Nikki and Victoria - each with their own similar set-up - followed the Russian as he glided across the tatami mats behind them, then looked towards each other with a shrug each. They wordlessly looked to Minako between them, who'd suddenly gotten a rather serious look on her face. Nikki turned back around to look at her wide and colorful ensemble of elaborately decorated school supplies, and reached across the lot for her tea mug, and sipped at it with a crinkled brow.
"What's gotten into him, right?" Victoria whispered, leaning aside on one hand, glancing back on the hope that Yurio wouldn't hear. Both her younger sister and Minako silently agreed, and the elder rose to stand up, patting Nikki's chair as she moved off towards the door.
"Everything seems to be working pretty well so far." The ballerina commented idly, pausing with one hand still on the head-rest, "Questions?"
Both girls shook their heads.
"If there's any connectivity issues, just text me." Mikhail announced from where he still stood in the doorway, "Break for lunch at noon." He pointed to a piece of paper with the schedule on the wall next to him, with font large enough to be read from anywhere in the room, "Today's an easy day to get you back into the swing of things and to meet-and-greet with your tutors. Remember, for them it's the end of a usual work-day, or really late at night, so go easy on them while they get used to the weird hours."
"Thanks for setting this up for us, pipaw." Victoria chimed in, "I was worried you'd throw us into a Japanese school or something and we'd be all messed up."
Yurio just put the headset on and waited quietly, eyes turned forward like he wasn't listening. Potya had rolled onto her back in the teen's lap and was 'grooming' his fingers idly where she could catch them.
Mikhail made a face at him, but turned back towards his eldest daughter and nodded, "I know better than most how disorienting that can be. You won't have to worry about that. I made sure that what you guys are getting is the exact same curriculum that your peers back in Banff - and St. Petersburg - are getting this term. You may get through it quicker than them though, so it's your choice to either call a short day or to advance faster." He looked down to check his watch as Minako stepped closer, "We'll leave you to it. The tutors should be signing back in right quick."
The silver girls put their own headsets on after that and turned back to their computers within their cubbies. The pair of adults stepped out and slid the door closed, heading out towards the common-room. Mikhail grabbed his tablet from the leather bag he'd stowed in one of the front lockers, and hustled to catch up to his lady love as she went seeking for an empty table.
The common-room was moderately populated by around five older men and two women, each with their eyes fixed on either a newspaper in front of them, or on the news showing on the television.
The two settled at a table in the middle-left side of the room, and Mikhail loaded up a bookmarked tab, pulling up a Japanese website with real-estate listings, "You want to check for new stuff or just pick up where we left off before?"
Minako hesitated to answer. In part, because houses weren't on her mind, and also in part because her stomach seized as she smelled the aroma of fish being grilled in the kitchen. She closed her eyes and covered her mouth and nose with one hand, "...How long am I supposed to keep feeling sick like this for...? This is miserable." She whispered grudgingly.
Mikhail curled an arm around the woman's back, and she leaned into his shoulder, "You started getting sick way sooner than most do...it usually goes away entirely by 14 weeks though." He whispered back, "Do you want to make an early appointment to get looked at...?"
"I don't even really qualify to go until after Euros." She grumbled, "It's only been four weeks."
"I'm sure they'd be understanding of your situation and see you sooner if you ask..." The elder Russian suggested, rubbing his thumb back and forth, "You're already AMA, but being a first-timer at our age..."
Minako wasn't sure if she had the energy to be offended, or whether she even should be, "...Yeah..." She shook her head, "What's AMA though...?"
"Advanced Maternal Age. Usually starts at 40. Carries different risks than if we were in our 20s."
She just groaned pitifully.
Mikhail rubbed his chin lightly and looked around the room, taking in all the sights and sounds, and smells, to be found. It wasn't so easy to smell the fish, but he did pick up on it, and turned his eyes back down to his nauseated partner, "My late wife couldn't be around cooked meat for most of her pregnancy with Nikki. Made her sick as all Hell. I imagine you're probably pretty sensitive to that kind of thing right now, too."
"I'm not sure how that helps my situation in an immediate sense."
"I'm thinking...of an easy way to get you away from all this bustle and noise, and the smells." He explained, "Maybe we can overnight at your place, and then I come on my own to see the kids to school so you can stay in bed."
"And leave them all here alone otherwise...?"
"Yurio stayed here on his own before, didn't he?"
"Sure, but..."
"Maybe there's no way to avoid asking if he can go up to the 3rd floor..." Mikhail tapped his chin with a finger, "I love him, but he is 16, and he's my kid only by Scout's Honor, really." He nudged out from under his partner's head, and kissed her crown as he stood up, "Hang tight. I'll find you something inoffensive to snack on to settle your stomach."
Before the slender figure could get out of arm's reach, Minako reached for and snagged a finger, pulling his attention back again, "What are we going to do with him...? What he asked you before..."
Mikhail waited a moment, and gave his arm some slack as he took a knee, "I want to talk to Asahi first. Then I'll get Yuri, after lessons. Then maybe the both of them together, depending on what they each have to say. I can't make Asahi accommodate Yuri's sensitivities."
Minako gave a nervous look, "I don't think it's just Asahi that's lit a bonfire under his arse, hun. He just confronted you about what happened at All Japan...and you weren't even there."
"If I'm supposed to take on the role of a parent for him, then I can't be his best friend all the time. He's never really had any authority to deal with so he's probably not happy with having one now...he barely listened to Yakov, and I'm sure Lilia just scared him. She scared me and I barely knew her." Mikhail explained, and shook his head, "I don't think I'm being unfair to him. I'm not treating him any differently than I am Vicky. Shit, I thought this was what he wanted." He shrugged and rose back up to his feet, "He can't be treated special and different if he's part of the family. He's gonna have to come to grips with the idea, somehow. Maybe it'll just take time to get used to things. Everything is changing for everyone, not just him."
Nodding, Minako let the finger go, and returned to her upset stomach and the tablet before her, "I'll keep looking for places."
.
Running along Hasetsu's beach was less risky than running up the icy steps of the castle, and the footprints of everyone who came before dotted the sandy embankment. So early in the morning though, the beach was fairly empty, leaving a pristine and quiet landscape for one skater and one dog to amble up and down undisturbed. Once they'd made it to the edge of the small peninsula and could see the bridge, they paused for a break. The rocky embankment that went around the small marina was an ideal spot to sit and catch their breath...away from prying eyes and obtuse, mindless small-talk from strangers.
Watching the water for a little while, Asahi turned his eyes down to his hands, and the bandages still wrapped around them. He flexed his fingers a bit, stiff from cold and still a bit painful from the fall, but feeling better than they had at the time.
It's been a few days since everything happened, but I still have this sense of unease at the back of my mind, he thought, shaking his hands before wedging them between arm and ribs to keep them warm, I can't really stay in one place for too long or let myself fall into a routine... I don't even want to run at the gym too frequently...not until I'm skating there...and I've been avoiding it because it's their rink...
Hana barked at a few seagulls that were hovering, and Asahi took that as a hint to start moving again. A chill was threatening to creep in since he'd stopped running anyway, [Come on, let's head back.] He said quietly, climbing up the rocky face of the marina wall. Once back on the road though, he twisted around to go backwards, looking up at Hasetsu Castle on the other side of the river, then down at the Ice Castle beneath it, ...I think I should quit avoiding it. It's been a week, if you don't count the afternoon I tried to teach Minako...and I really need to get serious about 4CCs and the Games...
The jog back to Yu-Topia was much quicker than the rest of the run, and Asahi wiped Hana's paws down before he made a B-line for the 3rd floor, unlocking the door to his apartment-within-a-resort to find a change of clothes. The white fluff immediately hopped up onto the bed and sprawled out, ready for the first of many naps. Asahi sat next to her for a moment on his way out, scritching her head between her ears and sliding his hand down her back, I wish I could be so care-free. Sleep well...I'll come back in a few minutes.
He rose up again to head for the door, locking it behind him as he headed for the family residence on the 2nd floor. Everyone else was already down on the main floor for the day's work, leaving the shower-room empty and quiet. Water hissed and the room quickly filled with steam. Cuts still stung as though they were fresh under the heat, but the lean figure trudged through it, with the eventual reward of sitting in the hot bath afterwards. With his eyes just above the water's surface and his ears just below, Asahi could hear the subtle thumping of the goings-on below the floor.
It's still weird being in this place. I avoided it for so long because Yuri never invited me, though I vaguely knew of it since we were young. I wish I'd paid more attention... He looked around the tile walls, Maybe I could've avoided the worst...
Like all good things, the bath eventually came to an end. Swapping cold-weather running gear for a thinner, more streamlined skating practice outfit, Asahi emerged into the hall, ruffling his hair under the fluff of a big towel. He checked the time on his new phone; 09:25.
"Oh. Good timing." A voice came, drawing grey-brown eyes up. Mikhail was at the end of the hall, looking to be heading up to the top floor, but stopped in place with a hand on the railing, "You have a minute?"
"...Sure." The younger figure answered pensively, "...Am I in trouble?"
"Huh?" Mikhail blinked at him, "Nnnno...? Should you be?"
"No one ever really asks for my time unless it's something bad, so..."
"Oh." He scratched the back of his neck, "Well, it's your lucky day then...you're definitely not in trouble. I just want to talk to you."
"I see..."
"Were you about to head out again or something?" Mikhail pointed at the new outfit, "I remember you leaving in something else earlier, but that doesn't look like loafing-around clothing."
"I was going to practice at the Ice Castle for a while."
"That works just as well. Mind if I tag along?"
.
It had warmed up a little bit since earlier in the morning, but even with the sun creeping out between grey clouds, it was still cold. Bundled from tip to toes though, Asahi was warm, and waited patiently, albeit nervously, for the Russian to start whatever conversation was going to happen. He hung his skates over his shoulder by the laces, and watched as the older man bid his farewells for the moment to Minako, and pushed the door closed. Footsteps were loud as thunder in Asahi's head, and his heart started to beat harder in his chest as the silence went on. They left the court-yard and rounded the corner outside the traditional gates, and made it nearly off the property before Mikhail finally said something.
"So that partner of mine is going to be arriving tomorrow to start dealing with stuff in Imari."
Asahi's eyes got small behind his bangs, but he tried not to react too much.
"I'm hoping everything will go smoothly and it'll be settled before we leave for Austria on Thursday, but I am still concerned about leaving you here by yourself." Mikhail went on, "I know you balked at the idea of having someone follow you around, but...I'd appreciate it if you at least humored me while we're away for the weekend...unless you've changed your mind about coming."
"I haven't." Asahi retorted skeptically, "And there hasn't been any trouble. I worry something might, but I'm always worried. No one from Imari has reached out to me in any way."
"That you know of."
Asahi grumbled a nervous breath, "That doesn't make me feel any better."
"It'll make me feel a lot better if you let someone hang around to keep an eye on things." The Russian pleaded, "Maybe it'll help you feel better, too."
"And if I refuse anyway?"
"I'll be a pest to you the whole time we're away. Checking in every 10 minutes to ask if anything's changed since we took off." He laughed, although his tone was half-serious anyway, "Things have been fine since we've been here together, but I'm not one to be caught unawares...and everyone is going to be gone for Euros. What if they're just waiting for that? If your family figured things out about you by stalking Instagram, it really wouldn't be a stretch for them to be stalking the profiles of the people you know, and they're bound to comment about being in Vienna, which will leave you wide open."
Asahi pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a mildly annoyed sigh, "How would the logistics of something like this even work? Does this person sleep in my room with me? Stalk my every move? Taste my food for me?"
"You're an Olympian, not a King." Mikhail guffawed, "This person would stay at Yu-Topia as a guest like anyone else, and leave with you if you go anywhere. Having a security detail only works if you're a willing participant though. You'd have to be in contact with this guy and let him know you plan on going somewhere, that way you can still have your personal space and alone-time."
Asahi stopped in place, forcing Mikhail to do the same and look back, "I just don't understand the need. If my family cared that much to hurt me, they could've done so ages ago. Everything they ever did before was subtle or secret anyway. It was systemic and long-term, meant to control and limit me, not actively hurt me. It wouldn't make any sense for them to suddenly shift gears and send someone out to break my legs or something. It would only serve to draw attention to them...because I'm an Olympian who just fell out with them."
"So it's a hard no."
"Listen, I..." He started again, turning away with an exasperated look, "...I owe you a lot. You basically swooped in and saved me when I was on the edge of a really bad situation. ...If you decide to have someone tail me while you're gone, I won't complain or try to avoid them, but...I'd really rather you didn't. My family owned a pottery company in a small city...they're not exactly the Yakuza."
Mikhail drew a long breath, but eventually nodded, "All right, all right... I'll take it into consideration."
Awkward silence overtook them as they started walking again. They made it to the bridge before Asahi spoke again, "If you're still walking with me and you're not broaching the bodyguard subject again...what else is there?"
The Rozovsky elder steeled himself, "Kind of a pitiful sub-topic, but...it's stuff about Yuri Plisetsky again."
"Okay?"
"I'm trying to be sensitive to what he's experiencing right now...but, I can't help also believing that those feelings of hostility and perceived injustice are...a bit unfounded." He explained, "My nephew used to let him sleep in the closet of the room you're in now, but my nephew hasn't slept in that banquet hall since the summer. Yura hasn't been in there for a while either, yet for some reason he still thinks it's his."
"...And...?"
"Has he bothered you at all?"
"Other than some dirty looks here and there, no." Asahi answered simply, "But I'm starting to think that's just how his face is and he can't help it."
Mikhail groaned a laugh, "Yeeaahhh...it's not." He shook his head, "I plan on talking to him about it later. He's been losing ground since we got here, to the point where even my youngest is getting annoyed with him. She hardly gets annoyed by anything for very long. Worst I've ever seen out of her was when I took all the Twix bars out of her bag at Halloween when she was six. She held a grudge against me for like a week."
"Deserved."
"Right? I couldn't help it though...they called to me." He laughed, looking aside to find a most-awkward sight. He gasped and pointed a finger, "Holy crap, you're smiling!"
"What?"
"Ah it's gone...but I saw it! Now I know it's possible."
Asahi zipped the front of his jacket up high enough that it went to his nose, "...What does any of this have to do with me?" He deflected.
Mikhail was still amused, but then cleared his throat and tried to be serious again, "Well...Plisetsky asked me a really odd question this morning and it makes me think he's poking into what happened at Nationals. He's fiercely protective of his friendship with Yuri, but unfortunately lacks my nephew's tempered self-control." He slowed his pace down as they passed the midway point of the bridge, and the skater slowed as well to look back, "I'll sort this whole thing out. I just wanted to be sure that you and him haven't had any encounters that I somehow missed."
Asahi shook his head.
"All right...well, have a good skate then. Do you want me to send Minako down at some point?"
"If she's feeling okay. I know she gets sick in the morning."
“She’ll probably be happy for it. Get away from all the unfortunate smells.”