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Hot Springs on Ice counted as a win for Yuuri, so that evening the Katsuki family enjoyed pork cutlet bowls in celebration. Mari was a little upset that Yurio had already checked out and left with barely even a goodbye, but otherwise the evening was a pleasant one, and she fired off a few texts to him checking on his welfare and wishing him luck with Yakov back in Russia. His response was to initially tell her to fuck off and that he wanted nothing more to do with the Katsuki family, before then sending her a photo of a cat he had seen outside the airport, followed by a thank you for her concern and that he’d let her know when he got safely back home.
“He is on form tonight,” she said, waving her phone and speaking in English for Victor’s benefit. “He just called Yuuri a ‘Breitovo bastard’.”
“Oooh, lovely use of alliteration!” Victor praised him.
“Although little insulting it bring our marriage into question,” Hiroko said, her English a little more broken than her children’s, as she placed a hot bowl of delicious-looking tonkatsu down in front of her husband before settling besides him at the table with a bowl of her own.
“That is probably the least insulting part of what he said!” Yuuri groaned. “He just called me a pig!”
“Victor calls you a pig all the time,” Mari reminded him, gesturing at the smiling Russian with her thumb.
“That’s different…” Yuuri mumbled. Somehow, and he couldn’t explain why exactly, it was okay when Victor said it.
“I like piggies!” Victor grinned. “They’re smart and cute!”
“Also fat and ungainly…” Yuuri murmured. “And not very good on the ice…”
“And they are tasty!” Victor added, tucking into his pork cutlet. “Mmm - Vkusno! Yuuri, you really should have had a pork cutlet bowl – you won! You should celebrate!”
Despite his win, Yuuri had opted for a leaner meal. His pork medallion had been trimmed of fat and grilled, unlike the rest of the table with their breaded and fried offerings, and while he had a small bowl of rice it was accompanied by a salad and some pickles. He looked enviously at his family’s dinner, but accepted his diet meal with grace and a certain level of self-loathing.
“I don’t think I deserve it,” Yuuri said, grimacing as he took a mouthful of salad. “I feel Yurio should have won today. He’s way more talented than I am, and he found his agape. I still don’t really understand my eros. I mean… Food is great and all, and I do love to eat pork cutlet bowls, but it’s not exactly sexy! I’m not certain what I was thinking when I came up with that analogy. Pork cutlets are comforting. It’s more like platonic love, I think. Or maybe familial.”
“Oh…?” Victor raised an eyebrow questioningly. “It did not feel that way out on the ice.”
“Yeah, well…” Yuuri looked away from him, blushing slightly. “I figured something out, but it’s still lacking something else.”
“Yes, I was going to ask about that,” Victor said, nodding. “Your movement out there – it changed from what I saw in practice. The flow and delicacy of your step sequence was very different today.”
“It may have something to do with the fact he was at Minako’s all night,” Mari said, shovelling rice into her mouth.
“Your dance instructor?” Victor asked.
“Uh huh,” Yuuri nodded. “Once I realized that being the playboy wasn’t working for me, I asked her if she could teach me how to move more like a woman. It seemed to suit my style better.”
“Oh! That explains things!” Victor said, eyes widening in revelation. “The soft fluidity and grace. Reminded me a lot of my earlier days – I played around with gender a lot back then!”
“Hmm. I was partly inspired by the costume I chose, but also being forceful and forward didn’t suit me. It didn’t feel right for my eros,” Yuuri explained. At that, Victor gave him a slightly weird expression that was difficult to read, but he said nothing.
“Yurio just text me a photo of the plane he is about to board,” Mari said, interrupting. “He said, ‘Even this plane has a smaller ass than pork cutlet bowl’. I think he means you, Yuuri.”
<“That little blonde bitch is so mean,”> Yuuri grumbled. <”He wishes he had an ass like mine!”>
“I do not understand what you are saying, Yuuri, but whatever it is I agree!” Victor said, smiling broadly.
<”For the record, it was an ass like that which made me fall for your mother,”> Toshiya quipped, getting a simultaneous scandalized ‘Otousaaaaan!’ from both Yuuri and Mari, and an affectionate giggle from Hiroko.
“You know, I would love to see where you learnt to dance,” Victor said, segueing back into skater talk. “I aim to learn as much about you as I can, so seeing where it all began is an important step.”
“Oh, sure,” Yuuri nodded agreeably.
“We should go tonight, after we finish eating your mother’s delicious food!”
*
Minako didn’t look best pleased to find Yuuri on her doorstep after business hours for the second night in a row, but she trusted him enough to give him the key to her studio before she closed the front door in his face.
“Aaaah, yeah, I think she’s a little annoyed at me,” Yuuri said, mainly to himself.
“I would have thought she would be working her bar at this time of night,” Victor said.
“She has staff who run the place most days,” Yuuri explained as he led the way to her studio a couple of blocks away. “She only goes in a couple of evenings a week to make sure they’re doing their jobs properly. Mostly, it’s a token income as she can’t bring herself to retire yet – she made a ton of money as a dancer, so can afford to live a life of leisure for the most part. It’s also why she has not sold her studio, despite me being her only student right now, and until recently I was rarely here as I was living in Detroit.”
“Wow,” Victor said, sounding impressed. “To make enough money to practically retire at the age she is, she must have been a very good dancer!”
“Yes, she was known internationally,” Yuuri said, sounding proud of his teacher. “She won several accolades for her ballet.”
“You know, the Japanese are not usually that well known for ballet, but I seem to recall Lilia mentioning someone called ‘Okagawa’ or something similar, who got some prestigious prize in Moscow,” Victor pondered aloud. “She said she had beautiful form back in her youth.”
“The Benois de la Danse?”
“Da!”
“That’ll probably be Minako,” Yuuri said. “Her family name is Okukawa. She won a lifetime achievement award for her career.”
“Oh how lovely – she must be very talented!”
“Here we are…”
They arrived at a nondescript looking doorway wedged between a grocery store and a hairdresser’s salon. A sign written in Japanese said ‘Okukawa Dance School, Floor 2’ and featured a silhouette of a ballet dancer standing en-point. Yuuri unlocked the door to reveal a flight of stairs behind it.
“The studio occupies all of the second floor,” he explained, holding the door open for Victor. “It doesn’t look much from outside, but the studio itself is impressive.”
“And a free cardio warm-up before you start!” Victor said gleefully, taking the stairs at an excitable pace. “Come on, slowpoke!”
<“And you say I have all the stamina…”> Yuuri mumbled to himself, following Victor up at a more reasonable speed.
“Oh – slavno!” he heard Victor exclaim, as he entered the studio and took a good look around. When Yuuri finally got upstairs, it was to find Victor with his leg up near vertical against a parallel bar, striking an elegant pose in front of the mirrored wall. “This place has everything!”
“I did say it was impressive,” Yuuri said, smiling at him.
“There is so much space!” Victor gushed, beaming. “Areas for stretching, equipment to build strength and balance, good acoustics… Oh! A dance pole!”
“Oh… Yeah. Minako specialises in ballet, but she rents the space to others to use too,” Yuuri explained. “Sarada-sensei runs private pole dance lessons every Wednesday afternoon. She must have forgotten to put it away last time they used it.”
“I would love to learn how to work a pole,” Victor said, grabbing hold of it and doing an experimental jump. The pole, currently unlocked in spin setting, began to lazily rotate with Victor clinging onto it and ungainly pirouetting like a rotisserie chicken. “Wheee!” he giggled. “I did not realise it was the pole that spun, and not the stripper!”
“You would get some pretty serious friction burns if you tried to do spins on a static pole,” Yuuri told him. “However, it is easier to learn holds and hangs when you’re not rotating.”
“Chris told me he does pole for fun and fitness, and it helps him ramp up his sex appeal,” Victor said, dropping down off the pole.
“Yeah, that sounds like Chris,” Yuuri sighed. “It does help with flexibility and strength though. Minako encouraged me to learn several types of dance to enhance my skating further, so I took lessons with Sarada-sensei back when I was eighteen. It was pretty fun, and I got quite good at it!”
“Maybe you could show me?” Victor said, grinning slyly.
“Oh no… No, I couldn’t…” Yuuri said. “It’s embarrassing!”
“Hmm…” Again with that hard to read expression, slightly quizzical in nature, like he was mildly confused about something. “There are only us two here. It is not like anybody would see, and I want to see if it could maybe help me coach you better to incorporate different exercises and moves. I wish to see your strengths!”
“Well, when you put it like that…”
“Also, I would like to learn myself,” Victor grinned. “It would really surprise Chris at the next Grand Prix afterparty if I joined in with him too!”
“Uh huh…” Yuuri couldn’t remember much about last year’s afterparty. He recalls Celestino leading him into the event, then finding the drinks table and downing flute after flute of champagne to drown his sorrows. Everything beyond glass six became a numb blur until he woke up in bed the following morning, sticky and stinking of booze, with a killer hangover throbbing behind his eyeballs and tying his stomach into knots. He assumed that he sat in a quiet corner by himself and hopefully not crying, while he continued to drink copious amounts of complimentary alcohol until someone, most likely Celestino, took him back to his hotel room in a blackout drunk state. He does vaguely remember there being a dancing pole there, likely leftover from a previous event. He wouldn’t put it past the sex-obsessed Swiss skater to start swinging around it – it would be in character for him.
“Please, Yuuri!”
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?” Yuuri asked, noticing Victor’s puppy-dog eyes.
“Nyet.”
“Fine!”
Yuuri peeled off his coat and scarf, kicked off his shoes, pulled his sweater off over his head, and started to unzip his trouser fly.
“Oh wow – must you strip off just to demonstrate?” Victor asked him, looking equal parts excited and eager.
“You need bare skin to properly grip the pole,” Yuuri explained, stepping out of his trousers and standing in just his underpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. He rolled up his sleeves so his elbows were exposed, then slipped his glasses off his face, folding in the arms carefully. “Hold these for me, would you please?” he said, palming them off to Victor, before continuing his explanation on the proper attire for working the pole. “Some exotic dancers wear vinyl leggings because they have a little bit of grip to them, but they’re not especially comfortable and they limit your movement. Mostly, they’re worn for sex appeal, and the dancer concentrates on floor work and easy spins that don’t require much strength.”
“I see,” Victor nodded. “Interesting.”
“As you can see…” Yuuri said, locking the pole back into static mode before grasping it firmly, and in a few fluid moves inverted himself, switched his handgrips to something more secure, and then kicked his legs out straight into a basic Ayesha hold. “Bare skin is essential to prevent you slipping, especially on more acrobatic or complicated grips.”
“Very smooth!” Victor said, complimenting the effortless way he had swung his way into a tricky-looking pose.
“I found it was very good at improving my transitions,” Yuuri said, switching his grip again, flipping back to an upright position. He wrapped one leg around the pole, holding his foot with the opposite hand and leaning back into Stargazer. “My balance improved too.”
“It does look a very beneficial dance technique,” Victor agreed, watching as Yuuri switched effortlessly through half-a-dozen holds, naming them as he went.
“Closed Rainbow… Brass Hook… Hup – into Cupid… Ah, woah… <Nearly slipped!> Haha! <My hands are getting sweaty because I’m nervous…> Ooop – Reverse Superman! And then swing my legs round into… Oh. Guess I found it! Eros!”
Yuuri clung to the pole with one leg crooked upwards and one hand supporting his weight and preventing him sliding down. His back was arched and his belly pointed to the floor, free leg elegantly bent behind him with pointed toes. The position tautened and enhanced every single one of his well-toned muscles, showing his strength and flexibility wonderfully. His free hand reached out towards Victor and the awkward yet coy smile on his face was so warm it could melt butter, although currently Victor was more enthralled by a wonderfully rounded Japanese butt that he could bounce a rouble off, the hold really emphasizing its pertness.
“Oh yes… That is certainly… Eros…” Victor agreed, head tiled slightly to the side appraisingly.
“Still, this is just me showing off, which isn’t what you asked for…” Yuuri said, simpering slightly as he relaxed out of the hold and slid off the pole.
‘I could ask for it…’ Victor thought to himself, but he didn’t say it out loud. ‘I kind of want to…’
“It took me several months to get just the basics down, so don’t be too upset if you find it difficult,” Yuuri said, holding his hand out for his glasses so he would be able to see clearly again. “This is your first time trying anything like this, right?”
“Da,” Victor nodded, handing the spectacles back. “In Russia, all we ever do is ballet, ballet, and more ballet, and maybe ballroom if you skate pairs. Yurio learnt some freestyle, but he did that by himself outside of training using online tutorials to be cool.”
“Yeah, Minako had me learn some basic ballroom too, and some Latin.”
Yuuri had engaged Victor in a remarkably energetic Paso Doble at last year’s Grand Prix afterparty, as well as working the pole better than most exotic dancers and initiating a freestyle dance battle with Yurio which he proceeded to win, much to Yurio’s annoyance, so Victor was aware of his prowess with varying dance forms. He still had some seriously sexy dreams about that dip the Japanese man had put him in, recalling fondly the strong but gentle arms around him, supporting him while also dominating him as he took the lead in the dance. It made very little sense that Yuuri was finding the concept of Eros so difficult considering how confident he had been then.
However, he’d also been incredibly drunk, so maybe it was the alcohol talking, erasing his usual social anxiety and bolstering his courage. Plus, while the dances themselves are inherently sexy, it didn’t mean that Yuuri himself understood the theme and concepts intimately – dance is also about acting the part, and a drunken fumble, no matter how graceful and erotic it might be, does not a winning choreography make.
There was also the less seductive idea that he was thinking about food the whole time, which wouldn’t be surprising. Victor got the munchies all the time when drunk, so it was entirely possible that Yuuri had been imagining pork cutlets even then!
“I also did freestyle, interpretative, and even jazz in my own time too, thinking it might help me. I tried everything, hoping something would work.” Yuuri said, sounding a little sheepish.
“Yakov told Yurio he was wasting his time!” Victor smirked. “He said street dance has no place on the ice!”
“Freestyle dance isn’t a waste,” Yuuri said, frowning slightly. “It helps with rhythm and stamina, and depending on the moves it can improve your upper body strength.”
“Maybe that explains why he is so adaptable!”
“Maybe…?” Yuuri wasn’t completely convinced on that one. He knew several different forms of dance and yet frequently courted failure. Yurio, meanwhile, was a prodigy. His adaptability was an innate ability.
“I should strip,” Victor said, changing the subject in that strangely natural way of his. “I will not be able to grip the pole in an overcoat!”
“Heh, no.”
“Good job I am wearing my good underpants today!” he said, grinning as he shucked off his coat followed the jacket underneath.
‘He has ‘bad’ underpants…?’ Yuuri thought to himself, trying to imagine what Victor’s ‘bad’ underpants would be like. ‘Y-fronts, or…?’
“Okay, Yuuri, I am almost naked! Now teach me some moves!”
The ‘good underpants’ were a pair of tight black designer boxers, and that was literally all he had kept on.
“Err, Victor… You could have kept your shirt on…” Yuuri told him, blushing demurely and not sure where exactly to look that would be appropriate. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Victor completely naked before, but somehow the branded underwear gave the impression of being lewder as they drew your attention down and emphasised things. It was hard to stop his gaze from flicking glances south, not that he was especially interested in Victor's junk per-se, but it was embarassing how his line of sight was drawn like a moth to a flame towards it. He fiddled nervously with his glasses to try and give himself an excuse for his wandering eyes.
“You said bare skin was better for grip, so I thought no shirt would be better,” Victor said. “Chris only wears his-“
“Alright, alright!” Yuuri conceded, holding up his hands in defeat. “It’s fine, really! If you’re comfortable like that then… It’s fine. I was more worried you might feel cold – it is winter!”
“I am Russian,” Victor said, waving a hand dismissively. “I would be a pretty poor Russian if I was sensitive to the cold, no?”
“I guess…”
“So, what should I start with?” Victor approached the pole with purpose, grabbing hold of it and looking over at Yuuri expectantly.
“Well, considering you do ballet, and knowing what you are capable of on the ice, I think most floor work wouldn’t be a challenge for you,” Yuuri said. “So maybe let’s start with something on the pole itself? Fairy Sits are easy enough, but they look showy.”
“Oooh! I do like showy!” Victor said.
“Alright, let me show you it, and then you can have a go yourself,” Yuuri told him. He passed his specs over again, and Victor stepped back to allow him to demonstrate. He grasped the pole, climbed up a couple of feet using his feet to push himself up, before squeezing the pole between his thighs and holding his legs straight. He then twisted his body around, bending one knee and hooking an arm over, grabbing the pole under his armpit, hands now on his hips so it looked like he was levitating.
“You look very sassy!” Victor said appraisingly, giving him a wolf whistle for extra effect. Yuuri chose to ignore it.
“Make sure you grab the pole firmly between your legs, and then lock in place with your arm,” Yuuri said, gesturing with his head at his armpit. “You can also put the foot of your bent leg against the pole for some extra stability.”
“Okay, that seems easy enough!”
“Start by mastering a basic pole sit, and then go from there,” Yuuri told him, untwisting his arm and sliding off the pole. “I’ll spot check you so you don’t fall. I feel your fans would hate me even more if you injured yourself trying to copy something stupid I showed you…”
“Relax, Yuuri – it’ll be fine!” Victor reassured him, grasping the pole energetically and, with some difficulty compared to Yuuri, pulling himself up. “Woah – you are right! This is a lot harder than it looks!”
“I did warn you,” Yuuri sighed. “At least you’re athletic and in good shape – the heavier you are and the less upper body strength you have, the harder it is!”
“Lilia told me I have the upper body strength of a wet paper towel,” Victor joked. “Which is why I never went into pairs, or ballet proper – I can’t do the lifts very well!”
“Well, just be extra careful and don’t climb too high,” Yuuri said, fretting and holding his hands out ready to catch Victor if he started to slip or fall. “Try to straighten your legs, and grip with your thighs – you want your legs to be doing the bulk of the work for a sitting pose.”
“Can you do lifts?” Victor asked conversationally, trying to grip the pole with his legs and having moderate success.
“I can…” Yuuri said sheepishly. “I have had Minako over my head several times. I was her only student for a while, so…”
“Ooooh! Could you lift me?”
“Err…” Yuuri was fairly certain he could, but he was also concerned that he might melt into a puddle in the process, or else drop him in panic. He was already figure skating enemy number one for monopolising Victor and stealing him from the ice; he would become the most hated man in winter sports if he accidentally dropped Victor Nikiforov on his head or worse!
“Maybe another time, da?”
“Mmm…”
“Look, Yuuri – I am doing it!” Victor released the pole with one hand to demonstrate that he was successfully gripping the pole between his dancer’s thighs, toes pointed elegantly as he laughed delightedly.
“Well done!” Yuuri praised him, still holding his hands out in case he lost his grip. “Now, try and do what I did – hook the pole under your armpit, and then bend one leg so it looks like you’re perched in midair.”
“Like this?” Victor awkwardly leant around the pole, but managed to hold himself in place in roughly the right position, albeit a little inelegantly. “Wooo – you were not kidding when you said it was harder than it looks! I am having to clamp really hard with my thighs!”
“That’s why it’s so good for strength and flexibility,” Yuuri said. “Can I just…?” He held out his hands, asking for consent to touch Victor.
“Of course!”
“Right… Try moving your leg just… That’s it!” Yuuri gently guided Victor to bend his knee at a slightly different angle, and rested his bare foot more firmly against the pole. “You should be more stable now.”
“Da!” Victor smiled, delighted. “I am sitting like a pretty little Russian fairy!”
“Good!”
“Could you show me something upside down?” Victor asked, uncoiling himself and sliding down the pole.
“Upside down?”
“I feel if I am going to impress Chris I need something a little more flashy!” Victor said, beaming.
“Ahh… Inverted moves are pretty advanced…” Yuuri said, sounding dubious. “Even I struggle with most of them – I need a lot more practice to do them flawlessly!”
“You must know some though?” Victor pressed. “Even just one I might be able to do?”
“Well…”
“Yuuri…”
“There is one, maybe, seeing as you can pole sit,” Yuuri said thoughtfully. “It’s not especially showy though.”
“You have to start somewhere,” Victor said wisely.
“It’s called a pike hip hold,” Yuuri told him. “It’s basically an inverted pole sit.”
“Show me!”
“Alright.”
Yuuri again passed his folded spectacles over to Victor, and grasped the pole firmly. He kicked himself up and into a basic invert, wrapping his legs around the pole as he did. Grasping the pole tightly with his thighs so he wouldn’t slide down, he let go with his hands, straightened his legs into a pike, leaned around one side of the pole, and hugged the back of his legs, drawing his knees into his chest, like a diver completing a tight flip.
“The closer you can hold your legs to your body, the neater it looks,” he explained, tucking himself in tightly.
“Almost like a sit spin,” Victor said contemplatively. “They look much more elegant the more you can tuck yourself in low to the floor.”
“Kind of…” Yuuri sounded like he didn’t totally agree, because a hip hold had very little in common with a sit spin in terms of execution, but Victor had the right idea at least. He released his legs, bent his knees, and let his upper body drop into a hip hold tuck, showing off a little. “You’re upright for all skating moves though. Being inverted means all the blood can rush to your head, and if you’re not careful it can make you lightheaded.” He finished up by resting his hands on the floor in a handstand and carefully pushed himself off the pole with his feet, kicking elegantly before tucking his legs in to land in a crouched position with a soft thud on the sprung dance floor.
“Oooh, fancy dismount!” Victor praised him.
“It was just a handstand,” Yuuri said, blushing slightly. “Girls do them against brick walls all the time.
“Still looks impressive though,” Victor said, handing his glasses back. “A lot of choreography is about making the basic look beautiful!”
“None of what you do is basic…” Yuuri murmured, sliding his specs on while Victor once more mounted the pole, struggling a little to pull himself up.
“Yuuri! How do I flip over?” he asked, trying to figure out how to invert without falling down or twisting himself into an unsexy pretzel that may or may not require medical attention.
“Hold on – I’ll help you!” Yuuri told him, walking forward with palms raised to offer Victor some support. “You won’t fall – I’ve got you! Hold the pole, bring your legs to the same side, and then flip yourself up and grab the pole between your thighs!”
Victor struggled, even with Yuuri helping him, pushing him upwards. “Ooof – this is… Very difficult!”
“Pull yourself, Victor – pull!” Yuuri encouraged him, supporting his lower back as he manoeuvred himself inelegantly into position like a deer that has just been knocked kicking and screaming over the bonnet of a car in slow motion, legs cycling and straining as he contorted his body unnaturally. Eventually, he was able to hook a leg round the pole and stabilise himself again, but he was very shaky and Yuuri was reluctant to remove his hands lest he slide straight down head first. <”Oh God, this is nerve-wracking! He’s gonna fall! I just know it!”>
“Yay! I am upside down now!” Victor said, sounding pleased at himself and unable to understand Yuuri’s anxious muttering.
“Y…Yes, I can see that,” Yuuri stuttered. “T…Try and straighten your legs into a pike – don’t worry about releasing the pole! I don’t think you’ll be able to at your level safely yet anyway.”
“You are probably right,” Victor agreed, his arms shaking from the effort. “Look how much I am shaking! I am not as fit as I thought!”
“I’m going to take my hands away, just briefly, so you can get into position…” Yuuri moved his hands away, cautious as Victor took his entire weight on the pole.
Victor moved slightly, trying to straighten his legs into pike position, and his hands slipped.
“Whoops!”
“Victor!”
Yuuri caught him before he fell too far, grabbing him before he hit his head.
“Amazing reflex!” Victor laughed, lowering his arms and placing his hands on the floor to take some of his weight. “You can put me down now!”
In nervous haste, Yuuri had grasped Victor bodily around the waist, and was now effortlessly holding him upside down a few inches off the floor.
“Oh… <Yes>… Sorry!” He lowered Victor gently so his feet were also grounded and released him, allowing him to right himself with some dignity intact.
“You were not kidding when you said it was difficult!” Victor said, beaming with his usual grin. “I am impressed at how good you are!”
“I… I’m not that great…” Yuuri muttered.
“Does not look like I will be dancing with Chris any time soon,” Victor sighed. “Guess I leave that to the experts!”
“Well… If you are seriously interested in learning, I could put in a good word with Sarada-sensei,” Yuuri said, looking a little sheepish. “She is a far better teacher than I am, and I’m sure you’ll pick up the basics really quickly!”
“No, my focus right now is on you and your training,” Victor told him brightly. “Maybe another time, da?”
“Maybe…”
“Anyway, we should get back to Yu-Topia soon,” Victor said, picking up his shirt from the pile on the floor. “It is getting late, and you have a long day of training tomorrow! We better get you home and tucked up in bed!”
“It isn’t that late…” Yuuri argued, checking the time on the large wall clock next to the mirrors. “Minako’s lessons often run longer than this!”
“It is late for little piggies who need to perfect a routine they only barely passed with against a teenager, and who need to be up at 5am for their first run of the day!” Victor countered.
“5am?!” Yuuri gasped, shocked. “Why so early?”
“Early piggy gets the gold!” Victor grinned. “You want to win, right?”
“But-“
“No complaining, Yuuri!” Victor told him. “Coach knows best!”
“…Alright.”
“Good!” Victor smiled, pulling on his shirt. “Now, get dressed – it is very cold out! I do not wish for either of us to get sick!”
“Didn’t you say Russians don’t feel the cold?” Yuuri reminded him, pulling on his trousers.
“No, I said Russians are not sensitive to cold,” Victor corrected him. “And while I am not complaining about being cold at all, I am currently freezing my little Nikiforovs off! Going shirtless in winter was a bad idea!”
“Heh, maybe we should have a bath when we get back to Yu-Topia,” Yuuri suggested.
“A great idea!” Victor agreed. “Bath, bed, and tomorrow we begin your training in full force!”