The cold morning air stretched taut across the Ice Castle Hasetsu rink. Katsuki Yuuri moved his body in front of Alexei Bradov. Today marked the fifth day of their expressiveness lessons. Yuuri traced a single measure of music with his arms and back. "[gentle] Okay? This is a sad scene, so don't just reach out—make your fingertips tremble, like this." "[angry] That's exactly what I don't get! What do you mean, tremble?!" Alexei shouted, his curly blond hair bristling with frustration. His freckled face was bright red. And yet, his eyes desperately tracked Yuuri's every movement. Yuuri found himself remembering when Victor had taught him. Back when he had no confidence, when he thought there was no way he could ever pull off something like expression. "[serious] Take it slow. Just remember something sad from inside yourself. Then let it flow into your body." Alexei bit his lip. Then, hesitantly, he raised his arm. That was when it happened. "...Yuri, how can you skate with a face like that?" It wasn't his usual loud voice. It was small, filled with genuine curiosity. "Huh?" "[sad] You're normally such a wimp, but when you're skating, you get this... this incredible look on your face. I don't get it. How do you become like that?" Yuuri was at a loss for words. Until now, no one besides Victor had ever looked at his skating that way. Yuuri glanced toward the rinkside, searching for help. But Victor wasn't there. The bench where he should have been sitting, smiling as he sipped his cocoa, was empty. "...Huh?" At the corner of the corridor leading to the rink, Nishigoori Yuuko was the only one who noticed the figure standing there. Long silver hair. Clear, translucent blue eyes. Victor Nikiforov. With his arms crossed, he stared intently at the two on the ice. His usual smile was nowhere to be seen. "[whispers] Mr. Victor... you're not yourself." Yuuko murmured quietly. Resting a hand on her slightly rounded belly, her gentle, drooping eyes narrowed with worry. Victor didn't move. The Yuuri he had taught was now conveying something to Alexei without going through him. Victor simply continued to watch that profile in silence. Early afternoon. A sudden roar echoed through the lobby of Yu-topia Katsuki. CRASH! A large suitcase slammed into a pillar, and its owner tumbled in with the momentum. Long blond hair reaching down his back bristled, and sharp, cat-like green eyes swept across the lobby. "[angry] You perverts!" Yuuri, Alexei, and Victor, all in the lobby, turned in unison toward the source of the voice. Yuri Plisetsky stood there, breathing heavily. The face known as the Russian Fairy was flushed red with rage, looking ready to pounce on someone at any moment. "[angry] What the hell are you all doing surrounding Victor?! Are you out of your minds?! What is this messed-up relationship?! Explain yourselves!" Tanaka-san, a regular customer, spat out his tea once again. "[sad] My tea bowl..." Hiroko poked her head out from the dining area, cheerfully holding up a tray. "[gentle] Now, now. Are you hungry? We've got tea and sweets." Yuri's temple twitched. But before he could respond, Alexei shouted. "[angry] What's a senior skater doing here—a loser who got dumped as a coach by Lord Victor?!" For an instant, the air in the lobby froze. The next moment, all expression vanished from Yuri's face. Then, he lunged straight at Alexei. "[angry] You little brat!" "[angry] It's the truth!" The two grappled and rolled across the floor. Yuuri rushed in, panicked. "[scared] S-stop! Both of you, calm down!" But the moment Yuuri stepped between them, Alexei's elbow caught him in the face, and Yuri's kick landed in his stomach. They became a tangled mess, impossible to tell apart. Only Victor stood in the corner of the lobby, watching the spectacle with an amused smile. "[playful] Wow, how lively." "[angry] Victor, stop them!" That was when it happened. THUD. A loud sound brought the fight to a halt. Yuuko had emerged from the kitchen and placed a five-tiered stack of large dishes in front of them. Inside, colorful food was piled high. "[gentle] Here, lunch first! You can fight after, okay?" Both of them froze. Yuri stared at the food. Alexei stared at the food too. Growl. Yuri's stomach rumbled. "...Why should I eat Japanese food?" Grumbling, Yuri nonetheless grabbed a pair of chopsticks and shoved a piece of chikuzen-ni into his mouth. Alexei shouted "No fair!" and reached out as well. (He was definitely hungry.) Still sitting on the floor, Yuuri thought quietly to himself. After the food-terrorism ceasefire, a small measure of quiet returned to the lobby. Yuuko poured tea from the kyusu, and Hiroko sliced youkan. Yuri and Alexei were still glaring at each other, but for now, their chopsticks had stopped moving. It was Victor's gentle voice that broke the silence. "[gentle] By the way, Yuri. What did you tell Coach Irina when you left?" Yuri's movements stopped dead. "[cold] I got a call from the coach at Ledovaya Zvezda. She said to bring Alexei back immediately, and if I couldn't talk sense into him, she'd hold me responsible as his supervisor." The color drained from Alexei's face. Yuri's mouth twisted. "[angry] That's why I came, isn't it?! What's wrong with that?!" But his voice was shaking. Yuuri realized it then. This person hadn't come here just out of anger. He had come all the way to Hasetsu for Alexei's sake. "Yurio..." "[angry] Don't look at me, you creep!" Yuri glared back at Yuuri. Then, Alexei spoke in a small voice. "[scared] ...Yuri-senpai, you came for me?" "[angry] Shut up, be quiet!" Yuri's face turned bright red. Alexei stared at him as if looking at something unbelievable. Victor let out a small, quiet laugh. But the momentary silence was quickly shattered. "[angry] Still, Yuri-senpai only came to drag me back! When it comes to skating, and my feelings for Lord Victor, I'm way better!" Alexei stood up. Yuri stood up too. "[angry] Then prove it, brat." "[scared] Both of you, calm down!" Yuuri's attempt to mediate turned Yuri's anger fully onto him. "[angry] You shut up too, Katsuki! How did a pig like you with no confidence end up with a Grand Prix silver medal?!" Those words pierced Yuuri's chest. He couldn't say anything. It was exactly what he thought about himself, said straight to his face. "[serious] Yuri, that's going too far." Victor's voice changed the atmosphere in the lobby. It wasn't his usual gentle tone. It was low, brooking no argument. Victor had seriously defended Yuuri. Everyone present understood that. For a moment, the lobby fell silent. It was Yuri who broke the silence. "[angry] ...Everyone, be at the rink tomorrow at 6 AM. I'll crush all of you together." With that, he grabbed his suitcase and disappeared into the corridor. Alexei shouted at his retreating back. "[angry] I accept your challenge!" "Huh... me too?" Yuuri let out a dumbfounded sound. Yuuko, standing beside him, gently patted his back. "[gentle] You've got no choice but to go, Yuuri-kun." Night. Back in his room at Yu-topia Katsuki, Yuuri stepped onto the scale. The needle trembled and stopped. Eight hundred grams heavier than this morning. (...I've gained weight.) He remembered the large platters of food at lunch and sighed. He could still feel the oil from the chikuzen-ni lingering at the back of his tongue. "[sad] A pig with no confidence, huh..." Yuri's words replayed in his head. That's right, he was always lacking confidence. Even after winning a silver medal at the Grand Prix, somewhere in his heart he still thought it was a fluke. The feeling of the podium had already faded from his fingertips. Returning to his desk, he noticed a single memo placed there. "I believe in you for tomorrow." It was Victor's handwriting. Yuuri picked up the paper. His fingertips trembled faintly. He traced the indentations of Victor's pen pressure with his thumb, over and over. The edges of the paper grew damp with sweat from his hands. Then, he slowly folded it in half and pressed it to his chest. Thump, thump. His heart raged on the other side of the paper. He couldn't think about anything anymore. Tomorrow, 6 AM at the rink. With Yuri and Alexei, the three of them. He had never faced Yuri head-on in skating before. Yuri's piercing gaze. Alexei's shouts. Victor's silent profile. They swirled together, filling the back of his eyelids. The number on the scale seemed to float up white in the darkness. Unable to sleep, Yuuri simply watched as the world outside his window began to lighten. Morning was coming. The rink was waiting for the three of them. Would Victor sit on the bench today too? Or perhaps— Still clutching the memo, Yuuri couldn't stand up. A cold sensation slowly spread through his knees. It wasn't tears. It was just the feeling of warmth leaving his body.