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There’s a Difference Between Sleight of Hand and Misdirection
Guang Hong doesn’t reply: it certainly doesn’t seem like one of his best programs considering the score.
“It’s not fair.”
Viktor shakes his head as Guang Hong’s score is revealed. Guang Hong looks a little misty-eyed at the barely-breaking-sixty-points score. He buries his face against the back of a teddy bear that has a red and gold ribbon tied about its neck while his coach places a comforting arm about his shoulders and leans in close.
“You were wonderful,” she soothes. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Guang Hong bites the ear of the bear to stifle his tears.
“You’ve been practicing hard,” his coach continues while she rubs his back. “You should have no regrets. This was one of your best programs to date.”
Guang Hong doesn’t reply: it certainly doesn’t seem like one of his best programs considering the score.
“We don’t have to stay. We can leave.”
It takes a little coaxing and a pity clap from the audience to get Guang Hong up and moving.
“No. I want to… I want to watch everyone else.”
Guang Hong is swarmed the second he leaves the Kiss and Cry. He tries to smile and manages a few seconds before his lower lip begins to wobble. He stops short and his coach backs away when the skaters approach him with comforting words and hugs.
“It’s alright.” Leo is chest-to-chest with Guang Hong with the bear keeping them from being flush together. “We all know you did an amazing job.”
“You were fantastic!” Phichit has Guang Hong in a tight embrace from the side. Both hands are resting against one of Guang Hong’s arms.
“I think it was your best program so far.” Yuuri might not be skating at this event, but his presence and hand on Guang Hong’s shoulder is still welcome.
The skaters’ and coaches’ presence is enough to keep to the press at bay. For now. Guang Hong tries to smile, to croak out his thanks, but his throat closes up and then the real tears start. Guang Hong wraps his arms about Leo, teddy bear clutched in one hand, and rests his head against the American’s shoulder to sob.
“I thought I did well!” It sounds silly out loud, but it’s how Guang Hong feels. “It felt good!”
“It was good,” Leo assures as he rubs Guang Hong’s back. “I don’t know what those judges were watching.”
Viktor lingers just outside the little circle of friends: he only knows Guang Hong by proxy. Viktor is close with Yuuri, and Yuuri is best friends with Phichit who is close with Guang Hong and Leo. That, and Guang Hong is a relatively new skater to this level of competition. Viktor doesn’t want to force himself into such an emotional situation and make things worse by pretending they’re friends. But Viktor knows that Guang Hong is a fan of his (just not as much a fan as Yuuri is) and a few kind words might help ease the sting of a low score.
“He’s almost eighteen!”
Viktor whips his head around. There’s a brief intermission as the ice is cleaned for the next round of skaters, and the judges seem to be taking advantage to stretch their legs. Why any of them would wander this close to the competitors is beyond Viktor.
“He shouldn’t be sobbing over one bad score.”
Viktor bristles.
“He’s almost as bad as Katsuki. Remember his first Grand Prix?” There’s a hint of laughter. “I’ve never seen a grown man cry so much before in the Kiss and Cry. Poor Celestino had to sit next to him the entire time and hold his hand.”
Viktor inhales sharply through his nose. It’s true that Guang Hong shouldn’t be overly upset over a single poor score, but he’s allowed to wallow for a bit. It’s only natural. There’s a sharp comment on the tip of Viktor’s tongue, but Yakov wisely intervenes.
“Don’t give them a reason to score you poorly,” Yakov murmurs while he grabs Viktor’s arm. “You can skate a good program for the boy.”
Viktor shakes off Yakov with a frown. “He’s not a boy.” He rights his jacket. “Have any of those judges ever skated competitively?”
Yakov shrugs. “Possibly.”
“Then they should be a little more sympathetic.”
Viktor watches Phichit herd their little group over to a vacant seat. Guang Hong sits, Leo takes the teddy, and Yuuri hands over a bottle of water.
“Low scores hurt, but unfair scores hurt even more,” Viktor says. He smiles faintly when Leo holds the bear up, shakes it back and forth in some mockery of a dance, and then pecks Guang Hong’s cheek with the plastic nose. “I’m happy Guang Hong has friends to support him.”
“Competitors,” Yakov reminds. “You’re skating against him, Vitya.”
Viktor waves one hand. “Nothing wrong with friends having friendly competition. If you’ll excuse me…”
Viktor approaches the bench. Guang Hong looks up, tears still in his eyes, and blinks. He sniffles.
“Your program was magical,” Viktor says. “You score is bullshit.”
“Language!” Yuuri snaps.
“Yurio isn’t here to do it for us,” Viktor says.
Guang Hong smiles faintly. “Viktor Nikiforov cursed for me!”
Viktor bobs his head and then looks over his shoulder when the announcer calls for the next round of skaters to ready themselves.
“Good luck!” Guang Hong offers with a sniffle as he accepts a handkerchief from Yuuri. “I hope you do well!”
Yuuri pulls another from his coat. He rolls his eyes at Phichit. “Blame Viktor: he has an entire collection of these, and they’re softer than tissues.”
Viktor frowns at the handkerchief and then holds his hand out. “May I have that, Yuuri?”
Yuuri eyes Viktor but hands over the square of blue and silver. “Viktor, rude. I think Guang Hong might need it more than you.”
“I’m alright.” Guang Hong dabs at his eyes.
“I need a clean one,” Viktor says as he toys with the handkerchief. “Yuuri, did you have any more?”
“No?”
Viktor turns around and then grins and waves. “Yakov, may I have your handkerchief?”
“Is this what Viktor Nikiforov normally does before he skates?” Leo asks while Viktor flits from skater to coach to random audience members, apparently collecting handkerchiefs.
“I’ve never seen him do this before,” Yuuri offers. “I’m just as confused.”
Viktor returns with an armful of handkerchiefs. He sits down and begins knotting them together.
“Can someone go buy me popcorn?” he requests. “Yuuri has my wallet.”
Yuuri’s jaw drops. “Viktor, you’re on the ice in less than twenty minutes. And you want a… a snack?”
Viktor nods seriously. “No butter. No salt. Nothing extra.”
Leo begins to laugh. “I’ll do it!”
Viktor snatches the warm paper bag from Leo’s hands with a wide smile and then dashes off, but not before grabbing his pass hanging around Yuuri’s neck.
“I’ll be back in a minute!”
Yurio wanders over sometime later looking slightly pained. “Viktor’s lost it,” he announces.
“What do you mean?” Yuuri demands in worry.
“I just saw him-”
Viktor rushes over, thrusts what seems to be a top hat at Yuuri, and then removes his jacket.
“Viktor Nikiforov, on deck,” comes the announcement.
“Don’t open that!” Viktor says seriously.
Yuuri lingers by the gate, top hat in hand, while Viktor removes his skate guards. Viktor offers a smile at Yuuri, kisses his cheek, and then apologizes.
“For what?” Yuuri demands in confusion.
“For not living up to expectations,” Viktor says with a lopsided smile. “This won’t surprise people as much as Yurio’s Bonaly or your wall routine.”
Viktor skates away before Yuuri has a chance to reply.
“What was that all about?” Phichit asks.
Yuuri begins to smile as Viktor heads for the center of the rink and begins to skate before his music starts. “He’s throwing the competition.”
“He’s what?!”
Viktor gives a pointed look at the control area for music and drags a hand across his throat. The music never starts. Viktor offers a slight bow, gains the minimum speed needed for a quad flip, nails it, and then stops while the stadium erupts.
Viktor makes a show of holding out each arm: the fabric of his costume is see-through to his shoulders. Material wraps around each middle finger to keep it in place, and Vitkor skates in a slow circle and spins himself around. Yuuri gasps when Viktor flicks a wrist and a deck of cards suddenly appears in one hand. Viktor continues making passes and shuffles the cards before holds his hands apart.
Leo stuffs his fingers in his mouth to whistle as Viktor holds one hand above his hand, drops the other, and lets the cards fall in a perfect waterfall. Viktor continues shuffling the cards and moving them around in ways that no normal human should before he pauses by the wall and offers the deck to Guang Hong with a smile.
“Pick a card,” Viktor says. “Any card!”
Guang Hong does, holds it up so the camera can see it and display it on the screen for all to see while Viktor covers his eyes, before replacing it in the deck. Viktor smiles, shuffles, and then pulls a card.
“Yours?” he asks.
Guang Hong nods and the arena begins to applaud. Viktor sets the cards aside on the rink wall and heads for the center of the ice. He pulls a silver and blue handkerchief from thin air with a flourish.
“Where did Viktor learn to do magic tricks?” Yuuri breathes in wonder while Viktor continues to glide around the ice as he stuffs the handkerchief into one fist before opening it: the cloth is gone. “He’s amazing!”
Yakov tilts his hat over his eyes with a groan. “Every teenager has their phases,” he mumbles. “Yurio is currently in an ‘I hate everyone and everything’ phase.”
“Viktor had a phase?” Yuuri demands, not quite sure how this connects to Viktor’s current actions.
Yakov buries his face in his hands while Viktor begins pulling a string of handkerchiefs from one sleeve. “He decided he wanted to become a magician.”
There are collected bouts of choking and sputtering from the immediate vicinity.
“He was very, very serious about it,” Yakov reveals. “He was more serious about sleight of hand and misdirection than he was skating.” He shakes his head. “I can’t believe he still remembers how to do all this…”
Viktor deposits his handkerchiefs by the cards, accepts the top hat from Yuuri, and then heads for center rink. The top hat goes on his head. He pulls a black handkerchief from midair, cups it in his hands, and the arena explodes when the cloth unfolds and reveals a black pigeon with scattered white markings. Viktor sets the bird on his shoulder, pulls the top hat from his head, and then makes a show of showing that it’s empty. A white handkerchief goes into the hat, and a white dove comes out. Viktor sets the bird on his opposite shoulder, replaces the hat on his head, and then skates over to the gate and then motions to Yuuri and Guang Hong. Both approach the ice, and Viktor drops down to one knee. He holds both empty hands up and then offers a bouquet of red roses with gold ribbons to Guang Hong and a cluster of blue roses to Yuuri. Both accept the flowers and Viktor stands up as the thunderous applause continues.
“For my last trick, I’ll turn Yuuri red,” Viktor announcers before grabbing Yuuri, dipping him, and kissing him on the mouth. The tongue involved is more than obvious, and Yuuri goes scarlet.
Yuuri sputters once he’s upright, and Viktor offers a bow.
“Where did you get those birds?” Guang Hong demands while Viktor holds his hands out for each bird to stand on.
“Aren’t they lovely?” Viktor coos appreciatively.
“Those are pigeons, Viktor, not doves!” Yuuri all but shouts. “They’re filthy! Put them down this instant!”
“Pigeons and doves are technically the same thing,” Viktor says while he carefully deposits each bird into the hat and covers it.
“Where did you get them?” Guang Hong repeats excitedly.
“I took the popcorn outside,” Viktor says with a smile. “They came right to me!”
Yuuri just shakes his head and stares at Yakov, silently demanding an answer.
“You’re lucky he didn’t ask you to be his lovely assistant,” is all Yakov says while Viktor heads for the Kissy and Cry to receive his score for his single and only element. “I refused to let him try and saw anyone in half or lock himself in a tank and fill it with water.”
Viktor offers a bow as he’s offered a handful of points and then hurries back to the other skaters. He ignores everyone and heads straight for Guang Hong.
“That was for you,” Viktor says a tad awkwardly. “If I didn’t make that obvious. Your program was magical. You deserved so much more than you received.”
Guang Hong all but throws himself at Viktor and begins to laugh. “I outscored you!”
“Technically,” Leo teases.
Yurio just rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter if it’s technical or not: this is official and going down in the record books.” He smiles and laughs. “Viktor Nikiforov in last place because he threw the competition for a magic show.”
“Selfie!” Phichit declares.
Viktor takes the pigeons out and makes sure his top hat is firmly on his head before posing. The handkerchiefs and cards are quickly distributed to the other skaters to use as props.
“Everyone say, ‘magic!’” Phichit says.