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"I'm surrounded by people, but I’ve never felt more lonely." Yuri raised his hand and touched the back of it to his forehead, pretending to faint. He was dramatic like that. And Otabek loved it.
Before Yuri could drop any considerable bit, Otabek was standing behind his partner, catching him. He pushed Yuri back up with the gentleness of a lioness carrying her cubs in her mouth.
Yuri turned in his arms, cooing over him. "Oh! My hero! You saved me! So strong! So powerful! So sexy!" While he spoke, the smirk on his lips grew bigger. The last words were more of a purr, and they elicited a genuine, small smile from the birthday boy.
Leo frowned at them, confusion written all over his face before he turned and moved toward the punch bowl. Otabek understood. This was not their average level of bullshit. But Yuri had decided to make his day special, and he was going all out for it. Party, costumes, roles, guests, dinner, everything. It was a disaster and a blessing all at once.
His theatrics made Otabek laugh, though, and that was unusual for him to do in bigger crowds. So even if Yuri was making fun of himself by being overly dramatic, Otabek knew he did it for him. And that warmed his heart.
"You sure you can keep this up all night?" Otabek murmured into his partner's ear.
"Yes."
"They aren't even here yet."
"Still."
"You're not even proving a point right now."
"I am. They have to see how fucking annoying they are." Yuri flicked the blond hair over his shoulder. For once, he was wearing a wig, far longer than his real hair. But he insisted on it. Because it goes nicely with the dress. Otabek would have suspected vanity if he hadn't known Yuri's primary motivation was spite. And to inconvenience who recently had been titled the 'power couple of figure skating'.
Unjustly so. Obviously. At least, according to Yuri.
The whole drama had been his idea, too. No one could say Yuri Plisetsky didn't go all out with his Halloween costumes. Which was precisely why he was wrapped in a skintight ball gown, full of glittery sequins and with the deepest neckline Otabek had ever seen on something so otherwise classy. He adored it because it showed off every bit of Yuri he loved. He also hated it. Because it showed off every bit of Yuri he loved.
Otabek was eternally grateful his costume was just a suit. Yuri understood him and his needs. He knew Otabek hated the attention that came with fancy costumes, while his partner basked in it—
Oh. There it was, the attention, the basking, the drama.
Because finally , Viktor and Katsuki had arrived. Maybe his boyfriend would stop nagging him now. The blond liked to emphasize just how annoyed he was by his self-declared parents, but Otabek knew there was more behind it. Which was why he was well aware of just how grateful Yuri had been when they helped with the organization of his birthday party. And which was also why it was suspicious that the others were late. Although, Otabek could imagine what they had been up to.
"Happy Halloween!" Chris hollered from the other side of the room, beaming at his best friend and his husband. He was stuck in a football uniform, complete with shoulder pads and everything. Yuri asked him why he wasn't wearing the helmet, though.
Viktor and Katsuki were about to greet back when Otabek noticed his Yuri strutting through the room. He held up his hand towards the older skaters, so his palm was facing them, and muttered in a clipped voice. "No pictures, please. No pictures."
Otabek grinned. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Mila's fond smile and an eye-roll. Still, he hurried over, pushing himself between the Yuris and Viktor. "Stand back, please. Stand back. No pictures." That was the entire script Yuri had given him for the night. Otabek loved him dearly.
"Oh. Uuuhmmm …" Katsuki looked at Viktor, low key confused, and high key seeking help. It didn't take long. Viktor gave him a beaming smile and was just about to congratulate Otabek—
"I think I need some snacks now!" Yuri tugged on his arms, pulling him away before either of the husbands could get one more word out. "And I need my faithful bodyguard to protect me! Come, my hero!"
He huffed, amusement manifested in the smallest of smiles, and followed. They left the confused couple behind. Otabek wasn't sad about it. They could talk later. Maybe. He was just content to bask in the happiness of others, too. He didn't have to speak.
"Hey, Beks! Nice party! Thanks for the invitation and happy—"
Yuri spun around. "You know what? I want to dance! Come dance with me. I need you to dance with me, my strong, powerful protector." He marched off in the opposite direction of the buffet and JJ, who was left confused. Otabek was glad when he noticed the confusion wasn't permanent, though. A few seconds later, his friend's face was stuffed with food, and he was talking to his fiancé. Poor Bella was showered with bread crumbs, but the way she was still beaming at him left no room for any thoughts about unhappiness. She was probably used to JJ eating with an open mouth because he. Never. Shut. Up. Especially not about himself. He still decided to give JJ an apologetic nod when he caught his eyes a moment later, though.
Yuri dragged him onto the dance floor. That was apparently where he decided to prove to Otabek, to everyone watching and—with the way he smiled—to the rest of the world too, what a sinner he was. In front of all the guests, and their cameras and phones, he wound his arms around Otabek and danced in a way Lilia would never stop screaming about. It didn't matter. It felt good, and it was a nice distraction from all the people. No one cared anymore, not after what they had done on international television during that one exhibition skate.
The evening continued like this. Wherever they went, Yuri was by his side. And whenever someone tried to start a conversation with him, Yuri excitedly dragged him away. Until he didn't, because this time, he wanted to enjoy it. He had longed for that confrontation all night, Otabek knew, so he had to give Yuri this.
"So… what even are you?" Yuri's chin moved forward as the only indication of who he was talking to.
Katsuki smiled, Viktor looked unreasonably smug. "We are those characters from the movie."
"That’s the most in-depth description I've ever heard."
"The one with the bunny cop and the fox!"
"Oh my God. Old man, you are a fox ?" Yuri huffed with mock surprise. "And here I thought you decided to come as a carrot."
Katsuki snort-laughed, then flushed a deep red. Otabek thought he was probably both amused and embarrassed to go out with what was perceived as a vegetable.
The conversation between the three men washed over him as he stood to the side. It was comfortable. He didn't have to talk but wasn't excluded either. Yuri's proximity gave him a feeling of belonging, and while he spoke to the others, Otabek looked around the room.
Everyone was eating, dancing, talking, having a good time. And no one was speaking to him. It was blissful. He used to avoid all sorts of parties. As a guest but especially as a host because he felt like his own events were never good enough. Otabek considered himself a terrible entertainer off the ice, so when Yuri decided they would have a party this year, he was shocked. But it was nice. There was no other way to say it. Unexpectedly, it was nice. And all of this was exclusively because Yuri and his not-parents organized the whole thing.
He had to remember to thank them again.
Otabek's gaze stuck to a spiderweb, a Tarantula in the middle. He tried to explain to Viktor and Katsuki that Tarantulas were hunters and didn't really build webs to catch prey. Viktor pouted, Katsuki told him it was okay for his Tarantula to have a web, and Yuri had laughed so much, Otabek was scared his dress might tear. There were little sausages in the shapes of fingers. Yuri made sure they were halal so Otabek's family could eat whatever they wanted without thinking about it. Which was a clever thing to do because Yuri was beloved by his partner's sisters already, and it only solidified his place in their hearts. That was also the reason the alcohol was hidden away until his relatives were gone. And maybe until Katsuki left. Or not. Depending on how Yuri felt.
His eyes lingered on candy everywhere, sweet desserts in the shapes of tombstones and bones. Someone had filled an IV drip with cherry juice. It was perfect. A Halloween party between friends that just coincidentally happened on his birthday. Otabek couldn't be sure, but the way everyone acted around them, he suspected Yuri had prohibited people from congratulating him. He knew Otabek would hate the attention.
Oh. Attention.
His eyes snapped back to his lover, who was winding himself into more theatrics than Viktor usually would. He had tried to faint four times already throughout the evening. Yuri expected Otabek to feed him, too. For the role, of course. The ever-helpful bodyguard to his beloved starlet. At some point, someone spilled a drink onto the floor, and Yuri asked to be carried over it. He didn't even need to go that way. It was so incredibly extra and over the top, everyone was continuously annoyed and amused at the same time.
Yuri had said he wanted to show Viktor and Katsuki what they looked like from the outside. Toothrottingly saccharine and over the top. Disgustingly in love and so overeager, it hurt.
The plan didn't work, obviously. Yuri hadn't anticipated just how ridiculously sweet Viktor and Katsuki were with each other. They looked as though they now had even more ideas on how to annoy everyone around them with their love. But at least Yuri seemed to enjoy himself when he stole Otabek away for another dance or another snack or another glass of punch.
So no one won. But no one lost, either.
When the guests left and all the fuss died down, and when he carried his starlet to bed because Yuri refused to walk one more step in those heels, even though he trained on knife shoes almost every day, Otabek smiled. It was a unique smile, his 'Yuri only' smile.
"Thank you."
The man in his arms huffed. "For annoying you and everyone else all night? Fuck. Fuck those shoes. And this dress is too tight. Help me, I trapped myself."
And it was true. How Yuri had gotten the zipper to close on his own was anyone's guess. But there was no way he would manage to do the process backward, so Otabek seemed to have to save him one more time for the night. He walked around the bed and began to carefully lower the hidden zip. "Thank you for hogging all the attention tonight."
Yuri acted indifferent, but Otabek could see the small smile tugging on his lips. "You hate talking to so many people. You hate being the center of attention and elaborate costumes and people congratulating you for something that isn't a self-created accomplishment."
Otabek hummed. He knew all those things. But knowing that Yuri not only understood but also made a conscious effort to give him the best experience meant the world. "Of all the gifts I’ve ever gotten … you are the greatest."