Chapter Text
The explanation to the triplets of exactly why posting the video of Yuuri on Yuuko’s account was wrong takes some time. Yuuko’s skating YouTube account already contains a lot of videos of Yuuri skating.
Yuuko’s selective about which ones she posts, after years of being one of Yuuri’s closest friends. She puts up the good performances; the ones that win medals, the ones where Yuuri debuts new skills, where his talent and drive shine through the skate. Her back catalogue goes all the way back to Yuuri’s earliest competition days, where Hiroko or Minako proudly filmed the performance for their own records.
She has videos from both of his Grand Prix assignments as well as Yuuri’s Grand Prix Final SP up on her account. Under any normal circumstances, [Katsuki Yuuri] Tried to Skate Victor’s FS Program [Stay Close to Me] would be the exact type of content that Yuuko posted… as long as the routine had occurred at a competition or public performance.
It’s the private nature of Yuuri’s performance that is why posting was so wrong, Yuuko and Takeshi reinforce with their children. “Uncle Yuuri was skating for me. He didn’t even know you were watching, let alone recording. And that is why we are so upset.”
“But Mama,” cries Loop, “It was so good! Everyone needed to see!”
“I know it was good. You know it was good. But Yuuri didn’t say that you could record it, and he certainly didn’t say you could post it.”
“He might feel that he can’t trust you three any more, if you do things like this. And you want to watch him skate, don’t you?” says Takeshi, watching three little heads nod vigorously.
Yuuko updates the password on her account that evening, and specifically makes sure she is automatically logged out every time she closes the browser on her laptop. It’s not a perfect solution, but it might slow her three hooligans down enough to catch them next time.
Yuuko also demands their phone and checks that their sukeota3sisters instagram account is still set as private. It’s a precaution that she’s soon glad she’s taken.
A few days later the whole Nishigori family find themselves back in the same position, with Axel, Lutz and Loop lined up next to each other on the couch, Yuuko and Takeshi standing in front of them.
“I know you’re excited. But these are the ground rules for having international figure skaters training and coaching at our rink.”
“I have to approve any videos that go up on the YouTube account, before they are posted. If you take any pictures or videos of Yuuri or Victor Nikiforov or any other figure skater, you have to ask them for permission before you post them on your Instagram. And they must say yes. You cannot record routines or new skills they do, unless they say you can. You know how everyone likes keeping routines under wraps and how much Victor Nikiforov likes surprising his fans; you don’t want to ruin that, do you? Also, no videos or pictures of falls or crashes. It makes the rink look bad.”
“Mama,” Lutz complains, “Is there anything we are allowed to record Uncle Yuuri doing on the ice? Your list is so long!”
Yuuko laughed. “It’s probably safe to film him skating figures.”
It’s odd, getting used to seeing The Katsuki Yuuri and The Victor Nikiforov at their rink. Axel, Lutz and Loop have all been skating since they were big enough to stand up in their skates, and they’ve known Yuuri as a friend of their parents and sort-of uncle figure for years.
Uncle Yuuri is a face and a voice on the other end of a video call. He’s small presents that arrive for their birthdays or after major competitions. He’s video footage they watch on televisions or streamed on a laptop. He’s posters in town and at the rink.
The fact that he’s also an adult who skates on their ice, who eats lunch with Mama and Papa, who trips over his own feet in surprise and who practices for hours and hours and hours every day is a revelation. He can do stretches that Mama can’t. He laughs at their father’s jokes as they work out in the weights room. He goes running horribly early in the morning and does toe raises on the benches in the locker room, balancing with his fingertips touching the ceiling.
They only get to see him on the ice, though, if they rush straight home from school, as most of his ice time is in the middle of the day when the rink is quiet.
Victor Nikiforov is easier to get comfortable with. In the very first week he’s at the rink he spots them huddled on the seats at the rink, rapidly tying their laces so that they can have a bit of ice time before the after-school lessons start. He stops the complicated pattern drills he’s skating on the ice and comes over.
“Do you want to come and share the ice with me?” he asks in English, before switching to very bad Japanese. “Hello! Ice?”
Lutz giggles. “You say it, ‘Do you want to skate?’” she explains to Victor, who nods seriously and repeats it back to her.
“Do you want to skate?” Victor’s accent is awful. They all giggle, before yelling yes.
Once they’re on the ice, Axel takes off as always in fast laps, Loop chasing after her. Lutz skates more slowly behind them, keeping an eye on Victor. He switches from difficult drills to simple ones.
Very simple drills. Ones they can also do, like cross rolls. Lutz is the first to start following them, but soon all three of them are copying Victor. He makes it all look so smooth and easy, even as they know it isn’t, and they try to make their steps match his as they go back and forth, around and around.
When Mama comes in to call them all off the ice as classes are about to start, they’re all panting and talking excitedly about how pretty Victor’s moves had been, how clean his edges were. Mama looks over their heads at Victor.
“Thank you. I know they can be a handful.”
“They’re like little ducklings and just as eager to follow,” says Victor cheerfully. “I like getting to know my new rinkmates.”
And Lutz elbows Axel in the ribs, because he called them rinkmates, like he considered them important and part of the rink. Like he took them seriously.
Almost as soon as the triplets suggest their brilliant plan for an Ice Castle exhibition, their parents take over the planning.
Mama asks Lutz for her input on which photos of Yuuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov and Yuri Plisetsky to use in the marketing, so she picks some of her favourite pictures, but aside from that they are dismissed to go play and work on their homework.
And so they go to the rink, where Yuuri and Yuri are working on learning their new programs.
Victor Nikiforov skates over to the boards to smile at them when he notices they’ve tucked themselves into their usual corner of the rink seating. “Hello!” he says cheerfully.
“Hello!” they chorus back in English. The overlap in their shared language is small, but mostly revolves around skating, which helps. Victor Nikiforov looks at them for a moment, then calls Yuuri over.
“Since this exhibition was your suggestion, how do you feel about performing as well?” Victor asks, via Yuuri translating. Victor adds afterwards “Skate? Yes?”
“Oh!” says Axel, excitedly. Lutz nods frantically. Loop thinks about it for a moment then agrees.
“Well if you want to, we’re working on spins now. Go get your skates on.” Yuuri shoos them with his arms after translating.
Axel leads the charge out the door. As Loop leaves, she hears Yuri Plisetsky start to say something in hard Russian to Victor.
Back in the rink, on the ice, Victor Nikiforov is watching Yuri Plisetsky work on a spin from Agape, making bright suggestions in a mix of English and Russian.
Loop hops on the ice and warms up. Once they’re ready, Victor comes over and asks to see their spins, then shows them the pattern of one to try themselves.
Loop tries, but she finds she keeps travelling every time she starts to spin. Her skates slide out and she ends up sitting on the ice, frustrated with herself.
“Come. Spin with me.” Victor says. Loop bites her lip, trying not to cry. Victor Nikiforov wants her to spin with him, matching him? She can’t even keep her feet underneath herself today.
But he catches her hands in his, wrapping his hands around her wrists, his fingers reaching almost to her elbows, holding her securely. “You too,” Victor insists, and she grabs hold of his wrists in a monkey grip.
Victor pulls her along the ice a little, as they get used to the grip, then he slingshots her around as he makes a quarter turn. It’s fast and fun. He does it again, in the other direction, and Loop giggles. Oh! He means to partner spin with her.
Victor looks down at her, his eyes smiling, and says “Ready?” Loop nods. “Three, Two, One,” and she pushes off with her skates in the direction that Victor tugs her wrists.
The world dissolves into a dizzy blur. If she tries, she can concentrate on Victor, skates anchored, spinning her around and around and around as she circles him. It’s hard to think, to remember what is happening, but she tries to pull on his arms and lean out, like she’s seen on TV, and the spin starts to feel a little more controlled.
“And… stop!” Victor says as he pulls out and slows her down by the pressure on her arms. Her head feels like it’s still spinning and as she looks around, bright sparkles dance in her vision everywhere. She feels a little like throwing up but gulps it down.
“That was so fast!” Loop’s not sure if she’s ever gone so fast before. It was faster than a roundabout, faster than the games Papa plays with them, faster than spinning around and around in the school playground until you fall over. And yet, even though she feels a little sick, it hadn’t been scary at all. She could feel Victor supporting her through her arms even as her legs wanted to go all over the place.
“Again?” Victor asks her, and how do you say no to Victor Nikiforov asking to skate with you? Loop nods, then groans a little as she does because it makes her head hurt. “Ok, pull on me more this time.” He tugs on her arms to show what he means. “Ready? Three, Two, One…” and they’re spinning again.
This time Victor’s feet are slightly less anchored and Loop can feel him travelling at the other end of her arms as she pulls through her arms, still moving in a blurry circle where Victor’s practice shirt and their arms are the only things she can focus on. As they stop, she pants, pushing the nausea down as her vision glitters.
“What’s the point of this?” Yuri Plisetsky breaks in. “You can’t do a partner skate with a child. You’ve got my routine to work on.”
“It’s to help Loop feel the spin,” Victor says cheerfully, “and for the fun. You liked it, didn’t you?” he asks, looking down at Loop, and she can’t help but giggle again and pipe “Yes!”
“Go skate,” Victor tells her seriously, “and watch Yuuri’s feet as he spins. Watch closely. Then try again.”
Loop nods, then looks over at Yuuri as she skates off. She’s going to keep trying. If Victor thinks she can do this, it must be possible.
Victor ends up teaching them a short skate that all three of them can do together, starting at different points around the rink. It’s not too hard, but it’s fun, and it’s different from anything else they’ve learned, with less showing of basic skills and more dancing together with the music.
When Lutz peeks out into the rink and sees the crowds for Onsen on Ice, she can’t help but let out a squeak of delight. So many people! And all here to see an ice show they had thought up. Loop was right; this was the best skating lineup she’d ever seen in Hasetsu. There were even people from the newspapers here, and others filming for TV!
Mama has promised that she will take good videos of everyone’s performances, even theirs, and put them up on her YouTube channel.
While everyone is crowded around Yuuri and Yuri and Victor, trying to ask questions about their plans for the season, Lutz impatiently waits for them to finish. This is a big stage.
Mama had told that that due to the short notice, she didn’t have time to organise proper costumes for the day, so all three are just in plain black skating clothes.
When they’re finished their routine and have bowed to the crowd, who cheer and clap loudly, Minako beckons them over. She’s got stools lined up for them near the entrance to the rink to sit on and their puffer vests ready to put on to stay warm.
“You all did very well,” Minako says as she hands them each their vests and smooths back Loop’s hair, tucking a few flyaways back into her ponytail.
The praise from Minako is almost better than the roar of the crowd. Minako is always sparing with compliments for them. Lutz leans into her side a little as she gets her breath back. As she waits for the main event to start, she pulls their phone out of her vest pocket and opens up social media to see what is being said about the event in real time. Yuuri and Yuri are about to debut their short programs. And she gets to be at the centre of it.
After Yuri Plisetsky leaves, things start to settle down into a routine around the rink. Seeing Victor and Yuuri around becomes part of the average day.
Victor Nikiforov continues to try to talk to them in very very bad Japanese. It makes Loop giggle every time; he’s trying so hard to pick up new words and he’s always willing to try them out on the three of them.
Plus, correcting him is fun. VICTOR NIKIFOROV repeats what she says back and still gets it wrong! He’s always patient and willing to say hello unless he’s doing something complicated on the ice with Uncle Yuuri.
Uncle Yuuri doesn’t spend nearly as much time with them, because he always seems so busy. There’s always some more practice or conditioning that he has to do. It’s exhausting just watching him.
Mama’s trying to teach them the next novice set routine, and it’s boring. Lutz loves skating, she does, but she’s heard this piece of music every single week of her life from various skating classes, and she’s seen this routine over and over and it’s both hard and dull.
Doing the exact same thing as every other skater and being compared on it? Yuck. It’s like how most people barely ever bother to tell her apart from her sisters, only worse.
Yuuri wanders into the rink, carrying his skates. He looks surprised to see them on the ice. “Am I early? I’ll come back later.”
“No, no, can you come over here and help?” asks Mama, pausing the music and glaring at all three of them. “You remember all the novice set routines, don’t you? I think they need a more interesting demonstration.”
Yuuri laughs and sits down to tie on his skates. “They still haven’t changed them? I’ll see what I can remember.”
As he comes out onto the ice, Mama plays a snippet of the tune, and Yuuri nods along, laughing a little. “This thing? Yes, I remember it.” He comes to a stop just in front of the four of them, then pushes off when Mama starts the music again. Lutz watches as Yuuri runs through the routine, adding little flourishes in his arm positioning. It looks so much more interesting, when Uncle Yuuri does it. Everything is neatly on the beat. And when he jumps, he floats.
Mama gets Uncle Yuuri to skate sections of it with the three of them following behind him, copying. Lutz tries to match his timing exactly. It’s harder than it looks, but she can hear the scrape of his skates and her skates together with the music, and counts under her breath.
“ONE two THREE four FIVE six SEVEN eight. ONE two THREE four….”
By the end of the session the rhythm is easier, though the routine still repeats far too much and is boring. But if Uncle Yuuri can still do this, she can learn it too.
Axel is crying quietly to herself in the locker room one Saturday morning after an early practice with her mother and sisters. Everything had gone wrong. The ice, usually so friendly under her feet, had been grippy and almost slushy at some points, catching at her blades and making it harder to move.
She’d fallen multiple times during her jump practice, and can feel the bruises coming up on her knees. She tried to be brave about it, but it still hurt. Her body had betrayed her on the ice, and she hadn’t been able to save herself. Moisture had absorbed into her clothing from all the falls, leaving her cold and damp and itchy. And then her blades had caught on the edge of her favourite pants during one of her falls and ripped a hole in the hem.
She was determined to keep a brave face about it in front of Mama though, and had stubbornly kept her chin up and a smile on her face until she was alone.
Uncle Yuuri comes through the doors, still sweaty from his morning run, and sits down on a bench near her to start pulling off his shoes.
Axel hiccups to a stop. She can’t cry over a few bruises in front of Uncle Yuuri, who just yesterday spent half of his training session failing to land his salchow and who has his block competition in only a few weeks.
“Is it a bad day?” he asks companionably.
Axel sniffles. “The ice is awful. My feet wouldn’t do what I told them to, and nothing worked.”
Yuuri looks at her, then digs a jar of Tiger Balm out of his kit bag. “Will some of this help?”
Axel nods miserably. She rolls her pants up above her knees and looks at them. They’re already puffy and a funny white colour. The bruises are going to look nasty once they come through.
Uncle Yuuri whistles between his teeth. “Good effort!” He opens the jar and starts to smooth the ointment over her knees. It stings a little, but only for a moment. It smells just right, in a comforting way. As he rubs it in, he says “Some days I’m sure the ice doesn’t like me either. Especially after a big fall! But I always try to make peace with the ice once I’ve had a chance to breathe.” He carefully rolls her pant legs back down, then goes to wash his hands.
“How do you make peace with the ice?” Axel asks curiously. She swings her legs a little. They still feel sore, but she can move them.
“Oh, I just skate figures. I don’t fall over that way, and making something beautiful on the ice reminds me why I love it.”
Yuuri does like figures, Axel knows. Mama’s mentioned it before, and she’s seen him doing them while warming up or cooling down, moving slowly as he traces on the ice.
“Do you want to come back out on the ice with me?” Yuuri asks.
Axel thinks about it seriously. “Will you show me a beautiful figure?”
“Even better,” says Yuuri, “I’ll teach you one.”
When Axel looks up from comparing her tracings to Uncle Yuuri’s, as he points out where her lines were pretty close, she sees her father standing at the side of the rink, phone out and recording.
“Corrupting another generation I see, Katsuki,” he says.