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Phichit’s love for SNS is not something he faked but rather, it is more like how you can have a job and then learn to love it.
It starts years back when he is just a small child. His parents brought him to this magical place. Thailand has a subtropical climate and it is hot all year around. But even as the sun unforgiving-ly shines outside, inside this place is cold, colder than anywhere he has ever been, cold air with a huge expanse of shiny, smooth ice, the biggest piece of ice he has ever seen.
Young Phichit is absolutely entranced.
Ice skating is fun, even though he wobble and falls more than he skates.
At the end of the day, he goes back with lightly bruised body, unusual soreness, and tiredness in his lower legs but with a completely absolutely happy smile on his face as he begs his parents to take him there again.
They agree.
Phichit starts spending his weekends on ice, practicing and get to know other regulars. His parents don’t have enough spare money to enroll him in the skating class, but he is fine with watching and imitating them.
A few months after that, one of the skating class instructors approaches him.
“I’ve been watching you for a while now, you really like ice skating don’t you? I believe that you have talent since you get so far on your own just by watching. So how about joining the class?”, the man says with a kind voice.
Phichit tells him the truth.
The man looks contemplative, “How about this you join this class for one day, free of charge!”
Phichit eyes shine, “I can? Really?”
“Sure!”, the man smiles and nods.
So Phichit does so.
Skating with an instructor is different from practicing his own. It is stricter and goal oriented. He can’t randomly goof-off and does whatever he wants again. But it is worth it when, at the end of the day, he lands his first single loop clean.
By the time his mother picks him up, the instructor asks for some of her time to talk.
“Phichit has real talent, and no I’m not saying this just to promote the class. In fact, if you’re willing, I can give him lessons for free as long as you’re willing to keep quiet about it.”
His mother looks confused, “Why?”
“Like I said, he has real talent. In Thailand, figure skating isn’t popular at all. None of our athletes ever made it to Grand Prix Final, a worldwide competition. But I believe, if Phichit receives proper training from now, he can do it.”
The man squat down to look at Phichit’s eyes, “Don’t you want it? To be Thailand’s future. To be the first Thailand athletes to make it to Grand Prix Final and show Thailand how fun figure skating can be.”
Phichit is enthralled, and when his mother looks at his face, she knows she has to let him.
Next week, Phichit is formally introduced to the rest of the class, and while he is handled by another instructor, the man has a long talk with his mother, explaining in great details about how and where he should go from here, covering all the benefits and all the risks.
“It is embarrassing”, the man confessed near the end, “but the thing about Thailand’s future is my dream… was my dream… But I underestimate how difficult it is”, he says as he taps his injured knee, “If Phichit wants to get there, he should have a proper, skilled coach. A real coach and not part-time instructors like us.”
The man thinks about how he should break this out, “Ideally”, he starts, “Ideally after we finish teaching him the basics, we should scout for coaches.”
But you don’t have enough money to pay for them is implied.
“So what we can do now… Do you have SNS account?”
His mother blinks at the sudden topic change, “Ah… yes? I don’t really use it though…”
“We can take pictures and videos of his progress and posted it online. There are talented coaches that use SNS to search for potential students, so if we can post enough to show how talented Phichit is, they might be willing to… negotiate.
There is also chance of catching sponsors’ eyes…”, the man trails, “Well, at any rate, we just have to try our best.”
And hope for a lucky break.
That is the start of how Phichit’s life is documented on the internet.
At first, his mother or instructors will posts about him, later when he gets old enough to have his own phone, he delves into the realm of finding perfect selfies. Selfies that will draw and catch people’s eyes in hope for something.
It doesn’t feel tedious for him. In contrary, it is fun.
Checking out the number of followers and likes he receives and watches them grow is fun.
He is delighted when people starts acknowledging his skills in figure skating and cheers for him.
As he starts winning local competitions, some coaching offers come, but all of them withdraw after he asks for negotiation.
A few years passes, even though his family financial status is way better now that his father got the promotion he deserves, what they have is still not quite enough.
His lucky break comes when an Italian coach, name Celestino, is searching for new figure skaters after several of his old ones either switch division or quits.
Celestino is willing to negotiate as long as Phichit agrees to a contract that states until Phichit’s body’s give up or Phichit can pay the full amount, he’ll stay as Celestino’s figure skating student.
Phichit easily agrees.
Several months of preparations later, Phichit says thank you and see you, then boards a plane alone to America, Detroit.
Celestino places him inside a two-person dorm room and says his roommates will come in a week or so.
His first days in America are extremely jarring to Phichit, but he copes, he has to copes. He has a dream to fulfill.
So he throws himself into what is familiar to him, figure skating and SNS.
He gets tips and tricks on how to deal with annoying roommates but he hopes he wouldn’t have to use it.
He doesn’t have to use it.
Half-a-year later, Phichit still doesn’t have to use it.
Yuuri can be a bit peculiar at times and their mutual shabby spoken English can make conversation really difficult sometimes, but he is a genuinely nice person who knows the concept of respecting other people’s space. Apparently, his own home is an inn and he learns how to live with other people’s boundary while helping out his parents.
It really helps Phichit when Yuuri turns out to be a great cook -something that he learns out of necessity since he gains weight easily and it is easier to control the calories intake when you made your own food- and willing to share his cooking with Phichit, free of charge.
“Too much food”, Yuuri hesitantly smiles as he offers his cooking to Phichit for the first time, “Usually cook for family. Try it?”
And since then, unless Yuuri doesn’t feel like cooking or Phichit carves for America’s junk food, a day’s meal is Yuuri’s home cooked meal.
Phichit watches as Yuuri sticks yet another Victor Nikiforov’s poster on his side of the wall. Yuuri turns out to be a fan of that guy, set his goals to skate on the same ice as that guy and practice hard to get there.
It is really inspiring.
… Sometimes, just sometimes, Phichit get jealous of Yuuri’s financial stability as he learns that Yuuri doesn’t care about SNS and sponsorship. If you look at him closely, it is apparent how Yuuri lives a modest lifestyle because he likes it and not because he doesn’t have money to live better.
Apparent in how he doesn’t spare more than a glance at the price tags of things he wants to buy and doesn’t bat an eyelash when he pays for high-quality skating equipment with their equally high price.
But it is hard to stay jealous –not that Phichit wants to, jealousy of other people fortune never gets you anywhere– when you realize that this person is the very same person who feeds you and such a figure skating devotee that if left unsupervised, will run himself into the ground(ice).
That’s it until one day a too tired with bad day Phichit spat out about his less-than-ideal financial condition to Yuuri when he makes another careless remark about importing yet another poster straight from Russia. Phichit doesn’t have any bad intention, he just wants Yuuri to be quiet about him wasting his money on what seems to be useless goods for Phichit since Phichit is struggling with his.
Celestino might be kind enough to negotiate, but that doesn’t mean Phichit’s money problem is solved.
A horrified Yuuri apologize profusely and that quickly snaps Phichit out of his sad-bubble as he horrified-ly apologizes too. Yuuri doesn’t deserve that. Values are subjective and Phichit has no right to diss what is important and precious to Yuuri.
They end up spending the night talking about their story, well it is mostly about Phichit spilling his situation, and wakes up feeling that they know each other better now.
A week later Phichit receives his first ever sponsorship offer from Instagram.
Phichit is over the moon. He shares the news with Yuuri, who is excited for him, and does not stop to really think about how weird it is for a company to offer him, a skater with no real achievement yet, a really generous sponsorship.
He just chalks it up as the company noticing him from his numerous photos and posts.
A month later he receives his second sponsorship offer from Twitter, followed by Facebook one and a half weeks later.
Life is getting much better, and for once, Phichit can follow Yuuri to buy skating essentials without mentally wincing at the price tag.
Years later, Yuuri leaves to live with Victor and Phichit loss his only motivation to stay in Detroit.
So Phichit goes back to Thailand and pays a visit to his old instructor.
His old instructor greets him with tears in his eyes and says, “Look at you, the first person in all Thailand history to make it to GPF.”
Phichit smiles and with equally teary eyes replies, “Can’t do it without you.”
Life goes on, and Phichit trains even harder. He might get into GPF, but he is in last position, and he plans to change that.
Meanwhile, occasionally complaints about Victor comes from Yuuri about that guy’s bad habit of giving Yuuri overly expensive stuff.
“I can’t believe that guy sometimes! What am I suppose to do with solid gold frame sunglasses??”, Yuuri whines as he face-time with Phichit.
“Wear it?”, Phichit says with a grin.
Yuuri makes incorrigible noises then says in a low tone, “They’re calling him my Ice Daddy.”
Phichit laughs, “And what did Victor says about that?”
“He laughs when he finds those posts Phichit! Then he re-post it!”, Yuuri looks horrified, but Phichit knows it is an exaggerated expression that people do when they’re feeling dramatic. So he just keeps laughing harder, really, they’re such an extra pair sometimes.
Later, after Yuuri ends his calls, Phichit scrolls through SNS in a more serious mood. Both Victor and Yuuri know that Yuuri is perfectly capable of buying those expensive stuff himself, so they can take the word Ice Daddy with a laugh (or dramatics with no real bad feeling in Yuuri’s part).
But Phichit doesn’t like it when people degrade his best friend. He proceeds to clear out and report the more visible and extreme ones. People need some place to vent out their jealousy so he’ll leave those who do so in moderation or huddling in one small corner of the internet. The rest needs to go.
A few weeks after Winter Olympic, Phichit raises his eyebrows at a new article about Winter Olympic Athletes Wealth. He knows Yuuri is well-off, but he never realizes that Yuuri is even more well-off than Victor. Isn’t that an eye-opener?
Then he pauses on the company example.
Now, how someone is supposed to feel when you realize that your best friend is secretly your Ice Daddy…?
…
…
…
Phichit face-time calls Yuuri.
Yuuri answers the call.
“Yuuri I have a confession to make”, Phichit begins with a serious look on his face.
“?”
Phichit takes a deep breath then struck an overly exaggerated slutty pose and says in his whiniest fake high-pitched voice, “I’m so sorry I haven’t been a good Ice Baby, how about we meet in that hotel at 8? I’ll make it up to you ♥”
Yuuri gasps with horror, “Phichit… Are you drunk…?”
Phichit laughs, “No no no, Yuuri do you remember, 4 years ago I spill about my bad financial status, and the week after that I get sponsorship offer from Instagram? Then Twitter and Facebook too.”
Yuuri’s eyes widen as he connects it with what Phichit was saying, then he place his serious look, “Phichit, listen”, he says in ordering tone.
Phichit stops laughing and does so.
“I might have some say on those companies, but it is too small that they won’t do what I ask without good reason. All I do is to place your name on their sponsorship candidate and that’s it. You’re the one who meets their sponsorship criteria. So, even without my help, they’ll still offer you a sponsorship, just maybe a bit later. So it’s you, not me. Okay?”
“… Wow Yuuri … Your bossy tone improves so much, have you been practicing?”, Phichit wriggles his eyebrows suggestively.
Yuuri keeps his serious expression.
Phichit sighs, “Sorry Yuuri I’m just… a bit confused I guess? There is one thing I know I want to say, though”, Phichit places his serious look, “Yuuri”, he then gives a gentle wide smile, “Thank you.”
Yuuri’s expression softens, “I’m the one who is thankful. I don’t think I’ll be able to last in Detroit if you’re not there.”
Phichit grins but doesn’t replies, you can’t defeat Yuuri when he gets into humble mood, instead, he jokingly comments, “So congratulations! It turns out both of you are Ice Daddies. How does it feel?”
Yuuri groans, “Phichit nooo… I swear Phichit, don’t you dare comments that on any SNS.”
“I won’t I won’t. Let’s keep this a secret between us”, Phichit snickers, “You’re having a date later right? Have fun!”
Yuuri smiles and nods, “Thank you.”
Phichit suddenly takes a deep breath and yells, “AND DON’T FORGET PROTECTION!!!”, and instantly hit end call.
“Waooo~”
Yuuri snaps his head to find Victor, fresh out of the bedroom, with amused astonishment on his face.
Yuuri’s face burns then he covers his face with his hands, “Dammit Phichit...”