Chapter Text
Hi everyone! My name is Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova. I've just turned 13 three months ago.
My dads are Victor Nikiforov (Papa) and Yuuri Katsuki (Otou-san). They were both world class figure skaters, but they are currently retired. I do figure skating like them too.
I am fluent in three languages, English, Russian and Japanese. I know a bit of French, Italian, Chinese and Thai, thanks to my dads' many famous figure skating friends.
I also have an annoying twin brother, Mark Katsuki-Nikiforov. His skating is fine, but he's more of a musical prodigy. Let's not talk about him, because he's really annoying.
I'll be having my official debut in the figure skating world soon, representing Russia in the Junior Grand Prix Finals.
Am I nervous? Yes.
That was the internal monologue running in Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova's head, while she waited at the terminal of the airport. She fingered at her dark blue backpack nervously, head nodding slightly along to the music coming from her headphones. Dedushka Yakov was watching a video on his phone, and it looked suspiciously like the famous ice show of Uncle Phichit from Thailand.
It was her official debut in the JGP. Even though she had long decided to follow her dads' footsteps as a competitive figure skater, she laid low for many years, only participating in smaller local competitions, because those weren't significant enough for reporters to notice her and she was more commonly referred to as Victoria Nikiforova.
Hey. Nikiforova was a common last name in Russia. She didn't necessarily has to be related to THE Victor Nikiforov just because she had Nikiforova for her last name, had silvery hair and figure-skated. Coincidence, right?
As a young kid, she got anxiety attacks, was quiet and terrified of noises and crowds. The prospect of being in front of the media would terrify her endlessly. Her dads knew how anxious she could be, so they didn't want her to grow up under the spotlight or the paparazzi. They tried their best to shield her from the crowds. They never wanted her to feel pressured or constricted while skating, because she was the daughter of two world famous figure skaters.
' We want you to have a normal childhood,' Victor had said. ' They will be swooping down on you if they know who you are. Papa and Otou-san don't want you to feel like you are living under our shadow, okay? Just skate in whatever way you like, we will always support you. It doesn't matter.'
It was hard, but they did an excellent job.
This was completely different from Uncle JJ's parenting method though. Uncle JJ always made sure his darling daughter Queenie Leroy had the most publicity, would show up on the covers of the most popular sports magazines, which made Queenie kind of over-confident and a bit of a snob. She didn't mind attention - no, she enjoyed it. But she could be nice if she wasn't talking about figure skating or fashion, and she was one of the girls that Victoria actually considered as a friend.
When Victoria was thirteen, Victor and Yuuri finally agreed to let her participate in international competitions under Dedushka Yakov's request. She was ecstatic, because she had always wanted to take part in these competitions like Queenie, and it took her years of bugging to finally achieve what she wanted, even though she was still a bit overwhelmed by the media.
' It's a good learning process,' Yakov said gruffly. ' She'll have to learn to deal with her anxiety anyways, so why not?'
Finally, they signed some papers with the Russian National Team, and Victoria was allowed into her first Grand Prix series without delay. But they had to pull some strings with the ISU to keep her real identity a secret until the actual competition, in case Victoria got anxious all over again.
***
' There you go Kotenok,' Yurio returned with two steaming paper cups of hot chocolate. ' Thought you would like some hot drinks before we board the plane. Sorry for taking so long. I just got cornered by Yuri's Angels at the coffee shop again.' He grimaced and Victoria giggled.
Uncle Yuri(o) Plisetsky was a big-thing in the figure skating world, just after her parents. Yeah, he was handsome (according to the online posts Victoria read on Yuri's Angels blogs), and he was also a five-time Grand Prix gold medallist, four-time World Champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was currently 30 years old, and he announced in a recent interview that this Grand Prix season would be his last, much to everyone's disappointment. He would be retiring and joining Victor and Yuuri as coaches of the national team soon.
He was assigned to the NHK Trophy in Sapporo, and the event venue coincided with the Junior series. It was fortunate, because Victor and Yuuri weren't able to accompany her due to clashing of coaching events, and they would only be able to join her on the day of the competition. So Yakov and Yurio took up the important responsibility of taking her to Japan on the evening flight.
' Thank you, Uncle,' She took the hot drink gratefully, and it warmed up her freezing hands. ' Uncle, were you nervous in your first Junior Grand Prix?'
' Hm?' Yurio set down his drink. ' Uh. Yes. I was. I hated to disappoint my rink mates and coach.' He paused, and looked at her intently, ' Kotenok, there's nothing to be nervous about. Just skate like you normally do.'
' What if I disappoint Papa and Otou-san?' She asked anxiously. ' What if I disappoint you and Uncle Otabek?'
Yurio seemed to be deep in thought.
It was true. Even though Yuuri mentioned for so many times that they didn't care about what medal she got and that they only hoped she had fun in skating, she couldn't help but feel anxious. All eyes would be on her once the commentator announced her name.
Imagine the headlines of the newest edition of sports magazine daily. Daughter of Living Legend Victor Nikiforov and Japanese's Ace Yuuri Katsuki landed in last place at the Junior Grand Prix Finals.
No. She wouldn't take it. Not that she resented her dads for being famous. She loved them so much. But what if she really wasn't good enough to be their daughter?
Her parents and uncles (heck, all of them were Olympic gold medallists at some point in their lives) had spent so much time on her programs once she was allowed into the competition. Victor planned all the jump components in the program and her perfect training schedules. Yuuri poured out his heart for her choreographic sequences. Uncle Otabek looked after her warm-up sessions.
Yurio, being the best jumper, was in charge of training her jumps, though he was constantly yelled at by Victor for teaching her Quads. Yuuri constantly reminded him that very few female figure skaters were able to do ratified Quads. One of the most notable examples was Mila Babicheva, who managed a history-making Quad Salchow in her second Winter Olympics, and took home gold plus shattering the women's Free Skate world record to bits while she was at it.
Well, Victor and Yuuri would never believe it, but Victoria managed the Quad Toe Loop for several times under Yurio's tutelage. And Yurio would shout gleefully at a fuming Victor afterwards, ' DEAL WITH IT, OLD MAN!!! I AM GOING TO TEACH HER ALL THE QUADS WHEN SHE GROWS UP!'
Yurio sighed, curling back a single strand of golden blonde hair behind his ear, ' It's your first Grand Prix Finals. It's okay to feel nervous. But you have to know your annoying dads, Mark, Uncle Otabek and I will always have your back. We'll support you no matter what. Ah yes, that reminds me, Katsudon and the Old Man told me that they left you a voice message.'
Victoria jolted, and fumbled for her phone. She hadn't realised she got notifications, because she was too immersed in her internal monologue.
She opened the voice message, turning on the volume so Yurio could hear it as well.
' Hiii! How is my Princess doing? Sorry Otou-san and Papa won't be going to Japan with you today! But we'll be coming over tomorrow to join with you after we are done over here. Remember to go to bed early, brush your teeth and listen to whatever Uncle Yurio says! Love you!'
At the same time, Victor barged in, ' Hey Princess! It's Papa! Lots of hugs and kisses! Mwa! We will miss you a ton! See you tomorrow! Help me wish Yurio good luck on his Short Program too. Oh, come on, Mark, say something.' There was a horrendous screechy sound after that.
' Yelch Papa! Don't step on my violin! Came Mark's annoyed voice. ' Well good luck, sis. I'll be watching your performance over at Madame Lilia's place.'
That was the end of the voice message, and Victoria couldn't help but giggle.
' Boarding for Sapporo, Japan,' The cool voice of the flight attendant said overhead them.
Yurio picked up his own bag, ' Alright, we're leaving. Oi, Yakov! Move!'
***
Victoria liked Japan. She had been to Japan for so many times to visit her grandparents, Aunt Mari and many of her Otou-san's friends. She particularly enjoyed Axel, Loop and Lutz's company, though sometimes, she found it funny that Aunt Yuuko would name her daughters after figure skating jumps, and the said daughters would actually become skating otakus as well.
They got to their hotel next to the official rink via taxi. She did most of the talking for practice, since she was fluent in Japanese, and she enjoyed the baffled looks on the people's face. A foreigner speaks fluent Japanese? That was new.
They arrived just in time for lunch, so they ate the local ramen joint that Yurio liked.
' We have half a day of free time,' Yurio said, checking up the schedules on his phone. ' Your dads will arrive tonight at around 9. The Junior events start tomorrow evening after the Men's Singles. Say, what do you want to do?'
' Where's Dedushka Yakov?'
' Oh, he's at the hotel. Doesn't want to walk around these days. He'll be retiring too, soon, once all of us take up the mantle of coaching the Russian Team.'
In the end, they visited dessert cafes and ran around at gift shops for the whole day, because Victoria's school classmates enjoyed anime. They dodged the Yuri's Angels for three times in the process.
' Seriously,' Yurio panted, hiding at the back of a gift shop, as hoards of Yuri's Angels ran past. ' They follow me everywhere! I can't let them see you, of course, or else Old Man and Katsudon will have my soul for taking you into crowds.'
' Sunglasses?' Victoria offered innocently. ' I'm fine, Uncle. Crowds no longer scare me.'
They returned to the hotel early to avoid the fans after dinner, and to wait for Victor and Yuuri. They arrived on time, bright-eyed when they saw their beloved daughter.
' Princess!!!' Victor hugged his daughter and whirled her around. ' How are you doing?'
' Oh, I had a nice day,' Victoria said sweetly. ' Visiting anime shops and dodging enthusiastic fans.'
' Wow, Yuri's Angels followed you here?' Yuuri snorted. ' That's what I call dedicated.'
' Wait till the Victuuri fans get here,' Yurio scowled, and Victoria giggled when Victor kissed Yuuri on the cheek. ' Ugh, I am getting back to my room. You guys are gross.'
' Bye, bye! Uncle Yurio!' Victoria waved, and Yurio gave her his rare smile.
' Now Princess, tell us what you did,' Victor smiled, once the door was shut.
***
Victoria was at the corner of the changing room, lacing up her ice-white skates. Victor had her skates custom-made so that they sported golden and silver skates, because he used to wear gold skates, and Yuuri wore silver skates. Yuuri called him sappy for this, but Victor didn't care. It was fine, Victoria liked them. It was recognisable, and it could become her trademark, one day.
She shrugged on the Russian National Team jacket that used to belong to Uncle Yurio (slightly over-large), and walked over to the lockers, pretending not to notice her fellow competitors. They were chattering and giggling loudly, which made her nervous all over again.
She preferred not to converse with them, and well, they didn't take notice to her anyways. Yurio was intent on making her study up all her competitors before going to competition. It was a running joke in the skate family of how her Papa never read about his competitors, which caused him to not recognise Otou-san at the end of the Sochi Grand Prix Finals.
' Don't be like your Papa,' Yurio said airily. ' Always study up your potential rivals, okay? I always do that, so when I was still in the Junior section, I was already studying up my potential rivals in the Senior group. What's this quote... Know thy enemy what is it... Ah yes. To defeat your rivals, you must know them.'
Oh yes. She recognised every single one of her competitors.
Standing in the centre, was Nathalia Brooks of America, last year's JGP gold medallist and one-time Junior World champion. Victoria watched all of her interviews, and she disliked her immediately. She was well-known for her Toe Loop combinations and stamina.
Next to her was Celine Blanc from France, two-times silver medallist and one-time Junior World bronze medallist, and a rising star in the figure skating world.
There was also Isabelle Levesque of Canada, who was a promising figure skater and Olga Vasilievna, from the Russia as well. Good thing she didn't recognise her, because she most probably trained under a different coach.
She was already dying a little from anxiety. Those girls were excellent skaters. What if she made an embarrassment out of herself in front of them? Maybe she wasn't good enough to skate on the same ice as the others? What if she really disappointed her family?
And they glanced at Victoria with a look that most likely meant ew who is this new loser? Victoria seriously wanted to dig up a hole and live there forever.
As if to make matters worse, they were actually talking about her parents and uncles. Awkward scenarios at its best.
' I was like, my favourite skater is totally Victor Nikiforov,' Nathalia said, inspecting her glittery painted nails. ' He's hot, and I mean, I wanna do Quads like him. Have you seen his Stammi Vicino one? He looks so kingly in that one.'
Yep. That I agree.
' Quads are almost impossible for female skaters,' Olga said. ' Well, Mila Babicheva managed it-'
' I might do it someday,' Nathalia scoffed. ' Who knows? Now as I was saying, Victor is totally the best.'
' I like Yuuri Katsuki,' Isabelle said. ' I mean, he's the only one to land the Quad Axel up until now. Yuri Plisetsky is really good, but naw, he isn't able to land that Quad. I wish I can see Victor and Yuuri skate in real life. Pity they are now retired. No one can carry their legacy after Yuri Plisetsky retires. I wish they can coach us.'
' I heard Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki have a daughter or a son,' Celine mentioned. ' Do they even skate?'
Woah woah woah, Victoria tried not to drop her skate bag. Go back there go back there. Deep breaths.
' Probably not,' Nathalia was now twirling a strand of her caramel coloured hair around. ' Haven't even heard about their children in a long, long time. And if they skate, they had better be as good as they are. And oi you, what are you looking at?'
Whoops, Victoria quickly averted her eyes.
' This is a newbie, from Russia too, I think,' Isabelle pointed out. ' Olga, you know her?'
' Nope,' Olga replied, looking at Victoria with mild confusion. ' Never seen her.'
' What is your name, newbie? Where is your coach?'
Uhhhhhhhh.
' I'm Victoria Ni-'
' Girls, it's time for the morning warm-up,' A matronly looking woman poked her head into the room, rescuing Victoria at the same time. ' You have around ten minutes before we clear the area for the Women's Singles warm-up.'
Thank God. She didn't want to talk to them.
The girls jostled around at the skating rink. Victoria went in last, and she unclipped her skate guards. She noticed that most coaches were present to accompany their students. Hmm. Most likely her parents wouldn't be here.
She half-heartedly circled the rink for a few times, doing hops and Single jumps. Ugh, her free leg was no good. She could hear cheers as Nathalia nailed a Double Axel.
More cheers. No, screams, even.
She turned, to notice that Uncle Yurio was standing at the side of the rink, in all his tiger and sunglasses glory, his blonde hair in half up half down style.
' OH MY GOODNESS WHAT IS THE YURI PLISETSKY DOING HERE?'
' OH MY GOSH IT'S YURI PLISETSKY. WILL HE SIGN MY SKATES?'
' WHAT IS HE DOING HERE?!'
The girls were screaming and falling over each other, while Victoria rolled her eyes despite of her brewing anxiety. They were worse than the Yuri's Angels.
Overhead them, there was an announcement, ' Warm-up time is over, girls!'
The girls rushed to the entrance, screaming, and asked Yurio for a signature. He did sign their scraps of papers, of course. But it mystified the other girls when he patted Victoria on the shoulder with an encouraging nod.
The girls gaped, and Victoria clipped her skate guards on, leaving with Yurio. She vaguely heard Nathalia saying, ' Who even is this girl? Why doesYuri Plisetsky know her?'
' What are you doing here?' Victoria asked, amazed.
Yurio simply said, ' I'm picking you up for lunch. Your dads are waiting at the restaurant. We are having katsudon.'
' Yippee!' Victoria pumped her fists in the air, her worries momentarily forgotten.
***
They had katsudon, for good luck. It was nowhere as good as Grandmother's katsudons, but it was still pretty good. They left early to watch the Men's Singles Short Program.
And the reporters were already asking each other urgently as to why Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki were present. Morooka, who worked as a reporter even after so many years, cornered them immediately at the corridors for an interview (they stayed tight-lipped of course). Victoria slipped away to the spectator stands with a cat plushy and a Yuri Plisetsky banner given to her by an enthusiastic Yuri's Angel when she asked for it, and allowed herself to relax and enjoy the skating.
' First skater on the ice is Yuri Plisetsky from Russia. He has previously announced this season will be his last.'
Uncle Yurio's skating mesmerised her. He was graceful and beautiful, gliding on the ice like an angel and his jumps were perfect as usual. He ended his astonishing program with a seemingly effortless Quad Salchow, and an arm raised.
She could see he took his first competition in the season casually, because he bowed almost lazily. Victoria cheered with the others, and she threw the cat plushy down to the rink. Yurio picked it up, winked, and skated over to the Kiss and Cry only to find Victor and Yuuri were already waiting for him, shouting 'Davai!'
' Look here! Yuri Plisetsky is joined at the Kiss and Cry by his coach Yakov Feltsman AND Victor Nikiforov and Katsuki Yuuri! How astonishing! We have the scores for Yuri Plisetsky... 110.56! What an amazingly high score! Even though Plisetsky is retiring soon, he never fails to disappoint.'
Even at the end of the Short Program, Yurio's score remained to be the highest.
' Masterful! Astonishing!' Victor applauded Yurio all the way to the changing room.
' Ugh,' Yurio growled. ' You two are being embarrassing.' He disappeared into the changing room to change out of his glittery white costume.
' Well, Princess, it's about time for your competition,' Yuuri led Victoria by the hand. ' You should get ready.'
She swallowed the lump in her throat, anxiety hammering away at her chest.
She changed into her light blue and silver skate costume in silence, watching as Nathalia exited the room in her golden costume. She would be skating first. And Victoria skated last.
The speaker at the top crackled, ' Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first event in the Junior Grand Prix series here at Sapporo, Japan. Please welcome our first skater, Nathalia Brooks of America! She will be skating to a program choreographed by her coach, Nikita Jackson, former figure skater and two-time World Champion.' Victoria heard the screams and applause from the outside.
She walked out of the locker room, her heart hammering at her chest.
' Single Axel, excellent! Nice height. Double Flip!'
Breath, she told herself. Breath. Calm down.
Too late, she felt dizzy, and her shoulders were shaking.
' Victoria?'
Her dads rushed over to her.
She sobbed uncontrollably into Yuuri's coat.
' Oh no, Princess,' Victor said, panicking as well (he wasn't exactly the best comforter). ' Deep breaths. Calm. Deep breaths. Don't cry.'
' Talk to me. Don't keep everything to yourself,' Yuuri said calmly. He was the one with the most experience over panic attacks, of course.
Behind them, the announcements weren't helping with the situation at all, ' Astonishing! Triple Toe Loop! Wow! Was that a Quad attempt? Under-rotation and touch-down, but she got back up immediately. Excellent! What a masterful performance from last year's gold medallist, Nathalia Brooks! Here are her scores... 67.92!'
' I'm not good enough to skate out there, Otou-san,' Victoria sobbed. ' All the others are so good. What if I embarrass myself in front of everyone?'
' Oh goodness, Princess,' Yuuri hugged her close. ' Breath. Deeply. Listen to me, Victoria, Uncle Yurio, Uncle Otabek, Papa and I are extremely proud of you and we love you so much. There's no need to be afraid, okay? Just enjoy your performance. Remember how much you love skating and you aren't skating for the medals. We love to see your smile as you skate, and that's the only thing we care. And don't even think that you are not good enough. As much angry as Papa and I are at Yurio for teaching you the Quads, you managed the Quad Toe Loop at the age of twelve. I myself was only able to manage this at sixteen.' At this, Victoria giggled.
' I managed it only at fourteen,' Victor provided.
Victoria managed a watery smile, ' I'm sorry for freaking out like this, Papa, Otou-san. I'm always so anxious and stuff... I'm so sorry.'
' Shh,' Yuuri said, now wiping away her tears. ' Get ready! Smile, it's your official debut!'
' You should redo your ponytail,' Victor said.
' Oh right,' Victoria said, tying up her silvery hair. ' I love you, Papa, Otou-san.'
' We love you too,' Yuuri said, kissing her forehead. ' And... Final reminder. You are not allowed to use the Quad Toe Loop or the Triple Axel. Your body is still developing. You are allowed to use the Double Axel, however.'
Yurio rushed in their direction on the cue, huffing, ' Ah there you are. I couldn't find you.' He spotted Victoria's slightly red-rimmed eyes, ' Kotenok, what happened?'
Victor mouthed 'another anxiety attack but she's fine now' behind her back.
Yurio nodded in understanding, ' Okay. The third skater is almost done by the way. Olga something from Russia as well. By the way, who did Yakov put down in the choreographer and coaches column on Victoria's application form?'
' Oh,' Yuuri said, almost embarrassed. ' They only allowed two, so... He put down Victor and I only. But you are allowed to join us at the Kiss and Cry later.'
' It's fine, I was just wondering,' Yurio quickly said.
' I think Yakov put you and Otabek down for the choreographer of the Free Skate,' Victor smiled widely. ' He wants to have the others acknowledge your efforts.'
' No way,' Yurio said weakly, shrinking into his Olympic jacket. ' You shouldn't have.'
' Excellent program by Isabelle Levesque! Well done. Here are her scores... 64.72! It's her personal best!'
' Whoops, it's your turn,' Victor said, ushering Victoria out to the open rink, not caring about the screams and shrieks in the corridors (' Oh my gosh, what is Victor Nikiforov, Yuuri Katsuki and Yuri Plisetsky doing here?'). ' Oh what now? Go on. Yurio, go with her! We'll be behind.' He was grabbed by reporters.
Yurio snatched the poodle tissue box from Victor.
The girls were crowding and chattering at the spectator stand near the rink.
' Congratulation, Isabelle!' Nathalia said, smiling so wide (so fake) at her fellow competitor. ' Ooh. The newbie is last. Let's see. And wait. Yuri Plisetsky again?'
The audience was definitely confused.
Victoria stretched her legs briefly at the side, and taking a tissue from Yurio.
' You'll be fine, Kotenok. Smile and enjoy your debut,' Yurio said. ' Ugh, where are your dads again?'
Overhead, the announcer was probably have a nervous breakdown, ' Uhhhhhh... We have... The final skater on ice... Um. Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova representing Russia. She will be skating to River Flows In You, and her program is choreographed by... By... V-Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki. It is Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova's Junior debut.'
As expected, there were loud buzzes of confusion from the audience, and even the judges stared.
She could hear shrieks from the spectators stand, with Nathalia gawking, ' Wait. What was that again?'
The loud noises and lights were making Victoria's legs jelly again. But she spotted her dads (escaped from the reporters at last) waving at her happily and Yurio gave her thumbs-up, and her anxiety melted away.
She stood in the centre of the rink, and the music started.
This was exactly why she enjoyed figure skating. She glided on the ice, allowing the music to guide her. She enjoyed clear, crisp sounds of her skates hitting the ice.
Okay, first jump. The Double Toe Loop. She nailed it.
The rest was a blur in her memory, and she just smiled, enjoying her precious time on the ice. She wanted everyone to know how much she loved skating and that was probably one thing she shared with Uncle Phichit. Her dads were right. The only thing that mattered was that she enjoyed her time on ice. Medals and efforts to please her family no longer mattered as much.
Though at the end, she had to resist the temptation to switch out the Double Axel for her Triple Axel.
The music stopped, and the entire stadium was quiet. For one horrifying second, she thought she messed up. But then, the audience erupted into thunderous applause and enthusiastic screams. And at the far side, the girls' reactions were priceless.
' An absolutely outstanding performance by Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova!'
She gladly moved out of the rink, knowing that she probably didn't mess up her performance. Victor, Yuuri and Yurio were already at the Kiss and Cry, holding poodle and sushi plushies.
' Her coaches and parents, Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki are waiting for Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova! And Yuri Plisetsky has also showed up! Here are the scores... 72.13! Astounding! Victoria Katsuki-Nikiforova is in first for the Short Program!'
Her parents and Uncle, overcome with delight, squashed her with a big hug. And she giggled in the middle of it, not caring about her scores at all. Because she knew the only thing that she cared the most, was her family.