#tune in next time for Phichit's silly jokes

[witharthurkirkland]

Seeing Double

Summary: There is a strange rumour going around about Yuuri Katsuki: the Japanese skater is actually two people – the seductive one skates the short program while the innocent one skates the free skate. It all sounds really ridiculous, but for some reason skating legend Victor Nikiforov believes this to be true. And now the seductive one seems to be taking an interest in Victor. Will Victor realize what is really going on before he makes a complete fool of himself?

Note: This story was actually inspired by this art by the talented @hartlands and started out as a Victor thinks there are 2 Yuuris story, but later became more of an AU than that.

Chapter 1: Rostelecom Cup Short Program

The change room was full of skaters coming and going, talking and putting on their skates. In one of the corners two of them were busy gossiping.

“Did you see him in the Cup of China?”

“I did! And I caught myself thinking that it’s almost as if – oh, hello, Victor!”

Five time world champion, the living figure skating legend, a twenty-seven year old man with the good looks of a model – in short, Victor Nikiforov – walked into the room and instantly became the centre of attention.

He smiled and waved politely at everyone.

The two gossipers went on, keeping their eyes on the newcomer:

“- there are two Yuuris, you know: the innocent one and the seductive one.”

They giggled at this idea.

“Either way they both make my skin crawl. In a good way. Goosebumps! That’s the expression, isn’t it? Which do you like best?”

“I don’t know. I see him skate the Eros routine and I think I can melt, but the Free Skate melts my heart even more, but in a different way.”

They nodded at Victor who stopped to put his skates on next to them. “And how are you, Victor?” one of them said. “Sleep well?”

“Wonderfully well.” He gave them a big smile. “Who were you talking about just now?”

“Yuuri Katsuki. Have you met him?”

“Hmmm…” Victor frowned, trying to recall other skaters in previous competitions. “Didn’t he compete in last year’s Grand Prix Final?”

“And got last place. That’s him! He’s completely different this year.”

“I guess I’m about to see that for myself. Time for practice!” He waved at them as he left.

What did they say? There are two Yuuris? Wouldn’t that be against the rules? He shook his head. What a silly rumour!

 Yuuri Katsuki, twenty-three years old and secretly wondering if it was time for him to retire, listened to his coach talk.

“Remember, Yuuri, focus on the theme and don’t think about the jumps.”

“H-how can I do that when I’m going to compete against him again?” His voice shook in embarrassment. He stared down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them.

Celestino sighed. “Think of him as just another skater, Yuuri.”

“And this will be his home turf too!”

“Yes.” He was getting sick of this argument, but that was the way with Yuuri. The boy needed a lot of encouragement and careful handling. “Look, you’ll be skating Eros first, so…” Celestino’s voice trailed off as he noticed the subject of their conversation walk in. He was quite possibly the last person Celestino wanted to see right now.

“Hello, Celestino!”

“Ciao, ciao, Victor.” Celestino tried to keep the resigned tone out of his voice. Yuuri lowered his head further as if trying to hide his face. If he didn’t do something right away, Yuuri wouldn’t even make it to the Grand Prix Final this year.

Victor strolled over to them looking like someone who was about to start a long conversation that would probably include phrases like “didn’t I see you last year at the Grand Prix Final”. That would only make Yuuri’s mood worse.

Celestino gave Victor the kindest smile he could. “I’m really glad to see you, Victor, but Yuuri is too busy to talk right now. He needs to go over his routine again.” He put a hand over Yuuri’s clenched fingers and gave a gentle squeeze. “Listen to me, Yuuri,” he said quietly, “you are the best skater and the others only have to see it. They will only see it if you show them.”

Yuuri raised his eyes and Celestino could only marvel at the innocence in them. The boy believed everything Celestino said, he was certain of it. He resisted the urge to tease him and went on:

“You have something none of them have.” Flattery, in his experience, always helped so he liked to lay it on nice and thick. “You have a talent for getting your message across. You really live your stories. People see that and they like it. Remember the Cup of China.”

Yuuri nodded. His friend Phichit, who also trained under coach Celestino, won gold in that competition, but Yuuri had come really close. He felt the panic from the day of the Free Skate resurface inside him.

“But –” he started to protest, “but I… How can I dance Eros when…” He tilted his head at the ice where Victor was practicing his routine.

And then Celestino had the kind of idea that came to people at 2 am and sounded like utter madness the morning after. “That’s easy, Yuuri.” He nudged him gently. “Forget the competition. Pretend you’re seducing Victor Nikiforov.”

“What?” Yuuri’s exclamation was loud enough to be heard on the other side of the rink. Heads turned to see what all of the commotion was about. Yuuri put his hands over his mouth, blushing furiously. “H-how?” he whispered, pulling his hands away. “How can I do that?”

“Goodness, Yuuri! I’m not asking you to take him out on a date. I’m asking you to pretend you’re skating to seduce him. You have a wonderful imagination and the Eros routine is perfect for it anyway!” Celestino was starting to get carried away with the idea and could barely keep his voice down.

Yuuri looked across the ice at Victor and watched the Russian skater do a quadruple flip. He gulped and nodded. “I-I’ll do it.”

“That’s my Yuuri!”

Coach Celestino had never let him down before, Yuuri tried to tell himself. He was an excellent coach and Yuuri had to trust his instincts.

He took a deep breath.

Was it too late to back out now?

He looked at Victor Nikiforov again. His idol nailed another quad and gave a smug smile, obviously very pleased with himself. Yuuri remembered the embarrassment of his loss the previous year. He remembered sitting in his room that evening, knowing that everyone else was at the banquet and promising himself that the next year’s gold medal would be his no matter what it took.

No matter what it took.

He pulled away from Celestino. “I want to practice my jumps again.”

Yuuri skated in the direction opposite to Victor. There was a determined look on his face that Celestino was glad to see.

  “The Men’s Singles Short Program event is about to start here in Moscow. This will be part of the sixth event: The Rostelecom Cup. After the series’ fifth event, the Trophée de France there are three confirmed qualifiers. One is Otabek Altin of Kazakhstan who placed second in Skate America and then won the NHK Trophy as a dark horse. The other is Phichit Chulanont, who placed first in the Cup of China and second at the Trophée de France. The third is Canada’s Jean-Jacques Leroy who’s on a roll after winning on his home turf in Skate Canada and the Trophée de France.

“The last three spots in the Final will be fought over by the following skaters: Victor Nikiforov, who won gold at Skate America and is now competing on his home turf. Yuri Plisetsky, who won silver in Skate Canada will also be competing on his home turf as part of his senor debut. Japan’s Yuuri Katsuki, who won silver in the Cup of China will compete for a second chance to try to get a spot on the podium at the Grand Prix Final. Italy’s Michele Crispino is competing as well, after claiming third place in the NHK Trophy. Seung Gil Lee, who won silver in the NHK Trophy is competing for a place at the Grand Prix Final. And the sixth skater is Emil Nekola from Czech Republic. He will be the first one today on the ice.”

 Victor watched Yuri Plisetsky skate with a proud smile on his face. “Yuri, davai!”

The sound of footsteps made him turn around. Yuuri Katsuki walked out, followed by his coach. Victor watched Yuuri unzip his jacket and hand it to Celestino. His skating costume was black with silver embroidery that made Victor think of the night sky.

“Remember what I said, Yuuri.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.” There was a confident smirk on Yuuri’s face. “The show is about to start.”

Applause broke out as Yuri Plisetsky finished his short program. The audience chanted his name. Someone threw a pair of cat ears and they landed on Yuri’s head. There was a chorus of “Aww”s from the fans.

Victor laughed.

The chanting grew louder and slowly changed from “Yuri!” to “Victor! Victor!”

“I guess they really want to see me,” Victor smiled, waving at the audience.

Yuuri stepped up to him. “You must be what all the noise is about.” He held out his hand and trailed a finger down Victor’s arm. “You may be five time world champion, but that doesn’t mean you know it all. Watch me closely. Who knows? You might learn something.”

And he exited onto the ice.

“What did you think of my short program?” Yuri asked as he passed Victor on his way from the ice to the kiss and cry.

“Not now, Yuri.”

“It’s only the Japanese Yuuri.” Plisetsky made a dismissive gesture, but he stopped to watch.

The music started. It was a Spanish tuned played mostly on guitar, which was later joined by a violin. Yuuri moved his hands like a flamenco dancer ready to break out into complicated footwork. He smiled at Victor and blew him a kiss.

Victor whistled.

And then Yuuri was off.

Victor thought back to the shy boy he’d seen in practice and compared him to the confident man nailing jump after jump in front of him. A seductive step sequence followed and Victor leaned forward to watch more closely. Could there really be two Yuuris? It didn’t seem so impossible now.

Yuuri swept his arms like someone casting aside a lover he was tired of and spun into his final position. The music ended. The audience broke into applause.

Victor applauded. “What do you think, Yuri?”

Yuri Plisetsky looked thoughtful.

Victor stepped aside as Yuuri left the ice. “Will you watch me now?”

Yuuri nodded. His face was still flushed after his short program. Celestino put an arm around him. “Bravissimo, Yuuri! That was your best short program yet!”

They left for the kiss and cry.

Victor watched Yuuri smile happily at his score. He beat his personal best. Celestino congratulated him and said something that made Yuuri laugh.

With a chuckle Victor stepped onto the ice. The audience exploded with cheers and applause. Yakov smiled at his prize skater.

“The Japanese Yuuri might currently be in first place, but I know you won’t leave things the way they are, Vitya.”

Victor turned away. He caught Yuuri’s eye and made a bet with himself. Could he do it? There was only one way to find out. He winked.

The music started playing and Victor Nikiforov’s short program began.

The audience held their breath, waiting to be amazed. Everyone expected to be blown away. Fans tried to anticipate what surprise was in store for them this time.

Victor skated with his usual charm and confidence. His theme was agape, unconditional love, in contrast to the Eros that Yuuri Katsuki had just skated to. He didn’t so much skate as drift by on the ice. There was the feeling of something timeless, as if a god had descended from the skies to spend a brief moment among mortals. And then it was over. The music ended and Victor stood with his hands raised in the final position.

There was a stunned silence and then the audience applauded, but the confusion remained. Victor Nikiforov hadn’t done a single quad. What had happened?

Victor turned to look at Yuuri. The Japanese skater stood up to leave the kiss and cry. Celestino followed him out. Oh well, maybe he’d have better luck with the other Yuuri.

Victor’s next look was for Yuri Plisetsky. All he got in return was a glare.

Last on the list was Yakov and he had the air of someone who was taking a long run up before a deep plunge into the grandfather of all rants.

Oh well, can’t win them all…

 “What was that, Celestino? I feel like he was mocking me!”

“If he was, it cost him dearly.” Celestino waved his arms emphatically. “Yuuri! You just beat Victor Nikiforov!”

Yuuri’s confusion turned to embarrassment, “I-I did…” and then he had a look of horror on his face. “Oh my god, I did!”

“Don’t look like that, Yuuri! Didn’t you want to beat him?”

Yuuri stared at Celestino and the Italian man knew then that they’d have to go through the whole fiasco they’d endured at the Cup of China. Maybe even more. He knew then just how much Victor meant to Yuuri, how high that pedestal was he’d put him on. And now the pedestal was shaking. Oh dear.

“Yuuri, you better get used to beating him early so that you’ve had some practice by the Grand Prix Final!”

Yuuri opened his mouth, closed it and shivered. “But…” he whispered, remembering the wink, “he wasn’t even trying. He was…mocking me.”