❆ come on out ❆

8 ❆ CHRIS & YURI

Author's notes, TW & CW
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There's a big commotion in the hall when Chris pushes his way through. He catches snippets—what was that? I don't know, I don't speak Russian. Is anyone here Russian? What did he say? So loud! I've never seen him so angry—but there's no centre to the crowd. He can't find anyone to tell him–

Oh! There's that Kazakh skater—Otabek Altin—heading towards him, looking nervous. "Um," he says. A strong starter. "Giacometti, right?"

"Call me Chris," Chris says, winking. "What happened here? Everyone's all abuzz! Sounds exciting."

"Yeah, about that." He frowns. "It was Victor Nikiforov, he really went off on his coach. I just wanted to ask you if you knew anything about it."

"Victor?" Oh, fucking shit. This is going to be some scandal, isn't it? Chris wonders if Victor can even handle that kind of pressure at this point. "No, I don't know anything. What happened? Did you hear them?"

"Yeah, I– I did. I don't think I was... supposed to?" He studiously avoids Chris' eyes. "I think he forgot I was there, or that I speak Russian, or... both... anyway, I didn't catch it all..."

"Chris!"

Fuck. "One second." Chris says, wincing.

"Did you see that?" JJ asks with a sharp grin, shoving Emil aside as he makes his way through the crowd towards Chris.

"No, I missed it! He was just telling me–"

"Duuude, it was friggin' insane!" JJ says. "I've never seen Victor so angry before! He was screaming and–"

"Yes, yes," Chris interrupts, his smile getting a little strained, "but what did he say?"

"Oh, uhh, I don't know." JJ shrugs, pressing his lips together in an awkward white guy smile. "I don't speak Russian."

"I do," says Otabek.

"No way!" JJ immediately pounces on the poor guy. "What did he say?"

"Ah," Otabek says, weirdly unfazed by JJ's lack of personal space. "I... don't... know the word in English." Bad liar. His English is perfect. "Ostav menya ve pokoe, 'leave me alone'..." He mutters a few Russian phrases to himself. "Something about pediki?"

Chris' blood goes cold. "Pediki?" 

Otabek looks up, going pale. His expression says, I fucked up. "You speak Russian?"

"No." Chris shakes his head. Damn, Victor really fucked up this time. "Is that why you wanted to talk to me?" He doesn't give Otabek the time to respond. "I'm going to call Victor. Don't tell anyone what they said. Especially not JJ."

"Wait, what? Why not?" JJ says.

"But he's Canadian," Otabek says, frowning.

"Rural, religious French Canadian," says Chris, already scrolling for Victor's contact in his phone. "And he's..." An asshole... "...you know. It's different."

"Ah. I see." Clearly, Otabek does not.

"What does me being religious have to do with anything? Hey!" JJ waves a hand in front of Chris' face. "Come on, you can't just say something like that and then–"

"I have to go," Chris interrupts.

The phone connects. "Hello?"

"Hi, Victor!" Chris makes a throat-cutting motion at Otabek and gives him a look. Otabek returns it with a solemn nod.