Yuri!!! On Ice Book 2

Chapter 25

Immediately following the last Chapter (2020)

Otabek's POV-- 3rd Person

"Hello, Mother,"

As soon as the words leave Yuri's lips Otabek understands. He understands why Yuri fell on his quad Lutz -- a jump he hasn't missed all season--; he understands why he'd ignored his fans; he understands why he'd ignored him, walking right past without even hearing the words of concern he put forth in the blonde's direction. Because that is Yuri's mother. The mother that, Yuri had told him in Hasetsu so long ago, abandoned him at age seven, and didn't set foot in his life for another seven years after that, before leaving him all over again.

Until now. 

Until the most important competition of the year for Yuri. Why?

And Yuri reads his mind.

"What are you doing here?" His voice is flat, toneless, and even without seeing his face, from his position four feet behind him, Otabek knows his expression is the same.

"I came to watch you," The woman stands a full six feet away from Yuri, and, if Otabek didn't know any better, he'd say it was a reflected image of the latter. Her hair is long and golden, falling in a wave over her shoulders and framing her pale face and sparkling green eyes-- worn the same way Yuri wears his. She is the spitting image of her son. 

"I wanted to cheer you on," Yuri's mother continues, and when Yuri doesn't respond, continues hopefully, "I saw your performance at the Olympics, I couldn't go, I couldn't be away for work for so long then, but you were amazing-- it was incredible, Yuri."

"You have a job?" Yuri's voice is harsh and cold, and his mother flinches slightly, but she responds, face open and honest.

"Yes," She says, "I'm a realtor for a firm in Samara-- I got hired at the end of 2017, that's why I couldn't come see you until now," She explains, "I didn't have enough vacation days saved up," 

"Oh," Yuri nods coldly, "I see."

"You were amazing, just now," Yuri's mother tries again and Otabek can't fathom why she keeps complimenting Yuri on his performance-- if she knew anything about him at all she'd know it's the last thing he wants to hear. "That jump was so hard-- and you nailed it!" Yuri stares at her, eyes narrowed dangerously,

"I fell on the Lutz." He replies cooly, "I shouldn't have had to do the triple Axel triple Toe." When Yuri's mother begins to say something again-- most likely some bullshit no skater enjoys hearing about human error and all that, Yuri just cuts her off again, his tone icy.

"Which brings us back to the question:" He grits out, "Why are you here?" Yuri's mother looks cornered now, and it's a minute before Otabek knows why.

"Like I said," She tries, "I wanted to cheer you on."

"Bullshit." Yuri's tone is hard and cold and his mother recoils as if she's been slapped, "What's the real reason? Wait, let me guess: you've found a new boyfriend and he wants a kid, does he?" Yuri's mother looks down, biting her lip, and no, no, because, how could she be so stupid?

"His name is Andrei," She says, looking up once more with a pleading look on her face, "And..." She hesitates, "And this is Kayla," Yuri's mother thrusts forward a photograph and Yuri snatches it, but even his icy demeanor drops for a second when he sees what's in the picture. 

"I see." He says again, voice perfectly composed, and Otabek's worried now, more worried than he had been throughout this whole interaction because Yuri never sounds that calm unless something is very wrong. "So you wanted to be one big, happy family? Is that it?" And then his tone is mocking, cynical, and cruel. Yuri's mother looks lost for words, floundering, and Yuri seems to have had enough, shoving roughly past her and thrusting the photo into her hands as he goes, walking past her down the hall and around the corner; out of sight.