He can hear Yakov barking at that hapless event staffer until nearly halfway down the corridor, and though it isn't as amusing tonight as it would be at any other time, it almost makes him tuck a wry shadow of a smile into one far corner of his mouth. It isn't far, from here to the exit, but it feels that way, feels like the corridor floor is unrolling beneath his feet, gaining length, yawning out before him as if he were stuck in a bad horror movie, and maybe he is. The suspense, at least, certainly makes him wish he were watching this happen to someone else.
But they get there in the end, and Yuri's right: there are plenty of cabs, so they make for the one at the front of the line, and Victor pulls the door open for Yuri before sliding in himself, only pausing long enough to give the driver directions in rapid Russian before his hand is going for his phone, there in his pocket.
He meets Yuri's eyes across the seat, as he's saying: "I'm sorry, Yuri, this will go faster if I ––"
Before his call is picked up and he reverts to the Russian he'd been about to apologize for. Moscow scrolls by, and it's both too long of a car ride and not long enough: if he's going to go, he needs to go now, but he also has to be sure he can catch the next flight out, or there won't have been a reason to ask Yakov to take over for him, after all, because he wouldn't be able to go until morning, and that would make leaving before the free skate pointless.
It's when he's put on hold that his eyes track back to Yuri, who looks as pale and reserved (but determined, certain) as Victor has ever seen him and it isn't fair. None of this is.
It's not fair that he has to go. Not fair that he can't stay. Not fair that he had to make sure there was someone for Yuri still here, instead of trusting that Yuri could do it himself. (He's come such a long way, but...)
But he reaches for the Yuri's near hand, even as he's being taken off hold, and told there's a ticket available on a flight to Tokyo, that he could be routed from there, and even as he's agreeing, paying to leave Yuri all alone, his hand gives Yuri's a squeeze, before he has to take it back to go searching for his wallet and the credit cards inside.
no subject
He can hear Yakov barking at that hapless event staffer until nearly halfway down the corridor, and though it isn't as amusing tonight as it would be at any other time, it almost makes him tuck a wry shadow of a smile into one far corner of his mouth. It isn't far, from here to the exit, but it feels that way, feels like the corridor floor is unrolling beneath his feet, gaining length, yawning out before him as if he were stuck in a bad horror movie, and maybe he is. The suspense, at least, certainly makes him wish he were watching this happen to someone else.
But they get there in the end, and Yuri's right: there are plenty of cabs, so they make for the one at the front of the line, and Victor pulls the door open for Yuri before sliding in himself, only pausing long enough to give the driver directions in rapid Russian before his hand is going for his phone, there in his pocket.
He meets Yuri's eyes across the seat, as he's saying: "I'm sorry, Yuri, this will go faster if I ––"
Before his call is picked up and he reverts to the Russian he'd been about to apologize for. Moscow scrolls by, and it's both too long of a car ride and not long enough: if he's going to go, he needs to go now, but he also has to be sure he can catch the next flight out, or there won't have been a reason to ask Yakov to take over for him, after all, because he wouldn't be able to go until morning, and that would make leaving before the free skate pointless.
It's when he's put on hold that his eyes track back to Yuri, who looks as pale and reserved (but determined, certain) as Victor has ever seen him and it isn't fair. None of this is.
It's not fair that he has to go. Not fair that he can't stay. Not fair that he had to make sure there was someone for Yuri still here, instead of trusting that Yuri could do it himself. (He's come such a long way, but...)
But he reaches for the Yuri's near hand, even as he's being taken off hold, and told there's a ticket available on a flight to Tokyo, that he could be routed from there, and even as he's agreeing, paying to leave Yuri all alone, his hand gives Yuri's a squeeze, before he has to take it back to go searching for his wallet and the credit cards inside.