i warn you all: this is the longest chapter in this book so far

enjoy xx

—

Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.
Year 2027

"Mommy, where are we headed to?" the 3-year-old girl questioned her mother as she sat alone at the backseat of the car.

The woman driving at the front looked an absolute mess. She was rather young, somewhere in her early twenties, perhaps. Her wavy ash-brown hair was unkempt, her makeup was smudged, and she wore a red dress made out of silk that exposed one leg. "To California, Natalya."

Natalya perked up. "Are we going to see Kuya and Pa—"

"No. They left this country, remember? They've gone to Russia."

The little girl's face fell. "Oh."

"We'll be meeting your Auntie Lexie in L.A., and prepare ourselves for the flight back to New York—well, just you and your aunt, actually. She will take good care of you while I return to Canada."

Natalya loved her Aunt Lexie, but she wasn't too happy about the idea. First she was taken away from her beloved older brother and father, and now her mother? "But Mommy, why don't you just come with us? Why go to Canada?"

The 25-year-old woman heaved a sigh. "You know I still have college to attend to."

Filipino-American model and actress, Audrey Johnson, hadn't gone straight to college after graduating high school considering she still had her modeling and acting career to pursue. She spent her pre-high school years pageant-training before winning the Miss Universe title at age 23, when Clarissa was four, Alek was three and Natalya was one. After her one-year reign, she'd decided to take a break from Hollywood and her acting career (though she still continued modeling) to attend college at Toronto University.

She had just recently broken up with her boyfriend, legendary Russian figure skater Yuri Plisetsky—who was also Alek and Natalya's father—after a horrible argument which then led to their separation. Alek was taken under his dad's custory while Natalya went with their mom. As for their elder half-sister, Clarissa, she was residing in Spain with her father, Manu Rios—Audrey's ex-boyfriend.

"I'll say 'hi' to Zac, Jeanne, Sebastian, and Carla for you," Audrey promised.

Natalya scowled as she crossed her arms. "They're annoying, especially those idiot boys. Kuya would have loved to see Zac, though. They're best friends. And speaking of friends..." she glanced out the window miserably.

"I know you miss your friends back in Russia," said Audrey. "Don't worry, I'll get us to visit Hasetsu and Saint Petersburg when I have the time. For now, my schedule's really full, unfortunately."

Natalya frowned. "Mommy,"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you like this? You're acting like... one of those people I'm scared of. Those people on TV shows and movies who do crazy things because they drink so much wine."

"But am I acting like that right now?"

"Well, no... not right now. But earlier at the casino, you were."

"I'm sorry you had to witness all that."

"Are all young adults supposed to be like that? Will I be like that when I'm an adult?"

Audrey swallowed. "I'll do my best to make sure that'll never happen. That you won't end up an alcoholic like me... that you'll never get your heart broken. You will grow up to be a strong woman, I promise..."

+++

Saint Petersburg, Russia

"This sucks!" the 5-year-old a nearby trashcan as he walked along the snowy streets of Saint Petersburg with his father. "I want to see Mama! I want to see Natalya!"

Yurio sighed. "Aleksander—"

Little Alek kicked a street dog before it ran off out of fear. Yurio glanced down at his son. "Your sister wouldn't like that. You know how much she loves dogs."

"But she's not here, is she?!" the boy yelled.

"Please, Alek, hear me out. Your mother and I are just having some... problems with each other at the moment. You'll still get to see her along with your sister. Just calm down. We'll be seeing Mariya and Alexei. Maybe they'll be able to lighten up your mood."

Alek scowled. He loved being with the Popovich siblings, but he was uncertain whether his father was right. After all, his mother and sister were his happiness.

Soon, they arrived at the home of the Popovich family. Yurio's friends and rink partners, Mila and Georgi, welcomed them with smiles as they approached. Two other kids—one a girl who was about the same age as Alek, and the other, a boy, probably a year or two older.

At the sight of his friends, Alek smiled for the first time in a week. "Alexei! Hey, Masha my bro!"

"Alek-bro!" The redheaded girl grinned as they bumped fists.

"Where's Natasha?" Alexei asked.

Alek frowned. "Ask Papa. I don't want to talk about it."

Georgi had noticed the absence of Alek's sister and mother too. He then turned to Yurio. "Alright, what happened?"

Mila nudged him with an elbow, while her other arm held a two-year-old boy with the same red hair and blue eyes as hers. "Shut it, Georgi. Have you even been updated with social media lately? Yuri doesn't want to talk about what happened."

"It's fine," Yurio sighed, slumping down the couch. "I'll tell you what really happened. Besides, not all those articles about my break-up with Audrey were exactly accurate."

+++

Toronto, ON, Canada

Audrey woke to the sound of her phone ringing.

She lifted her head off the table at once and caused some papers to fall to the carpet floor as she shifted her arms. She reached for her phone but then it stopped ringing the moment she grabbed it. Tons of missed calls from Shawn, Camila, and JJ.

The young adult groaned in exhaust as she picked the fallen papers and placed them back on her study desk.

Before going off to take a shower, she first checked her social media. Her usual morning routine.

As expected, the news of her break-up with the Russian figure skater had spread through social media like wildfire. One of the disadvantages of being famous.

She had her millions of fans to support her, but there would always be scumbags making remarks on how much of an irresponsible young adult she was being, considering she already had three kids (four, if Alek's twin hadn't died in the fire) at a rather young age, and now they're blaming her for her kids' misery on having taken custody by only one parent.

She was too exhausted to respond to any of these tweets and comments, so she made a decision to ignore them. These shouldn't bother her, no, but they were making her feel more anxious.

"Your friends have been calling you for hours," spoke a voice from behind her. It was her dormmate, Madison, dressed in a bathrobe as she just stepped out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her head. "Your turn to shower. I'm gonna be heading out with Jason."

"Alright, have fun." Audrey heaved a sigh as the other girl went to change, and headed into the bathroom.

+++

Saint Petersburg, Russia

Yurio frowned as he watched Alek glide along the ice miserably. "Alek, did you hear me? I told you to practice on your axel, but you're not doing anything."

Alek scoffed. "You know I'm not into figure skating as much as you or sestrichka. I'd rather stay home to sing and play the guitar. If Mama was here, she would be teaching me the chords for a song right now."

"You seriously need to stop whining about your mother and Natalya not being around," Yurio scolded, already starting to become exasperated by his son's complaints. "I already told you, you'll still get to see them—"

"I want to see them now!" Alek yelled, stomping one skating blade onto the ice. "It's your fault I'm even complaining! This is all your fault!"

Yurio took a deep breath and thought better not to argue back. He tried to speak as calmly as he could, "Okay, how about you return back home and video-chat your mom and your sister?"

"Which home?" Alek asked, his tone still sharp. "Here in Saint Petersburg? Moscow? Los Angeles? Manhattan? Makati? Cebu?"

"Are you seriously willing to fly all the way from here to your home in the Philippines?"

"If that's where Mama and Nat are, then yes!" Alek huffed. "They're in America right now, though, aren't they?"

"Yes, but—"

"Then bring me to America!"

"If you really want to, then go on your own."

"No! I want you along too!" Not being able to take it anymore, the boy bursted out into tears. "I-I just want my parents to be together again, t-that's all!"

Yurio frowned. "Alek—"

"Now look, you've made me cry in front of my friends!" Alek shouted, hitting his father in the thighs because that was as far as he could reach. Masha and Alexei watched the scene unfold before them awkwardly.

Yurio sighed for what felt like the 50th time today. "Alek, please—"

"I want to go back to America!" The five-year-old wiped his tears against his dad's denim jeans. "I want to see Mama! I want to see sestrichka!"

"Fine, fine!" He gave in at last. "I'll let you have a video chat with them right now, Now stop complaining!"

+++

Manhattan, NY, U.S.A.

"Now, now, Natalya," Lexie patted her niece on the back for comfort as tears burst forth from the girl's eyes like water from a dam, spilling down her rosy cheeks. "Your mother will be back soon, I can assure you. She's just busy with college, you understand, don't you? I'm sure she'll send a FaceTime request any minute from now—"

Coincidentally, Natalya's iPad began to alarm. It was a FaceTime request—not from her mother, but from her brother Alek. This was still exactly what she needed.

With her little three-year-old hands, she pressed the 'Accept' button in a flash and bursted out into more tears. "KUYA!"

Alek's eager grin faltered, seeing that his little sister has been miserable. "Sestrichka? Are you o— wait, you're totally not okay."

Natalya's weeping descended to sobbing as she wiped the tears off her face. "W-where's Papa?"

Alek shrugged. "Still with Aunt Mila and Uncle Georgi. I'm left here at home with the maids. And... where's Mommy?"

"Canada," Natalya sniffed.

"For college, right? Hope she says hi to Zac and Sebastian for me." then Alek noticed his aunt sitting next to Natalya. "Oh—hi, Auntie Lexie."

Lexie smiled. "Hello, Alek. How are you and your father doing?"

"It sucks," he replied bluntly. "I don't feel complete at all, with Mama and Natalya not around."

Natalya frowned. "You don't think I feel the same? I don't want us to be like one of those broken families, kuya."

"I'm sure your parents will work things out," Their aunt assured them. "Even though... they're both too petty to be the first one to apologize."

"Ugh, they totally are." Alek agreed. "So where are you guys right now? L.A.? I really miss the ocean. It's not even supposed to be the winter season, yet it's already freezing cold here."

"I miss Russia," Natalya wiped a tear off her cheek. "And no, we're in New York. It's raining here."

"New York, huh..." Alek thought about the British girl from his class that he had a crush on while he was still studying kindergarten in the said city, but decided well not to mention this to his sister.

"What about you? Are you in Moscow?"

"No, Saint Petersburg. I can invite the Popovich siblings to come and see you too, if you want."

"The redheaded hag and the weirdo? No thanks." Natalya denied, though really, she wanted to see them.

"Mister Alek!" one of the maids called from outside. "It's time for dinner!"

Natalya furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You're having dinner now? But it's still early in the afternoon."

"Different timelines, Natalya." said Lexie. "Saint Petersburg is seven hours ahead of New York. You'll learn about this stuff at school when you're older."

He sighed. "Time to say goodbye, then. We'll chat again later."

And with that, their video chat came to an end.

+++

Toronto, ON, Canada

"So you guys remember the male model I once had a photoshoot with for Louis Vuitton? His name's Josh, in case you forgot." Audrey was telling her friends as they walked along the streets of Toronto. "Anyway, we're really hitting it off. Wish I brought him here so I don't have to be a fifth-wheel."

Shawn, Camila, JJ, and Isabella exchanged looks.

JJ began, "Uh, what about Yur—"

"JJ," Isabella hissed as she elbowed him on the arm. "Don't bring that up."

"Do your kids know about this?" Camila asked, glancing at her Filipina-American friend.

"Nah," she replied. "I'll wait for the right time to tell them. Just not right now. They won't be able to take it."

"They definitely won't be," Shawn agreed.

"So speaking of kids, how're yours?" Audrey buried her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"We left a babysitter for them," said Isabella. "Zac and Jeanne are at Shawn and Camila's apartment with Carla and Sebastian."

"Wish Alek could've been there too." Audrey sighed. "Zac's his best friend, after all."

+++

Saint Petersburg, Russia

"Where are off too now, Papa?" Alek asked with a scowl that indicated he was still cranky, however feeling a little excited and hopeful. "The airport?"

"If we were off to the airport, then we would have our things packed by now." Yurio said as if it was the most obvious. "No. We're off to see your grandmother."

"Oh." Alek glanced down, not knowing whether to feel happy about it. He liked his grandmother, but he was hoping he'd see his mother and sister.

Then something clicked in his mind: a question he had always wanted to ask his dad but either he never got the chance to or he just forgot. "Papa, why aren't your parents together? Why's your mom married to another man?"

Yurio didn't know how to respond to that.

"Papa? Hey!" Alek shook his arm. "Did you hear my question?"

He snapped back to reality. "Sorry. I just... I don't know, either. They just fell out of love, I guess."

"Like with you and Mama?"

Yurio remained silent.

"What if she marries another man, Papa? Like what babushka (grandma) did?" Alek furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't want that to happen."

"If she does marry another man," His father swallowed. He hated the idea as much as his son did and the thought of it pained him. The Filipina-American model walking the aisle, looking beautiful as ever in a wedding gown, towards a man in a tuxedo who isn't him. "Then what happens, happens. It's her decision. Better off to let her be."

"No!" Alek protested. "I'll do whatever it takes to avoid that from happening!"

Yurio shrugged. "Go ahead, do whatever you want. I'm not stopping you. But think; would your mother want that?"

Alek opened his mouth to respond, but found nothing to say.

Finally, they arrived at a mansion—one that definitely wasn't theirs, considering their homes usually had a fountain at the frontyard but this one didn't have one.

Yurio spoke to the bodyguard shortly, who then nodded and opened the gates to let them in.

"Babuska's husband must be rich, huh?" said Alek as they walked past the gates.

"Da."

'Typical of Mama to marry someone with a high social status.' Yurio thought to himself and sneered. 'Just as it is with Audrey. I bet she only liked me for my looks. Because that's only what's she after, right? Appearances. She never even liked me before I was eighteen.'

He pushed the doors open before stepping in, the boy following after him. "So where's babushka?"

"Mama!" Yurio bellowed. "We're here!"

He wondered to himself why he'd even decided to visit his mother. Out of pity after her husband died? To ask for advice? Or perhaps he just felt the need to see a family member asides from his children. His father had left to Czech Republic for job purposes and his beloved grandfather had passed away a few years ago, so now all he had was his mother.

"Privet, Yuratchka." a woman emerged from one of the rooms—she was breathtakingly beautiful, with the same teal eyes as his. "Oh, Alek, how are you?"

"I'm not doing very well." the boy replied with a frown.

She looked at him with pity. "I can see that."

She held up a magazine; the latest issue for Us Weekly, the image on the cover showing a certain American model photoshopped inside one half of a broken heart while a Russian figure skater in the other.

"Oh for God's sake," Yurio groaned.

"Come, Yuratchka. You too, Alek." She turned on her heel and beckoned the boys to follow her before walking off. "We have lots of talk about. Would you like some pirozhki?"

Alek beamed. "Da!"

Yurio settled himself on a seat across his mother. Alek tried to sit as far away from him dad as he could. One of the maids came over at once and served them a plate of pirozhkis.

"So," Yurio's mother began, as Alek grabbed a biteful of pirozhki. "What brings you here? I thought you'd be in Moscow."

"I moved my home rink from there to here like a decade ago, remember?" Yurio reminded her. "I spend my training here in Saint Petersburg now. I've only been in Moscow often because that's where I can take my direct flights to America. But now I see no purpose to visit that country unless there's a competition."

She nodded, then heaved a sigh. "It's too bad, you know. I really liked that American girlfriend of yours."

"What, is it because she reminds you of yourself?" He cocked a brow. "She's just the kind of daughter-in-law you want, right? She has a pretty face that appears on the front covers of Vogue magazine. And that too," he pointed at the Us Weekly magazine in his mother's hand. "She's a goddamn supermodel. And oh, an actress just like you once were. Too bad it's probably not gonna happen."

"Well... it's not just those. She was able to calm you down. And I've seen the way you look at her. You two seemed really happy together, despite all the arguments you've had. And I know for certain the most recent one you've had isn't gonna be the last."

"How are you so sure?"

"Because I know you. And please," she looked at him with such sad eyes it almost made him feel like giving her a hug. "Please don't repeat the same mistake I've made."

"Which mistake?" he asked. "The mistake of having 'it' with Dad and creating me? The mistake of splitting up with him? Or the mistake of leaving me and never being there to watch me compete? For that, I'm glad anyway. Dedushka had been the one to raise me and I'm happy enough to be with just him. But now he's gone."

That may have came out a little rude and he was aware of that. Of course, he felt guilty about it. But as petty and prideful as he was, he decided not to apologize. After all, he was still a little angry at his mother for leaving him.

Her shoulders drooped, and she frowned. "Creating you wasn't a mistake, darling. In fact, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm sorry I had to leave you. Yes, that's one of the worst mistakes I've ever commited. And what I'm asking you is not to make your kids feel distressed," she turned to Alek, who was gleefully munching on a pirozhki. "And go, talk to Audrey. The pair of you have to make it up. I know you miss one another, you're both just too petty to make the first move. Learn how to swallow your pride."

Yurio stared down at the empty space on the table in front of him as he contemplated. His mother was right. And this was exactly the kind of advice he needed.

"Yah," Alek swallowed. "Babushka's right. Listen to her, Papa."

He grumbled. "I know she is. You didn't have to point that out too." he then turned to his mother. "I'll talk to her when it's the right time."

She smiled. "Good luck."

+++

Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.

"Auntie Lexie, why didn't Mommy just stop by New York to come see me sooner?" Natalya questioned her aunt as they walked along the streets of Los Angeles hand-in-hand. "Why did she have to travel straight here?"

"She's very busy, Natalya," replied Lexie. "Studying, acting, modeling at the same time... and she has to travel from Ontario to L.A. and vice versa. Very exhausting, really."

"Why didn't she just go to college here?"

"She has always wanted to study in Toronto, you see. It's cold there. The snow gives her comfort. And, well, here in California's the opposite."

"I don't like the heat either," Natalya scowled. "I want to go back to Russia, where the temperature is how I want it."

After a while of walking, they entered a luxurious condominium building. Through the revolving doors and the elevator that carried them to the one of the upper floors, they arrived at a door that led to Audrey Johnson's condo unit. Lexie didn't even have to ring the doorbell, as she already had a spare key.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open, allowing her niece to step in first.

The little girl stopped in her tracks the moment she saw her own mother sitting next to an unfamiliar man on the couch. They looked like a couple—her head on his shoulder, and his arm across hers.

The man was rather young; about the same age as her parents. He was undeniably handsome, but to Natalya, she still preferred her Russian father.

"Natalya," The woman rose to her feet at once, dusting the crumbs of chips off her skirt. "Hello, princess."

"Mommy, who's he?" Natalya pointed at the man on the couch.

"Natalya, this is Josh." Audrey introduced. "Josh, this is my second daughter, Natalya."

"Hi," The guy smiled at her, but despite how attractive he looked, the little girl wasn't charmed. He turned to Audrey, "I thought you had three kids. Where are the other two?"

"With their dads. Anyway, come on, Natalya, Lexie," she beckoned them over to join them on the sofa. "We're watching the latest Avengers movie. And I have good news."

"Are we seeing Daddy and Kuya?" Natalya said eagerly as she leaped to the sofa to join her mother. Lexie went to sit next to Josh.

Audrey bit her lip. "Um, no. But we're going to Japan," she grinned. "Shooting for the movie is gonna take place in Tokyo. The Katsuki-Nikiforovs and the Nishigoris will be coming by to meet us."

"Oh." Natalya's reaction was exactly as it had been for Alek when he found out it won't be his mother and sister that they would be seeing, but other people else. Nonetheless, Natalya was still quite excited. She hasn't seen the Katsuki-Nikiforovs in a year, and Viktor has always been her favorite godfather.

"I've already packed all your things." Audrey continued. "A backpack for your toiletries, books and toys, a baggage for your shoes and accessories, and a whole suitcase for your clothes. As for me, I've brought three baggages and two luggages."

Josh looked at her strangely. "Don't you think you've overpacked?"

"Do you have a problem with it?" she glared at him.

He gulped, shaking his head. "N-no."

"So when are we leaving?" Lexie asked.

"Later tonight." her older sister answered. "We'll be taking a private jet with the rest of the cast and movie crew. This can wait," she grabbed the remote and switched the television off. "We can continue it in the plane. For now, we have to start getting ready. I haven't even finished packing my stuff yet."

"Well, have fun you ladies," Josh crossed his arms. "Too bad I can't come."

"Maybe next time," Audrey smiled at him. "See you soon, Josh."

He waved goodbye as he set off to exit the condo unit, and closed the door shut behind him.

"I don't like him." said Natalya, scowling.

Audrey heaved a sigh. She had predicted this, and was at least glad it wasn't her son who found out first. Otherwise he'd start making an attempt to burn Josh's house. "Come on, you can play some video games while your aunt and I continue to pack our things."

+++

Haneda Airport, Tokyo, Japan

"I can't see them!" Natalya complained as she scanned for her friends among the crowd of greeters at the arrivals gate. "Mommy, carry me!"

Her mother, who was busy talking to someone on the phone, didn't hear her. So instead it was Aunt Lexie who lifted the young toddler in her arms.

"I see Uncle Viktor!" the girl beamed, pointing. "Mommy! Mommy! Look! They're right there!"

"I'm busy," Audrey whispered to her before turning her attention back to the phone call. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch the last bit. What were you saying?"

As one of Audrey's fellow cast helped her push the baggage cart, the group of them approached Viktor, Yuuri, Yuuko, and their kids. Yuuko seemed to be texting someone on the phone, and Audrey couldn't help wondering if it was Yurio.

"I gotta go, Maddie. I'll talk to you later. Bye." She ended the call before shoving it back inside her purse, then greeted her Japanese (and Russian) friends with a smile. "Glad you guys could come." she turned to Yuuko. "Where's Takeshi?"

"We left him in Hasetsu. He's busy." she shrugged.

"Oh yeah, and where's Uncle Yurio and Alek?" asked the little girl who seemed to have inherited Viktor's hair and eye colors. She was about two years older than Natalya; no older than five.

"Yeah, where are they?" her older brother, a boy with dark hair and blue eyes, repeated the question. "I miss Uncle Yurio. Unlike Papa and Otou-san, he supports me when I say 'shit', 'fuck'—"

"M-Makka!" Yuuri sweatdropped as he covered his eldest child's mouth at once, to stop him from spitting out any more swear words. He sighed. "Thanks to Yurio, little Makka here already knows to swear."

Audrey couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle. It had always been a habit of Yurio to curse. She missed that.

"They're in Russia," she answered the kids' question. Not wanting to go any further on with the topic, she said, "So let's get going now, shall we?"

"Oh my God," the Nishigori triplets—all teenagers now—squealed. "Is that Brad Pitt?! And Jennifer Lawrence—"

Yuuko gasped, nearly dropping her phone. "I-it is!"

"Shouldn't you guys be used to seeing Hollywood celebrities by now? You are friends with one," she smirked proudly as she pushed her wavy ash-brown hair back. "Anyway, come on. We're taking a limo."

"Seriously?" Yuuri raised his eyebrows at her in disbelief. "Even in Japan, you guys are still taking a limo?"

Viktor chuckled. "She's Audrey Johnson. What do you expect?"

+++

"I mean, I don't know, Beka. Should I talk to her and try to patch things up? I could do that, but I'm just as petty as she is." Yurio was telling his Kazakh friend one afternoon as he came to visit their home at Saint Petersburg.

"Look," Otabek was checking through his own phone. "You're online on Messenger, she's online on Messenger... but pride is also online. Learn to turn it off."

Yurio heaved a sigh, running his hands along his face. "Ugh... what if she's just gonna seenzone me? She does that whenever she's pissed off."

"Knowing you, you'd seenzone her too if she'd been the one to message you first." said Otabek.

"I still don't know what to fucking do, Beka... anyway, where are your kids? Alek and Natalya would have loved to see them."

"They're still back in Denmark with my wife," the other man replied. "And speaking of Natalya, when are you planning to visit her again?"

Yurio had been thinking of that, but he never really knew the answer to the question. "Uh, I... uh—"

He was then saved from the necessity to respond by the time his phone began to ring. He drew it out from his pocket. "It's Yuuko."

"Go and answer it, then." Otabek began to rise to his feet. "I'll grab some water from the kitchen, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead."

As Otabek left to the kitchen, Yurio pressed the 'accept' button on the call and held the phone against his ear. "What's up?"

Yuuko began, "Your girlfriend—"

"Ex-girlfriend," Yurio corrected her.

She sighed. "Your ex-girlfriend is here in Japan with us. You probably already know about this, but I told you anyway just in case."

"I didn't know about it," said Yurio, wanting to add 'Thanks for telling me,' but didn't. "And now, why should I give a fuck if she's there with you guys?"

"I've already booked flight tickets for you and Alek," said Yuuko. "You're coming here to Tokyo to talk to her. And don't compl—"

"What the fuck?!" The Russian yelled, standing up at once. "I can't believe you fucking did that!"

"Hey, hey, you should be thanking me! Don't you want to patch things up with her and see your daughter again?"

Yurio grumbled. "Does she know about this?"

"Well... no."

"Then I'm not going."

"Yurio!"

He contemplated on it for a moment; the opportunity to talk to her, see Natalya, stop Alek from whining all day... he wasn't going to throw that away. And he remembered his mother's words: Learn how to swallow your pride.

Otabek returned with a glass of water, sitting back on the armchair as he raised a brow at his friend.

"Fine," He groaned. "When's the departure?"

"Six A.M.—wait no. That's the time here in Tokyo. It's one A.M. at Saint Petersburg, if I'm correct. We are five hours ahead in the timezone, so..."

Yurio checked the time on his watch.

"IT'S FUCKING TWELVE!"

"THEN MAKE IT QUICK!"

"FUCK! Okay, okay - bye," Yurio ended the call and shoved the phone back inside his pocket, turning to Otabek. "I'm sorry but I have to attend a flight to Japan real quick."

He nodded understandingly. "Good luck, then."

"Thanks, I'll need that." Yurio began to rush upstairs. "ALEKSANDER!"

He pushed the door open at once. His son was lying on his bed with his back faced to the ceiling, evidently sulking. "The fuck is it?"

"Start packing your things immediately. We have a flight to catch."

"Where are we going?"

Yurio sighed. "Japan. We're going to see your mother and your sister. And... some of your friends too."

+++

One of the Nishigori triplets frowned. "The other actors won't be taking this limousine?"

"Nope, they have their own ride." said Audrey. "We have this one all to ourselves. Would you guys like some wine?"

"There are kids here," Viktor reminded her.

Yuuko's son—a boy probably around the age of seven—raised his hand. "I want to try wine. Aunt Minako says it's good."

"Ah.. well..." Yuuko chuckled nervously as she patted her son on the back. "You're still too young for that."

"But Christa drinks alcohol, and she's younger than me!" Kou frowned.

"Well, what do you expect from a spawn of Aunt Minako and Uncle Chris?" said Makka.

"I would like to try, though." Yukino eyed the alcohol bottles with curiosity. "One sip won't hurt, right...?"

"Ah, your parents are right. You kids are too young for this," said Audrey, drawing her hands away from the bottles of alcohol. "Alek... whenever that boy would see me or his father drinking alcohol, he would persist on tasting it too." she laughed softly. "And he's threatened to break all the bottles. We had to lock him up in his room."

"Where did he get that temper from, I wonder?" Viktor chuckled.

"This is what happens when two people with horrible anger issues produce an offspring together," said Yuuri, smiling. "It only felt like yesterday you and Yurio were teenagers who yelled at each other and bickered all day. You were only an awkward fourteen-year-old then, and people barely knew who you were. Now you can't even walk the streets without anyone recognizing you. And Yurio was so small—but look at him now; he's a six footer. It's a little hard to believe sometimes, that you're all grown up and having kids."

"We're not even supposed to have kids," said Audrey. "We're not married, and I'm still in college, so I'm not totally grown-up yet."

"How are babies made anyway?" a toddler Yuika asked curiously.

"That's... something you'll learn when you'll grow older, Yuika." Viktor patted the girl on the head.

Makka recalled all of those times he unwillingly caught his parents having sexual intercourse, and decided not to mention it.

+++

"So this is my hotel room," Audrey pushed the door open and ushered them all inside.

"Nice," Four-year-old Yurik looked around in amazement. "Are we gonna stay here?"

"Of course not," said Yuuri. "We're only here for a visit."

"You kids can go watch some TV if you want," Audrey tossed the remote to the eldest, Makka, who eventually caught it and switched the television screen on.

"Let's watch My Little Pony!" Yuika clapped her hands enthusiastically.

"My Little Pony is nice," Kou remarked.

"You're a boy and you like My Little Pony?" Natalya wrinkled her nose at him. "What are you—gay?"

"I-I'm not gay!"

The adults laughed.

"Well, I think we should leave the kids here while we go out for dinner." said Viktor.

"You three," Yuuko turned to her triplet daughters. "Take good care of them, okay?"

"Hai, okaa-san!" they said in unison.

"You're both old!" Natalya pointed at Makka and Yukino. "I'm calling you 'dedushka' and 'babushka' from now on. And you three," she then drew the direction of her finger away from Makka to Yurik and Kou. "Gay. You're all gay."

"'Gay'...?" said Yuika. "Isn't that what Uncle Yuratchka calls Papa and Otou-san?"

"Yeah," Natalya glanced down miserably. "I miss my Papa."

"I'm sure he'll come around soon, Natasha." Yukino assured her with a sweet smile.

"I just wish Alek was here too," said Yurik.

Hearing their conversation, Audrey heaved her 69th sigh for the day.

"Let's go," Viktor patted the younger woman on the back, leading her out of the room before Yuuri shut the door behind them.

+++

Natalya woke up the following morning to the sound of the hotel room's doorbell buzzing. She yawned as she sat up, turning to the side to find her mother remained fast asleep in spite of the noise.

She pulled the sheets off and slid down the bed, letting her little three-year-old feet hit the carpet floor. She walked towards the door, but then realized she couldn't reach the knob as soon as she stopped in front of it.

"MOMMY!" she yelled. "MOMMY! WAKE UP!"

"I'm up!" spoke a groaning voice. "I'm up!"

And then there was a loud thud. Natalya turned back to face her mother at once.

She was lying with her face flat on the ground, tangled up in the sheets. Groaning, she helped herself up slowly. Her hair looked terribly unkempt as it did every morning. "What is it, Natalya?"

The doorbell buzzed again, and this time it repeated continuously as though the person outside was being impatient.

"Fucking hell," Audrey cursed under her breath as she unlocked the door and pulled it open. "Who the f...."

She trailed off. The little girl next to her screamed with enthusiasm as she glomped the two male figures standing in front of them.

"Natalya!" the boy pulled the girl into a tight embrace. Then he looked up at the woman with a large grin. "Hi, Mommy!"

"Hello, Aleksander." she smiled at the boy, but as soon as she looked at the man next to him her lips formed a scowl. "The fuck you doing here?"

"Shut the fuck up. I know you're happy to see me, you bitch." he said.

Audrey rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. You know what? Let's just get this shit over with."

She pulled Yurio to a hug so tight to the point that he felt like suffocating. "Are you - trying to - murder - me?!"

For the first time in months, she grinned. "Maybe."

"So does this mean you're gonna break up with that other guy?" Natalya asked eagerly, slightly jumping.

"Yeah. Hand me my phone."

Natalya did as told and ran off to fetch the phone to then hand it over to her mother.

Audrey pulled away from Yurio, finally allowing him to breathe, and grabbed the phone then started to contact her current boyfriend. About a few seconds later, he responded:

"Hey?"

"Our relationship is done," she told him. "Thanks for entertaining me while I was on bad terms with the Russian bastard. Bye,"

And with just that, she ended the call.

All three of them were staring at her.

"What?" said Audrey. "He was hot, but kinda boring. Now, tell me the whole story of how you ended up here."

—

becAUSE IT'S MOTHER'S DAYYYY and today's also the funeral of my grandmother rip it was so emotional

also i've had this draft for months but never bothered to finish it but eyy here it is now lmao

and waw 6000+ words

my oneshot for andrei's death is still unfinished and i'm planning to write shawn's too since idk what to put in for arianna's thoughts

-admin audrey