An Unwavering Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 5: Sightseeing in Paradise

"Phichit! It's so good to see you again!"

"You too, Yuuri! How have you been?"

In the middle of Marina Bay Sands' luxurious atrium, Yuuri Katsuki was elated. The other skaters participating in the Singapore Ice Festival have arrived, and he was greeted by none other than Phichit Chulanont, his close friend and former rink mate.

"It's been good" he answered. "I'm still getting used to practicing in Saint Petersburg, but things are great. How 'bout you? Why isn't Coach Celestino with you?"

Phichit shook his head. "He had to do something important in Detroit. We'll meet up again when I get back to Thailand."

Yuuri was about to say something when he felt a head rest on his shoulders. He turned and saw a man with memorable grey hair waving at his friend.

"Hi there, Phichit! Have you ever visited Singapore before? I hear the Hainanese chicken is great!"

As Viktor exchanged small talk with Phichit, Yuuri got distracted by the scene around him. The hotel lobby was filled with skaters from various countries—all of which competed at last year's Grand Prix Final. In the crowd, he spotted a familiar blond boy standing near a giant planter. His arms were wrapped around a girl's waist as they both conversed with the Kazakh skater Otabek Altin.

He couldn't help but grin when Yuri unconsciously nuzzled Ayumi's shoulders. The 'Yurio' he knew has always been arrogant and salty, but he proved to be rather affectionate to his girl. They were so compatible with each other. Yumi tames him (a little bit, but it's better than nothing), while Yurio strengthens her.

The mild chatter around Yuuri was interrupted by a loud voice:

"I'm here!!! Who missed me?"

Now, he was never that bothered with the Canadian skater who just announced his arrival. Just like all the others, however, he preferred not to speak to him unless necessary. Even Viktor, who was typically very outgoing, never initiated a conversation with him. Every skater he knew was irritated with JJ. Well, except Ayumi.

The said girl broke free from her boyfriend's grasp and approached him. After a couple of laughs, JJ ruffled her hair teasingly. Tick marks appeared on Yuri's head, and he quickly pulled Ayumi back towards him. If there was one skater who hated Jean-Jacques Leroy the most, it would be Yuri Plisetsky.

"Excuse me? Are you the skaters participating in the ice show? I'm the tour guide sent to you by Khoo Finance! Welcome to Singapore!"

They all turned to the loud voice. It was finally time for their sponsored tour around the city. The itinerary for that day was exciting: visiting Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore Flyer, Merlion Park, Clarke Quay and Chinatown. They were going to see the best of what Singapore had to offer (or at least, that's what it says on the pamphlet).

Viktor squeezed his shoulders as they prepared to leave. "Let's go shopping and take a lot of photos today, Yuuri! I want to post a cute picture of us on Instagram!"

"But Viktor! People might get the wrong idea!"

"Why not? It's not like they're wrong about us."

His cheeks felt like they were on fire. When they both started walking to the entrance, he noticed Ayumi waving goodbye to Yuri and Otabek. The two males soon approached the main group, and he just had to ask:

"Yurio! Is Yumi not coming with us?"

Yuri grumbled. "Yeah. Kamoshita is here and with him comes a pile of work. She has no choice."

He gave him a look of sympathy, but Yuri didn't want to have it.

"Come on, Beka! Let's just get this tour over with!"

------

"I'm back."

Yuri Plisetsky was dead tired when he came back at 11 p.m. The tour earlier took them to so many places, and all the walking wore him out. He repeatedly asked Otabek to rent out a motorcycle like he did at Barcelona, but his friend wouldn't budge.

When he didn't hear a response, he paced around the large suite in search for his girlfriend. She's supposed to be here, isn't she? She didn't leave the hotel because of work, so why is she not answering?

He found her sitting in front of the work desk, head down in front of her laptop. Scattered across the table were several leather-bound folders, and some of them had Khoo Financial Group emblazoned on the cover.

Ayumi woke up after he shook her shoulders. She gave him a drowsy smile. She was obviously tired, but she slapped her face and went back to typing. "Hey..."

"Tsk. How long have you been sitting there? You should get some rest, idiot. You've had enough for the day."

She shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. I have to finish analyzing these proposals my father sent."

Yuri was getting irritated at her complete lack of respect for her own body. She was overworking, and it didn't look like she was going to stop anytime soon. Not unless he had anything to say about it.

Dragging her off the chair, he brought her to the bedroom and set her down on the bed. Before she could move in protest, he laid down beside her and trapped her in his arms.

"Yura, I'm not yet done working."

He placed her head on his shoulder and stroked her hair. "Yes, you are. Go to sleep."

She hummed, and they both relaxed at the feel of the soft mattress. Yuri was about to close his eyes when Ayumi asked, "How was sightseeing today?"

"It was fine" he replied. "We went to the usual tourist traps and took a lot of pictures. I walked around a lot 'cuz Otabek didn't bring a bike. It was tiring as hell."

Ayumi nodded and wound her arms tighter around him. "I'm glad you had fun, at least."

Yuri didn't say another word as his girlfriend dozed off. The day had not been fun at all. Aside from the fact that she wasn't there, all day long he was followed by paparazzi who wanted to get a word about him and his love life. Otabek, his rink mates and even the tour organizers tried their best to shoo them away, but the press was simply persistent.

He couldn't bring himself to sleep, so he took his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through social media. An article from TheInsider.sg was trending. He clicked it and read:

Here's the latest scoop from Singapore's most trusted society columnist, Ginger Wong:

They say giving back involves a certain amount of giving up, and it looks like Asia's little miss brainy is here for just that. Arriving for the much-anticipated 'Singapore Ice Festival', Ayumi Matsumoto is now in the hot seat—and so is her skater beau Yuri Plisetsky. As one of the most eligible heiresses on the planet, it's hard to imagine she'd go out a boy who couldn't even breathe the same air as the Billionaire Club. All I can say is: welcome to the Lion City, Russian Fairy, where the lions are out for the kill.

We can only sit and wonder how Ayumi's parents feel about all this. Surely, they wouldn't approve of someone who brings no value to the Matsumoto Corporation. Then again, she's only sixteen, and there's plenty of fish in the sea. I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open for the upcoming events. Who knows? Sparks might fly... from somewhere else.

His fangirls rushed to defend him in the comments section, but Yuri didn't care. He growled as he threw his phone down on the bed. Dammit. It was definitely NOT fun.

But he wouldn't dare tell Ayumi that.