Potential story
Potential A/B/o fic
When Yuri had been accepted into the national skating program, it had involved two days of medical tests. His growth plates had been measures, his bone density mapped, full blood work, full dental, vision checks, everything that could be done so that his coach and those his coach reported to would know everything about him. Of course part of that was an assessment of his secondary gender. It was that week that a ten year old Yuri was declared to be most likely an Alpha and sent to train in St Petersburg, hours away from his only family that remained.
He loved his grandfather, but the man couldn't care for him with the state of his health, and skating was Yuri's dream. It was with a heavy heart that Nikolai sent his only grandchild off on a train, but it was for the best. Once in the training program in St. Petersburg, Yuri thrived. He threw himself into his training with all the determination expected of a young pre-alpha.
Ballet was necessary. He needed to do it now before his body changed. The longer the change waited, the better though. If he went into it with enough flexibility, he had every chance of ending up more like Viktor than like so many of the other skaters out there. That was the entire goal of the program, a second Viktor.
Yuri hated it on one level, to know he was always going to be compared to the other man, but at least if they were comparing him to someone, they were comparing him to the best. When he defied yakov and landed a quad in junior competition, he had been so proud. That feeling had only grown when Viktor had noticed him for it.
By the time he was able to make his senior debut, he knew he was on borrowed time. His anger was getting worse. He would lash out and act recklessly, it was all classic signs of an alpha who would present soon -- even if he was two years behind average for that. It was just a matter of time.
Every moment of his training for his first year, he knew this would come crashing down soon. At some point, he would present. His flexibility would decrease, his height would increase, but it would be fine. One rough year and then he'd be back at top form -- just as an alpha skater. In men's skating the power of your moves meant so much, it would be fine to replace some flexibility with power. Even before that rush of testosterone, he already had four quads in his arsenal. He would be unstoppable. For now though, he had to take advantage of his pre-presentation grace. Soon it would end.
He got through the rest of the year and his sixteenth birthday. Then the next year, even when Viktor came back, he still took golds and the occasional silver. While Viktor beat him at the GP Final and the Russian Nationals, Yuri took Europeans.
Just before 17, he still hadn't presented, and the olympic battle became Yuri in his prime versus an aging and slightly injured Viktor. A tear to the man's ACL guaranteed the gold for Yuri and Viktor's retirement.
For worlds, exhausted from the Olympics and feeling a little off, Yuri ended up with bronze. Not only had Yuuri beaten him but so had JJ. It was expected. He was seventeen. He was expected to present -- well years ago. Having an off competition was simply attributed to the inevitable.
Three weeks later, Yuri woke to know -- something was WRONG. Throwing himself into the shower, his body hurt. The pain radiating through every limb engulfed his senses. Still in the shower, and not even caring how water resistant his phone was, he called Yakov. Of course the man had a key to his apartment. By the time Yakov got there, Yuri was sitting in the bathtub, the still warm water of the shower hitting his sweat covered body.
Taking one look at Yuri, Yakov's eyes widened and then he smelt the air. This was not how this was supposed to be. Yuri had been fighting with him for control since the boy was ten. There was no way this was correct. The doctors had all said Yuri was an alpha. He was supposed to be Yakov's new star, the last star he'd have at his age. Yuri was meant to be the culmination of his coaching career -- but here he was, presenting as an omega at seventeen when most presented half a decade earlier.
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12 hours later and Yakov was sitting outside a hospital room. Inside, Yuri was screaming and clawing at the walls, but the sound could barely be heard from the outside. He looked up though when a slim woman sat down next to him. Her scent still so familiar, bitter and sharp, but so beautiful to him still.
Their marriage had been doomed from the start, but they had been young and in love and too full of themselves to listen to anyone else. Alpha/Alpha marriages never worked out well. The mating of an alpha to an alpha was the subject of romantic tragedies in art for hundreds of years. Yakov and Lilia had been no exception.
She sighed, looking at him, "An omega."
"The doctors were wrong."
"He's the only student I've had in a decade to stand up to me after the first day." She was sitting straight backed on the bench even as the man slouched. Lilia Baranovskaya did not slouch -- ever. While tendrils of grey wound through her dark hair, pulled up into its signature bun, she showed little effects of her age.
"He's an omega. Trust me, I got to his apartment and -- Lilechka …" He dropped his voice as he whispered, "He was beautiful before. I thought when he presented as an Alpha he would take on some of Viktor's traits, he didn't he … " The man exhaled slowly.
"Yasha?" Her head tilted at her ex-husband, sighing softly, "As soon as this news is out, he'll be courted. He's famous already. He's a gold medal winning olympian. He's … the most graceful student I've had in two decades." She shook her head, she should have realized.
"Viktor was graceful as well."
"Not like Yura -- who would have thought. All these decades later, we'd end up wondering how we didn't guess the gender of our child right." There was a soft laugh. Of course Yuri wasn't really theirs, but he had been with the two of them so much. Every day, hours with her, living with her for a year before he had obtained an apartment closeby. He had been Yakov's even longer.
"I will still retire when he does. He might still have another year in him, I -- I do not have the energy to start again. None of the current students have that promise. An omega, I had had such high hopes."
"Maybe he will transition to being a dancer?" It was not unheard of for a male omega to have a promising career in the ballet.
Yakov just sighed at that. His final hope for another legendary skater was gone.
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Chapter 2 - try 2
Two months later, and Yuri was back at the ice arena, training and working up to competition form after having been with Lilia in Paris for two months. He had not been relaxing, instead Lilia had been working him everyday, increasing his flexibility and having him perform practice for her until he was ready to pass out. It helped distract from the side effects of his new suppressants from a doctor in Paris.
The first time Yuri laced up since his presentation, the rink was empty. Yakov and Lilia were the only ones there with him. The hesitance in Yakov's eyes after not having seen him for two months was unexpected in a way, but it didn't stop Yuri from skating out onto the ice and looking at Lilia to give her a nod.
Without a word, the woman pressed some buttons on the sound system, selecting a piece that had not been played in the sports complex in a very long time. As the music from Victor's final year in Juniors filled the rink, Yuri started to skate, slightly longer limbs moving comfortably. There was no lack of coordination from the few inches he had gained in his presentation. The program lacked the innocent quality of Victor's. This was a more mature version. Yuri's hair flew around as he spun and jumped, as if he hadn't been off his skates for more than a few days. Yes, the jumps were downgraded right now, but the form was there. The steps were there but -- and then Yakov realized.
Turning to look at Lilia, he raised an eyebrow, "He's even more of a dancer."
"He is my best student. I am not ready to lose him."
Yakov's eyes focused only on the figure in center ice as Yuri spin blindingly fast, his body contorting to show the increased flexibility of his new body. He watched as the boy suddenly stopped in the same final position as VIktor.
Yakov's eyes followed him as he saketed over to where he was waiting with Lilia. "He still skates beautifully, of course."
Lilia reached out with one hand, taking a hold of Yuri by the jaw and lifting his head off, showing the long curve of the boy's unmarked neck. She saw how even Yakov's eyes were drawn to that flesh. She saw how the old man took in the pliant gesture from Yuri, and the softness in his form. "He's even more beautiful Yakov."
"But …"
"No buts. Yuri, show him." She gestured for the boy to go back on the ice and with just a nod, a black streak across the ice, his now even longer blond hair trailing, he threw himself into the hardest part of his short program from the olympics, the one that had helped him win that gold. The same combination that had been repeated in the highlight reels for weeks after the games was performed with the same exact crispness and perfection as the boy had used six months ago before his presentation.
That had Yakov watching closer. "It's only been two months. He'll change more."
"Will he?"
"He's pliant now."
"Or he's smart." Lilia's lips moved, just slightly, a little curve at the side.
"Smart?"
"Most judges are alphas. Is there anything more appealing than a beautiful, pliant omega?"
"The sport needs drive to keep improving to keep competing."
As Yuri skated back over to them, Lilia shook her head, "You really think Yuri lost his drive?" Once again she reached out to lift the boy's chin. "A twelve year old is still developing their personality. Yuri was seventeen."
Then Yuri started to laugh, his smile turning positively devilish and anything but the perfect appearance of a pliant omega that he had been showing to this point. "Don't make me find a new coach, old man."
"You may want to compete now, but how will you feel in a few months, and you'll have heats--"
"This isn't like when you were competing, Yasha. The new suppressants are much better. He can time heats for when it works for competition.
"Who will pay? The Federation will not be interested in sinking money into an omega.
"I hardly think the money will be an issue. I will though. Don't go planning your retirement party yet, Yasha." Then with another smile, she leaned in to whisper to her ex husband. "Do you really think it will be hard for sponsors to want him?"
Only then did Yakov start to nod. Maybe. Just maybe his ex-wife's plan would work.
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Two weeks before Skate America, the information on the final teams for skating were put out. Russia's announcement normally would have gone without much notice. They had a full roster again this year, 3 men. 3 women, 3 pairs and 3 dancers. Some names were new, some were old. However, the first slot on men's, the only male skater Russia had that had not had to use any of the prequalifiers to chase scores was the name everyone expected. Yuri Plisetsky. What no one expected though was the 𝛀 after his name. Omega. Russia had just publicly declared that their top male skater, winner of gold in the olympics was an omega -- and the skating world went crazy.
Yakov was not sure about this plan, not sure at all. However, as they exited the airport, he and Lilia flanked Yuri's slender frame, and Yakov had never been so hyper aware of where a skater was before in his life. He was trusting them though. Yuri understood social media, and as much as it pained the man to admit it, that was what needed to be done. They needed to stay on top of everything.
Lilia understood performance. She understood it more than most and all off season her and Yuri had been going back and forth, determining the boy's image.
As they walked out, Yuri was leaning into Lilia, his head resting on her shoulder. No one would accept a rebellious omega. Yakov was as certain of that as he was of anything; however, he didn't know how long this act could be maintained.
When the cameras started to flash, Yuri straightened up, pulling a little ways away from Lilia as he reached up to push the hood of his jacket back. The black he normally wore had been exchanged for white. It was a conscious decision, all three of them had agreed it was the color that looked the best. The part that Yakov thought was going to fail, perhaps wasn't. Reporters and fans alike screaming and asking if Yuri really was an omega. The crowd's had not lessened, if anything, they had grown. Of course the world had thought he had been an alpha with his attitude. Everyone had assumed.
When the hood fell back though, revealing Yuri's long blond hair braided back and his face completely exposed, the question didn't have to be answered. On one cheek, there was a carefully drawn, '𝛀' and on the other the white blue and red of the russian flag, as if the boy were going to an omega pride event instead of a skating competition.
The crowd went wild. According to Yuri and Lilia's analysis, about 50% of the Yuri's angels were omegas. Yakov had been positive that the boy would lose those fans almost instantaneously, but when he saw them burst out in screams and tears at seeing Yuri, he had to admit he was wrong. He realized he was in the middle of a huge PR student, but it looked like it was working.
Somehow, in a brief moment when Yakov was lost in thought and Lilia was talking to the press, mostly saying things about how they were just here to compete, Yuri had ended up by his fans, now with cat ears on from someplace and giving his best performance smile as endless selfies seemed to be taken.
It only lasted a few minutes before Lilia called out, "Yura! Come. We have to go now."
Still with the cat ears on, Yuri complied instantly, trotting over to Lilia's side before waving a goodbye as all three of them walked to the where the taxi's were waiting, getting in one to take a ride to the hotel.
Switching to Russian so the driver wouldn't understand, Lilia smiled, "I told you it would work."
"They love me as an omega as much as they did before." Yuri smirked as he looked at Yakov.
"Now to see how skating goes. You are not to interact with anyone without Lilia or I there. You understand?" Yuri rolled his eyes but nodded. "
"Mmm hmmm." Yuri just smirked though, leaning into Lilia, whether that was to keep up appearances or because he honestly enjoyed it was something Yakov had yet to figure out.
Yakov's eyes narrowed, not certain he trusted Yuri's response.
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The next day, it was practice time for all the competitors and Yakov was standing, watching the ice be resurfaced and fuming that Yuri was not yet here. Moments before he called the boys phone -- again, he saw Lilia with Yuri right next to her.
The chatter from the other eleven skaters waiting to take the ice for their practice in the arena hushes. Of course Yakov knew all their names, they just were not important enough for him to bother to acknowledge them.
Yuri was wearing his normal practice clothes, but instead of his hair back in a ponytail, Lilia had put it into some sort of elaborate braid. Waterfall maybe? Whatever, it looked pretty and was out of the boy's face.
Lilia pulled a bottle of water from her purse and Yuri lifted it up, his neck fully exposed in all it's pristine paleness as the boy swallowed down the liquid. Oh yes, Liliia and Yuri were playing with fire -- and maybe it would work.
Yakov shook it off though, walking over to tell Yuri exactly what he wanted him to do in practice.
The other skaters in the competition were all either probably alphas who hadn't presented yet (the two youngest who had barely qualified) or Betas and Alphas. Since Christophe's and Yuuri's retirements, no other omegas were skating in the highest levels. As soon as the resurfacer was off the ice and it was opened, Yuri turned to be the first one on, the other still talking among themselves -- unsurprised the omega skater was being kept off on his own -- then again, it was Yuri. It wasn't as if he talked to most of them before this anyways.
Yakov couldn't help the soft laugh though as within thirty second of being on the ice, Yuri threw himself into a quad toe loop as if he were doing nothing more than stretching his legs. From the smirk on Lilia's face, he knew that was exactly what had been planned. They had probably been warming up off ice for half an hour to make sure he could do that flawlessly.
Most of the other skaters were watching Yuri now, needing to be reminded by coaches to get on the ice and warm up. Yuri kept his movements graceful, mostly working on steps and spins as the ice got more crowded.
The skaters were were not really ones he knew well -- the only ones he had had any contact with before were Leo and JJ -- they were also his only competition, so Yuri watched them carefully as he gracefully glided around the outside of the ring. Leo was a beta, but JJ was an alpha. He'd fought with JJ before, when he had thought he'd end up being an alpha. Now though, he found himself less annoyed. He'd have to talk that over with Lilia. Instead of saying anything to the Canadian skater though, he just made sure to throw himself into an extremely vertical triple axel, making sure it didn't take up too much room and he had plenty of clearance on his landing as he gracefully skated out of it.
He made sure he was the first one off, clearing the ice a few seconds before the chime indicating practice was over. He stood there though by the gate as Lilia reached into her purse to pull out a the water bottle from earlier, just nodding along to Yakov's comments on how he had looked at practice.
He took the water when it was offered, and then stood there until JJ was close by, covering the pause by nodding to Yakov's commentary on the practice. Once the alpha was close to the gate though, that was when Yuri took another long sip of water.
The exposure of his neck had exactly the effect he thought it would. Even with the tight collar of the shirt, it was enough, to make several of the alpha's pause and look. Yuri glanced at Lilia, smiling at the look she had. Yes. it worked on stage, there was no reason it wouldn't work on the ice. Christophe's skating with overt sex appeal was not Yuri's style. The bumbling innocence trying to catch the eye of one alpha of Katsuki was also not his style. This however was. The Russian Punk was dead, long live the Russian Fairy.
No one had expected Yuri to come out at Skate America as hard as he did. He dominated the scores with end season level performances at the first GP Qualifier. JJ took the silver and Leo the third. The Russian Fairy was all anyone was talking about though.
He repeated the performance at Rostelecom to an energetic home crowd. It was at that competition though that Yakov noticed something. Large swaths of the crowd were there to cheer on Yuri, and many of them were wearing the exact facepaint he had had before Skate America.
The pictures of him with the 𝛀 had erupted over the internet. With another gold medal for the omega skater, it seemed the fame wouldn't end. In fact, Yakov even stopped getting messages from the federation that they'd be cutting Yuri's funding. Instead now, they were interested in how long Yakov thought the skater could compete.
The finals were in Australia of all places, and once again, Yuri walked out of the airport with the flag on one cheek and the 𝛀 on the other, waving to the crowd, Yuri stayed right next to Lilia, waving to the crowds. He was never out in public now unless he was with either Yakov or Lilia, always having one of the two alphas with him. Such behavior seemed to placate even the most conservative countries when it came to Omega rights.
The image of a wild and free omega that he projected on the ice was countered by the pliant image off the ice as he stayed close to Lilia in meetings. While not his actual mother or grandmother, the fact he was staying close to such a clearly protective alpha was seen as proper.
The GP was another gold for him, this time though there was more eye contact with the other skaters. The Gala would prove to be interesting, but first there was the exhibition.
He had done a different piece every exhibition, so the crowd had no idea what was coming this time. No one else did either. Instead of the whites, silvers, and golds of his previous costumes this year, he skated out in black from head to toe, including the dark makeup around his eyes and black lips.
His hair was braided with strips of black cloth even. As the spotlight caught him though, the fact that so much of the skin tight outfit was either mesh, covered in rhinestones, or both became incredibly clear. This was the most revealing costume he had worn yet -- but everything else had been so conservative.
As he took his starting position, arched back, with his arms wrapped around his neck, at least his neck was still covered. Then as he moved his arms to his actual start position, the fabric feel from his neck, showing his entire neckline had been the fabric at his wrists and his neck was exposed from the top to below his collar bones. It was nothing 'indecent', but he was using what he could as he stretch out, elongating his body's appearance as he exposed his neck to the bright spotlight, showing the milk pure skin. Then the music started and he moved. The seductiveness transformed into action as he flew through a short two minute program, but it was packed with jumps. His skates seeming somehow to spend more time in the air than on the ground as he threw himself near violently through one of the hardest pieces of ballet music Lilia knew. A rendition of a pre Russian battle ending in death for the principal dancer, and in a mimic of his GP exhibition when he was 15, 17 year old Yuri lay panting on the ice , sprawled out in theatrical death. He felt the thunderous applause echo through the arena.
The same thing as the other banquets, Yuri stayed seated between Lilia and Yakov, and everyone knew he would leave once they did. No one expected the omega to be left unescorted.
This time though, something different happened. As the three Russians sat, Yakov and Lilia conversing while Yuri let his eyes wander, he saw JJ Leroy's father walk over. The Canadian had come in third, winning a bronze and had seemed very happy about it.
Yuri felt Yakov tense next to him, hoping this wasn't going to be what he feared. JJ's engagement had been broken off, so Alain Leroy had an alpha son who was not promised to anyone. However, it quickly became clear this was about something else as the man handed over a business card. "My wife and I wanted to make sure our information got to whoever is responsible for Yuri's sponsorship dealings."
Lilia looked up, "I am taking care of that for him."
"I see, my son has a sports fashion line and …" handing the woman a second card, he added, "If Yuri had any interest in modeling, we would be very interested in branching out away from an alpha only look."