And now, the standard disclaimers from years yonder: I do not own Yuri! on Ice, any of its characters, or its story. The rights go to everyone at Studio MAPPA, writer Kubo-sensei, director Yamamoto-sensei. This is a work of love towards their efforts, and no profit shall be made off this work by me or anyone. Please attribute to me and them if you plan to refer to this work, as a courtesy.

Vika hears the crowd roaring, up on their feet, even before she has finished her final spin. She sticks her final pose, and then breaks into a laugh, giddy giggles bubbling out from her because she knows, she knows that she has taken the gold. Finally, the Grand Prix Final gold is hers this year. She was top ranked coming in from the short program, and now she's done a flawless, outstanding free skate. No mistakes, held her spirals long, clean edges all through. It's the best she's ever performed and she knows it. It makes her heart want to burst.

She does her bows and then skates around giving kisses and waving at the crowd. Flowers and insect plushies rain down, ladybirds and beetles and butterflies. A fan holds out a painting of her in ethereal watercolour wearing the same gold and blue butterfly wing outfit she has on, and Vika goes up to accept the offering, giving the fan a hug and tearful thanks of appreciation. She makes her way back to the entrance, picking up a bunch of tulips and a Butterfree plushie.

At the entrance, she launches into the arms of papenka, who is also ecstatic at his daughter's stunning performance. As she stands back down, she sees that he has tears in his eyes, shining so proudly, his smile lines and crow's feet crinkling up. Someone takes her gifts off her hands and hand over her blade guards, and after she takes care of the skates, they make their way over to the Kiss and Cry, alternately smiling at each other and the crowd, unable to contain their giddy joy.

Sitting on the bench in front of the cameras, Vika can't help but vibrate with excitement for her score. She hopes it will be enough for a new personal best, and can't wait for the judges. She looks to papenka, and sees a smile, the type that is soft and bittersweet. It says "My child is grown up, where has the time gone". It says "You've outgrown me".

"Hey papenka, what are you thinking?" Vika prods gently.

"Hmm? Oh nothing. Just, I felt this old feeling I had, many years ago. The time when me and your otousan first sat here for our first Grand Prix Final together. It's this feeling of incredible pride, of such love, I couldn't love the person sitting next to me more."

The same smile punctuates the admission, and Vika returns her own, reaching out to hold Viktor's hands in hers.

"I love you too," she replies.

They sit like that, their own bubble of companionable silence in the hubbub of the arena. It feels momentous, like a threshold has been passed and they're in the liminal space between when something happened and when their bodies finally catch up to the realization. Whatever it is, this limbo will end when the score is announced, and suddenly, Vika wants to hold off learning the score for a while more. She wants to hold onto this vanishing thread with papenka.

All too soon, the score comes, and Vika indeed breaks her old personal best by a blazing 8 points and clinches the gold. Vika leaps up from joy and bows to the audience all around, to the cameras, and the other skaters in the waiting area. She waves, sits down and flaps the wings of her Butterfree, dashes the Nikiforov megawatt smile she inherited from papenka for the camera. Vika hugs papenka, bouncing at her victory, and he slings his arm around her waist to grip her close, beaming just as brightly.

Vika steps up to the podium to receive her flowers and medal, and when the Japan national anthem plays, it's as emotional as she always imagined. She's come so far, and now she's the pride of the nation, helped add another gold to the national roster. She hopes she won't become numb to the golds, hopes she will always feel this humbled and honored and delighted to win a hard earned medal.

As she returns to the sides after the ceremony, Vika catches papenka watching her with tears dancing around in his eyes. He tenderly holds her by her arms, rubbing up and down them and looking at her, as if she shot straight up into her current body from 3 years old and he's just seen her for the first time.

"My daughter. Viktoria Viktorovna, you have brought me so much joy. And now look at you, all big and grown. You've spread your wings, golubka. You'll be crowned czarina, the new Skating Queen, and I am so proud." He kisses her on her forehead, a ginger touch, as if delivering a benediction before setting her free.

"Thank you, papenka, thank you for everything," Vika reassures. "You know I'll always be your motylenok, your butterfly daughter."

A/N: That's it. That's all I have planned for Vika. I had a very clear image of Viktor having a daughter that wins a gold and it's that moment when a parent sees their child grow up and become their own person, that's what I wanted for this chapter. I'm not happy with it, but I've been stuck for a week and I just wanted it out.

Vika's story doesn't end here, obviously. I know that she eventually marries someone, and has a baby that her obaasan will live to see. She will not win any more GPF golds, and never any Worlds, but is very happy. The rest is unknown to me, but she lives on in yall too, and whatever you imagine for her. Please feel free to do so, and thank you for reading.