[Yuri's POV]

"A—a DJ?" I stutter, my jaw dropping.

"Yeah, is it so hard to believe I had a hobby outside ice skating?" Otabek chuckles.

"No it's just..." I say slowly. "Well, it's just kinda hot."

Otabek's eyelids flutter in surprise.

I slurp up the last of the fruity drink I had gotten for Liza. I ended up drinking it while Otabek painted me. I guess alcohol makes me say weird things. It's true though, DJs are really cool. It is reasonable to conclude that people would find that occupation attractive, I'm just being honest.

Otabek pulls the empty glass from my hands. "Yura! You drank this whole thing?"

"It's fine, it was a smoothie." I lie, waving my hand dismissively.

Otabek raises his eyebrows at me and stares me down.

"A smoothie...that may have had some alcohol in it." I mutter.

"And how much alcohol have you had tonight?" Otabek questions.

"One glass of that smoothie stuff and a glass of soda which may have had vodka in it also," I confess.

Otabek tuts disapprovingly.

"And one shot that I stole." I add. "I don't know what was in it but it tasted terrible."

"You are underage. We could both get in serious trouble." Otabek scolds.

"Victor lets me drink champagne at parties." I mumble, crossing my arms sulkily.

"Champagne won't get you as drunk as vodka and strange drinks that you don't even know what type of alcohol it is." Otabek retorts.

"I'm not drunk. I'm just a little tipsy." I say. "Don't worry, let's just get you wasted and then nobody will even notice me."

Otabek's serious expression finally cracks as he breaks into a laugh. "What am I going to do with you?" He says, shaking his head.

"Lift me up so I can see the DJ!" I answer, holding my arms out like a child.

Otabek smiles. "I have a better idea."

.

[Otabek's POV]

"Come on!" I say, taking Yuri by the hand and leading him through the crowd.

We push through the mass of dancing teenagers until finally making our way to the front where the DJ's box is—a small room with walls made of glass in which the DJ controls the music. A security guard blocks the door with his arms crossed, I recognise him immediately.

"Erik!" I greet with a big smile. "It's been too long, man."

"Otabek? How ya been, it's good to see you." Erik says, slapping a firm hand on my back. "But what are you doing here? Last I heard you ran off to Russia to pursue ice skating."

"Yeah well, I thought I should come back for one last crazy night in the town." I reply.

"I thought we were having a quiet night in the town." Yuri whispers.

"Sh, sh." I step closer to Erik, in between him and Yuri. "So what do you reckon? Think you could let me into the box?"

"I'll let you through because I respect you and you deserve to be in there as much as anyone, but I can't promise you that the new DJ will let you touch anything." Erik reasons.

"That's fine, I just wanted to show my friend the DJ's box up close." I say, gesturing to Yuri behind me.

Erik peers at Yuri suspiciously.

"Don't worry, he's totally cool. He isn't like, drunk or anything." I lie subtly.

"Usually it's strictly DJ's only, but, as long as he doesn't break anything." Erik shrugs.

He steps aside and opens the door for Yuri and me.

"Thank you, sir." Yuri gives Erik a polite nod as he passes. As soon as we are inside the box, Yuri drops the formal act and squeals like a fangirl. "This is so cool!"

The box is only a small room with two chairs in the corner and a large control panel at the front where the DJ plays the music. Standing in front of the panel is a girl with hair dyed inky blue, tied back in a ponytail.

"Song requests?" The girl asks, keeping her eyes down at the DJ panel. "Didn't think Erik let fans in."

"We're not fans." I say.

"Really? I guess I was mistaken by that girlish squeal you let out when you came in here." The girl replies.

"Okay, he's a fan." I reason, gesturing to Yuri even though the girl wasn't looking at us. "But I'm actually a DJ as well, that's why Erik let us in."

The girl seems to take interest; she slows down the music before flicking a switch which I know to auto play the next track. The girl turns to face us, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"Oh my god, Otabek Altin?" She gasps, rushing forward to shake my hand. "I'm Opal. I love your sound; been listening to the Ota-man DJ since I snuck in here at fourteen."

"Nice to meet you, but I didn't think Erik let fans in here." I tease.

Yuri leans closer to observe Opal.

"See, Beka." He says. "I told you DJs are hot."

Opal's cheeks flush red, and I feel a pounding in my chest.

"Sorry, he's not used to drinking and is being inappropriately honest tonight." I tell Opal apologetically.

"Don't worry," Yuri grins as he wraps his arms around my waist. "You're the coolest DJ of them all."

The burning in my chest settles as I stare down at Yuri fondly. Opal watches us with a gentle smile.

"Now see, you. Don't think you can steal him back to Kazakhstan. He's not your DJ, he's my ice skater and he is staying with me in Russia." Yuri says to Opal.

"Er—that's okay," She replies.

Opal pushes a stray lock of hair behind her ear and shifts an awkward glance towards the panel up front. I follow her gaze to see a photo frame. Two girls are smiling happily in the picture, arms wrapping around each other's waists in some kind of theme park. One of them has long, inky blue hair, and the other has a brown, pixie cut. I recognise them instantly as Opal and Liza.

"Is this your friend?" I ask, walking closer to the picture.

Opal looks away, smiling bashfully. "Um, yeah."

"Did she come here to support you tonight?" I inquire, even though I know the answer.

"Yes, actually." Opal answers. "I promised her we would have a dance together but the guy who was supposed to cover for me tonight flaked."

"I could cover for you," I offer.

"Thanks, but it's okay. There's only one song left before closing anyway and I doubt she stayed for the entire night." Opal says, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"But what if she did?" I say.

"What?" Opal replies, looking up at me.

"Well, wouldn't you want to see her? Isn't it worth it to check if she is here?" I ask.

Opal bites her lip and fumbles with her fingers.

"I think she's waiting for you." I finish.

Opal takes a deep breath. "You're right. I should look for her, I promised. But, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"There's only one more song to go before closing, I have spent entire nights here." I reply.

A big smile spreads across Opal's face. "Okay! I'm gonna go look for her."

She gathers up her stuff in a hurry and heads for the door.

"Good luck!" I say quickly.

Opal turns to face me. Her eyes flicker to Yuri before returning to me with a smirk. "Good luck for you too."

With that, she slips out the door and hurries through the crowd out of sight. I turn back towards the DJ panel to see Yuri peering at the photo frame of Opal and Liza. I can almost see the cogs turning slowly in Yuri's mind. He looks up at me with a confused expression before returning to the photo, and then finally puts it back down. I watch him intensely, waiting for his response.

"I think Opal is friends with Liza." Yuri says. "What a small world."

I laugh and shake my head. "That's all you're taking away from this?"

Yuri had already lost interest in the photo. He is now staring at the DJ control panel, his eyes shimmering. He reaches out slowly, almost drooling, but I slap his hand away.

"No touching, you heard Erik." I say.

Yuri looks up at me with big, watery eyes. "But—but my lifelong dream is right at my fingertips."

"You didn't have that dream until like ten minutes ago." I reply.

"Beka...please?" Yuri pouts.

God damn, he is devilishly cute.

"Alright, I'll show you how to work it." My mouth curls into a smile as I look down at Yuri's happy face. "We can do the last song together."

I flick the microphone on and bring it closer to my mouth, "This is Otabek Altin, hero of Kazakhstan, coming back for one last night in the town with the Russian soldier Yuri Plisetsky—"

Yuri's face lights up.

"The last song goes out to Liza and Opal; I know you'll find each other in the crowd tonight." I finish. I turn the microphone off and push it aside, before turning a few other dials and flicking switches. "You ready?" I ask Yuri.

Yuri bounces on his feet excitedly. "Heck yes I am!"

"Give me your hand." I say, reaching out an open palm.

Yuri places his hand in mine, the warmth of his fingertips spreading through my body. I smile and place his hand on one of the record discs. As the song plays, I show him where to add scratches and mix in other beats to make an interesting sound. His bright smile doesn't waver throughout the entire time, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Watching him learn about my passion, watching him laugh and have fun, and watching him light up with happiness. By the end of the night, he proudly claimed himself a real DJ and I finally agreed with what he had been saying all night...

DJs are hot.