Someone was watching them.

More specifically, someone was watching Yuri.

It was a deep, intense stare that set the silver hairs on the back of his neck on edge. Viktor had had his own fair share of fans and haters alike, but for some reason this type of stare being directed at Yuri made him tense.

A simple stare on its own should not have raised any alarms because one, they were in a public rink in Japan, and two because they were both recognizable to anyone who had an interest in competitive figure skating. Not only that, but it had been public knowledge for a while now that Viktor was Yuri's coach and most of the surprise had died down. Fans and fellow skaters watching them or coming up to them wasn't uncommon at all, and they were both relatively used to it.

Relatively, because Yuri still blushed when too much attention was on him anywhere other than in the rink.

Viktor was admittedly doing an excellent job of both silently critiquing Yuri's jumps as well as scoping out the crowd. There was something unsettling about the feeling Viktor had, and he knew it was because of someone in the rink. He'd felt those eyes on himself occasionally, but every time he looked for them he couldn't place them. The fact that those eyes were constantly returning to Yuri made him nervous.

"Keep it up, Yuri! One more time!" Viktor shouted from the edge of the rink, and Yuri simply nodded before starting his set from the beginning. He wasn't doing a routine due to the public setting, but he still wanted to practice his jumps and Viktor was always weak to a pleading Yuri Katsuki. They were a few months away from the beginning of the Grand Prix Tournament, and although technically considered down time Yuri was still trying to train while they traveled.

Such passion for the sport, and such dedication to succeed always reminded Viktor that he made the right decision in coming to be Yuri's coach. His feelings for Yuri had only grown stronger upon meeting him, however. Viktor cared for the man much more than a coach should for any student by far. Only four years his junior, so talented, so stunning, and so genuinely sweet it was almost impossible not to fall for him.

These thoughts were his own of course, and aside from the several instances of Viktor's flirtatious embraces Yuri was none the wiser to his internal struggles. Which was why the situation made him so tense; Yuri was his student, but he was precious to him in more ways than one. The thought of someone with animosity towards Yuri made Viktor anxious.

Yuri landed an excellently poised Triple Axel and Viktor felt a possessive urge rise up within him. He would without a doubt protect Yuri with all the power he had, and he would be damned if anyone tried to hurt him while he was around.

Yuri finished his set and made his way over to where Viktor waited outside the rink, smiling encouragingly.

"Excellent job, Yuri," Viktor began, kneeling down to untie Yuri's skates for him. "Every day you improve. With your stamina you could probably do that all day and still train tomorrow!"

Yuri blushed down at the Russian man currently removing his skates for him. Honestly, Viktor both spoiled him rotten and gave him no leniency. The whirlwind of emotions and moods that Viktor went through on a daily basis could give Yuri whiplash if he wasn't prepared. He was getting better though, and seeing Viktor so honestly proud made it worth all the work and more.

Viktor removed his second skate and looked up to see the tender smile accompanying Yuri's blush and Viktor couldn't help but tease.

"Is this a flattering position to see me in, Yuri?" Viktor asked with a smile, but his eyes were smoldering and Yuri's blush overtook his entire face in less than a second. Of the two of them, Viktor had the fairer skin, but he'd never encountered someone who blushed so brightly or strongly as the man in front of him.

Yuri sputtered and placed his hands over his face, hiding the embarrassment he felt. Viktor laughed and stood up before grabbing the younger man's wrists in his hands and exposing his face.

Yuri had his eyes tightly closed and his blush was still working full force, and Viktor would have to be blind to not see how gorgeous he was.

"You are so easy to tease, dorogoy." He spoke softly, almost intimately to the man in front of him. He knew Yuri didn't understand Russian, but he always seemed to be fascinated with Viktor when he spoke it. As expected, Yuri calmed down enough to open his eyes and look at Viktor, the question of what he said on his lips.

Then he noticed how close their faces were already and the blush came straight back.

Viktor laughed for all of two seconds, before that infernal stare was back with a vengeance and Viktor tensed up immediately. If he had to guess, whoever was watching did not appreciate how close the two of them were at the moment.

"Come, Yuri!" Viktor quickly ushered the smaller man towards the locker room to change. "We shall celebrate today's excellence with a feast!"

"I don't know about a feast, but I am hungry. There should be a few good places around here to check out." Yuri thought out loud as he changed into his street clothes; Viktor was obsessed with trying as much Japanese cuisine as possible. After discovering how delicious Katsudon were, he was determined to expand his palette with as much food as he could while in Japan, and having Yuri helped him decide on what dishes to try with what mood he was in.

Yuri smiled softly as he finished up tying his shoes. Viktor was an amazing person who Yuri was grateful for every day they spent together. Sure at first he'd been nervous and skeptical, but now he was confident that Viktor enjoyed being there as much as Yuri enjoyed his company.

Although he'd always been an easygoing person, Yuri always seemed to have a hard time keeping friends; he could make them easily enough, but he never did enough social activities to keep anyone's interest for too long. As far back as Yuri could remember, ballet and skating had been his passion. They were his freedom, his release, his security, and his home. Not many people understood that dedication, and even fewer were willing to stick around when they saw that they took a backseat to his ice skating.

That was why he'd adored Viktor from such a young age—here was another person who felt the same way he did. A person who lived, breathed, and bled for the ice that felt just as much passion and love for it as he did.

And then to have that person waltz into his life was something he could have only dreamed of. Such things only ever happened in stories, and Yuri thanked his lucky stars that he was able to receive something so precious.

Because Viktor was precious to Yuri.

His thoughts were cut off as a body flopped onto his back and pressed its full weight onto his own. He let out a huff of air, not prepared for the attack and assumed correctly that Viktor was being clingy again.

"You're heavy, Viktor…" Yuri wheezed out before long, elegant arms wrapped around his neck from behind. Yuri could feel the man's chest pressed up against his back. Such an intimate embrace always made Yuri embarrassed, but he had to constantly remind himself that Viktor was always like this. Ever since Yuri first watched Viktor he saw how he lived and performed with his heart on his sleeve. It was foolish to think that Viktor thought of him the way Yuri wanted him to, since it was obvious the man could have whoever he wanted. Such thoughts and desires would only lead to a broken heart, so Yuri did his best to push those feelings as far down as possible.

"Yu~ri!" Viktor's Russian accent sounded so good saying his name, and Yuri smiled every time he heard it.

"You're so graceful and quick on ice, but so slow off of it!"

"Sorry," Yuri felt bad for getting caught up in his emotions and making the man wait. "I got lost in thought."

Yuri used his leg muscles to lift himself as well as his coach's body off the bench and into the air, and Viktor laughed when Yuri was standing up straight with Viktor still leaning on him. They weren't too different in height, maybe only a couple of inches. Yet Viktor loved being taller than him for some reason.

"What are you hungry for?" Yuri questioned as they finally left the locker rooms and headed towards the exit.

Viktor held a hand to his chin in thought.

"Yuri! Yuri Katsuki!" A voice from across the room made them both turn to look, interrupting Viktor's answer.

A tall man near Viktor's age was making his way quickly towards them, and was smiling brightly at Yuri. He had chestnut brown hair that went down past his ears and a tight-fitting workout shirt and pants. His nose was flushed due to the cold temperature of the rink and he was shuffling quickly through the crowd, but from an outsider's perspective he looked very attractive. A duffle bag was slung over his shoulder looking full to bursting, yet he carried it as if it weighed nothing.

The man's eyes didn't leave Yuri for a moment and that smile was glued to his face, making dimples in his cheeks. Viktor couldn't exactly say why he didn't like him so quickly, but there was something about him that unsettled Viktor.

The thought that this might be who had been staring at Yuri crossed his mind only a moment before Yuri gasped and covered him mouth with his hands.

"Damien!" Yuri whispered to himself before smiling brightly. Viktor watched as the stranger approached them and quickly grabbed Yuri, pulling him into a tight hug. Viktor immediately went on the defensive, but hearing Yuri's embarrassed laugh made him pause.

"Watashi wa son'nani anata o minogashite shimatta, Yuri!" The words came out so quickly Viktor only caught half of them, and even then he wasn't as familiar with Japanese as he was with English. He recognized Yuri's native tongue though, and felt almost jealous when Yuri responded in the same language.

"Watashi mo anata o minogashite shimatta…" Viktor heard the tenderness in his voice and settled down; this was obviously someone Yuri knew pretty well. He could only stand there and watch as the man squeezed Yuri one last time before pulling back and holding the skater at arm's length to get a good look at him. Viktor was very familiar with the way those eyes lingered over Yuri's body. It was the same look he often received from fans.

A look of hunger.

Viktor did not know who this man was, but he did not like him.

TBC

Let me know what you guys think. While some situations are definitely going to happen, I'd like to hear what you guys think and what you'd like to see happen.

Translations:

Dorogoy = My dear (Russian)

Watashi wa son'nani anata o minogashite shimatta, Yuri = I've missed you so much, Yuri! (Japanese)

Watashi mo anata o minogashite shimatta = I have missed you too. (Japanese)