A/n: Thanks to my betas/prereaders - Mae_Cruz, Lady Eve and skyla2010star.

Filling the Void

Viktor kept his arms tight around Yuuri, who was crying into his shoulder. That was fine; he knew that it was just because he was overwhelmed. At least that's what he hoped. He hoped that Yuuri understood what he meant - that he couldn't and wouldn't leave him, not ever. It had been a long few days for him…

After he had gotten to Japan, he had gone home. Mari hadn't been there, so he called her. He didn't speak enough Japanese to be able to talk to Yuuri's parents enough. She had given him directions to the vet's office, and he had gone straight there. She had blamed herself, but Viktor assured her that it wasn't her fault. They sat there together, and Makkachin had pulled through. The buns had finally become unstuck in his throat, and it was a bit better after that. The vet - through Mari, of course, as the vet didn't speak English or Russian, and Viktor's Japanese was not good enough yet - said that he would need to take it easy, but he should be fine. He needed to stay for observation for twenty-four hours, but after that, she could come go home.

There had been no point in going back to Russia then, as much as he wanted to. He had thanked them - Mari, and Yuuri's parents - for taking care of Makkachin when he had gotten ill, in his best, broken Japanese. Yuuri's mom had just smiled at him, and said, "Of course, you're family." That brought about so many feelings for Viktor. Hiroko had said he was family. That was not something that he had ever had before, not really, and here now, with Yuuri, he had found that. It was honestly a bit overwhelming, but only in the best way, of course.

Viktor had tried to sleep after that but found it wouldn't come. He had spent weeks with Yuuri snuggled up against him that now, without him, he couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes at a time, or at least that's how it seemed to him. After that, he would either lay around or wander around the onsen. Of course, he had watched Yuuri's performance. He had been shaken and unfocused. Viktor blamed himself for that because he had needed to leave. He knew that it had been the right thing to do, but Yuuri hadn't been ready to compete without him. He had sent Yuuri a quick text afterward, one that sounded a lot more confident than he felt.

Over the next couple of days, Viktor did a lot of thinking. It had become quite clear to him that a life without Yuuri was not possible, and it was far from what he wanted. He had not planned on staying away from the sport for good when he had first come here. Now, though, if going back to competitive skating meant leaving Yuuri… Well, that was not an option for him, not anymore. He could see that now. If that meant giving up what little was left of his career, well that was fine with him. How did he get in so deep, that the very thought of leaving Yuuri terrified him? That just a few days away from him, and he couldn't sleep, couldn't eat… he couldn't do anything but think about Yuuri, but ache for him.

How times have changed…

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Viktor heard a bark from Makkachin, breaking up the moment. The poodle put his paws on them, and let out a whine. He had obviously been worried about Yuuri. He smiled down at him, and Yuuri turned his head slightly to look at him. The Japanese man freed one arm from around Viktor and reached over to pet his head. "Don't worry, Makkachin, I'm fine," Yuuri told him. "What happened?"

Viktor relayed what had transpired with Makkachin after he had arrived back in Japan. As he spoke, Yuuri turned his face away from Makkachin, and closer to Viktor. After he had finished speaking, their lips found each other as easy as breathing. This was what he needed, he thought, feeling his boyfriend's body up against his, his lips. He never wanted to go another day without this, and he could tell by the almost desperate way that Yuuri kissed him back, and after seeing that same look in his eyes from the other side of the glass that the Japanese man felt the same way.

Eventually, they both pulled away. That must have been the first good look that Yuuri got of him because he saw his brown eyes widen in surprise and concern. "Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept since you left Russia!"

Viktor gave him a tired smile. "That's because I haven't," he admitted. "I've probably only slept about ten hours or so since I last saw you. I've been here at the airport for hours with Makkachin, waiting for you, because I forgot what time your flight came in. I didn't think to ask your family before I left." Seeing that Yuuri still looked concerned, he continued. "I'm fine, lyubov moya . I just need a good night's sleep."

"We should probably getting going, anyway," Yuuri said, smiling up at him. Viktor nodded, and the two of them made their way to the Baggage Claim, both with an arm firmly wrapped around the other. Right now, Viktor wasn't sure he could be without touching Yuuri.

They caught the train back to Hatsetsu. By the time they made it back to the Onsen, they were both exhausted. After a quick reunion with Yuuri's family, they both said they were tired, and went back to Viktor's room - their room. As soon as they both got into bed together, Viktor wrapped his arms around Yuuri, pulling him close and bringing their lips together again. Yuuri pressed himself closer into him, melting into the kiss. It didn't last, though, and before long, they were snuggled into each other, fast asleep.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuri woke up several hours later, cuddled up into Viktor's side. The Russian was still sound asleep. He smiled up at him, content to just lay there and watch him. That is until he heard a whining and scratching at the door. Makkachin was standing there, begging to get out. Sighing, he dragged himself away from Viktor's warmth. "Okay, okay, I'm coming," he said.

It was still very, very early, but he gave Makkachin the walk he so desperately needed before heading back to the room. Opening the door, he walked in and saw Viktor sitting up in bed, looking sleepy and confused. "What happened?" he asked. "Why did you get up?"

"I'm sorry if I woke you," Yuuri told him, as he walked in, closing the door behind him, "but I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep. Makkachin wanted out, so I took him for a walk."

Viktor smirked at him. "The cold bed woke me."

Yuuri gave Viktor a smile in return. Hearing that made his heart skip a beat. "Go back to sleep."

"I will when you come back to bed." Viktor motioned Yuuri forward with his finger. The Japanese man smiled at him, letting Makkachin out again. There was no reason for him to be stuck inside anymore, so he could wander around the onsen. Yuuri got undressed, sliding back into bed. Viktor pulled him close, smiling down at him before covering his lips with his own.

Yuuri wrapped his arms around Viktor, wanting to feel as much of him as possible. He moaned into the kiss as he felt Viktor's long fingers gently trace up his thigh. He brought an arm around, running a hand down the Russian's chest, moving his fingers slowly along every inch. It would almost seem like he was memorizing it, but his boyfriend's chest was almost as familiar as his own by now. They hadn't done anything remotely sexual since that night in China a few weeks back, but they had kissed plenty. Each and every night, he would do what he was doing now and memorize Viktor's slightly broader chest.

Viktor's other hand moved down before gently cupping Yuuri's ass. He gave another moan before the Russian moved his hand, gently easing him on his back. His other hand was still teasing the dark-haired man's thigh, and it was starting to torture him. Each movement Viktor made as he teased his thighs open, finally settling in between his legs, just made him ache for more. Yuuri felt his boyfriend's hands move up, and gently remove his boxer briefs before doing the same with his own. Then, the Russian descended upon Yuuri's neck, kissing, sucking and nibbling. If that wasn't enough, his hands were maddening.

Viktor was teasing Yuuri's nipples, agonizingly slowly. He arched his back into Viktor's touch, wrapping his arms around him and running his nails down Viktor's back. Viktor gave a moan onto his neck, before stopping. He sat up to apply some lube to the fingers on his other hand before continuing where he left off. He was sure that he was going to go crazy, and that feeling only increased as he felt Viktor insert a long finger inside of him. He dug his nails deeper into the gray-haired man's back. Yuuri heard Viktor moan again, before the older man kissed his way down his chest, continuing to slowly tease him as he felt another finger being inserted inside him.

Yuuri moaned desperately, digging his nails into Viktor's shoulders as he felt the Russian's fingers continued to do torturous, wonderful things inside him, leaving Yuuri whining and panting for more. "Viktor… please…"

Viktor moved up so that he could look into his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I want you to, please…"

The Russian kissed him deeply, removing his fingers from Yuuri's ass. He gave a moan of disappointment, despite knowing that there was more coming. Viktor positioned Yuuri's hips, and Yuuri dropped his hands to the sheets as he felt the older man's length press up against him before slowly sliding into him. He didn't stop until he was fully sheathed inside him. Yuuri felt some slight pain, but that seemed to pass quickly and slowly as Viktor began to thrust within him. He moaned and panted as Viktor thrusted in, the thrusts starting out shallow and slowly becoming more forceful.

As Viktor leaned down and kissed him, Yuuri wrapped his arms around him again, digging his nails into his lover's back. He rocked his hips up to meet Viktor's thrusts as the Russian dug his hands tightly into his hips. Viktor broke the kiss, nibbling on Yuuri's neck as their passion reached it's climax. The Russian came first, with Yuuri coming right after him. Both now spent, Viktor pulled out of him, pulling Yuuri into him as he laid beside him. He wrapped his arms around him and felt the Russian press a couple kisses to his forehead. He looked up at him, smiling at him, before laying his head against his chest.

While he had thought earlier than they should have done this sooner, and he certainly wanted to do this again, he knew that he hadn't been ready after the Cup of China. Viktor, as he had since that day at the beach, had met him halfway. He hadn't pushed, or even encouraged that they do more. He had been content just to hold him, sleep next to him, kiss him… he had never tried to push them into having sex before Yuuri had been ready. Even this morning, he had asked if he was sure. It meant the world to him that while Viktor had been willing to wait and he knew that if he had told him to stop, he would have instantly. Pressing another kiss to Viktor's chest, Yuuri wondered how hard it was going to be to let him go.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

They did eventually get out of bed, though it was a bit later than originally planned. As they finished their warm-ups, Viktor skated over to him. "I have an idea that I want to run by you," he said. He reached out, grabbing Yuuri's hands. "I want us to skate together."

"We skate together every day," he responded, knowing that he was missing something. It almost sounded like... but no, that couldn't be.

Viktor just smiled at him. "No, my Yuuri, a routine, the two of us." Yuuri's breath hitched in his throat. "When I come early by myself, I have been working on changes to the 'Stay Close To Me' routine so that it is a duet. Listen." He skated over to the side, playing a song on his phone. It started out the same, but woman's voice joined the first. Yuuri was so shocked that he couldn't speak. Viktor skated back to him, taking his hands again. "I want to join you at the Grand Prix Final."

"You - you knew I would make it?"

"Of course I did," he said. "It will be great."

It would certainly shock people, Yuuri thought to himself, but he couldn't wrap his mind around him and Viktor, skating together on the same ice, at the same time, in front of the entire world. His heart leaped a little; he couldn't deny that this was what he wanted. He had dreamed about skating on the same ice as Viktor one day, but doing so publicly like that was liable to give him a heart attack.

"So, what do you think?" Viktor asked, looking at him expectantly.

Yuuri was suddenly aware that he had just been standing there, staring at Viktor without saying a word. "You want us to do this in front of the entire world…. At the Grand Prix Final Gala?" Viktor nodded, squeezing his hands, a hopeful expression on his face. He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's do it."

Viktor gave him one those heart-shaped grins of his. "You won't regret this! Now, just start skating. We'll see how things go. I have a plan, so just… go with it, okay? At least at first."

"Can we do this in two weeks?" Yuuri asked as Viktor skated away to give him some room.

"Sure we can," he said. "I already have planned to come in after you've already started skating, so we're not doing the whole program. We can do just a bit each day, and you talked about wanting to put in a bit of extra practice to be ready. We can do that. It will work. Trust me, we'll be fine."

Yuuri nodded, though he wasn't exactly sure what he had gotten himself into. He started the program, though he felt a bit uneasy. He was waiting for the exact moment for Viktor to come in, and it finally came after he finished one of the jumping passes about a third of the way into the program, as Viktor tended to front-load his programs. Viktor skated over to him, and he almost felt his heart jump out of his chest as the Russian took his hand. Viktor skated closer to him and put his hands on his hips, and Yuuri immediately tensed up. What was he planning?

Viktor chuckled, and leaned in close. "I should have warned you about that," he told him. "I want to lift you."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Quite, actually," he said. "I want to do one, and it only makes sense for me to lift you. After all, you are smaller and lighter than I am. For now, let's try something simple. I'll pick you up, and then as we turn, I'll set you back down."

Yuuri nodded, though his heart was beating so loud he was sure that the Russian could hear it. Said Viktor never commented on it, though. They got back in the same position they were before, but as soon as Viktor lifted him off the ground, Yuuri yelped again. This sent him nearly crashing back down into Viktor, though the Russian held him tightly to make sure he didn't drop him.

After a moment, he heard a chuckle in his ear. "You know, Yuuri, if you don't hold yourself, this is never to going to work," Viktor whispered. It sent shivers down his spine. He could feel the Russian's breath on his ear, and his body close to his; it was almost enough to drive him crazy. He was almost half-tempted to turn around and kiss him. Now was neither the time or the place for that, though, so he took a deep breath to calm his nerves and racing heart before they tried again.

The two of them practiced the lift a bit more. While Yuuri still blushed furiously every time Viktor lifted him and liked the feeling of the Russian's hands on him probably a bit too much, he stopped yelping or tensing up every time he was lifted into the air. Viktor said that he had no idea what else he wanted to do with that lift, but that they would figure it out.

After that, they had to go back to training. Yuuri was both disappointed and a little relieved. On the one hand, the idea of doing this on live television made him want to run and hide. On the other hand, the feeling of Viktor's hands on him as they skated was a bit intoxicating. He took a deep breath, promising that he would not let himself get nervous tomorrow when the continued practicing. He was going to get used to this because if he was honest with himself, he had wanted this for a lot longer than he had ever been willing to admit.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

As they walked home, Viktor's arm wrapped tightly around Yuuri; he flipped through his phone. He was just checking social media real quick, as he hadn't any time to so far. He found something quite interesting, actually. Pictures of their reunion at the airport were now trending. There were a couple of pictures of just him and Makkachin - honestly, couldn't they take those down, he looked horrible - but those were quickly swallowed up by other pictures of them hugging and kissing. Apparently, people had recognized them. He should have figured. He got recognized pretty much everywhere he went. He had been so preoccupied with seeing Yuuri again - not to mention reeling from Makkachin's vet visit and not being able to sleep for three days - to think about the fact that it would be recorded.

Viktor couldn't help a smile from crossing his face as he looked through the pictures. "Yuuri, we are trending," he said, turning the phone towards him.

Yuuri, whose arm was wrapped around him as well, looked down at the phone as Viktor scrolled through. A groan escaped the younger man's lips. "Ugh, can't people just… I don't know, mind their own business?" He could feel Yuuri's body tense next to his.

"We are famous, people will watch," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "There is nothing we can do about that."

"Not all of us can handle it as well as you do, Viktor." Despite the fact that Yuuri hadn't moved, he could almost sense him pulling away just a bit. The knowledge that people all around the world were talking about their relationship was a bit too much, apparently. Viktor had stopped worrying about what people had said about him a long time ago. He should have remembered that Yuuri would not be like that.

Viktor smiled down at Yuuri, tightening his hold on him just a bit. It didn't take long before the Japanese man was smiling back up at him. "That's better," he said. "Now, look at the pictures. Some of them are quite good." He scrolled through again, allowing Yuuri to see them now that he had calmed down a little bit.

"Okay, some of them are pretty good," he admitted, "and the comments are positive."

"Of course they are, why wouldn't they be?" Viktor pressed a kiss to the side of Yuuri's forehead. He remembered after Cup of China when everyone had been asking for confirmation of their relationship after he had kissed Yuuri on live television. (Viktor had handled that, naturally. Of course, they were dating!) He should have anticipated that Yuuri wouldn't have reacted kindly to this, either, even though so much had happened since then.

He would remember that next time.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

The next day, just like the day before, Viktor said they were going to work on the pairs skate again, just like they had the day before. Yuuri felt his pulse quicken a little bit, but took a deep breath, and forced himself to stay calm. He reminded himself that yesterday, he told himself that he was going to get used to this. They continued from the end of the first lift and worked on some choreography which, lo and behold, let into a second lift. Yuuri wasn't sure what to think about this, but he allowed Viktor to lift him. He supposed all the work yesterday on the first lift prepared him for this.

They did it a few times, Viktor adjusting it every time until they got it the way that he wanted it. When they came down from the last one, the Russian held on tightly to his hips. Yuuri thought that Viktor would say something, do something, but he almost seemed distracted. The longer his hands stayed there, though, was causing Yuuri's mind to wander. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Viktor smiling at him. He smiled back at him, allowing himself to lean back into him.

Yuuri leaned his head back and felt one of Viktor's hands move from his head to gently reposition his face until their lips were touching. He moaned into the kiss, melting back into Viktor's embrace. He didn't think he would ever get tired of Viktor's lips, he thought to himself as he felt the Russian move the hand that had repositioned his face to instead wrap around him.

Time seemed to stand still as they just stood there, kissing, until Yuuri pulled away, albit with more than a bit of a reluctance. "Mmm, we should probably get back to practice," he said.

Viktor smiled at him. "Yes, you're right," he said. "You're just hard to resist sometimes."

Yuuri couldn't help but smile back. "I know the feeling." He turned around in Viktor's arms, giving the Russian a lingering kiss on the lips. Nonetheless, they did get back to practice.

Viktor wanted to go back to work on the first lift after that. He still wanted to do something else with it, but neither of them could think of anything. They threw around a couple of ideas as they stood there in the center of the rink until Yuuri suggested going into a dip. The Russian's eyes lit up, and that heart-shaped grin came over his face. "Yuuri, that's perfect!" he cried.

He insisted that they try it right away. Yuuri was a bit more reluctant but seeing that look on Viktor's face… well, it was hard to resist. He agreed, and before long, they were going into the first lift again. As Viktor went to put Yuuri down, he dipped Yuuri down. However, Yuuri's skates must have gotten too close to Viktor's or something, because the next thing he knew, they were both tumbling to the ice, a jumble of arms and legs. He wasn't sure who started laughing first, but soon they were both laughing.

"Are you okay?" Viktor asked him, still laughing.

"Yes, I'm fine, I didn't hurt anything," he said. "How about you?"

"I'm okay," he said, as their laughter began to die off. Leaning down, Viktor captured Yuuri's lips with his own. Yuuri wrapped his arms Viktor, eagerly returning the kiss. Neither of them seemed to care that they were laying down on the ice after falling. Soon, everything else drifted away, the only thing that mattered was the feeling of their lips as they kissed.

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Yuuko smiled as she looked through the glass, as Yuuri-kun and Viktor laid on the ice, kissing after they had fallen down while coming out of a lift - a lift . She had been a bit worried at first, thinking that one of them might have gotten hurt, but had known that they were okay as soon as they had started laughing. The kissing had been a really good sign, too.

It was a pairs skate! She hadn't been sure yesterday because it was possible that they had just been messing around. Something had told her that it was more than that, and today, she had been proven right. They were definitely working on something, and they had gone back to the first lift that they had practiced yesterday. They were doing something else with it; it looked like Viktor had been dipping Yuuri right out of the exit of the lift. It was ambitious. It was going to be so beautiful! She had almost rushed out, gushing about it. She held herself back, though, especially when she had seen them fall, and then start to kiss.

She was so happy for Yuuri-kun. No one deserved this more than him. She had been a bit shocked, just like everyone else, when Viktor had kissed him on live television at the Cup of China. Not for the reasons that others might have been. She agreed with Hiroko - this, Viktor and Yuuri, were real. She had been worried that such a public display of affection would have overwhelmed him. Yuuko was never more glad to have been wrong about that. They seemed to be even closer since that day three weeks ago, and especially since Yuuri had gotten back from Rostelecom Cup a couple of days ago.

Yuuko saw the way that Viktor looked at Yuuri, and the only thing that mattered was that she knew that Yuuri-kun had finally found someone.

"Hey, what are you watching?" Yuuko was taken out of her thoughts as she heard a voice and turned to see the familiar face of her husband.

"Yuuri-kun and Viktor," she told Takeshi. "They're practicing a pairs skate!"

Takeshi got an interested look on his face and came to stand beside her. A smile crossed his lips. "Looks like they're making out while lying down on the ice to me."

Yuuko elbowed him in the side. "They were practicing," she said. "They did the same thing yesterday. It's so awesome! They were practicing lifts! This one that they were doing today, Viktor lifted Yuuri and went down into a dip when he went to set him down. It was amazing! Or it would have been. They kind of got tangled in each other somehow, and fell down to the ice."

"And then started kissing," Takeshi finished.

Yuuko smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, pretty much," she said. "They're at that stage, you know, the one where they can't keep their hands off each other."

"Mmm, yes, I know it well," he said, wrapping an arm around her waist. While they didn't have much time for romance now with three girls, they still made as much time as possible. She remembered clearly when they had been eager teenagers, excited and young.

Yuuko leaned into him. "I'm so happy for Yuuri," she said. "I've never seen him like this. You can tell just by the way they look at each other how much they're in love." They were usually pretty neutral during practice, at least as much as she saw. It wasn't as if she watched them or anything, but occasionally, she did take peeks at them, just out of curiosity. She did see the way they would sneak touches in, almost as if they couldn't help themselves. They looked at each other as if they were the only person in the room, even when that wasn't the case.

Takeshi nodded. "I know," he said, "I just hope that Viktor doesn't end up leaving. We still don't know what his plans are."

Yuuko looked up at her husband. "I don't think Viktor could leave now even if he wanted to go back, not without Yuuri-kun anyway," she said. "They can't seem to be away from each other for more than a few days. He stopped by the rink, Viktor did, while Yuuri was still in Russia, remember? He looked like a mess." The Russian had dropped by to practice, seeming to take advantage of the empty rink. Viktor looked like he hadn't slept since he had last seen Yuuri and only looked more tired and worn as their two or three-day separation went on.

Right then, Viktor and Yuuri pulled away from each other, seeming to smile before they got up and went back to practice. "I think Yuuri-kun will be just fine."

~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~

Over the next few days, the pairs skate started to come along. Viktor accepted some of Yuuri's suggestions. In fact, the Russian even asked when there was a part that he hadn't thought through. It made him nervous, but it also meant the world to him that Viktor wanted his opinion. He didn't need it; he was a genius. Yet, he asked anyway and even took his suggestions because he thought they were good, good enough to use. He never would have imagined that, nor he had ever considered giving Viktor advice on choreography. He imagined that was probably why he had asked.

Yuuri's heart still started to race every time he thought about doing this with Viktor in front of everyone. He knew part of it was due to nerves and anxiety. He was sure that the other part of the reason had nothing to do with nerves. His heart always raced a bit when he felt Viktor's hands on him or vice versa. He told himself that no one could hear it, no matter how loud it may sound to him sometimes. At least he had stopped blushing every time he and Viktor practiced the lifts, so there was that.

After practice at the end of the week, Viktor skated over to him and grabbed his hand. "It's coming along well, I think," he said. "We're nearly done with it." Yuuri felt Viktor give his hand a squeeze. "You know, we don't have to if you don't want -"

"I do," Yuuri said, cutting him off and squeezing his hand back. Despite how nervous it made him feel, he wanted to. He smiled up at him, trying to imagine skating with him together in the Exhibition Gala at the Grand Prix Final. He couldn't picture it, no matter how well they'd been practicing. The only thing he could picture was them during practice, just the two of them. He could picture that quite well. He could picture Viktor pulling him close after a lift and kissing him. He could picture that time they'd fallen on the first lift, a tangle of limbs and started making out.

Viktor squeezed his hand again as they two skated around on the ice. They should leave, go home, but neither of them seemed to want to leave. Yuuri looked up at him, and Viktor gazed lovingly back. This was what he wanted, how he wanted things to be - just the two of them, together, as if nothing else in the world mattered. He knew that nothing lasted forever. Right now, he was going to savor every moment. The rest would just have to wait.