A glittering shimmer.
A passing note.
Viktor almost didn't catch it at first.
Banquets were boring. Dull. Stiff. Mandatory fun. As the gold medal winner in the last five Grand Prix, it was almost tiresome how monotonous these gatherings were getting.
Congratulations!
Good job, Victor!
You're amazing!
I can't wait to see what you'll have for us next year!
Congrats!
Congrats!
Congrats!
To Viktor, it was almost as if he were stuck repeating it over and over. He could finish their sentences. He usually heard the same resentful praises from his competitors. Fans and journalists were always the same, so simple and child-like in their bewilderment towards him.
He overheard one of the journalists say that it must be so lonely at the top.
Not that Viktor sung himself praises, but it was. The solitude got unbearable. He sighed as he glanced down to his light-haired companion. He was too busy glaring the competition down, having just won the Junior Grand Prix for the second time in a row.
That was when he spotted the Japanese skater, who landed himself sixth, make a bee-line for them. Viktor just watched the curiously drunk man as he smiled brightly at Yuri. If he wasn't mistaken, they were both named Yuri, it was just the Japanese skater had an extra U in his name. A soft chuckle fell from Viktor's lips as he noted the amusement of there being two Yuri's next year.
He almost missed what the Japanese Yuuri had to say.
A dance… off?
Yura seemed to know what he was talking about as he accepted in broken, but angry English. Viktor was almost bemused as Yura dragged him along as he stalked towards the dance floor with Japanese Yuuri.
Viktor must have completely failed to grasp that he was also a part of this 'dance off'.
More upbeat music began to play with the help of Christophe, the skater from Switzerland. There was a sigh of relief as Yuri handed him his phone. Good. He was there to take video. Not compete. The music was vaguely familiar. Not really something from Viktor's genre of music, but it had a good beat and good energy.
/Let's go…./
As he held up the phone, the two began to compete. Japanese Yuuri flowed into the music with such an ease. So natural.
/Party rock is in the house tonight, Everybody just have a good time, And we gonna make you lose your mind, Everybody just have a good time…/
Viktor still didn't quite understand what was going on, but it made for fine entertainment. The bass boomed as the song flowed. The sheer anger on Yura's face was priceless. Viktor had never quite seen the moves that the Japanese Skater was using. He caught a few words from the obnoxious Canadian skater on his left.
Break dance.
Hip-hop.
He just assumed these were American things. Viktor didn't really follow many of his fellow competitors, but he did know the basics of their skating pasts. When he wasn't on the ice or training, Viktor was researching.
Viktor unexpectedly found himself laughing at the two Yuri's, Japanese Yuuri was clearly in the win here. Poor Yura didn't stand a chance. Cheers and laughter filled the usually dull banquet hall. Roaring applause echoed through the hall as both stood there, out of breath. Yura's face. He knew he had been beaten. The boy angrily stormed off the concessions, after grabbing his phone from Viktor.
Yuuri's laughter filled the space. The call of his name from across the room caught everyone's attention. It's was Chris's voice. That deep baritone that made the lady skaters swoon. Viktor heard a sharp gasp before the sound of a glass hitting the floor, he tried to turn and look to see who was beside him, barely catching a glimpse of pale locks before his vision vanished.
He pulled the offending cloth from his face to find it was a dark coloured…
Pair…
Of pants…
His heart pounded within his chest as he shakingly brought his head up from staring at the pants in his hands to the direction of which it flew.
A gasp fell from his lips also as the wait staff quickly made with the clean up of the glass Yuri just dropped on the floor.
The image in front of his eyes was like nothing he had seen before. Everything pretentious and grandiose was thrown out the window at the sight of a…
Viktor paused, tapping his finger on his chin.
What were they called?
Ah yes.
Stripper pole.
He could barely fathom where Christophe found a stripper pole as a different style of music began to play, it was a little more relaxed, Viktor considered it jazzy. Not to mention how he managed to convince the wait staff to let him set it up in the banquet hall but none the less, there was not only a stripper pole in the banquet hall.
/I can't wait 'til I get you on the floor, good-looking, Going out so hot, just like an oven.../
But a half naked, Japanese Yuuri on said pole.
Viktor's eyes went wide as he realized that he was currently holding Yuuri's discarded pants. A blush tinted his pale cheeks. He couldn't tear his gaze away from the limber man on the pole.
/...Hey baby, we don't mind all the watching, hi, 'Cause if they study close, real close, they might learn something.../
He was intensely impressed with the fashion of this dance.
A few minutes later, Yuuri got off the pole and switch places with Christophe, who was already in his most comfortable attire. Clothed in only his underwear. Viktor rolled his eyes, not exactly surprised by the Swiss skater, this was truly his forte. Another suitable song came on, it had a pop-style beat to it.
/...Haven't we met? Some kind of beautiful stranger, You could be good for me, I've had the taste for danger.../
It was only when an equally disrobed Yuuri rejoined him on the pole that his attention was pulled back to the two.
And who gave them champagne bottles?!
/...If I'm smart then I'll run away, But I'm not so I guess I'll stay, Haven't you heard? I fell in love with a beautiful stranger.../
It was almost too much. Viktor could feel himself getting warm just from the pressure of his blush.
/...Beautiful stranger...Beautiful stranger.../
Another thunderous roar of applause rattled the banquet hall and before it could register in Viktor's mind, there was that Japanese skater in front of him.
A wide, but drunken smile plastered across his face. He was re-dressed in his white button down shirt again.
"I'll need these back…"
Yuuri grabbed his pants from Viktor's trembling hands and for the briefest of moments, their fingers touched and Viktor gasped. The room flooded with bright colours. Everything began to take shade and hue, his eyes adjusted to the saturation before everything faded to a dull glow.
He was still bewildered as he was taken out on the dance floor next. The colours were overwhelming his senses and he kept looking around at everything. The last time he saw anything in colour was when he was five. But that was the age of which everyone lost their colour vision, at least, until they found them.
Until they touched their soul mate.
Viktor almost missed the start of the music, it was another jazzy song, a swing style. His expression was still shocked. He began to follow Yuuri's lead, mimicking his dance in an attempt to wrap his head around what is happening. He smiled and laughed at the two of them.
They were ridiculous. Viktor slipped his dress coat off as Yuuri put his hands up, miming a bull. As Yuuri "charged", Viktor spun around and put his coat back on, the two of them returning to their dance of twists and two steps.
They smiled and bowed to each other and before he knew it, he found himself in the arms of the Japanese skater as they imitated dancing on the ice, Yuuri's arm around Viktor's waist as they leaned forward, rear leg extended.
Yuuri took his hand again and twirled him into a dip. How long would he have waited? Would he have gone his entire life without this man? Everything was so bright, so beautiful. They smiled at each other. They danced gently until the end of the song and the banquet hall erupted into another uncontrolled applause.
The silver-haired Russian found himself laughing with earnest for the first time, in forever. He couldn't remember the last time he even felt anything like this. And the look on their Russian Yuri's face as he came back over.
The blonde was used to Viktor, but not this side of Viktor and couldn't avoid the hug he received.
"Yura… The world… the world is so beautiful…"
He stood back up and as he was adjusting his suit, he stumbled backward a step, the Japanese Yuuri in his arms again and somehow, pantless.
"Viktor…"
The Japanese Yuuri began, and without warning, his lower half was rocking against Victor's in a lucid movement back and forth.
"After this season ends, my family runs a hot spring resort, so please come…"
He stared down through those silver locks. He couldn't breathe. Those beautiful cognac coloured eyes stared up at him with such earnest. He wanted nothing more than to give this handsome man attached to him the world.
"If I win this dance-off…"
Viktor smiled inwardly, Yuuri clearly didn't realize he already won his dance-offs. All three of them.
"You'll become my coach, right?"
Cognac hues sparkled at the thought of it. Where was this confident and charismatic fool at the podium? How did he not make it? The look of shock was still plastered over his pale face from the moment he looked into Yuuri's eyes.
"Be my coach, Viktor!"
Then the Japanese skater glomped him, pulling him from his thoughts and his cerulean hues softened.
