"Victooor, I can't do this," Yuuri whined as he desperately clutched on to the front of Victor's shirt like it was his only lifeline.
Teary brown eyes were pleadingly looking up at Victor beneath long lashes, his bottom lip jutting out into a pout. The blue half-rimmed glasses that he was wearing further enlarging his already wide eyes, exaggerating the emotions that were displaying from it. His fists were gripping so hard that it had turned pale from the lack of blood flow, his entire body trembling like a leaf. He was leaning against the only solid anchor that he could find around him, which coincidently turned out to be Victor.
Victor should not be enjoying this as much as he was but who could really resist teasing Yuuri when he was like this? It was Victor's specialty after all. He was the only one who ever held the record of turning Yuuri into a shade of red that was brighter than the brilliance of sunset. And he couldn't have been more proud of that.
Not to mention the amount of skinship that they were having right at that moment. He wasn't complaining. Not at all.
"Yuuri, this should come to you naturally with your experience. It's really not as hard as you think it is," Victor gave a sigh that was mostly in content due to their current positions.
Yuuri only reaction was to bury his face into the warmth of the chest in front of him.
Victor sneaked his hands behind Yuuri, placing them on the small of his back, in a gesture of a comforting hug. He nuzzled his face into the mop of soft black hair that was essentially offered to him, breathing in the faint sweet scent of vanilla and cinnamon that he had come to associate with the shampoo Yuuri used. His hands moved in slow circles to soothe the quivers underneath his palms, supporting Yuuri's vulnerable frame against him. He took it as the perfect opportunity to feel up Yuuri's back, tracing the line of his spine to the middle of his back. Having Yuuri fragile and shaking in his gentle embrace was such a novel and thrilling experience that he was sure it would be etched into his memory forever.
Victor had been looking forward to the frigid weather letting up in Saint Petersburg so they could escape from being holed up inside his flat. Not that he didn't enjoy cuddling up with Yuuri under their duvet on especially cold mornings. Those were the best parts. No, he just needed to see more than the unchanging four walls of the flat or he felt like he would go crazy.
"Mmmmph….mmm," a muffled voice came from the person currently hidden away in his chest.
"Hmm? What was that, Yuuri?" Victor murmured into his hair.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Yuuri pulled his head back a little to mumble.
Victor could not deny that he was savoring the moment, so instead of answering, he chose to tug Yuuri even closer against his body.
He even took the time to appreciate the scenery, the soft sandy beach laid out in front and the shimmering surface of the sea stretching into the horizon just a short distance away. They were both standing on the road that ran alongside the beach, with occasional cyclers passing by, glancing at the two of them curiously.
They must have stood there for at least five minutes before Yuuri started protesting.
He could feel the instant Yuuri felt that the contact was becoming too much and his mind alerted him of their intensely intimate situation in such an open area. His muscles tensed up and from what Victor could see of his face, it was quickly becoming an alarming shade of red. The poor younger man was far too shy and easily embarrassed in public.
Victor felt a brief sense of loss as Yuuri lightly pushed away from him so he had to release the hands that were wrapped rather contentedly around Yuuri. But still, the hands that were clenched in his shirt would not let go, likely because falling and injuring himself was still a very real threat.
"I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this in the first place," Yuuri lamented.
"Aww, Yuuri, don't say that. Look! Aren't we having fun right now?" Victor exclaimed while giving a cheerful smile.
"You mean you are having fun. This was your idea in the first place," Yuuri grumbled sullenly.
Again, Victor could not refute the sentence. He wanted to have a day of relaxation where they could just spend time doing other sorts of recreation. He figured that due to Yuuri's familiarity with figure skating, he would have at least tried this sport once or be able to pick it up immediately. Apparently he was wrong.
That did not mean that he couldn't take advantage of their current predicament.
"It's okay, Yuuri. I'll teach you! Just hold on to my hand," Victor chirpily offered.
Victor extended his right hand for Yuuri to grab onto for balance, even though he knew that Yuuri could most likely stay upright without any help due to his figure skating instincts. It was the reassurance that someone would catch him if he did end up falling that Yuuri needed. He was confident that within twenty minutes of practice, Yuuri would be giving any beginners of the sport a run for their money.
As the tightened hold on his shirt was finally being loosened, Yuuri slipped his left hand into Victor's offered one, locking their fingers securely together. With Yuuri still facing his direction, even though his head was still down, Victor could clearly see the rosy blush that had managed to work its way into his face, enhancing Yuuri's level of cuteness. Oh god, this was the very reason why Victor loved teasing him. He wished he could take a photo every time it happened and frame them up in gold. Or put them in an album where each one would be labelled precisely, with hearts and sparkles.
They were all so precious to him. Particularly because all of them came from Yuuri.
Victor could no longer resist himself, bringing up his left hand to place it under Yuuri's chin, tilting his face up so that their eyes met. Up close, Yuuri's shining brown eyes were mellow-looking, almost akin to melted chocolate. The scarlet flush gave a welcomed burst of color to his normally pale skin, inviting Victor to brush his fingers along the smooth cheek, feeling the slight heat radiating beneath. Those luscious lips that were just tempting him to place his own on them.
Victor chose to lean in at that moment to place a soft kiss on Yuuri's burning cheeks, right where he had just stroked.
Before Yuuri could combust on the spot, Victor stepped back and led him slowly forward by the hand. Yuuri was broken out of his daze by the movement and he almost stumbled when he slid forward following the shift.
"Victor! Please give me a warning next time," Yuuri complained half-heartedly while he found his balance again.
Victor only raised his eyebrow at him. "If I don't push you a little, you know you won't be able to learn as fast."
Yuuri knew that was true too. Even during his training, he needed that extra boost of motivation from Victor to perform at his best. It was embarrassing to say the least.
"There's absolutely no need to be ashamed. We all need a bit of encouragement sometimes. Even me. I wasn't always good at this too, you know," he assured.
Yuuri scrunched his eyebrows in thought, as if he was having difficulty imagining Victor stumbling.
"Trust me, I had a couple of falls learning how to brake and do turns but once you get the trick, it's a piece of cake."
The way that Yuuri was acting now reminded him of his past experiences and he could not help but chuckle a bit.
"What's so funny?" Yuuri asked.
"It's nothing. Just reminiscing the time when I was trying to learn inline skating for the first time too. I'd have to say, our reactions were pretty similar," Victor replied with a nostalgic air.
They slowly skated forwards on the beachside road, Victor intertwining his hands with Yuuri's while continuing to regale his childhood story. Besides, it seemed like it was working as a good distraction to make Yuuri forget that they were still moving on the skates.
"I was 12 at the time. I clung on to my mom's skirt like a baby and won't let go until I had to be pried off her eventually. Somehow, I was more scared of inline skating than I ever was on the ice," Victor chuckled fondly. This brought out some laughter from Yuuri too.
"But like the best mom that she was, she kept encouraging me until I could stand properly on my own while wearing the skates. That day, she gave me the proudest smile that I had ever seen, even more than when I had first picked up figure skating," Victor recalled fondly.
Yuuri was listening intently, his attention completely focus on Victor's words. It wasn't often that Victor mentioned his mother who died from cancer before he could turn 15.
"What she told me that day, I'll never forget. She said that she was so proud of me because I didn't give up even when I was so afraid, that she was glad she didn't have to worry about me because I would grow up to be a strong man."
It wasn't easy for Victor to say that out even after all those years and as if Yuuri could sense that, he squeezed Victor's hand in an act of comfort.
"I'm sure she would have been proud of your performances on the ice too," Yuuri said in such complete sincerity that Victor could not refute the idea.
"You think so?"
"I know so."
They slid to a stop beside a small pavilion, Victor turning around to look at Yuuri.
Victor was completely captured by the expression of quiet determination on Yuuri's face. He was reminded again of the reason why he had exchanged rings with this man. In Yuuri hid an inner strength that no one would ever thought he had normally.
In Yuuri's eyes, he conveyed the boundless love that he felt for Victor, while at the same time reassuring him that he was not alone even though both his parents were gone. Victor hadn't even realized he needed that assurance till now.
Yuuri was the one who pulled him closer this time, until their lips met in a gentle kiss. It was brief but packed so full of emotions that Victor had immediately melted into it. God, he really really loved Yuuri.
When they had moved apart, Yuuri had a small smile on his face and Victor found that there was also one mirrored on his own.
"Let's go home."