Yuuri was 6 years old when he asked about the matching marks on his parents forearms. A small vine with a fully bloomed white lily that was the size of a coin wrapped around his father's arm and his mother's wrist. December 25th, Christmas day, that was the day he found out about soulmates.
"When everyone turns 10, a seed will appear on some part of their body, and when they reach 16, it will bloom fully into a flower."
"But what if I have the same flower as everyone?" A young yuuri asked worriedly
"Iie Yu-chan, some can have the same kind of flower yes, but each mark is can either be different in color, size, or design as a whole"
"How will I know if they're really my soulmate?"
"You'll just know Yuu-chan... "
His mother explains as she fondly caressed her mark with a smile. And yuuri knew then that he wanted to have someone who will share a mark with as well, who will look at their mark, who will look at him the same way his parents do to each other.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Elsewhere, a child with silver hair and sparkling blue eyes gasped in delight as he noticed a mark on the left side of his neck. His mother and father smiled gently as he enthusiastically expressed his excitement on his seed showing, both of them caressing their respective marks, a small magenta lotus flower that had vines creeping on his mother's finger and his father's palm.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
When Yuuri turned 10, he eagerly jumped off his bed to go in front of the mirror the moment he realized what day it was. His eyes widened in astonishment as he saw a small seed-shaped mark under his left eye, almost resembling a beauty mark. He squealed as he ran off to show his mother, who smiled widely as she served her son his favouritedish.
"Mama! I'm gonna go show Yuuko and Takeshi!" He announced as he ran off to get his skates, his mother chuckling as she washed the dishes, bidding him take care as he exited the onsen.
Yuuko! Yuuko! Look! I have my seed! " Yuuri said as Yuuko gushed, lifting her hands to her face, a similar black seed on the back of her hand. Takeshi scoffed softly as he went near them,
"What are you so excited about fatso? Everyone has theirs at 10,it's only normal"
"Takeshi!" Yuuko scolded as she proceeded to reprimand him. Yuuri just smiled as he knew Takeshi didn't really mean it. He knew the older boy has been chasing off his bullies, he caught him one day when he was in the midst of threatening a boy who had pushed Yuuri during lunch.
"Leave him alone, or you deal with me."
Ever since then, his bullies had become less and less. He was still insecure, but he now knew that he had friends who were there for him no matter what. His confidence had started hiking, his various achievements in ice skating giving him a good push towards the right direction.
He snickered silently as he noticed Takeshi's longing look towards Yuuko when she went back to Yuuri. He was aware of his friends' feelings for each other, but he already guessed that they were probably waiting to turn 16 so their marks can bloom. But he was almost 99% sure that they're gonna have the same mark.
"i can't think of anyone more perfect for them than each other" he thought as he stared at the seed-shaped mark on Takeshi's forearm.
"Oi Fatso! Get your ass on the ice and warm up!" Takeshi yelled, snapping him out of his stupor as he smiled and finished lacing his skates, taking a deep breath before stepping on the ice.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
"YUURI!"
A 12 yrs old Yuuri yelped as Yuuko practically tackled him the moment he entered Ice castle. The 14 year old practically dragged him as she kept blabbing about something that he couldn't understand, trying to keep up with the energetic girl as she manhandled him in front of the TV.
"Yuuko I didn't understand a single thing. " He deadpanned as soon as he sat down. Takeshi snorted, only to yelp as the girl slapped him on the arm. The girl huffed irately at Takeshi before smiling widely at Yuuri
"Yuuri! I found this and I knew you would absolutely love it!" she said as she played the Tv. Yuuri watched as a European teen stepped on the ice wearing a tight, black costume that had parts of it in mesh and parts of it covered in crystal, his silver hair flowing as he skated to the center, he watched, enraptured at the teen who looked like awinter fairy floating on ice. He gasped as the teen finally settled in the middle, his soulmark bared for everyone to see. And it was probably the largest soulmark he'd seen in his life, it took up almost more than half of the right side of his neck, a fully bloomed rose with one of it's vines creeping towards his collarbone, the end having an unopened rose, but what wad more breathtaking was the colour and detail of the rose. Aside from its large size, the rose had a colour of deep blue in the middle then slowly fading to-
"metallic silver?! " he gasped as Yuuko nodded, her brown eyes sparkling
"His name is Viktor Nikiforov, he won gold this Junior Grand Prix. beautiful right? Only few people in history have been recorded to have metalliccolouring for soulmarks, but none as gradient as his! Not to mention the size and detail! " she gushed as Yuuri nodded. Soulmark flowers were usually small like his parents coin-sized ones, Viktor's however, looked like a real sized flower, making it over four or five times larger than normal, not to mention the fact that it was a rose. Soulmates with rose soulmarks were noted to have the most passionate and unconditional love. Whoever Viktor's soulmate was,they were very lucky.
Then the performance started, and the moment Viktor started skating was the moment Yuuri's life had changed forever, and the moment a goal solidified in his life.
"Yuuri? " Yuuko asked as Viktor's performance ended and the commentators went wild when Viktor's world record breaking score was announced, worried as he barely breathed, as if he was afraid of destroying the image in his mind. He slowly looked at Yuuko, she gasped and Takeshi stared as determination shone in his brown eyes.
"I'm gonna skate on the same ice as him one day, yuu-chan. Watch me, " He said as he grinned determinedly.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Miles away, Viktor smiled as he kissed his gold medal
"This is for you, солнышко моя. " he thought as he affectionately stroke his soulmark, smiling at the cameras and fans as they cheered.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Yuuri stared at the seed under his eye as he willed himself not to panic. It was his 16th birthday today, and yet, his mark had not bloomed. Last night they were just celebrating because he just won another ice skating competition and was scouted by a foreign professional coach name Celestino. He was so happy and thought he was on top of the world, only to wake up to an unbloomed seed. He sighed as be tried to convince himself that maybe it was just late. He slapped his cheeks as he tried to cheer himself up, he chuckled as a brown ball of fur climbed on his lap and lick his face.
"Vicchan" he laughed as the poodle continued to wiggle in his lap, he lifted his dog as he took one last glance at his reflection.
"Remember what happened yesterday! You were scouted! You're one step closer your goal." He thought as he watched determination start to shine in his eyes once again. He nodded before taking a deep breath and stepping out of his room.
"Yuuri~ how is i-oh" Mari said as she stared at him unsurely. He shoved the tendrils of fear away ad he shrugged
"It's probably just late, " he feigned nonchalance as he smiled at her. Mari stared ag him suspiciously before sighing as she pat his shoulder before walking off.
"Of course it is, see ya later~" she said as she waved lazily. He started at her, his eyes lingering on the daisy imprinted on the bavk of her neck before going down. His parents thankfully didn't point it out to him, he sighed in relief as he tild them he's heading to the ice rink.
Yuuko and Takeshi gaped when he walked in without a bloomed soulnark, he said the same thing as he smiled reassuringly before walking past them. The couple looked at each other with worry, caressing their matching hydrangea marks as they watched their friend warm up on the ice.
"you think it's really just late?" Yuuko asked worriedly. Takeshi took a shuddering breath as he said weakly
"Let's hope it is..." he answered as Yuuri took place in the middle of the rink. What happened next was probably the most memorable moment of their lives.
Yuuri's sight blurred as his eyes started to fill with tears. He shook them off as he positioned in the middle of the rink. He closed his eyes as he remembered Viktor the first time he saw him on TV, long silver hair following every his ever move, blue eyes shining with mirth, and soulmark glistening as it's colors shifted from blue to silver. He didn't need to play the music as he knows it like the back of his hand. He let his emotions take over him as he let his body move into the same routine by the man that had forever altered his life. Halfway through the middle, he didn't notice Takeshi and Yuuko gasp as the seed under his eyes glowed slightly, before vines started crawling down his cheek and above his eyebrow, a blue bud slowly forming in the middle, before blooming, the middle a deep blue before bleeding into metallic silver, two gradient buds formed on each end of the vine, one above bis eye and another near his chin, just as he stopped for the final pose. He breathed slightly as he slowly opened his eyes before taking a step back at the sight of tears flowing down his friends' faces.
"Y-yuuko? Takeshi..? What's wrong?" He asked as he quickly skated towards them. He furrowed his eyebrows worriedly as he reached them yet they still continued to gawk at him while crying
"...beautiful." Yuuko said as his brows furrowed even more.
"What? " he asked confusedly. Takeshi took a deeo breath, before going off, coming back a few minutes later with a mirror and handing it to Yuuri. Yuuri took it questioningly, while The both of them motioned for him to look into the mirror. He gasped as he realized what they were implying, before slowly lifting the mirror to his face. He gasped as he took in the now familiar mark, the same one on the multiple posters of the man he had made his goal. He looked at them with a lost expression as he weakly uttered,
"...I'm Viktor's soulmate... "
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Yuuri sat in front of his mirror in his room as he stared at the mark on over half his face. His family was overjoyed when they saw his mark, but he made them promise not to tell anyone. He still couldn't believe it, his soulmate was his idol. His idol who had practically denied almost everyone who came near him stating they were his soulmate after too many fake claims. He felt tears sprimg into his eyes at the thought of Viktor in pain as he caressed the beautiful rose resting on his cheek, marvelling at the beauty of it before turning to look at the white half mask next to him on the floor. He picked it up as he thought back to his conversation with Yuuko and Takeshi.
"What?! What do you mean you're gonna cover your mark?!" Yuuko screamed as they finally calmed down, Yuuri pulled out a plain half-mask from his bag, softly caressing the smooth surface, had always prepared to have it in case he decided to conceal his mark, turns out it was a good decision to do so. Takeshi stayed silent as he watched his closest friend and girlfriend debate with each other.
"exactly as it is. I can't let my mark go public. No one can know that I have Viktor's mark until I tell them myself." Yuuri said as he got up to a nearby mirror and put the half mask on his face. His eyes looked solemn, despite the underlying joy. He was happy that Viktor was hus soulmate, but...
"it's too risky." Takeshi spoke up, looking at Yuuri in understanding as Yuuko turned to look at him in suprise while Yuuri nodded at him. Yuuko looked between the two of them in confusion
"What? Risky? I don't get it! " She exclaimed in frustration. Takeshi just sighed and proceeded to explain as Yuuri stayed quiet.
"Viktor has had dozens of fans approach him with the same mark, all who were revealed to have faked it by having it tattooed. It's gotten so bad that he just blatantly turns anyone who even tries to speak about it away. If it somehow gets out that Yuuri has it-"
"Then all hell will break loose." Yuuko finished as she gasped in horror. "What now? How will you tell Viktor Yuuri?"
Yuuri stayed silent, the half mask on his face making him look mysterious as he gazed at the ground while contemplating, before looking at them in determination
"We're gonna let Viktor find out on his own... When I face against him on ice."
"Yuuriiiii~ Coach Celestino is here for you!" Mari called lazily out his door, startling him out of his stupor.
"I'll be out in a minute!" he called back, listening to his sister's steps walking away. He put the mask on his face, covering his mark, taking one last glance before steppingstone out of his room.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Minako sniffled as she gazed at her 18 years old student saying goodbye to his parents, before he turned to look at her. Yuuri's eyes softened as he took in his ballet teacher's proud smile despite her tear-filled face. They were currently at the airport, he was about to go to Detroit for college in a scholarship under his skating training. Celestino watched them quietly as Yuuri hugged Minako while she bawled on his shirt. He ignored the weird stares he got due to his half mask, he was used to it by now.
"You better make sure you stay in top shape, or else I will personally drag you to hell and back" She threatened while crying. As comical as it was,he had no doubt that she really will go through with that. He suppressed a shiver at the thought as he assured her that he will. Finally, he leaned down and looked at Vicchan, the dog had it's ears drooped as it looked at Yuuri with sad eyes, nudging Yuuri's knee as it whimpered, breaking the teen's heart.
"I'm sorry Vicchan, you know I can't take you with me no matter how much I want to. " he said sadly. Vicchan whimpered again as he climbed on Yuuri's lap and lick his cheeks, making him tear up as he hugged Vicchan fiercely.
"I know, I'll miss you too." He said as Vicchan whined. Celestino coughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck,
"Yuuri, we need to go or we'll miss our flight." He said, Yuuri nodded as he reluctantly stood up, Vicchan rubbed his head against Yuuri's leg making him smile sadly before looking at the people he's leaving behind. Takeshi and a very pregnant Yuuko were leaning against each other, minako was sniffling loudly, mari was grinning lazily though he could see sadness in her eyes, and his parents were smiling proudly with tears in their eyes.
"Go for it, Yu-chan" his mom said, his smile wavered before he nodded, slowly turning around and walking towards Celestino, who smiled at him encouragingly, waiting for Yuuri before thay started walking towards their flight. When Yuuri was finally seated, that's when he finally let his tears run free as Celestino patted his shoulder, saying nothing.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
When Phichit met Yuuri, he had just burst in to his new dorm room excitedly, about to greet his new room mate, only to stop as he registered the shocked and slightly panicking expression on the Japanese man's face, before noticing the familiar mark on his face and a half-mask in his hand. He gasped as he stuttered,
"Y-you're-YOU'RE VIK-Mmpf!" He yelpes as Yuuri quickly covered his mouth before pulling him inside the room and shutting the door.
"shh. No one can know about my mark. Now, I'll let go of you if you promise not to freak out. Okay?" Yuuri said, as Phichit's eyes widened before nodding quickly. Yuuri sighed as he slowly let go of the tanned teen.
"I'm sorry for that, but it would be rather complicated if it got out that I had the same mark ask Viktor Nikiforov. You're... Phichit right?" He apologized as he smiled tentatively. Phichit blinked befire smiling widely as he nodded.
"Yeah! And you're Yuuri right? This is so cool! Not only do I have a fellow skater as a roommate, but you're also Viktor Nikiforov's soulmate! Does he know?! Are you two in a relationship?! Wow your soulmark really is beautiful" He exclaimed as Yuuri chuckled awkwardly as raised his arms in a 'slow down' sign
"Slow down, and to answer your questions, no he doesn't know, which means no we're not in a relationship, and thanks I guess" He said as he blushed lightly. Phichit cocked his head to the side as he asked,
"but why? "
"well, I guess I want to prove myself first that I deserve to be his soulmate, and also because I want him to find out on his own. After all, he likes surprises doesn't he?" he said as he smiled cheekily. Making Phichit blink in surprise before laughing loudly, his shirt rising slightly where Yuuri caught a glimpse of a peach coloured tulip. The next few years were going to be interesting.
Viktor sighed as the Grand Prix awarding ceremony finally ended. Chris put his arm over the silver head's shoulder,
"oya~ why the long face for the reigning champion?" he asked, Viktor smiled as he shrugged his shoulder,
"I don't know, I guess I'm just tired from the excitement." He said as he forced a smile, even though he knew that wasn't the truth, and apparently so did Chris as the blond opened his mouth to say something before a brunette called him
"CHRIS!" A brown haired man screamed excitedly. Chris gave Viktor an apologetic smile, who just gave him an understanding smile before pushing the blond to the brunette's direction.
"Go." He said simply. Chris gave him a thankful smile before skating towards the brunette and giving him a peck on the cheek, the collar of Chris' costume shifting as he hugged the brunette, where Viktor spotted a stargazer on the blond's skin. They walked away, holding hands as they did. He caught Chris tapping the brunette's shoulder blade lightly, the area where he knew a matching mark was resting. He felt a pang of envy as he lightly touched his own mark. It's been a few years, he doesn't know if he still even believes that his own soulmate will come for him. A few had already claimed that they were his soulmate, but he always knew that they were lying. Simply because they had just felt.. Wrong. He scoffed at the various memories of people even going as far as having a matching tattoo just to convince him, but he would always know when they were lying. He was starting to give up at the idea of a soulmate...
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Yuuri was twenty when he received good news from his coach,
"pack your bags Yuuri, we're going to head off to Sochi for the Grand prix finals." Celestino feigned excitement as he tried to tell the Asian man like he was merely stating the weather. Yuuri gaped as Phichit screeched and started hugging and shaking him, rambling excitedly and pushing him so much his mask almost fell off, his mind going blank before it finally registered what his coach was implying. A wide smile appearing on his face as he started laughing with teary eyes.
"This is it. This is finally it!" he thought excitedly as Phichit started taking photos of him and posting it on his instagram.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
"MILA! GEORGI! PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN GET BACK ON THE ICE!" Yakov screamed as he noticed his two skaters hovering over the female's phone and gushing.
"But coaaach~ you should totally see this skater! Yuuri is so cool!"
A small blond teen scowled as he stormed over
"The fuck, who shares my name!?" He said as he snatched the phone, his face wrinkling as he took in the half mask on the asian-looking man's face. "who the hell wears a fucking mask like some shitty theatre performer?!" he exclaimed as he repeated the video to see the whole performance, ignoring Georgi as he practically swooned.
"but it looks so romantic. He looks like he came from the phantom of the opera" he said as Mila sighed dreamily.
"You got that right. He looks so... Mysterious!" She squealed. Yuuri merely scoffed, but was grudgingly impressed. A twinkle entering his emerald eyes as he watched the skater's fluid movements on the step sequence and flawless jump as he executed a quadruple toe loop. Yakov opened his mouth to scream when a dog knocked him over and started licking his face, which was quickly turning purple from rage. The three skaters recognized this as a sign to start practicing so they quickly went back on the ice, just as a silver head started running inside while laughing at the sight of his poodle on his coach.
"Hahaha! Sorry Yakov, makkachin was giving me the puppy eyes so I couldn't resist!"
The said man took a deep breath before screaming out loud,
"VIKTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR!"
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Yuuri sighed as he slumped on his hotel bed. The press had immediately started attacking him as soon as his feet touched the ground at the airport. Having the mask always on made him a very favourite target for the press, as the people viewed him as the "mysterious skater who never showed his whole face". People often speculated on why, some theories bordering on outrageous like the one where half his face was probably mutilated to him just using the mask as a publicity stunt. Some had actually gotten the correct guess by saying he was hiding his soulmark, but he never clarified it. Either way, people are always hungry for information so he was always questioned on why he always has the half of his face covered, him qualifying for the Grand prix making everything ten times worse. He sighed once again before pulling out his phone and video calling his family. The first thing he saw was his beloved dog's excited face, chuckling as Vicchan licked the screen, before hearing his sister scolding the pup. The screen was moved around various movements as his sister wiped the screen, before everything settled on a view of his family's smiling faces as they congratulated him.
"I bet you're excited huh, otoutou. " Mari joked, pertaining to finally seeing his idol and soulmate. "ne, Yuuri. After you two get together, take him home here so I can show him your pictures of drooling over his life sized body pillow." She snickered as Yuuri blushed and stammered a reply. His parents chuckled fondly before proceeding to wishing him good luck and telling him how proud they are. They talked for about before Yuuri started feeling the toll of his flight from America to Russia. He waved a final goodbye before changing clothes and settling on his bed. He couldn't help but feel nervous and excited at the thought of going against his idol tomorrow and skating on the same ice. His dream since he was 12 years old was finally coming true. He gently caressed his cheek where the rose rested before finally giving in and letting the comforting darkness take over as he closed his eyes and fell into the dreams of blue eyes and silver hair.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
"Get off me old man!" Yuri screamed, causing people to look at them, Viktor barely blinked though as he continued to lean on the young blond. They were currently in the hallway of the changing rooms, the staff was running around and some skaters and coaches were nearby. It was a few minutes before the start of the event and they were about to step out for the warm up on ice. Yuri had decided to come, saying he wants to see the bastard who has the same name as him, or whatever that meant, he ignored Viktor when he asked about it, which led to him probing the young skater, although it was more for amusement than anything else.
"I'm not that old, I'm only 24 Yuri." He pouted, Yuri merely growled as he roughly pushed Viktor back and running away, who stumbled as he didn't expect the action. He closed his eyes as he readied himself for the feel of the floor when someone caught from behind. He opened his eyes in surprise as he felt a strong chest against his back and steady hands holding on to his arms to keep him still. The person who caught him breathed as sigh of relief and he had to stop himself from shivering as his mysterious saviour said in a calm voice,
"Careful, we wouldn't want anyone to get into an accident before an event." Viktor blinked as he registered Yuri's gaping face, his mind was distracted by the minty scent of the man's breathe and strong Cologne. He felt himself being righted (and he could've sworn the man's right hand lightly brushed against his soulmark on his neck before turning around and meeting the warmest chocolate brown eyes he's ever seen. What made him do a double take however, was the fact that the man's handsome face was half covered by white mask. He felt his cheeks turn warm despite his usual self, the man turned back when someone called him from behind, giving him a full view of the uncovered side of his face, before the man said something (he couldn't understand, his brain was muddled as he continued to drown from the man's close proximity) before he turned back to him, smiling apologetically as he stepped away and bowed slightly, his smooth voice making his cheeks turn darker,
"I apologize, my coach is calling me. It was nice meeting you mister Nikiforov." He said, giving him one last smile before turning around and walking gracefully to an Italian man, Celestino, he recognized subconsciously, continuing to stare as the coach said something to the Masked man, making him blush lightly before replying as they started walking away. He was snapped out of it when Yakov suddenly appeared and dragged him towards the rink while proceeding to scream his ears out as he scolded him, Yuri following behind silently
"Where have you been?! The warm up is about to start and you're gawking at thin air like a fish! "
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
The first thing Viktor noticed when the warm up started was that his saviour was among them,
"a competitor? This is the first time I've seen him... " he thought as he watched the man gliding across the ice,
"Well well~ it seems like Yuuri has caught our darling legend's attention." Chris said as he skated next to Viktor.
"His name is Yuuri? I've never heard of him before?" He said as he continued to watch the Asian man, blushing lightly when their eyes met and the man, Yuuri, gave him a small smile before turning to do an elegant step sequence. Chris whistled as he also watched, chuckling as he took in Viktor's dazed expression
"I'm surprised you've never heard of him. He's been rather famous lately for his talent in skating, but more so about the fact that no one has ever seen his face without the mask." Chris explained, Viktor opened his mouth to ask another question when the signal indicating the end of the warm up resonated from the speakers. He never got to talk to Chris nor Yuuri for the rest of the day as they were all busy with the short program. When he was watching Yuuri perform his short program from the TV provided in the green room, he couldn't take his eyes off the screen. The man made music from his body alone. He couldn't even care less as the man broke his world record for the short program as he was too busy ogling him. His fellow skaters were slack jawed as they watched the performance and score announcement, disbelieving the fact that the newbie had just broken the world record he had just set minutes ago. He observed Yuuri's shocked but joyous face as his coach was screaming and hugging him, his mask this time being black matching his costume, which was an all black ensemble with small intricate patterns of deep blue and silver swirls.
Yuuri had left quickly afterwards, making Viktor slightly dejected, before he proceeded to stream each video of the Japanese man that he could find, as well as doing research on him and no, he will never admit to anyone that he had squealed at Yuuri's candid shot with Vicchan, or the fact that he saved the stolen shots of Yuuri sleeping face from a man named Phichit's instagram account. He did however, note that there were absolutely no traces of any picture of Yuuri without his mask, and was apparently labelled as the "Phantom of the Ice rink" by the press and fans. He also had various masks as he constantly changes his mask depending on his costume, or sometimes he even wears the masks given to him by his fans on his normal days Despite having his face half hidden, Yuuri was fairly popular, aside from the obviously attractive appearance he had, his mysterious persona simply drew the fans in, the fact that he still shows his emotions for skating despite having a half mask on is also a plus, topped by his charming personality and talent in skating himself. Some fans also noted that he was quite smart as he continues to pass his college subjects in Detroit with flying colors, all in all, Yuuri could have passed as the perfect guy, it was a wonder that Viktor only knew of him now. He fell asleep that night with a grin, as thoughts of the masked skater ran through his mind. The faint pulse of light given by his soulmark was left unnoticed.
On the other hand, the other bearer of the same mark did notice it. He touched the mark, wondering what that meant, and if that was even normal, before shrugging as he sat down on his bed and thought back to his first encounter with his soulmate. He had to physically stop himself from just pulling the mask of then and there when he held the man in his arms. It just felt... Right. To have Viktor near him, to hold him, he wanted nothing more than to show him that he was his other half, but he had to go through with the original plan. He sighed as he let sleep catch him, embracing the promise of peace it brought.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
On the day of the free skate, people were talking excitedly as they debated on who will win, the new comer or the reigning champion. They all cheered as the skaters we let into the rink to start their warm up before officially starting the performances.
Viktor was once again, talking with Chris while warming up
"So how long have you known Yuuri?" Viktor asked lightly, or tried to, Chris snickered as he poked the older teen
"You're too obvious. I never thought I'd see the day that you'd be so whipped." Chris said as Viktor stammered,
"What? No!? I mean-okay fine maybe I am a bit smitten, bur come on~ you have to admit Yuuri is-is-I can't even think of the perfect word." He said, exasperated, making Chris laugh out loud
"Oui, my friend. He's quite a cinnamon roll now isn't he? He's actually a big fan of yours since a few years ago, if I remember correctly." He said making Viktor blush, much to the Swiss' astonishment.
"Really? That's-" whatever his reply was, it got cut off as the people around the arena and the commentators started screaming loudly with panic and horror as a lot of people were staring and pointing at something behind them. Chris and Viktor turned around to see what the panic was about, only to pale as they saw two figures lying in the middle of the ice. The commentators were screaming for the medics, the other skater lying on the ice had managed to get back on his feet and skate to the entrance while the other one remained squirming on the ice in pain. It took them a few seconds to register who it was, the dread settling down on them as they recognised the cracked half mask lying on the ground. The skaters were being instructed to leave the ice, but Viktor was too shocked to move.
"Yuuri...YUURI!" He thought as he moved to skate towards Yuuri, only to be held off by Chris,
"No! Viktor, you can't! " he said as he tried to drag Viktor off to the exit,
"We have to help him! Chris he's hurt! We can't just -"
"if you move him now, it might worsen his condition! The medics are here, they'll take care of Yuuri. But for now, we have to get off the ice." Chris said as Viktor slumped and let his friend drag him away from Yuuri who was lying on the ground and clutching half his face as he gasped in pain, a splotch of red growing under his head, he felt tears start to form at his eyes as he watched Yuuri suffering and he couldn't even help.
He started in surprise when Yuuri caught his eye, the visible eye that he wasn't holding widening slightly before he smiled at Viktor reassuringly, failing slightly as it wavered due to the obvious pain he was in, before mouthing between gasps
I'll... Be... O.. Kay.
Viktor felt his tears fall from his eyes as they finally got to the rink's exit, he still kept his sight on Yuuri, who seemed to do the same as he continued to mouth words to him
Do your... Best... Skate for... Me...
Viktor caught, just as the medics reached Yuuri and covered his sight of him. When they stood up, everyone in the area was gasping in horror as the whole right side of Yuuri's face was covered in blood, the skin there barely showing. They couldn't even think about the fact that Yuurk was finally unmasked as the sight of their favourite Japanese skater in so much blood and pain as he limped while skating. The medics quickly took him to the clinic, hiding him from everyone's worried gaze.
"Viktor... It's time to change." Yakov said solemnly, Viktor continued to stare at the splotch of blood on the ice before turning to look at his coach,
"...he's not gonna be able to perform... Is he?" He asked even though he already knew the answer. There was too much blood, and he recognized the signs of a concussion, based on Yuuri's dilated pupils, and possibly a sprain on his left foot as well when Yuuri was practically limping. Yakov sighed as he shook his head, making Viktor bow his head as he clenched his fists before silently stalking off to the changing rooms.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
Yuuri felt tears form in his eyes at the throb of his injuries. The sight of Viktor looking at him with a lost expressed on his beautiful face broke his heart so be tried to smile at him despite the pain. When the medics started cleaning his face, he heard them gasp, he belatedly realized his mask had fallen when he collided with the skater.
"Is that-"
"that mark!"
"he's Viktor Nikiforov's-"
He hissed as the medics bandaged his head, he looked at Celestino who was looking at him sadly,
"his left foot is sprained as well as his left hand. He also has a mild concussion, a wound on the left side of his head above his... Soulmark, which needs mediate stitching, maybe around seven stitches, and a few scrapes here and there."
He felt himself falter at the obvious message.
You won't be able to skate like this
he remembered Viktor's tear-filled face, the beautiful rose on his neck and shining silver hair making him look like a weeping fairy... he felt his determination return as he stared at Celestino without blinking,
"I'm still skating. "
He heard the medics gasp in surprise as a few made sounds of protests, Celestino himself looked at Yuuri with disbelief
"Wha-Yuuri! Didn't you hear the medic? You have a sprain and a concussion-"
"I know, but I'll skate regardless. Do you think you can finish the stitches before I perform? I'm last on the list so it should buy us some time. " he said, giving the medics a determined look. They all looked at him in awe, before one of them coughed
"Alright, but after this, you are heading to the hospital. Do you hear me young man?" she stated firmly, suppressing a smile as Yuuri smiled at her widely while her co-workers gaped at her. "well what are we waiting for? We have a skater to fix."
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
"Viktor... Do your best out there." Chris said to him, just as he was stepping on ice. He merely smiled at him before doing circles around the ice before stopping at the center.
"for Yuuri... " Viktor thought determinedly as he closed his eyes the moment the music started, and for the first time after a few years, he let his emotions run free. The emotions that he thought had died when he gave up on love, on ever meeting his soulmate. And now, he may have a chance at finding love. Soulmate or no soulmate. He expressed his longing and adoration for Yuuri in his performance, his movements more fluid than it had ever been.
Chris whistled as he watched his best friend on ice from his place near the curtains to the exclusive area for skaters.
"And here I was worried about him, then he pulls what's probably his best performance. " he said in awe and disbelief.
"I'm glad. I was worried for a bit as well." Yuuri commented, standing to his right, partially hidden by the curtains. He nodded,
"Yeah he was worried sick about you-YUURI?!" He exclaimed, looking at the skater in surprise. He almost thought he was delusional, until he registered the bandages on him, particularly around his head, he also noticed Yuuri wearing his free skate costume, making his eye brows shoot up. Yuuri made shushing motion, hiding behind the curtains as a few people looked back in question,
"shh! Be quiet!"he hissed good-naturedly, peeking out with a cheeky smile when it was clear. He still hadn't turned to face him fully, so only the right side of his face was visible. For some reason, he was reminded of the man who was currently skating on ice... Who was currently being ogled by man who was hiding behind the curtains like a lunatic. Or perhaps he was.
"Yuuri, don't tell me you plan to skate in that condition?" He said incredulously, he wasn't a doctor but he knew from that sight earlier that no man should go on to skate after only an hour at most since the accident happened. His eyes widened as Yuuri merely smiled at him mysteriously as he glanced at him from the corner of his eye, before turning back to look at Viktor pouring his heart out the eyes, Chris watched as the mysterious smiled turned soft and fond, a hint of longing visible from his eyes,
"I've waited too long for this to happen... I wasn't expecting everything to go like this but, oh well." He shrugged, his slight wince at the pain the action caused made Chris frown. What was Celestino thinking? Yuuri was clearly in no condition to skate.
"What does that even mean? Yuuri it's too dangerous for you to go on like that!" he said as Yuuri merely continued to watch as Viktor struck his ending pose, with his hand ironically reaching towards them, but he knew that he had yet to notice Yuuri, or else he'd be running towards them, finished or not. They watched as Viktor headed towards the Kiss and Cry,
"Yuuri, are you ready? "
Celestino said, appearing from behind Chris, he immediately turned towards the italian man,
"Celestino! Why would you let him perform heavily injured like this?!" he exclaimed in outrage despite himself. The coach opened his mouth to answer when Chris felt Yuuri tap his shoulder, making him turn back
"Yuu-wha... " he choked on air as he took in Yuuri's appearance. The man looked completely breathtaking despite the bandages littering his form. He was wearing a half white, half blue form fitting costume that had intricate black and silver colors, parts of it sparkling as it caught the light. What was more captivating however, was the man's face. His signature mask was missing, giving him a full view of the man's face for the first time. He took in the familiar blue and silver rose resting on the man's cheek, two vines creeping in opposite directions, one reaching above his brow and the other under the corner of lips, both of them ending with a rose bud that had yet to bloom.
"You're.. " trailed off, he's seen Viktor's up close so many tines now that he's memorized each exactly detail, and he was 100% sure that if he put Yuuri right next to Viktor right now, he wouldn't be able to spot a difference.
"well... Wish me luck I guess." Yuuri said as he half-limped his way to the ice, Chris stared at him slack-jawed, before blinking as he smiled in awe,
"Well I'll be... I can't believe I didn't even notice it from the start. I wonder how Viktor will-VIKTOR!" He exclaimed as he ran off to find his friend. He found him in the middle of an interview, and etiquette be damned, he grabbed the Russian man's arm and practically man handled him towards the boards.
"wha-Chris?! I'm not done with the interview! And why are you dragging me back to the rink? The awarding ceremony isn't till later? " Viktor asked as Chris stopped near the rink's exit.
"I figured you needed to see this for yourself in person. " he answered smiling, he caught Yuuri's eyes and winked, gesturing towards the very confused Russian. Yuuri blinked and smiled at him widely in thanks. Viktor opened his mouth to ask Chris again when the commentator 's voice rang out,
"and it seems-Yuuri Katsuki is still going to perform!"
"that's quite a strong will. He could barely get up earlier from his collision with his fellow skater"
"well, as I'm sure we're all excited, here's Yuuri Katsuki from Japan. Skating to an original composition, 'Yuri on Ice'"
The crowds went wild, while Chrus watched Viktor's eyes widen in disbelief before quickly turning to look at the Japanese man
"What is he thinking?! He could worsen his condition-" his words died in his throat, noticing the lack of the mask the same time as everyone did, including the commentators
"it seems like Katsuki has ditched the mask! Revealing to the world for the first time, his whole face! "
"and it seems like that's not the only surprise here, everyone, it would seem that our darling little newcomer bears the same soulmark as none other Viktor Nikiforov! "
The crowds screamed as everyone started taking pictures and videos, no one could stop their excitement and surprise at the revelation.
Viktor's hands gripped the borders tightly as he leaned over, his eyes sticking to the familiar mark resting on half the man's face,
"I-is that really...? "
"I saw it up close earlier. It's the real deal Viktor. " he said, chuckling at Viktor's choked gasp, "I guess a congratulations are in order. It seems you finally found your other half." He said, just as Yuuri stopped in the middle, bowing his head making everyone stop. The arena was suddenly quiet, all was waiting in silent anticipation just as a string of piano started playing. Yuuri slowly looked up, his hands graceful, his expression coupled by his soulmark giving the audience a whole different level of performance. Every jump that he fell from, and every jump that he landed had everyone at the edge of their seats. The Slater's determination shining bight as he got up every single time.
Viktor's hands were turning white from how tight he was holding the railings. He gasped as Yuuri fell from a jump, getting on all fours before pushing himself on his feet despite his obvious pain. The crowd cheered as he landed a combination,
"Somehow... This is the most perfect performance I've ever seen in my life..." Chris whispered as he continued to watch the Japanese skater continue to glide gracefully. His step sequence flawless despite the missed jumps. Just as they were nearing the ending of Yuuri's performance, the man still managed to give them a last surprise, they watched, astonished as Yuuri's mark began to glow, Chris turned to Viktor to see his mark glow as well, some cameras also turned to show Viktor, who couldn't remove his eyes from Yuuri. The crowd was screaming as the two small buds slowly bloomed into a pair of roses, one silver and the other blue, both the size of a normal soulmark's coin sized one. The commentator barely caught himself as he read Yuuri's next jump, still enchanted from the sight of a soulmark blooming before their eyes.
"He has a quad toe loop planned up next... "
Viktor gasped as he recognised the set up for the jump Yuuri was doing
"That's not the set up for the toe loop." Chris said stupefied
"that's –" and Yuuri Jumped
"IT'S A QUADRUPLE FLIP! YUURI KATSUKI HAS JUST LANDED THE QUADRUPLE FLIP. HIS NEWLY REVEALED SOULMATE, VIKTOR NIKIFOROV'S SIGNATURE JUMP, DFESPITE BEING HEAVILY INJURE! "
The crowd cheered as Yuuri landed the jump successfully, despite the slight wobble, and continued to cheer as Yuuri did his final combination spin, before striking his ending pose
Viktor felt tears fall from his eyes, as Yuuri faced him, his arms reaching towards him, a loving smile on his face. The crowd cheered, a few people crying from Yuuri's strong will in fighting against his pain and delivering a beautiful performance, as well as the newly bloomed roses in his soulmark. There was no doubt, that he was Viktor's true soulmate. Yuuri barely managed to finish his bows, before turning to skate go the exit, only to stumble and fall on the ice, much to the audience's horror. The burning pain finally catching up to him as he gasped and tried to stand up only to wince as he leaned on his sprained hand and almost fell back into the ice, just as a pair of hands caught him, and he was lifted off the ground. He blinked before he noticed a blue and silver rose on the man's neck, before turning to soft blue eyes as they gazed at him lovingly.
"Viktor... "
"well, you certainly surprised the world now didn't you." He said as he smirked lightly, skating off towards the exit as the crowd cheered
"YUURI! YUURI! YUURI!"
He blushed as he ducked his head and murmured,
"I wasn't expecting this to happen either... But I couldn't wait another year." He said as he smiled sheepishly, making Viktor stop as he stared at him in surprise, before laughing loudly as he leaned down to kiss Yuuri, much to the crowd's pleasure.
A ROSE OF SILVER AND BLUE
3 years later...
"And now, performing Stammi Vicino for this year's Gala exhibition, soulmates and silver and Gold medallists, Viktor and Yuri Katsuki-Nikiforov."
The crowd cheered as Viktor joined his husband on the ice, their love for each other clear to anyone who was watching them as soft caresses and gentle smiles were exchanged between them.
Later on, they were walking on the beach, Makkachin and Vicchan running in front of them as they held hands, chatting softly, their soulmarks glimmering under the setting sun
"do you remember your first Grand prix?" Viktor asked as they sat on the sand, Yuuri chuckled at the memory.
" I do. How could I not? That was the moment we met officially. Everyone was so shocked that I managed to bag the silver medal, yet no one was against it, despite the falls I took." He said as he remembered how painful each glide of his skate was, yet he kept fighting, until he could barely stand anymore
"you were unexpectedly more extra than me" Yuuri snorted, Viktor ignored him as he continued speaking, "I had almost given up on my soulmate by then... Then I met this amazing half masked man who caught me as I was about to fall. Literally and figuratively. I thought I could fall in love with that man even if he wasn't my soulmate, only to find out as he was practically crawling on ice that he was in fact, my soulmate." Viktor smirking fondly as he touched the two small roses on Yuuri's face, before settling his hand over the largest rose. Yuuri himself caressed the matching mark on Viktor's neck, tracing the vines down to the rose that rested on his collarbone, smirking as well when he noticed Viktor shivering at his touch.
"Chris practically called me a lunatic for endangering my whole life and career, before congratulating us." He said as they laughed.
"Phichit wouldn't stop texting and chatting you until you returned to Detroit as well." Viktor pointed out, making Yuuri groan
"Oy! You sick disgusting idiots, everyone's looking for you!" Yuri growled, a tigerlilyresting under his ear. Otabek standing behind him silently as he sported a similar mark on his jaw. Their pairing had come as a surprise, although they could see that the two balanced one another. They smiled at each other as they got up, dusting their pants as they called for their dogs, their hands automatically connecting as they followed the younger pair. Their life and love as perfect as it could be with its ups and downs, and their future looking bright as the sun finally let its last rays fade.
End