An end is always a new beginning
The fateful Grand Prix Final banquet … it was something Yuri had to go through every year and every year it was a horror trip for him. Even now, when he finally actually had something to celebrate, he nervously clung to his champagne glass. After having heard what he had done last year and seen some of the pictures he was pretty unsettled.
It's only been half an hour now and there had already been so many people congratulating and clinking glasses with him that he had lost track of the amount of champagne he had drunken and started feeling dizzy.
But he was still being conscious, rational and – most importantly – dressed, so it was alright.
"Yuri ...", Victor smiled at him as he took Yuri's glass out of his hand and put it on a table. "Maybe you shouldn't drink anymore for today."
Yuri nodded and blushed. Victor surely didn't want last year to repeat itself either. Yuri didn't even want to know what he had said to him and how he had behaved towards him.
Of course, Victor had been by his side throughout the entire banquet and had clung just as many glasses as Yuri had, but somehow he didn't seem to be affected at all. Well, he was Russian after all.
"Now then ...", Victor put his glass away as well and took Yuri's hand instead, "now that most of the congratulations seem to be finished, may I have the pleasure of a dance?"
"D-dance?", Yuri stuttered, his eyes wandering from Victor's ice blue eyes and to their hands and back to the eyes. "B-but ..."
He couldn't come up with a 'but'. Saying that he couldn't just dance with him here in front of all the people meant nothing. Not to Victor and not to him.
"Come on. The last dance with your coach", Victor winked and Yuri let himself be dragged to the dance floor.
He couldn't argue with that. After this evening everything would be over. Victor would change from being his coach to being his rival again. What else would change between them?
Yuri couldn't help but think about all these things while turning around in circles with Victor, the eyes of the whole hall glued on them. Some even made pictures, but Yuri didn't care. A part of him wanted this evening to end as quickly as possible, another part of him wanted it to never end.
"What are you thinking?", Victor wanted to know.
"Uhm … I was thinking that I really feel kind of clumsy and uncomfortable dancing without ice under my feet", he grinned and laughed awkwardly. It wasn't even a lie.
"Hmm … is that so?", Victor asked and seemed to think about it. He had a weird grin on his lips like he just thought of something amusing to him, but Yuri didn't dare to ask.
Things that were amusing for Victor usually weren't that amusing for him. Thinking about it, a year ago he had never thought that he would ever be so close to his idol. During the last months, he had gotten to know him so well, like he had never known someone else before. Now they were dancing, with matching rings on their fingers. It was almost too good to be true, but it was.
Yuri couldn't help but smile stupidly at Victor, but at the same time, he painfully realized that they would barely see each other now. How could he continue to live like that? He already missed Victor now.
"What's wrong?", Victor suddenly stopped and looked at Yuri worried. Yuri hadn't even noticed it, but tears were running down his cheeks. Yuri flinched and quickly wiped them away.
"Victor …", he sobbed, trying to find the right words to express his feelings. "I … um … nothing, really. Sorry."
Victor didn't look like he would let Yuri get away with this vague but blatant lie, so Yuri had to think of something else.
"Uhm … ah! Phichit! I wanted to talk to you for a bit!", Yuri spotted his Thai friend in the corner of his eye and reached for his chance. "Sorry, Victor! See you later!"
Before Victor could say anything, Yuri had already slipped from his grab and run towards Phichit.
"Not again ...", Victor grumbled and looked after Yuri. He could stop him, but Yuri wouldn't tell him anything anyway, so what was the use?
Why did he always keep to himself? It was a rare occasion that Yuri ever talked to him about his feelings and what he wanted honestly. What should he do? Read his mind?
"Victor!", suddenly someone approached him from the side and wrapped his arms around him. "Finally you're free! How about dancing with me now?"
"Chris ...", Victor sighed, "Sorry … I'm not in the mood anymore ..."
"Huuuh …?", Chris cocked his head and grinned knowingly, "Did something happen between you and your cute fiancé?"
Victor blushed a bit at the word 'fiancé', but just shook his head and shrugged. "That's not it ...", he answered. "He's just … difficult sometimes."
"Is that so?", Chris grinned even broader. "Well then … don't you want to do it?"
"Do what?", Victor squinted his eyes.
"Make him drunk! Like last year!", Chris laughed.
"Drunk?", Victor asked with arms akimbo, "What good would that do? Admit it, you just want someone dancing at the pole with you again!"
"Ahhh … you got me!", Chris laughed embarrassed, even though he clearly was not. "But don't you think it would be fun?"
"You know, I was already wondering about this last year, but … why is there even a pole in the middle of this hall in the first place?", Victor held his chin in a thinking pose.
"Victor, you're asking too many questions you won't get any answers to", Chris laughed and put his hand on Victor's back. "But if it's answers you want … maybe you should consider making Yuri drunk after all." He winked at Victor, but Victor didn't understand.
"Just think about it. Wasn't it last year when he asked you to become his coach? Do you think he would have ever said something like that sober?", Chris walked behind Victor's back and put one arm across his shoulder as Victor slowly started to get what Chris meant. "What do you think he would tell you today? Maybe he'd tell you how much he loves you and that he wants to do various things with you ..."
Victor started to blush and his heart beat went up imagining it.
"Or maybe … he wouldn't say anything at all and just jump at you and kiss you!", Chris whispered into Victor's ear.
That did it. Without another word Victor just freed himself from Chris' touch and went straight for Yuri, grabbing two glasses of champagne from a waiter's tray on his way.
"Yuuuriiii!", he squealed at him in his sweetest voice, "Let's drink some more on you! Everyone! Cheers on Yuri's win of the silver medal and cracking my record!"
Chris just looked at him dumbfounded. There had been so many things he still could have said, he could have gone so much further, but it had really been so much easier than he had thought. A part of him thought that it was a pity that Victor was so easily swayed, another part could barely wait for things to get finally out of hand.
"Eh? Victor? What is it?", Yuri was confused when Victor just forced the glass of champagne on him, even though he had told him to stop drinking just a little while earlier.
And now there was another crowd of people gathering around him and everyone wanted to cling glasses. Yuri had a really bad feeling about this.
"What are you doing?", even Phichit had his doubts. He turned to Victor and tried to get him back to reason. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Yuri already has a hard time standing on his feet as it is, I don't think he should drink anymore. He's Asian after all."
"So what?", Victor grinned at him with a wintry smile that made your blood freeze in the veins. "Are you doubting my decisions as his coach?"
After that, Phichit said no other word and just prayed that everything would turn out well. He had heard the stories of last year and really didn't want to see his friend like that.
"What is going on here?!", Yurio had noticed the commotion that had been centering around his favorite colleague and approached him with raging eyes. "Why is everyone here congratulating you again, when you have JUST won silver and I AM THE ONE WITH THE GOLD MEDAL! The people should be clinging glasses with me and not with you, so what is going on?!"
He was really mad, although even a blind could see that it was plain jealousy.
"Ahhh, Yurio!", Victor laughed and put his arms around his shoulder. He wouldn't allow anyone to stop him from his plans. "You see, since you're not even allowed to drink yet it just isn't any fun to drink with you!"
"Huh?!", he managed to enrage Yurio even more, "What is that supposed to mean?! I can just drink … orange juice!"
He blushed a bit when saying that, realizing that no one would take him seriously anymore now that he had said that. And just like that the whole hall started snickering and nattering with words like "cute" and "adorable" coming through the noise every now and then.
Victor grinned victoriously. The problem Yurio had just solved itself.
"I will drink with you orange juice anytime!", Otabek Altin put a hand on Yurio's shoulder and nodded at him encouraging.
"Thank you Otabek!", Yurio's eyes teared up a bit.
"Well then", Victor turned his attention back at Yuri, who had already been forced to drink several glasses more and was pretty wobbly now. "Yuuuuri! Is there something you want to tell me? Or do?"
He looked at Yuri with huge eyes and Yuri looked back at him. His eyes were teary and his face high red.
"Viiictor ...", Yuri started babbling. "I … I ..."
"Yes?", Victor continued with anticipation.
"You want to dance with me at the pole, right?", Chris suddenly popped up next to Yuri and held his hands.
"Uhm, wait … !", Victor tried to stop him, but it was futile. Yuri and Chris were already running hand in hand for the pole while undressing. Victor stared at them disbelieving.
He had seen this coming, so why had he let this happen? How could he have let himself be tricked by Chris?
"Now see what you've done!", Phichit scolded Victor in despair, "poor Yuri! I sure hope you take responsibility as a coach!"
Yuri's friend was sure mad at Victor and he deserved it. How could he extradite his cute little Yuri to the greedy, filthy hands of this Swiss? No one but him should see his half naked body. And now they were dancing and turning around this pole without any inhibitions left.
"What the …?! Why is pork cutlet doing that again?", Yurio had finally noticed what has happened as well and joined the guilt-tripping, "Victor! I thought you wanted to watch over him?!"
"I know okay? I'm sorry ...", Victor sighed, but neither Yurio nor Phichit looked like they'd forgive him that easily. It was quite cute, that Yurio was so worried about Yuri even though he'd never admit it, but Victor didn't even have the energy left to tease him for that. He really felt sorry.
While they were talking Yuri showed off how far he could spread his legs as he hung upside down holding the pole with only one hand. Victor couldn't leave his eyes from him for two reasons. On one side he couldn't deny that it was awfully sexy how Yuri was lounging barely dressed on this pole, on the other side the thought that other people could see the same thing and even worse – think the same thing – drove him almost crazy.
"So what are you planning to do about that now?!", Yurio yelled at Victor again. He obviously couldn't take it seeing Yuri like that, with Chris joining him on the pole now and half of the other people eagerly posting pictures on Instagram.
Victor couldn't take it anymore either. He shook his head and ran at the pole, picking up Yuri's clothes on his way, then he just plucked him from the pole and started dressing him.
"That's enough! How are you treating the suit I bought you?", he scolded him, although he was actually the guilty one. Chris threw some pouting glances at him as he turned his rounds around the pole on his own.
"I'm sorry ...", Yuri mumbled guiltily. He surely wasn't aware of what he had done wrong, only that Victor was mad at him and that he had done something to cause it.
"It's okay … let's just … get back to the hotel right now", Victor tried to calm down again, but it was already too late.
"I'm sorryyyy ...", Yuri started sobbing all of a sudden, "I don't want to make you mad. Please don't leeeeave me ..."
"Hey, hey, Yuri ...", Victor wrapped his arms around him and caressed his back. "It's alright. I won't leave you."
"You liar. You will!", Yuri sobbed even harder. "You will leave me. But I don't want you, too. I want you to stay! Stay with me!"
Now that was the honesty that he had wanted so badly. It had been Yuri's idea that Victor would stop being his coach and get back to figure skating. Of course, he was aware of the fact that Yuri's heart harbored this twisted feelings, but hearing it from his own lips …
"Yuri ...", Victor grabbed his shoulders and looked him deeply into the eyes. "We will find a way ..."
"Victooor ...", huge tears ran down his cheeks, "I love you so much."
Victor gulped and turned red. All eyes of the other guests rested on the two of them, but Victor didn't care about it.
"I know. I love you, too, Yuri." Victor answered, but he never expected the reaction. Yes, Yuri was very honest when he was drunk.
He closed his eyes and put his lips on Victor's. The whole hall loudly panted for air as Victor gave in and drew him closer, getting lost in that first kiss that wasn't forced by him.
"Have you lost your mind?!", Yurio screamed at them, his face as red as a tomato. "Out! OUT I SAY!"
He pushed the two loving birds out of the door as quickly as he could.
"Now bring him home and … don't! JUST DON'T!", Yurio yelled at Victor disturbed, not specifying what they shouldn't and went back to the banquet.
Victor did what he was told, he carefully led the wobbly Yuri, who had been knocked out completely now by the sudden fresh air, back to their hotel room.
But there the true challenge only started. Yuri looked at him with his best seducing glance, a look on his face that he had never seen before, not even during his sexy skating performances.
Victor didn't really think when he pushed Yuri on the bed, kissed him and started undressing him again. He had waited for this moment to come for such a long time, but Yuri had never been ready for it.
So now he looked down at him, his eyes shimmering teary, his naked body so hot and his touch so lusty that it made Victor almost go insane. No. Yuri still wasn't ready. If he'd go through with this now, he'd be that kind of asshole who would make someone drunk and then sleep with him. And the worst was: Yuri would possibly remember not a single thing about it. He just couldn't do that.
He bowed down to Yuri and kissed him on the forehead, then stood up and backed off.
"I'll get you some water", he said and went for the minibar. Yuri stared at him confused and dissatisfied. Now he might be unhappy with the situation, but tomorrow he would thank him.
"Here, drink it", Victor reached Yuri a bottle of water and made sure he would drink it completely.
"You're really … I know, it's all my fault, but you have no idea what you're doing to me right now ...", Victor sighed and wiped the spilled water from Yuri's soft lips, that he had just wildly kissed a few minutes ago. "I should punish you for that."
Victor grinned as he came up with a great idea. At least it seemed great to him in the moment he had come up with it.
He pushed Yuri back in the bed and waited until he had fallen asleep, then he undressed completely and sneaked stark-naked beneath the blanket, wrapping his arms around Yuri's body. That would be a funny morning and as a bonus Victor got to fumble a bit until he fell asleep.
"V-Victor?!", Yuri sat on the bed and stared at Victor with gaped eyes. Victor groaned sleepy and yawned, slowly opening his eyes. "Why … are you in my bed?"
He dropped the adverb 'naked' and went high-red.
"Why?", Victor ran his hand through his hair and blinked confusedly. "You mean you don't remember?"
"Wh-what?", Yuri panted for air as he desperately searched in his memories for an explanation of this situation he has woken up with, but he couldn't find any. "I don't remember anything at all … how I got home … what happened at the banquet … I …"
He really started to get desperate now and his hands cramped around his blanket. "Oh no, not again ..."
Victor started to feel guilty already, but he wasn't satisfied just yet.
"You really can't recall … what happened between the two of us?", Victor played innocent as he slowly rose his upper body as well, the blanket slipping down and revealing more of his body.
"N-no I … we didn't … did we …?", Yuri got more and more confused as he was searching for the right words, so Victor helped him.
"Have sex?"
Yuri flinched when he heard the word he hadn't brought across his lips and nodded. Victor just grinned.
"Would that be bad?", he asked.
Yuri took that as a yes and tears started to well up inside his eyes again. Somehow he really looked devastated about that and that was a clear yes to Victor's question.
"I … I can't remember!", he sobbed, "we did it and I can't remember it ..."
Victor's heart tightened when he saw how badly Yuri took that. He had just wanted to have a little fun with him, but this was too much. Again he was playing his dirty games with the guy he had confessed to, would he never learn?
"No, Yuri, I'm sorry!", he took Yuri's face in his hands and looked him in the eyes. "We didn't have sex. I was just ..."
He sighed and let himself fall back on the bed, he just wanted it to swallow him whole. "I was just messing with you. I'm sorry."
"We didn't ...", Yuri repeated the words and slowly calmed down. "We didn't … but why? Why didn't you … don't you want me?"
Yuri was clearly confused, Victor seemed to have broken him and his emotions were out of control. How could he think something like that? Victor had to fix this mess he had created and that as quickly as possible.
"Yuri ...", he sat up again and tried hard to look as serious as never before. "I want you more than anyone else."
He took Yuri's hand and pressed his lips on the ring he had given to Yuri for a few seconds, then he looked up to him.
"Only one word and I will make your virginity mine - whenever and wherever", he looked at Yuri's face that still kept getting redder and redder. "But I won't do it unless you ask me in a sober state."
Yuri looked like he was about to faint now, he seemed to already have a hard time nodding, but Victor still wasn't finished.
"And I … I want to stay with you. I want to stay your coach but I also want to get back to figure skating myself. So I thought … maybe you want to live and train with me in St. Petersburg? I understand if you don't want to leave your hot springs and your pork cutlets behind, but ..."
"Victor … are you serious?", Yuri interrupted him, crying again. But this time it was tears of joy. "Because if you are, I'd really love to."
Victor gulped. He could barely think anymore because of the delight and happiness overwhelming him right now. But there was still one last thing he had to say.
"And when we train together … what would you say about trying a pair skate? I was always alone on the ice, but when we were dancing I thought that … dancing on the ice with you would really be nice."
Yuri's eyes were shining brightly and his whole face screamed 'Yes', so he didn't need to answer anymore. Regardless, he gave Victor an answer without saying a word.
He launched at him, wrapped his arms around him and kissed him. Just like that, on his own accord, without alcohol being involved. Victor held him tightly. In this moment they were so happy, that nothing could bring them down anymore. Well, at least until Yuri checked his Instagram.