Yuri Katsuki was a normal young boy. He was intelligent, polite, loved dogs, and had a passion for figure skating. However, Yuri was unbelievably shy, so shy, that he didn't have any friends. Yuri cursed how timid he was, watching the other little children his age skating laps around the rink and laughing together, and he couldn't help but feel just a tiny bit jealous of them. Yuri was only six, after all, and craved the company of others. Of course, he did have his family and his dog, Victor (or, Vicchan, as he had nicknamed him), but it wasn't really the the same.

Years later, at eighteen years old, Yuri was still very shy. Through his struggle at making friends, he did manage to make three; Yuuko and Takeshi, whom he met at school, and Phichit, a fellow figure skater he met at one of their competitions. Yuri wasn't very close with them however, since Yuuko and Takeshi had started dating, and Phichit lived so far from Japan, all the way in Thailand. Therefore, Yuri mostly kept to himself, listening to music, playing video games, and going to figure skating practice. This week had been rough for Yuri. He had to leave Japan for a competition in another country, and none of his family could come because Vicchan was extremely sick, and they had to run their hot springs company. Yuri hated to leave at such a stressful time, even making the offer to stay home and help out, but both he and his family knew how hard he had worked to make it into this urged him to go on, and he left anxiously. On the day of the competition, Yuri was awoken by a call from his older sister.

"Hello?" He picked up groggily, stretching and wiping his eyes sleepily.

"Hey...Yuri." Mari's voice was solemn, and it sounded like she had just stopped crying.

"What's wrong?" Yuri asked. His sister was not usually one to cry; something was definitely off.

"I-I'm really sorry, Yuri," Mari's voice stammered. "Vicchan… He collapsed, and he's not doing well. We brought him to the vet, and they're doing all that they can, but we're not sure if he'll make it."

Yuri felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart. His sweet, loyal poodle of over ten years was dying, and he couldn't even be there to watch him in his final moments. However, he wiped his tears, remembering he had an important competition in a couple of hours.

It didn't go as well as he wanted it to. Throughout the day, Yuri was anxious, and could only think about Vicchan. He fell twice during his performance, and ended up barely making it into third place. Yuri was usually on the podium sporting a gold or silver medal, but he was too distracted to care about the results too much now. Quickly packing and checking out of his hotel, Yuri left for the airport. The flight felt like forever and dragged on. Yuri desperately wanted to get home, and check on his poor dog.

After multiple long hours, Yuri was back in his hometown. He burst through the door of his house breathing heavily, having ran all the way home from the airport. It was silent, save for the sounds of sobs sobs coming from his sister and mother. His father turned to face Yuri, and said but two words with teary eyes.

"I'm sorry."

That was all Yuri needed to hear, and he broke down, crying with his family.

He spent even more time at the rink after that. Although he didn't place as high as he wanted in his last competition, the Grand Prix Cup of China, he didn't want to give up. He needed to make it up to his family and Vicchan at the Finals in two months. Skating also relaxed him. Yuri felt free and confident when zipping through the arena, and it took his mind off of things like Vicchan's death, his family's sadness, and his place at the last competition.

Yuri didn't notice the person in front of him until they bumped into each other and fell to the ice. Luckily, they weren't hurt, and got up quickly. Yuri looked at the person, and it seemed that he was just a little bit older than Yuri. The boy peered down at him with sparkling blue eyes the color of the ocean. He looked familiar, but Yuri couldn't remember if he knew him or not.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going." Both of them apologized at the same time. The silver haired boy laughed.

"Hi, I'm Victor, what's your name?" Yuri's eyes widened, and he looked away. The death of Vicchan left a hole in Yuri's heart, and it hurt to hear that name.

"Hey, are you alright?" The boy asked. Yuri realized he was spacing out, and hadn't answered his first question.

"Oh, yeah, I'm... fine. Sorry my dog just passed, and that was his name." Yuri managed to say quietly. He still had a hard time talking to people. "Uh, my name is Yuri, by the way. N-nice to meet you."

"I'm sorry for your loss, Yuri." He then smiled It's nice to meet you, too." The two of them stood there in silence for a few seconds.

"Well, see you around." Victor turned and they both went back to skating. That afternoon, when Yuri left the arena, he wondered if he had seen Victor before.

Two weeks passed and it happened again. Yuri was at the rink practicing his jumps. After landing a triple axel, Yuri crashed into another body. Looking up, he saw the same blue eyes and silver hair as before.

"So we meet again." Victor grinned and stretched out a hand, helping Yuri up.

"H-hi Victor." Yuri stutters. They parted, and the day went on.

When Yuri was taking a break, he noticed that Victor was practicing jumps, too. Victor landed a quadruple flip, and it hit Yuri like a brick. He was watching Victor Nikiforov, three time champion of the Grand Prix Finals. He was practically a living legend, and Yuri felt ashamed for not realizing it sooner. Lost in his thoughts, Yuri failed to notice someone plopping down next to him on the bench.

"You were at the Cup of China right?" A voice jolts Yuri back into reality. He almost screams.

"I am so sorry! I didn't even realize you were Victor Nikiforov. Forgive me, I didn't mean it, really!" Yuri turns red from embarrassment, and Victor simply gives a small chuckle.

"No worries! I decided to come to this place so I could practice without people freaking out over me. I'm kind of glad you didn't recognize me at first, actually." At that, Yuri let's out a sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I was at the Cup of China. I didn't do as well as I wanted to… It's okay though, I guess. At least I made it to the Finals. I'll try harder then." Yuri knew he had to train as much as he could. He would be competing against Victor, and four other exceptional skaters as well, and Yuri wanted to make it onto the podium.

"I wish the both of us luck at the Finals! Competing against each other won't get between our friendship, yes?" Yuri guessed he made a strange face because Victor apologized quickly. "O-oh, I'm sorry. It's okay if you don't want to be my friend." He looked down dejectedly.

"No no no no, I'd love to be your friend!" Yuri laughed nervously. "It's just… I…"

"You what?" Victor asked. Yuri mumbled out something inaudible in reply. "What? Can you speak a little bit louder?"

"I'M NOT USED TO HAVING FRIENDS." He turned as red as a tomato after realizing that his response was too loud. Yuri squeaked. "AH oh god, I'm so sorry I have problems talking with people I get so shy and I turn really red and I panic and I'm super shy now because you're Victor Nikiforov please forgive me I really want to be your friend." He all but blurted out. If it was possible, Yuri turned even more red, and thought about crawling under a rock. In turn, Victor smiled for the millionth time that day, and said, "Yuri Katsuki, you are a very interesting person. I like you already."

The two skaters spent the rest of their practice together, giving each other advice on their routines, and at the end of the day, Yuri got the feeling that Victor would change his life during the next two months.

He was completely right. Every day, Yuri and Victor would hang out at the ice arena, and soon enough, they became close friends. Not even after a week, both of them were racing each other and yelling about how they would "kick each other's butts" at the Finals. Yuri was the happiest he'd been since Vicchan's death. Even his family could tell how Yuri's mood, as well as his confidence, improved dramatically after he met Victor. One night, Yuri introduced Victor to them. He had actually brought a friend home, and his parents couldn't be more proud of their once timid son. Yuri's mother and father cooked a delicious pork cutlet dinner, and the evening was spent eating, playing board games, and having fun. It eventually got late, and Victor gave his thanks to the Katsuki family, and said his goodbyes. On the way to the door, Yuri's mother pulled him aside.

"Thank you so much for being a great friend to Yuri. All his life, he's been very shy and self doubtful. He's changed, you know?" She smiled and Victor nodded. "The Yuri from less than a month ago is completely different from the Yuri now. It's all thanks to you, Victor. Without you, Yuri would probably still be getting over Vicchan's passing. Our whole family is grateful that Yuri met someone like you. Visit anytime!" She gave Victor a quick embrace.

"Thank you ! I'm just happy I got to meet all of you. It's good to know that Yuri has a wonderful family to support him. Good bye!" He gave one last wave, and left.

The days passed quickly, and soon enough, there were only three days before the Finals. Victor and Yuri were taking a water break from practice when Yuri asked with a hint of sadness, "Victor? You're going back to Russia after the Finals, right?" Victor frowned.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry. I'll text you all the time though! And we can Skype, too." He quickly added, "If you don't mind." Yuri gave him a small smile.

"Of course; you're my best friend. I'm really gonna miss you, Victor."

"Gah, don't say said stuff like that yet. We have three days left. Let's make the most of them, okay?" They laughed.

"Okay."

However, the two couldn't go through with their plans. Victor got a call from his coach, saying that Victor needed to come back to Russia immediately. Victor's own poodle, Makkachin, had eaten bad food, and was sick. As much as he didn't want Victor to leave, Yuri insisted he go. He knew how it felt to be away from his dog in his last days, and didn't want Victor to go through that either. Yuri drove him to the airport, and gave Victor one last hug before he left.

The next day, Yuri got a call from Victor. Yuri hoped for good news.

"Hey, Victor. How's Makkachin?" He asked anxiously.

"Makkachin is great! He's just recovering from slight food poisoning. The vet says he'll be back to normal in a couple of days." Yuri gave a sigh of relief.

"Ah, that's wonderful!" They chatted for an hour, until they decided it was time to rest. It was a big day tomorrow, after all.

"I'll see you at the Finals tomorrow, yes?"

"Of course, Yuri. See you at the Finals." With that, they ended the call.

It was the day of the competition. This year's Grand Prix Finals were in Japan, so Yuri didn't need to worry about traveling far. He was getting ready to leave, when he got a call from Victor. He immediately answered.

"Hi Victor. What's up?

"This is Yakov Feltsman, Victor's coach." His voice indicated there was something wrong.

"Why do you have Victor's phone?" Yuri tried not to, but he thought of the worst.

"He's in the hospital right now. On the way to the Finals, he-"

"WHAT?"

"There was a car accident. He was driving to the ice arena, and a drunk driver crashed into him. When I got here, he told me to call you, and then he passed out."

"Which hospital are you at?" Yuri started his car. Once Yakov gave him the name of the hospital, and he sped away, and got to the hospital in fifteen minutes.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A lady at the front desk inquired.

"I'm here to see Victor Nikiforov." The lady looked through some papers, and said, " is in room 2AB." With that, Yuri sprinted.

Upon reaching the room, he cautiously knocked on the door. Yakov opened it, stepped out, and Yuri went inside. His heart instantly shattered. Victor was not in a good condition. He was hooked to an IV, and bloody bandages covered almost his whole body. Yuri ran to Victor's side and took his hand.

"Yuri?" A quiet voice spoke out. Yuri's eyes watered.

"Yes! I'm here Victor." He didn't ask if Victor was okay; he clearly wasn't.

"I'm sorry I can't compete with you today. Or ever." Yuri's eyes widened at the implication behind those words.

"Don't say that! Everything is gonna be okay," He hated to admit it, but Yuri was lying to himself. "Y-you'll recover, and-and we can skate together at next year's competitions. I'll visit you in Russia, and we can take Makkachin to the dog park. We ca-" A squeeze at Yuri's hand silenced him.

"Please, Yuri. You and I b-both know it. I'm d-dying. I already heard the doctors say it, too." Victors voice was so quiet, so melancholy. It was the opposite of his usually cheerful, booming voice.

"Victor-"

"P-please let me get my thoughts out before I g-go. And smile for m-me, please? The last thing I want to see is you sad." Yuri nodded and gave a smile despite the tears streaming down his face.

"Take care of Makkachin for me, alright? I'm giving him to y-you."

"Of course! Anything, Victor."

"And p-please skate for the both of us. Try your best. Win g-gold for me at the Finals, okay? I'm counting on you, Yuri. If you don't, I'll come back to haunt you." He laughed lightly, but tears pooled in Victor's eyes and rolled down his pale skin. Yuri used his other hand to wipe them away, and tried not to think about how cold Victor was getting.

"I promise I will. I'll win for you. I'll do anything for you." Yuri's voice cracked. He was losing the person most important to him. "Thank you for everything Victor. You helped me become stronger. You taught me how to believe in myself. I just wish we had more time together." He hesitated. "I… I love you, Victor." They were both sobbing by now.

"Oh, Yuri. I love you too. D-don't forget me." He gave a weak smile, and Yuri grabbed both of Victor's hands.

"I will never forget you as long as I live."

"That's g-good. Thank you, Yuri." Those were Victor's last words, and he closed his eyes. The heart monitor went flat. Yuri didn't noticed the nurses ushering him out of the room. He slumped against the door, and felt Yakov patting his shoulder. Yuri couldn't believe that he and Victor were running around, teasing each other just two days ago. He couldn't believe his best friend was gone. Despite the pain in his chest, Yuri knew Victor wouldn't want him to stay here sulking, so he got up and left the hospital with determined eyes. Yuri had a competition to win.

Throughout his performance, Yuri's mind was focused on his friend. He skated with as if Victor was there to cheer him on. Yuri knew he was watching him from a better place. He had to make this performance great; he had to win. This was Victor's last wish, and Yuri couldn't mess it up. Every jump was flawless, every spin was captivating. Yuri put his whole heart into this routine, hoping it would reach Victor.

Later, as Yuri stood at the top of the podium, he couldn't help but shed tears. He always thought Victor would be up there with him. Even though he won gold, Yuri still felt like he lost.

That evening, a reporter asked him about the inspiration for his world record breaking program from earlier. Yuri smiled.

"My inspiration is Victor Nikiforov. I promised him that I would skate for the both of us."