Yuri Katsuki couldn't seem to catch his breath. 'This is really happening... right?' His breath shuddered as Victor deepened the kiss, sending a sharp spike up Yuri's spine. 'I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I'm going to die, kissing this gorgeous man. Victor is going to kill me. I can't breathe. Holy crap. Crap, crap, crap!' The 23-year-old Japanese man's brain screamed at him. In reality, his breathing was quite normal, but he felt like Victor was taking all of the air from his lungs.

"Victor!" Yuuri gasped, forcing himself to tear away. "I'm sorry!" He gasped again when he saw the hurt and confused look on his coach's face. "I just. Didn't expect. Well… you know..." he tried explaining, his words stunted.

"That I was interested in you like this?"

"Well… yes!" Yuri gasped a third time, his heart still racing and his mind still fogged from the unexpected French kiss he had just experienced. 'That just happened right? Right?!' His mind screamed at him again. "You're my idol…" he admitted, his hand placed over his heart, which was slowly returning to a normal heart rate. As he continued, his voice got quieter, softer. "I've always looked up to you. You've been my favorite skater since… forever." He let out a soft chuckle, glancing up at Victor, meeting his aqua blue eyes. He almost looked away shyly, but Yuri forced himself to look at him. He felt what he had to say was important. "Quads, doubles, singles… all your jumps were so beautiful and breath-taking. I couldn't take my eyes off of you. I never expected in a million years for you to ever notice me. Yet… I mean…! Until yesterday, I had never even officially met you! And now, well, here you are and-"

"Here we are." Victor placed a hand under the younger skater's chin, tilting his head to look into his eyes. He searched those brown orbs, looking for some sort of recognition of when they had first met. After all, if Victor closed his eyes and concentrated, he could still feel Yuri's hand on his face.

It had been when they had been dancing together. Both of them had been drinking. He had been tipsy and had been having such an amazing time-Victor recalled- that he hadn't even cared it was event that several of his most important sponsors attended. Yet here he was, dancing away with an extremely intoxicated Japanese man. Suddenly Yuri had twisted his body around mid-step and cupped Victor's face. In the same movement, he placed his other on Victor's leg, above his knee and close to his lower thigh. Yuri laughed merrily and Victor blushed, feeling the heat that radiated from both of Yuri's hands. Both had been so warm and comforting that as Victor lost himself to music, he fell in love.

Soon after, the song had ended, but Victor and Yuri drifted together again, hearing music no else could.

Much earlier, however, Victor's curiosity had been piqued first by Yuri when he spotted him by the bar. Victor himself had been taking a breather from all the socializing Yakov had been forcing him to do.

'Remember, Vitya!' He could still hear his coach's overbearing voice in his head. 'This is a formal event! A lot of people who endorse you will be there! Make a good impression and INTERACT WITH THEM FOR GOD'S SAKE.'

The Russian legend sighed. He'd had no idea there was so much work to be done off the ice as well as on it. Despite his reputation for loving the camera and readily accepting almost any type of interview, he hated schmoozing his sponsors more than anything. He wasn't sure why, but it made him feel… cheap. Victor especially hated it when certain individuals would invite him to their personal homes for parties or get-togethers. He'd even had a fair share ask him for a "personal favor" in exchange for influencing his skating career or a large sum of cash.

Of course, he had politely declined each one.

God help him.

Yet, he had done as Yakov wanted. He had schmoozed, fake-laughed, and trilled overzealously to at least two dozen big wigs for a solid two hours now. Despite the permanent smile on his face, he had grown to the point of extreme boredom and was desperate for anything exciting.

After a decent conversation with a handful of ladies, he decided he needed a break. Excusing himself, he bade them farewell and made a beeline for the bar. He ordered straight vodka. 'How very Russian of me.' He thought humorously as he took a sip. It hit the spot. 'Maybe this will help me through the rest of the night.' Just then, he noticed an attractive Asian man to his right downing liquor as if he were a fish in desperate need of water. He recognized him as a fellow competitor, but couldn't quite place his name or what nation he represented.

'Wow. What's his rush?' Victor mused to himself, as he sipped from his own glass and watched the other man put drink after drink away.

"Hard night for you, too, eh?" He asked raising his glass to the stranger.

"Eh?" was the man's timid response. Then, "Oh no… I'm just terrible at these social things. I always get so nervous."

Victor leaned closer to the man. "I know, right? I feel like cringing having all these people stare at me. I'm usually not self-conscious, but I don't like a roomful of strangers judging me either. Especially ones that help me pay rent." The man giggled (somewhat adorably, Victor noticed), and Victor took an immediate like to him. He inquired, "What's your name?"

The man turned to him for the first time, his words slurring. "Oh s-sorry. It's Y-Yuri Katsuki. What's yours-" the question seemed to die on his lips as his eyes grew large as saucers.

Victor tilted his head, his silver hair falling over his aqua blue eyes.

"Um. Uh. Wah-" The man, now identified as Yuri, sputtered. "Y-you're Victor Ni-Nikiforov… oh my god!"

Victor nonchalantly tipped his glass against Yuri's. "It's a pleasure."

Yuri blanched. "I can't believe I'm meeting you in person… seriously, you have no idea how big of a fan I am, Victor-senpai!"

'Senpai?' Victor pondered over the foreign word before he shrugged his shoulders and downed the last of his drink. He glanced at the Asian man again. With his eyes practically glowing, his cheeks flushed brightly, and his hair askew, Victor had to admit he was pretty.

Like, really pretty.

An idea formed in Victor's head and a devilish smile started to ghost over his lips. Yuri was obviously a huge fan of his (not to be a snob, but most skaters in his age division or lower were) and he could see them having some fun together.

And damn if Victor didn't need some fun.

Glancing over his shoulder to see if Yakov was around (he wasn't), Victor asked Yuri if he would like to dance.

"You're amazing." Victor breathed, completely taken aback by his companion. The man's intoxication had hit an all-time when they stepped onto their makeshift dance floor. As soon as Victor had pressed "play" on his smartphone to the music of his free skate, "Stay Close to Me", Yuri had been on fire. Victor had barely been able to keep up.

The younger skater had immediately taken lead and twirled, dipped, and lead his partner though the entire song. Some of sequences hadn't synced up with the rhythm, but Victor was still impressed it had gone so well (especially considering how drunk Yuri was). As the music ended, their hands were cupped and their foreheads pressed together. The last note ended and they came to a stop.

So they danced another song together, and then another.

"You're amazing." Victor said again, trying to catch his breath, sweat glistening on his forehead.

Yuri laughed abruptly, making Victor jump, and waved the older skater off. "Not as amazing as you, Victor!" He exclaimed brazening, making several people's heads turn.

Victor shushed him and when the younger skater had calmed down a little, he asked. "What do you mean? You were the one leading me. You're an incredible dancer. It makes me want to visit Japan (Yuri had told him what nation he was from) and see what other types of dances you have there." He winked. "You should invite me sometime."

Yuri seemed to melt before him. "H-hey!" Laughing, he slipped a hand behind the near-faint form of the man who had just seduced him. "Don't collapse on me! I would love to visit you!" Yuri looked at him, his eyes widening. Victor paused, but then he changed his tone to let him know he was serious. "I mean it, Yuri. I would love to visit you." He drew Yuri closer to him until they were chest to chest and allowed his head to rest on the other's shoulder. "In fact, I would love to talk to you more. About skating, your hobbies, what Japan is like, what Russia is like, what your favorite competitions were, what memories you like the best from each, your favorite routines, the coaches you've had."

What was he saying? Victor felt like he was rambling, barely making any sense. He had just met his man ten minutes ago and he was already taken with him. Words like "enamored" and "smitten" crossed his mind as the two held each other.

He felt Yuri's heartbeat growing faster.

It matched his own.

He drew myself from Yuri's shoulder and looked into his chocolate-colored eyes, which had a tinge of violet in this certain light. 'He is so beautiful.', the Russian thought, so he continued to stare.

"Um, Victor?"

"Yes... my sweet Yuri?" Victor couldn't help the flirting, especially after the way their bodies had been moving together.

"Can I kiss you?"

The question was almost unnecessary at this point, but it still caused Victor to gasp and quickly look around.

"Can I? Please?" Yuri asked more persistently this time. His eyes zeroed in on Victor's lips and he moved closer as if to act on his request, even before hearing Victor's response.

'God, it's tempting.' Victor leaned closer, but stopped at the last moment, reality setting in on him. He turned his head slightly and almost immediately felt the younger skater's warm lips on the corner of his mouth.

Yuri pouted. "You cheated! I want to kiss you, Victor!" Victor chuckled, despite the attention they were drawing to themselves. He noticed the man who must be Yuri's coach approaching hurriedly.

"Yuri! How much have you been drinking?!" It must be. All coaches had a certain protective aura around them when it came to their skaters and this man was no exception.

"Coach…?" Yuri squinted at him, despite still wearing his glasses.

The older man settled in next to the pair and made a grab for Yuri. "Maybe we should get you to bed- wait. I know you. You're Victor Nikiforov."

"Hello. You're Coach…" Victor thought for a moment before the name came to mind, "Celestino, right? We've met before." Victor smiled, making no move to hand over Yuri, but reaching a hand out to shake the other man's hand.

"Yeah! Glad you remembered! Yuri thinks the world of you! I loved your short program this year, by the way. Fantastic."

He shook Victor's hand as the Russian thanked him. His mind spun for a moment. 'Yuri thinks of the world of me? I wonder if he talks about me often if even his coach mentions it.'

Victor was broken out of his reverie as Celestino inquired. "Is Coach Yakov still training his students as hard as I remember?"

Victor chuckled dryly. "Harder."

"Ha!" Yuri's coach laughed, throwing his head back, his long ponytail whipping from his shoulder. "I knew it! It explains how each of you is so amazing!"

"Me too… right, Coach?" A small voice asked, beneath Victor's arm.

Both men immediately stopped their banter and took note of Yuri. His eyes had started to mist over and the once dancing fool looked ready to burst into tears.

Celestino flew into damage control. Without asking, he steered Yuri away from Victor and lead him to the side of the room. Not wanting to be rude (but furiously worried he wouldn't see Yuri in who-knows-how-long if his coach whisked him away), the Russian legend stayed within a stone's throw of the coach/student pair. After a minute or two of whispered exchange, Celestino clapped Yuri on the shoulder and gave him a quick hug before meandering away.

The older skater immediately went to his companion's side and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah." Yuri sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "My coach is just worried about me is all. He wanted me to go to bed for the night, but I told him I wanted to spend more time," he looked at Victor through a drunk, but sobering-up glaze, "with you."

Not trying to be too visibly relieved, Victor replied. "Well, it is his job to be worried about you."

"Ha, I know." Yuri chuckled softly. Then his forehead burrowed into a frown. "I just wish I had done better this year."

"What place did you get again?"

"Sixth."

Ouch. Last. "Well, how about this?" Victor scrambled for anything to make Yuri happy again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of his teammates, Yuri Plisetsky, watching them.

Perfect. He had an idea.

"You see that young man over there?"

Yuri's eyes followed where Victor was looking and he almost immediately scowled. "Oh. That guy."

"You know Yuri?" Victor asked, surprised.

"We've met." was the only explanation that Yuri offered and Victor could only guess what it meant.

"Well…" he started, "I have a secret about Yuri if you want to hear it." Unenthusiastically, Yuri asked what it was. "Yuri hates losing… but he's not as good as dancing as you clearly are." Yuri perked up under the praise and was actively paying attention now. "I think…" Victor slide his arm around Yuri's waist, making sure his teammate was still watching them. "We should have a little more to drink, have some more fun dancing together, and then," he gently nuzzled Yuri's face (and would have paid good money for a photo of the face the other Yuri was making), "challenge him to a dance off."

It went practically perfect after that. Taking up on Victor's suggestion, Yuri drunk himself silly once more and done the following in order:

1) Charmed a few fellow skaters to dance with them.

2) Beaten the other Yuri so badly on the dance floor, Victor's teammate had vowed eternal vengeance on them both.

3) Lost his pants.

4) Begged Victor to be his coach while grinding on him half-naked. Victor had needed to excuse himself to regain his composure.

5) Lost his shirt.

6) Pole-danced with Christophe Giacometti, a fellow skater, who had brought his own pole (no one was surprised, including the sponsors).

7) Had the best damn night that he was would remember for ages.

At least, Victor assumed Yuri would remember. Surely, his Yuri would remember this night.

Right?

'Of course he will.' Victor assured himself, finally giving in and giving Yuri a passionate kiss before leading him back to his coach, who had nearly passed out at the bar.

"Um… Coach Celestino?

"Ughhh…"

"Celestino!" Victor said again, louder, shaking Yuri's coach by the shoulders.

"Wha…? Oh, Victor." Celestino yawned. "I need to find Yuri- oh never mind. You brought him. Where are his clothes- oh thanks. I'll take those. How are you feeling, Yuri?"

"Victor and I had the best time! I'm going to marry him someday!"

"If they ever legalize it in either of your countries, I'm sure you will." Celestino replied, already sobering up and helping force Yuri into his shirt and pants with Victor's help. "We should go to our room now, Yuri. We have to fly back tomorrow, remember?"

"And see Phichit-kun?!" Both men winced as Yuri practically shouted in both their ears.

Celestino smiled fondly at Yuri and Victor shared that warmth. "Yes, we'll see Phichit and you can tell him all about Victor and having fun, okay?"

"Okay." Yuri smiled and allowed the last button to be pushed back into place on his shirt. Yuri turned to Victor. "Goodbye, Victor. I'll see you in Japan!" Without warning, he wrapped his arms around Victor's neck and gave him the sloppiest kiss he had ever had.

When Victor's head cleared, Yuri was gone.

Back in the present, Victor sighed and let Yuri's head fall away.

"Victor…?" Yuri asked, worriedly. "I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?"

How could Yuri tease him like this? He had to remember that night so why was he playing so hard to get? Victor fell in love with him and flew halfway around to world to be with him and coach him! 'Yet…' Victor clenched his fist into his inn robes where Yuri couldn't see it. 'It's wrong of me to pressure him. He was drunk and maybe was overzealous because of it. But he is happy I'm here. Isn't he?'

Victor asked him just that.

"Of course, I am!" The younger man gasped. "I am so happy you're here, Victor! Please don't think I'm not!" Before he lost his nerve, Yuri allowed himself to wrap his arms around Victor's shoulders. He felt himself blushing at the close contact, but he forced himself not to loosen his grip. "I am so happy you're here. So, so happy." He said above a whisper. If he wasn't careful, Yuri felt he might cry. "Please stay, Victor. Please be my coach."

Well, that cinched it then. Victor smiled to himself and returned the hug, settling into Yuri and allowing himself to be calmed. Yuri was just… shy. 'It is sweet.' He acknowledged silently. 'So very, very sweet and adorable.' He gazed at the ceiling and thought, 'I'll just have to remind him of that passion, that connection we shared.' He hugged him a little tighter. 'And now I have plenty of time to do it.'

To be continued~

EDIT and Author's Note:

Hello! I decided to take a look at my first updated work and saw quite a few glaring errors in it. I sat down with my friend, missyukidear, and she was kind enough to help me with some changes. Hope everyone enjoys the updated version!

Also, please feel free to leave me a review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated and I love hearing from my readers.

-kayisacat