AN: This fic was originally being written for Yuri! On Careers Week, but as always I'm a bit late. A little bit about this AU: All the characters are students attending an art college. Victor works part time at a craft store. This is a soulmate AU where one can only see black and white until they meet their soulmate. As an added bonus, the more they connect with their soulmate, the more colors they can see.
Seeing Blue
by zerOphelia
A Yuri! On Ice Fan Fiction
The shop door opened with a light ring of a bell, alerting Victor to the presence of a customer. Victor remained seated at the checkout counter, calling out a greeting without removing himself from his sketchbook.
"Do you need help finding anything?"
A quiet, "No, thank you," answered in return.
The reply was enough to let Victor know he would still have a few more moments to work on his piece. It was only some base work for his next assignment, but he was taking it seriously. After all, this would be the last assignment of his college career and in just a few months he would be facing the harsh realities of the job market.
He wiped his fallen bangs out of his eyes, a smudge of charcoal going unnoticed on his cheek. His brows furrowed together in thought as he tried to flesh out his ideas. Victor Nikiforov prided himself in doing the unexpected. This was how he had made it so far: to be one of the top students in one of America's most prestigious art schools.
With each drawing, Victor soared to new heights. His realistic portrayals of both familiar and unfamiliar scenes of life repeatedly left his audience breathless as he lit himself ablaze of dazzling, monochromatic flames. They would praise him as he fell back to the Earth in a rain of ash, only to rise again upon a bed of their expectation.
Yet increasingly, Victor finds the puddle of ash at his feet grow larger. He struggles to give the lifeless dust new form. His body is left stained with charcoal, his art lost in the deep shadows of his colorless world. After all, life can only offer one so much in black and white.
Art is unforgiving to those with unmatched souls, cursed to live an flat, achromic existence. The use of color bred great art, the art that stands the tests of time. But one could only paint with color if one could see it to begin with. The only way this could happen is if one were to meet his soulmate.
So far, Victor had not been so lucky.
Growing up, he dreamed of nothing but the ability to see color. Elementary school started off with torturous lessons of common pigments found in nature. Young Vitya had groaned to his mother in the frustration of learning about something he couldn't see. She smiled softly and told him that one day he would be thankful for knowing that the sky is blue and the grass is green.
As he grew older he begged his parents to describe colors to him. What was the shade of his hair like? Or his eyes? If the day sky and the night sky were both blue, why did they look so different? It was difficult, but they did their best to humor him.
In high school, Victor fell in love with poetry and literature. He longed to know: What was so warm about the sunset? What was so crisp and beautiful about the ocean? What made the bloom of spring so different from the dead of winter?
These questions struck deep into his core with a pain that almost caused him to curse out loud the sadistic nature of fate. He stared at his sketchbook like it had betrayed him, the page before his eyes a mess of soft, grey streaks. Why did his art have to be so goddamn lifeless?
The sound of items hitting the wooden counter before him interrupted Victor's inner admonishment.
"Yes," he responded to the awaiting customer, stashing his sketchbook on a shelf below the counter where no one would have to see. He cleaned the residual evidence off his fingers and on the waist of his black cardigan. "Sorry about that." Victor offered a bright, apologetic smile.
The Asian boy on the other side of the counter blushed slightly, replying in a warm, accented voice, "No worries."
Victor's smile sat more naturally upon his lips at the sound, his eyes briefly trailing over the form across from him. The Asian boy had black hair so deep it shined and glasses that covered his down-shifted gaze. Victor smirked because somehow he found this nervousness incredibly cute.
He examined the customer's order and searched for a topic of idle chit chat. His purchase included black and white paint and two canvases. Chances are he, too, was unmatched, but it wasn't exactly a polite topic of conversation.
"This is high-quality paint you got here. You seem to know your stuff."
The customer chuckled lightly, adjusting his glasses. "Thanks? I actually attend the art college near here. I'm glad to know their teachings are useful."
Victor looked up sharply from where he had been adding up the purchase in the register.
So cute nervous boy had a sarcastic side to him, huh?
"I go there too!" Victor didn't know what he was letting himself get so swept up for, this was a college town after all. "I'm a senior in the fine arts program." He paused his work to look over the other boy again, "I wonder if we've ever seen each other."
"I'm only in my second year, studying art therapy. We've probably missed each other until now." The Asian- Japanese?- boy turned his gaze towards the window in avoidance of Victor. There was an unsettling pause between the two before he added, "To be honest I usually get my supplies online or at the campus store. But they were out and I couldn't afford to wait for the shipping date. It's good to know this place is here." His eyes settled again on the counter between the two.
Victor smiled warmly, "Yes, it's a small shop usually overshadowed by the campus store, but we have a good selection here. Though I will admit I'm glad we aren't more busy. This way I can get a lot of sketching done. Your total is $21.47." Victor began bagging up the items.
A small dusting of gray took over the Asian student's pale features as he admitted, "Ah, yes. I had noticed you drawing for a bit there. It was beautiful." He handed over $22 in cash.
Victor simply paused with the money in his hand before the customer added, "You're ending your final year, so the pressure must be high."
Victor sighed, offering the customer his change and his bag. "You would not believe." The last word nearly catches in his throat when he finds cute nervous boy's gaze locked unflinchingly on his face.
Without warning, the student swipes his thumb over Victor's cheek causing his eyes to blow wide at the contact.
The customer gasps, for some reason reacting with more surprise. "Sorry! I- Y-you just had some charcoal on your face." His eyes are staring into Victor's dead on for just a moment before he forces himself to look away. "I gotta go."
Victor was taken aback by the odd behavior, but before he knew it he was calling after the man, "Wait! What's your name?"
The customer stopped in front of the door, standing there for a moment- as if making some kind of life-altering decision. Opening the door slightly, he turned around and spoke with a shaky voice, "I'm Y-yuuri. Yuuri Katsuki." The door swiftly closed after him as he exited the building as quickly as he could.
Victor looked after him for a moment, dazed by the encounter. The silence of the store was broken as Victor opened his mouth and repeated the syllables, "Yuuri."
The world around began to distort and glow as a soft, pleasing shade entered his vision. Victor stilled, frozen in awe of the beauty of the color that entered his life. One moment he was standing in the all-too familiar territory of his workplace and with the utterance of a few lithe syllables he was transported to a plane so distinctly alien.
Everything around him was the same, yet profoundly different. Shades of hue saturated pockets of his vision while others were merely tinted. Staring out the store windows, he was stunned- confounded with wonder.
So this was what the sky looked like all along? So this is blue?
It took Victor a moment to process all that this meant for him, and he cursed himself as he ran out the door in hopes of catching up with the person who gifted him with this new phenomena. Expectedly, the streets outside were empty. He sighed, running his dusty fingers through his hair. "Yuuri," He whispered, "I won't let you get away that easy."
A few hours later, Yuuri was pulling on his hair, pacing around his apartment as he spilled-all to his roommate.
"What kind of guy am I? What kind of guy meets his soulmate and runs away!?" Yuuri sat on the edge of the couch for a moment before springing back up and continuing to release his nervous energy.
He had ran, because the moment the blue in the shop clerk's eyes hit him, he didn't know what else to do. He wandered frantically around town for at least an hour trying to process what was happening to him. He even stopped into the University Wellness Center to make sure he wasn't having a stroke. The only treatment he received was a very embarrassing pep talk from the campus nurse.
"That happens, I'm sure. There are some crazy stories out there about soul-meetings. It's not exactly like you can prepare yourself for something you can't comprehend existing. At least you didn't go Double Rainbow, right?" Phichit Chulanont was really too pure for this world. He sat on the couch listening to Yuuri and petting one of his hamsters. "But tell me exactly how it happened! What colors can you see?"
"Well," Yuuri finally stilled for a moment, "I went to brush some dust off his cheek and when he looks at me again, all of a sudden his eyes were glowing with- with color!" Yuuri's legs collapsed to the floor. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I thought I was going to die." Yuuri slumped forward, face meeting the floor.
Truth is he still felt like he was going to die. But of embarrassment. Because in the touching moment that Yuuri finally met his soulmate- something he never ever thought would happen, by the way- Yuuri ran away. But again, at least he didn't go Double Rainbow over some dude's eyes.
Arigato, Kamisama.
Phichit's laugh was somewhere between a squeal of delight and a horrifying cackle of extreme amusement. "I love you, but you're an idiot!" He picked up a pillow and aimed it directly at Yuuri's butt. "This is so unfair! I want to see color too! Which color do you see?"
"Blue." Yuuri answered softly, his voice muffled by the carpet. "And I doubt anything could ever be more entrancing."
"Did you get his name, at least?"
Yuuri sat up properly. "His name tag said 'Victor'."
"You actually paid attention to his name tag?" Phichit shot Yuuri an odd look.
Yuuri's face gather in a blush neither man could really determine. "To be honest, I thought he was attractive even before I could see his eyes. His hair was this really pretty, silky-looking grey color... and it just had this essence like... you know when you see something that is black and you can tell that it's true color is really black? There's just this quality of completeness. It's really calming."
"Wow. That was really beautiful, Yuuri. You got me bawling over here."
"Shut up! I was a wreck just talking to him as a customer. How am I supposed to face him as my soulmate?" Yuuri buried his face in the nearby pillow, groaning in frustration.
"Woe is me! My name is Katsuki Yuuri! How am I supposed to talk to the super gorgeous boy who has been fated to be my lover since the beginning of time!" Phichit teased.
Yuuri deadpanned, taking the pillow in his hand and tossing it at Phichit with no mercy. "You can be an ass sometimes."
Phichit grinned. "Too bad I can't be your ass, or I'd be bound to get some sweet lovin' sooner than later."
Yuuri rose, nervous energy forgotten as he took a deep breath and declared, "I'm going to kill you."
Meanwhile, across campus:
"Yurio!" Victor barged into his friend's room without warning. Yuri Plisetsky sat in his bed with a guitar on his lap, a notebook of staff paper lying open beside him.
"What the fuck did you just call me?" The blonde replied with a snarl.
"I called you 'Yurio'. I just met another Yuri, so I've decided to call you 'Yurio' now." Victor replied, his tone somewhere between smug and matter-of-fact.
"We're Russian! Why not just call me 'Yura'?" Yuri barked, his palm in his face.
Victor pouted. Of course. Victor always pouted around Yurio. For some reason he felt the right to act spoiled around those he had known for most of his life, a prerogative Yuri often wondered what he did to make Victor think belonged to him.
"But what if I want to call him 'Yura'?"
"Wait," Yuri set his guitar down, giving Victor his full attention. "Another Yuri? Do you mean Yuuri Katsuki?"
Victor's eyes widened, his mouth molding into the shape of a heart as he bounced with excitement, "You know him!?"
"Da, I know that pig. We've had a few psych classes together. He's a loser with no confidence. He totally bombed one of our presentations and I told him he should just drop out." Yurio explained.
Victor suddenly grabbed Yuri by the shoulders, exclaiming, "YOU TOLD MY SOULMATE HE SHOULD DROP OUT?"
"Soulmate? What? That loser is your soulmate!?" Yurio pushed Victor away.
Victor sighed, his expression akin to a lovelorn maiden.
"He just stopped in the store. I could tell right away he was interesting, not to mention completely adorable, but when he told me his name I knew I was a gonner. I met Yuuri Katsuki, and now I can see life through blue-tinted lenses! It's such a wonderful color, too."
"Blue, huh." Yurio snorted, seemingly disinterested. While on one hand he supposed he could be happy the man he saw as an older brother finally found his match, he had a feeling Victor would talk about nothing else for quite a while. Victor had a tendency to be a bit... how should we put it... extra.
"Yurio, please tell me you have his number." Victor turned to Yuri with eyes that rivaled those of his dog, Makka.
"Why would I have a pig's number? And stop calling me that stupid name." Yuri reached for his guitar again.
"You have to help me track him down."
Yuri hated being told what to do, but he restrained himself and began to play a melody he had been working on. "Why do I have to? Just search for him on social media."
"You don't think I tried? The kid is like a ghost! He has no facebook and his instagram hasn't been updated in MONTHS. PLEASE, Yurio! You're the only connection I have right now."
"Stop calling me that." He set his guitar down once more, looking Victor dead-on. Yuri hated that those stupid eyes actually had some kind of effect on him. He looked away, conceding, "If I help you, you're gonna owe me big time."
Victor threw himself at Yuri's feet, hugging his waist tightly in gratitude. "Thank you!"
"Disgusting, get off me!" Yurio pushed at Victor's head, pissed that Victor was actually stronger than him. "His roommate is part of the music program and we have a class together. They're pretty close and I'm sure he would help you out."
"Perfecto!" Victor leaned in to give his "little brother" a kiss on the head.
"I swear to God, Vitya, your lips touch me and you die."
The next day, Victor sat restless on his stool at the art supply shop. His shift ended in less than one hour. One hour and he would rush across campus to meet Yurio after his seminar. The blonde boy had agreed to detain Phichit, Yuuri's roommate, after class so Victor could talk to him and hopefully get in contact with Yuuri that night.
As usual, things were slow and Victor was attempting to work on his artwork. His mind buzzed with thoughts of the cute Japanese boy he had met the day before. Many times during his shift he caught himself tracing the lines of Yuuri's face into the paper. His glasses perched on an unbearably adorable nose, the tresses of his soft black hair.
If Victor had known that customer was his soulmate, he would have worked harder to burn the sweet image of his smile into his brain.
His mind wandered to the only information he knew about his match: he was from Japan (or Victor assumed based on his accent and a few old photos on his instagram), he was a sophomore, he painted, his major was art therapy. From what Yurio told him, Yuuri wasn't good at speaking in front of a crowd.
Victor sighed, setting his most recent sketch of Yuuri (because somehow in the last 24 hours he managed to fill ten pages) down on the counter, resting his cheek on his palm. He stared at the image like it would come to life and start talking and on some level, Victor himself felt alive.
He felt heavy, burdened by anxiety of new love and stress of tracking that love down, but all at once: he felt light.
Light because life had returned to him and returned to his art as his eyes had started to perceive the world in a different way.
Light because love was in his grasp and it made his heart soar higher than ever before, beating rapidly with anticipation of what new possibilities were before him.
Light because he finally shed the ash of the cold, gray world.
"You got my chin wrong."
Victor's eyes flew open, his head pulled down from the clouds by the sound of a familiar accent. His gaze refocused, and was met directly with a bottle of turquoise paint. His head lifted higher to find the subject of his mind's occupation standing opposite him, and his butt had never left a seat faster than this moment.
"Yuuri!" Victor nearly fell over the counter.
Yuuri smiled brightly. "I'm glad you remember me, Victor."
Victor's chest popped and fizzed, threatening to burst open at the sound of his name on his soulmate's lips. Yuuri's lips.
"How did you-?"
"You're wearing a nametag." Yuuri pointed to Victor's chest.
Victor's eyes followed Yuuri's finger unknowingly, but stopped instead on the bottle of blue paint Yuuri had previously placed before him.
"Blue." Victor blurted before meeting Yuuri's eyes, caught completely off guard by this surprise attack. He had a whole plan for meeting Yuuri in the evening. He would meet with Phichit and convince him to take him to wherever Yuuri was and then charm the pants off his soulmate. Figuratively and maybe even literally. "You! We're-"
"Yeah." Yuuri smiled softly, acknowledging their cosmic relationship.
Smooth.
"Urgh!" Victor's legs gave out as he slumped onto the shop floor. He turned his back to the counter, burying his face in his hands.
"Victor?" Concern and surprise leaked through Yuuri's tone.
"This isn't fair!" Victor could no longer contain his embarrassment. "I had a plan to talk to your roommate and track you down. I was gonna prepare myself to speak to you and ask you out to coffee. Getting caught drawing pictures of you in my sketchbook was not part of that plan."
Behind him Yuuri laughed.
"How can you be so cool?" Victor asked.
"Cool?" Yuuri froze. "Are you kidding? I ran away from you, remember? I was up all night trying to figure out what to say to you. I paced in front of the store for an hour before I came in. A cop actually stopped me for suspicious behavior."
"You're lying." Victor turned to stand on his knees, his face half-hidden by the counter as he looked up at Yuuri.
"I'm not. I sort of wish I was, though." Yuuri's face flushed, and as it did Victor's eyes began to pick up on the pink pigments of the blood beneath beautiful peachy skin. He stared, mesmerized as Yuuri continued, "I-I came in quietly a-and only calmed down when I saw you sketching."
Victor could tell from the stuttering that Yuuri was also experiencing this new phenomena. He rose to his feet, and Yuuri's blush deepened as Victor leaned closer over the counter.
The spread of color only lured Victor in. Yuuri froze as the pale hand of an artist rested against his hot cheek. He gulped, but willed himself to continue talking- to distract himself from the fact that Victor's face was approaching his own with dangerous speed.
"If you were sketching me... I knew you had to be as occupied by me as I am by you." Yuuri's eyes drew closed as if by gravity.
"Yuuri." Victor whispered, "You're so cute."
Before Yuuri's face had the chance to burn brighter, Victor's closed any short distance still left between them, connecting two bodies by the lips for one brief moment.
Victor simply looked at his soulmate, his amused, heart-shaped smile full of fondness. Yuuri stood absolutely still, shocked expression lingering longer than either of them expected. Victor let out a small giggle.
This is going to be fun.
Yuuri finally cleared his throat, though it did nothing to stop his voice from cracking as he spoke, "So, um... You said something about coffee..."
Victor laughed again. "I get off in about twenty minutes." He reached to comb his fingers through a few tousled strands of Yuuri's hair, "Think you can wait that long?"
Yuuri's eyes trailed Victor's every movement. He released a breath he had apparently been holding, a small cough escaping shortly after as he choked on his own saliva. "Y-yeah. I'll just... um..." Yuuri looked around nervously, his mind unable to focus on how on Earth he could pass any amount of time away from the man in front of him.
"Why don't you keep me company until then?" Victor smirked, pointing with his head over to a second stool behind the counter.
"O-okay."
Victor lifted the small counter-top separator, ushering the Japanese man behind the divider and over to the stool before taking a seat himself. In the back of his mind he debated whether or not his boss would mind, but he doubted it. Nicolai was a kind man and the two were almost like family.
"So, Yuuri, tell me what project you're working on right now." Victor gave his soulmate his full attention, lips turned up in an unwavering smile, blue eyes swimming with awe.
Unspeakable happiness flowed through Yuuri's veins as he began, "Well..."
AN: There will probably be more to come. I like this little universe and kinda want to write little fluffy stories about all the characters. I already have an idea for an Otayuri companion fic. Don't hate me if it never gets written. Instead... I don't know... Let me know what you think? Feedback is the best inspiration.
This is dedicated to my friend and co-worker Kayla who gave me many ideas for this AU and has always supported me. Thank you!
Oh, and who knows, rating may go up.