The day before
"What am I doing in a supermarket buying all of these? Silly Yuuri, you're making honmei-choco for Victor. Still, this is something you'd see in a shoujo manga." Yuuri wonders to himself.
After buying a few baking instruments from the baker's store, he now finds himself in the supermarket to buy ingredients for honmei-choco. He decided to surprise Victor by baking some sweets himself. This is actually Yuuri's first time to give someone a Valentine's gift and the recipient is his fiancé, Victor Nikiforov. Yuuri's sure that Victor will more than appreciate the gesture by taking pictures and posting it online before eating it.
"Oi Katsudon! What are you doing there spacing out?"
Yuuri turned his head around and saw that Yuri Plisetsky, or Yurio as he and Victor calls him, standing right behind looking quite surprised to see him.
"Oh Yurio. I'm surprised to see you here of all places."
Yuri then let out a huff before speaking. "I'm just here to buy a few things before heading back home. Are you just gonna stand there looking like an idiot or are you gonna buy something? Wait a minute, what exactly are you buying anyway?"
Yuri points out the basket that Yuuri was holding. In it contains some baking ingredients plus what is undeniably some chocolate to go with it.
"I'm actually making something for Victor tomorrow" Yuuri says with a tinge of embarrassment. "I wanted to surprise him so keep this a secret for me, will you?"
"Figures." Yuri snorted. "But how the hell are you gonna keep this a secret from him? You two live together. He's practically glued to you whether you notice it or not."
"That's actually my problem right now. I have to either skip practice tomorrow or cut my practice short to go home early. We know both are horrible options since the Four Continents is nearing and I have to win in order to compete at Worlds."
Yuri raised an eyebrow and asked, "Can't you just buy him something that's already made? I don't understand why you have to go through the trouble of making Victor something when we know he'll love it either way."
"Well, this is how we celebrate Valentine's Day in Japan. We feel like it's more special if it's handmade. Victor will love it more if he knew I made it myself, I think."
Yuri then paused to think for a moment before offering to help Yuuri. "Alright Katsudon, I'll help you out to make sure you don't fuck up. I know where you can make your Valentine's shit without Victor finding out. Tomorrow after practice, see me in the locker room. I'll let Victor know you're going with me for lunch so he won't wonder where the hell you are once you're done with practice. If you take too long, you can forget about me helping you out. Got it?"
Yuuri smiled knowing that despite Yuri usually being sour and aloof, he's kind when he needs to be. He's just not honest with his feelings, that's all. Maybe this is how Yurio shows agape.
"Okay. Thanks so much for helping me out Yurio", Yuuri said gratefully
Yuuri then noticed Yuri has a slight blush on his face when he said, "Whatever. I'm not doing this to be kind to you or anything. It's payback for letting me stay at your home when I was in Hasetsu."
After paying for their groceries, they agreed that Yuri will keep Yuuri's groceries so as to not arouse suspicion when Yuuri gets home. Besides, at least they can start making Yuuri's present once they get to where Yuri told him where they'll be able to make it in peace. Afterwards, they went their separate ways.
Valentine's Day
Yuuri skated out of the ice once he's done with practice. Yuri left and went to the locker room a few minutes ago and he needs to go directly in order to not keep the boy waiting. He just finished putting his blade covers back on when suddenly, he felt a familiar hug from behind.
"Done with practice already, my love? Won't you stay for a bit to watch me skate?" Victor whispered into his ear. Victor whispering into his ear never fail to make Yuuri's heart skip a beat.
"Yeah." Yuuri said as he turned to face Victor while the latter's arms are still around him. "But I can't stay for long. I promised Yurio we'll have lunch together and you know how impatient he is. Besides, you need to practice now. We both need to be in Worlds so we can't miss out on practice."
Victor then gently placed a peck on Yuuri's lips before releasing his arms from Yuuri and heading to the ice. "Alright, my love. Meet me here later when you're done."
"Okay. I will." Yuuri said. He then hugged Victor before heading to the locker room.
When Yuuri reached the locker room, Yuri was already finished dressing and packing. He stood on the wall with his arms crossed.
"Make it quick Katsudon so we can get the hell out of here sooner."
After they left the rink, they headed out to Lilia's house. Even though Yuri won the Grand Prix gold, he still needs the guidance of Lilia as a choreographer since the season isn't over yet. Besides, he's not yet satisfied with the Grand Prix gold and he wants to keep competing with both Yuuri and Victor as rivals. Not that he'll admit the latter part to the two.
Lilia's house wasn't too far from the rink and Yuuri's impressed as the edifice is quite elegant. When they got inside, the interior is even more elegant. Contrary to what the exterior would imply, the interior is quite spacious.
Yuuri found a cat asleep in a cushion. He was about to bend down to take a closer look at the cat when Yuri suddenly interrupted him with a lecture. "Don't disturb the cat. They don't like their sleep disturbed. The kitchen's this way so leave the cat alone."
Yuuri then walked towards the room Yuri pointed at.
"Amazing. I never imagined you could live in such a fancy place Yurio."
"This isn't my house. It's Lilia's, one of my coaches." Yurio said. "I used to live alone in an apartment before coming here."
"Eh? Lilia? You mean the one who's always with you at the kiss and cry."
"Yes. She's a former ballerina like Minako. I'm sure Minako has heard of Lilia since she's a famous ballerina from what Yakov said."
Yuuri then got embarrassed when he found out that this nice house wasn't actually Yuri's. For him, it feels like he was intruding a private space. "Are you sure it's okay with Lilia? Wouldn't we trouble her too much?"
"Don't worry about it Katsudon. The kitchen is barely used before I started living here and Lilia doesn't give much of a fuck about it. As long as we clean up afterwards, she won't mind. Besides, I use the kitchen all the time to cook meals."
"Eh, you cook your own meals? That's interesting to hear." Yuuri was impressed that someone as young as Yuri could take care of himself.
"How the fuck do you think I survived when I was living alone? Of course I know how to cook. Besides, it's cheaper to cook your own meals than going out every time I need to eat."
"I understand. I used to live in Detroit when I was studying. My roommate and I take turn cooking our meals when we don't have classes. It's more fun sharing meals and eating new kinds of food."
Yuri was right. The kitchen is spotless, like no one has used it for quite a while. In fact, the entire house looks like it came straight out of a book. It reminds him a lot about Victor: shining and elegant.
Once they were in the kitchen, Yuri brought out the groceries they bought together yesterday and set it over a counter He handed Yuuri a blue apron before putting a red apron on himself. "You can make your shit on this side. I'll make lunch on the other side." Yuri then points towards an oven. "The oven's right there. Call me if you need anything else."
With that, the two of them set off to work.
Yuuri learned how to bake when he was in high school. At first, he confused sugar with salt, overmixed the batter and burned the cookies he was making that time. Needless to say, the cookies he made were a disaster and he was convinced he'd screw up if he were to try again. But with the help of Yuko and his mother, he was able to gradually improve to the point that he can bake on his own. However, he's only limited to baking bread and cookies since he didn't put in a lot of time and effort to hone and expand his baking skills. Cake is something he never baked before. Which is why he spent the last few days watching videos on the Internet and searching for recipes online that's easy to make.
He decided to bake the cookies first so he'll save on time. It's not only Victor that he'll give a Valentine's gift to. He wants to show his gratitude to the people who helped him out when he moved to Russia.
Yuuri looks a bit messy after mixing all the ingredients and preparing the cookies but at least he's almost done. He was about to place them in the oven when he noticed that Yuri's standing in front of it with his arms crossed and his hair in a ponytail.
"Not so fast Katsudon. The pirozhki's almost done. Let's wait for it before we put that in the oven"
Soon enough, the pirozhkis were done and they adjusted the temperature to the correct amount so as to not burn the cookies. Yuri placed the pirozhkis in a cooling rack.
There was a silent moment between the two of them before Yuuri broke the ice.
"You mentioned that you lived by yourself before coming here. I'm amazed that someone as young as you could manage on their own."
"Yes. I was actually born and raised in Moscow. I only came here when I was scouted to be a figure skater. My family couldn't move with me to St. Petersburg so I had to learn how to be independent. Whenever a competition's in Moscow, Yakov lets me stay with my family for a few days and then I'd come back here for training."
"Family?" Yuuri asked suddenly. Yuri never mentioned much about his family.
Yuri was silent for a moment before saying, "My grandfather and mother. As a kid, my mother wasn't around much. It was always just me and my grandfather. He'd always be there to watch my skating practices when I was a kid."
Yuuri felt like he stepped on a landmine by asking a personal question. "Ah sorry. I didn't mean to step out of the line."
Yuri then let out a small smile, grateful for considering his feelings. "It's fine Katsudon. Not like telling you all of this would bother me." He then continued, "I eventually got used to my mother not being around so much. My grandfather would often pick me up whenever I come to Moscow and bake me some pirozhkis whenever I'm in Moscow. He'd also make it a point to come to the arena himself and watch the live performance as an audience. After the competitions, he would always pick me up and we'd go home afterwards."
"So it was your grandfather who taught you how to cook."
Yuri then smiled brightly while saying, "Yes. His pirozhkis are the best. He was actually the one who taught me the recipe for the pirozhkis I made today."
After their talk, the cookies were done baking and the pirozhkis were cool enough to eat. Yuuri and Yuri sat down on a nearby chair to eat.
Yuuri bit into the pirozhki and a familiar taste welcomed him.
"Delicious! This is the katsudon pirozhki you gave me for my birthday." Yuuri exclaimed
"Good, isn't it? My grandfather went through all the trouble looking for a katsudon recipe. When he got one, he decided to make it into a pirozhki filling. And he did all of this because I told him I like katsudon." Yuri said all this with a proud smile on his face.
"You really love your grandfather, don't you? I can see who your agape is." Yuuri said softly.
"Yeah" Yuri agreed. Actually, grandfather's not the only agape in my life, he thought. Not that he'll let any of them know.
When they finished eating lunch. Yuuri then set off to bake the cake.
Yuri then raised an eyebrow and wondered aloud, "I thought you're already done with what you're giving to Victor. What are you trying to do now?"
"Oh those cookies aren't for Victor. They're for the people I'm thankful for." Yuuri then pulled out his phone and showed Yurio the video he saved on his phone. "This is what I'm making for Victor."
"This seems easy enough to do. Have you tried making this before?"
"Actually, I haven't. I've never baked a cake before." Yuuri admitted embarrassingly.
"Huh? Then why are you going through all this trouble for Victor?"
"I've never done all of this before to be honest. I've never had someone to celebrate Valentine's Day with. Because of that, I've always thought that I'd have to spend my whole life alone. Sure, I'll always have my family and friends but they won't always be there for me. But then, Victor came into my life and showed me it doesn't have to be that way. I don't have to fight and walk alone. Victor will be there for me always."
"Fine. Fine. You don't have to tell me more or I might have to puke rainbows." Yuri said with a sigh, seemingly able to understand Yuuri's feelings. "Hand me your phone. I've never baked a cake by myself before either but I'll read out the recipe so you won't fuck this up."
"Thanks Yurio."
With Yuri's help, Yuuri was able to bake the cake just fine He didn't stumble or got confused with the ingredients since Yuri was keeping a close eye on him. If he did make even a slight mistake, Yuri would catch and correct him before scolding him. It was a big help for Yuuri, even it if was hands-off help from Yuri.
Decorating the cake turned out to be more fun than Yuuri expected. He wasn't the most creative person off the ice but he could always surprise Victor with his actions. And if spoken words have failed him, he could at least show it to Victor instead. The decoration may have been simple but it's the thought and the message that counts, right?
With some help from Yuri, Yuuri then packed the baked sweets. The cookies were in a transparent plastic bag tied with red ribbons while the cake was in a red box tied with a pink ribbon. He took out a card stock from his bag and wrote messages for all the people he's giving these baked sweets for. He then tied the cards to the ribbons.
Afterwards, he and Yuri cleaned the kitchen before Lilia comes back home. He left a bag of cookies on the counter with a note saying, "Thanks for letting us use the kitchen. – Yuuri Katsuki"
Yuuri and Yuri then left Lilia's house to go back to the skating rink.
"What was that you just did? Why did you leave some cookies in Lilia's house?" Yuri asked when they reached the rink.
"Oh that. In Japan, we give out two kinds of chocolates." Yuuri then explained Japanese Valentine's practices to the younger Russian. "The cookies are giri-choco or obligation chocolate. It's not actually as bad as it sound. It's just to thank friends and acquaintances. What I'm giving to Victor is honmei-choco or romantic chocolate. That's why I went through all the trouble to bake a cake for him."
"That sounds more like a marketing ploy to me." Yuri said.
Before they got inside the rink, they met Mila who was about to go out. She was finished with practice for the day.
"Oi Mila. Is Victor still inside?" Yuri asked.
"Victor? I haven't seen him when I practiced in the rink. Maybe you should ask Yakov. He's still inside." Mila said.
"Thank you Mila." Yuuri then gave Mila a bag of cookies. "It's for you."
Mila was surprised with the sudden action. "Eh? For me?"
"Just accept it Mila. He went through all the trouble making it." Yuri explained.
"Umm… thanks." Mila said with confusion on her face.
"Don't get the wrong idea Mila. He's only doing this to thank you." Yuri then added.
Both Yuuri and Yuri went inside the rink to look for Victor.
"I see." Mila said. She smiled when she read the note attached, "Thanks for looking out for me – Yuuri Katsuki"
When they got inside, they met Yakov who was about to exit the rink. He was also done coaching for the day.
"Oi Yakov. Do you know where Victor is?" Yuri asked.
"Victor left early today. Apparently, he went home to do something for Katsuki for Valentine's Day. He only told me to let you know of this before heading out." Yakov said gruffly.
"Thanks so much Mr. Yakov." Yuuri then gave him a bag of cookies. "Here, it's for you."
"Huh?" Yakov was also surprised by the action.
"Just accept it Yakov. It's what they do in Japan." Yuri explained.
"Okay." Yakov understood while reading the note attached. "Thanks for looking out for Victor and me – Yuuri Katsuki"
Yuuri and Yuri then exited the rink. Both of them decided to go to their respective homes since they were already informed where Victor is.
"Oh yeah Yurio. This is for you." Yuuri said while handing Yuri the last bag of cookies he has.
Perhaps it was Yuri who was taken by surprise the most by this action. It did caught him off guard since he was certainly not expecting he'd receive what Yuuri made.
"Eh? Are you sure? I wasn't even much help today anyway" Yuri said confused.
Yuuri then reassured him by saying, "Yes, I'm sure. And you've been plenty of help today. I couldn't have made all of these if you weren't there. Thanks so much for today, Yurio."
Yuri then blushed while saying, "D-don't take this the wrong way, Katsudon. I'm accepting this so that your hard work won't go to waste." He then said in a voice so soft that Yuuri almost didn't hear it. "Thanks."
"Well, I'd better get back home. Victor's probably waiting for me." Yuuri said before leaving. "See you tomorrow."
When he's sure that Yuuri was out of his sight, Yuri then let out a smile.
"That idiot. He sure can make something good." He then said as he ate the cookies that Yuuri gave him.
Once Yuuri reached the apartment that he and Victor share, he was greeted by the darkness.
Did something happen today? He thought as he entered.
"I'm home." Yuuri said while he closed the door behind.
Author's note:
I got inspired to write this fic after seeing a Valentine's ad from Royce Chocolate on Facebook. The ad has a letter that starts with a "Dear Viktor" written at the top. Naturally, Yuri on Ice fans exploded when they saw the ad, apparently dominating the comments sections.
Plus, Anime News Network had an article regarding which characters would fans give chocolate to on Valentine's Day. The main trio are on the list, with Victor apparently topping it. (link: interest/2017-02-08/fans-choose-characters-to-exchange-chocolate-with-on-valentine-day/.112000)
I remembered that in Japan, they give out chocolates on Valentine's Day. If you watch a lot of anime series, there are often scene or episodes dedicated to characters making Valentine's chocolates. Here's some explanation for those of you not familiar with the custom.
Giri choco or obligation chocolate - It's given to friends, family and acquaintances to show gratitude. Like what Yuuri said, it's not as bad as it's name makes it out to be.
Honmei choco or romantic chocolate - It's given to significant others or to the person one has romantic feeling for. Normally, this type of chocolate is handmade to make it more special. This is why I made Yuuri go through the additional effort of baking a cake for Victor.
I added in Yurio's background but I did keep it as faithful to the canon material as possible. That's why it's not mentioned much.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.