Yuri sat on the edge of the bed across from his dripping coach.
"Yuri, what was it to wanted to talk about?"
Yuri swallowed the knot in his throat and raised his face up to to look at Victor, who gazed at him with love and surprise.
"Right,"
Victors eyes swallowed Yuri with their warmth. Yuri hesitated. But no, he had to. He forced the words to come out before his brain could retaliate anymore and turn him into a squishy puddle of confusion, self-doubt, and anxiety.
"After the finals, let's end this,"
Victor responded with silence, keeping his eyes locked with Yuuri. But Yuuri, nervous, faltered and finally let his eyes fall to his hands clenched nervously on his thighs.
Finally, Victor broke the silence. His voice was soft and strong, understanding but perplexed, as if trying to gauge how serious Yuuri was about his request.
"As you coach or…-?"
Yuuri suddenly looked back up at him, scared like his life had flashed before his eyes.
"Yes as my coach!" No, he didnt want Victor to think about ending it with him romantically! He didnt mean it like that!
And then Victor knew, from the round shiny button stare his student was giving him from under his blue rimmed glasses, eyes burning under the pressure of holding back tears. He knew what Yuri meant and he knew that yuri had seen and understood his emotions from earlier that day, watching Yurio skate. In fact, Yuuri had probably been thinking this since he picked him up from the airport after the Rostelecom, judging from the way he silently soaked Victor's shoulder in tears after Victor jokingly mentioned that his request to coach him till retirement sounded like a marriage proposal. Victors reactions today, watching the other competitors skate on the ice, had just solidified Yuuris decision. Victor had seen it coming, but part of him had wanted to refuse it. And as the intensity of the Grand Prix grew closer and Yuuri bent more and more towards Victor for mental support, Victor began to push his realization from the airport away. But he knew he couldn't be so delusional as to ignore it ever happening. That would be like ignoring a vital part of what makes Yuri his precious katsudon Yuri.
Yuri liked to have things under control. Sometimes it turned him into a nervous wreck, especially for those he loved, when trying to do the best thing for them. He didnt want to have to let them go in any way. And he didn't want his own efforts to go to waste. Like when he placed last in last years Grand Prix. He didnt want to acknowledge the devaluing of his past year of competitions bringing him up to this didnt not want to be in control of his fate.
But whatever Yuri was thinking, he had finally said it. As his coach, Victor was proud of him. And as his lover Yuri had touched his heart, making Victor fall in love all over again. But Yuri might not have realized that.
Yuri had sat in silence, staring down at his phone again, his face a maze of nervous wrinkles as he clenched his fist tight trying to hold back tears. He waited patiently, trying to calm himself down as Victor mulled over all his thoughts in his head. But then Victor thought it was finally time to comfort his student one last time.
He got up from the window ledge across from Yuris bed, his bathrobe slowly loosening from around his waist. As he stood, he realized he was looming over Yuri, his shadow consuming Yuri from under him. It caused Yuri to cower even further into the bed like a cold, lost puppy. Yuri was so vulnerable right now.
"Yuri, can I teach you one last thing?"
Victor hummed down to Yuri, raising his hand to rest lightly on Yuris left shoulder. Under his fingers Victor could feel his student shaking, his shoulder warm from sweat. Yuri let out a light squeak, turning his head up to look at victor's hand resting on his shoulder
"Huh?"
Yuris eyes now followed Victors hand as he lifted it up from his shoulder and brought it up to run it through his damp hair. He rested his other hand on his waist now, nervously posing for Yuri who stared up at him like a child. Yuris wide, glowing innocent eyes made Victor freeze hold his tongue and almost letting him doubt his decision. But he let it slip anyways.
"This last night as your coach,
… Victor Nikiforov paused for one real second, mulling over everything. Everything, innocent to sultry he had shared with Yuri as student and coach. Everything daring and darling he felt for Yuri has his elder from the moment he clung to him and made that drunken request. And he knew. It had lead up to this. Because it had lead up to last night's shopping trip. It had lead up to the pair rings. So he completed his sentence.
"can I teach you how to make love?"
