HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO OUR FAVORITE EXTRA GOLDEN RUSSIAN FIGURE SKATER VICTOR NIKIFOROV *an entire parade behind me*
Victor+Yuuri: WOW!
Yurio: *whistles* I didn't think you'd go all out here Midnight
Me: Yeah, I got through in the end*looks at my empty savings box+wallets with one tear* Think of this as my present to you for all the crap I made you go through on the other stories.
Victor: *blows into tissue* Such kindness
Yuuri: *turns to audience* Midnight hopes you enjoy this Christmas and Birthday special, remember that she does not own any of us or the anime.
...
"Vitya," A gentle voice cooed, "Time to wake up son."
Victor stirred in his sleep, feeling his mother's hand gently attempting to shake him awake as he groaned, "More sleep." He turned to the other side of his bed, making sure that his soft blankets kept him wrapped up in its warmth. "Please."
"But it's your seventh birthday. You wouldn't want to waste it in bed all day," His mother tried to reason but she gained no response other than the soft snores coming out of her sweet angelic child. She then made a light sigh with a small grin growing as she looked out the window of the bedroom, "Too bad, I was going to take you to the rink so you could ice skate with me, and then we could go to our favorite bakery so you could pick out your own cake this year to eat but if you don't want to-"
The blankets were tossed into the air as a flash of sliver sped passed Mrs. Nikiforov with the patter of bare feet that could be heard until they made a stop into the bathroom when the door shut. She couldn't help but giggle when she heard the door open again as her son shouted with a mouth full of toothpaste, "Hurry mama! Get your coat on, I'll be ready in ten seconds!"
It took him ten minutes.
Victor's eyes shined like blue sapphires while his long silver hair flew with the wind as he held on to his mother's hand, swinging them about in the cool air while they made their way down the cold snowy day in of December 25. That day was spent on the ice as they glided through the smooth surface, their hands never letting go through every small spin and jumps that would usually end with his mother panicking enough to catch him before he fell. But nonetheless, their smiles never melted away as their laughter brought the warmness into the bodies of every skater in the rink.
At long last, they were walking down the path, handheld together towards the promised bakery to fill their stomachs after a day of playing. There they were standing in front of a small adorable bakery that had a small chimney allowing the sweet aroma of the baked goods roam outside for his stomach to growl as he stared at the displayed goods in the shop with the name written in blue and pink frosting font on the glass: "Frosts of Love". To think that he and mama would always go to this bakery for cake every year for his birthday, the last six his mama chose for him but this year he can choose for himself now!
The little bronze bell rang on top when they opened the door as the familiar young couple at the front register smiled and greeted them:
"Welcome to our lovely bakery!"
Being greeted by such warm faces as enough to make him smile brightly at the couple until his nose caught the attention of something else. The attention towards the mouthwatering aroma that was becoming stronger for his little heart and stomach as he gasped at the sight of the other small cake slives displayed behind more glass. From being small circle shaped to hearts to stars, he saw sweets in many colors, shapes, and possibly flavors ready to be tasted!
"Pick whichever kind you want," His mother reminded him as she took her seat on a wooden chair by a round coffee table, "I'll be right here to pay for your pick."
It was so hard to pick with so many options just waiting to be eaten at once, Victor narrowed his eyes very close to the cakes to indicate just how serious he was about choosing the right one. Soon he was stuck between the chocolate lava cake that was in the shape of a heart and the strawberry shortcake that was in the shape of a snowflake, yes it was indeed a hard choice to make. With a heavy sigh but a very puffy pout, Victor turned around to face his mother and admitted with distress while he pointed to the two cakes, "Mama, I can't pick which one I really want."
His mother made a soft smile as she got up to get a better look at the two cakes, humming with deep thought until her sapphire eyes lit up as she suggested, "Why don't you close your eyes and I'll spin you around so that you can randomly choose which one you can eat. Then we'll get the other one on your next birthday."
Victor's eyes lit up as well, nodding so eagerly as he quickly closed his eyes then spin around twice until his hand was waving around in the dizzy spell until it pointed to the winning cake. Once he opened his eyes, he cheered out loud while tapping the glass over the winner, "Chocolate lava cake! The heart one, we're going to get that one right mama? It's the winner! Can we eat it here mama? Please!"
"Yes Vitya, we can eat your cake here. It's your birthday after all," His mother nodded which made Victor cheer out loud with joy as one of the bakers cut two large slices of the cake in the shape of hearts themselves to be placed in silver plates as he carried the plates to their chosen table with two cups of warm hot chocolate on the house.
"Don't worry snowflake cake," Victor mumbled as he chewed through the chocolate goodness, "We'll get you next year!"
"Mhmm," His mother grinned as she tapped a bit of chocolate frosting on Victor's nose, "Happy birthday, my precious Vitya."
...
Next year never came.
Victor stared blankly out the cold window in Yakov's and Lilia's place where he would be living from there on. They were the only people closest to be considered family for him and his mama, the only ones she'd trust him with. He didn't think his mama would leave this world so suddenly, though it had been months since the accident, he still couldn't believe it.
He was all alone in the home that December 25th, Yakov, and Lilia were busy with their students but he didn't blame them for not showing up. Victor was giving everyone the cold shoulder, keeping them out of his barriers as he continued to stare outside where the snow was slowly falling.
As the years passed, his career and fame have grown but despite the mass attention, no one knew of the bakery he and his mother went to that last birthday they shared. He also avoided going anywhere near that bakery, especially for his birthday. It wasn't like he hated the place, it was more like the small fear of going back there where he might get hit by memories that would make him miss her too much.
In fact, throughout his lifetime, the only person who knew of the bakery was his loyal poodle Makkachin. There was no way anyone would take him to that bakery unless it was completely by random chance but that hasn't happened.
Not yet at least
...
"Vitya," A gentle voice cooed, "Time to wake up love."
Victor stirred in his sleep, feeling his fiance's hands gently attempting to shake him awake as he groaned, "Yuuuuri...More sleep." He turned to the other side, grabbed ahold of Makkachin along with his soft blankets to keep him wrapped up in its warmth. He was still tired from another year of a successful competition of winning silver, though that didn't mean the end of training. Though if he had to be honest, this scene he was in felt awfully familiar as he moaned tiredly, "Please."
"It's your birthday though, not to mention Christmas. You're always the early bird here, you know that you can't waste this special day sleeping in bed with Makkachin," Yuuri sighed as he poked Victor's head as he chuckled, "I told you not to overdo it during practice yesterday, even Yakov and Yurio told you." It was true, the other day Victor had been pushing himself to get all hard work done so that they would spend time planning their wedding that was coming the next spring, but that was no excuse for overworking himself. However, all Yuuri got in return was Victor's soft snores so he just got up and leaned against the door as he stated, "But if you insist on staying here, I guess I'll just cancel all the plans I had set for you."
Three...
Two...
One...
The blankets were tossed in the air as a flash of silver sped passed Yuuri as the bathroom door shut and within half a minute burst wide open with Victor all dressed up and ready that it didn't seem humanly possible! "Hurry Yuuri!" Victor smiled as he winked, "It's such a beautiful day today, we can't waste a second of it standing there doing nothing. You did say it was my birthday."
Yuuri and Makkachin had to blink at least twice to believe that what they saw wasn't an illusion but he finally decided to laugh it off as he followed the very excited Russian living legend with their furry companion in tow.
"But first breakfast Victor!"
...
"Where are we going Yuuri? Come on you can tell me, please! You can't keep me in the dark for long," Victor begged while they were, hands held together as they walked down the street that was covered in white snow with Makkachin.
"I already told you," Yuuri calmly answered, smiling at how his twenty-nine-year-old fiance could still act like an excited child at times like this, "We're going to the park, maybe skate by the lake and then I'm taking you to have cake in a special secret place."
"But I already know about that! I want to know where that secret special place is," Victor whined, leaning against Yuuri while poking his cheek, "Yuuri~"
"It's a surprise," Yuuri grinned as he poked Victor's forehead, "If I tell then the surprise would be ruined." Victor pouted for a moment from the answer until Yuuri planted a small kiss on his cheek and assured him, "Come on, it's your birthday and you should have fun right now."
That morning began with simple ice skating on the frozen lake, nothing fancy, just gliding around with their hands held together while Makkachin was following slowly behind them. They laughed at their own attempts to get Makkachin to stand up to glide on the ice with just his two back legs but only for all three of them to fall and be covered in frost from the ice. As small snowflakes began to fall, Victor was racing through the snow in the park, calling out for Yuuri and Makkachin to catch up as he bent down to roll a bit of snow into a ball.
Within seconds, he threw a snowball at Yuuri's face, knocking his glasses off but that only sparked the snowball war between the two while Makkachin occasionally switched sides depending on who threw more snowballs. They were at the point at just throwing large chunks of snow at each other until they were spinning around with their arms on each other's shoulders to try to make the other fall. They both fell on the snow, getting squashed by Makkachin who jumped on them while they released heavy laughter into the air that could be heard by any passersby near the area. Victor couldn't help but look up at the sky, recalling this warm feeling from some time in his past, how familiar this day felt from the beginning to where they were now. However, he shook it off as just a mere coincidence.
The sun was soon beginning to set when Yuuri wrapped a blue ribbon around Victor's eyes as he smirked, "Okay Victor, now it's time to go to the special secret place to have your surprise and I'll be your guide."
Victor clapped his hands with excitement, his hand holding onto the warmth that Yuuri's hand was radiating out of the gloves as he was being led somewhere away from the park and into the marketplace. He could hear cars passing by the street, Makkachin barking a few times for some affection that was well received while his excitement bubbled with anticipation at what his surprise could be. That was when he heard the sound of a little bell ring as Yuuri led him inside until he felt another pair of arms grab him while he heard his fiance's footsteps walk away from him. However, he couldn't panic when he realized that this place held a warm familiar aroma of freshly baked sweets filling the air as he felt his eyes widen with shock to hear a pair of elderly voices greeting them:
"Welcome to our lovely bakery!"
Finally, the cloth was removed as Victor could feel himself gasp when he suddenly realized that he was inside the sweet old bakery Frosts of Love, after all these years, he was inside the one place no one knew he used to visit! But he here he was, in that bakery surrounded by all of their figure skating friends, Yurio, Mila, Georgi, and even Nikolai, Yakov, and Lilia as they cheered:
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY VICTOR!"
Then there was Yuuri standing right in front of him with a cake in the shape of a snowflake held on a silver plate. The snowflake shaped, blue frosted strawberry shortcake that mama promised to buy him for his eighth birthday.
"Happy birthday, Vitya," Yuuri smiled warmly while Victor's eyes were on the cake.
The snowflake cake.
The cake mama never bought him.
Right here, in the hands of the love of his life.
Right there, in the place that was still here.
Victor looked up to see that just hanging on the wall behind that elderly couple at the counter were framed pictures of him and his mother sharing that other cakes over his seven years. He looked back down at the snowflake cake as he could his mother's voice echoing through his eardrums: "Then we'll get the other one on your next birthday."
...M-Mama...
Sprinkles of tears suddenly began to fall which caught everyone by surprise to see Victor break down while Yurio took hold of the cake so Yuuri could have his hands free to try to find out what was wrong. "V-Victor!? What's wrong? Did we do something wrong?"
Without hesitation, Victor pulled Yuuri into a tight embrace, soaking his shoulders with his tears as he cried, "N-No...It's just the memories of this place..."
"Memories?"
"Their good ones don't worry," Victor sniffled as he began to shake. "Very good ones."
Victor was still shedding tears when they sang for him when he blew out the candles, at the first bite of his slice and even one sip of hot chocolate shed more tears. Yuuri handed him several napkins to wipe the mess but those were useless when Victor still cried even though he was smiling very brightly. He finally stopped crying after his fifth cup of hot chocolate and finally asked Yuuri, "How did you find this place?"
Yuuri blinked twice at the question but regardless of that, he answered, "Well, it happened that day I got lost on my way back from the rink. There was a blizzard so then I stumbled into this place to get directions back to the apartment." He then gestured to the elderly couple who smiled fondly towards them, "They invited me for a cup of tea and a slice of cake before I left with new directions but that was when I noticed those pictures on the wall. I asked these nice people about them and that was how I learned about you and your mother, always coming here for your birthday for a special cake." He lowered his gaze to one that was mixed with sadness and symphony, "And that was when they told me about the last one you had together with her, even the promise she made you before you stopped coming here completely."
"Your fiance cried so much when we told him," The elderly woman informed Victor with a small smile, "It took him five cups of tea and three cups of hot chocolate to calm him down. My husband and I would make that snowflake strawberry shortcake every year just in case you decided to come back and when you didn't we'd eat it on that day so it wouldn't go to waste. After telling your fiance all that, he came up with the idea of bringing back the fond memories to good light, to make you happy on your birthday by completing your mother's promise," Her eyes got a little watery as she made a bigger smile, "And he accomplished that today, we're just glad you finally got to taste the cake you always wanted."
"Not to mention how blessed you are to have such a wonderful lover who cares so much about you," Her husband added with a light chuckle as he winked, "Better take good care of him, Victor, he's a keeper."
Victor could feel tears welling up in his eyes again but he kept them in as he pulled Yuuri into another tight embrace, "Yuuri! Are you sure you're not my guardian angel sent from heaven?"
"I'm sure that I'm just your future husband vowing to stay with and take care of you for the rest of our lives," Yuuri chuckled, taking a bit of frosting to dab some on Victor's nose. "Happy birthday Vitya."
They suddenly heard shuffling laughter around them as Victor turned to Chris who was simply pointing towards the ceiling while Yurio just gagged towards that something which made the couple look up too. To their surprise, tied up to a selfie stick as a mistletoe held by Phichit himself who sheepishly shrugged and giggled, "It's still Christmas after all and I know you two want to kiss."
Now that Victor didn't waste a second as their lips latched onto each other into a blissful whirlwind of passion that ignored the applause, catcalls, and even groans of disgust from the guests watching.
No one, well, except for the elderly couple, saw a slender figure in a long white dress standing outside the bakery in front of the glass window as her silver long hair flowed with the winter winds of the incoming snow. The couple made a small wave towards her as she returned the wave while holding in a giggle at how much her son has grown and found someone to love him for himself. Seeing her son smiling so happily was enough to let her know that he was in good hands with his lover. "Take care of him for me, Yuuri Katsuki," She whispered with her palm pressed against the glass, leaving no mark.
As the snow continued to fall, she began to fade away at peace to see her son had priceless new life and love as she smiled, "Happy birthday, my precious Vitya."
At that moment, Victor and Yuuri looked through the window, both having a feeling that they heard someone as well as being watched but found nothing other than the soft snow falling. Their arms around one another, they stood in front of that glass to stare outside of that window and watch the snow fall that night as they too felt a wave of inner peace melt into their chests.
Another year older, some might find it depressing but for Victor, he couldn't have been happier as he held on to his life's most precious present closer to him. Looking forward to the wonderful future that awaits them at the end of the altar by spring.
...The End...
Victor: *in tears* Oh my god that was beautiful
Me: Why thank you, *blows my nose in tissue* I can't believe I'm crying
Yuuri: *blushes* Uh Victor, what's that *pointing up*
Victor: *looks up and smiles* A mistletoe love, you know the rules *giggles* But if you're too bashful for that then-
Yuuri: *pulls Victor into a very, very, very deep french kiss*
Me: OH MY THOR MY EYES! MY NOSE IS GOING TO BLEED! *turns red, nose bleeds and turns away* I hope you enjoyed this birthday tribute and-
Everyone but Victor+Yuuri(they're making out okay!): SEE YOU NEXT STORY!