Yuuri holds a paper airplane between two fingers as if he was going to fly it, he turns it this way and that studying it before laying it on his desk and closing his journal now one page less. A small smile graces his lips "Someday I'll answer you, and I hope you read each word I wrote and find the heart behind them" the words fall from his lips with a sense of fondness as he moves away from his desk to open his window. His smile widens as he feels a slight breeze on the otherwise warm day and decides it's perfect for a run with Makkachin. He moves across his room as if on the breeze heading out to ask if Victor minds Yuuri borrowing his dog. His mind full of thoughts about the person who would one day receive a box of paper airplanes full of all the words Yuuri couldn't bring himself to send to them once he'd learned to read and write. He thought back to the strange letters that once covered his arms a long time ago and he wondered if they would even ever understand each other to find one another.
Victor, of course, doesn't mind and decides to relax in the onsen, the whispering of the wind his companion as he bathes. As he sits along the wall of the onsen enjoying the contrast of the warm water and the chill wind he finds his eyes drawing toward his bare arms. Once upon a time, they had been filled with messy Russian and childish drawings, but for every line, he wrote no reply would come. Somewhere in the world existed a being with a soul that was the perfect complement to his own, but one day they stopped drawing him pictures and soon after he stopped writing. It had hurt, but eventually, he got over it and checking his arms to see if the drawings his clearly younger soulmate once left had turned to words, even one. Ice skating had made it easier to not dwell on the silence, he'd carve his message into the ice and let the world see his love and loneliness. He'd been only ten when they stopped, and he wondered now at twenty-eight if his other half even cared, or if something had happened to them all that time ago.
As Victor made his way through the halls after his bath he noticed Yuuri's door open a crack and peeks his head in wondering if he was back yet. His eyes strayed along the walls of the room taking in how bare they were, though he knew from Yuuri's mother that not long ago they housed posters of Victor himself. He smiled at the thought, his eyes moving along to take in the rest of the room as he steps in noting that Yuri was not yet back after all. As he moved around the room learning a little about Yuuri from his room the wind picked up causing the papers on the desk to move slightly drawing Victor's attention. He regards the paper airplane with curiosity, noting black ink on it assuming it to be from the pen beside it, and lifts it gently to inspect the plane. The ink seemed to be a letter from what he saw without unfolding it, but one word drew his attention "soulmate" written where it shows on the wing, and his curiosity got the better of him. As far as he knew Yuuri didn't have one, or at least he never talked about them, so he unfolded the plane thankful the letter was in English and read Yuuri's heartfelt letter.
Yuuri had just returned home and was slipping his shoes off when he felt an unfamiliar feeling on the back of his hand, fearing the start of a rash or an injury he quickly pulled his hand up to check only to find a crudely drawn paper plane. He stared at it in shock as if not sure he was seeing it before realization dawned on him. His soulmate had contacted him for the first time in eighteen years, he took off running for his room to grab a pen to reply, wondering slightly why after all this time it was a paper plane they had drawn, but his excitement overpowered his curiosity. He slowed as he approached his room, caution taking hold of him when he saw his door open sure he had closed it when he left. He wondered briefly if Mari had gone in to grab something and forgotten to close it after. Nothing however prepared to see Victor standing at his desk, pen in hand hovering over the back of his other hand, Yuuri's paper plane open on the desk. He blinked, and then again, surely this was a dream? First, his soulmate contacts him, and now his idol and couch is standing in his room writing on the very hand that mirrored the one of Yuuri's that had been written on. He almost found it funny, but then he found himself growing angry, how dare Victor invade his room and read his personal thoughts that were meant only for his soulmate! Victor seemed oblivious to Yuuri's presence still drawing on his hand, and Yuuri ignored the tingle in his "What are you doing in my room! Get OUT!" Yuuri yelled unable to contain himself. His sanctuary had been invaded, his feelings bared, he felt hurt. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to cry, he wanted to have just sent all those planes so they couldn't expose him.
Victor jumped at the outburst the pen slipping from his hand marking his arm on its path down. He stepped forward "Yuuri I can explain -" he began but Yuuri simply pointed at the door in a silent gesture not trusting his voice not to crack. Victor regarded the other's expression then let loose a sigh and hung his head as he left the room, the sound of the door slamming a moment later stung as he carried himself back to his room. He regarded his hand bleakly after he threw himself onto his bed, Makkachin promptly joining him licking his hand causing the ink to smudge making where he'd written "Are you still out there?" in English hoping that his soulmate at least knew that language, but now it seemed his question would go unanswered in its unreadable state. He sighed wondering if it was for the best maybe. Yuuri's letter had given him hope that maybe his own soulmate was like Yuuri and just waiting for the perfect time to say something, but maybe they just didn't want a soulmate, maybe he no longer had one, after all, eighteen years without even a crude drawing, no indication of life, maybe they had passed and he just never knew it. At the thought, he buried his face in Makkachin's fur hugging the poodle close.
Yuuri took a deep breath after slamming the door and made his way to his desk. Promptly his picked up the fallen pen and refolded the letter before regarding his hand again only to see that something more had been added that looked like words, but it was illegible like someone had taken a wet towel or washcloth and tried to remove the ink. The sight made him sad, tears welling in his eyes. Had it been a mistake that his soulmate contacted him? Or did they regret it afterward? In his sadness, he found himself growing angrier with Victor if that man had minded his own business and not gone in Yuuri's room maybe Yuuri would have made it in time to reply. He wiped his face with his hand his tears causing the ink to smudge more, some rubbing on to his face, then grabbed the pen up. Even if they didn't want him he should at least apologize, and maybe return the crude drawing, thought Yuuri found it somehow fitting that he had all these planes he didn't send and then the first thing his soulmate did was draw a plane, and then an idea came to Yuuri. He set to work once he was fully finished crying not wanting to smudge ink with tears.
Victor smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes as he sat down for dinner, he'd fallen asleep hugging Makkachin and only awoke when Mari came to get him. He found himself unsurprised when Yuuri wasn't there yet, wondering briefly if he was still mad. Halfway through his food Yuuri did join him at the table but not a word was said between the two, Victor took note of the ink smudge on Yuuri's face but didn't question it lest he upset the other again. Mari brought Yuuri in food not long after and the two ate in peace, once finished Victor stretched his arms the long sleeves of his yukata shifting down to his shoulders as he raised his arms. Yuuri gasped suddenly catching his attention, bringing his arms down and looking at him, but Yuuri's eyes were trained on his arms. A little curious Victor rolled his sleeve up to reveal his arms covered in paper planes. He stared confused by their numbers, he had sent one and somehow received what had to be at least a hundred between his two arms. Yuuri's reaction though confused him more, he seemed surprised as if he'd never seen the drawings of one's soulmate, but from his letter Victor knew that Yuuri had before, and then he whispered something, so low Victor would have thought he'd imagined it if it wasn't for watching Yuuri's lips move, "What did you just say Yuuri?" Victor frowned.
Yuuri shook his head his original anger melting into cool amusement at the situation. It would seem he owed Victor an apology, but for now, he was too amused by the surprise he'd just received, glad that it didn't come about until now, Yurio couldn't claim that Yuuri only won because his soulmate being judge over the Onsen On Ice event. Yuuri smiled slightly as he rolled up the sleeves on his shirt to reveal his own arms coated in planes "One for each one I never sent, I counted twice to be sure." As confusion turned to realization in Victor's eyes Yuuri's smile grew even as the older male threw himself on the younger in a hug "I'm sorry I took so long to send them"