I laugh as I finally pull myself over the peak of the summit. As soon as I am stable I spin around looked out across the the horizon. I feel like I am at the top of the world.

"Amazing."

Jumping, I spin around to see what had to be an angel standing a short ways away. They have skin paler than the snow they are standing in with pitch black hair that is swept back. Their eyes are a shining silver that glitter like the black and white teardrop stone on their shoulder. Their black outfit is set tight against their body, black with swirls of silver and an odd half-skirt on their right hip.

"I- Yes, the view is quite stunning," I agree.

The angel's lip pulls up into a teasing smile and they chuckle. "The view was not what I was referring to."

"Oh." I blink, trying to find a response to that.

Suddenly the angel is in front of me and it is all I could do not to stumble backwards to my death. The angel quickly catches me around the waist before I can and pulls me against their chest.

They reach up and brush their hand over my cheek. "I have never seen one of you this far up the mountain before, nor have I seen one like you anywhere near here."

I blush as the angel brushes a few loose strands of my long silver hair from my face. "I-I'm an explorer. I wish to see everything there is to see?"

"Everything? Well, you are going to be exploring for a long time."

"I suppose so. So, um, what are you doing up here?"

"I live up here."

My eyes widen and I look around the snowy summit. "Up here?"

The angel chuckles and literally sweeps me off my feet. They hold me in their arms then jump. I scream, but it is short lived as instead of falling, we float on the wind like a snowflake. We drift down a short ways, curving around the mountain as we go, before landing on a large platform with a circular crystal structure at its center.

"Woah," I gasp as I look up at the ancient looking statue that is carved into the mountain over and around the platform.

"My home," the angel says, gesturing to the odd door that is set into the mountain.

"Incredible!" I mutter. "What are you? An angel? A god? One of the snow spirits the locals warned me of?"

The angel laughs and presses close to me again so that our faces are only just apart. "I know little about snow spirits, but you can call me Snowflake."

I blush, and that seems to encourage them as they press closer still. I swallow and say, "I-"

Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep!

Viktor reached out his hand to swat randomly at his bedside table.

Beep beep beep be-

"Finally," he groaned, turning over.

Thump thump thump!

"Vitya! You better be getting up!"

Viktor growled and pulled his pillow over his head.

"Vitya, wake up right this minute! You were the one that said you'd practice every day if I allowed this silly trip, now get up!"

"I'm up! I'm up," he sighed, sitting up.

There were a few seconds of silence, then, "It doesn't sound like it!"

Viktor chuckled and rolled his eyes before getting out of bed. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants and opened the door. "Good morning, Yakov!"

The coach huffed and crossed his arms. "About time."

"Practice doesn't even start until the afternoon today!" Viktor whined, throwing himself over the man. "Why can't I sleep in?"

"I will not have you lazing about all day!"

"Worlds was only two weeks ago! I won gold! I think I deserve a break!"

"And that's why I let you come here instead of staying in St. Petersburg and allowed for afternoon practices only. Now get up and do something or we're going straight back home!"

Viktor pouted, but Yakov ignored him and pushed him off to return to his hotel room. Viktor sighed and slipped back into his own. Knowing the difference between Yakov's empty threats and real ones, Viktor freshened himself up in the bathroom before digging into the closet for something to wear.

As he dressed, he thought about the dream Yakov had interrupted. It had been awhile since he'd dreamed of meeting Snowflake, he forgot how breathtaking it was.

Snowflake Agate had been haunting Viktor's dreams ever since Viktor could remember. The Gem, as they referred to themselves as, was an enigma. Viktor had thought they were just dreams at first, a bit of fantasy that almost made Viktor consider becoming a writer, but as he grew older the dreams began to feel… real.

Viktor's friend Chris - if you could call a competitor you occasionally got drunk with a friend - thought they could be visions from some past life that Viktor had lived. Georgi, another of Yakov's students, thought that Snowflake was his soulmate and they and Viktor shared some psychic link that allowed them to share dreams so that they could find one another. Mila, also a student of Yakov's, just thought Viktor was crazy and should stop putting so much thought into some dreams, a sentiment their teacher shared.

Viktor couldn't get Snowflake out of his head though, not that he'd tried that hard. They were… something else. Even ignoring their less than human attributes, they were bold, exciting, and confident, not to mention incredibly sexy. Not that he'd had any of those dreams about Snowflake. He didn't even have many different dreams about them. If they were visions of the past, then past-him's relationship with Snowflake had been short, spread out, and almost bittersweet. Clearly a mere human couldn't keep the eye of Eros incarnate for long.

Before Yakov could start banging on his door again, Viktor snuck out of his room and off into town. Viktor had never had a chance to explore Japan before, not that he'd had many chances to explore anywhere else he'd traveled. Japan had always held more appeal though, as it was the backdrop to his first meeting with Snowflake. Perhaps that was why he'd dreamt of it, though why it took a week of Viktor being in Japan he'd never understand.

The skater flittered about, taking picture after picture of various things. He'd just stopped at a stand that sold… some sort of food, maybe, when something crashed into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Vicchan, no! Bad dog!"

That is no dog, was Viktor's first thought as he turned to look up at the massive wolf hovering over him. The thing was black with silver eyes and a size to match a horse.

"I'm so sorry!" a young man said as he shoved the wolf away from Viktor. Easily. Should it be that easy to push a creature that size? "Are you okay?"

Viktor focused in on the man, and felt his brain short circuit.

His skin was a more typical tone for the locals, if a bit pale. His eyes were larger, like a puppy's, and a rich chocolate color beneath the glasses. He was a bit chubbier, mostly in the face. His hair was a bit longer and hung down loose with a touch of a curl. He was also shorter and a bit more masculine. And yet… he looked so much like Snowflake.

"I… Yes, I think so," Viktor replied, pushing himself up.

"Oh thank goodness!" the man sighed before turning to the wolf. "Bad Vicchan! You know better than to jump on people like that! Say you're sorry!"

The wolf huffed and wandered off. The man slapped his face and turned to Viktor with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry about her. She has a mind of her own. She usually doesn't jump on people like that though."

"It's okay. It's nothing I'm not used to with my poodle." Although, Makkachin was admittedly a lot smaller than that beast.

"Oh my, here let me help you up!" the man held out his hand and Viktor realized he was still sitting on the ground. He took the offer and the man pulled him right onto his feet. He was certainly stronger than he looked.

"Thank you."

"It's no problem, really. My dog's the one who knocked you over after all. It wa-"

Viktor looked up from brushing himself off when the man cut off to see him staring at Viktor with a blush. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, I'm- Yes, fine, g-good." The man stuttered and stumbled over his words. Viktor watched, confused, until it hit him.

If this man was his Snowflake, surely he had dreamt of Viktor as well!

The taller man smiled and leaned closer to the shorter. He brushed his hand over the other man's cheek just as Snowflake had done in his dreams and said, "Perhaps you could take me to get a drink to make up for my fall?"

His Snowflake blushed and jumped away with a squeak.

Viktor frowned and dropped his hand. Had he done something wrong? "Why'd you run away?"

"N-no reason." He swallowed and glanced down at his feet. "I, um, guess we can go get something to drink. I do owe you."

"Great!" Viktor cheered bouncing forward to wrap his arm around his Snowflake's waist. "I've been wanting to try sake! Do you know where's a good place to get some?" he asked as he started pulling the shorter man down the street.

"Wait, sake? I thought we'd get tea or coffee! It's ten in the mor-"

"I'm Viktor, by the way! Viktor Nikiforov! It's nice to meet you!"

"Yūri Katsuki."

Viktor quickly learned that Yūri was not at all what he'd expected.

While the younger man - four years younger at twenty-three - did bear a striking resemblance to Snowflake, that's where their similarities ended. While Yūri could be a bit waspish and distant when pushed, it had a nervous energy to it that Snowflake had never had. He also tended to be soft spoken and quick to shatter. Viktor could easily make him blush, which was a change considering how often Snowflake had caused such a reaction in him.

It wasn't a bad change. In fact, Viktor found Yūri absolutely adorable. He was curious about it though. Had Chris been right and present-Yūri was different this time around or was Georgi right and dream-Yūri was simply more confident?

Neither of them had brought up the dreams, nor had Viktor referred to him as Snowflake. The last thing he wanted was for Yūri to think the only reason he was around was because of the dreams. He liked this Yūri. The one who was a bit chubby because he loved Katsudon too much. The one who had a giant wolf that he called a dog and shrugged off any questions with a "I found her when I was younger and by the time we realized there was anything weird about it, she was already part of the family." The one who wanted him to be himself and not some mask and role. The one who skated like a god amongst men, yet still watched him like he was the god.

The first time Viktor had seen Yūri skate, he'd been stunned. His spins, steps, and musicality were all beautiful! His jumps were a little wobbly, lacking control, but Viktor knew if he could fix that he could go far. He might even be able to pass up Viktor. Unfortunately Yūri couldn't compete competitively because of "health reasons. I can't pass the blood screens. It's complicated. It's fine though. I probably couldn't handle all that attention. I'm better off just helping teach classes in my free time."

The world was missing out.

Viktor was only in Japan for a month, but they kept in contact after he left. They video called when they could and texted the rest of the time. Mila teased him and Yakov complained, but Viktor couldn't find it in himself to care.

Come outside.

Viktor blinked at the text from Yūri and finished hanging up his short program costume.

~~~Why?

It's a surprise.

Viktor grabbed his wallet, checked to be sure he had his room key, then headed out.

~~~What time is it in Japan?

Doesn't matter. Are you coming?

~~~I'm in the elevator.

Alright.

Viktor slid his phone in his pocket as he stepped out of the elevator and pulled up the hood of his jacket in an effort to avoid any paparazzi that were hanging about. Thankfully they all seemed focused on JJ.

Viktor slipped out the door and was about to pull his phone back out when he heard someone call his name. He turned to see Yūri standing across the street at a park. Vicchan was curled up at his feet in a harness and leash, which was rather redundant given her size.

("It just encourages her to stay close," Yūri had tried to explain before. "Besides, it helps me hold on if we really need to go somewhere.")

"Yūri!" Viktor shouted as he raced over. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to cheer you on. I hope that's okay."

"Okay? It's great!" Viktor scooped him up in a hug and spun him around.

Yūri laughed nervously and patted his shoulder. "Viktor, people are staring."

Viktor peaked past Yūri and saw that people were, in fact, staring. A few were even holding up their phones for video or pictures. "Let them! I haven't seen you in months!" he laughed, though he did set the other man down. Instead he hugged him, pressing his face into black hair. "You should have told me you wanted to come watch the competitions! I would have helped you get to Skate America!"

"It's fine. I was busy at the time so I couldn't have gone."

"You still should have told me!"

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Honestly, I wasn't even sure I was going to be able to come."

"Well, alright. You'll just have to come to the Final then! I'll get to show you all around Barcelona! Don't worry about tickets or travel! I'll take care of everything!"

"You don't have to do that. My family's… got our own private means of travel."

"Really?" Viktor didn't know much about Yūri's family. He knew his mother died during childbirth and he'd never known his father. He had an apartment in the town they'd met, Hasetsu, for when he was in town, but he lived with three of his family members - of unknown relations and names - somewhere outside Minami-Alps. He wasn't entirely sure what they did, but he was pretty sure they worked with animals. He supposed with a job like that they'd need a means of transportation. It certainly explained how Yūri got a beast like Vicchan to Paris. "Well, I'll still take care of your ticket. In fact, I should be able to get you a pass so you can watch with Yakov."

"Y-you don't have-"

"Nonsense, it's no problem. Now, come on, I have today off so I can show you Paris!" Viktor wrapped his arm around Yūri's and pulled him down the street.