This was written for Tumblr's YOI Secret Valentine 2017 gift exchange and is for moni-neechan (I anon-asked you three times but I think Tumblr ate them all…). Since my giftee hadn't given me anything specific, I decided to pick a writing prompt on my fave list and lo and behold, the idea of Yuuri not only drunk-offering himself as a student but also drunk-proposing to his idol crush just killed me.
For some reason, just making Viktor suffer in pining cracks me up and this is now my second Viktor Suffering in Romance™ fic.
Cross-posted in: Tumblr, AO3
Disclaimer: I wouldn't even dream of owning Yuri on Ice. No way I could've made something so magical.
Be Mine
Viktor Nikiforov was a simple man.
(Lies, his coach Yakov Feltsman would say, and his fellow skaters would unanimously agree upon, but Viktor was just far too busy to acknowledge their sentiments about his high-maintenance lifestyle to even dismiss them.)
It didn't take a lot to please him. Good food, nice living arrangements, a flawless PCS, the best dog chow for his poodle, maybe a nice vintage car thrown in, and Viktor would be all yours. Honestly, it was a total mystery as to why none of the people he's dated for the past several years had stuck around to pop the big ol' question to him.
("Because they all realized he's an ass," Coach Yakov and the fellow skaters would seriously answer.)
But as Viktor fought to stand upright against the eager advances of one drunk Yuuri Katsuki, he's come to realize with inner embarrassment that maybe his standards of proposing were just a little too uncanny for most.
Marry me, Viktor, he had said.
Be my coach, Viktor, he had said, as well—about several moments ago back at the banquet hall, with a large audience to witness his admittedly-sexy dance number.
Marry me, Viktor, he had said just now, sleepily grinning at him like it was the best idea he's ever had. Viktor couldn't blame him. Marrying the world's greatest skater of the century was the greatest idea a fan could ever have.
MARRY ME, VIKTOR, HE HAD SAID—
"Whaddya think, Viktor?" slurred Katsuki, stumbling a bit but holding on to Viktor as if he doesn't have any plans of letting him go anytime soon. "It'd be great, right?"
Oh, yes, it'd be great, thought the hopelessly-romantic Russian skater breathlessly. It'd be fucking great, indeed. He wouldn't mind getting married to that sweet as—
No, no, he was getting ahead of himself.
While, admittedly, Yuuri Katsuki was an interesting man with interesting… proposals… Viktor should face them and him with a clear head. He had already let his fanciful mind run free with Yuuri's plea to be his student—he couldn't start fantasizing about marrying him, too. He had to be the professional one between them since the other was currently drunk out of his mind.
(He would admit that he had been thinking about going on a date with the Japanese skater after their dance, though. He just hadn't been expecting things to escalate quickly to marriage. Damn, how many surprises does this man have up his sleeve?)
Viktor quietly groaned, holding Katsuki up steady as the man started grinding him against the wall and nuzzling his neck. Why did he decide to walk the guy back to his suite again?
Ah, yes. He wanted to see if there were more "surprises" in store for him.
After a few more champagne glasses and impromptu dances, Viktor was suddenly hit with the brilliant idea of doing the escorting himself and quickly persuaded Katsuki before his flustered coach Celestino could take him off his hands. Yakov and Yuri both knew what was really up, though, and so Viktor hadn't bothered giving them an excuse.
"Hey, I'll just bring our friend here back to his room. I think he's had enough to drink."
"Keep telling yourself that, old man…"
"Don't wait up for me~!"
But now, faced with the (admittedly) very demanding marriage proposal and a bleary-eyed man looking up at him with pure adoration, Viktor found himself unable to touch him any further than this polite support of his arms. It felt… wrong.
Too sacred.
Too innocent and pure for his less-than-innocent-and-pure intentions.
(Which was ironic considering what happened back at the party…)
He had always imagined a proposal to him in the most romantic set-up ever, and it was obvious that Yuuri Katsuki was too far gone to pull off something like that, but for some reason, his reverent utterance of the words to Viktor shook him to the core.
Just like when he asked him to be his coach.
"Oh, I know!"
Startled, Viktor watched with cerulean eyes as the Japanese man stumbled away from him and approached the door just across them. The silver-haired man sighed in relief; he has been afraid that he'd have to manhandle Katsuki into his room somehow. It was just in front of them yet the other had managed to pin him to the wall before he could open it.
He was starting to regret doing of all this, especially when it was obvious that Katsuki wasn't thinking straight. At first, Viktor had just been curious about the timid man who had walked away from him and had avoided interacting with anybody at the party. That part wasn't surprising, considering he placed last in the competition. But just after a few hours of alcohol, Viktor had already found his life suddenly spinning out of its axis. He couldn't help gravitating towards the black-haired man, wanting to know more about him. Though now…
Katsuki fumbled with his keycard, quietly hiccupping every now and then. Viktor moved to assist him, smiling uneasily when the other let out a childish whoop and bounded almost gracefully into the dark open room. Maybe he should just leave.
It was one thing to contemplate about the coaching offer—it was entirely another thing to take the other proposal seriously. This was too personal, even for him.
(Viktor tried not to think about both offers actually being a joke from the drunken man.)
"Here, Viktor!"
The Russian man blinked up in surprise, Katsuki already back to his side. He was holding up a large blue paperclip.
"Oh… that's nice?" suggested Viktor with a confused but amused smile.
"No, no!" Despite already looking tired and about to collapse, Katsuki charged on, straightening out the clip with an adorably-cute concentrating expression. Viktor wasn't sure what this was about anymore, but he figured he could humor him just a little bit longer before getting him to rest and politely leaving the suite.
"There!" And now Katsuki was holding up a thin blue circle of wire. He grinned at Viktor once again. "Marry me?"
Viktor swore he felt his heart stop.
He barely realized that Katsuki was already grabbing his hand, slipping the makeshift ring onto his finger, and babbling about how he doesn't have anything appropriate at the moment but he'll make sure to buy his new fiancé a proper ring next time. The world shifted and blurred and Viktor was pretty sure that he really was drunk now. This was probably a nice dream. It had to be.
There was no way Yuuri Katsuki was this extraordinarily amazing within just an hour of meeting him—or was this ridiculous.
"Yuuri!"
Both men turned dazedly to a worried-looking Celestino power-walking towards them. "I'm sorry, Viktor, I should have—"
"I-It's fine," cut off Viktor, waving away his concerns and trying to act normal once again—the slight press of the thin wire between his fingers greatly distracting him. "It wasn't a big deal…"
Katsuki laughed airily and hiccupped again, leaning clumsily on the doorframe. "Let's celebrate, Celestino!"
"Now, now, that's enough of that. You're already yawning," reasoned the coach, and he proceeded to usher his student further inside the room before he could try to start anything outlandish again.
"Anyways, thanks for your help, Viktor."
Viktor blinked and automatically, a charming smile forming on his lips—though he could tell they hardly twitched into the proper shape. "No problem…"
The door gently shut close in front of him—he heard Katsuki whine loudly before the noise had been cut off from the outside world—and he took a step back.
And he forced himself to take another and another until he was no longer standing idle and looking like an idiot.
He halted and raised his right hand, where the fake ring was still stuck. How did he know to put it there…? he thought as he plucked it off and studied it with unfocused eyes. It was just a piece of plastic and wire, crudely formed into a circle that was far too big for his slim finger to fit snugly into.
And yet it was an engagement ring.
Viktor pressed his lips thinly. It was not.
Be real, Viktor.
He resumed walking, ready to just throw himself underneath the covers of his bed and hide away from all the problems he needed to face as an aging skater. At the thought, he squeezed the item gently in his palm. Katsuki was drunk and was probably joking, anyway. And honestly, Viktor shouldn't even be fantasizing about anything—he had only interacted with him today and a marriage proposal was utterly ridiculous at this point in their acquaintanceship. Everybody knew that.
And yet… Viktor kept thinking about how it would feel like to say yes.
He was an idiot.
He was an idiot.
Katsuki had left so early the next day—without even a word about what happened at the banquet—and had disappeared throughout the rest of the season that Viktor soon understood their situation, though not soon enough. It had been so obvious. The marriage proposal was, of course, just a joke—and Viktor kept shaking his head for even taking it seriously since he had been a bit tipsy himself that night—but what really hurt was knowing that the coaching proposal wasn't going to happen.
Viktor had been hoping that it would. That was why he had kept his eyes on Yuuri Katsuki the entire night.
Katsuki was fairly silent on social media—to the point that Viktor began wondering if perhaps he had already retired somehow without the world knowing about it—and this didn't help Viktor in trying to find out what to do about him.
Well… there was nothing to it. He just had to continue skating.
But that all came crashing down when he saw the video.
As cerulean eyes reverently tracked every movement on the screen, every fiber of his being was screaming at him to do something to the Japanese man. Months of silence had formed the questions in his mind—Where were you? Why didn't you contact me? Were you just playing with me? How could you?—but the sight of Yuuri dancing his program so beautifully washed them all away almost effortlessly.
After a time, his eyes fell on the deformed paperclip that the man had so proudly presented as his ring for Viktor. It was stupid, but Viktor had found himself unable to throw it away.
He picked it up from the shelf and proceeded to form it properly to fit his finger, his mind already swimming with plans.
The marriage proposal was a joke…
Viktor's eyes softened.
… but the coaching offer might not be.
He didn't dare slip the thin wire on, but his heart couldn't help skipping a beat.
(It was at this moment that Viktor decided he should start wearing necklaces.)
"Makkachin, I don't understand…"
The fluffy poodle had already sadly whined for the both of them, but Viktor still keenly whined on his own as he hugged his dog for comfort. He had come to Japan despite Yakov's threats and had gladly taken Yuuri's offer with a seductive (naked) flourish back there at the hot spring, but for some reason, Yuuri just looked constipated at the sight of him.
It had quickly become apparent to Viktor then that Yuuri felt awkward about that night and wasn't sure how to relax around the silver-haired man.
Viktor wiped his budding tears away with a sniff, and reached out towards his charging phone on the sleeping mat, where his little treasure was carefully set aside. Fortunately for Viktor, Georgi knew a lot about accessories, especially necklaces—caring for them and even crafting them with simple materials. After finally forming the paperclip into the ring design he wanted, Georgi helped him pair a nice chain for it and added a few more simple baubles to complete the whole look. Now the "engagement" ring was a cheap-looking but lovingly-crafted piece of accessory. There was now a brilliant light-blue bead inserted on it as its gemstone of sorts, and Viktor couldn't help loving it more.
The Russian man thumbed the design, letting Makkachin snuggle further into his chest. He didn't really know how this simple piece of blue plastic and wire managed to become so precious to him—he had already scolded himself several times for even thinking about what happened after the banquet—but in a way, Viktor guessed that it was because he had already attributed it to himself. He came across it the moment Yuuri Katsuki pushed him forward with a great and ground-breaking idea for his career and somehow, the ring now symbolized Viktor's new beginnings.
Yuuri may not even find it important, but Viktor was going to keep it with him as a reminder of his decisions.
(The ring wasn't the first of many trivial items Viktor Nikiforov got attached to over the years, but it would be the first of Viktor's collection of Yuuri memorabilia.)
Viktor sighed deeply, hugging Makkachin tighter. The problem now, though, was Yuuri. He was different from the one he met at the party, that much was obvious, but this excessive shyness wasn't helping his case at all. Hopefully, the ice would serve as their means of communication and make Yuuri lower his guard around Viktor. He really did want to get to know Yuuri better, after all.
Tomorrow's another day! Keep going, Vitya!
He came all the way here to coach the man, and by god, Viktor was going to fucking coach him!
(C: you mean you're going to fuck him
V: what no
V: I mean
V: not NOW)
Fortunately, as the months passed by, Viktor found their relationship deepening with every day Yuuri made an effort to approach him. They never talked about the banquet, but it seems they didn't actually need to for Yuuri to open himself up more. Viktor was glad; as Yuuri promised him to make up for everything with his skating, he smiled and relaxed as the sea breeze came over him. His patience and understanding were starting to pay off.
Life with Yuuri was really good right now.
"You must really like that necklace," commented Yuuri the morning before the Cup of China short program competition. Viktor blinked in surprise, and blinked some more when he realized that Yuuri had finally remarked on his constant accessory. Throughout the months of training, he wore it proudly like a banner only he understood. (Chris, too, to an extent, when a drunken Viktor whined about his woes to him one time.) No one had really ventured past a compliment when it came to his preciously-worn ring (Yurio had mostly glared at him and kept insulting him and Yuuri during the time he was with them), and so this was also the first time that his preference for it was pointed out.
Viktor opened his mouth, about ready to regale the story of that one beautiful night… and paused.
What was he doing? He was here to coach.
"Yeah," he said instead. "I half-made it myself." His throat felt a little dry.
"Oh, really?" Yuuri smiled, curious, but Viktor couldn't really push himself to entertain the subject any longer, so he smoothly changed the topic after a few more remarks about his necklace.
It didn't mean anything else to him other than a symbol of his turning point. What would Yuuri benefit from hearing about how he had proudly (drunkenly) presented that ring to Viktor, anyway? They were here to win and the silver-haired man wasn't about to distract his student with trivial matters. He had never talked about the ring with anyone else other than Chris (accidentally), and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.
You wanted to say yes, you flighty coward.
No.
You did. Just one night and you were so easily swayed.
If Viktor was quiet for the rest of the journey to the arena, Yuuri didn't comment on it.
Maybe in his forgotten dreams, Viktor had envisioned something like this, but after everything they had been through, he just couldn't believe that it would all culminate into him kissing the hell out of Yuuri Katsuki on live television.
He hadn't realized it, but he had spent the rest of the night thumbing his ring pendant gently.
The thumbing was such an ingrained habit by now that, for the whole time Viktor was separated from Yuuri by miles of ocean, he hadn't let go of his necklace once. When he realized it, he only felt a little bit embarrassed before the worry came back in full-force once again. Apparently, caressing it really helped.
It got him through the final grueling hours of waiting for Yuuri's plane, and honestly, the people in the airport should be thankful it had prevented him from going crazy.
Viktor honestly didn't know where to start.
The thick gold band on his right hand's ring finger was such a huge presence in his mind right now that Viktor barely heard what Yuuri was telling him. Flashbacks of that night kept repeating before his eyes, and the usually-light pendant on his necklace felt heavy for a moment underneath his scarf.
"T-Tell me something for good luck…?"
Cerulean eyes snapped back to soft, hesitant brown ones.
"I, uh, dunn really have *hic* anythin' appo-propriate at the moment but… I'll make suuuure to buy my new fiancé—fiancé! He he—a *hic* proper ring next time, o-kay~? Maybe a nice goooold one? He he…"
A warm smile spread almost unconsciously on Viktor's lips and he determinedly took Yuuri's hand, already knowing what to say. When they hit the streets once again to hunt for a good restaurant, he could almost feel his necklace jingling and bouncing softly against his coat.
"I couldn't even talk to Viktor."
There was no time stop his spit-take—out of the corner of his eye, Yuuri was smiling so innocently that Viktor's shock made his beer fly even further.
("VIKTOR YOU'RE FUCKING DISGUSTING UGH")
Viktor hurriedly slammed his mug down and turned to his fiancé with a worried expression. "Y-Yuuri, you don't remember?"
At the Japanese man's confusion, it was Chris who explained. "Yuuri, you got drunk on champagne and started dancing. Everyone saw it."
"Huh?!"
"That was disgusting as hell," piped in Yurio. "I was dragged into a dance-off and got humiliated, too!"
"A dance-off?! With Yurio?!"
"I did mine with a pole dance—half-naked."
As the black-haired and bespectacled man beside him let out a horrified screech, Viktor sat silently, staring at his mug with unseeing eyes.
Yuuri didn't remember.
Yuuri didn't remember.
Yuuri… didn't… remember…?
Suddenly, everything that happened between them for the past eight months—from the moment he announced his intentions buck-naked to the moment Yuuri slipped that thick gold band on his finger—made so much more sense now. He glanced at the man, seeing him muttering to himself with embarrassment clear in his eyes, and his pendant suddenly felt heavier.
You asked me to coach you.
No wonder he was so confused that first day. Viktor had been trying to seduce him, after all—plus, he had come in the wake of Yuuri's viral video.
You asked me to marry you.
Heh.
Yuuri really had been drunk out of his mind that time.
… No.
Cerulean eyes warmed with affection as he visually caressed the distraught features of his fiancé. Yuuri may have forgotten, but all of those eight months had been real. It had led them to where they were now, and Yuuri wanted him now—whether he remembered that proposal or not.
That, more than anything, took his breath away.
He smiled impishly at the man, holding his phone up. "I still have videos of what happened."
This is an engagement ring.
Later that night, lying on their beds with the lights dimmed, Viktor told everything that Yuuri apparently forgot about in his drunken stupor. He was immensely enjoying Yuuri's tomato-red complexion at the moment, the satisfaction filling him in knowing that his previous failed attempts of seduction and pining for so long were now being avenged at the sight of his flustered fiancé.
His beautifully-flustered fiancé.
"I can't believe I actually did all of that…" mumbled Yuuri with a whine behind his hands.
"I can't believe you forgot that you already proposed to me," retorted Viktor offhandedly.
But that got Yuuri's attention.
"H-How did that happen…?"
Viktor grinned. He told him.
Now Yuuri buried himself under the covers and the pillow.
"Oh, lighten up, Yuuri. It's fine! I actually thought you were cute—although I was getting frustrated since you kept stirring my hard-o—"
"It's not fine! I demanded you to marry me, Viktor! How could I have even done that?!"
"And then you slipped a ring on me," continued Viktor. Yuuri slowly got out of his makeshift fort and stared at him. Surprisingly, his doe-like eyes slowly traveled down Viktor's chest.
"… Is that the ring?"
Viktor's eyes widened—and he huffed a laugh as he picked up his pendant. "Yeah." The brilliant light-blue bead was as brilliant was ever.
"You wore it all this time."
"I did."
Yuuri's eyes cast downward as he lied on his side. "… Why?"
When he looked up again, Viktor had already moved to lie on his side as well, facing him and propping an arm to cradle his head. The silver-haired man smiled. "I guess because I was waiting for you to ask me again—properly this time."
Their hands clasped in the dimness of the room, but the entwined fingers and the rings on them faintly sparkled as if they were silently speaking for their owners' feelings for each other.
"I mean, you were pretty drunk and proposed to me, yeah, but I wasn't really too sure on how to bring it up back then while you were sober because I totally would have said yes to that ass, you kn—"
"V-V-VIKTOR!"
When Yuuri joined him and Yurio in St. Petersburg for training, Viktor was overjoyed to note that he was now wearing his own necklace.
Viktor was nothing if not a romantic at heart, and even Yuuri couldn't deny that the idea of matching the first "engagement" ring sounded nice. Phichit, on vacation in Japan, and the triplets and their mother were only too happy to help in creating the accessory. With video calls from Georgi and online tutorials at their side, Yuuri's own necklace was soon completed.
It was only made of a red paperclip fashioned into a ring with a brilliant pink bead, but nothing was ever going to compare to it—except maybe their gold rings and their future wedding ones.
(Viktor's fiancé notes with irony how the necklaces, while simple-looking, are actually not. Coach Yakov and the rest of the rink reply that that's because Viktor was anything but simple.)
A/N:
Hey, paperclip rings are pretty cool, okay?
To anyone interested, don't hesitate to try your hand at this prompt for Viktuuri, too—I'll admit this could use some more work so I don't mind seeing other, more detailed versions. I'm not too proud of this because I slacked off during the event and since I didn't want to be late for a gift exchange again, I sacrificed more prose for the sake of making it in time. So this isn't my best work, but I'm at least glad I got this out of my system. Hope you enjoyed it and Happy Valentines! ^u^