"Yuuri, let's sleep together!"
Yuuri sat with his back pressed to his closed door, face flushed. He could almost see Victor's cheery smile on the other side and feel Victor's hand against the chipped green wood.
Despite having been refused the first day, Victor had made it a habit to playfully suggest sleeping together every day since then, persistent on knowing Yuuri better as a coach.
Some days, Yuuri flat out refused him, wearily closing the door in Victor's face.
Other times, Yuuri would be sitting where he was now, wondering what to expect if he ever summoned enough nerve to open the door.
Unfazed, Victor would always take the rejection in stride, chuckling before telling Yuuri to sleep well.
Yuuri closed his eyes now as he heard Victor laughing softly on the other side, the sound warm as a summer's day.
Yuuri began to mouth the same words Victor parted with each night.
Good night, Yuuri. Sleep—
Yuuri's eyes snapped open as he heard Victor abruptly trailed off.
The first thing Yuuri registered was his hand on the worn brass doorknob of his door.
The second thing he noticed was Victor.
Yuuri didn't know how or when he stood up to open the door. He was painfully aware of how every bone and muscle in his body stood frozen as he stared into Victor's equally surprised blue eyes just a few feet away from his.
Yuuri could feel his heart begin to hammer anemically against his ribcage as he began to panic, searching for a way to explain this, to explain himself.
"U-um, I, I-I didn't-" Yuuri tried to breathe, the tightness in his chest not allowing anything coherent to come through. He briefly tried to calculate how awkward it would be to simply shut the door again and pretend that the past few seconds hadn't just happened.
Victor's still staring. I can't figure out what he's thinking. I-I don't know what to do. What do I do? What do I do?
Yuuri blinked as something brushed past his legs. He glanced down in time to see Makkachin wander into his room, oblivious to the present situation.
At this, Victor seemed to snap out of his thoughts. His hand started to reach in Makkachin's general direction before it dropped at his side. He smiled.
"Makkachin makes for a great sleeping buddy too." Victor's hand reached up again, only this time, his lithe fingers settled gently on Yuuri's cheek. "Sleep well, Yuuri."
Before Victor could draw away completely, Yuuri brought his own hand up, keeping Victor's in place, his gesture a plea he couldn't say.
Stay.
Yuuri thought of the posters he had of Victor, stashed away under his bed. Yuuri could name all the medals Victor had won since the older man started skating competitively. He understood Victor as a skater, as a paradigm of skill and beauty Yuuri had always tried his best to chase after, but he couldn't begin to fathom this person wearing green sleepwear with a pillow slung casually under his arm. As he stood there with Victor's eyes still watching him carefully and his hand under Yuuri's, Yuuri realized with a jolt that he wanted to know the Victor in front of him too.
"Yuuri?"
Yuuri took in a shaky breath, ignoring the way his whole face felt hot in response to what he was about to say.
"J-Just tonight, okay?"
As the words left his mouth, Yuuri's eyes widened as the calm that had temporarily possessed his mind vanished altogether. He dropped Victor's hand, unable to look at his new coach.
Almost automatically, he tried to backtrack. "T-t-that i-is, if you were r-really asking. You probably w-weren't, so I'm just being…"
Internally, Yuuri's mind screamed at him.
I took this too seriously! Victor was probably joking this whole time. He doesn't want-
"Yuuri." Victor's hand trailed down Yuuri's cheek to his chin, gently bringing Yuuri's gaze to meet his. Yuuri flinched in surprise as Victor suddenly brought his face closer, his expression unusually serious as his cerulean eyes studied Yuuri.
"Are you sure?"
Yuuri nodded, almost imperceptibly.
The way Victor lit up was better than watching him on ice. Even in the semidarkness, Yuuri could see the way Victor's skin glowed with happiness and how his eyes sparkled as though Victor had stolen the brightness from the stars themselves.
"Tonight only, alright?" Yuuri reminded as he let Victor into his room. He took in a deep, shuddering breath to calm his nerves. There was no way he couldhandle this every night.
Victor only nodded, smiling gently at Yuuri as he passed him by. "Your space is yours, Yuuri. I'm glad you let me share it with you, even if it's just for tonight."
He's not used to this, Victor thought the minute he climbed into bed and instinctively pulled Yuuri close.
Victor could feel Yuuri's thrumming heartbeat from where his hand was thrown casually over the younger man's chest and the muscles in Yuuri's back work as he tried to relax into Victor's hold.
He'll never sleep if we stay this way. As slowly as he could, Victor rolled away from Yuuri, feigning sleep as he did so.
A moment later, Victor could feel Yuuri shift on the tiny bed, the mattress dipping as Yuuri sat up.
For a few minutes, all Victor heard was Makkachin's soft breathing at the end of the bed and the sound of a clock ticking from somewhere within the room. Victor kept his own breathing slow and even, resisting the urge to open his eyes as he wondered what Yuuri would do next.
After what felt like an eternity, the sheets shifted as Yuuri laid down again. Victor's eyebrows knitted together slightly as Yuuri's hand brushed his shoulder and hesitantly trailed downwards before warm fingers were suddenly intertwining lightly with his.
Victor relaxed, content to lay this way beside Yuuri.
This close, Victor could smell the subtle floral fragrance of the soap Yuuri liked to use, undercut by the fresh mint of his toothpaste.
He inhaled deeply, eyes still closed. He could stay like this forever.
It was only when he felt a weight along his arm that Victor dared to open his eyes again.
Drool was starting to pool on Victor's shoulder where Yuuri had his face buried.
Victor couldn't help but smile softly at the fierceness with which Yuuri now hugged Victor's upper arm tight to his chest while his knees clamped firmly around Victor's wrist, keeping it in place.
With his free hand, Victor carefully reach over and brushed Yuuri's bangs back from his forehead.
He contemplatively traced the space between Yuuri's brows. There always seemed to be a crease there when Yuuri was awake—a testament to how often the younger man had something troubling on his mind.
Victor's thumb smoothed the spot over before trailing lower, curious and reverent all at once. All of a sudden, Yuuri's skin was ice and Victor was skating.
A gap in the curtains spilled moonlight over Yuuri's sleeping form.
Victor watched the way the shadows darted over Yuuri's face as his eyelids fluttered slightly, dark lashes skimming over the top of his cheeks.
Every so often, Yuuri would mumble in short Japanese phrases that Victor couldn't quite make out; each breath was a soft sigh that reminded Victor of mornings spent watching the Hasetsu ocean crash and whisper against the sand.
God, Yuuri was beautiful.
What I wouldn't give for another night like this.
A/N: Honestly, I'm such YOI trash, but ty for reading! Hopefully Victor didn't seem too creepy watching Yuuri lol