A/n: Thanks to my betas/prereaders - Mae_Cruz, Lady Eve and sklya2010star. This is an extended/missing scene of Episode 12 - starting from the end of the free skate at the Grand Prix Final and continuing until Yuuri and Viktor's reunion in St. Petersburg after Nationals in the last scene. As such, this is multi-chapter, not a one-shot like the others as I decided to split it up.
Chapter One - Light of Love
Yuuri and Viktor sat on the floor next to the rink, embracing for a bit before they got up. Yuuri couldn't remember ever being this happy. He had convinced himself over the past several months that he and Viktor's relationship had an expiration date, regardless of them getting engaged a few days prior. Now, he was finally starting to see that no matter what they were going to make it work. This was real. They were in it for the long haul, and nothing was going to stop them. It was an intoxicating feeling, to say the least.
"You need to get to the press conference," Viktor told him with a smile.
"Mmm, yes, I do," he said. "See you afterward?"
"Of course, lyubov moya," he said, leaning in for a brief kiss. Yuuri desperately wanted so much to melt into him, but he knew better. He had to go to the press conference, and he and Viktor had a tendency to get carried away once they got started.
Reluctantly, Yuuri headed for the press conference, filing in next to Yurio and JJ. The flash of the cameras would probably always bother him, and he wasn't sure he would ever feel truly comfortable here. During the press conference, all three of them got their fair share of questions. Yurio was asked if this added extra pressure on him with Russian Nationals coming up soon, and the teenager scoffed, saying that he knew exactly what he needed to do, and he was not afraid. Yuuri was asked a very similar question, although the reporter had to point out "after placing eleventh last year." As if he needed to be reminded about that.
"I let my fears and anxieties get the better of me last year, and I won't make that mistake again," he responded. "I want my national title back." Yuuri had won two consecutive national titles, in the Olympic season and the post-Olympic season. Last year, though, had been nothing less than disastrous. It had been the lowest scoring Nationals in several years, and Yuuri partially blamed himself for that. Two of the other top medal contenders - Tanaka Takahiro and Himura Daisuke - had both withdrawn due to injury. With him crashing and burning, it had taken the air out of the competition, so to speak.
Tanaka had been awarded a spot on the World team that he had petitioned for, and been sent there along with Minami. However, the two of them couldn't place high enough, and Japan had lost their second spot. Now there was only one spot, which meant that he had to win Japanese Nationals to have a good chance at being sent to Worlds. Yes, it was possible that they could send him by virtue of his better Grand Prix results, but he would consider it a personal failure - especially after last year - if he did anything less than win. Particularly after what happened last year.
Besides that, he wanted to gain back Japan's three spots at Worlds - and that meant going and placing in the top two, as that was the only way for a single skater to gain three spots for their country. He wanted to do it. He would do it. Viktor believed in him, and that meant the world to him. That was all he needed, was to know that the man he loved thought he could do anything. It didn't mean that his anxieties were gone, far from it, but it meant that he had someone to help him when it all became too much.
Yuuri had been so lost in thought that he had nearly missed his next question. A reporter asked him - and it was apparently similar to a question Yurio had just been asked, not that he had been paying attention to that, of course - how it felt to beat Viktor's world record and if he felt that put extra pressure on him. "Of course it does," he said, "but I'm learning to deal with the pressure." He touched the gold ring that sat on his finger. "It means I'll have to do better to prove that I deserve this."
JJ got asked the next question - if he felt this was a disappointment since he had talked about winning the entire season. "Sure, of course, but I think it sets me up very well for the rest of the season," he said. "I mean, I have the second highest free skate score of the season, and I'm thinking about adding a fifth quad to my free skate." He shrugged his shoulders. "I have time until Canadian Nationals next month, but it's all worked out, and I'm happy to win a second straight bronze. Next year, it will be Gold, though, I promise. It's JJ style!"
Yuuri resisted the urge to roll his eyes as the press conference went on. He dodged personal questions about him and Viktor before the final question went to Yurio. After that, he was never so glad to be done with it all. This was the end of the competition all together, as the Men's Free had the been final set of free skates performed. Three out of the four competitions in the Junior division had been won by Russians, and with two of the four medals in the senior division going to Russians, it had a lot of people talking about the future of Russian figure skating - with or without Viktor in the lineup.
It was no secret that Viktor's age meant that - no matter how brilliant he was - his days were numbered. This Grand Prix was showing the world - or at least that's what people were saying - that there was a future in figure skating, even after the legend was done competing. Yurio was proof of that, as was the other talented up-and-coming Russian skaters.
The Junior Men's event had been won by 16-year-old Maxim Ivanov, while the ladies event had been won by Roslava Sokolova, who wouldn't be old enough to compete on the senior circuit for two more years. The pairs event had been won by Sofia Glebova and Vladimir Turov. The Ice Dance event was the only event not won by a Russian, and it had been won by Americans Lauren Jackson and Michael Roberts.
The Senior ladies event had been the other senior event to be won by a Russian, and in fact, the Russians had gone 1-2. A young Russian named Tatiyana Demidova had won the event, with Mila taking second. Sara had edged out for the bronze over reigning silver medalist, Akane Yamada of Japan. The pairs event had been won by Canadians and reigning World Champions, Erica Leewald and John Zane. A Chinese pair, and reigning World Silver medalists, Wang Xialng and Zhong Lei, had won the silver with Ekaterina Vasiliyeva and Dmitri Sedov of Russia taking the bronze.
The Ice Dance event had been won by American siblings Charlene and Chris Ishikawa in what had been a near tie with two other teams - just .05 ahead of Canadians Natalie Ringwald and Sean Chevalier, who had only been about half a point ahead of reigning World Champions, Annette Moreau and Lucien Lepage of France. It had been a wonderful and intense competition in all disciplines. He hadn't seen as much of the other competitions as he would have liked since he had been competing himself, but he and Viktor had caught what they could. Right now, though, Yuuri was done. He wanted to go to Viktor, and that was the only thing that he wanted, especially after their intense argument last night.
A lot had been said. Viktor had called Yuuri selfish for making the decision to retire, while Yuuri had said the same thing about Viktor for making the exact same decision also without consulting him. Viktor had turned around and said that he had done that for him because he loved him and wanted to be with him. Yuuri had pointed out that he didn't want Viktor to sacrifice what was left of his career because it was what Yuuri needed, and he was also doing this because he loved him and felt it was what was best for him.
After some more yelling and crying, they had decided to make their own decisions after the free skate. They had done that, with Yuuri deciding not to retire and asking Viktor to stay with him. Viktor said he was still going to coach him while going back to competition, but asked for five World golds in return. Yuuri knew it hadn't been serious, but knew it for what it was - they were going to stay together, no matter what, the two of them were going to make it work.
~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~
Yuuri made his way outside, to find his fiance there waiting for him. Fiance… That word made his heart skip a few beats every time it came to mind, and he still couldn't believe that it was a reality. Viktor didn't notice him at first and was signing a few autographs. The one thing that Yuuri did notice was the Russian was merely being polite and charming; there was no flirting like there had been last time he had signed autographs for those three school girls while they had been going to the rink almost two months ago, after the Cup of China.
It made Yuuri's heart soar that Viktor had remembered that it had upset him, and was striving to not be a flirt with his fans anymore now that they were together. Of course, Yuuri realized that it was a bit ridiculous to be jealous of those fans, but it still meant a lot. As soon as Viktor finished, he turned around and spotted Yuuri. Immediately, he watched his fiance break out into a true smile. Yuuri walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him as Viktor did the same. "How was the interview?" he asked.
"Fine," Yuuri responded. "They asked about Nationals, and about you - they always ask about you, about us."
"Did you say we were engaged?"
Yuuri shook his head. "No," he said. "Right now, I just want it to be just for us, you know? Before we tell the whole world."
Viktor gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "That is fine with me, my lovely fiance." At hearing that word come out of his mouth - the first time either of them had said it out loud - Yuuri nearly broke down into tears over the sheer happiness of the situation. He leaned forward, eagerly kissing Viktor on the lips. The Russian looked taken aback for a moment before he almost seemed to melt into Yuuri's kiss before slowly pulling away. "What was that for?"
"Just hearing you say that - my fiance - I just… I just had to."
Viktor smiled down at him. "Well, you are, aren't you? I mean, we are engaged, right?"
Yuuri smiled back at him. "Yes, we absolutely are." He had convinced himself that this couldn't happen, and part of him still marveled that he had somehow actually managed to get Viktor Nikiforov to fall in love with him and want to marry him, but here it was. Everything would just have to work itself out because, in his opinion, the only thing that could have made this better was if he had won gold. Getting Viktor, though, was even better than that.
~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~
They made their way back to the hotel after that, and soon as they had taken their jackets off, Viktor had taken Yuuri into his arms. "I need to get my costume off," Yuuri told him, smiling up at him as he wrapped his arms around him. He still wished that he had won, because damn it, he really wanted to. However, it was hard to be upset about anything when he was engaged to the man of his dreams. It had been so fucking close, though, the slimmest of margins. That almost made it worse - almost.
"Mmm, that's true, but I couldn't help myself," Viktor said, before leaning in to give him a kiss on the lips. The kiss was brief, though, before he broke it. "Especially since we'll be busy when we get back home since we're moving to Russia." The words took Yuuri aback. Moving? Since when were they moving? Viktor must have seen the confusion on his face because he continued speaking to clarify. "Well, Yakov is my coach, and he is in St. Petersburg, so I need to be there. I am your coach - and your fiance - so you need to be with me. Therefore, it is logical that we move."
Yuuri smiled up at Viktor. "Yes, then, we're moving." He found it hard to be scared by the thought of moving twice in one year, and this time to a country whose language he didn't speak. He was with Viktor, and that made everything seem better. He was sure he would feel fear and anxiety from it later, but for the moment, Yuuri felt nothing but joy.
Suddenly, Viktor groaned. "What?" Yuuri asked him.
"I forgot, you can't move to Russia, not yet," he said. "You will need to get your visa before you can do that." The Russian gave Yuuri a sad smile. "That means you need to stay in Japan, at least until after Nationals."
A wave of fear rushed through Yuuri. "Wait, but…" He tried to think of a reason, something that would mean Viktor not going to Russia and leaving him behind in Japan. "Last time we were separated was only a for a few days, and didn't go well for either of us."
"I know, but I have to go, and by the time your visa comes in, you'll basically have to turn around and come back to Japan, so you should say there." Viktor tightened his hold on Yuuri, touching their foreheads together. "I don't like it any more than you do, but you have to admit, it makes sense, regardless of how much both of us might hate it."
Viktor pressed a soft kiss to Yuuri's lips, but it did nothing to dissuade his fears. He had been so happy just a moment ago. How was he going to live for three weeks without Viktor? "I have nothing but faith in you, my Yuuri," Viktor told him. "I will call you so much that you will be sick of me."
Yuuri gave him a small, sad smile back as he leaned into him. "I don't think that's possible."
Viktor covered Yuri's lips with his own, and Yuuri desperately wanted to melt into him and forget that they were going to be separated, and for a much longer period this time. However, his fiance quickly pulled back; Yuuri let out a moan of disappointment. "Hold on, lyubov moya, I need to make a quick phone call," he said, slowly letting go of him and going to pick up his phone.
Viktor quickly dialed a phone number and started rattling in Russian to whoever was on the other end. He seemed to be apologizing at first by the tone of his voice - and understandably so, as it was two in the morning over in Russia - before continuing to speak. The only words he understood were "Da," "Nyet," "Katrina" - who was she, by the way? - and "spasibo." The conversation went on for a couple of minutes as Viktor seemed to be describing something to the woman on the other end before he said thank you again and ended the phone call.
"Sorry about that," he said. "That was my costume designer, Katrina. I told her I need two new costumes before Russian Nationals. She told me I was crazy. I told her I'd pay her a rush fee for having to do them so quickly, and she agreed she'd have them done by the time I leave for Russian Nationals." Viktor walked over, taking Yuuri into his arms again.
"What are they going to look like?" Yuuri asked, as wrapped his arms around Viktor once more; he hadn't heard anything about his programs, and now that he'd thought about it, he was quite curious how he would know what costumes he would need unless he had already done the music. "What is your music going to be?"
"I had my composer, Dmitri, adapt the free skate music I was going to use into music for a short program, and I had new music done for my free," Viktor explained. "I did this months ago, as I didn't know at the time what I was going to do, and I could use the music for anything if I did decide to retire." He gave a shrug. "I'll let you listen to them later, but the costumes are a surprise." Viktor then gave Yuuri a look, one that said everything he wanted to do to him right now. "Now, where were we?"
He leaned in, and Yuuri desperately wanted to let Viktor have his way with him, but he still needed to say something first. "Before we go any farther and I forget what I want to say," Yuuri said, stopping Viktor when his lips were just mere centimeters from Yuuri's own,"I just…" He took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves and emotions. "I - I'm sorry. I am so sorry, about the other day."
Viktor had pulled back, and had looked a bit confused at first before Yuuri had said "the other day." A smile crossed the Russian's face. "It's fine, really."
"No, it's not. I hurt you. I just - let me finish, please." He had seen Viktor about to speak, but Yuuri wanted to get this out while he still had the will. "I just… I convinced myself from the beginning, and especially over the past few months that there was no way that this would work. No matter how good things seemed, and no matter how much we were in love, I just… I just told myself that there was no way that I would be allowed to keep you."
Viktor smiled down at him, and Yuuri continued speaking while he had the chance. "I just… so I'm sorry about that, I really am," he said. "I realize now that… I can keep you, that we're in it together."
"Yes, lyubov moya and nothing is going to tear us apart," he said. "I thought you knew that there was no way I could ever leave you. Now I desperately need to kiss you." Before Yuuri had a chance to argue, Viktor leaned forward again, capturing Yuuri's lips in an intense, passionate kiss. Yuuri soon forgot about everything else but his fiance, as all his worries were drowned away by the feeling of Viktor's lips on his, and his body up against his own.
~*o*x*o*x*o*x*o*x~
Sadly, they couldn't spend all day in bed the next day like Yuuri would have liked because he had the practice for the Exhibition Gala that morning, the Gala that afternoon, and the banquet that night. Therefore, after thoroughly enjoying each other that morning, they took a shower and then headed downstairs for a light breakfast. No one knew that Viktor was joining him for his exhibition. Though he figured that Yuuko and Nishigori had seen them at some point, they hadn't told anyone. It was a closely guarded secret, and Yuuri knew that social media was likely to blow up after this afternoon when they skated. It honestly made him feel a bit anxious, no matter much he was looking forward to skating with Viktor again.
Yuuri was sure that he would be affected by the crowd as soon as Viktor skated on the ice with him. He had never skated this program, with Viktor, with an audience before, and the cheers were likely to be deafening. He was, after all, the sport's biggest star and no one knew that he was going to be joining him. However, as soon as the Russian skated up to him, it was like the entire world around them just ceased to exist. All he knew was Viktor, the two of them skating together just like they were in practice. He couldn't remember being this happy. He was skating with Viktor, on the same ice, and it was going better than he could have imagined.
The ending pose came quicker than Yuuri would have liked, as he wanted to stay right here with Viktor for as long as possible. They had gone over what to make the ending pose several times. They had both agreed that it was best to change it, and had finally decided that they would end the program with Viktor having Yuuri in a dip. It had taken them days after they had gotten to the end of the program to decide on it. Who should dip who? Should there be a dip? Was there another way to end the program, a better way? Viktor admitted that he hadn't thought about how to end it; he had just been too excited about the idea, and being able to do it together.
Yuuri was happy with the ending, though. As he was there, gazing up at Viktor, the world seemed to come into focus again. He had been right - the crowd was going wild. Viktor lifted him gently up so that he was standing again, and Yuuri knew that the smile on his fiance's face must echo the one on his own. He knew they had to get off the ice, but before either of them could move, they were leaning towards each other and kissing. This was probably not the wisest idea considering social media, and the kiss was brief, but Yuuri didn't care. He had Viktor; he was too happy to care.
The two of them did their bows, and then made their way off the ice. "That was a perfect Quad Lutz, Yuuri," Viktor told him. "When did you learn to do that?" Yuuri glanced over at him as they put on their skate guards, and saw a smirk on the Russian's lips.
"I told you when we first started training together that I wanted to learn all your jumps," Yuuri said as they made their way backstage. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not really sure when it happened. I've tried it before, you know when you're not looking."
Viktor smiled at him. "Yes, I know, and I always told you not to. It's not necessary, and it's risky."
"You can do it, so I wanted to be able to do it, too," Yuuri responded, knowing that Viktor was just teasing him a little, and not taking it personally. "I told myself I would do it, and so I kept trying. I guess it must have clicked somehow." He wanted to be Viktor's equal, and while had gone a long way to to do that, he didn't feel he was quite there yet. His shorts weren't up to par yet, but now he could do all of Viktor's jumps, minus the Quad Loop which he had never done in competition and had only done in last year's exhibition at Worlds.
Yuuri's phone was going off right now, and he knew who it was - family and friends expressing their shock and surprise at the pairs skate. He ignored it. Right now, though, he just wanted to be with Viktor, knowing that the bubble that they were in at the moment wasn't going to last.