It'd been about a month since Victor invited all those people and sat on Yuuri's lap, ruining him for any other ass that'd sit on him. Well, no one else was really in line for the opportunity anyway, so. He remembered how happily Victor interacted with each member, all of them easy 10s in the looks department. Sparse ends of Victor's hair floated in the static electricity left over from Yuuri's beanie. One by one they collected their skates, most crowding around Victor in their excitement while Yuuri fretted around, trying to get everyone's size. Sometimes while the popular Russian excitedly chatted, his eyes flickered over to Yuuri, and it felt like a secret was shared between them.

Things seemed to go much more smoothly between them, after that. Yuuri wasn't nearly as afraid of him, and it was safe to say that he might've started liking him, a little bit. Victor always had something interesting to say, and he was always happy to see Yuuri, so it was kind of hard not to like the guy.

Yuuri had also become slightly accustomed to Victor's closeness. Sometimes, when Victor's practices ended early, or started late, he'd join Yuuri behind the counter to warm up. After about the eleventh set of very tricky looking stretches, he'd huddled with Yuuri, his hand extended on the tabletop in between them, showing off the video on his phone. Yuuri was watching with half interest, and Victor's close proximity shared the other half of his focus. "Isn't it cold?" Victor chirped in all his foreignness, smoothly pressing the side of his body against Yuuri's, who steeled himself to keep still and calm, his breathing hitching a little. Victor felt perfectly warm, but Yuuri wasn't about to push him off. "Yeah." he lied, when just seeing Victor automatically warmed his body. He felt like a teenager, constantly battling his hormones and urges over this pretty silver haired boy that'd effortlessly skated into his life.

He could smell the shampoo wafting from Yuuri's long hair, some of which draped over his own shoulder as Victor leaned in closer. "See that overrated quadruple loop? Because of it, he scored higher than me last year in the first round, but I won overall, so..." Even Victor's full of himself smirk looked pretty, his eyes impishly dancing his his thumb swiped over his phone. "Wow. That's... pretty amazing." Yuuri had no idea what a quadruple loop was, but he agreed it was very overrated when you had an actual incubus snuggling up to your side. Yuuri was bad at flirting, but Victor loved compliments, so he was easy to figure out.

"I will crush him until he drops off map~" Victor informed with two grave nods of his head, his threat sounding unnatural with his soft accent. Yuuri thought it was adorable.

"... You can't just crush people, Victor." he reprimanded softly, earning a coy look out of the skilled artist.

"No?"

Yuuri tried to keep his face straight, his forehead bumping into Victor's. "No."

Victor was the first to smile, easing the tension off of Yuuri's forehead as he tilted his face, until their noses brushed. "Then, I'll crush them lightly?" Victor's breath was light, Yuuri's heart felt light, his head was definitely light.

Yuuri's mind swam with all the many things he could say in return, but in the end he went with the truth.

"How do you do that?"

Catching Victor by surprise was a beautiful thing, because it rarely happened, and it was fleeting, readily replaced with a cheeky smile. "Do what?" His face pulled back some, mercifully giving Yuuri space to think. His fingers reached to push up his own glasses and they drooped again when he tilted his face downward. Victor's fingers were already smoothing the plastic of his frames back up, stroking one arm over Yuuri's reddened ear.

"You're so good at making people warm up to you," was the best way Yuuri could put it, his words slow and thoughtful. Victor's hand pulled away and he thought about it, his arms folding across the table, resting his head on top of them, letting his ass jut out behind them. "Making new friends has never been a problem for me~" Victor bragged, but the way he said it, it should've been obvious that he'd be able to make friends so easily. His eyes traced the entrance of the building as he thought about it a little more, his smile deepening as he looked back toward Yuuri. "I think a lot of it is confidence. It's like power; people are drawn to it." Oh, Yuuri was definitely drawn.

He faltered, his shoulder leaving the comforting warmth of Victor's. "Confidence." Yuuri repeated as confidently as he was able, sighing after he'd quickly given up on the idea. "I don't have any."

Victor rolled his eyes, his back arching as he lifted his head. "Of course you have some. Relax. Become comfortable. Let it out naturally." Everything Victor said sounded great, but Yuuri still felt anxiety because he and Victor were worlds apart, and he felt like Victor wasn't understanding him. "It's not natural for everyone, Victor. Not everyone's a gold medalist with a crazy social media game."

Yuuri wondered why they were still having this conversation anyway. "You were confident before, when we were on zamboni." Victor's arms gestured big, as if Yuuri needed it to remember the place where he'd lost his lap virginity. And his breathing in the same space as another person virginity. "That was... we were having fun."

"And just now. When we did this." Victor was close again, nuzzling his forehead into Yuuri's until his little button nose was wiping off Yuuri's glasses. He laughed, reaching up between them to fix his glasses again, unable to stop himself from encouraging Victor.

"You're very charming," Yuuri reasoned, his fingers lacing as one of his shoulders dropped, and he was trying to casually play off the compliment he gave, but he was already feeling his cheeks burn. "I... kinda forget about myself when I'm with you." That was also true. Victor was very good at getting Yuuri comfortable. Yuuko got him comfortable too, but he really felt at home when Victor was giving him attention.

Victor's eyes had locked in on Yuuri, as if he were totally encompassed. That, or he'd just found a new toy. He hoisted himself up onto the counter behind him, his hands at his sides as his legs kicked childishly below him, swinging over the edge. "Is it because I am handsome?" He sang happily, delighting in Yuuri as he gave away the answer with an irresistible smile.

"A little. Maybe."

"I know, I know. It's not fair, being in the presence of one so beau-tiful."

Yuuri had to keep his smile dry, even though he badly wanted to indulge Victor's adorably large ego. "Alright, that's enough outta you... where's your coach, Victor? He's pretty late, isn't he?"

It'd been like Victor had been waiting for Yuuri to ask, tilting his face to the side with a knowing smile. "Practice was canceled today."

Yuuri still looked confused, his body remaining motionless as his eyes nervously flittered to the exit. "Then... what are you hanging around here for?"

Victor puffed out his cheeks in what Yuuri assumed was irritation, nodding toward the shelves. "Go get my size: 10s. What are you hanging around here for, why do you think?" He waited expectantly until Yuuri started to move, filing right to the men's 10s, pulling out a pair that undoubtedly lacked in the quality that the superstar was used to, but he obediently brought them back. Victor kicked off one shoe, his leg rising, offering Yuuri his sock covered foot.

"Put them on for me."

It wasn't a request, and it was so much more than a command. Victor said it like he was giving Yuuri the chance of a lifetime. That Victor could offer this chance to anyone, but he generously gave this position to Yuuri, who wasn't as amused. He huffed and walked forward, placing one skate on the counter beside Victor, taking hold of Victor's thin ankle. He guided Victor's foot into the shoe, and something felt intimate about the way they handled it. Yuuri heard Victor's right shoe fall to the floor, and soon he felt soft pressure run down his abdomen, resting at his thigh.

"So soft!" Victor happily remarked, his foot lightly bouncing in the plush of Yuuri's thigh. "I noticed when I sat on your lap, but... you're a little round, aren't you?"

Yuuri harshly yanked the ties of Victor's skate, grumbling with a reddened face, "Well so- -rry for not being up to your standards."

"A-Ah, no, it wasn't meant to be an insult!" Victor grinned innocently, making Yuuri's heart flutter even if he still felt a little overly self conscious about his weight. "It's not a lot, but some round goes a long way- -ahh, a little tighter, милашка." So flexible was Victor that he easily leaned forward, his chest pressing into his knee as he angled his foot perfectly within the foot, gripping the ties and giving them more firm pulls, showing Yuuri the proper way to do it. "It needs to be tight, for support. You will protect my ankles like this." It felt thrilling knowing that Yuuri's actions could safeguard Victor while he was on ice, or destroy him. The sharp blade pointed downward, and soon Victor was leaning back on his hands, plopping his other foot onto Yuuri's chest this time, his toes wiggling. Yuuri let the foot fall into his hands, his thumb smoothing over the arch between the pads of Victor's feet, watching his face give in to the pleasure. His eyes centered where the sock ended, and where what looked like an ace bandage wrap began. His eyes were darting over it, his hand pushing up the layer Victor wore over his leg to get a better look, worried suddenly. "What's this?" He didn't know much about skating, but this didn't look normal. And didn't Victor's right ankle look just a little more swollen than the left?

Victor looked down carelessly, shrugging his shoulders as he focused upward. "It's an... extra safeguard. I wear it before competitions. It is nothing to look so worried over, Yuuri." His hand reached up, fingers dragging down a cheek, playing with a little bit of Yuuri's chin. His hand was swatted away, and Yuuri was concentrating again. He wasn't going to bug Victor about something he had no knowledge of.

Victor watched Yuuri dress the extremity with care, ensuring Victor's foot was completely inside before tying it tightly. His fingers reached for the skate blocks, so Victor could walk through those double doors and into the rink area, but Victor was quickly tugging Yuuri's body back to him, spreading his legs so Yuuri could stand in between them. "Carry me in, and I'll show you something good." Victor promised, sliding his arms around Yuuri's shoulders, as he had on the zamboni those weeks ago.

Yuuri nervously scooped his hands underneath Victor's legs until Victor was held against his chest, one hand supporting Victor's back, and the other arm supporting underneath Victor's knees, sliding him off the counter and grunting. "You're... mngh... a little heavier than I expected."

"Big breakfast." Victor nuzzled his face into the warmth of Yuuri's neck, the owner of which shivered. Victor's cheeks and nose were cold, but his lips were just the right amount of softness and warmth, and it had him distracted the whole time he carried Victor into the rink.

No one was due to skate until it opened for the public in a couple hours, but Yuuri felt a little conflicted about leaving his post. Still, he managed to make it all the way to the rink, only readjusting his grip on Victor once, slowly easing him to the ground. "Good, goo- -!" Victor's right skate gave way onto the ice and Yuuri's hands shot out on reflex, catching Victor before he smacked onto the ground, their faces uncannily close.

The Russian looked scared, as he should've felt after the near accident. But Yuuri's feet were rooted on the ground, and his arms were so strong. Victor clung to him, feeling Yuuri ease up real slow, keeping Victor close.

Something about the vulnerability on Victor's features excited Yuuri, and for once he had an advantage, Victor's face was just a little lower than his own. "You... okay?" he murmured softly, watching Victor's pupils return to normalcy, his fair cheeks filling with color.

Shyness suited Victor, too.

"... I am okay. Thank you."

Something was left unsaid between them, and Victor was skating out of Yuuri's arms before he could blink, leaving behind any sign weakness. First he was skating around the peripheries of the rink, gaining speed and slowing in what Yuuri assumed was a warm up. Yuuri watched the hypnotizing motion of Victor's hair, blowing behind him as he skated, sometimes billowing forward whenever Victor's body dipped or slowed, following his body's momentum. Yuuri's eyes then fell to the breezily thin, white blouse Victor wore, the neck long and deep, showing the dark under armor beneath stretching from the base of his neck to his thin wrists. When Victor lifted his arms, Yuuri noticed the short length of the shirt ride up, exposing more of the undershirt that hugged Victor's frame. There was the definition in his arms, the sweet give of Victor's abdomen, the way his pectorals expanded as he lifted his arms, down to each line of his body. Below that was something akin to shorts, fluttering high on his thighs with the span of dark material down below, alluringly fitting the contours of his legs.

By the time Victor skated back to him, his hair was lightly fringed with static hairs that escaped from the main body of his hair, his expression polished with pure mirth, cheeks heated from the light exertion. "Choose a song," he panted lightly, digging his phone from the pocket of his shorts and handing it over to Yuuri, who questioningly looked at the video app provided. "Any song," Victor clarified, nodding confidently. "I will skate it for you." He took off again before Yuuri could react, his body traveling to the center of the ice.

What was Yuuri supposed to pick? Something upbeat? Classical? Victor said any song, but the unlimited possibilities paradoxically limited Yuuri, somehow. The challenge was there, to give Victor something he couldn't even skate to, but Yuuri conceded defeat and just picked a favorite of his.

The music began, and so did Victor.

Yuuri's hand carefully set the phone on the railing, joining it with his elbows as he kept his eyes on the skater. He should've expected nothing less than perfection, but this was the first time Yuuri had really seen him skate, outside of a video that Yuuko showed him, and he couldn't believe his eyes. Victor quickly molded himself into the rhythm and became very much a part of that song, until he made it his own. This was Victor's song, now. The Russian marvel expressed himself in his fingers, from the way they traced down his own body as he glided over the ice, using much more than the myriad of emotions he openly displayed over the pretty features of his face. No, he was much more than a pretty face, and he showed it to Yuuri, explosively.

Victor's skating devoured Yuuri body and soul.

He knew now why Yuuko and millions of others were obsessed. This was the real deal, right in front of him, gracing Yuuri with a brief glance every so often, seeming to say 'You're mine and you don't even know it', which honestly Yuuri could've interpreted it in so many ways. At least, he couldn't believe someone like Victor would want anything to do with someone like him.

The first jump caught Yuuri by surprise. Victor's skates left the ice and he was rotating blindingly fast, dipping back over the ice with an almost eerie certainty. More momentum, more speed, and Victor cracked a combination of spins. Yuuri's hands tightened over the thick railing, leaning over in his excitement, lips parted in breathtaking awe. He didn't even care that Victor was smirking at him now, too enraptured and impressed to do anything other than gawk.

The next high spin in the air had Yuuri's hand slapping up to his forehead, taking a handful of hair in between his fingers as he sighed in further astonishment. Yuuri didn't want the music stop, he didn't want Victor to stop, but the song was already fading, and Victor assumed a pose, his hands extended for Yuuri as his chest heaved, panting in the silence.

Moments passed and he started skating toward the same way he'd entered, moving more quickly once Yuuri opened his arms.

Victor clung to the edge of the ice rink once he reached it, his body slamming against the barrier because it'd be faster than slowing down on his own. He impatiently untied his boots and threw them off to the side, hopping shoeless into Yuuri's arms. He didn't know why he was accepting Victor's weight again, his body rocking back with it. He didn't know why they were hugging now, but it just felt right. His hands could feel Victor's body through his shirt, his chin resting over an exposed shoulder, with only Victor's undershirt separating skin. Victor's hands were pulling at the sides of Yuuri's shirt, readjusting for a better grip on him as his breathing calmed. It was a few moments of this, before Yuuri's voice cracked into the silence.

"I just needed to know you were real."

A muffled giggle spilled out of Victor, who pulled apart just to shine his bright smile in Yuuri's direction. "Now every time you hear that song, you will think of me, yes?" Victor's hands slid up between them, his hands smoothing the sweatshirt around Yuuri's waist. Feeling the touch, the ravenette shivered, sinking more into Victor. "And every time I hear the song, I will also think of you, because you chose it for me." Victor's voice was lower, reaching Yuuri more deeply. Victor's face shifted closer, and some how their arms managed to switch positions, because Yuuri's hands were clinging around Victor's trim waist and Victor's hands were holding Yuuri's shoulders still.

He wasn't sure what Victor wanted, holding Yuuri like that, but he patiently stared into clear blue eyes, watching the sudden trepidation in Victor. "Yuuri, I want you to... give me something to come back to. You know, to inspire me while I'm competing."

Yuuri's eyes dropped, remembering that Victor would be leaving soon. He'd been training all semester for this, so of course he'd be heading off. Victor would be coming back for school exams, to train for the next competitions, but how soon that was depended on how poorly he did. If Victor's skating moments ago had any indication of how well he'd do, Victor wouldn't be returning any time soon.

The fact that Victor was asking this of Yuuri kicked in, and he looked up at him from their small height difference, unsure. "What, like... a pep talk?"

Victor sheepishly averted his gaze, betraying that he had something else in mind, but he wasn't about to unload it on the other. "Yes. Something of that nature."

The burden felt too heavy for Yuuri, who had no idea what to say in situations like this but good luck and break a leg, neither of which felt appropriate for how much more Victor had come to mean to him.

"Ah! That's right." Yuuri pepped up with his idea, and Victor fondly awaited his revelation. "How do you say good luck in Russian?"

Victor's face pulled back some, then neared Yuuri's, his thumb grazing up Yuuri's jawline, tugging on his earlobe. "Я тебя люблю... I can say it as many times as you need, if it's too difficult." Victor's hand was stroking through Yuuri's hair now, feeling it shake from side to side underneath his palm. "No, I think I've got it." Yuuri leaned forward and Victor's face dipped to the side of him, so Yuuri could speak into Victor's ear.

He paused, the Russian clear in his mind. He knew he'd probably screw it up, and he faltered last minute, whispering quietly. "What was it again?"

"Я тебя... люблю." Something about Victor's voice in his ear, murmuring the foreign language so quietly, had Yuuri's cheeks burning. Something about it was stirring him up inside, and without a second thought he was pressing a small kiss into Victor's cheek. The Russian stilled, and Yuuri was pulling back on the kiss, rubbing his cheek into Victor's to murmur into his ear this time.

"Ya tebya... lyublyu."

Victor's arms held him tightly, but he seemed to melt in Yuuri's embrace. It felt so personal, saying good luck, earning a flutter of kisses up Yuuri's neck as Victor spoke into his skin. "Мой милый ангел. Thank you, Yuuri." Victor's smile made everything worth it, Yuuri laughing softly as Victor peppered his face with more kisses.

The picture perfect moment ended when Victor relented he actually had some school work to attend to, but not before he hugged Yuuri about a million times and promised he'd see Yuuri before he left for the next competition.

Practices were getting longer, leaving less time for Victor to hang behind the desk with Yuuri. Their last day of practice before Victor would leave had Yuuri feeling nervous for him. Yuuri had already looked up each venue and even researched some of Victor's competitors. It was the first time he was actively into skating, and Yuuko was happy to introduce him to Victor's world. They'd even planned to watch his tournaments together at her place.

"Yuuko can get the competition on her big screen, so we'll be cheering you on together!" Yuuri explained excitedly, Victor's eyes flickering disinterestedly toward Yuuri's brunette manager, before turning his smile full force on Yuuri. "As long as you're watching, victory is assured. I'll be crushing lots of people, Yuuri."

The Japanese male animatedly leaned over the counter at the sound of their inside joke. "Just make it quick. And painless."

Victor winked, giving Yuuri that same heart shaped smile. "No promises will be made on that account."

Yuuko was currently fanning herself off after witnessing Victor's wink from up close, and Victor's coach was waiting at the exit, beckoning Victor in Russian.

"I wish I knew how to say 'good luck' in Russian. That would've been perfect," Yuuko lamented as Victor shouldered his duffel bag.

"It's удачи," Victor provided, his eyes on Yuuri.

"Ohh, удачи. That's easy. Well, удачи!" Yuuko gave him a small wave, and Yuuri's face was quickly blooming scarlet.

"W-Wait, what were you making me say to you all this time?!" Yuuri would have felt betrayed and angry, had Victor's devilishly handsome smirk not blinded him already. "I will tell you when I return. See you both soon!"

So, Victor had tricked him. It hadn't been the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last. He felt a little stupid for treating the newly learned phrase as something special between them, but Victor said he'd be coming back soon, so there'd be plenty more time to get mad at him for it.

Compared to what happened, this would be the least of Yuuri's problems.