Author's note: I have to say, writing Phichit is seriously one of my all-time favorite things right now. I had so much fun writing him interacting with Yuuri, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. For plot purposes, we'll say that Leo and Guang-Hong are of legal drinking age because I'm just too lazy to really explain how or why they're hanging around a bunch of college kids.
Thank you everyone for all of your lovely comments and kudos! I love hearing that y'all are enjoying this and all of your feedback makes me so happy. Keep 'em coming because that's really what motivates me to keep writing!
As always, thank you to my wonderful beta spicenee for taking the time to look this over and giving me a few pointers.
"Fancy meeting you again, Mr. Katsuki."
Yuuri froze, his grip on the book in his hands becoming slack, the soft thud going unnoticed by either man as the book slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. His breath came in small gasps as he tried to wrap his increasingly sparse thoughts around what was happening. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice failed him when he felt the pressure of the man's thumb against his lower lip.
Swallowing thickly, Yuuri tried again. "You're that...that –"
The man in front of him laughed again, the sound low and husky as his gaze became hooded. Yuuri swore he saw red flash momentarily in the man's blue eyes, but he was probably just imagining it. "I guess I never formally introduced myself. My name is Victor," murmured the man.
"V-Victor," breathed Yuuri. He felt increasingly flustered under Victor's intense gaze, but there was something keeping him from breaking his gaze away.
"Mr. Katsuki, would you –"
"Yuuri."
Victor blinked in surprise and Yuuri felt as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. Taking a deep breath, he ducked his head. "Y-you can call me Yuuri."
Smiling softly, Victor relinquished Yuuri's chin, fingers brushing along his jaw as he let his hand drop to his side. He watched as Yuuri fidgeted, his hands curling into the hem of his shirt as he avoided his gaze.
"Yuuri, then." Victor shoved his hands in his pockets, turning his gaze to the row of books behind Yuuri. "I was hoping I'd run into you again."
Yuuri tentatively looked up at Victor, his cheeks burning. "Not to try and sell me time shares again, I hope."
"Oh no, nothing like that," Victor laughed, waving a hand dismissively. He glanced at Yuuri out of the corner of his eye and noticed that he jumped slightly before turning his gaze away again. Running his fingers through his hair, he turned to look at Yuuri, a look of uncertainty on his face as he scratched the back of his neck. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime."
Yuuri was certain that he was going insane. There was no way that someone like Victor – handsome, well-dressed, and clearly highly educated – would want to take him out on a date. Shaking his head, Yuuri stared up at Victor, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"
Victor ducked his head, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. "I was hoping that we could go out sometime. I mean, for coffee or something if you're not up for dinner."
The sight of Victor glancing at Yuuri from beneath his long lashes, his cerulean eyes shining with hope and just a hint of uncertainty from behind his silver locks nearly caused Yuuri's heart to give out. He felt his entire face heat up and he was certain that his ears and neck were equally flushed.
"L-like a...a d-date?!" he stammered.
Victor nodded eagerly, a hesitant smile on his lips as he waited for Yuuri's answer.
"I... I, um..." Yuuri frantically looked anywhere other than Victor. "What's that Maria? Y-yeah, of course! I'm sorry, but I'm needed at the front desk so um, raincheck?"
Without waiting for Victor to answer, Yuuri spun on his heel and sprinted down the aisle and out of sight. Sighing, Victor bent down to pick up the book Yuuri had dropped and turned it over in his hands. His brows furrowed as he mulled over the events that had just taken place.
This was going to be harder than he thought.
Panting, Yuuri braced himself against the door of the staff break room. Focusing on his breathing, he willed himself to calm down even as his heart raced almost painfully in his chest. He felt flushed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his heart rate finally, finally began to slow to a steady rhythm.
His mind reeled as he tried to wrap his thoughts about Victor's request.
A date.
A real life, actual date.
Swallowing thickly, Yuuri pulled his phone from his pocket and shakily pulled up Phichit's contact information before hitting the call button.
He desperately needed some advice and Phichit would know what to do. Probably.
"Hello?"
"Oh thank God, Phichit. I need your help," whispered Yuuri.
"Yuuri? Is everything okay? Are you dying? Oh my God, there's a murderer in the library isn't there?! Hang on, I'll call –"
"Phichit!" squeaked Yuuri. He should have known Phichit would immediately go to the absolute worst-case scenario, even if it was entirely unlikely to happen. "There isn't a murderer in the library!"
"Oh. Good. What's up?"
Yuuri pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in frustration. "Do you remember that sales man from the other day?"
"Time Share Guy?"
"Yeah."
"You mean the guy who you've been daydreaming about for the past week despite only talking to him for ten minutes and not even knowing his name?"
"Phichit," hissed Yuuri. "Not helping."
"Sorry, sorry. So what about him?"
"He... I ran into him at the library," muttered Yuuri. He heard the sharp intake of air on the other line and could picture Phichit leaning in, his eyes twinkling as he hung on every word.
"And?"
"And he..." Yuuri inhaled shakily. "He asked me out on a date."
The line went silent and for a moment Yuuri thought his phone had disconnected. Then, "You said yes right?"
"No, I panicked and made an excuse to leave and –"
"Yuuri Katsuki, you march yourself back out there and find Time Share Guy and you tell him you'd absolutely love to go on a date with him."
"But Phichit –"
"No buts!" Yuuri winced at the sharp tone of Phichit's voice. "You've been fawning over this guy for over a week and you just happen to bump into him at work? This can't just be happenstance."
Yuuri sighed and hung his head. "I guess you're right..."
"I'm always right. Now go find him before he thinks you're blowing him off!"
After a hurried goodbye, Yuuri pocketed his phone and steeled his resolve. Phichit was right. This couldn't just be chance that he ran into Victor again. And really, what was there to lose over one date?
Exhaling the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, Yuuri exited the break room and headed back to the corner of the building he had left Victor. As he approached the aisle, he prayed that Victor was still there. Clenching his hands into fists, he marched around the corner, determined to not back down.
He inhaled sharply, his hands falling limp at his sides.
Victor was gone.
He had missed his chance.
Running a hand through his hair, Yuuri bit his lower lip as he struggled to not let his frustration get the better of him. Maybe going out with Phichit wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.
"Phichit, what am I going to do?" whimpered Yuuri, the side of his face pressed against the bar top as he stared helplessly at his friend. "I fucked up. I really, really fucked up."
"Yes you did," replied Phichit. Yuuri groaned at his friend's blunt response as Phichit flagged down the bartender and ordered something from him. "But you know what you can do instead of moping?"
Yuuri perked up a bit and raised his head off the cool wood of the bar top. "What?"
Phichit grinned as he slid a shot glass filled to the brim with an amber colored liquor towards him. "Drink."
Yuuri stared blankly at his best friend, unsure of whether or not Phichit really wanted to help him or just wanted him to get wasted and forget about Victor. At Phichit's insistence, he turned his gaze to the shot glass in front of him. He picked it up and sniffed at the liquid, his nose wrinkling at the strong scent. "What did you order?"
"Tequila. But I ordered the good stuff, so you shouldn't get sick." Phichit busied himself with salting the back of his hand before he raised his own shot glass to Yuuri, his eyes twinkling. "To missed chances at love and incredibly hot time share salesmen!"
Yuuri couldn't help but laugh, clinking his glass against Phichit's before licking salt off the back of his hand and downing the liquid, popping a wedge of lime in his mouth afterwards. He exhaled harshly as the liquor burned his throat, a welcoming warmth spreading throughout his chest. Pushing the shot glass away from himself, he turned to grin at Phichit.
"Better?" asked Phichit, his cheeks beginning to flush.
"Better," affirmed Yuuri.
As the night went on, more and more people filtered into the bar – mostly college students looking to blow off some steam – and the music became more dance-worthy. Yuuri followed Phichit as he flitted from the bar to table to dance floor, his own steps becoming unsteady as Phichit continued to supply him with drinks.
Yuuri eventually found himself sitting back at the bar as he nursed his drink, his body pleasantly buzzing from the alcohol and music, his mind blissfully devoid of all thoughts. Phichit squealed beside him and embraced two men who joined them at the bar. Yuuri recognized them from a few of his classes – Leo and Guang-Hong if he remembered correctly – and welcomed them as well. Yuuri was too drunk to really keep track of the conversation, but he laughed along with the others and interjected here and there. Eventually, his attention began to wander as he glanced around the bar.
His heart leapt into his throat when he spotted a crown of silver hair at the end of the bar top, near the back of the building. Eyes wide, he found his gaze locking with an all too familiar pair of cerulean eyes. Swallowing thickly, he watched as Victor smiled knowingly and raised his glass, nodding towards him.
Murmuring something to Phichit, Yuuri pushed himself away from the bar and weaved through the crowd until he found himself face to face with Victor once again.
"You," he breathed. He swayed slightly, his head fuzzy with alcohol and his vision unsteady. His gaze settled on Victor's lips as he blindly groped for the seat beside him.
Victor chuckled, his warm breath fanning across Yuuri's ear as he leaned in to be heard over the loud music. "What are the chances that we meet twice in one day, Yuuri?"
Yuuri swallowed against his dry throat and hastily took a sip of his drink. "I – I'm sorry for running off like that earlier," he murmured, his gaze downcast.
Victor leaned his cheek against his hand, elbow propped up on the bar top as he watched Yuuri sway slightly in his seat. Humming, he brought his hand up to brush Yuuri's bangs out of his face, fingertips brushing lightly against his hairline and down to his temple. Yuuri's eyes widened and he glanced up at Victor from beneath dark lashes and Victor felt his breath catch slightly. Licking his lips, Victor's gaze softened.
"You don't need to apologize," he said as he shifted closer. He could smell the alcohol on Yuuri's breath, the scent mingling with the subtle scent of his cologne and Victor ached to be alone with him. "It was rather sudden, after all."
Yuuri's skin prickled as Victor's fingers hovered at his hairline, as if he were unsure of what to do with his hand. He couldn't tell if it was due to the alcohol, but warmth pooled in his stomach and he dazedly stared up at the man before him.
"I... I think I'd like to," he murmured.
"Like to what?"
Yuuri's brow furrowed. What did he want to do with Victor again? It was somewhere in the back of his mind, but his mind was too foggy to figure it out. He stared at Victor, his gaze drifting from his eyes to his silver hair falling against his cheekbones just so, and along his sharp jawline before finally settling on his lips once again.
Now he remembered.
"I think I'd like to..." he whispered as he leaned in, lips brushing against Victor's.
The kiss was chaste, lips simply bumping against each other, but Yuuri felt as though his body came alive with electricity at the touch. Maybe it was the alcohol and maybe it wasn't, but all Yuuri cared about was how right it felt. A sigh escaped his lips as Victor closed the distance between them once again. Closing his eyes, Yuuri carded his fingers through Victor's hair as the kiss deepened.
Victor groaned against Yuuri's lips as he gripped his hip, wanting to pull him closer but being unable to. He nipped at his lower lip, one of his fangs accidentally pricking the delicate skin, causing a small bead of blood to form. Without thinking, Victor swept his tongue across Yuuri's lower lip; his pulse quickened as the drop of blood exploded on his tongue, sending shock waves through his body. His grip on Yuuri's hip tightened as Yuuri's lips parted, a soft moan escaping him when Victor slipped his tongue past his lips.
The kiss quickly became frenzied and needy; Yuuri clutched desperately to Victor's shirt in an attempt to ground himself in the storm of sensations assaulting him. Only when his lungs begged for air did Yuuri break the kiss, his breathing ragged. His body felt as though it had been lit aflame, his cheeks burning from more than just the alcohol coursing through his veins. Dazedly, he brought his gaze up to Victor's and inhaled sharply; Victor's eyes had darkened, pupils blown wide and a look of desperate need shining in their depths.
Snapping out of his daze, Yuuri's eyes widened at the realization of what he had done and he covered his mouth in shock.
"I... I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I don't know what came over me."
Victor didn't seem to hear him, instead bringing his hand up to brush fingertips along the shell of Yuuri's ear. His hand inched towards the back of Yuuri's head, intent of bringing him back into their kiss.
It took great discipline on his part, but Yuuri somehow managed to slip out of Victor's grasp. He took a tentative step backwards, his heart aching at the look of confusion blossoming on Victor's face.
"I need to go."
Tearing his gaze from Victor's, Yuuri hurried to weave his way through the crowd and back to his friends. Victor watched as he had a few hurried words with his friends, one of them glancing in his direction. Without another word, Yuuri hastily shoved a few bills of money in his friend's hand and bolted out of the bar.
Biting his lip, Victor cursed himself for being so reckless. He had planned everything out so carefully; running into Yuuri at his job, scouting out the bar they frequented in the hopes of him returning at some point. He was always so careful and to think that a single drunken kiss could unravel all of his plans. His hands shook as he brushed his fingertips over his lips, his tongue still tingling from the blood lingering on it. In all his years, he had never tasted a human's blood quite like Yuuri's and he had to have a second taste.
"Are you Time Share Guy?"
Victor spun around in confusion. He was met with an inebriated Thai man who was staring at him intently. "Time Share Guy?"
"Yeah, Time Share Guy." The man nodded to himself, as if it made all the sense in the world.
"I – I guess?"
Seemingly satisfied with his answer, the man dug out a pen from his pocket and scribbled something on a napkin he plucked from behind the bar. Victor blinked in confusion as the man shoved the napkin into his hands.
"Be patient with him," he said with a wink.
Victor watched as he sauntered away, sending him a wiggly fingered wave and a knowing look over his shoulder, and rejoining his friends briefly before heading out of the bar in search of Yuuri. After a moment, Victor glanced at the napkin in his hands and smiled at the scribbled note.
Contained in the small, poorly written note was Yuuri's cell phone number.
