The Reason
Summary: Ever since that fateful day at the Grand Prix Banquet, Victor Nikiforov has found it difficult to ignore the pull on his emotions that younger skater Yuri Katsuki caused.
Author's Note: I originally spelled Victor's name with a K rather than a C. I've decided to change it not only because I think it's the proper spelling, but also makes more sense when "Vicchan" is talked about.
Chapter 4: The Eros Fantasy
It had taken Victor time to fully complete both short programs, Yuri's Eros had been nearly completed but Yurio's Agape had still been a fresh idea and ground work. Now knowing who'd be skating it he made the choreography plenty challenging to bring out Yurio's natural ability. Yurio's real challenge though was finding the source of his unconditional love. He was still too young to have any true appreciation for something as complicated as a romantic relation, but Victor hoped his relationships with family would become the springboard and open up a whole new chapter for Yurio's skating.
As for Yuri the Eros choreography intimidated him immediately, and Victor could see it. The boy had been a blushing, stuttering mess when becoming a witness to the program.
"As far as the components go, what Quads can you do?"
"I can do the toe loop, and the sowcow in practice but I've never landed it in competition…" realizing what he'd said Yuri's face went frantic. "But, but I can work on it, I'd like to try if you let me!"
"Hmmm…" Victor wanted Yuri's program to be high difficulty, but the boy would first have to find some confidence in himself before Victor gave him something to choke on before he could even bite in. "I'll work with Yurio first. Why don't you practice your basics. I don't plan on wasting the day teaching you something you can't do."
Victor's eyes suddenly changed from a friendly smile to deep and serious.
"How many times have you choked, Yuri? You have shown everyone that you have what it takes to win, so why haven't you?"
"Probably because, I lack confidence."
"That's right." Victor nodded his head and skated in close. "So my job is to help you find that confidence and embrace it." Unable to resist, and helping him a sexual mood to get his juices flowing Victor grabbed Yuri by the chin, his thumb running over Yuri's bottom lip as he leaned in close. "Unleash the Eros within you," Victor whispered his eyes soft and seductive, looking into the frightened and somehow aroused brown orbs of his student. "Maybe no one has seen it but I know it's there, smoldering deep down inside you waiting for its chance to come out."
Something clicked, Victor's mouth was so close to his that Yuri's heart began to pound and the dream of them dancing and skating together came back in a fury and flash. Why did he suddenly have a desperate urge to kiss him? They were both men! It was wrong… so… very…
"Can you show it to me?" Victor's voice was as smooth as cream, and his gaze so fierce and passionate. Yuri inhaled deep breathing in Victor's scent, his eyes going wet and his mouth parting as if welcoming Victor's.
"You're supposed to be teaching me not chatting with the piggy!" Yurio shouted across the ice. The moment snapped like a twig and Yuri's face went bright red at the realization he'd been seriously close to kissing his idol.
"Da, now then Yuri while you're training I also want you to be thinking." Victor smiled confidently. "I want to know what Eros means to you."
What Eros means to him? Was he crazy? Yuri wondered why Victor had all these high expectations of him. He'd never had any real connection to love, let alone sexual. His first time had been when he was 21 back in Detroit, but the affair had been brief and not altogether enjoyable.
There hadn't been any real chemistry, just curiosity and an itch to scratch. These days Yuri rarely even thought of it, Skating had always been his entire life, it's what he lived and breathed, and no girl had ever tempted him to step away from it.
He was a man, he got sexual urges like everyone else but they were never a real priority for him… and he understood Eros in theory… in fact he could clearly see the tale the program had been telling. The Enigmatic Playboy who had dames left and right falling at his feet, seeks the most beautiful and tempting female there. They play the game of love, and the woman falls for him, but getting what he had wanted the playboy tosses the woman aside, and moves on.
It wasn't him at all. One he'd never really had females falling for him, let alone having the gall to…
He paused and got a gloomy look on his face as he thought of the female he'd shoved away, she'd been clingy and interested but Yuri hadn't been interested, didn't want to be. He could still remember the hurt look on her face when he' shoved her aside when she'd tried to comfort him after a rink mate's accident. She hadn't come near him after that.
It wasn't a memory he liked to think about, and he doubted it was one he could really use in this scenario. This was about sexuality, not aloofness. If anything he was more like the beautiful maiden, the one who resists the playboy's advances not wanting to be tangled up in his affairs…
That thought had him flushing and he shook his head and rubbed his hair staring blankly. The long day he and Yurio had put in had stressed them both out, and though the hot springs eased the ache in the muscles it did little to deter from his busy brain.
"Damn it" he thought to himself with a scowl. "I'm a 23 year old man, I could produce sexuality if I wanted… I just need the right motivation."
"Hey, quick favor." Victor came out, naked as a babe, and smiling brightly.. "I need a photo of myself in the bath so I can post it online."
This man, Yuri thought, exuded Eros and confidence without even trying, For some reason that really pissed him off.
"Sorry we don't let people take photos in here."
"Really? Why not?" Victor walked into the bath setting his phone on the towel to keep it dry. "This outside bath is so scenic, it would make great publicity for your family's onsen."
"Let's just say it's against the law to post those kinds of photos for public display." Yuri explained. Beside him Yurio let out a frustrated sigh and climbed out.
"I'm out, I'm going to see how long before dinner is done." He grabbed his towel and tied it firmly around his waist before going inside. Yuri watched after him and slowly turned his head to glance back at Victor who lounged back comfortably, but watched him. The gaze made the heat rush up into Yuri's cheeks.
"So have you thought about what Eros is to you, Yuri?"
"Ah, well I've been giving it thought but I haven't made any definite discovery." He admitted and sunk low in the bath til only his eyes remained above water. He blew bubbles in deep thought before sitting upright again. "What does Eros mean to you, Victor?"
"Both you and Yurio have asked me the same question… but unlike Yurio I can give you a more clear cut answer." He swam close to Yuri and tugging on a piece of his hair to pull it out of the way Victor leaned in to whisper. "Eros, to me is something that takes away your rational thought. It's a passion that drives you, and motivates you do anything for it."
Dropping the hair away Victor grabbed hold of his chin and turned his face up and smiled down at him. "Does that make more sense to you now?"
"Um, uh, yeah… yeah it does. I uh, I think I'll go with Yurio to see what's keeping dinner." Yuri scrambled up, his face felt so hot that he felt dizzy and delirious.
At dinner Yuri scowled at his noodles and broccoli and eyed the pork cutlet bowls in front of Victor and Yurio. Sighing he lay his face down on the table in a matching image of Yurio who was still drained from his visit to the temple.
Victor munched down his bowl his eyes giving brief glances to his two students. Yuri seemed to be in a drifting daze, his mind clearly thinking but his eyes looking dead. A line a drool began to eek at the side of his mouth… and suddenly.
"THAT'S IT! PORK CUTLET BOWLS! THAT'S WHAT EROS IS TO ME!" Yuri claimed, his eyes wild with realization. Victor stared, and thought about what he'd said. While it wasn't a normal answer, he could see how that particular one would motivate Yuri, particularly since the pork cutlet bowl was by far one of his own favorite dishes.
"I, I'm sorry, that's not right is it." Dizzy still from the bath and obviously delirious from hunger Yuri tried to take back the answer but Victor laughed it off.
"Okay, we'll go with that for now. It's unique at the very least."
"Heh," Yurio laughed. "Are you serious?"
Thoroughly embarrassed Yuri got up and ran out, with gear in hand he ran all the way to ice castle, ranting to himself about what an idiot he was. He decided to go over the choreography he memorized from the first showing. His hands running over his body and making him shudder a bit. He shook it off and smacked his cheeks.
"Get a grip on yourself, Yuri. You can handle this."
He spent hours just getting the feel of the choreography, memorizing the movements, executing them without discomfort or worry. He hoped Victor would notice, he didn't want to appear inadequate on their true first practice session.
Yuri wanted to win, in fact Yuri couldn't remember when he'd wanted anything more. Sure when he'd gone to the Grand Prix Final he wanted gold, but not nearly as much as he wanted Victor as his coach. He didn't want to lose Victor, he'd come to rely on him, to need him for support and guidance. They'd just started, and no way was Yuri going to let him go.
That night he dreamed of Victor. It wasn't so much as a memory of their time, but a collaboration. The images almost looked black and white to him, with Victor adding flares of color wherever he went. Females swooned and squealed in admiration, other skaters bowed and praised him. Victor ignored them all and looked at him. He extended his hand out, the air around Yuri seemed to vibrate as color flushed all around, but he remained clad in black and backing away feeling unworthy of his time.
Victor kept coming, kept luring him in with smiles and charm. The two of them danced, hands raising palm to palm, eyes locked as the steps became almost seductive. Yuri wasn't sure why all his dreams of Victor seemed to have a spanish flare, with flamenco and paso… but maybe it was because the spanish were known for their passionate and erotic personalities.
As they danced Yuri began to enjoy himself more and more til he was smiling and loving every moment of it. The dancing slowed… and Yurio walked by, his intense green eyes confident and his mouth turned up in a sassy smirk. Victor eyed Yurio, and despite Yuri tugging on him, and calling out his name Victor cast him aside, and followed Yuri off into the distance… around him Yuri's world began to fade to gray again, until all that was left was the black.
Yuri shot out of bed, his breath panted out, his eyes wide and wet. He touched his cheeks feeling the tears on them.
"What… was that?"
Over the course of the next few days Victor worked with both Yuris not only on the choreography and jumps but also in their basic training and exercising. He wanted to make sure their practices wouldn't become routine and made sure that each day had their own little surprises in the end.
What he hadn't expected was for both Yuri's to find a sort of bond with each other, even to the point of Yurio teaching Yuri how to do a Quadruple sowcow. He enjoyed seeing skaters get along, and more so he was happy Yuri and Yurio were finding a unique friendship with each other.
He watched Yurio's performance, though there was no music, Victor could see and feel the unconditional love. It seemed the boy had found what he needed, and that thought left him both proud and a little worried. He didn't have any intention of going back to Russia, he wanted, no needed to stay here with Yuri… but he was lacking. The framework on his program was moving along steadily, but the emotions just weren't there and with Yuri whose strength was the performance it would seriously hurt.
Victor began to wonder if he'd made the challenge too difficult for him. He could tell Yuri was trying desperately to find the answers to his Eros but was coming up short. He hoped, no prayed that Yuri found it soon.
The day before the competition Minako had asked about costumes, and luckily for his boys he'd had all his costumes shipped over for them to browse through. Yuri went through them like a fangirl eying all the beautiful garments with awe and appreciation for each one.
When Yuri pulled out his costume from the Junior World Championship Victor's face read a happy nostalgia. He liked that Yuri carefully stroked the material as if they were both sharing the same sweet memory.
"I had long hair back then, it was designed to suggest both male and female genders."
Male and female… that was it. Yuri, thinking of his dream and of the story he'd told Nishigori Yuri clutched the costume to him. He found the missing piece of his Eros.
"I choose this one."
Though it was late Yuri banged on Minako's door, he was breathless and flushed and he looked at her with pleading eyes. "I'm sorry it's so late. Could you please teach me something. I want to learn how to move like a woman."
"Say what now?"
"I can't be the charming playboy, it just isn't me. I've decided to be the beautiful woman who seduces the playboy instead. I won't change the moves, but just how I move." He bounced on his toes as he waited for her to get decent and come down the stairs to the studio. Despite being grumpy she listened to his explanations. Minako wasn't entirely sure why it was such a necessity.. But then again Yuri had always been good at acting and portrayals, they were his strength in skating. If there was anything she could do to help, she would do it.
She watched him perform the masculine moves and her hand changed his positioning, the stretch of his fingers, the placement of his feet and hips… She watched his face, saw the change of expression and had to fan herself a little. Whatever they were doing, it was working.
The day of the competition had arrived and Ice Castle Hasetsu was bustling with people. There'd never been so many people crammed in here before and it was all in anticipation to see who'd win against the skating world's two Yuris.
Victor watched his students warm up and prepare for the event, his own gut twisting with nerves. Was this how a coach felt before a competition? Grabbing his chin he went into deep thought, thinking of the worse case scenario that Yurio won.
He hadn't wanted to go back to Russia, but if Yurio put up a solid performance he'll have earned his respect. Still, His eyes glanced over at Yuri, he'd gone to Japan for one purpose. If Yuri truly was the skater Victor imagined him to be, Yurio didn't stand a chance.
Yuko came in to let Yurio know it was time for him to come out, and the competition began.
Watching Yurio's program Victor carefully studied him, while the first part of the program was rich with beauty and feeling, the difficulty in the steps and jumps began to take their toll and Yuri lost his beauty. He danced with fervor trying desperately to finish each move, and his expression was pained. Yurio knew that he was slipping and it read all over his face.
Still it had been the best he'd see Yurio all week. The audience and spectators seemed to really enjoy it and the first half had been captivating. He'd performed all his jumps well too so Victor had to give credit where credit was due. He called out his praises and made sure Yurio did his bows to the audience before coming off the ice.
Victor's gaze turned to Yuri, and he was a bit surprised to see his face showing panic. The guy was pale, and looked ready to pass out. He walked over and stepped in front of him.
"Yuri… Yuri? Are you ready? You're up."
At Victor's sudden appearance Yuri's voice cracked and he held his mouth to keep him from squeaking in surprise. Before Victor had popped up he'd been caught in a moment of absolute fear of losing him. Seeing his face, hearing his voice Yuri instantly calmed… and his goal became clear in his mind.
"I'm going to become the tastiest Pork Cutlet Bowl you've ever seen. So please watch me. Promise!" He engulfed Victor in a tight hug. The older man's eyes widened briefly and then calmed. He could feel and hear Yuri's heart pounding tightly in his chest. He wasn't entirely sure what to say so spoke without even thinking.
"Of course, I love Pork Cutlet Bowls."
Yuri pulled from him and skated out onto the ice in presentation. He could still smell Victor's cologne, his promise echoing in his ears. He took his spot, his leg popped out as minako had shown him to accent the curve of a woman's hip.
Victor saw the slight change and leaned on the wall his eyes narrowing in concentration. Yuri briefly glanced up, he caught Yurios stare and frowned before closing his eyes again. He would skate for Victor. He would show him what he'd learned and that he was worthy of his attention and teaching. The music started and he let his hands roam over his body, skating off he popped a foot out and turned his eyes to Victor. If Victor did choose Yurio in the end, he'd make him regret it by showing the world what he'd be missing out on. He smirked, and the seduction began.
Victor let out a low whistle, wondering how Yuri had managed to perfect such a spine tingling glance. When he'd seen him in practice all his movements and looks had been strained, and forced… but now seeing him move and pulse along the ice Victor could see the intensity in it all, could feel Yuri's confidence and sexuality pulsing.
He winced at Yuri's triple axel, while the jump had been cleanly landed, the entrance and execution had been off… and again when he'd tried the quad sow. At least he'd managed to stay on his feet, and the performance hadn't faltered, Yuri kept character and even landed his most difficult jump the quad, triple combo in flawless confidence.
Victor couldn't help but smile, his technique wasn't perfect, but the performance marks would be flawless. If this had been a true competition the judges would give the win to Yurio by a hair… but to Victor this had been a competition of performance score, not technical, and in performance Yuri won by a landslide.
Yurio knew it too, he'd watched the program and felt his own failures rising bile in his throat. Not wanting to face the defeat he turned heel and left the hall. This was only the beginning. Now that he had his short program, he would perfect a free program that would take him all the way to Grand Prix Gold.
Sorry it'd been a few since I last updated. Work has been keeping me busy, plus I've been working on my other stories as well. Hope you all are enjoying it so far!
Next Chapter: Past Reflections
