"Do you remember that summer? The summer we travelled to Italy?" Chris's tone was playful and he sipped from his glass of wine, watching Viktor's legs as they were seated comfortably on his lap.

"We were crazy." The Russian nodded and Yuuri quirked a brow, curious about what this was about. "We actually believed we could work as a couple." There was a shocked gasp coming out of the brunet's mouth as his lover began to explain in detail how they were feeling back then.

It has been a mirage – a dream that felt so far away right now. It was almost an insult to their sentiments but in the end, their romantic feelings faded after one summer of passion. It was never a matter of not being made for each other, on the contrary: they were so alike they couldn't manage to function properly because they couldn't temper each other. After a few loud fights, crying and throwing things around, Chris decided they should simply give up on the idea and go back to the beginning. As much as he loved Viktor, he knew there was no way he could afford to lose him because there was no one as close to his heart as the Russian.

"But you told me –" The blond turned to look at Dorian who looked as if he's just been slapped. "You told me you've never been more than friends with benefits." He avoided talking about this particular matter because he knew how jealous his boyfriend could get when it came to Vitya. Of course he would never have admitted what he was feeling because he knew it was irrational and Christophe and Viktor didn't care for each other like that but the Swiss didn't want to let those insecurities grow.

"I wouldn't consider 2 months of calling each other boyfriends being a relationship, mon coeur." He winked at the tall man who was still struggling to finish his first glass of wine.

"We had a dysfunctional affair."

"I kind of figured that out when one hotel kicked us out because of the yelling. We trashed the hotel room in anger." Yuuri's jaw dropped and Chris rubbed his chin while keeping a grin on his face. "We were lonely."

Loneliness – that was one thing "love" should never spring from. They could remember the pain that followed the break-up, the disappointment and the countless thoughts that kept creeping inside their minds as soon as night fell. If your best friend couldn't love you then who could? They continued to have sex for a while, until Christophe met Dorian who was going to be his new manager and found out what real love felt like. It hasn't been planned but the attraction was too strong and they ended up together; the Swiss couldn't recall happier times.

When the invitation to Viktor and Yuuri's wedding was mailed to their apartment it hasn't been a surprise. Christophe helped a lot with the planning because he knew his best friend would have been lost in a sea of anxiety if there wasn't for him. Even if he played "prince charming" on a daily basis, Viktor admitted on various occasions how nervous he was to have a wedding. The nervousness never overwhelmed the happiness he knew that event was going to bring – Yuuri was his soulmate, his sun, and he was going to do everything properly and assure they had a wonderful start. A fancy one too.

That wedding looked like it was cut out from a fairytale and Christophe had a speech prepared as the groom's best man and friend. Even if he made the audience laugh a lot, the ending brought tears even to his eyes so once he got off the stage he fled into Dorian's arms which were opened for him alone.

He's been surprised by his own feelings – he would have never thought he was going to be bitter because there was nothing to sulk about, both of them found the men they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. But he was suddenly fifteen again, Viktor skating on his heart, making him blush only by being. It was not easy to lose a part of yourself but he had to peacefully let it go. As soon as Dorian engaged himself in a conversation with someone he took advantage of the situation and got to an isolated corner where he could hear his thoughts. There was a group of people smoking so he asked for a cigarette and lit it, puffing the smoke as he looked up at the Japanese moon. It was rarely that he smoke, he never liked the taste but he had to occupy his mind with something and this was the easiest thing to do.

He couldn't believe more than a decade has passed since they first met, he couldn't believe what a single rose lead to. The cold wind was getting to him as if it was trying to brush those unwanted feelings away so he didn't hear the feathery steps until arms wrapped around his middle.

"Here you are! I thought I lost my best man." Viktor was drunk and that could only make Chris chuckle and shake his head. "Dorian is looking for you."

"I needed a minute."

The Russian hummed, not wanting to insist on the matter and began to move his body on the beat with the slow song that was vibrating through the air, forcing his friend to do the same.

"I'm very happy for you, baby bee."

"I know you are. I'm happy you're here." They smiled at each other and something pulled at Christophe's heart in the strangest way.

No – he needed to stop being so sentimental. The alcohol was probably getting to his head; he threw the cigarette butt away before sneaking his arm around Viktor's waist and guiding him inside the building. Yuuri, who was already drunk too welcomed his brand new husband with a loud and wet kiss that made Chris laugh and head towards his table. Dorian was on his feet, obviously searching for something (or someone) and his ashy greens widened when he spotted his boyfriend approaching him.

"Where were you?"

"Outside, I needed a moment." Their lips met chastely and the British man wrinkled his nose in distaste at the bitter taste of the other's mouth. Usually, Dorian would have complained about it – he hated when Chris smoked – but that wasn't the case right then, instead he smiled sweetly at him. Their locked hands made him feel like there was no loneliness left in the world so he smiled and leaned for a longer kiss.

"I think there are different kinds of love." Viktor said while looking at the empty bottles. He cleared his throat and light blues found emerald greens. "In my strange way, I did love you."

Christophe smiled widely.

"We had a lot of fun, baby bee. We grew up together."

"There's not a thing I would change, no matter how many painful things I went through. You know why?"

"Hm?"

"Because it all lead to this."

They soon wished each other good night and Christophe headed to the little bedroom he shared with Dorian, trying to walk as silently as possible. He muttered a "merde" under his breath when the door squeaked and closed it gently, relieved that there was light flooding the room. One lamp was turned on and he took a second to take in the view – Dorian's hair was splayed all over the white pillow, his expression serene. It was rare that he could see the man like this – his guard down, his mind at ease, so he smiled and moved closer, discarding his pants and heading to the shower. He kept it short and soon he was in between the sheets, curling towards warmth and listening to even breathing. His head rested on a broad shoulder and he inhaled deeply the familiar smell of soap and lime.

He couldn't help but compare Viktor and Dorian. What he had with the Russian has been a complete madness and it could have been because of the young age but there were just the two of them against the world. The amount of happiness was almost equal with the amount of distress and sadness; his current relationship was so different. Sure, they had their bad moments because they were so different and the age gap was showing but he couldn't imagine himself without Dorian. The man brought him equilibrium, he was tempering his life and teaching him there was so much more than partying and drinking. Dorian was his home.

Moonlight was caressing his face and his ears were ringing with memories of laughter. Ten years were passing before his eyes – he could remember it all. Holding hands with Viktor so naturally, kissing in the middle of dark streets, hitting on each other so they could escape other insistent males. He could remember visiting so many places, sneaking inside hotel rooms, pulling silver strands, kissing soft lips, pale skin. He thought he'd faint the first time he really faced Yakov and he asked what kind of relationship they had – he's been so scared until Viktor hugged the old man and made him soften. He remembered the first time he saw Viktor crying, all the secrets they shared during long and dizzy nights, all the anxieties regarding skating, all the fear. He wasn't saddened by the visions, instead he felt a tender melancholy. He was feeling old but he had to admit he aged satisfyingly.

He scooted closer to his sleeping lover and felt an arm wrapping around his torso, trapping him into a wary embrace. Green eyes shut close and Christophe tried to suppress a loud yawn.

"Chris?" Dorian's voice was groggy but the skater immediately reacted and hummed in approval.

"Who else?"

"I thought you were going to sleep with Viktor in the living room." Long fingers began to play with blond curls and the younger nuzzled the man's neck.

"You know I can't sleep without you." It was a habit he formed over the years and as troubling as it sometimes was, the thought that they became so close was pleasing. "Dorian?"

"Hm?"

"You know I love you, right?" The man moved so their eyes could meet but remained silent. The British man could be easily embarrassed by these simple words but now he couldn't allow himself to be because he felt something different in the air. "I love you."

Christophe was taken by surprise when the other pressed his lips against his, melting their bodies together. It was not a kiss that promised more, it was reassuring and loving and he smiled once they parted. The blond sighed and buried his face in the crook of Dorian's neck.

"I love you."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this short story ~ Have a lovely day! x