A/N: Hello, people!
I don't own Yuri on Ice.
I have no beta.
ENJOY!
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON.
-This chapter is just a mixture of fluff and angst. Sorry. ^-^
-It's really fun writing for this! Their relationship just seems to get
deeper and deeper and it isn't as if they've been friends for too long
and already both are just a mess.
-If anyone was wondering, I'm using part of the 2015-16 Skating Season
in this fic.
-More in the flashback leading up to 'the incident'! DUN DUN DUN!
I'm sorry if this hurts you. You might tear up a bit at it. Or just bawl.
"Yuuri! Yuuri, I need you!"
Said man almost dropped his chopsticks when Victor appeared out of nowhere, brandishing his mobile in Yuuri's face and sputtering about 'where, when, how, and why' and Yuuri had to look carefully. It was a photo of Yuuri. A photo of Yuuri straddling a silver pole in a class that he and Phichit used to take.
And if he was allowed to be arrogant, he looked pretty damn good.
Phichit actually went ahead and posted the photo. Yuuri hadn't thought that he would, but maybe he should have been more mindful of it, considering all the dirt that Phichit had managed to scrounge up on him over their years together in the dorm. Of course there was blackmail on either side, but this was dark and low.
Well, if Phichit wanted to play that game, then Yuuri could as well. After all, there were some things that Yuuri knew. Some things Phichit was unaware of. Yuuri was not the only forgetful drunk in the world.
"What's the problem?" Yuuri asked as he popped another piece of broccoli in his mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the garlic. At least there was a way to make the healthy food taste good. Otherwise, Yuuri would be suffering.
Vic-chan nudged his leg, and Yuuri passed him a piece of Fuji apple. He was very much into sharing. He wasn't in any way trying to pawn off his healthy food on his forever friend. Nope.
Victor was sputtering in the doorway. He kept looking between the photo and Yuuri, as if trying to reconcile the images. "When did you learn how to do this?" he finally settled for asking. It probably wasn't the question he had wanted to ask, but at least it opened up the can of worms further.
"About two years ago if I'm correct. I've taken many different dance classes, and that was just another. My history in ballet practically helped me in every class I took, and pole dancing was no exception. I was the class favorite. Phichit called me the teacher's pet because she tended to gravitate toward me because I pick up instruction well."
Victor whistled as he stared down at the post. "Your thighs look dangerous."
"I know." Yuuri couldn't help but smirk as he knew a few things that Victor was unaware of. After all, his Victor had formed a sort of fascination with Yuuri's body. His legs in particular.
Meaning he had a sort of fetish. Because no matter how much Yuuri worked out, he could not lose the developed muscles in his legs. So he had the thickest thighs of the entire skating group. One doesn't dance for nearly two decades and not have any muscles after all. And Victor had loved it.
He especially loved it when Yuuri wore his old costumes. Because Victor was leaner in frame, so there was always a bit of stretch here and there. So usually the fabric would pull a bit too much in the thigh area, not that Victor had minded or anything.
Basically, dream Victor was having a bit of a problem because he was aroused by the photos of Yuuri's spread legs and very talented skills. And Yuuri couldn't blame him, because there was something erotic about a person being able to move in such a way.
Yuuri took pity on the man and simply smiled innocently. He wouldn't tease him. Much.
"I can crush a medium sized pumpkin between my thighs." A useful little trick he learned he could do while celebrating his first Hallowe'en in the States. It had been an empowering discovery, and at the time, the attention had made him uncomfortable. Now he loved it.
There was a high-pitched, unholy whine in response, and Yuuri merely kept his smile in place. He was good at playing innocent. After all, it had been something his Victor loved. He wouldn't begrudge the man his enjoyment of that fact.
"Interesting," Victor whispered, clearing his throat. "That's nice to know."
The man turned and left the room, leaving Yuuri to giggle at his antics.
Now, to get back at Phichit. Which video would be the best?
"What do you think, Vic-chan? Beach or bra?"
Bark!
"Both it is!"
Phichit had started an online war. He had no one but himself to blame for this!
"So the plan is that you'll come to Europe with me for the European Skating Championships and then I'll go with you to the Four Continents Championships. After that, we'll come back to Japan because Worlds is being held in Tokyo, and we can practice together up until then."
Yuuri nodded along with Victor's game plan. The man had desperately begged Yuuri to come and cheer him on in the ESC and when Yuuri had finally agreed, he'd purchased the tickets for the plane then and there. And then he promised to buy the plane tickets to Taiwan for the 4CC. Yuuri hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise.
"I don't need you to buy tickets for me," said Yuuri, face stern though his eyes were soft. He understood Victor's thought process, but that didn't mean that he needed financial help or anything.
"I know, but I really want to. In return, you can pay for all the taxis we'll have to take, and we can split the bill on food if you really want to."
And that was how Victor did things. Because Victor liked to travel comfortably. During their first year as student and coach, he'd humored Yuuri's method of travel, but would not allow Economy after they were engaged. Something about First Class being more comfortable for them and as a skater, Yuuri couldn't afford to hurt himself by sleeping incorrectly.
Or rather, Victor liked to pamper and be pampered. And the best way to do that was to get the best of the best.
The man rented an eight million dollar car when they had vacationed in Israel. He wasn't the type to waste an opportunity. Now wasting money on the other hand... that was something different altogether. And heartbreaking for Yuuri's wallet which hadn't even been used for such... endeavors.
And the champagne Victor always bought with that cheeky smile knowing just how it would affect Yuuri.
Champagne was Yuuri's guilty pleasure. One flute became two, which became five, and then ten. And many more. He couldn't be trusted around alcohol. Especially when his inhibitions decided to fuck off out the window when he imbibed too much. He became a new person under the influence of liquor.
"What about Makka? Do you want her to remain here with Victor for the time being?"
"You're sister and I have already worked out an agreement. She'll be dog sitting for me. I've already paid her for the month we'll be away," said Victor with a smirk, eyes glinting from the lights beside his bed.
"So you just knew that I was going to agree, didn't you?" Yuuri couldn't help but ask, feeling a little amused and nostalgic at the same time. His Victor had done many things like that over the years. He'd gotten very good at reading Yuuri's moods.
Victor grinned and trailed his hand down Yuuri's face. "No. But I was hoping that you would."
Such an adorable sap Yuuri fell for.
Not fair. How dare he be so charming.
Phi-Chu: Dude! DUDEDUDEDUDEDUDEDUDE!
Katsu: What?
Phi-Chu: Dude, Victor Nikiforov just uploaded a video of you rolling around with his poodle!
Katsu: So?
Phi-Chu: He tagged it, #MyFavPeople and #LoveThem.
Phi-Chu: Woo for you! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Phi-Chu: Finally, some progress.
Katsu: I don't think he meant it in the way you think it was meant.
Phi-Chu: Yuuri, his entire Instagram has become a montage of photos of you.
Phi-Chu: You and him and sometimes the dogs. But mostly you.
Katsu: He's just excitable. He took photos of everything around here.
Katsu: I was his tour guide, so of course I ended up in a lot of photos.
Phi-Chu: Don't argue with me!
Phi-Chu: I know my stuff and I know he's into you.
Phi-Chu: A lot! ^-^
Katsu: Maybe a little, but we still don't know each other that well.
Phi-Chu: Again, bro, he WANTS to get to know you!
Phi-Chu: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) If you know what I mean!
Katsu: I know!
Katsu: It might take time and I don't want to get ahead of myself.
Katsu: What if he's just happy to finally have a friend other than Chris?
Katsu: Someone who isn't acting like they want something from him.
Phi-Chu: I don't know about you, but nothing WE ever did looked like anything in those photos.
Phi-Chu: And we're best friends.
Katsu: I get it. Trust me, I get it.
Phi-Chu: :P Sometimes you need things spelled out for you, man.
Phi-Chu: Just tryin' to make sure that you understand what's going on.
Katsu: Yeah.
Katsu: I don't know why he had to post the training one though.
Phi-Chu: Hold on, your future boyfriend just made another post!
Katsu: Fine.
Katsu: There is no telling if we have a future ANYTHING, okay?!
Phi-Chu: Holy crap!
Phi-Chu: You learned his routine!
Phi-Chu: He just posted a video of you skating 'Stay Close to Me'!
Phi-Chu: [LINK]
Phi-Chu: Dude, look at it and what he had to say!
Phi-Chu: Everyone is going to get the wrong idea!
Yuuri's face went red immediately as he clicked on the link. He thought he'd avoided the whole incident this time because everything was different. Because there was no need to bring Victor all the way to Japan because he was already there.
He and Victor had been at Ice Castle, and Yuuri had wanted to show him in person. Victor and Yuuko had loved it. Of course Victor had asked him to repeat the performance a few times. 'For inspiration's sake,' the man had said.
Apparently, Victor had taken a video of him and posted it and now all of his Instagram followers could see it. All sixty million of them. Which meant all of his other followers would see it too as it would no doubt be shared all across the web. And then news stations and journalists would get their hands on it and write up stories about it.
There was no peace in Yuuri's life, was there?
The video was nothing new, though Yuuri knew that instead of downgrading the jumps, he'd kept them as they were. So it was more of an impact than the first time around. There was no music, so the imagination had to be used. But lacking music didn't mean the skating wasn't good.
He honestly hadn't expected it to happen though! It shouldn't have.
v-nikiforov Yuuri surprised me last week
when he performed my routine for me! So
I asked him to do it again. I'm so happy!
He said it was because it's the best routine
I've ever done and that he hoped I would
always remember it! :3 :3 :3 Blessed
#PitterPatGoesMyHeart #BestHolidayEver
#:3 #StayCloseToMe #YuuriIsAmazing
#INeedToLearnVictoryNow
Victor was such a sap. Yuuri had to cover his eyes for a moment. A moment to gather his wits again. He could feel all the emotions just bottled up inside and begging for some kind of fangasming response. Because sometimes one just needed to scream into their pillow in order to get the feels out.
It was just Victor being Victor. Nothing new. Nothing to be embarrassed about. He'd gone through this before. He didn't need to overreact like this! He'd married the man, dammit! He should be used to these kinds of things! Thirty years of them happening on a constant basis had built up a sort of resistance, or so he thought!
Of course the comments were all over the place. There were fans screaming. The usual jealous people. Some who were put out that Yuuri got to spend time with Victor every day. Someone was spamming stupid links. And Phichit's comment was already at the top of the post, gaining Likes quickly.
phichit+chu My boy, Yuuri! Slaying at
his tiny, home rink! #Competition
#SoPumpedRightNow
#ComingForYou katsu_ki
Rolling his eyes, Yuuri left his own comment. An attempt to control the situation.
Not that it worked.
katsu_ki It's not that big of a deal. I just
wanted to surprise him.
It was a late birthday present. That's all.
#RollsEyes
He finally returned to the conversation with Phichit, feeling a little more drained than before.
Phi-Chu: Not just a friend thing!
Katsu: Okay, so I didn't know he'd taken a video of it.
Katsu: It was just supposed to be a surprise.
Katsu: But he kept asking to see it.
Phi-Chu: Well he was surprised and is gushing about it everywhere!
Phi-Chu: Literally, Insta, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr.
Phi-Chu: Basically anywhere he has an account, he has shared his own post so all of his followers can see it.
Phi-Chu: This is more than just a friend thing, my man.
Katsu: I can tell, thanks. It's just a little embarrassing.
Phi-Chu: It shouldn't be. He appreciates practically anything you do.
Phi-Chu: Hangs all over you at any convenient moment.
Phi-Chu: And smiles differently ever since becoming friends with you.
Phi-Chu: His Instagram used be filled with only his dog.
Katsu: I get it!
Katsu: It could still be only friendly though.
Katsu: Romance can take a long time.
Phi-Chu: There is no hope for you, is there?
Katsu: Just saying. I'm not getting my hopes up unless he does something drastic.
Phi-Chu: He better do something soon, I'm dying over here!
Katsu: I'm sorry my love life affects you so terribly.
Phi-Chu: You don't understand!
Phi-Chu: As I will be your best man, I need to know when the wedding is!
Phi-Chu: What the color scheme will be so I don't clash!
Phi-Chu: The food that will be served.
Phi-Chu: The playlist for the reception.
Katsu: WEDDING?!
Katsu: You're getting a little too ahead of all of us there!
Phi-Chu: Nonsense!
Phi-Chu: You have been wanting to meet him for most of your life.
Phi-Chu: And now you're friends with him!
Phi-Chu: And he's crushing on you in return.
Phi-Chu: Wedding bells are in your future!
Katsu: Phichit!
Phi-Chu: :D ;) :D
Katsu: I hate you.
Phi-Chu: No you don't!
Katsu: You don't know that.
Phi-Chu: You've yet to unfollow me on any social media.
Katsu: I could if I cared enough to do it!
Phi-Chu: Victor posted some more photos!
Phi-Chu: They're of you and him only.
Phi-Chu: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) If you know what I mean.
Katsu: Are they decent at least?
Phi-Chu: You're both shirtless and he's eying you up.
Katsu: WHAT?!
Phi-Chu: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Katsu: And where exactly was the photo taken?
Phi-Chu: It looks like your bedroom.
Phi-Chu: Something you aren't telling me?
Katsu: I don't think so?
Yuuri could not for the life of him remember when that ever happened. He had to actually stalk all of Victor's accounts before he finally got to Twitter, when said photos had been posted.
Indeed, they were both without shirts, facing the camera. Red in the face with stupid smiles ready to greet the world as they sent bunny ears toward the camera. Victor's mouth was crooked in that adorable heart smile of his. The man's right arm was wrapped around Yuuri's naked shoulders, his hand cupping Yuuri's chin with his free hand. And Yuuri's right hand was wrapped around Victor's wrist, as if using him for stability.
They didn't look like just friends. Even Yuuri could admit it.
The tags though!
#DrankTooMuch #YuuriIsAFunnyDrunk
#FunThingsHappened #MySecretThough
#HopingForARepeat #BestNightEver
WHAT?! When did they drink? He would remember getting drunk, right? Or at least know that not remembering the former evening meant he got drunk.
He tried to think about it. Victor went out for a drink a lot, and Yuuri ended up having to get him sometimes. But he didn't remember getting drunk himself.
This was why he didn't drink often! He couldn't remember anything after it happened!
And what did #MySecretThough mean? There were no strip clubs in Hasetsu, so no poles would be available. So what could have happened between them for Victor to be so happy about it? It wasn't like the man managed to get a private show or anything.
What the hell?
Phi-Chu: I really want to know the story behind it though.
Phi-Chu: His hand is just fondling your face and everything, bruh.
Phi-Chu: Like, no chill. He can't get enough of touching you.
Phi-Chu: He's so damn extra.
Phi-Chu: Yuuri!
Phi-Chu: Yuuuuuuuuuuuri!
Katsu: Sorry. I had to check them myself.
Katsu: I can't believe it. I don't remember that at all.
Phi-Chu: Have you ever awake to butt pain?
Katsu: NO!
Katsu: Definitely not! I would know that sensation very well, thanks!
Phi-Chu: Oh really? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Phi-Chu: Do tell!
Katsu: No.
Phi-Chu: Please?
Katsu: No.
Phi-Chu: PLEASE?!
Phi-Chu: Yuuri?
Phi-Chu: I will get the truth one way or another!
Phi-Chu: You cannot hide from Phichit Chulanont!
Phi-Chu: And I still owe you for the beach and bra thing!
Phi-Chu: Prepare yourself, Katsuki!
Victor couldn't help but grin widely. He'd sneaked into Yuuri's room to wake him up and found not only his little poodle sleeping with him, but Makka as well. And while he should be put out that his own poodle found Yuuri to be more pleasant company, he couldn't help but agree. Yuuri was an amazing person to be around and his temperament was infectious, whether he knew it or not.
"You've been swayed too, Makka?"
The large poodle had taken up the space by the window, claiming a good portion of the bed as hers as well. A small twin sized bed could barely fit the grown man and poodle together, which left poodle Victor to sleep on Yuuri's back.
It was adorable, and he couldn't help but get a few photos for some nice memories. After all, he had to wake Yuuri up but he wanted more cuteness to look at whenever things got a bit too stressful. It was a secret. These were not meant for social media.
Once his mobile was safely tucked in his pocket, he reached out to poke Yuuri's cheek. In response, Yuuri wrinkled his nose and turned his head away so Victor didn't have easy access any longer. But this was Victor Nikiforov! Victor wasn't the sort to take anything laying down. Well... he took a few things while laying down, but not everything. And this was not the time for such thoughts!
Placing his cold hand on the back of Yuuri's neck, Victor leaned down until his lips brushed agasint the shell of Yuuri's ear. "Yuuri," he murmured, blowing lightly in hopes of eliciting some kind of verbal recognition.
He got what he wanted, but it was far too erotic in his opinion. It was a simple moan, but it hit him hard, and made him hard. Glancing down, he tsked at himself for being so damn susceptible to beauty. Why did Yuuri have to be so arousing?
"Yuuri, please wake up," he valiantly tried, massaging the sides of Yuuri's neck, which were a little tense.
Another dirty moan. It couldn't be anything but such. Victor had to bite his lip to stop himself from saying all manner of inappropriate things that wanted to pop from his mouth at the moment. This was not the time. Yuuri was still sleeping after all.
He could exercise some king of self control at the moment. He had restraint! He was not a man of impulse! Well, not too many impulses!
"Yuuri!" he whined.
"Vitya," came a mumbled response.
Victor's face contorted into an odd expression of embarrassment and pleasure at the sound of Yuuri's voice enunciating such a nickname for him. Yuuri was still asleep, but he was calling out a nickname for Victor.
Did he subconsciously want to call Victor by such a name, but was worried that he'd be offended? If that was the case, then Victor just needed to come up with a nickname for Yuuri in order to let him know that it was perfectly fine!
Although, Victor did worry for himself if he was going to get aroused every time Yuuri called him, 'Vitya'.
He shrugged to himself. He'd pass that hurdle when he came to it.
"Vitya."
Damn. He came to it a bit too soon.
Taking a deep breath for his final attempt at waking the sleeping beauty up, Victor screamed, "Yuuri! There's no more katsudon!"
In the unfortunate aftermath, Victor the poodle was knocked off the bed, Makka was startled terribly, and Yuuri slammed his head off of Victor's chin. Both would probably have a bruise each.
Next time he wouldn't lean in so close. He really needed to stop being so mesmerized by Yuuri.
Victor and Yuuri were spending their last day in Japan doing minimal skating. Nothing too serious because they'd be on a plane come the next morning, so being uncomfortable then wouldn't do either of them any good. Flying First Class or not.
"Have you ever tried couples' skating?" Victor found himself asking after he and Yuuri passed each other on the ice while doing figures.
"Yes. It was fun. Freeing in a sense."
Yuuri had experience in it then.
"Can we try?"
Yuuri came to a halt right beside Victor, holding his hand out in invitation. "Do you want to lead or shall I?" That serene smile was breathtaking.
"Can we switch any time?"
Yuuri smiled as if he'd expected such a question, and nodded serenely. "Being a couple means sharing the load equally."
'Being a couple'. Victor would admit to himself that he really liked the sound of those words when they came from Yuuri's mouth. And the fact that Yuuri was talking about he and Victor together, made it all the better. Ever since Hiroko had made that comment about Yuuri 'having him', Victor couldn't stop thinking about he and Yuuri and their relationship.
Victor took Yuuri's offered hand - it was rather soft - and together, the two started gently across the ice, getting a feel for their new position and how to share the weight evenly between them. Like a proper couple.
More than once did Yuuri's hands trail to Victor's waist in order to guide him, and Victor did not hold back in ghosting his own hands over Yuuri's shoulders and hips whenever he so dared. Sometimes one had to take chances, and as Yuuri didn't push him away, he figured it was allowed.
They didn't actually get anything done, but the simple back and forth motions around the rink were enough. Victor still enjoyed himself immensely. It was a memory he intended to keep in his heart for the rest of his life.
The Nishigori triplets ended up uploading a two minute long video of he and Yuuri later on in the same evening, and titled it, [A Pair On & Off the Ice?].
Victor liked it and shared it on every social media platform he was a member of. Yuur's minor frustration over it wasn't as severe as he wanted it to be. The man's pout was adorable though, and Victor wondered what else would get him such an expression.
Besides, the reception was very positive.
Especially when even Victor's followers started to notice their closeness.
{OMG! Are V-nikiforov and Katsudon_King together?!}
|
{Due that would be the best thing ever! Gay athletes who are open about their feelings.}
{Victor + Yuuri = Victuuri/Victuri! Confirmed! Hashtag it. #ItMakesSenseNow}
|
{Not everything is fucking gay! Why do you people have to make everything so damn gay?}
||
{Excuse me bitch, gtfo! Why do you have to make everything straight?}
|||
{Because I'm realistic}
||||
{'Realistic'. Hetero isn't the default sexuality! V-nikiforov has made his entire Insta about Katsudon_King and has tagged #WantToKissHim and #LooksGoodNaked all week.}
|||||
{Nah bruh, that's a bro kiss! Haven't you heard of them? They're totally straight! :D}
||||||
{What? Nothing to say about that Mr. Realistic? Do you NOT want to get naked and kiss your bros like Victor wants to with Yuuri?}
{I need to know if they are a couple. It's for science!}
{Do you see how they're holding each other?! Couple! #GayFigureSkaters}
|
{I swear this was predicted in Cards Against Humanity.}
||
{If that game somehow predicted two men getting together I might actually play it.}
{I'm so happy for them! #Victuuri}
{#LGBTQ+ Representation matters! #Victuuri are so brave! #Respect}
{I hope no one fucks it up.}
Sitting on the plane ended up being a really nice and really comfortable. Yuuri did not often indulge in the finer things in life, even after being married to Victor Nikiforov for nearly thirty years, but when he did, he took full advantage. It wouldn't do to waste anything after all.
He found himself sitting in a large and fluffy seat that was spacious enough for him to even tuck his feet under his body should he so desire. And of course this Victor, like his own Victor, still did not seem to know a thing about personal space. Even when they were thousands of feet in the air, Victor could not keep his hands to himself. Yuuri found a silver head resting on his shoulder numerous times and couldn't help but smile and nuzzle into the man's hair. He smelled so familiar and of home, even if they didn't have a home together yet.
The small table in front of them opened on either side allowing them to share space. Many times they ended up playing Tic-Tac-Toe and kept making larger boards to up the difficulty. And if one thing should be noted about dream Victor and real Victor was that Viktor Nikiforov did not take any kind of game lately. If you were playing, you were playing to win and that was that.
None of this, for the fun stuff. Either play to win or don't play, because there were others who would love to win and get a chance to participate.
Yuuri had a bit of a ball teaching Victor how to play Gin Rummy. It was kind of funny, as Yuuri had learned the game in his first year and university back in America. It was one of those unfortunate moments where he could not escape socializing with his fellow peers, and he had to spend time with people.
He ended up learning how to play a lot of card games and might have gotten into the habit of gambling every now and then. Yuuri didn't even remember when it happened, nor did he recall when he ended up teaching Victor all of the card games he knew. But taught they were. Besides, Victor had only shown an interest in card games until years into their relationship, so being able to teach him now was a nice change.
Victor indulged in the offered champagne as expected and after a few hours, Yuuri found himself nodding off, his head landing on Victor's which had been resting on his shoulder.
This was nothing new and when they were awoken by the stewardess, both merely smiled at one another and wiped their drool from their chins.
At least Victor did embarrassing things too.
Slovakia was cold in the Winter, Yuuri ended up learning some time in his late twenties. Like, very cold.
It wasn't exactly his preferred vacation spot, but Victor had loved it. And he had nothing against the country or anything, but he was the type to prefer level temperatures. Not too hot, not too cold. Medium. Sixteen degrees Celsius at the most.
But it was still a nice evening once they had all of their things put away in their hotel room that had two beds. Neither said anything about that as they put their things up for the evening. Even if it was on Yuuri's mind, he wasn't going to bring it up. Not yet.
Victor wanted to go out for dinner, and together, they braved the winds and flurries.
And the thing that touched him most was that Victor had insisted that Yuuri use his scarf - the one he'd finally bought back in Hasetsu - even though Yuuri had his own scarf and was already using it. But Victor went on a whole spiel about how being Russian had him conditioned for the cooler weather and that he wanted Yuuri to be comfortable at all times.
It was such a terribly Victor thing to do. Yuuri couldn't help but sigh as he thought of all the times his Victor had done such a thing for him. Victor was such a romantic and it was charming most of the time.
"I miss Makka already," Victor pouted, and Yuuri couldn't help but agree. If it was feasible to bring both dogs along, they would have gladly done it.
Yuuri placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sure we can get Mari to FaceTime so we can see her."
Victor's pout was flipped around immediately and he wrapped an arm around Yuuri's shoulders, bringing Yuuri in close. A light kiss was placed on Yuuri's right temple. "You're the best Yuuri! You have all these solutions. It's like the angels sent you to me to guide me!"
Yuuri was calling himself a gift from the angels now?
Not only was he torturing himself with all of these things that he wanted in reality, but the dream kept dragging on and on. Maybe he was in a coma? Were people cognitive during comas? Did they dream? For what seemed to be two months? Were the studies on the brain that far yet?
He was almost tempted to believe this was reality. He got tired and hungry. His feet hurt after practice. He had to pay outrageous bills. One would think they would make a dream world easier on themselves. Not this realistic mimicry of life that hurt more than it should.
Yuuri stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, not paying an ounce of attention to anything around him as he considered it.
Dreams. They were easy. And when bad things happened, you woke up. Simple. Sleeping, pain happens, and pop, you're awake once again and you're fine.
Most dreams you weren't aware of until you had awoken. Like with nightmares, or that ridiculous one where you woke up feeling like you're falling.
But if it was indeed reality, then that would be something like time travel. Or dimension travel. It hadn't ever been proven that both were impossible, but why would it happen to Yuuri of all people? That was the major question. He wasn't anyone special. He hadn't done anything in life to deserve such a thing. He was just Yuuri.
"Yuuri?"
It couldn't be. He pinched his cheek and indeed felt pain. Pain didn't happen in dreams. But was a coma a dream really? That was the question. Maybe an elaborate hallucination? And why would he be in a coma at all? He was only fifty-five in reality! He had no illnesses and never had a serious injury. Not like Victor. He'd simply gone to bed crying his heart out and wishing for the old days. That was it.
He wasn't the one who got hurt. He wasn't the one who had an accident. He wasn't the one who lost his memory. Shouldn't Victor get a chance to redo his life then? Wouldn't that have been more fair? He deserved it after everything he had been through.
If this was indeed reality that is. Though sometimes it felt too good to be true.
"Yuuri!"
He blinked and looked up at 'dream' Victor, who was staring at him with obvious worry. "Yuuri, are you okay? You just stopped all of a sudden and you haven't moved since. I tried calling you several times, but you haven't responded once."
"Victor, I feel like I'm in a dream right now and I'll wake up to a nightmare," admitted Yuuri, the horror slowly beginning to set in.
And Victor, dear Victor who was always so concerned for him, placed both of his hands on Yuuri's cheeks and stared deeply into his eyes. An attempt to calm him down so they could work through the problem on their own. The usual.
"You're a little warm. Maybe you have a fever. Your eyes are dilating normally, but you look ready to drop. Should we go back to the hotel? Do you need to rest?"
"Didn't you want to eat dinner?" asked Yuuri, immensely touched still over the smallest of kind gestures from Victor Nikiforov. His heart honestly couldn't handle this right now though.
"We can just order in."
Victor took his hand and gave a firm nod. "I want to make sure that you're alright. And if you feel like telling me what is wrong, then I'll be here to listen. Okay? But don't push yourself for my sake."
And just like that, Katsuki Yuuri's glass heart was once again shattered by the kindness of Victor Nikiforov.
And he might just fall for this possible-dream-Victor as much as he did for his own Victor. And he wasn't sure if he'd mind all that much. It was just another Victor. Same heart and smile. Same manners and actions. Just a new expression of all of it.
But at the moment he was faced with a worrying thought. Was he dreaming about a future that he wished he could have? Or was he reliving his life again, but better this time? Who was to say what was a dream and what was reality?
There was a commotion that awoke Yuuri early in the morning. A loud and frantic banging that he recognized to be the cupboards in the kitchen.
Feeling the empty spot next to him, Yuuri realized that it was Victor. Victor rarely ever got up to eat a midnight snack though. Or a three thirty snack, if the clock on his mobile was correct. It just wasn't Victor's thing. He'd prefer to get up and watch the sunrise, or maybe sit by the fire to think.
So this was something to be concerned over.
Yuuri put his slippers on and made his way to the kitchen, where Victor was rummaging through the fridge now. On the counter was a brown bowl. A dog bowl. Makkachin's dog bowl to be precise. Said bowl that had been put away in the attic for the past three years.
"Vitya, what are you doing so early?" Yuuri asked, watching his frazzled husband shove stuff aside frantically. He couldn't help but look back at the bowl on the counter. Why was it out?
"I can't find the dog food!" Victor said, voice frantic and worried.
"Why do you need dog food, Vitya?" asked Yuuri. From seeing how Victor looked so worried, Yuuri was beginning to worry as well.
"Makka needs to eat, but we don't have anymore food for her."
The dog bowl on the counter made more sense now, but...
Yuuri stepped forward to pull Victor away from the fridge and placed a hand on his hot forehead. It was hot as expected. "Vitya, if we had dog food, it wouldn't be refrigerated. Also, we haven't had a dog in nearly three years. Makka passed away years ago."
Victor's shoulders stiffened, and he turned to look around the kitchen, his eyes just as frantic as his movements. Searching for something. "Makka was here!" he insisted, wide eyes turning to Yuuri and pleading. "I saw her. She came to wake me up and lead me to the kitchen!"
Yuuri's head was already shaking in denial as he softly soothed a hand down Victor's face. "I'm sorry, Victor. I know you miss her, but she's not here anymore."
"B-but I saw her," was the broken reply, and all Yuuri could do was wrap his arms around his husband and let him cry his feelings out. "I heard her."
He also wasn't sure if it was from a dream or maybe Victor needed therapy. Makka had been with him for nearly 18 years. It would make sense that he would take her passing hard.
Victor clutched him close and his tears soaked Yuuri's shoulder.
There was one thing that was obvious though. Victor was seeing things and he still had that damnable fever. Despite how his doctor claimed he was in perfect health, the fever remained ever present. The fever reducers weren't working very well despite being prescription medication.
Fuck it. Yuuri was taking him back to the doctor. Something was wrong.
Seeing things that weren't there was serious. It could be delirium caused by stress and the fever for all he knew. It might even be something worse!
"Yura, why is this happening?"
"I don't know. But we'll find out what's wrong, Vitya. I promise."
Dreaming about the present was strange. Or was he dreaming himself into the past and his dreams in the dream world were all about reality? He couldn't remember any of the dreams he'd had in this dream before now. How strange. And annoying.
"This is so confusing!" he wailed into the open room, smacking his arm against the bedding.
"What's confusing?"
Victor. Dream Victor that might not actually be a dream, Victor. A Victor who might actually be a real Victor because there was a possibility that Yuuri time or dimension traveled and if that was the case, then everything he'd done up until this moment was not in any way, lacking in consequence.
He'd done a bunch of shit just with the thought of no consequences in mind. Because this was his damn dream! It was supposed to be carefree!
This would mean that he really wasted almost four hundred dollars all to get his costumes redone. And his heart practically wept at that idea. All that money! Yuuri was cheap and he recycled skating costumes in order to save money! That had not saved him any money!
This being reality was… it was. That. Ugh!
"I thought this was all a dream," Yuuri admitted. "I thought it was all a dream, so I've been doing things I normally wouldn't dare do because this was all just so impossible and amazing that it couldn't be real. I swear I was not this confident a few months ago! And now it might actually be real!"
Yuuri's bed dipped at the side, and Victor sat himself down beside Yuuri's left knee. His blue eyes were full of concern and his cold hands reached out to take hold of Yuuri's trembling fingers.
"Technically, there is no true way to prove whether you're awake or not because a dream could fool you into thinking you're awake. It's like the Poe poem about dreams. 'Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream?' It's your own faith that lets you determine what is real or not. So if you want to believe this is a dream, then you can. And if you want to believe this is reality, then you can."
Victor's cold fingers massaged the meaty flesh of the palm of Yuuri's left hand. "I would prefer to think of you as real, because I remember most of my dreams, and rarely are they ever so lovely."
Yuuri flushed, because Victor was so charming. Even when Yuuri was having a existential crisis, the man managed to just make everything better.
"If it's a dream, I don't want to wake up," he admitted after a moment. Victor's hands clutched his even harder. "What was happening before this possible dream occurred, wasn't pleasant and I don't want to go back to it. I can't live with that. And if that is indeed reality, then am I a bad person for not wanting to go back?"
"You're allowed to want to be happy, Yuuri. Whatever you're scared to confront, doesn't mean you don't deserve happiness. Now I would prefer to think of this as reality, and if you want to as well, that's fine. But if you think of me only as a dream, I wouldn't be offended. After all," Victor smiled, eyes twinkling, "you'd be dreaming of me. And I can't ask for anything better than that, now can I?"
"You'll always be a charmer," Yuuri said with a fond sigh, allowing his fingers to link with Victor's.
"For you and only you," Victor promised with a wink.
And boy was it true.
When Yuuri officially met Yakov Feltsman this time around, the man looked to be a lot more surly than the first time, but Yuuri was also prepared for his attitude, so he wasn't offended by the man's countenance or deeply set frown.
"You barely filled the quota, Vitya," the man said in Russian, unaware that Yuuri spoke and understood it.
Victor waved his hand and grinned. "I did the videos and that's all that matters. Also, Yuuri helped me with my step sequences. You should be happy."
Yuuri snorted. "It wasn't as if there was much to work on," he murmured in English, knowing that Victor had spoken in Russian, and knowing what it would mean once Yakov was made aware.
Yakov's eyes went wide for a moment, before he huffed. "I want to see your improvements."
"I know, I know. Don't worry."
Victor was already stepping onto the ice, and he sent a wink in Yuuri's direction before moving to practice without music.
Yakov had demanded that Victor add two Quads at the end of his program in order to raise the technical base points. And because he was Victor Nikiforov, he would no doubt do it perfectly, even if it was a bit of a challenge for him due to age and lacking stamina. But Victor wasn't one to give up on a challenge.
The thing was, while they both had decided to go with the new routine by adding Victor's new jump line up, Yuuri was still capable of changing his own routine and he had the time to do such. They wanted to up the technical points and difficulty in preparation for Worlds, but they forgot that Yuuri was right there and that other skaters were capable to changing their programs on the fly as well.
So while Victor had five Quads as well now, Yuuri could still defeat him.
Meaning that once he got a feel for how many points Victor earned from this performance, he was going to switch the line up of his own jumps to make a greater impact. After all, there was only one way to go, and that was up.
Yuuri had no problem loading the back half of his routine with Quads and combos if he had to. That was how Victor had coached him. Just because he cared for Victor didn't mean he'd go easy on him.
Victor would never allow such a thing. That was 'his way of showing his love'. Being a hard ass.
He could already see the improvements to Victor's choreography. It had been beautiful before, but Yuuri had made minor changes in his version of the routine. Transitions were easier because he had the stamina to keep up with the speed he'd imposed upon himself while performing.
Victor had a habit of not taking much seriously unless he truly felt that he needed to work on the subject of choice.
He'd listened to Yuuri's concerns, and had taken his remarks into account. Yuuri even had Minako come to the rink one day to evaluate Victor. The former prima ballerina did not withhold her comments and let Victor have all of it at once as she dressed down his abilities from one end to the other.
He was losing flexibility, needed to work on presentation better, and his footwork was getting sloppy. While the woman was a fan of skating and admired him, she was almost twice his age and had competed in more competitions than him, and had been dancing for literally almost fifty years. She knew her way around practice and never once went easy on Yuuri.
It was in respect as a fellow athlete, and yes, Yuuri considered ballet a sport. After all, he'd been doing it since he was four and he knew all of the struggles involved. It was fucking hard and not everyone could do it. There was criteria if one wanted to be more than a passive body on the dance floor. Ballet was demanding.
So yes, Victor had actually had to practice despite him pouting over it. But when he wanted something, he went for it. And Victor had Yuuri record his progress for his coach. He wanted the season to show his progress.
Also, Yuuri could tell that his PCS would be a lot higher this time. He wondered if people would notice that little fact.
Yuuri was proud to see his improvement though. Even Victor could improve somewhere. Yuuri knew that now. It only took thirty years for him to fully realize it.
"It seems that skater Katsuki Yuuri of Japan has joined Victor Nikiforov's coach, Yakov Feltsman! It's been noted that he arrived alongside Nikiforov and that both checked into the same hotel room. I can only assume they are friends and he decided to come and support his fellow competitor."
Victor barely withheld a smirk as he looked at the screen that showed both Yuuri and Yakov stood beside one another, not making any effort to converse. Victor was supposed to be up next, but he had wanted to hear what the announcers had to say about Yuuri's presence.
Since he wasn't European, obviously some would be confused over why he was in attendance of a European event.
They didn't disappoint. Some were speculating that he and Yuuri were really good friends, which wasn't exactly wrong. Some thought that Victor had somehow wrongly influenced the Japanese skater(guilt tripped him into coming). Another assumed they were lovers. They weren't right, which was probably the saddest thing actually.
Still, Victor was glad to have Yuuri as a friend, but he was looking forward to something more. With all those tingles the younger man inspired within Victor, of course he would want to keep that new feeling as close as possible. He wanted all of Katsuki Yuuri. Even if the man was having an existential crisis.
Besides, after that night at the bar, and that time in his room, it was good to know that there would possibly be something more in store for them. For now they were friends.
Victor would make sure that those 'friend' assumptions were laid to rest with his actions. After all, he wasn't above light manipulation in order to get what he wanted. Anything in order to get Yuuri to own up to his feelings.
Moving off toward the ice, he waved off Yakov's irate comment about paying attention to his competition and instead fixed his eye on Yuuri only who was smiling calmly in the face of the spectators and the other European skaters who were watching his actions closely.
Yuuri reached out to flatten down Victor's collar, and Victor couldn't help but take those smaller hands for what had to be the millionth time in the past few days. Yuuri merely smiled at the familiar action and looked Victor in the eye, waiting for him to speak.
As if this was something he was used to. He seemed completely relaxed in this atmosphere, and it was hot. Sometimes confidence was enough to be arousing.
"Wish me luck, Yuuri?" Victor practically purred, waiting for some kind of blush in response.
"You don't need luck. You're amazing as you are and you're going to go out there and get a gold medal that I can kiss."
Victor's eyes went wide immediately at the brazen suggestion, but he really liked the idea of Yuuri kissing his gold medal. It hadn't been the answer he'd expected, but it was so much better. He liked it a lot. Yuuri's delectable mouth all over the gold of the medal, teasing Victor. A poor replacement for something much better, yet just as arousing.
Leaning even further into Yuuri's space so that their chests touched, Victor ghosted his lips across the apple of the man's cheek. Let the announcers make of that what they will.
"Is the medal the only thing you'll kiss?"
There was a sharp intake of breath, before Yuuri's face tilted slightly, putting Victor's lips at the corner of his mouth now. So close but so far.
"I might be persuaded to put my mouth on something else if you do really well."
God, did Victor need to do well. So well in fact, no one could ever question his performance. There was more on the line than anything ever had been before.
He stepped onto the ice just as his name was called, and he could feel the thrill of excitement once again hitting him. He wanted to win this. He wanted to give it his all. And this time, he was looking forward to it. All because of Katsuki Yuuri.
Victor had taken first place as expected, with Chris taking second behind him. When the Swiss man had noticed Yuuri's presence, he'd made it a point to stay around he and Victor, forcing his coach to migrate to their section.
"So you just decided to come to Slovakia to cheer Victor on, did you?"
Yuuri shrugged, minutely disrupting Victor's arm which had somehow found its way around his shoulders as they waited.
Victor wasn't one to leave it as it was. He was grinning at Chris. "Yuuri agreed to come and support me here and then I'm going to cheer him on at Four Continents! And then we plan to battle it out at Worlds later on!"
A cocked brow was the only response Victor received, but Yuuri could tell that Chris' mind was putting everything together and he was coming to conclusions that should probably have worried him, but Chris had a way of not being embarrassing about his observations. At least not too much.
"It seems you both have gotten close," the Swiss man remarked, voice carefully neutral, but Yuuri could already see that something was coming.
Victor wasn't ready, so when he nodded gleefully, Chris pounced on the opportunity.
"Is he as good as I always imagined then?" Chris asked, directing his question at Yuuri while motioning toward Victor with his head.
Victor sputtered while Yuuri smirked. "I wouldn't tell you even if we had gotten that close."
"Victor, what are you waiting for? Have I not taught you anything?" Chris bemoaned as he went on to rant about how inconsiderate Victor was as a lover and how he might have to take classes. "You need a few lessons with dear old Christophe."
And all the while, Yuuri couldn't help but laugh. Victor Nikiforov certainly knew his way around the bedroom. There was nothing 'inconsiderate' about him when in bed. Victor was passionate and knew when to be gentle, and when to be rough. A nice mixture for Yuuri's tastes.
But Yuuri stayed his tongue because seeing Victor so flustered was cute and it was nice to see both men unwinding and just enjoying each other's company. They were good friends that the other needed. So it was nice for them to strengthen their bond.
"You were waiting for Yuuri to show an interest in you?" came the loud and horrified reply to whatever Victor had quietly murmured into Chris' ear. Victor didn't look amused in the least.
"I'm just saying that he hasn't exactly made his adoration of you a secret. Everyone knows about it. Just practically locked lips before you went to skate. He's looking right at us without even blinking. It's not like he's shocked or anything."
And Victor's face only got even more red. As Yuuri had come to learn after many years, that shade was particularly lovely with his skin tone.
Yuuri sent a wink their way and turned his attention back to the ice and the new skater who was up.
He would be kind this once. Katsuki Yuuri knew how to be merciful when the moment called for it.
Victor - as expected of him - won the gold at the European Skating Championships, and Chris came in second with silver. As he was the winner, Yuuri had conceded to doing whatever he wanted. Which ended up being dinner and then heavy drinking at a local bar with a wide selection of liquor.
He wouldn't hear any of Yuuri's complaints about him buying dinner, especially since in his mind it was a date and he wanted to be the one paying for this one. Yuuri could pay on other dates, but Victor totally claimed the first date.
"You're ridiculous. And will you stop drinking so much? You need some water too."
He pouted at the cup that was shoved under his nose. "But water has no flavor!" he whined.
"I can get a lemon for it."
"Yuuri! why won't you have anything to drink?" asked Victor, hoping to distract the man.
"Because I'm the responsible one and you're going to need help to get back to the hotel."
"It's hot in here!"
"No stripping!"
Too late.
Victor was already free of his shirt, but Yuuri was quick to grab it before it could be thrown randomly.
"Victor, this isn't that kind of bar. Put your shirt back on."
"What will I get if I do?" he asked, quirking a brow flirtatiously.
"If you wanted a kiss you could just ask instead of getting drunk."
A warm, but simultaneously cold bolt of pleasure ran down his spine at those words. Yuuri understood and was fine with it!
"I can have a kiss?"
"When you're sober and if you remember, then sure."
"Okay!"
He'd never forget this!
A/N: The first is done!
How was it? Let me know!
Check out my other fics!
See ya! :D
CHECK ME OUT ON TUMBLR. HELLY-WATERMELONSMELLINFELLON.