Despite the approaching end of the summer months, the heat remained a distinct reminder that the sun wasn't finished frying their small town with its sweltering rays. Sweat made Yuuri's palm damp where it was pressed against Victor's, but Victor seemed unbothered by the slippery stickiness building between them. Lifting their joined hands, Yuuri used the back of Victor's to swipe at the perspiration collecting on his brow. Snorting at Victor's affronted look, Yuuri shrugged. "Only fair, it was your idea to walk when the world is melting."

"Excuse me, but I believe you were the one who guiltily promised our pups a long walk." Victor leaned into Yuuri's side and nipped at the bruise on Yuuri's collarbone that he had left earlier after the dogs had been shooed out of their bedroom. When they had finally emerged to find both dogs pouting outside of their door, Yuuri had weakened immediately and promised them all sorts of outrageous things.

Staring at the dogs now, Yuuri shook his head, attempting to suppress his smile. "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have accepted their compensation if they knew it required them to wear shoes." For the third time since they had set off on their sun-soaked journey, Yuuri glanced around expecting to find some giddy spectator capturing their dogs' awkward walks in hopes of gaining internet fame. "They look like marionettes… whose strings are controlled by uncoordinated toddlers."

Inhaling with a dramatic gasp, Victor turned to Yuuri with an offended gape. "These shoes are both practical and stylish."

"Makka's shoes are pink," Yuuri pointed out, giving the larger poodle a sympathetic smile when she turned her big eyes in his direction. The look was a plea for mercy, Yuuri was sure of it.

"They match her raincoat." The defiance in the way Victor spoke had Yuuri working even harder to hold back his smile.

"Those are words you said," he deadpanned, refusing to look at Victor and instead focusing on not laughing at the way Vicchan was determinedly waving his legs with the hope of freeing himself from his torturous rubber boots.

Leaning into Yuuri's space, Victor narrowed his eyes. He wasn't positive that Yuuri was teasing him, but history encouraged him to keep pushing regardless. "Well Vicchan's blue ones also match his…"

Letting the loop of Vicchan's leash fall to the bend of his elbow, Yuuri held up his hand in front of Victor's face. "Don't say raincoat," he warned, the inside of his cheek beginning to ache from the way Yuuri was biting it.

Pausing, Victor raised his eyebrow with a hint of challenge. "Match his waterproof, protective layer which shall shield him from the evils of the heaven's tears." Triumphant, Victor wiggled his eyebrows at Yuuri, feeling ever prouder when Yuuri finally broke into giggles.

"God, you're a fucking idiot," Yuuri laughed, swinging their hands between the hips and laughing at Victor's goofy smile.

Victor's devilish smirk was his only prelude to yanking Yuuri into his chest, his voice dropping low as he leaned into Yuuri's ear. "Correction," he whispered, slipping his hand from Yuuri's grasp to settle it possessively at Yuuri's lower back. "I'm the idiot you're fucking."

"Oh for fuck's sake." The sound of a door slamming open robbed Yuuri of his chance to retort with another sarcastic remark. "You're late." Standing in front of the open front door, Phichit stared down at them with an accusing eyebrow raised and his arms folded across his chest.

Sheepishly, Yuuri and Victor exchanged glances, giggling at the admonishment by their best friend. "Sorry, Phichit, it's Yuuri's fault," Victor batted his eyelashes with false innocence as Phichit rolled his eyes in obvious disbelief. "He has trouble keeping his hands to himself you know. And also insisted that we put these adorable booties on our furbabies."

Before Yuuri could correct Victor's outlandish lies, Makka and Vicchan yanked him and Victor forward, demanding to be unhooked from their leashes so they could race inside to see their other favorite playmate.

Bumping his shoulder into Victor's, Yuuri squatted to let their dogs free. He laughed when Makka licked the entire side of his face looking over his shoulder to tease Victor about his similar kissing style. He lost the thought when he noted Victor's intense stare. Collecting the leashes and pushing to stand, Yuuri tapped Victor under his chin. "Eyes up here," he said, giving Victor a playful look. There was heat simmering low in his belly that had everything to do with their earlier teasing and absolutely nothing to do with the height of the afternoon sun.

"I love these shorts." Reaching down to slip a hand in Yuuri's back pocket, Victor went a little dizzy with how tightly his hand was squeezed inside of the fabric. It had pulled so snug over Yuuri's butt and thighs, Victor couldn't control his need to unabashedly ogle his boyfriend's fabulous butt, completely forgetting that they currently had an audience.

He remembered the day Yuuri had bought the shorts and the way Victor had to talk himself down from a really inconvenient boner in the middle of the GAP dressing room. But now, Victor didn't have to hold himself back and his smile became sly and predatory as he pulled Yuuri closer, ignoring the fact that they were in the middle of their friends' walkway. "I have always loved these shorts. And now, I can tell you and I don't have to pretend like I'm not staring at your ass. Because I'm allowed to stare at your ass. And touch it. And…"

"This is our life now." Appearing next to Phichit in the doorway, Seung Gil managed to look extremely put out. "Why did we want this to happen again?" He was obviously struggling to hold in his smile when Phichit shoved his shoulder.

Turning on his heel, Yuuri shook his head at the disappointed whine Victor made at having his hand dislodged from Yuuri's back pocket.

"I specifically remember a certain someone practically shoving me to finally talk to Victor about my feelings. A very stubborn someone." Yuuri playfully stuck his tongue out when Seung Gil glared at him, exchanging a brand of teasing they could only use between the two of them. Truthfully, he owed Seung Gil a lot and eventually Yuuri would find the right words to thank him.

Feeling Victor's arm slide around his waist, Yuuri fell in step with Victor, both of them stopping short when Phichit held up his hands. "Ring check!" Phichit yelled, making both of them jump. Exchanging confused glances, they both raised their hands so that Phichit could grab at them.

"It's not above either of you spontaneous bastards to have decided to elope last night or this morning, and we know one too many judges between us who would gladly marry you two, especially the ones in the betting pool." Yelping, Phichit swatted at the hand Seung Gil had used to pinch him.

"You didn't let me kill him yesterday," Yuuri laid his head on Victor's shoulder. "Can I now?" With an exaggerated pout, Yuuri turned big eyes to blink up at Victor.

Waving a hand forward, Victor smiled when Phichit started to protest while tripping backwards into the house. "By all means…" In contradiction to his words, Victor tightened his grip on Yuuri's waist. "Or we can go inside and use that same energy to be disgustingly loving for the entire length of a baseball game. I'll even sit on your lap." Victor snorted when Seung Gil pretended to gag, throwing a wink in his direction and catching the briefest of smiles breaking on Seung Gil's face. He appreciated the balance between Seung Gil's teasing and Phichit's overt excitement.

Curling his fingers into the front of Victor's shirt, Yuuri accepted Victor's offer with a kiss too obscene for a quiet neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon, laughing against Victor's lips as Seung Gil returned to his theatrical gagging on the front step.


The afternoon with their best friends had passed like so many others, full of laughter, slight chaos and more arguing than was needed during a baseball game where they were all rooting for the same team. His relationship with Victor already felt like a natural part of all of their friendships and Yuuri had shared this thought with Phichit who had merely smacked him in the back of the head for his obviousness.

He had endured another round of Phichit's ranting about how long Yuuri and Victor had been a couple while being a couple of oblivious and useless assholes, shaking his head and refusing to admit how true Phichit's words were. Hindsight was one hell of a microscope and Yuuri was finding that it was easier to laugh at their joint ridiculousness than he would have ever thought possible.

Smiling at the loving way Phichit continued to be frustrated by Yuuri's long overdue realizations, Yuuri let his head drop back to rest on the headrest of the passenger seat of Victor's car. Though their afternoon had felt as natural as any other day spent with their friends, Yuuri was nervous that their dinner with his family may not result in the same feeling.

Riding quietly in Victor's car, Yuuri traced the tree line with unfocused eyes. The road to his parents' place always came with a sense of peace, a growing feeling of coming home that filled Yuuri's heart no matter how many times a week he made the same trek.

This time he wasn't alone in the drive and although he had brought Victor with him down this road many times in their friendship, today it felt completely different. For the first time, Yuuri was bringing Victor home and not as only his best friend. Trying to diminish the nervously giddy smile that wanted to pull at the corners of his lips, Yuuri snuck a glance at the man behind the wheel.

Sensing Yuuri's eyes on him, Victor quirked an eyebrow up, dancing his gaze only briefly in Yuuri's direction. The last two times Victor had guided his car toward the Katsukis, the thrill of nerves had vibrated underneath his skin fueled by uncertainty and determination. This time, turning up the hill that lead towards his found family, Victor only felt excitement fluttering in his chest.

In truth, Victor had felt incredibly exuberant the entire day. From waking up to Yuuri snuggled into him to the hours spent laughing with their best friends, Victor had experienced every moment as if the light in his life had finally been turned on. Yuuri still teased him and their banter was as sharp as ever, but the attraction and arousal those interactions had always brought Victor was allowed to exist now. No more hiding from the way that Yuuri's quick wit and biting retorts made his mind and body react with overwhelming lust.

Reaching over the center console, Victor offered his hand to Yuuri, lacing their fingers together and enjoying the way they fit so easily. Lines of poetic prose danced in Victor's mind creating a metaphor for their relationship out of their perfectly fitted hands. Smiling at his own romanticism, Victor raised Yuuri's hand to softly kiss his knuckles.

"You know…" Yuuri started, words fading when Victor gently traced the space between his fingers with the tip of his tongue. "You're the first guy I have ever brought home." Carefully watching the realization creep over Victor's face, Yuuri looked away when the blush flooded his own cheeks. "You know, besides all of those purposefully terrible set ups. Sometimes I wonder if that taxidermist ever found the furry love he was looking for…"

Huffing out his laugh, Victor rolled his eyes at Yuuri's silliness. "I… almost forgot about that with everything that's happened. Sometimes I can't believe it's barely been a week since you drunkenly seduced me." He laughed again when Yuuri bit his shoulder.

"I don't remember doing any seducing. I'm pretty sure it was all your fault." Tilting his chin toward the ceiling, Yuuri tapped his index finger on his chin as if recalling all of the events of that night.

"You stood in the middle of my bed, almost naked and stretching. Stretching, Yuuri." The mental image still made Victor's body stir with excitement, even though logically he knew it should be the least appealing of his memories from that night.

"Oh god." Heat flushed over Yuuri's cheeks as the moment came back to him, the mental image of himself being absolutely absurd making him slap his free hand over his face. "Why… why did I do that?" Shifting forward to jokingly bang his head on the dashboard, Yuuri felt his embarrassment tinted with amusement by the way Victor was fondly giggling. Eyes dropped to the floor of Victor's car, Yuuri paused in his self-loathing regret when he spotted a familiar notebook tucked into the door pocket.

"What the-" Yuuri started to ask, straining against the seatbelt to dislodge the notebook that was distinctly covered in his handwriting. Flipping the pages open, he felt another wave of blush crashing over him.

"Oh…" Victor reluctantly moved his hand to the wheel when Yuuri had wiggled free from its hold, both of Yuuri's hands now erratically flipping the pages of the spiral notebook. Even with his eyes on the road, Victor caught glimpses of Yuuri's doodles and scribblings, making his stomach fill with happy butterflies again. "Um… well… Your mom gave that to me… You know, before I drove out to romantically confess my undying love for you."

Peeking in Yuuri's direction, Victor noted the darkening pink of Yuuri's cheeks. Never passing up an opportunity to tease, Victor reached out to pat Yuuri's head. "I especially like the doodle on page 15, the one where you are kissing me to shut me up. Very creative." Though he wouldn't admit it, Victor had definitely memorized the details and location of all his favorite parts of college Yuuri's scribblings.

Closing his eyes, Yuuri once again found himself trying to remember that murder was a criminal offense. "I can't believe she saved this. And gave it to you. And I thought they loved me." Smacking the book against his forehead, Yuuri wondered if it was possible to die of his own shame.

"I think it's so sweet you had a crush on me!" Winking at Yuuri, Victor continued to grin in delight. "It must be embarrassing how much time you spent pining over me."

"We're dating." Glaring at the side of Victor's face, Yuuri wished he could actually kiss his boyfriend to shut him up.

"But still… all that time you spent fighting with me! When you were really swooning over me!" You're such a sap, my Yuuri!" Using an overly saccharine voice, Victor knew he was pushing all of Yuuri's buttons in a way that only he could achieve.

"I wonder what the record is for speed of moving in with a boyfriend and then promptly moving out?" Crossing his arms over his chest, Yuuri stared out of the window determined to tune out Victor's laughter. Maybe once they were home, Yuuri would reach out to Victor's family and see if there is any chance that Victor had embarrassing pining secrets of his own.

Silence settled in the car again, broken only by the sound of Victor happily humming of some tune that Yuuri didn't recognize. Yuuri felt himself relax into the comfort of their joint existence, his pout slowly fading from his face to be replaced by a relaxed smile. Watching the line of trees break to reveal the camp property, an idea grew in Yuuri's mind. "Hey Vitya," Yuuri grinned at the small sound of shocked pleasure that escaped Victor. "How much do you love me?"

Mind still shaken from the way Yuuri had said Vitya, Victor took a minute to respond. "More than Phichit loves forcing Seung Gil to watch marathon replays of the King and the Skater."

Leaning across the center console, Yuuri rested his head on Victor's shoulder. "Alright… to prove your love, all I ask is… play along with whatever happens while we're at dinner. Just… go with anything I say." Trailing his knuckles up the inside of Victor's thigh, Yuuri watched as Victor shifted to allow him better access. "If you do… I promise to reward you handsomely."

"It that a bribe, counselor?" Victor failed to keep the breathlessness out of his voice, a near Herculean feat with the way Yuuri's voice and the teasing of Yuuri's hand were stroking the most desperate parts of his libido. Someday, the thought of Yuuri touching him wouldn't wreck Victor completely, but today was certainly not that day.

"Bribe…" Yuuri let his fingertips brush over the hint of Victor's arousal straining under the zipper of his shorts, "reward…" Twisting slightly, Yuuri drifted soft kisses over Victor's neck, "it's one of those two…" Feeling the car slow down, Yuuri spared a glance for the front porch of his parents' house, spying his mother excitedly waving. "Do we have a deal?"

Swallowing hard around the lump in his throat, Victor internally recited the newest state law amendments in order to combat his raging need to throw Yuuri into the backseat. Lifting a shaky hand to wave at Mama Katsuki, Victor managed to nod his head when Yuuri gave him one last promising squeeze.

Whatever Yuuri had in mind for dinner, Victor was positive about two facts. It involved revenge and Victor was not ready.


Although Yuuri's parents had been more excitable than usual and Mari's knowing smirks had tripled in occurrence, dinner had been mostly uneventful, leaving Victor with an unidentifiable sense of unease.

Being next to Yuuri at the table, feeling Yuuri's thigh move to press closer to Victor's own, had been thrilling and wonderful. Letting himself openly enjoy the adorableness of Yuuri scarfing down two entire bowls of katsudon also had a special sense of happiness settling into Victor's heart. No more hiding his adoration of his favorite person was required and Victor was living for every second of that reality.

Up until Mama Katsuki brought out two plates stacked with sweets, sliding them across the table with a simple question about when they would start planning their wedding.

In truth, Victor should have anticipated the question, instead of choking on his tea. She had been the woman purposefully torturing her own son with the worst blind dates in history, so her Phichit-levels of enthusiasm for true love finally found should not have caught him off guard. Even with that understanding, Victor still felt his mind stuttering for an answer that didn't led him to one knee immediately.

"Oh," Yuuri responded casually, loving the fact that when Victor was around for dinner it always meant lots and lots of desserts. Licking powdered sugar off of his finger, Yuuri remained casually aloof while inside he was extremely excited that his moment had finally arrived. "There's a plane headed for Vegas on Tuesday night. Since neither of us have anything on our schedules for Wednesday or Thursday, I booked us two tickets. Why wait another minute, right?"

Silence hung in the room as the three Katsukis stared at Yuuri with dropped jaws. Shrugging with fake nonchalance, Yuuri wrapped his arm around Victor's shoulders. "I mean, we don't need a fancy wedding or anything. Darth Vader will make a wonderful officiant and Victor and I even have matching storm trooper outfits, blue for me, this pinkish color for him. Much classier than Elvis, isn't that what we agreed, darling?"

Victor had promised to go along with whatever Yuuri threw at him, but his mind had never even ventured near the possibility of devastating their family with the concept of an elopement. Even worse, a Star Wars themed elopement. Shoving down his own horror at the mental image forcing its way into his mind, Victor cranked up his best fake smile. "Truly, it will be a magnificent affair. Then we'll get wildly drunk and gamble the night away. It's a wedding and a honeymoon in one, how did I get so lucky?" The fact that Victor spoke without wincing was truly a miracle.

"I'm the lucky one," Yuuri cooed, scooting closer to Victor to plant a kiss to his cheek. His parents had never witnessed Yuuri willingly participating in public affection and he felt a little evil for tossing it on top of their already shocked silence.

"Little brother…" Mari's tone was full of warning, her chair scrapping over the floor as she pushed it backwards. "This better be a joke." Her eyes were narrowed when Yuuri met them across the table.

"Big sister, why would I joke about something so serious?" Angling his head to add to his own falsified innocence, Yuuri waited only a beat before continuing. "After all, our mother tried so hard to find me love… and none of those men were anything like Victor. I wouldn't want to break her heart by forcing her to watch me marry someone who clearly is outside of her standards."

"Katsuki Yuuri."

Almost breaking at the sound of his name being formally spoken by his mother, Yuuri turned to face the woman he loved most in the world. Under his hand, Yuuri felt Victor's shoulders tense and he massaged his thumb in a small circle. "Yes, mother?" Yuuri answered, finding the stern look on her face amusing.

"Vitya told you." Her smile became softer as she glanced to Victor's face, which Yuuri noted looked suspiciously sheepish.

"Honestly, what was she supposed to do, Yuuri?" Mari leaned her elbows on the table. "Continue to let you live life with your head shoved inside your own ass?" She snickered when their father burst into a bright laugh.

"And people think I'm the prankster," Yuuri's dad joked, slapping a hand to his belly. "We all know you wouldn't elope with Victor. Or should I go track down that other notebook with the sketches of your future wedding right here at home?"

This time, it was Yuuri choking on his tea, Victor's hand coming up to pat him on the back while Victor's focus moved across the table. "I will pay anything to get my hands on that book." Victor joined Papa Katsuki in his laughter when Yuuri tried to shove him out of his chair.

"Worst family ever," Yuuri muttered into the lip of his tea cup, his smile betraying the lie in his words. His happiness flourished as he listened to Victor barter with his father over the price of a notebook Yuuri knew none of them would ever find.

Because Yuuri had already stolen away during dinner to recover that exact piece of contraband and hide it in his own bag.

Taking the jabs his sister threw at him over his own horrible joke, Yuuri settled into the rest of his evening surrounded by his amazing family and even more amazing boyfriend.


Standing over the sink, Yuuri slowly brushed his teeth while watching Victor applying night cream to his face. This moment could have been any of the hundreds of moments they had shared like this as roommates, standing half asleep or half sober in their shared bathroom getting ready for bed in their apartment. Yet this moment was completely different. Every second, every shared glance, felt like the epitome of domestic bliss and Yuuri was positive his heart couldn't get any happier.

"You keep looking at me," Victor pointed out, making a silly face in the mirror to make Yuuri laugh. "Some of us care about our skin, you know." Over the years every one of his friends had taken their turn at poking at Victor's skin care regime, but when they were all fifty and Victor looked thirty-five, he knew he would have the last laugh.

Tapping his toothbrush on the side of the sink, Yuuri hoisted himself up on the counter, using his left hand to guide Victor between his spread thighs. "I'm just admiring your beauty." Running his fingers lightly over Victor's hips, Yuuri's mouth twitched as he took in the shiny brilliance of Victor's exposed forehead. "So much beauty. Especially… in this area…" He waved his hand in a broad circle near Victor's forehead, snorting when Victor frowned.

"Forehead jokes, really Katsuki? Really?" Before Yuuri could respond, Victor scooped him up and threw him over his shoulder. Both dogs excitedly danced around Victor's feet, obviously enjoying the potential for a wrestling match. Over Yuuri's squeals of protest, Victor marched toward the bedroom only addressing the dogs. "Your daddy thinks he is funny. Well, we'll show him won't we?" Dumping Yuuri on the bed, Victor waved his hand. "Go get him!" he commanded the dogs, laughing when the dogs leapt onto the bed and began to cover Yuuri in kisses.

Flicking off the bedroom light, Victor took a running leap into the bed to join in the dog pile, adding his own tickling fingers into the mix. The sounds of their laughter mixed with the dogs' happy barks filled the entirety of their bedroom until they were all sprawled and panting over the bed.

"I can't believe you threw me to the dogs," Yuuri teased, flicking Victor on the nose. "And here I thought you loved me." He grinned when Victor flopped on top of him. "Shiny," he teased, poking Victor in the forehead.

"Don't start with me," Victor warned, grabbing Yuuri's wrist and pinning it to the bed above his head. "I don't think I have any more left in me after today. I just want to snuggle up to my boyfriend, who I still love despite all of his terribly wounding jokes, and go off to dreamland."

"Sounds good." Leaning up, Yuuri pecked a kiss to Victor's forehead. "I need to go pull out my suit for tomorrow though and I'll be right back."

Happiness drained from Victor's mind as he remembered exactly why Yuuri needed a suit. Rolling to the side, he muttered "sure thing" before pulling back the covers on his side of the bed. Recalling Yuuri's scheduled interaction with JJ left Victor with a pit in his stomach that he couldn't and wouldn't explain.

Victor's sudden drop in mood made Yuuri's own stomach feel sour. Crawling out of the bed, Yuuri left the room without looking back, determined to force himself to calm down. Dealing with JJ, apologizing to JJ, was the right decision, even if it was painful for himself and Victor.

Taking longer than necessary to hang his dark gray linen suit on the back of the closet, Yuuri tried desperately to swallow down the sickness building inside of him. At most his interaction with JJ would last a couple of hours, but his relationship with Victor was meant to last him a lifetime. Stealing himself for an unpleasant conversation, Yuuri padded back into the room.

Victor's back was facing him, an unusual sight considering they had fallen asleep mostly naked and tangled together every other night that they had shared a bed over the last week. With body language that clearly stated Victor was uninterested in discussing the change in mood, Yuuri was unsure of how to proceed. Pulling back the covers on his own side, Yuuri slid into the bed and curled around Victor's back.

Part of him wanted to shove Yuuri away, put distance between them because of the prickly sensation under Victor's skin which erupted every time JJ's existence was even hinted at. His heart wasn't on board with his brain though. Sighing, Victor unwillingly sank back into Yuuri's arms while he buried his face deeper into his own pillow. "I don't like it," he muttered, knowing that he sounded like a petulant child.

"Does it help to know that I don't like it either?" Yuuri ran his hand down Victor's arm, nuzzling his nose into the back of Victor's neck. "But I owe JJ an apology, even if you don't think I do. I wasn't fair to him. Honestly, I could've never given my heart to anyone else, when it always belonged to you. And he needs to know that. I need to tell him that. He needs to know that no matter what he did, I could've never been anything but yours." Pressing on Victor's shoulder, Yuuri could feel the tears catching in the corners of his eyes when Victor finally rolled over to look at him.

"Don't be sweet when I want to be grumpy." Laying back on his pillow, Victor lifted a hand to swipe away the tear that was threatening to run down Yuuri's cheek. "Just… come to me once you're finished, okay? Come to me and let me kiss you and hold you and… I don't know… wipe his face from your memory forever…" Yes, it was a ridiculous desire and no, Victor did not care.

"That I can do." Yuuri promised, leaning down to kiss Victor softly.

They curled together in the bed, both of them faking sleep while their minds raced in separate directions.


The dread was painful in the pit of Yuuri's stomach, leaving him feeling uncomfortable in his own skin. His decision was unwavering and yet his head swam with uncertainty, questioning why he believed any of this was necessary. Victor's anxious silence and tight smile throughout their morning together plagued very second of Yuuri's thoughts, making his stomach tighten as he gripped the handle of his briefcase.

Was giving JJ closure really important enough to make Victor look so miserable? Why was Yuuri even convinced that it must be done? Brow furrowed and headache building behind his eyes, Yuuri tried to school his face into a neutral expression as he flashed his attorney badge and ducked around the line of people waiting to pass through the metal detector.

Several people called to him and offered handshakes, all of them expressing their happiness over seeing his face in the courtroom hallways again. On a hallway bench, Chris was sitting with clients of his own, sparring only a nod of his head as Yuuri strode past him. Training his eyes to his destination, Yuuri almost stopped walking when he saw JJ waiting with his head resting in his hands.

Straightening his shoulders, Yuuri curled his hand one more time on his briefcase, reaching up to unnecessarily tug his tie which already hung snugly in place. Clearing his throat, Yuuri stopped outside of JJ's personal space, waiting until JJ acknowledged him.

The moment JJ's eyes met his own, Yuuri knew that he had made the right decision.

"Where's your asshole partner?"

The venom in JJ's voice was laced with defeated disdain, but the way he shifted to stand and take a step back almost made Yuuri feel guilty. It hadn't been JJ alone in that kiss in his office lobby and although it felt like it had happened forever ago, the taste was too easy to recall on Yuuri's own lips. "I don't think he was the best match for your representation and offered to take over."

"And you thought that was wise?" Shoving his hands in his pockets, JJ looked like a mix of defeated yet determined, his jaw clenching when he looked at Yuuri.

"I thought…" Yuuri shrugged, wishing he could pull his courtroom persona over him like armor. "I thought we could get through the next half hour or so and then I could buy you coffee. The cart outside is the best around and I know how you like your macchiatos."

When JJ's shoulders released their defensive tension, Yuuri felt a slight thread of hope weaving its way through his stomach full of doubts. Although JJ's only confirmation of the invitation was a noncommittal shrug of his shoulders, Yuuri took that as a win. Nodding toward the doors to the courtroom, Yuuri gestured with his briefcase and led JJ inside.


Balancing two coffee cups and his briefcase, Yuuri made his way to JJ who had taken up space on a bench underneath the courthouse's largest tree. Handing over JJ's overly sweet drink, Yuuri took a sip of his own bitterly black coffee before lowering himself to sit on the bench.

"Thanks," JJ said, slowly spinning the cup in his hands. "I feel like I should have bought you coffee, considering you're the reason I can go get my license back."

Studying the side of JJ's face, Yuuri let himself smile. "It's my job to make sure you get your license back. I would be a pretty terrible attorney if it had gone any other way." He saw JJ smile at that comment and allowed himself to relax a little. "You were right, you know." Yuuri raised his cup to his lips and watched JJ out of the corner of his eye.

"Usually am," JJ leaned back, finally drinking from his paper cup and regaining some of his patented JJ cockiness. "What about this time, though?" Finally meeting Yuuri's eyes, JJ squinted in the light of the sun.

"Victor," Yuuri said simply, resting his mug on his knee. "I'm in love with him. Probably have been since the moment he started arguing with me. It just took you to finally help me see it."

Frowning, JJ tapped his finger against his cup. "Glad I was of some use then." His frown deepened and he shook his head like there was something else he wanted to say.

"You deserved better from me." Fidgeting, Yuuri tried to gather the words he had rehearsed in the shower that morning. "JJ, you are a great guy and you were good to me. When we were together, even though it was short, it was before I knew that my heart wasn't mine to give. I was an idiot, and you were the victim, and… I'm sorry."

"Didn't know you knew that word," JJ retorted. Sighing, his head dropped back, face turning toward the branches above them. "It's alright. I'm happy now. If you hadn't let me go, I wouldn't have found my Isabella…. And in a way I guess I get it now. For everything I thought we could've had… I have it with her. I've never had doubts with her, I know where I belong."

"How do you know?" The question was out before Yuuri could stop it, blurting from the depths of his mind and spilling his own undefined uncertainties into the world. His heart believed Victor was his forever, but for some reason, his mind was resisting the invitation to join the bandwagon.

Staring with a look of pure incredulousness, JJ nearly let his coffee slip out of his hand. "You're asking me… for what? Relationship advice?"

The words sounded absurd as soon as they were voiced and Yuuri shook his head. "No, sorry… I… that was weird… just ignore it." Waving his hand, Yuuri turned away from JJ and took a swig from his coffee. He felt the wood planks of the bench shift when JJ stood.

Walking a few steps away, JJ stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I can't ever be your friend Yuuri. It wouldn't be fair to my heart or to Isabella because… part of me will always wonder." Brows pinched in thought, JJ traced his finger over the rim of his coffee cup. "I do… I do want you to be happy though… so, hmmph… I… well, I'll tell you this." Turning to move a step closer, JJ lowered his hand to Yuuri's shoulder. "Stop overthinking. Love with your heart, not your head. Because your head is lodged in your ass most of the time."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Yuuri asked, returning JJ's smile with an exasperated one of this own.

Laughing, JJ took another drink from his cup as he patted Yuuri's shoulder once. "Goodbye, Yuuri." Turning on his heel, JJ walked away, never looking back as he crossed the parking lot toward his car.

Alone on the bench, Yuuri stared at his coffee cup as his swirling thoughts settled. The mental dust cleared leaving only the image of Victor. Smiling, beautiful Victor who loved Yuuri through all the twists and turns of the last ten years of their life.

Chuckling in response to the realizations rising in his mind, Yuuri stood and tossed his coffee cup into the nearest trash can. He had promised Victor that he would come straight back to the office after court, but if he hurried he would have time for a needed stop before doing so. Slipping his suit jacket off of his shoulders and pulling off his tie, Yuuri excitedly rushed for his car with all of his plans dancing in his head.


A pen struck the wall with an unsatisfying clatter as Victor banged his head onto his desk. Two hours and forty-nine minutes had passed since he had kissed Yuuri goodbye that morning, and Victor knew the last strands of his sanity were starting to fray.

Coming into the office had seemed like the best solution for his nervous energy. Mila had picked up the dogs for their walk only a few minutes after Yuuri's car had disappeared from sight, leaving Victor by himself to deal with his useless ball of anxiety. Bouncing on his toes, Victor had lasted less than five minutes in his empty house before he found himself pulling on his closest set of dress pants and lightest-weight dress shirt.

Unfortunately, discovering the office devoid of human life hadn't been the distraction Victor was looking for. Not even the interns were around for him to harass, although their impressive weekend handiwork was confirmation that they were aware of his and Yuuri's newfound relationship status. Victor's busiest moments had been trying to round up all of the "No Sex in the Office" signs that had been plastered over every open space of wall throughout each room, including the conference room and the bathroom.

Case files were stacked on Victor's desk, mocking him with their need for attention and making Victor want to take a turn at throwing them at the wall. The pen had been disappointing in its dulled sound and Victor eyed his top file as he decided whether the mess of papers would be worth it for a more satisfying thud. A gentle knock on his door had Victor's head shooting up, his eyes watering as soon as he saw Yuuri leaning casually on his doorframe.

"Need to add another tally to my win column," Yuuri joked, eyes catching the way Victor's hair was unkempt and lingering red around Victor's eyes. Yuuri hated when Victor looked stressed and immediately dropped his need to taunt him, crossing the room to sit on Victor's desk instead. Lifting the top paper from a crinkled stack on Victor's desk, Yuuri held it up. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Flipping it around, Yuuri held the "No naked butts ALLOWED" sign in Victor's direction.

"Your naked butt is always allowed," Victor weakly joked, reaching behind Yuuri to pinch said butt. Already Victor could feel his wildly obsessive thoughts trickle into nonexistence. "I believe this is our interns' way of congratulating us." Resting his chin on Yuuri's knee, Victor resisted the urge to immediately fire away all the questions on the tip of his tongue.

"And here I thought they didn't care," Yuuri folded the paper carefully between his hands, creating a paper airplane which he promptly launched into Victor's trashcan. "Good thing they don't make the rules around here." Gripping Victor by the collar of his dress shirt, Yuuri pulled his boyfriend into a deep kiss.

He let the kiss linger, drinking the taste of Victor as if he would ever be able to memorize the feeling of Victor's lips moving over his own. The sensation was destined to always turn Yuuri's mind to lustful mush, and he loved every aspect of that fact. Finally releasing Victor so they could both breathe, Yuuri whispered, "Hi," before sitting back.

"I want you to always greet me that way," Victor demanded, wiggling closer and wrapping his arms around Yuuri's waist. The position was awkward, but Victor needed the closeness after the anxious storm that had stalked him all morning. "So…" he couldn't force the words out of his throat, flicking his gaze to meet Yuuri's eyes before looking away.

"It was fine." Combing his fingers through Victor's hair, Yuuri felt his heart melting at the way Victor relaxed under his touch. "He called you an asshole, told me my head was up my ass, pretty standard." Yuuri smiled when Victor sat back to frown at him. "I apologized, which I should have done a long time ago. He's happy and gone now, and weirdly supportive of our happiness. No more hating JJ, he's the past, but you're my future… okay?"

Feeling the weight of the world slip off his shoulders, Victor buried his face in Yuuri's stomach, clinging tighter to the man he adored. There had been absolutely no reason to worry about JJ or Yuuri, and Victor acknowledged his own absurdity as he let it fade forever. "I love you," Victor whispered into Yuuri's stomach, smiling harder when Yuuri curled forward to return the whispered sentiment.

Uncurling, Yuuri reached behind his back to unlatch Victor's hands. "Will you go somewhere with me?" Yuuri asked, sliding off of the desk and pulling Victor toward the door. His heart finally felt like it could settle into a steady rhythm when Victor's smile reached all the way to his eyes.

Shutting down his computer with his free hand, Victor stepped away from his chair and closer to Yuuri. Gently tapping his thumb on the curve of Yuuri's cheek, Victor cocked his head and smiled. "Yuuri, I'll go wherever you want me to." Chuckling when Yuuri whispered "good" Victor let himself be pulled from the office, flicking off the lights as he went and telling himself to trust Yuuri to lead him toward happiness.


Stars stretched above them, hanging in the sky and blinking brightly through the gap in the rustling trees. Among them, the moon had just begun to shine with the sun's borrowed light, hanging full and promising over their heads. Trees shifted in the summer breeze, brushing leaves filling the peaceful silence with their natural song.

Leaning his head back on the windshield, Victor turned his gaze to the sky, not looking when Yuuri hopped up to join him. The picnic basket Yuuri had surprised Victor with before their drive had been stowed safely in the car and now it was just them and the stars. Smiling when Yuuri pressed closer, Victor snuck a peak at his boyfriend.

Yuuri looked beautiful highlighted by the light of the night sky, his eyes shining behind his glasses and his smile peacefully happy. The tension Victor had watched build since the night before had finally disappeared and Victor could see where the worry lines had eased from Yuuri's forehead.

This was the Yuuri Victor had fallen in love with. The Yuuri who only existed when it was the two of them. On the first night they had discovered this hill, mildly intoxicated and overworked from studying for their first set of college finals, they had sprawled on the grass and shivered against each other to ward off the growing December cold. Under the same patch of stars, Victor had seen the way Yuuri could let go of all the stress of school and heard the way Yuuri could laugh when the pressure fell away.

That was the night Victor had fallen in love.

It was almost ten years ago.

"Are you staring at me?"

Yuuri's question interrupted Victor's thoughts and had him snapping his head back to the stars. "No," he lied, feeling Yuuri's finger poke him on the cheek. Pretending to bite at Yuuri's finger, Victor laughed when Yuuri did, settling back into his place and lacing his fingers together over his stomach. "Where do you think we'll be in ten years?"

"Hm." Caught off guard by the question, Yuuri took a minute to mull it over. Ten years ago, he would've laughed and said probably doing exactly what they are doing right now. Weirdly, he would have been right and for some reason that made his heart flutter. Somehow they had come so far and yet, found their ways to each other. Almost as if they had to grow up to grow together.

The thought settled in Yuuri's mind giving him a sense of peace about their last decade together. They had been through so much and yet it seemed as if nothing really had happened at all. Oddly, none of it bothered Yuuri.

Feeling Victor nudge his side, Yuuri shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we'll be running the most successful small firm in our town. Or be judges… or worse… politicians." He snorted when Victor made a disapproving face, shaking his head before tucking it on Victor's shoulder. "You?"

The idea of the future used to plague Victor's mind, chase him until he was obsessively pondering his next move and the next step he could make in his life. For the first time, he wasn't one hundred percent positive what would happen next, but he was okay with it.

Offering his hand palm up to Yuuri, Victor pulled Yuuri's hand towards his lips to kiss Yuuri's knuckles. "I have no idea where we'll be… but I know will be together."

"Best friends?" Yuuri teased, pecking a kiss to Victor's cheek.

"That…" Victor twisted onto his side, tucking Yuuri's hand into his chest. "And partners, in all things."

"Partners," Yuuri smiled, tilting his chin to improve the angle for the kiss Victor happily granted him. "I can live with that."

Laying on his side, Yuuri took his own turn at watching Victor watch the stars. Every minute of their spontaneous five hour drive had been worth it to find himself in this moment with Victor right now. This had been the first place that Yuuri had truly understood how beautiful Victor was, and not just on the outside. For every ounce of physical beauty Victor possessed, his soul held double that amount and Yuuri silently promised himself to never stop admiring all of the breathtaking parts of Victor.

"Now you're staring," Victor teased, turning his head to smile at Yuuri. The sparkle of Yuuri's eyes reminded Victor of all the times he wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Resting a gentle hand on Yuuri's cheek, Victor sighed. "I used to… wonder what it would be like to kiss you. Every time we came here, I would try to convince myself that I would do it." Tracing a thumb over Yuuri's bottom lip, Victor let the memories flip through his mind. "Then I would make excuses to myself… mostly about friendship and being convinced you didn't like me… like that. I just… I wonder if things would be different… if I had…" He trailed off, finally meeting Yuuri's eyes again.

"I did the same thing," Yuuri admitted, fingers fiddling with the buttons of Victor's shirt. "But I thought I was too plain… or too boring… or not what you deserved at all. I wanted you to have everything you wanted, and I never thought I was on that list." Curling a finger into the gap of Victor's shirt, Yuuri encouraged him to move closer. "Weird how it only took like ten years and one really drunken night to finally make it happen." With an impish smirk, Yuuri looked up at Victor.

"And years of Phichit's badgering probably played a part." Victor lightly traced Yuuri's nose with the tip of his own. "But really… I think it was more that red shirt. I really love that shirt…" Lacing his fingers in the hair at the back of Yuuri's head, Victor pulled him even closer. "In fact, maybe you could wear it again when we get home… and reenact that little stretching move…" He grinned when Yuuri nipped at his lip with a growl, capturing Yuuri in a kiss which was immediately broken by their mutual laughter.

The sounds of their happiness lifted through the trees as they cuddled closer to look to the stars. "Remember the shooting star wishes?" Yuuri whispered, recalling his own wishes for passed exams and acceptances to law school. Selfish wishes for things that Yuuri was able to achieve for himself through hard work and not because of some wish carried on a star.

Humming, Victor acknowledged Yuuri's words as his mind trailed to his own wishes about true love and finding happiness. His wishes were always too broad to come true, at least that's what he had told himself after every failed relationship. As it turned out, he had simply been unwilling to look in the one place where he eventually found both.

As if on cue, a trail of light curved over the sky causing both of them to gasp. Counting together, they closed their eyes when they reached the number one, both making silent wishes on the falling star.

Yuuri wished for Victor to always be happy in life and to always know how much he is loved.

Victor wished for Yuuri to always understand how much love and support he deserves.

Both of them wished that no matter where they went, no matter what happened from that moment forward, that they would always be together like they had been since their very first argument.

And life would certainly bring them more arguments, disputes both personal and professional which they could argue with the emotional parts of their hearts and solve with the help of their logical minds. There would be tally marks in the win columns and angry dashes in the loss columns, but together they would survive the failures and celebrate the successes.

Life hadn't promised them the ten years they had already gotten together and no one could promise them the next ten years, but they had both proven to themselves and the world how stubborn they could be when it came to one another.

Their stubbornness had once been what had held them back from each other, allowed each of them to doubt their own hearts and fail to trust their own instincts. A million missed moments and only a handful of daring chances had led them to back to this hill. Back to where they had both fallen in love before either of them was ready to handle it.

Their friendship had become unbreakable, a steady force when the world was the shakiest. A beautiful balance of the fire of witty banter and the warmth of loving comfort. Over their years as friends they had learned to love and accept all the complicated pieces of each other's hearts, giving them a sturdy foundation on which to build all of their coming years.

But under the stars of the place where they had both fallen in love, Yuuri and Victor both found that words still failed them. Rings remained hidden in both of their pockets waiting for the courage to ask the questions that would seal their forever.

And whether the courage ever came, or if it took another ten years for either of them to find their way onto one knee, they would steadily work together to define and redefine, over and over, what it meant to be someone's partner… in all senses of the word.