Ryuugazaki: I listen to "Carabosse" and "Coloring Book" and eat animal crackers while I write fanfiction and this is what my life has become.
Chapter Fourteen
(Friday, 1 October 2015 – 12:08pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Eduvigis crossed her leg and smiled. "So? What are you doing today?"
"I'm going to the museum with Victor," Yuuri said as they put on their shirt.
"So? How has it been?" Eduvigis grinned and winked.
"What are you implying?" Yuuri asked with a coy smile.
"Any progress?" Eduvigis asked with another wink. Yuuri rolled their eyes. "Yes? No?"
"Well, Phichit said that I was talking about how I want to be inside Victor when we were drunk on Saturday," Yuuri said. Eduvigis giggled madly. "He said it was a hot mess."
"Did he record it?"
"I'd hope not," Yuuri said. "I don't need to be exposed to everyone. I may be a shameless figure skating otaku, but I don't need my sexuality to be exposed. And not to him." Eduvigis rolled her eyes.
"Would there be any problem with Victor knowing your sexuality?" Eduvigis asked. "It's not like you're revealing it to those in your professional life."
"But he will be in my professional life," Yuuri said. They put on deodorant. "We're both skaters."
"Well, try not to think of your interactions with him as professional," Eduvigis said. "Look at him like he's a fellow student you want to get to know. After all, he is a fellow student, and you do want to get to know him." Yuuri shrugged and put on their shirt. "Right?"
"Right, but –"
"But what? Your heart wants to get to know him. You should allow your heart reprieve and allow yourself to be happy with him." Eduvigis looked at her phone. "You can be happy. It's okay to be happy."
"I guess," Yuuri said. "I just don't want it to be temporary. Victor can have anyone and everything in the world, and I don't want him to be in my life temporarily." Yuuri bit their lip and looked at the wall of posters. They fixed their eyes on the poster for "Chango Macho." "I want to have the chance to be with him."
"So why don't you hit on him?" Eduvigis asked.
"What if he isn't interested in me?" Yuuri asked.
"Well, then you'd know!" Yuuri rolled their eyes. "Well, then you'd know," Yuuri mockingly said in their head.
#
(Friday, 1 October 2015 – 1:30pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
Victor was in front of the deli at 1:30pm sharp. Yuuri was reading Tropic of Capricorn to kill time. "Yuuri?" Victor stood in front of them. "Yuuri!" Victor was snapping his finger.
"Oh, hello," Yuuri said and closed the book. "I was reading."
"I can tell," Victor said with a smile. "So, Henry Miller?" Yuuri nodded. "What prompted you to pick that?"
"I had the book," Yuuri said. "An acquaintance had gifted me the book, and I never got the chance to read it." Victor nodded. "Today I had thought that you might be late so I brought something that could occupy me." Victor nodded again.
"And are you occupied?"
"Very much so," Yuuri said. "But I think that's because you're here and not because of the book at the moment." He put the book in their bag and smiled at Victor. "And how are you on this lovely day in September?"
"October."
"Pardon?"
"It's October," Victor said. "And I'm fine. Very fine. You?" Yuuri looked down their nails; then looked at Victor; then they nodded. "Is that good?" Yuuri nodded again. "Great! Let us go!" Victor held out his hand for Yuuri and Yuuri took it. "Did your roommate pick out your clothes again?" He was cheeky. Yuuri rolled their eyes and smiled.
"I picked out my clothes today – thank you very much," Yuuri matter-of-factly said. Victor chuckled. It was time to look at some art.
#
(Friday, 1 October 2015 – 4:20pm, Detroit, Michigan, USA)
"How was the remainder of The Africa, Oceania, and Indigenous Arts collection?" Victor asked as he opened the door to the café. "I felt it was underwhelming, but that's just me."
"The Apache basket was nice," Yuuri said. Victor nodded. Yuuri had taken a Xanax after ballet but before they left to meet Victor. They didn't want to be sidetracked from absorbing the art. Fortunately, they weren't sidetracked but sedated. Now they were in the café. The café was usually sparsely populated at this time of day. They got in line to order. "You have to admit that it was nice."
"I feel like you have a bias," Victor said.
"I will have a bias when we get to the Asian arts and culture collection," Yuuri said with a smile.
"Hi," the barista said, "how may I help you two?" They ordered, and Victor insisted on paying. The barista joked and told Yuuri to "let your boyfriend pay for your drink." Yuuri sharply inhaled. They stopped talking and let Victor pay for their drink. They walked to their usual spot – a window spot – and Yuuri was silent.
"Are you okay? Did the barista break you?" Victor asked with a giggle. "If this bothers you, I won't pay for your drink again." Victor stroked the back of Yuuri's hand. "Boyfriend." Yuuri broke again. "Ah! Sorry, sorry!" Victor didn't stop stroking the back of Yuuri's hand, though. Once Yuuri was done with their erratic breathing, they asked how practice was going. "Oh, well practice has been fine. It's a pain, though." Yuuri nodded.
"I hope practice could get better for you," Yuuri said.
"It will once the season is over," Victor said. Yuuri's interest was piqued. "But, then again, practice never ends for me." Yuuri nodded and took a sip of their Frappuccino. "Enough about me, though. How are things for you?"
"Well, either I'm being interrupted, or I've been so low-functioning to even go so I feel bad," Yuuri said.
"I remember when I used to feel bad about not going to practice," Victor said before he took a sip of his chai tea latte. "You still have love for your sport, and that makes me happy." Yuuri nodded. "How's your roommate? Did he like the dish you made last night?"
"He's fine. He loved the oden." Victor nodded. "So you live alone?"
"Just me and my books. Makkachin is back home. It makes me sad." Yuuri nodded. Victor patted his pockets. "Ah, before I forget," Victor said as he pulled out a note and placed it between Yuuri's fingers.
"Why do you give me notes?" Yuuri asked.
"Why not?" Victor said with a shrug. He took a sip of his latte. "I'm trying to talk to you in a way that I know how."
"So you give me notes," Yuuri said.
"It's not so much the notes, but what they contain. If I could get across what I'm thinking and feeling without notes, I would." Yuuri nodded. "But I can't. So I give you notes." Yuuri looked at the note between their fingers and put it in their bag. "Do you want to see something?" Yuuri nodded. "Don't look!" Yuuri complied and waited until Victor was ready. Victor showed Yuuri his phone. "This is 'The Mermaids' by Ivan Kramskoi." Victor scrolled right. "And this is a portrait of Ivan Shishkin." Yuuri nodded. Then they took out their phone and started scrolling and swiping. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to show you Hiroshige woodblock paintings," Yuuri said. Victor nodded. "But, in the meantime, look at my hoodie! It's a print of 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa' by Hokusai! That's a famous Hokusai woodblock painting!" Victor nodded again and smiled. "Found it!" Yuuri turned their phone towards Victor. "This is 'Snow Scene and Kinryuzan Buddhist Temple.'" Victor nodded.
"It's so beautiful," Victor said. Yuuri scrolled a bit more and turned their phone back towards Victor.
"And this is 'Daybreak After a Snowfall at Susaki.'"
"And those are by who?"
"Hiroshige," Yuuri said. Victor took out his notepad and wrote that down.
"And who made the painting on your hoodie?"
"Hokusai," Yuuri said.
"I don't know if I spelled it right," Victor said. "Here." Victor gave his notepad and pen to Yuuri. "You should probably write it for me." Yuuri crossed out what Victor wrote and rewrote "Hiroshige" and "Hokusai."
"Here you go."
"Thank you." Victor smiled. "You said that your sister likes them, right?" Yuuri nodded. "What's your sister like?"
"She likes bands and art," Yuuri said. "Um… She's not a very good cook. She has blonde highlights. We live together." Victor chuckled. "What?"
"Nothing." Victor patted Yuuri's hand. "That was cute. You're cute." He took a sip of latte. Yuuri took a large sip of his Frappuccino. "Boyfriends. I can't get over that." Victor said with a smile. "You know where she got that idea from, right?" Yuuri nodded. "It's cute." Victor chuckled and took a sip of his latte.
"What do you have planned for the rest of the day?"
"I don't know. Probably reading or practicing. Oh, and I can't forget talking to you." Victor said with a smile. His phone buzzed. "That must be Chris." Victor smiled at his phone. "He wants a picture. Pose, honey."
"What?" A blush crept upon Yuuri's face.
"Pose for me," Victor said. Yuuri sipped their Frappuccino. "Is that what you're going with?" Yuuri nodded. "Okay." Victor chuckled and took the flick. Then he took some more."
"I'm sure you have more than enough pictures of me, Victor," Yuuri said.
"I know," Victor said with a smile. He sent a flick to Christophe and put his phone in his pocket. "You can take pictures of me; you know that, right?"
"I know," Yuuri said.
"Are you going to?" Yuuri picked up their phone and took an off-guard of Victor. Victor smiled. "Take another." Yuuri took another flick and then two more. "The only thing that can make this better is if we take a selfie together. Oh! The park would be the perfect place for that."
"The park?"
"Yeah! Let's go!" Victor grabbed Yuuri's hand and pulled at it. "The lighting outside is great, and there's this nice spot that I want to show you." Yuuri grabbed their drink and followed Victor out of the café. They walked down the block to the park and Victor led them to a grassy area. They weren't too far off of any paths, but they weren't visible to anyone on a path. It was tranquil, serene. You could even hear the birds. Just the way Victor wants it. And Yuuri wants that. "This is the spot." Victor took out his phone and opened the camera app. Victor started angling the phone every which way, trying to find the perfect angles. "Smile with me!" Victor insisted when he started taking flicks. Victor threw his arm around Yuuri's shoulders and placed his nose on Yuuri's cheek and took a flick. There was a gentle breeze, and some of Victor's loose hair caressed Yuuri's face. Victor's hair smells like coconuts.
"Um," Yuuri muttered.
"What?"
"Your face is kind of close to mine."
"Is it making you uncomfortable?" Yuuri swallowed air and said no. "One more selfie and then I'll stop." Yuuri took a deep breath; they didn't want this to stop. Victor took a flick of their pose and pulled away. Yuuri was surprised when Victor did pull away, but at least they would be able to relish in the feeling of Victor's face being near theirs. "Sit with me." Victor sat on the grass and Yuuri sat across from him. Yuuri was looking at their hands. "What are you thinking about?"
"Partridges," Yuuri murmured. Victor was playing with a few blades of grass. Then he stopped and took a book out of his messenger bag. Victor tapped the cover. Yuuri moved their face closer to the book.
"I'll read one to you," Victor suggested. "I'm really into Spanish poetry right now."
"Do you speak Spanish?" Victor shook his head. Then he put down his book and fixed his hair. "Maybe one day I'll introduce you to Japanese poetry."
"Like, haikus and stuff?" Yuuri nodded. "I've never really been able to get into haikus. I'm sorry."
"You'll like haikus by the time I'm done," Yuuri said. Victor smiled. Yuuri picked up the book. "Pablo Neruda?" Victor nodded.
"He's Chilean." Yuuri gave the book back to Victor. "Do you want me to read you a sonnet of his?"
"That would be nice," Yuuri said. Victor smiled and cleared his throat.
"How many times, love, I loved you without seeing you…" Victor continued reading. Yuuri's attention was piqued. "Perhaps I saw you, and I supposed to pass by raising a drink…" Now they were intrigued. "…that I touched in the darkness and sounded like the uncontrolled sea…" They felt something tug at their heart, gently but ever present. "I loved you without my knowing it, and I searched for your memory." Victor grabbed Yuuri's wrist and said: "Suddenly while you were with me I touched you and stopped my life: in front of my eyes you were, reigning, and queens." Victor smiled. "Did you like it?"
"It was beautiful," Yuuri said. Victor closed the book and smiled. "Do you like poetry?"
"I love it. That's why almost every note I've given you has a poem on it." Yuuri nodded. "I should get you home. Your roommate might start worrying."
"You're so considerate of Phichit." Victor smiled and got up. Then he pulled Yuuri up and wrapped his arms around them. They walked hand in hand to Yuuri's apartment. "Text me when you get home."
"I will. And send me the pictures." Victor gave Yuuri a quick hug. "Пока, солнышко!"
"Yeah, that word," Yuuri said and unlocked their door. Phichit was watching a rerun of We Bare Bears. "I'm home," Yuuri said as they opened the door.
"I can tell," Phichit said and turned down the television. "How was your date?" Yuuri didn't pay Phichit's wording any mind. They took off their jacket and left their shoes by the door.
"It was fine," Yuuri said. "I thought the collection was nice; Victor thought it was underwhelming, though." Yuuri took a seat next to their best friend. "How was class today, poupée?"
"It's been a month, and I'm already tired of it." Phichit chuckled. "At least I'm not one of those unfortunate souls with Saturday classes." Yuuri nodded. Phichit leaned on Yuuri and smiled. Yuuri didn't move or try to run to change out of their clothes; instead, they sat there watching We Bare Bears with their roommate and tried to determine which character fit a real-life person they know.
Ryuugazaki: I'm currently listening to 2006 Chingy and wow I am being hit with nostalgia.