"Some people are truly beautiful. The light of beauty shines through their souls. And the world gets drenched in their inimitable light of love." ― Avijeet Das
Chris awoke at four in the morning to the smoke detector blaring. Most people would have panicked, wondering if their house was on fire, but Chris knew better. With a sigh, he grabbed his silk kimono and made his way towards the kitchen.
It was no strange occurrence for Victor to sketch or bake when he couldn't sleep. Usually, Chris preferred to let Victor work things out on his own whenever he was going through one of his funks and come to Chris when he was ready. But after multiple nights of little to no sleep, Chris decided it was time to say something.
The smell of burnt food wafted down the hall, confirming what Chris already suspected. Victor had the back door open along with most of the windows when Chris entered the kitchen. Burnt cookies lay smouldering on the stovetop as Victor stood under the alarm, frantically waving a dish towel in an attempt to get the beeping to stop.
"Did you fall asleep while baking again?" Chris tried to make his tone light and teasing to hide his concern.
The alarm stopped, and Victor sagged onto the counter. "No, I forgot to set a timer and lost track of time."
Chris nodded, noting Victor's blank sketchbook open on the kitchen table. "Too busy thinking of drawing your boyfriend?"
"Something like that," Victor muttered as he walked over to the stove and inspected the tray of cookies. "Do you think any of these are salvageable?"
Instead of looking at the tray in front of him, Chris inspected his friend's face.
Victor usually looked too gorgeous for his own good. Men and women alike completely ignored Chris when Victor was around. But right now, Victor looked like a man possessed. His eyes were red and swollen, and his hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. When Victor caught him staring, Chris casually looked to the tray and grimaced. "No, those cookies look like they spent a week in the tropics without sunscreen. Totally burnt."
Victor's laugh sounded forced as he dumped the cookies into the garbage and placed the tray in the sink. Chris hated seeing Victor like this. After all these years, Chris had hoped that Victor would confide in him sooner than he did.
With a sigh, Chris took a seat at the kitchen table and watched Victor brood over the sink. "So… what happened to taking a sleeping pill tonight?"
Slowly, Victor looked up and met Chris' gaze. "I didn't want to be groggy for tomorrow."
"You mean today." Chris pointed at the clock on the stove. "It's past midnight."
"Semantics," Victor countered as he joined Chris at the table.
"I'm starting to worry about you. When was the last time you slept?"
Victor rubbed his eyes, "I slept while you were at practice."
"Let me rephrase that," Chris pressed, "When was the last time you slept through the night? You know, at least eight hours."
It took Victor a moment to respond. "Probably the night Yuuri was here."
Chris gasped. "That was four days ago, Victor! This isn't healthy."
Victor shrugged, his expression blank.
"I know you don't like relying on sleeping pills, but you can't keep this up!" Victor's indifference infuriated Chris, forcing him to clamp down on his impulse to shake his friend. "How do you plan on staying alert to watch Yuuri's performance? I thought you promised to watch him?"
Victor went rigid before glowering at Chris, "I'll be fine, Christophe."
"You're not fine so stop saying that. Please talk to me. Or if not me then someone else at least."
Victor sagged into his chair, "There's nothing to talk about. I know exactly what I need to do to get over this hump, and instead of doing it I'm acting like a coward."
"You're not a coward," Chris offered gently. "You're the strongest person I know."
Victor snorted, "I'm not as strong as you think I am. If I were, I'd –"
"You'd what?" Chris prompted when Victor didn't continue.
"I'd tell Yuuri everything."
"Is that what this is about?" Chris regretted his tone instantly, continuing more gently. "Victor, you've only known the guy for like a month. I'd be surprised if you had."
"You don't understand, Chris," Victor huffed. "I feel like I'm lying to him. He's been so good and supportive, but I can't help but wait for the other shoe to drop."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean what if when I tell him everything and he treats me differently? Or worse, what if he realizes how fucked up I am and ends things?"
Chris sighed, "I think that's a lot of assumptions. You don't have to share everything all at once, you know. I'm sure whenever you decide to share more with him he'll be understanding. If he's not, then he doesn't –"
"I love him."
For a moment, Chris though he'd misheard Victor.
Out of all the years they'd known each other, Chris had never heard his friend use the L word. He knew Victor believed people said 'I love you' too easily, rendering the meaning behind the words ineffective. But the softness on Victor's face confirmed that Chris had heard correctly. Immediately, Chris felt embarrassed for the twinge of jealousy that sparked in his gut at seeing Victor's enamoured expression.
"I know it's too soon, but I'm serious, Chris. I think I love him. From the first day I met him, he made me feel things I never thought I'd ever feel – and its only grown since then. I think about him all the time, and when I'm with him, I don't feel so alone." Although his eyes were full of unshed tears, Victor's lips quirked up slightly. "I almost told him, you know? I was on the phone with him, and we were about to hang up, and I almost said it."
It took Chris a moment to find his voice, but when he did, all he could manage was a simple, "Okay."
"That's it?" Victor almost looked offended. "I tell you I'm in love and all you say is 'okay'?"
"I think I'm still processing."
Victor slumped onto the table, resting his head on his arms. "What do I do, Chris?"
"I don't know, I've never been in love." Chris cringed, changing the subject before letting the truth of his words sink in. "Are you sure?"
Victor looked up, "I think so. Even if it's not love, it's the closest I've come to it, and I'm scared. I don't think I can handle losing another person I care about."
Chris chose his next words carefully, "Victor, what happened to your family was an accident. A very tragic and horrible accident. It was not your fault."
"I know, but –" The tears began to fall, and Victor did nothing to wipe them away. "I'm happy, and I just feel so guilty."
Chris stood to wrap his arms around his friend, rubbing his back in a soothing gesture, "You're allowed to be happy."
"No, I'm not."
Chris pulled back to look Victor in the eyes, hoping his gaze expressed the sincerity he felt. "Yes. You are. If anyone in this world deserves to be happy, chéri, it's you."
After his talk with Chris, Victor felt much lighter and incredibly sleepy.
The moment his head hit the pillow, Victor fell into a deep sleep, and by the time he woke up it was almost dinner time. He stretched, feeling refreshed and grateful for the long uninterrupted slumber.
Makkachin was curled up next to him in the space Yuuri had occupied just a few nights ago, prompting Victor to smile. He knew Chris was right, and with time he hoped to sort out his feelings for Yuuri before making any bold declarations of love.
Gabbing his phone, Victor had a few texts from Yuuri asking about his day. A part of him was sad that he slept through receiving the messages, but he knew he really needed the rest. Victor typed out a reply letting Yuuri know that he'd slept for most of the day and to call him when he woke up if he wanted to video chat. After his talk with Chris the night before, Victor finally felt in control of his emotions and was excited to see Yuuri's face.
Victor assumed he'd have lots of time to shower and get ready before Yuuri called him. With the time difference, it was just before six in the morning in Japan, and Victor knew Yuuri loved to sleep in. He was startled when his phone began to ring only moments after he sent the text, and accepted the video call mostly on instinct.
"Yuuri!" Victor beamed as he took in Yuuri's smiling face. His body felt like it was humming as he caught Yuuri's eyes. Rolling onto his stomach, Victor rested his phone on top of his pillow and shifted until he got into a comfortable position. "What are you doing up so early?"
Yuuri's cheeks were flushed, and his sweaty hair was sticking to his brow. "I wanted to go for a run before we left for the rink. You weren't kidding when you said you just woke up. What are you still doing in bed?"
Victor buried his face in his hands. His hair was messy, and his eyes were still puffy from the night before. "Sorry, we all can't look as gorgeous as you do first thing in the morning."
"That's not what I meant!" Victor peeked between his fingers to see Yuuri frowning. "You're always beautiful." Victor felt his heart skip a beat, biting his hand to prevent himself from grinning like a fool. "I meant it's late in the afternoon where you are."
"I haven't been sleeping much the last few days, so my body finally crashed." Victor knew if Yuuri had asked the same question a day ago, he would have brushed the question off and attempted to change the subject. After his talk with Chris, however, the thought didn't cross his mind.
"Oh, is everything okay?"
Yuuri's brow furrowed in concern and Victor desperately wanted to kiss it away. "Now that I've seen you it is."
"I'm serious, I've been worried about you." Yuuri sounded genuinely concerned, making Victor feel worse.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I promise I'm doing a lot better."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I do," Victor smiled, wishing Yuuri could know how genuine he was. He wanted to share more of himself even though a part of him was still afraid of the repercussions. So far, Victor didn't have any reason to doubt Yuuri and he wanted the opportunity for them both to know more about each other. "But I think it would be best if we talked once you got home."
"I'd like that." Yuuri flashed him a shy smile as he nervously ran his hands through his sweaty hair. "Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, too, but now's probably a bad time."
Grabbing his phone, Victor sat up readying himself for whatever Yuuri had to say. "You can ask me anything."
Yuuri looked conflicted, "Chris texted Phichit the other day inviting us to his birthday party next weekend, but I wanted to check with you first."
Victor vaguely remembered Chris mentioning that he planned to throw a party at the house for his birthday, but he wasn't sure why Yuuri looked so nervous. Did he think he needed to ask Victor for permission? "What do you mean?"
"I just wasn't sure if you wanted to do something with just the two of us?" Yuuri paused, looking uncertain. When Victor didn't respond, Yuuri continued, "Since it's Valentine's day?"
"Yuuri! It's our first Valentine's day together! Of course, we should do something." Victor wanted to kick himself for overlooking the holiday. Sure, it was a sappy day, and Victor knew he didn't need an excuse to do something special for Yuuri, but it was the first Valentine's day he actually had someone to spoil and he completely forgot. With the hand that wasn't holding the phone, Victor reached for his laptop on the nightstand and began to brainstorm date ideas.
"We don't have to do anything. I just—"
"No, we're doing something." Victor interrupted as he attempted to pull up the calendar on his laptop. "Valentine's day is on Thursday. Can you get Friday off?" An excuse for a romantic weekend away was too tempting to pass up.
"I have practice, but if I do well today and tomorrow, maybe. Why?"
"Because I have an idea. Can you take the weekend off? Do you have any assignments or midterms to study for?" For his plan to work, Victor had to make sure Yuuri was actually free the entire weekend. With only a week to plan, it'd be tough finding a decent hotel and reasonable flights, but if he could pull it off, he knew it would be worth it to see Yuuri's face.
"No, but tell me what you're planning."
Victor looked at his phone and grinned, "Can I surprise you?"
Yuuri hesitated, "Why do I get the feeling I'll regret saying yes?"
"You won't!" Victor wanted to hug his phone in his excitement. "Just get Friday off and leave the rest to me!"
As his blades hit the ice, Yuuri couldn't help but feel the familiar twinge of nerves spike his system. Tuning out the other skaters warming up next to him, Yuuri thought of all the reasons he wanted to do well in this competition.
First, he knew he had a good chance of medaling. Celestino spent an entire month helping Yuuri rework his programs to better suit his skating after his last competition. Although the main components of the program were all still there, the order was revised to allow a higher base score without increasing the difficulty. They took out the parts Yuuri wasn't confident in giving him a higher chance at a nice clean skate.
Second, there were so many people here cheering him on. Even when his friends and family couldn't make it to a competition, he felt their support no matter the distance. Having Minako in the audience was special, but he knew Yuuko, his family, and now Victor, would be watching him from the comfort of their living rooms. A few fans shouted his name and had signs to cheer him on, which only added to his anticipation.
The third reason was purely selfish. Victor had looked so excited when Yuuri agreed to let him plan something for Valentine's Day. Although he wanted to spend the weekend with Victor, he couldn't justify taking a day off without doing well in this competition. World's only a month away.
Taking a deep breath, Yuuri let the cold air of the rink fill his lungs as the announcer called the other skaters off the ice. Yuuri dreaded going first, but had anticipated it since he'd barely qualified. All the best skaters were in the last tier since that group usually contained those most likely to medal.
The roar of the audience melted away as Yuuri made his way to centre ice. He could hear his heart beating and felt his limbs shake. Yuuri thought of his performance at the Grand Prix final and how he had tanked under pressure. He thought of how even after a month of practice he had failed again at Nationals. Even now, he was still letting his nerves overpower him. He thought of disappointing everyone again and how this time, Victor would be watching.
Victor told him to skate for himself, and he said he'd be watching, but those words weren't the ones that came to him now."I'm sure you can relate sketching to figure skating. Anyone can learn to draw just like anyone can learn to skate, but it's the ones that bare their souls and bleed passion that stand above the rest. No matter how many sketches end up in the trash or however many times you fall, you get right back up and push forward. You can't let anything stand in the way of your passion or you'll lose everything you've worked towards."
At that moment all those weeks ago, Yuuri had remembered how much he loved to skate. It was that day that he skated for fun instead of pushing himself to improve. Even though his muscles burned, and he felt like he could collapse at any moment, he kept pushing himself to prove his devotion to the ice.
Celestino nodded at him from the sidelines as he entered his starting position. "Your theme for this year is supposed to be devotion. I've seen you devote yourself to your studies over the years and in the last weeks a renewed devotion for this sport. Over the weekend, I want you to think long and hard about what devotion means to you. The next time you skate your programs I want nothing else on your mind. I don't care who or what you come up with but if you want to medal at the next competition you need to do more than just push through your program."
As the music started, Yuuri felt euphoric. It felt like his body was moving of its own accord as he let his emotions take over the skate completely.
He remembered the first time he watched the Junior World Championships with Yuuko and Takeshi, dreaming about qualifying one day.
How it felt falling hundreds of times trying to do a single axel and how his rink mates applauded him when he finally landed it.
He remembered his first competition. His parents had closed the inn so they could attend, cheering for him long before anyone else did.
How the kids at school had laughed at him in gym class when his arms and legs were full of scrapes and bruises from falling on the ice.
He remembered how terrified he was to tell Minako that he was going to quit ballet to focus on skating and how her face lit up at the news.
The hours upon hours he spent at the rink alone to clear his mind when nothing else would do the trick.
He remembered the day Celestino approached him and asked if he wanted to train with him in Detroit.
How on the first night in Detroit, he had cried for hours because he knew that the decision to move was best for his figure skating career but the worst for his family.
He remembered all the sacrifices his loved ones had made to support him and all the decisions he'd made up until this point.
He thought of Phichit, how living with him had saved him from the loneliness he felt and how his friend filled his life with laughter and joy.
He felt so much all at once that he couldn't concentrate on what he was doing, and it was over before he could process what had happened.
At first, the arena was silent.
The silence seemed to go on forever, before finally erupting into a thunderous applause. Yuuri collapsed, feeling completely drained. He wasn't sure, but he felt like he was laughing, crying, and trembling, all at the same time.
On shaking legs, he got up and made his way to where his coach was waiting for him, avoiding the tokens that littered the ice. Celestino hugged him tightly the moment he stepped off the ice, and handed him his skate guards. Laughing, he clapped Yuuri on the back as he told him how amazing he did and how proud he was, but Yuuri couldn't hear him clearly. Everything sounded muffled and unclear as if he were underwater.
Yuuri missed his mouth as he tried to take a sip from his water bottle in the kiss and cry. As he waited for his scores, the next skater took the ice. Seung-gil Lee had a great program from what Yuuri remembered, and good music to accompany the edgy routine. The announcer's voice snapped Yuuri's attention back to the screen above him.
When he saw his score, Yuuri felt his heart stop. It was high.
Incredibly high.
The score blew his personal best out of the water, and if Yuuri remembered correctly, it was extremely close to breaking the current world record. But how? There was no way his program had enough elements to make the score as high as it was. Celestino had his arm around Yuuri's shoulder and looked to Yuuri with so much pride that Yuuri thought his heart might burst. The audience was cheering so loud it was making his ears hurt.
All of a sudden, Phichit was behind him, demanding his attention. The moment he spun around he was engulfed in another hug as Phichit squeezed the rest of the air from his lungs. "Phichit, let go, I can't breathe!"
Phichit's grip tightened. "I don't even want to skate anymore! They should just call the competition now and hand you the gold. That was amazing!"
"You're up soon, you have to skate." Yuuri's tongue felt heavy as he spoke the words. His body was still tingling from the adrenaline.
"How can I, after a performance like that! Where the hell did that program come from? It looked nothing like the routine you've practiced all year."
"I know it looks that way, but that was his original routine for this season." Celestino quipped from behind them as he ushered them to move out of the kiss and cry. "He finally skated it to its full potential like I knew he could." Yuuri turned his head to look back at his coach. He felt the pride washing off of him in waves.
Seung-gil's music ended, and all three of them stopped walking to look towards the ice. "Phichit, you need to focus on yourself right now. You're next after Leo. Yuuri, you should head backstage."
Phichit gave Yuuri another tight hug as Yuuri wished him luck. "Thanks! I'm going to need it if I'm going to beat you!"
Just as Yuuri was about to leave to make his way backstage, Celestino grabbed his arm. "Whatever you were thinking about out there, don't forget it! If you skate tomorrow as you did just now, you have an excellent chance of winning gold."
"You think so?" Yuuri tried to do the math in his head. His free skate was decent, but it didn't have as high a base score as the other competitors in his tier.
"Don't underestimate yourself. I can see the doubt in your eyes. I need to be with Phichit right now, but don't overthink it."
"Okay, I'll try not to." With a nod, Celestino jogged to catch up with Phichit as Yuuri made his way backstage. A few of the skaters congratulated him as he made his way towards his bag to grab his phone. Yuuri had a missed call from Yuuko and a couple of texts from his family and Victor.
The triplets answered on the first ring, yelling over each other to tell Yuuri how amazing he did. In the background, he could hear Yuuko screaming at them to calm down while also offering her own praises. It took a few minutes, but Yuuko managed to wrestle the phone away from the girls and quiet them down so she could talk to Yuuri.
"I'm sorry about that, the girls begged us to take them today, but Takeshi and I had to work. We were all watching your programs from the locker rooms like old times. You were fantastic today, Yuuri! We're all so proud of you!"
"That's okay," Yuuri choked out over the lump in his throat. "It means a lot that you guys were watching."
"Of course! We're your biggest fans!"
"I know you are – from day one, you and Takeshi were some of my biggest supporters. All of you mean so much to me. I miss you so much." Yuuri spoke from his heart, knowing the success of performance today had a lot to do with the Madonna of Ice Castle Hasetsu.
"Don't talk like that." Although Yuuri couldn't see her face, he knew Yuuko was close to tears. "I wanted to surprise you, but we're all going to Osaka tomorrow to watch your free skate! Takeshi's cousin lives in the area and offered to let us spend the night. The girls are so excited!"
Yuuri felt his heart clench, "Are you serious?" He hadn't seen the triplets in person since their first birthday.
"Yeah! The girls were tired of watching their uncle through the TV or over video chat and Takeshi and I agreed. Minako's made dinner reservations for us all after the competition. Sorry to ruin the surprise, but I can't wait to see you!"
Yuuri remembered Minako mentioning she had a surprise for him after the competition, but he never expected this. Yuuri wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes, and managed to reply, "Me too."
"Forget the coffee and get in here!" Victor yelled at Chris from the couch. "They're starting!"
After watching Yuuri's performance the day before, Victor had a new appreciation for figure skating. Seeing his brother and Chris skate for years meant Victor at least had a basic understanding of the sport and how the scores worked. Yakov had also given him a few lessons before he left for school, so Victor knew how difficult it was to pull off the kind of performance Yuuri did. It looked as if his body was producing the music, completely entrancing Victor throughout the performance.
When Yuuri had called him at the end of the competition asking if Victor saw his performance, Victor gushed over how beautiful his skating was and congratulated him on ending in first place. Yuuri had explained how the result of the first day didn't matter, that anything could change after the free skate.
"Calm down. It's way too early for you to be this excited." Chris yawned as he brought over to mugs of steaming black coffee. "Why couldn't Four Continents be in our time zone this year?"
Victor shrugged as he grabbed one of the mugs from Chris' hand and took a small sip. "Do you think Yuuri's going to win?"
Chris looked hesitant, "Do you want my honest opinion?"
"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
"Because you yelled at the commentators yesterday for saying that Yuuri looked unstable during his warm up."
Victor huffed, "I didn't like their tone. It was as if they decided Yuuri was going to do poorly before he even had the chance to skate!"
Chris laughed, "Honestly, I thought the same. Yuuri hasn't been doing great this season, and he looked nervous. I don't know what changed, but I've seen Yuuri crack under pressure a few times now. He's a fantastic skater when his performance anxiety doesn't cripple him. I'm worried today he's going to let the pressure of winning get to him."
"I talked to him before I went to bed and he seemed fine." Victor was overcome with the need to defend Yuuri. Even though Chris had seen Yuuri skate more than he had, Victor was sure Yuuri could do it.
Chris grinned, "We'll have to see, then." They watched the other competitors together. Since Yuuri came in first the day before, he'd be skating last.
"Phichit's at least guaranteed bronze," Chris remarked as Phichit's scores were announced. His programs both days were lively and upbeat, matching Phichit's personality perfectly. The Thai skater was currently in first place with only Yuuri and one other skater to take the ice.
"That's amazing!" Victor commented as the camera zoomed in on Phichit's face. "The Canadian's next right?" For the life of him, Victor couldn't remember his name. DJ? AJ? Maybe TJ?
"He's a cocky bastard." Chris looked irritated as the Canadian took the ice. "He used to have the same coach as Yuuri and Phichit a few years back."
"Oh really? He must be from Québec with a name like Jean-Jacques." Victor observed after the announcer called his name.
"I don't know, probably." Chris sunk deeper into the couch. "The guy jumped from coach to coach for a few seasons because none of them agreed with his views on skating. He calls it JJ style, and he's totally full of himself."
"Don't you sound bitter," Victor laughed as he took in his friend's expression. "Is this the guy that took the gold from you earlier in the season?"
Chris gave Victor a pointed glare, "He may have won gold at the Grand Prix, but I'll take gold from him at World's in his home country, where it will hurt the most."
"Careful, Chris, your eyes look greener than they usually are." JJ's performance started, but Victor wasn't paying attention. "Would Yuuri be competing at World's too?"
"I'm sure he will," Chris continued to sulk, but his focus went back to the TV. "You should come with us. The competition is just before the last week of classes, and I'm sure your students would appreciate the time off."
Victor took out his phone and pulled up his lesson plans. "I'd have to rework some things, but I might be able to do it."
Chris nodded, but his attention was glued to the TV as JJ's music reached its crescendo. Victor watched as the Canadian finished his program with a smug look on his face. The cameras were still focused on JJ as the skater made his way to the kiss and cry to receive his scores. "Finally! It's Yuuri's turn!"
"JJ's score will be high." Chris sounded disappointed, "Yuuri will have to do better than he did yesterday to beat him."
When the scores were announced, Victor took in Chris' shocked expression. "Jean-Jacque Leroy's score is 221.73! That's a new world record for the men's single free skate by an impressive margin!"
Chris stood, swearing colourfully in French as he paced the length of the couch. "That was my record he just broke!" Chris yelled when he finally stopped cursing. "I hope Yuuri crushes him!"
Victor was shocked. He'd never seen Chris so upset. Victor was so distracted by Chris' outburst that he missed how nervous Yuuri looked when the cameras zoomed in on him. When the music started, both Chris and Victor turned their attention to the screen and held their breaths as they watched Yuuri skate. The music was a beautiful opera piece, and Yuuri's costume made him look like a prince. It took Victor's breath away, the blue and silver fabric sparkling as he moved.
Yuuri jumped, and Victor tried to count the spins before he landed. It all looked like a blur to him, but Chris clucked his tongue next to him. "That was supposed to be a quad, but he made it a triple."
"How can you tell?" Chris shush him, and Victor wondered why Chris could talk but he couldn't.
Yuuri continued to spin and glide across the ice, but his skating was different from the day before. His body looked stiff, and his expression looked like he was concentrating too hard on what he was doing.
As Yuuri prepared for another jump, Chris tensed beside him. When he landed the jump, Chris shouted his approval as the commentators echoed his praise. As the program went on, Yuuri looked more relaxed until his hand touched the ice halfway through the performance. Chris screamed for Yuuri to shake it off as if Yuuri could somehow hear him through the screen.
Yuuri pushed on, but his movements continued to look tense. When the music stopped, Victor clapped and cheered along with the audience. "That was good, right?" Victor asked Chris.
Chris nodded but didn't look away from the screen as he bit his thumbnail. Yuuri made his way to the kiss and cry, and when he sat down, Victor got a good look at his face. He looked disappointed as his coach patted him on the back. Victor could hardly pick up Yuuri's coach's voice, saying something along the lines of 'you did great' or 'that was great'. The announcer read off the score and Chris grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it at the screen. "Come on! They underscored him by at least two points!"
Victor ignored him as he strained to hear the results. The screen switched from Yuuri's reaction to the final scores, showing that Yuuri had placed second.
After the medal ceremony finished, Yuuri excused himself so he could call Victor. He knew everyone would be waiting for him to celebrate and catch up, so he wanted to talk to Victor before his friends bombarded him.
"Yuuri! Congratulations!" Victor's enthusiasm was evident as he answered after the first ring.
"Thanks, I'm guessing you were watching?"
Victor laughed, "Of course I was. Chris and I both were on the edge of our seats." Yuuri heard Chris' muffed congratulations in the background. "How do you feel?"
"I'm just glad it's over," Yuuri answered honestly. After he saw JJ's scores, he was afraid he'd screw up, ruining his chances of medaling. "Silver's okay."
Victor sucked in a breath, exuding sarcasm. "Yuuri, are you trying to tell me something?"
"No," Yuuri laughed hard as the remaining tension in his body finally relaxed. "I guess if silver is good enough for your hair, it's good enough for me. Especially now that I know it's your natural colour."
"Of course it's natural. Did you doubt me?"
"A little," Yuuri confessed. "If I hadn't seen you naked I'd probably still question it."
Victor laughed, "You know, it's not fair that you got to see me totally naked before I got to see you. At least we'll get to even the playing field on Monday!"
"What do you mean?" Yuuri felt his face flush.
"Monday's the first nude studio class!" Victor sounded happy, but Yuuri felt his stomach drop.
"Crap! I forgot about that!"
"Don't sound so nervous," Victor responded almost immediately. "It's not that different from what you've already done."
"It's totally different!" With the stress of Four Continents' looming over him, Yuuri had forgotten about his plan to prepare himself for posing nude. "I haven't even thought about what pose to do."
"It doesn't have to be anything complicated." Victor's voice was soothing, calming Yuuri a fraction. "We can discuss it once you're back in Detroit, but for now enjoy your success with your friends that came to see you."
Yuuri nodded, even though he knew Victor couldn't see him. "Okay."
"I can't wait to see you." Yuuri could hear the smile in Victor's voice, making his lips pull up at the corners.
"You can't wait to see me – or you can't wait to see me naked?"
"Both," Victor chuckled as his voice got incredibly low. "Though having you completely naked in front of me without being able to touch you will be torture."
Yuuri groaned at the thought of Victor looking at him naked. "Think the students would notice if you joined me in the closet to change?"
"Probably," Victor sounded disappointed.
Yuuri was about to ask if Victor would be free after his practice to meet up when Victor added, "Although no one would question it if you followed me to my office after class."
Notes:
It may have taken an extra couple chapters but here's 4C's! Any guesses on where Victor's planning on taking Yuuri for Valentine's day?
Thank you to all of you that suggested music for this chapter on tumblr and AO3! I decided to keep things vague in the chapter but for Yuuri's short program the song was a violin instrumental version of History Maker by Taylor Davis and his free skate was to stammi vicino. I loved listening to all the songs you guy suggested and I listened to them while writing this chapter!
Last week I posted a new story called Pick Your Posion, which will be updated when I need a break from this story. It's a mafia/hitman AU - take a read if that tickles your fancy.