Viktor was looking at the person on his doorstep, confused.

"Wait, who even are you? How do you know my name?" He asked, trying to piece everything together.

"Oh, of course, my bad. I'm Phichit Chulanont. I'm a good friend of Yuuri Katsuki's and Christophe Giacometti's." The person, a short and tan boy who couldn't be past his early twenties, if that, said, "In fact, Chris was the one who sent me to get you. You've got a one-way ticket to China."

The boy held up two tickets, waving them around with a smile. Viktor grabbed them, along with a letter that was also handed to him. He wasn't wrong. The handwriting and signature on the letter was definitely Chris' and the tickets were en route to China. Viktor just didn't understand why he was going.

"Why are you sending me off to China? Or, bringing me?" Viktor asked. Phichit smiled, obviously excited himself.

"We're going to see Yuuri. He should be getting there a day or two after us if we leave tomorrow at dawn." Phichit explained.

Viktor didn't know what emotion he felt when he heard those words. On one hand, he was ecstatic. Yuuri was alive! He was definitely alive! But, on the other hand, it's been so long. What if Yuuri doesn't want him anymore? What if Yuuri found someone else while he was away? What if he just isn't the same at all? Viktor knew war changed people, but it varied heavily, and he had no word on Yuuri's state.

"Really?" He decided to ask.

"Yes, really. We'll meet him at a port and it will be up to the two of you from there." Phichit replied. "I'm just glad to see an old friend, but I'm sure you have a different relationship with him."

"I. . . I may need to process this." Viktor said. He still couldn't shake it. Yuuri was alive! And he could see him! Viktor could practically feel his lover's warm body and see his deep and loving brown eyes.

"Of course. In fact, I'll let you sleep on it. I'll be back by tomorrow morning. You'll need to have made a decision by then." Phichit said. He waved slightly, then hopped back into the car he had pulled in with. Viktor gave short mini wave back, still shaken up. He then turned back inside, shutting the door behind him, and walked blindly towards the living area.

"Who was that?" Yuri asked, not looking up from his schoolbook.

Viktor took a short breath.

"I'm going to China at dawn." He said. Yuri finally looked up, wide eyed. Ivana shot up from her chair and Yakov looked at him, a mix of surprised and angry.

"Why?" Ivana questioned him. Viktor felt the pressure of all of the eyes grow very strong very suddenly. He began to breathe a little heavier. Is this how Yuuri felt?

"May I talk to you privately?" Viktor asked his mother. She twitched a little, but nodded. Viktor led her to an office off of the living area and looked her in the eye.

"Mama, do you promise that you'll love me, no matter what?" Viktor asked. Ivana looked at him strangely.

"Don't tell me you murdered someone." She said. Viktor shook his head.

"No, no, nothing like that." Viktor breathed in a big breath and let it out carefully. "Mama, they found Yuuri. Christophe and a friend of his found Yuuri and we're to be meeting in China."

"To be meeting? On such short notice?" Ivana asked. "Viktor, you're an adult, but you're also impulsive. How can you trust this?"

"Christophe is my best friend and I trust him. And if his friend I was just talking to is lying, I'm willing to take the risk if it means that I could Yuuri again." Viktor said.

"Why are you so adamant about seeing Yuuri again." Ivana asked. Viktor was hoping he wouldn't have to answer this question. What if his mother didn't accept him? What if she hated him for it? What if she thought he was sick and wanted to never see him again? Viktor didn't know what he'd do if that happened.

"Mama," Viktor sighed, looking at his mother, "I love him. I love him so, so much. I love him so much it hurts."

Ivana looked at him for a moment and Viktor felt himself crumble a little, but he kept explaining, even if he didn't understand why.

"Mama, I kissed him and I want to do it again. I want to kiss him so badly. I know that makes me a deviant, but-," Viktor started rapidly explaining before Ivana reached to his slowly body that had been slowly curling in on itself and held him close. Viktor couldn't help it. He began to cry.

"Shh, Viktor.," Ivana sighed, "While it wasn't necessarily the future I had envisioned for you, you're my son and I love you and I want you to be happy. Does Yuuri make you happy?"

Viktor nodded. "He does make me happy. So, so happy." He said.

"Then go see him."

—

Morning came quickly, much to Viktor's delight. He had a small suitcase and Makkachin by his side as he waited out in the front lawn for Phichit. He was wringing his hands incessantly, nervous yet bubbling with eagerness.

Viktor had said goodbye properly to his family not long ago, and he did believe he was going to miss them, but he was too busy thinking about a certain man with silky black hair to really focus on those kinds of emotions.

Makkachin bounded around him, happy to be out in the morning while the air was still a little chilly and the grass still had dew on it. Viktor just hoped that Makkachin wouldn't track mud on the train, which would certainly get them booted from the ride.

Eventually, the same black car from the day before stopped in front of their home and Viktor heard the door behind him open up again. Behind him, Ivana stood.

"I couldn't let you go without one more hug." She said as she wrapped her arms around her son. Viktor smiled.

"I promise I'll find some way to get ahold of you once I'm there. I'm sure someone would let me use their telephone. If i do decide to stay longer than planned, I'll write you as much as I can." Viktor said, hoping to soothe Ivana's worries. His mother nodded, planting a kiss on his cheek before letting him go to pick up his suitcase and put Makkachin on his leash. He gave one last wave before darting down the lawn towards the car.

Phichit met Viktor at the gate with a grin firmly in place.

"So, I take it you're going, yeah?" Phichit asked. Viktor nodded vigorously.

"I hope there's enough room for Makkachin here. I promise he's a good dog and won't try to jump out the window." Viktor said. "I couldn't bear to leave him behind and he's getting old. I should take him to see the world as he grows older. Doggy retirement."

Phichit laughed. "Of course, as long as you sit in the backseat with him and keep him out of trouble." He gave Makkachin a gentle pat on the head. "But, it looks like he'll be a good dog."

They loaded into the car, which Viktor quickly figured out was a taxi, and drove off. Makkachin simply watched the window as he lay against Viktor's thigh. He didn't have a whole lot of energy to be excited about poking his head through the windows anymore. Viktor frowned at the thought and gave his poodle a gentle scritching behind his ear.

The ride to the station was short, and he grinned ecstatically once they were there. After a small bout of "I'll take the bill", "No, I'll take it" was done, Phichit ended up paying the driver and walking into the station with Viktor.

They were so close and Viktor could feel the readiness tingling through his body.

—

The train was almost at their destination. Viktor could see the next station coming into view as he stared out the window. He wanted to screech, as he was delighted at what was to come, but many would be put off by a tall, Russian man squealing as if he were a child.

He and Phichit stepped off the train, both of them smiling. They were both close to Yuuri, apparently, so it was to be expected.

"Okay, Viktor, I have someone here that has somewhere for us to stay for the night, and we can leave for the port, which is the meetup point, where we should be seeing Yuuri." Phichit explained. Viktor just nodded, half-listening as he looked around. He looked so different from everyone else. All the people he saw had dark hair, dark eyes and tan skin. Viktor, on the other hand, had impossibly pale hair, light eyes and fair skin. He definitely stuck out.

Phichit led Viktor through the unfamiliar country with ease, and they ended up at a place that Viktor couldn't make out the name of. He absentmindedly wondered if this is how foreigners felt when they came to the Soviet Union and couldn't read Cyrillic.

"It's a hotel. No real official name other than 'Port Hotel', but it's a nice little place." Phichit spoke up as they walked through the door. Viktor nodded. Phichit walked up to the counter and immediately began to speak with the lady at the small desk. Viktor did all he could to keep from gaping until the lady went through the back door.

"You speak Chinese? I never would have guessed." Viktor said.

"I get that a lot. And yes, I do. In fact, I speak English, Chinese, Dutch, Thai and Japanese. I needed to in order to just live in the various training fields I went to while I was learning to pilot." Phichit said.

"You're a pilot?"

"Yes, I am." Phichit sighed, looking back at the desk, where an even smaller man had come out. The two began talking with what looked like friendly ease. They even seemed to joke a little.

The two were led up to a room in the hallway to the left, and were given keys.

"Oh, I almost forgot; Viktor, this is Guang-Hong, a friend of mine," Phichit said suddenly. He then said something to Guang-Hong, gesturing towards Viktor. He could only assume it was an introduction. Viktor smiled a little and waved gently. Guang-Hong did the same before replying to Phichit.

"He says that it's nice to meet you and that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." Phichit said. Viktor returned the pleasantry through Phichit and walked into their room, careful not to hit his head on the doorway that hung just a little too low.

From there, the night died down easily. They didn't eat that night, neither of them hungry after purchasing from the cart on the train. The two were left in silence, mostly since the hotel lacked a radio, except for the bustling outside.

"So, I have a question I am absolutely obliged to ask as Yuuri's friend," Phichit said at some point. Viktor couldn't tell how late it was.

"What would that be?" He replied.

"Do you truly love and cherish him as much as Chris has told me you do?" Phichit interrogated.

"I guarantee I love him more than Chris said I do. And, because I know where this conversation is going, I would never dare lay a violent pinky on him. I would absolutely never hurt him on purpose. He's too precious." Viktor said, and he meant it. God, did he mean it.

"That better be true, or there will be absolute hell to pay. Understand, Nikiforov?"

"Of course,"

Viktor went to sleep after that, wanting only to dream of Yuuri and each perfect part of him. Even if he was happy, he still had that small, gnawing fear that nothing would be the same between he and Yuuri, but he couldn't let that get in the way. He loved the man too much.

He, embarrassingly enough, dreamt of a lot more than Yuuri's smile, and woke up sweating and desperate for a cold shower. Viktor made sure Phichit was still asleep on the bed at the other end of the room before he dragged himself out of bed to take said cold shower. He could use a shower in general.

The morning drew on and Viktor became more ecstatic. His thoughts were exclusively of Yuuri and nothing more. God, he wanted to hold him so badly. He wanted to slam his lips on Yuuri's like they do in one of the romance novels he read when he was a teenager because he thought they would be smuttier than they actually were.

Once they were on the port, they waited patiently as the sun rose up in the sky. There weren't many people out on the docks at this point, only workers and some early passengers, but Viktor liked it. It was a lot like the docks in St. Petersburg he'd go to with his friends after dance school when he was still attending.

Suddenly, Makkachin yipped and started pulling on his leash, and Phichit shot up, so Viktor naturally shot his head in the same direction.

There he was. Yuuri was right there, tangible, breathing, smiling like an idiot and frozen in spot, just like Viktor. Viktor felt his throat tighten as he dropped Makkachin's leash. The poodle quickly darted to Yuuri and began pawing up at him excitedly. Viktor finally started to break out into a run towards Yuuri. They hugged immediately upon contact, holding each other tight enough to suffocate as they fell to the deck with a thud.

Once they were on the ground, Viktor stared into Yuuri's eyes, looking at him in awe.

"You're real, right?" He asked with a gentle laugh.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Are you real?" Yuuri whispered in response. Viktor breathed out a laugh.

"Yeah, I think so." He replied, trying to take in all of Yuuri so he had another image of Yuuri to burn into his brain. There was a new scar on his perfect lips, running up his cheek a little, but that didn't make him any less beautiful. He was still gorgeous to Viktor. The only thing Viktor wanted to know was who did so he knew whose head to be on the lookout for.

The pair got up, realising that the docks in front of people probably wasn't the best place to kiss each other, regardless of how much they wanted to. They just kept within very close distance of each other, glancing over at one another with smiles that easily took up their entire faces.

"Well, I just feel ignored," A voice broke them out of their hazes as Yuuri looked behind him to see Phichit.

"Phichit! I haven't seen you for, what, eight years now? You look like you're getting around well." Yuuri said. Phichit smirked proudly.

"Yep, I'm not the little student pilot you took in years ago anymore! I'm a my own damned pilot now. Got my own plane." He said. Yuuri smiled back at him before directing his attention downwards.

"And hello, Makkachin! I've missed you as well!" Yuuri cooed at the dog, letting the poodle hop up onto his shoulders and lick his face. The two did get along very well. Yuuri was definitely a dog person.

Everything finally settled down from the high of seeing each other again and the group stood on the docks as the sun got higher in the sky. Phichit wandered off, claiming he couldn't miss his train, giving Yuuri a very short (and friendly, Viktor would have thrown a fit if it were any other feeling) hug as Phichit left. This left Yuuri and Viktor alone.

"Well, Viktor, I have a proposition for you." Yuuri said, grabbing both of Viktor's hands in his and running his fingers over his knuckles. They were less of a centre of attention now that there was more hustle and bustle on the docks.

"What is it?" Viktor asked, wishing so desperately that he could kiss Yuuri as hard as he wanted to.

"I'm supposed to be getting on a boat to Japan today and I have an extra ticket," Yuuri said, "and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me. You don't have to stay forever, but I can't bear to part with you right now. Will you come?"

Viktor took a deep breath, looked around to make sure no eyes were on them and gave Yuuri a chaste kiss that didn't even last half a second. Despite its shortness, it still felt as good as ever. Then, he answered.

"Sure,"

Hey there, it's me! Finally back with this!

I am actually quite proud of this chapter. It is one of my longer ones (totaling 2800 words exactly. I was proud of that), so I'm glad to see it go the way I wanted it to. There's also more humour in this than most of the chapters, mostly because it was a happy chapter and Viktor is quite the funny person to write about. (He would totally read romance novels, hoping for smut. He was a teen in 1930s Russia, that was as close to porn as he could get).

Yay! Guang-Hong made an appearance!

Viktuuri is back together everyone! I won't separate them again, I swear. And, that's mostly because this story is almost over. This will be the last official chapter, with only an epilogue left! It's been a long ride, but we're reaching our last bit.

But, as always, thanks for reading! Feedback is absolutely always appreciated!

-MidnightQuestant