A life full of painful blisters, plastic smiles, dazzling lights and glittering costumes all led up to now, Viktor thinks as he watches Yuuri, his Yuuri, stand against the railing of a boat, wind blowing his hair back. Yuuri feels eyes on him, turning around to see Viktor, grinning and beckoning him closer. The Russian man took quiet steps and stood next to the other, looking out at the sea. He'd never been on such a big vessel before, so the idea of being out in such an open area of nothing but water was daunting, but he'd overcome his initial nervousness if it meant he could stay next to Yuuri. He wanted to remain close, forever.
"It's crazy, don't you think?" Yuuri started, "This time, one year ago, I was desperately trying to keep my body above ground, much less looking for a way home. But now, I'm here, on my way back to Japan for the first time in almost seven years."
"I suppose so." Viktor said, trying to keep his eyes off of the Japanese man. He had missed him so much, and even if they'd been on the small ship for three days, it still had only felt like they just reunited a few minutes ago. They had barely left each other alone since. If he could have this intense feeling of longing after just three years, he could only imagine how his family must feel after seven years.
They stayed in silence, not quite daring enough to touch where any other patrons of the boat could see, but that didn't bother them. Being close but not touching was much better than what had occurred in the past three years.
"Hey, come on. Let's go back to the cabin." Yuuri said suddenly once the sun had begun to go down. He pushed himself off the railing with a stumble and began to limp towards the lower deck. Viktor took a deep breath -the state of Yuuri's gait was still hard to watch- and followed quietly until they reached their room. Yuuri immediately flopped down on the bed with a heavy sigh before he patted the edge of the bed. Viktor flopped down right next to him, getting close to the heat of Yuuri's body. He pressed himself against his lover. "You know, I brought us back here because I have a gift for you."
"A gift? Yuuri, you didn't have to." Viktor said, feeling bad that he hadn't thought of a gift.
"I wanted to. I was able to buy these off of a merchant on deck yesterday morning. I thought that you'd like it." Yuuri said, sitting up and pulling a folded cloth out of his pocket. He unraveled it to show reveal two gold, glittering rings. Viktor felt his heart swell.
"Yuuri. .," Viktor began as he sat up with Yuuri, breathless, "is this a marriage proposal?"
"Uh, well," Yuuri stuttered, his face turning a violent shade of red, "I suppose it is. I know we can't get it officially done, but this is better than nothing, right?"
Viktor smiled, feeling like he was about to burst. He began to chuckle lightly as he lunged for Yuuri, pulling him down in a tight hug. He mumbled nonsensically as he pressed his face into the crook of Yuuri's neck.
"Uh, let me do this officially," Yuuri stammered as Viktor looked up at him. Yuuri grabbed the other man's hand, his fingers shaking a little as they ran over Viktor's knuckles. "Will you let me take care of you?"
Viktor looked at him for a moment. Viktor was aware that most cultures used rings, even if his own did not, but he had never heard of a proposal like that. Still, he smiled and nodded. It didn't matter what Yuuri said. He'd stay with him no matter what. He wasn't going to let him go again like he did all those years ago.
Yuuri took one of the rings out of the cloth and carefully spread Viktor's fingers apart. He then slid the gold band up Viktor's finger, looking concentrated, yet also nervous. Viktor could only focus on Yuuri as he felt metal slide across his skin.
Yuuri looked up, his face flushed pink, but smiling all the same. Viktor silently reached behind Yuuri, grabbing his partner's hand.
"You know, we usually don't use rings in Russia." Viktor mumbled as he put the ring on Yuuri's finger. He thought the gold accented Yuuri's skin perfectly. Yuuri jolted quickly.
"I-I'm sorry," He stuttered, "what do you do then?"
"As gorgeous as these rings are and as dearly as I will hold mine close to me, we usually just seal it with a kiss." Viktor responded, getting close to Yuuri's face. "Will you let me kiss you? Just to make it authentic, of course."
Yuuri could only nod, closing the space before Viktor even had time to move. There was that same feeling of electricity and warmth Viktor had the first time as he made sure his eyes were closed and he wasn't just glazing over.
They parted after what felt like a long time but also a time far too short. Yuuri began to giggle, followed suit by Viktor. Arms wrapped firmly around shoulders and waists as the two tangled themselves up on the bed.
"I love you, Yuuri." Viktor said, holding Yuuri close to him. Yuuri sighed against Viktor's chest, nuzzling himself closer.
"I love you too, Viktor. More than anything in the world." He said. "わたしは、あなたを愛しています。"
"What does that mean?" Viktor questioned, putting his fingers in Yuuri's hair. He nearly forgot just how soft it was.
"It means," Yuuri paused, likely blushing, "it means 'I love you.'"
"Well if we're going to be talking in our different languages," Viktor stated, "then I say 'Я люблю тебя.'"
"I assume that means 'I love you'. It does, right?" Yuuri asked. Viktor chuckled softly, pressing his cheek against Yuuri's head softly.
"Yes, of course it does." He replied. "Also, if we're going to be husbands, I think you can call me 'Vitya'."
"Vitya?"
"Yes, please call me Vitya. May I call you 'Yuura'?"
"Of course."
They both then quieted down, listening to the sounds of the waves crash against the hull of the ship as the boat progressed onwards.
END
Whew, that was quite short, but epilogues always tend to be that way. It also took far too long and I am so sorry. I wanted a short epilogue, but not a halfassed one.
Yes, this will be the final chapter of this story. All that pain and happiness has led us up to this point.
What does the future have in store for Yuuri and Viktor? Well, in my head, they do get to see Yuuri's family. Viktor gets to meet them all and immediately gets along with everyone despite people being iffy about him and language/cultural barriers. After spending upwards of two months there, they make a proposal to move to Paris and start a dance studio (they both retire, of course, Viktor due to his age and Yuuri due to his injured veteran status)(and also they do this). Before moving, though, they do go and see Viktor's family once more. Ivana, Yakov and Yuri are visibly relieved to see that Yuuri is alive and kicking because they did get attached to him in the time that he was there. They don't live much past the 1980s (they were born in the 1910's - early 1920's, so it was unlikely they would live much longer than that), so they don't get to be officially married, but they're together and happy and that's good enough for them.
I'm the author and I declare their happiness canon.
Also, since I know it wasn't clear and none of the characters ever find this out, the person that reported Yuuri was actually that maid that was wary of Yuuri in chapter 5. She was 'the wariest' after all. She actually dies while Yuuri is gone from old age. She's actually not a bad person. She thought she was helping. Pls don't hate on Mrs. Maid.
If you have any other questions about the universe of this story, feel free to ask : )))
Translations (used google translate, please tell me if they are wrong):
わたしは、あなたを愛しています。- I love you
Я люблю тебя. - I love you
Anyways, this story has been one long ride. On October 13, it will have been 9 months since the first chapter of this story was published. That's absolutely crazy.
Also, the insane amount of support I have gotten from each and every one of my readers is tremendous and I cannot thank you enough for first of all staying with me through all my accidental and unannounced hiatuses, but through all the fillers chapters as well. 7k + views was not a view count I could have even thought of getting with this modest story I came up with on a whim.
Everyone who gave me favourites and followed my story, I absolutely adore you. They are so much more to me than a number. They are each a reason that I kept writing this story, even when I ran fresh out of ideas. You were people who actually liked my story and hit those little buttons. Thank you so so much.
Everyone who commented, you all warm my heart so much. Comments are my absolute favourite and the amount I got made me feel like people really did appreciate what I was doing. I want to personally thank everyone who left me even the smallest comment. You are also one of the main reasons I kept up with this story, even when it was hard.
Thank you all so much. You can't even fathom how grateful I am for all of you and the support you have given me.
For now, this story is over. I hope to see you in another
Sincerely, with all my heartfelt gratitude,
MidnightQuestant