Yuri "Yurio" Plisetsky had a short temper, and he definitely didn't keep it a secret. Many, many things irritated him, from pulp in his juice to having to wait in line at his favorite store. But the one thing in particular that annoyed Yurio the most was blatant stupidity. And one Victor Nikiforov had so much blatant stupidity stuffed into him that he was surprised he hadn't exploded yet. Ridiculous.

Not wanting to waste any time, Yurio had gotten an early flight (without breathing a word to Yakov or Lilia), had some breakfast at the airport, called a cab and made his way to where Victor had gone, all before the sun had even risen. But once he arrived at this inn (or whatever it was; it didn't look like any hotel he'd ever seen) he was so tired from the flight that he fell into his futon and dozed off. Cursing himself silently for wasting valuable time sleeping, he changed his clothes and went downstairs. In the dining area, he found Mari cleaning up a table with a bunch of empty glasses on it. She'd helped him check in this morning when he arrived after wandering around lost for an hour.

"Hey. Where's Victor?" Yurio asked her as she wiped down a table. She looked up at him.

"I actually haven't seen Victor yet. I know Victor was down here drinking with Minako until the sun came up this morning. But I don't know when he went to bed." said Mari with a shrug. "You can go wake him up if you need him that urgently. Go knock on his door. If you need help, see if my brother Yūri can help you. Victor's room is down the hall and around the corner, and Yūri's is at the end of the hall."

Still quite annoyed, Yurio tramped upstairs first. If Victor was in a drunken sleep, then he would probably need backup to help get him back to the land of the living. How stupid. At the top of the stairs, Yurio saw Makkachin sitting outside the last room at the end of the hall, scratching on the door and whimpering. Yurio approached the dog.

"Eh? What's with you? Victor's room is that way, you know." Yurio said to him, confused. But Makkachin continued to scratch on the door. This must be Yūri's room. Yurio shivered a little. Something didn't feel right. He knocked on the door. "Hey! Crybaby Yūri Katsuki! Open up! Victor was up drinking until dawn and I need help getting him up! Let's go!" There was a muffled answer, but Yurio couldn't hear it through the door. "Huh? I can't hear you!" He still couldn't understand him. "Ok, I'm coming in, and you'd better have clothing on, or I'll kill you!"

When he opened the door, a sickeningly sweet scent flooded out. It was so thick and heavy it was almost offensive. Breathing it in made Yurio feel light-headed, and yet...he almost enjoyed it too. These had to be pheromones of some kind. And only one gender could produce pheromones this strong. It was just like at the party--

Oh no. Oh no, no, no...

Victor Nikiforov, the Living Legend, the Champion of Russia, the Glittering Ice Prince who could have any woman (or man, really) he wanted on their knees had gone and gotten himself mixed up with an Omega. Yūri Katsuki was an Omega.

Shit.

Yurio bit his lip and approached the bed. In the dim lights from the dark-colored curtained window, he could see the outline of someone in it. Their breathing was ragged and heavy, and it sounded like they were in pain. Should he call someone? What was the number for Emergency Services in Japan?

"Yūri Katsuki? Is that you? Are you alive?" Yurio asked, folding his arms impatiently. He didn't wait for a response. "Victor's passed-out-drunk and I need to get him up and bring him back to Russia. He has no business being here in this hovel training a third-rate skater like you, especially not an Omega." But Yūri didn't reply. Maybe he was asleep too. "Hey! I'm speaking to you, Piggy! Don't sleep while I'm talking to you! Hey!" Yurio kicked the leg of Yūri's bed.

"...please--please leave m-me alone…" Yūri breathed shakily, not moving. "I'm n-not feeling well…"

"Yeah, no shit. You're in heat, obviously. You reek; your pheromones are so potent they're smothering the oxygen in here. It's so sickeningly sweet…" Yurio's last word ended in a strange note. What kind of emotion was that? Impatient, Yurio strode forward and grabbed Yūri's wrist. It was damp with sweat, and trembling a little. "Get up. Move it."

"L-let go!" Yūri tried to yank his wrist backward out of Yurio's grip, but the motion drew Yurio closer to him instead. Their faces were almost touching, their noses inches apart. The heavy, sweet scent was sinking all around them.

He was so close. Yurio could see the sheen of Yūri's skin from the sweat. He smelled so sweet, like fruit, or flowers, the kind his grandmother grew in the backyard when he was little. His face was flushed and his breathing labored. Wow. Up close like this, Yūri Katsuki actually looked beautiful…

Yurio raised a hand to brush Yūri's face softly; it was very warm, too warm. Yūri dipped his head back in response with a sharp inhale. Yurio's hand slid down to his neck, over his collarbone to rest on his chest. Yurio couldn't tell whose heart was beating faster. Weird...why was this guy suddenly so attractive? What had come over him…? Yurio leaned in--

Wait a minute. Hold on.

Their faces were mere centimeters apart. And Yurio had just come back to reality and found himself in this situation. His face felt hot. What did he almost just do?

A firm hand on his chest pushed him away, and he stumbled but kept his balance. Yūri Katsuki was staring at him, now sitting up in bed, looking completely nonplussed. His already wide eyes were even wider. Neither of them dared to say anything; words might as well be useless here…

"What the hell did you push me for? That was fucking rude, you know! You looking for a fight?" Yurio snapped, quickly putting distance between Yūri and himself. Wait a minute--didn't he just come to the conclusion that words were useless here?

"Are you kidding? You're t-the one that came onto me! You touched my face and my chest and tried to kiss me! I-I barely even know you! You're the rude one!" Yūri stammered between breaths, scrambling to his knees on the bed, his face such a bright shade of pink it should have been glowing.

"Of course I did! You're basically spreading your pheromones in the air everywhere! Of course I'd get caught up in it--! I'm just here to grab my stupid rinkmate and take him back to Russia! I'm not sticking around here with an Omega any longer than I need to. You're all nothing but trouble!" Yurio spat, turned on his heel and swept from the room, blood pounding in his ears. He was clenching his fists so tightly he was losing feeling in his fingers. Screw it. Wake up the idiot, get him back to Russia, and let this whole affair die. Well, after he gave the idiot a piece of his mind, anyway.

"Oi. Stupid Old Man." Yurio said to a soundly sleeping Victor who was almost certainly naked underneath those sheets. He shook himself mentally to clear that image before it completely formed. Victor didn't answer him anyway. "Wannabe Nudist. Drunken Garbage Can. Thinning Hairline!" But still no response. Yurio huffed.

"...Closet Pervert…" He mumbled irritably under his breath.

"Mmm?" Victor finally stirred a little, shifting the sheets. Yurio was ready to look away at any time. Just when he thought his face couldn't get any hotter. "Yurio? Is that really you? W-ow, it is! I just had the best dream, wait till you hear it! I dreamed I went to Japan and met Yūri Katsuki and asked to be his coach! He was so cute up close--"

"Yeah, that wasn't a dream, stupid. We're in Japan right now. And I'm here to take you back to Russia before you screw up anything else. Get dressed, let's go. Get your dog too." Yurio said, starting to bustle about the room getting things together. Victor blinked sleepily and sat up, his hair sticking up in all directions on one side.

"Oh, yeah, we are! And you're here too, Yurio! Ahhhh, I'm so glad I came here. The bath is amazing, and so is the food! You should stay for a bit and join us! There's a skating rink not far from here too! You'd love it." said Victor happily, stretching.

"Taking a bath with other people? That just sounds disgusting. No thanks. As for the "us" part, Victor Nikiforov--" Yurio grabbed a pillow and smacked Victor in the face with it.

"Ouch!"

"Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into? You're in deep shit now! Yakov said you would be if you went, and he wasn't wrong! Your Cinderella is far from a princess, Old Man!" Yurio said angrily, but trying to keep his voice down. Victor giggled. Maybe he was still residually drunk? Was that even possible?

"Cinderella? You mean Yūri?" Victor asked thoughtfully. "He'd be a prince then, not a princess--"

"That's not the point! Victor, you went and got mixed up with an Omega! Do you even realize how serious this is?"

"Omega? What are you talking about, Yurio?" Victor's trademark confusion was back on his face.

"Stop calling me that! I'm saying that Yūri Katsuki is an Omega! He's in his room right now--in a full heat! Nothing good comes out of a relationship with an Omega, Victor! They're the "barefoot and pregnant" types!"

"Where did you learn that expression from?" Victor asked, lightly scratching his face.

"Focus! You really want a relationship with that Omega Piggy? You want to deal with him in heat every month? Having to worry about using protection, unwanted pregnancies...Victor, what if he gets pregnant? Your whole future will be ruined!" Yurio said with wide eyes, envisioning the ruined future as he spoke. "You'll have to retire early to raise the kid with him! Then you're stuck with it forever! I know you, you hate being tied down! You'd be miserable!"

Victor couldn't find a response to this. He hadn't considered that...what would happen if Yūri got pregnant? Would they both have to retire? Would Yūri even want to keep it? The reality of the situation was setting in now. He never had to worry about that before, as all the women he'd seen were Alphas arranged by his family, and even though they could get pregnant, the chances were extremely low.

"Come on. Get your stuff together. We're leaving." said Yurio, dropping a duffel bag into Victor's lap. But Victor didn't move. "Hello?! Earth to Victor Nikiforov! Let's go!"

Victor took a deep breath. He looked like he was deep in thought about something.

"No, Yurio. I'm sorry, but I can't go back yet." said Victor, face set. Yurio raised his eyebrows so high they were in danger of disappearing into his hairline.

"'No'? What do you mean, 'no'?! Have you finally lost it? Nothing good is going to come out of this! Your family isn't going to stand for it, you know that! A male Omega? I bet your mother would rather see you dead than have you courting a male Omega, especially that one." Yurio said sternly, pacing the room. Why couldn't Victor get this through his thick head? This was doomed to fail! Everyone else could see that, why couldn't he?

"I just can't," Victor began, getting out of bed.

"Ugh, gross, really?! Couldn't you have waited until I turned around?!"

"It's...different this time. I can't explain it, I'm just...drawn to him. I've never felt like this before. I...I want to be near him all the time. I want to make him happy." Victor finished, ignoring Yurio and putting on clothes.

"No, Victor, you want to sleep with him, even I know there's a difference. You're an Alpha, and a dominant one. He's an Omega. Alphas and Omegas just...naturally attract each other. It's all down to genetics and sexuality. It's not that kind of 'love'. Yakov said that too..." Yurio argued, facing the wall and refusing to turn around until he was absolutely sure Victor was dressed.

"It's not just that," Victor said dismissively, buttoning his jeans. "I want to help him. He's so talented and passionate, I saw him skating the other day. He's so moving and expressive, yet he's never been up there on that podium, and I recall him competing in the Junior Leagues. He has talent and skill, so why can't he win? I don't like not knowing. I want to know. If I can help him and keep him from fading away like a forgotten memory, then I will. He's a dedicated, kind person. I think I can reach him, Yurio."

"Now you sound like a charity worker, Victor, and that's so not you. If this was anyone else, you wouldn't bother to help them. Hope you're not doing this just to get your dick wet--"

"Language, Yurio!"

"What? Prove me wrong! If you can show me that you actually give a damn about that Japanese Piggy and not just what he has to offer as an Omega, then I'll drop it. But as soon as you fail, we're going back to Russia! End of story!" Yurio challenged. Victor straightened out his shirt and sighed. Everyone was making this whole game plan entirely too complicated. Why couldn't he just be left alone?

"Where did you say Yūri was again?"

"In his room in bed, I told you he's in heat. There's more pheromones in the air than actual oxygen. But hold on, you can't go in there!" said Yurio, moving in front of the shoji and blocking the path. Victor raised an eyebrow. "You're an Alpha, idiot! He's an Omega in heat! What do you think is going to happen to you if you breathe in those pheromones? I almost--!"

But he stopped. Victor's eyes flashed with an icy light. And suddenly Yurio felt the floor drop out from under him. Yurio covered his mouth, his hands shaking. The air in the room seemed to be pressing down on him from all sides. Cold sweat ran from his neck and seeped underneath his shirt collar.

"You almost what, exactly?" said Victor, seeming eight feet tall, folding his arms dangerously. Yurio shook his head, hands sealed tight over his mouth. Victor bore down on him. Yurio really didn't seem like he'd done any physical harm; he didn't have any other scents on him. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. The dangerous aura floating around him dissipated, and his eyes returned to their serene blue. The air no longer felt heavy and oppressive. Yurio took his hands away from his face, his knees like water. So that's what a full-fledged dominant Alpha looked like in their element. Terrifying. He swallowed, his throat dry and sore. "Well, let's go. Lead the way."

"What? Where?"

"Back up to Yūri's room. I think it's a good idea to check on him and make sure his condition isn't too bad. And the least you can do is apologize for whatever it is you almost did." said Victor lightly. He took what looked like a capped pen out of his leather satchel and plunged it into his thigh without even flinching. Yurio stared.

"What the hell was that?" Yurio gaped, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"An inhibitor. Sort of like the ones the suppressants they give to Omegas. I always have an extra or two with me. It's a good practice to have." said Victor, dusting himself off and walking out of his room without missing a beat. Yurio ran after him.

"Hey! I've changed my mind. Forget trying to prove me wrong, we're going back to Russia, now! Before this gets any worse! And why should you have to take an inhibitor? Isn't the Omega responsible for that?" Yurio argued. But Victor ignored him and knocked on the door. The heavy, sweet scent was back, but other than a headache, Victor didn't notice anything at all. Yurio, on the other hand, groaned under his breath and held his nose.

"Yūri? Are you all right? Can we come in?" Victor called through the door. He couldn't hear an answer, so he opened the door.

WHAM!

Before he had time to register what had happened, a thick, soft pillow came whizzing through the air and smacked Victor square in the face.

"Get out! I'm not feeling well, and I'm done arguing with you! I barely even know you! If you have an issue with Victor, why don't you go talk to him yourself?" came the angry and labored voice of Yūri Katsuki. "I didn't make him come here; he told me he came because he wanted to be my coach! Happy?"

"Geez, what the hell are you yelling and throwing things for, Little Piggy? You're so freaking rude!" Yurio retorted, his cheeks pink.

"Me? You're the one being rude! This is my house! You came onto me and touched me without permission, and then said it was my fault for--what--"seducing" you? Like I'm some kind of cheap harlot!"

"You're the one in heat, and it's your body and your pheromones, so it's your fault!" Both of them had entirely forgotten their volume. People down in the main hall could even hear them over the noise of the soccer match on the TV.

"I have no control over my body when I'm like this! I can't decide what it does or when! You're the one who came in anyway, even knowing that I might be in heat!"

Yurio blinked. Wow. He didn't expect such a heated response from the skater who cried like a five-year-old in a bathroom stall at the Grand Prix Final this past December. He sighed huffily and rolled his eyes. Yūri didn't see. Maybe that was for the best.

Without saying a word, Victor entered the room completely, holding the pillow in his hands. Yurio preferred to wait in the doorway instead, arms folded and glaring, determined, at the floor. Victor slowly approached Yūri, who flinched. He knelt down on the floor so that he was below eye-level and took Yūri's hands gently in his own. Yurio watched closely.

"First of all," said Victor in the softest and gentlest voice Yurio had ever heard him use, "put on your glasses. I bet you probably don't see well without them." He deposited them into Yūri's hands carefully. Yūri put them on with trembling hands. Victor smiled. Yurio couldn't see it, but he heard it in his next words. "Hi. I'm the one who knocked on the door and asked to come in. I'm also the one you threw the pillow at." Yūri's eyes widened behind his frames and he hid his mouth and nose behind his hands.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I thought... I thought it was just him coming back to argue again! I didn't know you were there too!" said Yūri in a panicky voice, his breathing getting shallower and faster. Victor took both of his hands and squeezed them gently.

"Shh, it's ok. It was an accident, I know. Try to relax. I'm not angry, so don't worry." said Victor. The pounding in his head was intensifying. For all the years they'd been on the market, couldn't drug companies have made an inhibitor without side-effects by now? Victor reached up and felt Yūri's face and forehead; his breath hitched and he leaned into the touch. Yurio stared. Yūri's face flushed deeper and his eyes looked glassy. What the hell? Was this what an Omega's heat was like? Yūri was eyeing Victor like he wanted to devour him…

"You have a pretty high fever, and I know you don't feel well. You need to rest for a few days. I know it's hard, but try to pull yourself together, Yūri. I took an inhibitor so your pheromones won't affect me for the next 8 hours or so, so I can look in on you periodically. But just try to lie down and rest for a while. And Yurio isn't a bad guy; he's just seen a lot, like I have. But he does owe you an apology, and I'll make sure he remembers it." said Victor. Yurio scoffed from the doorway. Victor made the "zipped lips" gesture at him behind his back.

"You--me being an Omega doesn't bother you…?" Yūri asked, obviously trying to keep his head clear and his urges under control.

"Of course not. You're a person like everyone else. Why should genetics dictate how people view and treat you?" said Victor, glancing back at Yurio out of the corner of his eye. He didn't make eye contact with him, but he could tell from Yurio's rigid frame that he'd heard what he said. Yurio wasn't a bad guy, he'd just been exposed to fifteen years of classicism and prejudice, like most of the rest of modern society. He could still change his way of thinking. But for people like Victor's family...they were too far gone. There was no saving them.

I didn't even know I was an Omega until a few weeks ago... This had never happened before--ow!" Yūri doubled over in pain and wrapped his arms around his stomach. His breathing sounded even worse. Victor put a hand at his back. "I hate this…I hate this so much…"

"What hurts? Lie back and show me." Victor rubbed his hands together vigorously. Yurio continued to observe, blonde eyebrows raised. So, he was a company son, a model, a professional ice skater and a massage therapist? No wonder girls fawned all over him. And guys too, evidently. Victor placed his warm hands on Yūri's waist. "There...how's that? Do you have a heating pad?"

"Yes...t-thank you...I think we have one, but I don't know where it is. I think my mom would know…"

"Ok. I'll go and see if she can find it. I'll tell her to make you something to eat too, something easy to digest. And you need to drink some water. I'll check back in on you later." Victor ruffled Yūri's hair softly and left the room, Yurio right behind him. But he didn't say anything to him until he was sure Yūri Katsuki wouldn't hear him.

"What was all that about?!" Yurio rounded on Victor, drawing himself up even though Victor was quite a bit taller than him.

"What? What's the issue?'

"You're the issue! Fawning all over him! Gross! Are you crazy? When are you going to get it through your head that being involved with any Omega is gonna get you killed! Or are all those rumors about your family being connected to the mob wrong?" Yurio said, jabbing a finger in

Victor's chest. To his shock, Victor grabbed Yurio's finger roughly and removed it. He didn't answer the question though.

"I'm not my family, Yuri Plisetsky. And I hope you aren't yours either. A retired Russian idol so self-absorbed she forgets she has a son, and an energy stockbroker who frequents the bar more than the bartender? I hope for better for you." said Victor gravely, hands in pockets. Yurio froze where he stood. What the hell had gotten into him? But Victor sighed; he looked tired. "Well, if you're not going home right away, I guess we'd better come up with a good cover story as to why you're here."

"Cover story?"

"Well, I haven't exactly told Yūri why I'm here beyond saying I wanted to coach him. He doesn't know that I'm...interested in something more. Possibly." They walked out into the courtyard and sat on one of the wooden benches. Most of the cherry blossoms on the trees had shed their petals already, the brick paths covered in pink snow. Little gusts of wind sent them airborne, like small pink snowflakes. So pretty...

"So...you came here to try and work out your feelings for a guy you met for maybe ten seconds--oh, and danced with at the GPF banquet this past year--and you didn't even tell him that you think you might hold a candle for him? Lord…" said Yurio quietly, shaking his head exasperatedly.

"We danced at the banquet?"

"Yes, dummy! Ask your lovebird about it and see if he remembers! Probably not, considering he was piss-drunk on champagne or whatever they served there. He got pretty-much naked and threw himself at you. I still have pictures if you want to see." said Yurio with a note of pride, opening the Photos folder on his phone. "He and Chris shared a pretty passionate pole-dance too. Why are all the older skaters so weird…? You, Chris, him, JJ--"

"Oh!" Victor's face lit up as Yurio scrolled through the pictures. "I think I remember now! He begged me to come to his family's inn and be his coach! Yeah, he was pretty drunk that night. He had his tie tied around his head; I had to hold it for him while he threw up! I'd almost forgotten that; I was pretty drunk that night too--"

" "Drunk' is an understatement. The only ones more sloshed than you were Chris and Yūri Katsuki. Surprisingly, you kept your clothes on. Mila couldn't stop laughing, and I got dragged into a stupid dance-off. Ring any bells now?" said Yurio. Not really, but Victor vaguely remembered a certain young blonde skater striding confidently out onto the dance floor and popping open the button on his navy blue blazer. When it came to competitions, Yurio was front and center--

Suddenly Victor sat straight up, startling Yurio, who dropped his already cracked and chipped phone.

"Victor! What the hell did you do that for?"

A competition. That's it, that's the cover story. Who knows, this might be good practice for both Yuris. Plus, Victor could work with Yūri on his skating and self-image. As kind and talented as Yūri was, he had absolutely little to no confidence, and his self-esteem was in the gutter for sure. If only he could see what Victor saw when he looked at him…

"Hello? Are you alive in there?" said Yurio, waving a hand impatiently in front of Victor's face. Victor looked over at him with a wide, satisfied smile.

"Up for a friendly little competition, Yurio?"