Snowflowers
By Spunky0ne
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICTOR NIKIFOROV!
And a Merry Christmas to all celebrating!
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When a group of orphans visits Ice Castle Hasetsu on Christmas Day, more than one special wish will be granted…Victuuri, OtaYuri
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Chapter 1: Appreciation for the Little Things
The soft sound of music from a cell phone laid on Yuuri's nightstand brought him awake, though the hour was much earlier than usual. But, he thought, extreme measures were called for in making sure that the special day ahead got off to the right start. He reached for the phone, but a warm hand wrapped around his wrist and he heard his still sleepy husband giggle.
"You're playing our song, Yuuri," Victor mumbled sleepily, smirking up at his now blushing spouse as he tugged him down into a long, open mouthed kiss.
"Mmmph," Yuuri managed between more hungry kisses, "Vitya! Mmm-tryin' to…!"
"What's that?" Victor teased, kissing him every time he tried to get a word out, "I can't hear you, Yuuri. What are you trying to say?"
"Mmmmph, Vitya!"
"Mmmmmm! I love you too," Victor laughed, continuing to interrupt with kisses as he rolled on top of Yuuri and rubbed his naked flesh against his husband's, "But see, Yuuri? You've given me a hard on. What are you gonna do about that? Hmm?"
"Hah! Ah…!" Yuuri sputtered, finally escaping for a moment, "You always have a hard on, baka!"
Victor's head tilted cutely.
"True," he agreed playfully, "but as my husband, it's your job to make sure that my hard ons are taken care of, just like I always take care of yours."
"I'm pretty sure that wasn't in our wedding vows," Yuuri said, smirking.
"Oh no, of course it was," Victor lied, "and it was certainly in our wedding contract, "See?"
He grabbed a random scrap of paper from the nightstand and waved it at his snickering spouse.
"It's right there in black and white."
"The writing on that paper is purple and red," Yuuri laughed, swatting the paper away and using a sudden twist of his lithe, athletic body to flip Victor onto his back.
The piece of paper dropped from the Russian's pale hand and slipped to the floor as Victor reached up to curve his palm around Yuuri's flushed cheek. Adoring blue-green eyes locked on a pair of affectionate brown ones and Yuuri leaned down to brush a more tender kiss onto his lover's smiling lips.
"Happy birthday, Vitya," Yuuri whispered, then he ducked beneath the Russian's chin to lick and nibble at the fine, white flesh, before trailing kisses along each finely sculpted collar bone.
He worked his way slowly down Victor's still magnificently toned body, marveling at how youthful he managed to look, even as an older figure skater. And even though, as Victor's partner, he was aware of the little things like how his partner required more careful preparation and rest for training and tournaments, Victor continued to amaze everyone, Yuuri included with his strength, grace and flexibility. That, combined with his husband's high intelligence and impressive strategy continued to earn him wins against much younger and highly talented skaters.
Even Yurio has trouble beating Victor in competitions, mostly because Victor understands both their strengths and weaknesses and he manages to work that knowledge in his favor almost every time.
Yuuri felt a sad little twinge, knowing that Victor's and his professional careers wouldn't last more than another few years, but since it wouldn't do Victor or him any good to dwell on such things, he just poured all of his love and happiness into appreciating the gift that their career was.
I never would have loved skating if not for Victor first seducing me into loving it because of him. I never would have poured all of my energy into that dream of one day sharing the ice with him in competition. I wouldn't have failed so badly in front of him and gotten drunk and seduced him into coming to Hasetsu to train me. So much good came of Victor loving the ice since he was a small boy.
As always, the thought of young Victor brought to mind the sad truth that Victor had been an orphan, and that his parents were poor people who died and left him with no other family. Still, Victor never mentioned any lingering sadness over it. Having had his talent in skating discovered when he was only a young boy had earned Victor a skating family that gradually stepped in to become a new family.
I do wonder if he ever thinks about it, though. He never says he does, but when Victor suddenly decided to host the Christmas event for the Hasetsu orphans at Ice Castle Hasetsu this year…
"Did you wander off into your thoughts and forget about me?" Victor said suddenly, making Yuuri blink in surprise as he realized he'd been overthrown and Victor was now poised over him, smiling and rubbing his very aroused penis, "You get me all riled and then you leave me like this? How could you, Yuuri?"
Yuuri grinned and spread his thighs wide, welcoming his amorous husband as Victor made a slow, teasing entry.
"Sorry, Vitya."
"You weren't thinking of someone else, were you?" the Russian mused jokingly, "I mean, I am an older man now…"
"Shut up, baka!" Yuuri laughed, "You know I'd never even look at anyone but you. You've had my eyes for most of my whole life."
Victor's expression softened beautifully and he held them there, their lightly sweating bodies joined and aching for them to move.
"And even before I knew you, you had my heart, Yuuri. So many eyes watched me, but I didn't know that one pair would be the ones that seduced me and made me a slave to them."
"Vitya, that's so cheesy!" Yuuri snorted, making both men start to laugh.
"It's cheesy," Victor agreed, brushing a happy tear from the corner of one pretty eye, "but it's true. I love you, solnyshko. You'll never ever know just how much."
"I think I'm getting the idea," Yuuri chuckled, pushing his hips upward to grind against his husband wantonly, "but if you wanna show me again…"
Yuuri was sure there couldn't be anything sexier than the smoldering look he earned in response.
"Say no more," Victor purred, losing all signs of levity and moving his hips in perfect time with his slighter partners, "I told you when we were married here that I would show you every day for the rest of our lives."
The warm, slightly trembling fingers that laced together with his, the tickle of silver hairs against his face and throat, the sounds that couldn't be held back as they engaged in the most passionate of dances, left both young men convinced that Victor Nikiforov was surely a man of his word.
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"I thought it wasn't supposed to be snowing here," Yurio complained as he followed Otabek out of the airport, "We had enough damn snow in Russia."
"What are you complaining about?" Otabek chuckled, slipping a hand into the blonde's and tugging him along, "At least it's not snowing as much here."
"It's still too fucking cold!"
"Come on."
They exited the main building and looked around for a moment, then Yurio groaned and rolled his eyes.
"I'll bet he forgot, didn't he?" he growled impatiently, "Victor was supposed to tell Pork Cutlet Bowl when we were arriving so someone could pick us up! Ugh, they're probably too busy fucking like jackrabbits to even think!"
"Hmm," Otabek said thoughtfully, giving his fiery boyfriend a peck on the cheek, "it's not bad to spend a cold day like this drinking hot chocolate and making love, right, Yura?"
"It damned well is when you have company coming and you stupidly forget them!" Yurio snapped.
Otabek took out his cell phone and tapped on it for a moment, then he took Yurio's hand and led him to a covered bench.
"I've called for a ride. Come on and keep me warm while we wait."
As much as he felt entitled to continue complaining, the lure of Otabek's offer wasn't lost on him either, and the two made quick use of the extra time to embrace and kiss as the snow floated down all around the covered bench they sat down on.
I wish we could do more of this kind of thing anywhere we wanted to in Russia, Yurio thought, rubbing his cheek against his lover's, But…it's never been very safe for people like us in Russia. Even in Saint Petersburg, we confined ourselves to kissing only in private places. I hated that Victor moved to Japan instead of staying in Russia after Pork Cutlet Bowl moved there to train…but they wanted to get married, so they had to leave Russia to do that. They were lucky that parts of Japan would let them be married.
He stole a peek at Otabek, pushing his tongue into the older man's mouth as they continued to kiss.
Maybe someday…Beka and I will…
His thoughts were interrupted as a car made its way along the front of the airport and stopped beside the covered bench where they waited. The driver gave them a wave and climbed out to open the trunk for them.
"You are Otabek?" the driver asked.
"Yes," Otabek affirmed, showing his identification.
"Please get inside."
"Ah, arigato," Otabek said, bowing.
The two skaters climbed into the car, sighing happily at the flow of warmer air inside. They settled in the back seat as the driver took his place in the front seat.
"You are going to Yuutopia Katsuki?"
"Yes."
"Ah, you are friends of Katsuki Yuuri then?"
Yurio scowled and started to give a saucy answer, only to stop when he felt a light touch on his hand.
"We are," Otabek replied, glancing at his boyfriend affectionately.
"I saw the Grand Prix Final," the driver said excitedly as he drove out of the airport and headed for the Inn, "You were all amazing! The high scores were all so close. It was a great competition! Everyone thought Katsuki-san was going to overtake Victor at the end…"
Yurio cringed and gritted his teeth.
"Yes, it was very close," Otabek agreed, "I think those are the best competitions."
"Yes, yes!" the driver agreed enthusiastically.
Yurio loosed a ragged sigh, leaning against his partner and looking out the window, ignoring the driver's continued chatter about the final.
I should have won. I may not have Pork Cutlet Bowl's stamina or Victor's level of experience, but I've beat them both before! It's just that they don't leave room for mistakes with their high levels of precision. When I get angry…and Victor knows how to make me pissed…I make mistakes and forget about strategy. But, I will win next time!
"Ah, here we are," the driver announced, "Let me get your bags for you."
The two skaters climbed out of the car and Yurio couldn't help smiling as Maccachin's happy barking greeted them.
How old is that dog anyway?
He bent to give the old poodle a hug, then looked around.
Still inside, fucking like jackrabbits…
The door to the inn opened and Mari stepped out, carrying a bag of trash that she deposited in the large bin. She caught sight of the two and broke into a smile, waving them over.
"Hey, Yuuri didn't tell me you two were coming this morning," she mused, "As a matter of fact, neither Victor nor Yuuri told me exactly when to expect you."
"I told Victor," Yurio said, shaking his head, "but…"
"With him, it's in one ear and out the other," Mari chuckled.
"More like in one ear and out his stupid ass," Yurio muttered under his breath as the two followed Yuuri's sister inside.
As they passed through the front lobby, Yuuri and Victor appeared out of the stairway that came down from the upstairs rooms, both dressed their training clothes. Victor spotted them and broke into a huge smile.
"Yurio! Otabek! I didn't know you would be here already."
"The hell you didn't know, you idiot!" Yurio accused him, "I told you two days ago what day and time. You just forgot."
"Seriously, Vitya?" Yuuri snickered.
"It's not funny, piggy!" Yurio snapped.
"Now, now, you have to be nice, since it's my birthday today," Victor laughed.
"That's the only reason I'm not beating the crap out of you."
"Look at you, talking so confidently about beating me at something," Victor teased good-naturedly.
"That's it!" Yurio steamed, starting towards his Russian teammate.
He barely kept himself from growling at Otabek for gently stopping him.
"Well, since you're here early…" Victor rambled on.
"We are not here early!"
"You should come with us to the rink."
"We literally just got here after a long flight!" Yurio complained.
"You want to practice on your birthday?" Otabek asked curiously.
"Not exactly," Victor replied, glancing at Yuuri.
"We're going to be running a class for a group of orphans who are visiting Ice Castle Hasetsu for their Christmas trip," Yuuri explained, "It was Vitya's idea."
"I heard that the orphanage was having trouble finding something they could afford to do for the children, so…"
"So," Yuuri chuckled, "Victor booked the time for them and said that we'd come and hold the class, ourselves. The poor lady from the orphanage almost fainted."
"Showoff…" Yurio huffed to himself.
"That was really very kind," Otabek said appreciatively.
Victor smiled and shrugged.
"I was an orphan, myself," he explained, "If it wasn't for the fact that someone noticed my talent and got me into a government paid program to develop my talent, I never would have been able to become a skater."
"It was lucky you had that," Mari agreed.
She nodded briefly in Yurio and Otabek's direction.
"Why don't you give me your bags and I'll go put them away," she suggested.
"Do you need to change or freshen up before we go?" Yuuri asked.
"I'm kind of hungry," Yurio answered, looking around.
"Oh, we're going to eat with the kids at the rink. Victor's having the event catered. He really pulled out all of the stops."
"Well, that's our Victor," Otabek chuckled, "Thanks for taking care of our things. I think we can go in what we're wearing, right Yura?"
"Oh…yeah, I guess," Yurio said, calming somewhat at the thought of being able to skate.
"We can jog there to warm up," Victor said, leading the group outside.
Hiroko poked her nose out the door.
"Have fun today, and don't forget we'll be making pork cutlet bowls and cake for Vic-chan's birthday tonight!"
Victor hurried back and planted a little kiss on her cheek that made her blush and giggle.
"Thanks so much, Mama Katsuki," he gushed.
The four young men headed out of the inn's courtyard with Maccachin on their heels. Little snowflakes floated down lazily from the sky, swirling as the skaters ran through them. Passing people exchanged greetings with them and several had small gifts they handed to Victor. By the time they reached the halfway point, the group slowed to a walk to make it easier to carry the collection of gifts.
"You're getting spoiled rotten here," Yurio muttered, shaking his head.
"Well, you and Otabek are welcome to move in with us here any time," Victor teased him, "Yuuri and I would love to adopt you."
"Shut up!"
They reached the rink several minutes later and were greeted at the front doors by a smiling Yuuko.
"Hi, good morning, Victor! Good morning, Yuuri! Oh, and Otabek and Yurio are here too? That's great! Come on in. Takeshi and the girls are just finishing getting everything ready in the rink. I have the party room set up too."
"You didn't tell them we were even coming, Victor?" Yurio asked in an annoyed tone.
He relinquished his scowl long enough to give Yuuko a little smile and a hug. They followed her into the rink, which had been beautifully decorated already for Christmas and now had banners welcoming the children and congratulating Victor on his birthday and recent Grand Prix Final win.
"So, what do you think?" Yuuko asked Victor.
"I think it looks perfect!" Victor beamed, glancing at his watch, "We should get our skates on and warm up on the ice."
The four young men sat down on the nearby benches and quickly changed into their skates and did some gentle stretching exercises. Yurio found his initially bad mood lightening as he removed his blade covers and moved out, onto the smooth ice, followed by Otabek, who skated up behind him and wrapped warm, strong arms around him.
Damn, it feels good to relax and be able to embrace each other in public. No wonder Victor likes it here…well, that and all of the fan worship he and Pork Cutlet Bowl get.
Victor grabbed Yuuri's hand and pulled him into a pretty ice dance to some Christmas music Takeshi set to play. As the time for the childrens' arrival drew near, the four men exited the ice and moved to the side of the rink, where they watched as Yuuko and the triplets greeted the visiting orphans and made sure each child and adult in the group was given a pair of skates. They were then led to the rink entrance where Victor and the other skaters waited.
"Good morning," Victor greeted them cheerfully, "I'm Victor and…"
He broke off as the children shouted, "Good morning, Victor!"
"Thank you," Victor laughed enthusiastically, "You are an energetic group, and that's good. We're going to have lots of fun today. Before we get started, you'll want to meet some of my friends. Next to me, is Yuuri."
"Good morning, Yuuri!"
"And over there are Otabek and Yurio."
"Good morning, Otabek and Yurio!"
"The four of us are professional figure skaters," Victor went on, "and today, we are going to take you out onto the ice and show you what a fun sport ice skating is. Now, have any of you ever been ice skating before?"
A few of the children's hands rose and Victor nodded approvingly.
"Aha! Then, you already know ice skating is fun, right?"
"RIGHT!"
"Now, before we get to skating, we're going to make sure that everyone has a comfortable pair of socks that will help their feet stay comfortable and will be high enough on your legs so that the tops of your skates don't rub too much against your skin. My three friends, here, Axel, Lutz and Loop are bringing your socks, and we will make sure that your socks and skates fit comfortably."
The four young men joined Yuuko's triplets and the four adults from the orphanage, helping the children put on their socks and skates. When they were done, they separated the children into four groups of five with one adult skater and an adult from the orphanage in charge of them. They led their groups onto the ice and each skater led his group through several games meant to make them more comfortable on the ice, before leading them through some beginning techniques.
Victor stood beside the middle aged woman who was leading the group and the two watched as their group practiced the moves that Victor had just taught them.
"How old, exactly, are these five?" Victor asked.
"Ah, Satoshi, there, is nine years old, Akane, beside him, is ten. Hana just turned six years old and the boy and girl on the far end are Kisho and Shika. They're seven years old, twins, and today is their birthday."
"Is it now?" Victor asked, grinning, "It's my birthday too. We'll have to make sure to wish them a happy birthday when we sit down to eat later."
"That would be great," the woman said, smiling, "Do you think you could tell them how you celebrate your birthday in Russia?"
"Of course," Victor agreed, turning his attention back to his group as they finished practicing.
He gathered the group with the other groups at the center of the ice.
"Now, since you have learned some basics of skating, our friend, Takeshi, is going to turn on some fun music and we'll also put on some fun lighting so you can skate to the music."
The adults spread out as the lights darkened slightly and colorful patterns began to play about. A selection of children's music played along, and the children laughed and began to skate along.
"How did your kids do, Yuuri?" Victor asked as Yuuri skated over to meet him.
"They were great," Yuuri said approvingly, "They had a really good time."
"You gentlemen are so kind to do this for them," the woman from the orphanage said, her eyes slightly sad as she watched them, "We try to give them things to enjoy, but our budget is a little bit limited."
Yuuri smiled, noting that Victor was closely watching two of the children from his group, who were holding hands and skating together, performing several moves that they hadn't been taught.
"It was really Victor's idea," he said conversationally, "He likes to share his love of skating with kids. You know, Victor was an orphan, himself."
"Is that right?"
"Yes," Victor affirmed, still watching the siblings as they turned and did little side by side hops, then single jumps, "I was lucky enough that the people there noticed my love for ice skating early, and there was a program to sponsor my early training and development."
"It's too bad they don't have something like that for these kids," the woman sighed, "Especially Kisho and Shika, there."
"They've skated before," Victor stated with certainty.
"Yes. They've been with us for a little under a year now. Their parents were killed in a car accident, driving home during a very bad storm. But they've opened up a bit with us, and we learned that they often went ice skating with their parents, who were both skaters as teens. Neither competed at the senior level, but they loved skating very much. That's why I was so happy when you contacted me. I've…never seen those two look so happy, not in all the time they've been with us. You've really done something good for them today…all of you. Thank you so much."
"Oh, you're welcome," Yuuri said, squeezing Victor's hand as his husband continued to watch the twins skate, "We're glad to be able to help."
Victor blinked slowly, then met the woman's eyes directly.
"Masako-san," he said in a serious tone, "I would like to do something more for those two."
The woman looked back at him questioningly.
"You say they love skating?" he asked.
"W-well, yes, they love it very much, but ice skating is very expensive and…"
"I will sponsor them," Victor said firmly.
"Wait," Yuuri said, "What was that, Victor?"
"You want to sponsor them?" Masako mused, giving him a stunned look.
Victor nodded.
"There is a mountain of potential there," he insisted, "I want to sponsor them, and I want to train them!"